CRANBERRY ORANGE COOKIES

 ~ Jo Cooks

COOKIES
1 c. butter, at room temperature
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 T. orange zest
1 t. vanilla
2 T. orange juice
2 1/2 c. flour
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 c. fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped

GLAZE
1 c. powdered sugar
2 T. orange juice 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 

In large bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium speed for two minutes. Add egg, zest, vanilla, and juice; mix one minute or until totally combined. Add flour, baking soda, and salt to bowl and mix on low until just combined. Fold in chopped cranberries.  

Use a medium cookie scoop to form balls and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes or until edges are slightly golden. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

While cookies cool, whisk icing ingredients together. Use a teaspoon to drizzle glaze over cooled cookies and allow to set before serving.

Makes about four dozen.

Notes: I use silicone baking mats instead of parchment paper. Using a small scoop, I get about five dozen cookies from this recipe. If you like coconut, try coconut cranberry chews for a cookie that's similar to this one, but with a few changes. 

MANDARIN CHICKEN PIZZA

~ Tim Weathersby, my husband

one pizza crust, store-bought or homemade
1 1/2 lb. chicken, diced
1/2 c. Mr. Yoshida's Original Gourmet sauce
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 oz. grated mozzarella
11 oz. can mandarins, drained

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cook chicken and Yoshida's in skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through. Remove from heat and drain.

Place crust on greased baking sheet or pizza stone. Spread cream cheese over crust, leaving a one inch border around the edge. Sprinkle with mozzarella, cooked chicken, and mandarins.

If crust is uncooked, bake pizza 15-20 minutes. If crust was fully cooked before adding toppings, bake 10-15 minutes.

SPINACH SALAD WITH AVOCADOS & CLEMENTINES

~ The Costco Connection - March 2016

DRESSING
1 1/2 T. red wine vinegar
1 1/2 T. whole-grain mustard
1 t. honey
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. pepper
3 T. olive oil

SALAD
1 large, firm avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
6 c. packed baby spinach (about 6 oz.)
4 clementines, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 c. toasted sliced almonds

In a large serving bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper. While whisking, drizzle in oil to make vinaigrette.

Add avocado and toss to coat, then add spinach and clementines, gently tossing to combine. Garnish individual servings with almonds.

Makes 4 servings.

KEYS-STYLE CITRUS CHICKEN

~ Better Homes and Gardens 30-Minute Meals

6 medium chicken breast halves, about 1 1/2 lb.
3-5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/2 T. butter
1 1/2 t. lime zest
3 T. lime juice
3/8 t. ground ginger
just under 1/4 t. crushed red pepper
1 1/2 oranges

In a large skillet, cook chicken and garlic in butter over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink, turning chicken once and stirring garlic occasionally.

Meanwhile, combine zest, juice, ginger, and red pepper; set aside. Peel orange. Reserving any juice that comes out, slice orange crosswise, then cut slices into quarters. Add reserved juice and lime mixture to skillet with cooked chicken. Top chicken with orange slices, cover, and cook 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Spoon juices over chicken when serving.

Makes six servings.

Notes: Our Zaycon chicken is bigger than this recipe indicates, so I just cut 1 1/2 pounds into six (close to) equal pieces. 

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HAWAIIAN CROCKPOT CHICKEN

~ Mary Lou/LuLu's Creations and Designs

2 lb. chicken breasts, thighs, or legs
20 oz. can pineapple chunks, drained
15 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/3 c. brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. ginger
1/2 t. salt
2 green onions, chopped
3-4 T. shredded coconut

Place chicken in crockpot.  In a small bowl, mix pineapple, mandarin oranges, cornstarch, brown sugar, garlic, lemon juice, ginger, and salt; pour over chicken.  Cook on high for three hours or low for four to five hours, until chicken is cooked through.  Serve over rice, garnishing with onions and coconut.

Notes: I use chicken breasts, which are done in four hours on low in my crockpot, then shred the chicken before serving it. Sometimes I toast the coconut. I've put all the ingredients, from raw chicken through salt, in the freezer together, then thawed them before dumping the bag in the crockpot. If I go that route, then I just chop the green onions and pull out some coconut right before serving it all.

