Orange"ies"

I really don't know what to call these bad boys except delicious. Really they are like brownies but instead of chocolate they are orange flavored. They are dense and delicious with a little bit of orange heaven drizzled on top. I would call them Orange Brownies, but they aren't brown at all so I think this could a little misleading. So I'm sticking with the Orange"ies". It might sound funny but that is what I'm going with!

I made these for my sister-in-law's bridal shower. The shower was so cute and so fun. The picture is one straight from the shower taken with my good little phone. There were several recipes that I promised I would post so stay tuned for more yummy desserts in the near future.

*The original recipe is for Lemonies. I am sure these are just as delicious, I just happened to have oranges on hand so feel free to make whatever you have on hand.



Orange"ies" or Orange Brownies

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons Orange zest
2 tablespoons Orange juice

Orange Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon Orange juice
2 teaspoons Orange zest

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Zest and juice one orange; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, orange zest, and orange juice until combined. Pour into the flour mixture and beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Pour into baking dish and bake for 25 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before glazing.

When brownies are cooled completely, make the glaze by whisking together all three ingredients. Spread over the brownies with a rubber spatula, cut into bars, and serve!

Recipe Source: Bakergirl

Orange Julius

I have been making this drink for years. I don't exactly remember when I started making them, but I have always loved them. These aren't for the milk orange lover. This drink is tangy and has a very strong orange flavor. Now of course if you wanted less flavor you could always use more milk or ice, but I like it just the way it is!

Orange Julius
Prep Time: 5 min
Servings: 4

Ingredients
1 - 12 oz can frozen orange juice concentrate
2 cups milk
1/2 cup ice
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 orange peeled and in segments *

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.  Serve immediately.

*Note: I threw in the orange just to add a little extra real fruit flavor/vitamins, and just to feel like its a little healthier. The orange does add a slight pulpiness to it. If you are against pulp then just leave out the orange.

Deliciousness Salad

I love salads that combine fruit and vegetables! I love the sweet taste combined with a good vinaigrette dressing. I have my favorite strawberry salad already posted on this blog (which is to die for) but really has a lot of sugar. This salad is a delicious combination of a traditional salad with a slight hint of sweetness obtained from the fruit.  The first time we had this salad my husband was the instigator on getting the recipe. He loved it! I have been making this salad ever since.

Deliciousness Salad

1 head romaine lettuce
1 bag spinach
10 sliced up strawberries
2 cans mandarin oranges
Croutons
Sunflower seeds
Shredded cheddar cheese
Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing
  - any vinaigrette would work. That's just the one we really like.

Directions
Cut or tear romaine lettuce into desired size. Rinse both your romaine lettuce and spinach. Combine romaine lettuce and spinach in a large salad bowl. Top with sliced strawberries, mandarin oranges, croutons, sunflower seeds, and shredded cheese. Right before serving add dressing and toss to combine.

Thanks Sarah for the great Recipe!

Orange Pull-A-Parts

I think I am getting used to this no sugar thing. It actually has been a fun challenge. It has given me opportunities to try recipes I probably wouldn't try normally. I have also had to be more creative in what I use to sweeten things. Luckily we have a lot of honey around our house! It has also been a very eye opening experience. I realize that I do eat a lot of sugar. I have known this, but I am even more aware of the amount sugar that is in everything. Sugar just isn't in desserts. It really is found in almost everything! For this reason it has become even more worthwhile for me to make all of my own food from scratch. This way I know exactly what is in everything (because I put it there).

Well these pull-a-parts are not only delicious but have no sugar in them! They are sweetened with honey. We ate them for breakfast today and enjoyed every bite. They are full of orange yumminess, and the way they are cut makes them look so pretty!

Orange Pull-A-Parts
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 20-25 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
1/3 cup butter chilled
1 cup milk minus 1 tbs

4 tbs butter softened
4 tbs honey
1-2 tbs fresh grated orange peel

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a cookie sheet with tin foil.


In a small bowl combine 4 tbs softened butter, 4 tbs honey, and 1-2 tbs fresh grated orange peel (depending on how orangey you want it). Mix with a whisk or fork until well combined. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. I did this by putting the dry ingredients into my food processor and pulsing a few times to combine. I then cut the butter into smaller sections and added them to my food processor and pulsed until it is well combined. Pour flour/butter mixture into a separate bowl.

In a 1 cup glass measuring cup or bowl pour 1 tbs honey. Combine 1 tbs of honey with 1 tbs of milk and mix until combined. Gradually add the rest of the milk to make 1 cup total liquid. Gradually stir in milk into dough until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.

Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 to 20 times. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thick square. Spread a thin layer of orange honey butter mixture onto dough. If you put too much it will just ooze out as you roll it up. Roll dough up the same way you would cinnamon rolls. Place on prepared cookie sheet. Cut into 12 slices to within 1/8 in. of bottom, being careful not to cut all the say through. Fold down alternating slices from left to right to form a loaf. 

Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Brush the remaining orange honey butter over the loaf. Serve warm.

Recipe Source: A combination of these two recipes.

Orange Bundt Cake

I got this recipe from a roommate a few years ago and it instantly became an obsession of mine. I felt like every time we would get through the entire cake I would make another one. We (well maybe just me) age if for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, basically any reason to eat I would make sure I had some of this cake. It is moist and delicious. If you are looking for a good bundt cake this one will not disappoint.

Orange Bundt Cake

1 package yellow cake mix (I used 3 cups of this homemade yellow cake mix)
3/4 cup water (I use orange juice for extra citrus flavor but water works well too)
2/3 cup oil
4 eggs
1 small package instant lemon pudding

Glaze

3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup orange juice
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar

Put all ingredients in a bowl and beat with mixer for 10 minutes. I love my kitchen aid mixer for this process. Grease and flour bundt pan. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. While cake is baking mix together lemon juice, orange juice, powdered sugar. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Immediately remove from pan and brush on glaze with a pastry brush while cake is still warm. To make the cake even more moist and citrusy, double the glaze mixture and inject small amounts into sections of the cake. The bundt pan makes nice ridges so you can easily see small sections of the cake. This step does take a few extra minutes but increases the flavor and moisture of the cake!

Thanks Susan for the excellent recipe!