orange creamsicle cookies*

Fantastic news friends! I have successfully moved for the last time in a long LONG while! I have actually lived in my new house now for 2 months yesterday, and we are loving every minute of it! I have had quite a grand old time shopping and shopping, and did I mention shopping?? Well, I shopped my little heart out for decorations. I have officially been banned from shopping with my mother-in-law. For real. Except for when I sneak down to meet her at the store on Saturday mornings while Landon is mowing the lawn at our rental. OOPS! Wanna see some pics of my cute house??

Notice the decorations?? Yeah, we didn't have nearly that many 2 months ago. So on your top left we have my cute office. That desk actually originally belonged to Jerry Spanos, the Founder of Heritage School (a.k.a. the greatest place to work EVER). I stumbled upon it on KSL, only to discover it was owned by one of the therapists that had refinished it and it is just the cutest thing!

On the top right is my kitchen, where I spend most of my time. I absolutely love the undermount sink for easy cleanup, the cute granite countertops, but most of all - the huge walk-in pantry! I don't have a picture of that on my little collage, but I literally could fit a twin size bed in there and sleep next to my baking cups and chocolate chips like its no ones business.

The bottom left is my living room where we lounge away and watch the Kardashians (don't judge) and House Hunters (yes, I'm still obsessed with HGTV even though I have now bought my forever home). See those cute green lamps? I recovered those shades my very own self! YES - go me!!

And finally, on the bottom right is our extra bedroom. Believe me, it's a bazillion times cuter than our master. We have yet to buy any cute furniture and decorations for our master, because I'm always too busy decorating everything else. One day, one day...

The rest of the house includes a full bath next to the extra bedroom, a half bath next to the kitchen, laundry room (a.k.a. Tankers' sanctuary), our room and master bath, and an unfinished basement with room for 2 more bedrooms and a family room. I love love LOVE it! In just 2 weeks we are putting up a fence for our puppy to run his little heart out, and then our next project is sprinklers and grass in the backyard - our front yard is landscaped, thank goodness.

ANYWHO - if you are still reading thus far, I am sure you are wanting to get to the good stuff! These cookies were made for parent conference back in May, and I had request after request for the recipe. And what did I say? Don't you fret, I'll put it on the blog! Ummm...better late than never???

Orange Creamsicle Cookies
adapted from Baked Perfection

orange creamsicle cupcakes*

I learned something about my husband this week that I never knew. This upcoming June we will have been married for 4 years, but for some reason I didn't know this very important fact. I am an ice cream fanatic. Seriously, it's all I think about. Well, a couple of nights ago Landon and I wanted to go on an ice cream run. Landon's favorite ice cream is from Glade's in Spanish Fork. It's probably about 15-20 minutes from our house, so really it was quite the venture for ice cream. While we were on our way there, I realized I didn't know what his favorite kind of ice cream was. His answer?? Orange. ORANGE! Orange ice cream. No, not orange sherbet, orange soft serve. How weird is that? He was hoping that Glade's flavor of the day would be orange, which is why he wanted to go there. It was peach (not good as an ice cream FYI). Anyway, I bring this up because I think he would really like these cupcakes, and because I cannot believe I did not know this extremely important fact about my husband..

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes
concept from That's So Michelle

Beat and Bake Orange Cake Recipe
from Allrecipes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest

6 tablespoons butter, softened

2 cups confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a muffin tin and fill with muffin cups. In a measuring cup, combine milk, 1/2 cup orange juice, oil, beaten eggs and 1 1/2 teaspoon orange zest. Set aside.

Sift flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Mix in sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk mixture. Stir until thoroughly combined. (I added a little bit of orange food coloring so that my batter was more of an orangy color).

Divide batter into the muffin tin, filling tins 3/4 full. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.
*makes 24 cupcakes

Whipped Cream Topping

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Whip the heavy cream until it becomes light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and whip until combined (taste test for preferred sweetness). Pipe the whipped cream onto your cupcakes.

