Thank God Hockey's Back

We've all been so much happier now that the Bruins are back.  Pats lost?  Who cares.  They're not sitting in the dark right now.  (Seriously, though, am I the only one who would freak the heck out if I was sitting in a dome with 30,000 people and the lights went out?  I would lose it).  Anyway, hockey.  The B's have been great, and it's so nice to see the kids getting into it.

 

8am.  30 degrees.  Ready to head out for some shooting practice.

We went ice skating today and Jax is now sure that he really wants to play hockey.  Of course, he's ambivalent about actual skating lessons, but he loves the idea.  And Lea, who was extremely hesitant to get on skates, has, in just three times on the ice, come so far.  It's a fun way to spend a couple of hours together.

 

They weren't jumping up and down about going skating.  They were doing a Jilian Michael's DVD.  But either way.

It was a good weekend all around, actually.  Friday night we had pizza dinner with friends which is always a good time.  We used to meet for Upper Crust Pizza, which is still my favoritist pizza ever.  But since they closed, we had to get from someplace else.  Old School Pizza in Wellesley was pretty good.  I recommend the buffalo chicken pizza.

Saturday morning we took the kids to a juggling show at the Regent Theater in Arlington.  Unfortunately, only 1/2 of the juggling duo made it, but he did a great job keeping the kids entertained.  

 

Patiently waiting for the show to start.  The venue could have used a little more heat.

This is the nice time of year where it seems like things slow down a bit - holiday madness is over, but it's not the spring busyness that starts around Lea's birthday.  

And the groundhog saw his shadow, confirming the deeply held suspicions of legions of scientists seeking confirmation for global climate change.  So there's that.

This past week we didn't eat all that much fantastic.  I made this Moroccan Chickpea Stew, which had so much potential.  

But I didn't like it.  I liked it enough to eat it, but not enough to eat the leftovers.  I don't know - it was missing something, but I still can't figure out what it was.  So that recipe's not going up.

But this was pretty good.  The kids found it a little too sweet, so the recipe here reduced the sugar, but if you like your orange chicken the kind of cloying sweet of takeout, add about 1/4 cup brown sugar to the sauce at the simmering stage.

 
Orange Chicken
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks
1/2 c. corn starch
1/4 c. cooking oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 c. orange juice
1/4 c. marmalade (or apricot preserves)
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp soy sauce

Toss the cubed chicken in the corn starch until well coated.  Heat a couple of tablespoons of the cooking oil in a nonstick pan until hot but not smoking.  Add 1/2 the chicken and cook over medium-high heat stirring occasionally, until chicken is slightly browned and mostly cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Remove to a bowl, and repeat with the remaining chicken.  

If you need to, wipe out the pan, but no need to clean it thoroughly.  Add 1/2 tsp of oil and saute the garlic over low heat for about 2 minutes, just until softened, but not browned.  Add the orange juice, marmalade, ginger and soy sauce, and simmer until the sauce is reduced by about 1/3. 

Add the chicken to the sauce and simmer until the chicken is totally coated in sauce and is cooked through, about 5 more minutes.  

I served over brown rice, with broccoli and carrots.

This whole post went up during the power outage.  This Superbowl is disappointing in so many ways.  Did you know that in order to win, the 49ers have to score more points?  Thank heavens for all this extra commentary.