ORANGE & RAISIN GREEN SALAD

~ Bethany Weathersby

lettuce and/or spinach, chopped
oranges, peeled and chopped
raisins
walnuts, chopped and toasted

Place lettuce and/or spinach in a serving bowl, then layer the remaining ingredients on top.

SPRING DELIGHT

~ Silas Weathersby

24 oz. cottage cheese
20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
15 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
2 c. miniature marshmallows

Mix all ingredients. Chill until serving.

LESLIE'S SALAD

~ Leslie Adams

SALAD
4 c. spinach, torn
4 c. romaine, chopped
11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
1 c. seedless grapes
1/2 c. toasted or candied almonds (chopped, slivered, or sliced; instructions below)

DRESSING
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. white vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt

Toasted almonds – Toast in oven at 350 degrees for six minutes or over medium heat on stove top, stirring occasionally, until desired level of toasting is reached.

Candied almonds – Combine almonds with 3 T. sugar in a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir constantly when sugar starts to melt. Remove from heat when almonds appear toasted and sugar has completely dissolved. Stir while cooling to break up clusters.

Toss all salad ingredients. Mix dressing ingredients and toss with salad just before serving.

Notes: I like cutting the grapes in half, as they're easier to pick up with a fork that way. I never measure the greens or grapes, but just use as much as I want, use a 15 oz. can of mandarins or fresh ones instead of an 11 oz. can, and always use toasted almonds instead of candied ones. Most of my family doesn't dress this, but you can make the dressing if you want to.  

ORANGE-CASHEW CHICKEN & RICE

~ Taste of Home magazine - October/November 2009

2 c. instant brown rice
2 11 oz. cans mandarin oranges
1/2 c. chopped cashews
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. teriyaki sauce
1 1/2 lb. chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 T. canola oil
1 c. chopped bok choy
1/2 c. minced chives

Cook rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, drain oranges, reserving one cup oranges and 1/4 cup juice. Save remaining oranges and juice for another use. In a small bowl, combine the cashews, broth, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and reserved juice; set aside.

In a large wok or skillet, stir-fry chicken in oil until no longer pink. Add cashew mixture and cook one minute longer. Add the bok choy, chives and reserved oranges, then cooking, stirring often, another two minutes.

Fluff rice with a fork; serve with chicken mixture.

Makes about four cups of meat mixture.

Notes: This is even better with some ginger added to it. We never buy instant rice, so we just serve this with regular brown rice. If you're not sure what to do with all the unused bok choy remaining on the head you bought for this recipe, whip up a batch of bok choy with garlic & ginger to serve as a side dish to round out your meal.

GREEN SALAD - ASIAN STYLE

~ Bethany Weathersby

chicken breasts, fresh or frozen
teriyaki sauce
lettuce and/or Napa cabbage
oranges, peeled and sliced
sliced almonds

Place desired amount of chicken in a crockpot. Pour teriyaki sauce over chicken. Put lid on and cook until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from crockpot and shred, shop, or slice. Chop lettuce and/or cabbage and place in salad bowl. Sprinkle diced chicken, oranges and almonds over the top.  We don't dress this, as the juice from the oranges and the extra teriyaki sauce in the crockpot work as a dressing.

Notes: All quantities are flexible, so do what sounds best to you. You can use whatever teriyaki sauce you want, but we prefer the Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki because it's not nearly as salty as other brands. You could bake your chicken instead of using the crockpot, but I find it easier to just throw frozen chicken in the crockpot at lunch and have it ready to shred at dinner.

MANDARIN SALAD

~ Linda DeVilliers 

SALAD
romaine or red leaf lettuce
2 11 oz. cans mandarins, drained
red onion, separated into rings
1/2 c. toasted nuts

DRESSING
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1/3 c. sugar

Prepare dressing. Toss with salad ingredients and serve.

Notes: I only use half an onion, then cut it into thin, bite-sized pieces because it's easier to eat that way.