Orange Glazed Chicken and Glazed Carrots

I like watching Food Network, but I don't watch it that often. However, this weekend on Jan 1st they had a marathon of The Next Food Network Star, and I really ended up liking the winner Melissa D'Arabian. She already had the first season of her show Ten Dollar Dinners. I decided to try two of her recipes last night. Now, I live in Hawaii, so there is no way I can make these dishes for under $10, but it didn't cost me much more, and it tasted great.
So here I go, on my tiny gas stove, I'm going to try to make awesome culinary meals.

First up is the recipe I will call Orange Glazed Chicken. Melissa calls it....

Crispy-Skinned Chicken a l'Orange
(recipe is from Foodnetwork.com)

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 skin-on bone-in chicken breast halves
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
• 4 tablespoons honey

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Liberally salt and pepper the chicken breast halves. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat and sear the chicken, skin side only, until brown and beginning to crisp, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the orange glaze: In a small saucepan, heat the orange juice concentrate, honey, and salt and pepper, to taste, over medium heat, and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Turn the chicken over and brush each piece with the glaze. Turn the chicken skin side up and transfer the pan to the oven. Bake until the internal temperature reaches 160 to 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, brushing on more glaze halfway through, about 15 minutes in total. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board. Remove the chicken breast from the bone and slice the meat on the bias. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and serve.

Results

Not bad. I liked it! It was easy to make and it wasn't to sweet. Now I didn't get my chicken skin as crispy as she did (see the picture of the finished product on the foodnetwork.com site), but it was browned nicely. The chicken was tender and had a good flavor. I would make this again.

Glazed Carrots

For a side dish I made her Glazed Carrots. Again, this recipe is from Melissa D'Arabian from The Food Network.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 3/4 pound carrots, cut on the bias into coins
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a small skillet, combine the broth, water, butter, brown sugar, cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the carrots, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until just tender, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Uncover the pan and let the liquid cook down until it reduces to a glaze, about 2 to 3 minutes. Toss the carrots to generously coat them with the glaze. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Results

Yup! I really liked these. I would make them again. Super easy! This didn't take a lot of time at all. I served the carrots and the chicken with mashed potatoes. When asked, my daughter said the best thing on the plate was the mashed potatoes. Go figure, the 5 year old likes the one thing I bought already made at Safeway. Kids....

If you try these recipes tell me how they turned out for you.

January 4th, 2010

I'm starting a blog. Why? Seriously, do I have the time to update this and do what I want with it. Maybe, maybe not, but I'm sure going to try.

Why do this? I made a New Year's resolution this year to cook more at home, bake a new dessert every week, and keep up with all the crafting I have to finish.



This is my cookbook shelf, not all my cookbooks are on here, just the new ones and the ones I use the most. I LOVE to bake, so most of them are all about desserts; however, I need to cook more, so I will be exploring my books for great dinner recipes. I bake all the time, but I do make certain recipes more than others. My goal is to try a new dessert recipe at least once a week. I'll be taking pictures and posting the recipes from the books and magazines I use (I subscribe to Cooking Light, Food Network Mag, and Bon Appetite - since my Gourmet got canceled).

My craft books take up more than a few shelves on my entertainment center. I enjoy cross stitching, sewing, beading, and I recently learned to knit. I am currently working on a bracelet, a baby sampler for a friend, and a scarf for myself. I know, I live in Hawaii and have no need for scarves, but they are easy to make and I'm still learning =).

So here we go, my first post, on my first blog, at the beginning of the New Year. Let's see where this takes me!