Orange Chicken

When Taylor and I were dating, we spent a lot of time in Spokane. Our favorite place to eat dinner was P.F. Chang's, and we always order their orange chicken. When we first got married we probably had this every date night by Taylor's request.

We have also made this recipe gluten-free by using rice flour and leaving the soy sauce out.

Rating: 10

Servings: 4

Source: http://www.recipesecrets.net/PFChangsOrangePeelChicken.html

2 chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
5 cloves minced garlic
6 green onions, sliced
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
5 tablespoons Sriracha sauce (Taylor likes 6 1/2 TBS)
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cup flour
1 grated orange peel


Directions

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, sautee green onions, garlic, and 1 TBS of oil.

2. Add tomato sauce, water, sugar, Sriracha, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and set aside.



3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add the remaining vegetable oil.

4. Beat egg in a medium bowl. Pour flower into another bowl. Coat the chicken pieces by dropping them into the flour a few at a time, then into the egg mixture and then back into the flour again.

5. Cook the chicken in small batches in the oil until lightly golden brown on all sides. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat until all the chicken is cooked.

6. Discard the oil from the skillet and then place the skillet back on the burner over medium heat. Add the orange peel and cook for a couple of minutes or until the orange is fragrant. Next, add the chicken and stir till well coated. Mix in the sauce, cook till thoroughly heated.

7. Serve with white or brown rice.

Country Vintage Wedding

August 11, I married the greatest man I've ever known. After months of preparations, hours on Pinterest, and every DIY craft known to man, the day had finally arrived. The day was perfect: the sun shined, family gathered, and a vast amounts of laughter and bliss filled the air!
I thought I would share a few set up pictures of our country vintage wedding.



My colors were lavender, deep purple, and cream.



We borrowed mason jars to create a vintage feel on a very low budget. Also, we wrapped the napkins in pearl beads giving it an elegant feel for only $1.79.






We had the most gorgeous fresh flowers from BeeHaven Farm. (http://beehavenfarm.com/)
I loved the wild flower, country vintage look. My mother and I (mostly my mother) assembled 27 bouquets for the tables and six for the bridal party.





We alternated bouquets of flowers and bird cages on the tables. We placed LED candles in the cages setting a soft romantic feel at night. Next to the bird cages we had jars of dried lavender. It gave the wedding a light, sweet scent. When Taylor and I went to leave, we had everyone throw lavender instead of rice. The whole walkway smelled glorious.






Our wedding was in a beautiful field in Hayden Lake, Idaho. Tall trees shaded our guest keeping it cool on the August afternoon.



We hired a Violist and Flutist to play Cannon in D for the girls to walk down to adding a special feel to our outdoor wedding.



Kissing as "Mr." and "Mrs." :) This was the setup at the bridal table.



Our first dance under the lights. I loved the lighting at night! It gave it a very romantic feel for the dance floor.



I also made my own cake. With our budget, I couldn't justify spend $500 on just the cake, but at the same time I still wanted a tiered cake for Taylor and I. So we ordered Sheet cakes for our guest and I made the wedding cake. Sure it doesn't look like a designer cake, but saving $480 was worth it to me.


I love looking back at my wedding photos; it makes our wedding seem almost like a fairytale. Our photographer did a great job capturing the day. I'd recommend him to anyone. He was funny, knew what he was doing, and willing to put in the extra work to get the perfect shots. His website is: http://www.martinpaulphotography.com/wedding_gallery.html

Like I said earlier, our day was perfect! I loved the way the wedding turned out. Best of all, at the end of the day, I was married to my best friend!