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Oranges are still 5lbs. for a dollar, which makes me just so happy! Oranges are such a happy fruit not only because they’re my favorite fruit, but they also because embody my favorite color. I finally got around to making Orange Chicken during the day so that I could photograph it for my recipe book (Chris was very happy to have something for lunch other than a grilled cheese sandwich). It was a nice bright day –especially compared to the depressingly rainy day the day before– so it was ideal for taking photographs of my culinary masterpiece. YUM!

Here’s the recipe… it’s really, really easy and delicious!

Lemon Chicken

3/4 lb. Sliced Boneless Skinless Chicken
1 t. Salt (divided)
1 Egg Yolk
2 t. Rice Wine
1/8 t. Pepper
1 t. Soy Sauce
1/4 c. Sugar
2 t. Cornstarch
1/4 c. Chicken Broth
1 t. Sesame Oil
2 T. Water
1/4 c. Lemon Juice (I used fresh-squeezed orange juice instead. You jealous?)

Combine chicken 1/2 t. salt, egg yolk, rice wine, pepper and soy sauce. Let stand for 15 minutes. Combine sugar, cornstarch, chicken broth, sesame oil, water, lemon juice and 1/2 t. salt to make the lemon sauce. Heat sauce with 1 T. hot oil. Dip marinated chicken in a mixture of 6 T. cornstarch and 2 T. Flour. Deep fry and drain chicken. Pour lemon sauce over chicken and serve.

Yesterday I was on my way to my favorite cheap grocery store when I saw a sign at another favorite store of mine (Sigona’s–a local farmer’s market) advertising a sale on oranges, five pounds for $1. Oh yeah, it was my lucky day! One of my favorite things about winter/Christmas is orange season. I was in heaven. There were tons of beautifully ripe oranges right at my fingertips! So, I did what any smart shopper would do… I bought 20 pounds of oranges! 10 pounds of the oranges went to friends, and the rest to my kitchen to be consumed.

Last night I tried out a citrus juicer that Chris and I got for our wedding. Yeah, it’s been almost a year and a half, and it was the first time we’ve used the thing. It was great! I made some orange chicken, which turned out fabulous. I’m a little disappointed that I wasn’t able to get a picture of the dish last night (the sun has been setting at 5:30). I do, however have a lovely picture of what we did with six oranges this morning, the orange juice was so good. mmmm…