Chinese Food

Beef and Broccoli

I would say 99% of the time that I eat Chinese food, I order Beef and Broccoli.  I'd seen a recipe on Pinterest and thought I'd try to make it at home.  Here is how I made it:

Ingredients
1 package tenderized round steak cut into strips
1 cup beef consomme
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons sauce from the crock pot after being cooked
One package frozen broccoli
Hot cooked rice

Directions
1. Place beef in a crock pot.
2. In a small bowl, combine consomme, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, and garlic. Pour over beef. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
3. In a cup, stir cornstarch and sauce form the crock pot until smooth. Add to crock pot. Stir well to combine.
4. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes on high (the sauce has to boil for it to thicken).
5. Cook broccoli as directed on the package. Serve on the side since Kent won't eat it and the kids don't want it mixed together.
6. Serve beef over hot cooked rice.

It wasn't exactly like PF Changs, but I thought it was pretty tasty.  The kids ate it up.

Orange Chicken

When we go to Panda Express, I'm the only one who doesn't get Orange Chicken (because I'm usually ordering Beef and Broccoli).  I found this recipe and decided to try it.  Here is how I did it:

Ingredients:
• 3-4 boneless chicken breasts, chopped into small chunks
• 1/3 cup flour
• olive oil
• 1/2 T salt
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 3 T ketchup
• 6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate,thawed
• 4 T brown sugar
Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix the orange juice, brown sugar, vinegar, salt, and ketchup.
2. Cover the chicken breast chunks in flour and shake off the excess.
3. Pour a small amount of olive oil in a skillet and brown the flour-covered chicken.  The chicken just needs to be browned a little.  It will continue cooking in the crock pot.
4. Put the cooked chicken in the crock pot, cover with the orange mixture.
5. Cook on low 5-6 hours. 
6. Serve over hot rice.

Really watch it in the crock pot.  I wanted to make sure the chicken was fully cooked, but feel that it got a little dry.

Everyone liked the dish, although they say it wasn't like Panda Express at all.  I think Panda Express fries their chicken more and there isn't such a strong orange flavor.  Based on the reviews, I'd make it again, but when I use the crock pot, my preference is no prep, just dump things in and be done.