*slice oranges for garnish

Aren't these the cutest?? I think I made a mistake, however. I used actual pre-made orange juice, but I think it was referring to freshly squeezed orange juice. The cupcakes weren't as orangy as I would have liked them, but I think this is why. I am not positive, but I'm pretty sure. These little guys are seriously yummy, though. And they look so springy! If it starts warming up, these would be a perfect little treat at your picnic! Remember that the whipped topping is very delicate and will melt easily, so keep your cupcakes nice and cold!

-alyssa*

orange waffles with buttermilk syrup*

March Madness. I LOVE March Madness. I just finished watching the tail end of the BYU game. Sorry for all those die-hard BYUers out there, but it worked out good for my bracket :). I am not a huge BYU fan, but they are from Utah so when someone from Utah is doing well - I will back them 100%. Otherwise, they are dead to me. JUST KIDDING! I am currently watching the Jazz. I think I am in the minority when it comes to watching the Jazz these days. Those guys just do not know what they are doing anymore. Oh well, I still love them.

These waffles are AMAZING. My sister-in-law Andrea made them on our weekend at the cabin. I love citrusy, orangy, lemony things - so these waffles were right up my alley. And the syrup. OH the syrup! I could probably drink it plain. Seriously it is THAT good!

Orange Waffles with Buttermilk Syrup
from the Worldwide Ward Cookbook

6 egg, separated
1/2 tsp. salt
6 oz. orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
3 1/4 cup flour
3 cups milk


Buttermilk Syrup

1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups sugar
3 Tbsp. white corn syrup
2 tsp. vanilla


Waffles:
In one bowl beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.

In a separate bowl, mix egg yolks, salt, orange juice, butter and sugar. Beat until smooth. Alternate adding flour and milk. Fold egg whites into batter.

Bake in waffle iron. Serves 5.

Syrup:
In a 6-quart saucepan, combine all ingredients except vanilla; boil for 5 minutes. Add vanilla. Serve on pancakes or over ice cream. (Double this recipe for a family of five). Using a 6-quart saucepan is important because it froths a lot while cooking.

SO GOOD! And so easy too. I was shocked that it was only orange juice concentrate in there! I always have that on hand for my orange julius' that I just have to have from time to time!

Oh my gosh I almost forgot!! Look at these CUTE cupcakes some of the kids made all of us in the kitchen!

They are the cutest things, and delicious, too! It's little things like this that make our jobs worthwhile :). THANKS to everyone that was involved in making these! We absolutely love them!

-alyssa*

orange chicken sauce*

My coordinator, Sarah, asked me the other day if I were to eat only one thing for the rest of my life what would it be? My answer: Panda Express. I am obsessed with their orange chicken. They even sell Panda Express Orange Sauce at the store, but I am telling you right now it is nothing like the real thing. I don't know what they do, but the real stuff is amazing!!

We have tried this orange sauce recipe a couple of times, and it's pretty good! It's still not quite as good as Panda Express, but it is the best alternative I have come across!! It's tangy and sweet with a kick from the crushed red peppers. I only have the recipe in a yield of 60 servings, but I am going to try my best to do it for only a yield for approx. 6 servings.

Panda's Orange Chicken
from unknown..
Yield:  6 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups water
1/8 cup orange juice
1/2 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup vinegar
3 Tbsp. cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp. minced ginger
1/4 tsp. minced garlic
1 rounded teaspoon chopped green onions (I usually add more because that seems like nothing)
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
cornstarch

Directions

Put all ingredients in a stock pot. Bring to a boil. Whisk about a tablespoon of cornstarch with about 1/4 cup of the sauce in a separate bowl until cornstarch is well mixed without any lumps. Add cornstarch mixture into the sauce. Let boil for another minute and if it's still not the thickness you would like, add more cornstarch.

Once sauce has reached the right thickness, add immediately to your chicken, beef, pork or tofu.

Yummmmm..I love Chinese food!!!  I can't wait until biggest loser is over so that I can head straight to Panda! Counting the days.... :)

-alyssa*