What’s Better than Take-Out?

Honesty, that’s a tough question to answer. Hands down, home cooking beats delivery any day. However; take out does have its advantages. For one thing, when we order Chinese, it’s not a single dish with some rice. Oh no, it’s an entire buffet!

Have you ever tried cooking an entire buffet? Now if you’re talking orange chicken, lemon chicken, sweet and sour chicken – that’s easy. All the difference dishes use the same chicken. So all you need do is cook up three times your normal chicken, keep it warm in the oven and whip up three different sauces for a finish. Okay, maybe that’s a bit more complicated unless you have a nice commercial stove. Most of us have two large burners and two small burners. If you are short like me, you really only have the burners at the front of the stove. It’s those times when I am multi-tasking in the kitchen that I miss my old stove with six gas burners all the same size. Yeah, that was nice, but we’re wandering off again. Stay on subject!

So we agree, take out gives you variety that is difficult to recreate in the home kitchen. Another advantage to take out is there’s no mess to clean up. Just look at my kitchen – all I made was Orange Chicken, Rice and warmed up Pot Stickers from the frozen section. There’s a pot for the rice, a wok for the sauce, a skillet for the chicken and another skillet for the pot stickers. And of course, knives, measuring spoons, measuring cups, cutting boards – you get the idea.

Why cook at home? Fresh ingredients for one thing. The joy of preparing a meal for your family is so rewarding – just look at smiles on their faces. Yeah, take out might have a lot going for it, but the one thing take out lacks is love.

On this National Take Out Day, remember to bring the love into everything you do. It’s why God created you in the first place – to love and be loved.

Spicy Orange Chicken Stir-Fry
1 large Egg
2 tablespoons Water
3/4 cup Flour
1/2 cup Cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon White Pepper
3 boneless Chicken Breasts
Oil for deep-frying

In a small shallow bowl, whisk together egg and water. In a large shallow bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper.

Cut chicken breasts into 1-1/2 inch thin pieces for stir-frying. Dip chicken in flour to coat both sides; shake off excess. Dip in egg, then in flour again.

In a deep skillet or wok heat oil to 350-degrees. Working in batches, fry chicken until golden brown, 3-4 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels.

Spicy Orange Sauce
3 Green Onions
2 Garlic Cloves
2 teaspoons fresh grated Ginger Root
1 cup Orange Juice
2 tablespoons Orange Zest
3/4 cup packed Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
3 tablespoons Rice Vinegar
3 tablespoons Lemon Juice
2 teaspoons Sesame Oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed Red Pepper Flakes or to taste
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon White Pepper
2 tablespoons Cornstarch
2 tablespoons Water

Trim and slice green onion. Peel and finely mince garlic and gingerroot. Set aside.

In a wok, whisk green onions, garlic, ginger, orange juice, zest, brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, lemon juice and sesame oil. Season with red pepper flakes, salt and white pepper. over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, cook 4-5 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water until smooth. Add to pan, bring to a boil. Cook and stir until sauce is thickened, 1-2 minutes. Add chicken to pan; coat in sauce and heat through.

Serve Orange Chicken with Sticky Rice and Steamed Pork Pot Stickers. Great with Tea, hot or cold.

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If there is any other commandment,
It is summed up in this word:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Romans 13:9