I was in the mood to bake, and had a eensy bit of a sweet tooth.  While perusing Pinterest I came across this recipe at Just a Pinch.   It sounded delicious, and after reading the comments other people had made about its deliciousness, and realizing I had some oranges in there that needed using... I made it. 

*I should note, in case you didn't read through the comments on the recipe there, that people say you should definitely let this cool completely before cutting into it.  Otherwise, it crumbles apart very easily, and while still tasty, is not like eating a piece of bread. 

*Another note:  The original recipe at "Just a Pinch" states to use two pans for this recipe.  I used just one, as we like nice, large loaves.   That said, we then had to cook it for about 15-20 minutes longer, which caused the edges to brown significantly.  While this did not affect the taste really (it was still delicious), you could tell it was cooked longer, and the aesthetic value is not nearly as appealing.  Next time, I will follow directions and split it between two loaf pans.  

Ingredients:

1 8-oz box of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1&2/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
2&1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons grated orange peel
1/4 cup orange juice


Directions:

Preheat oven to 375*F.  Grease and flour a bread pan. 

Mix together the cream cheese and shortening until creamy.  Add in the sugar and mix until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time, blending well between each addition. 

In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt, and baking powder.  Add flour mixture to cream cheese mixture a little at a time, alternating with the milk.  Batter will be thick and creamy.   Mix in grated orange peel.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for about 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 

Let cool for ten minutes, then sprinkle the orange juice over top.  Let cool completely before serving.

  Tonight was one of those nights were I realized suddenly that nothing had been taken out for dinner, and I had a child coming home that needed to be fed before his karate class.  So, something quick and simple and light so as not to weigh him down too much before his class.  Chicken is always our standby for this.  Quickly defrosted and stir fried, it is all three of those qualities in one tasty package. 

  I decided to go with an orange teriyaki combination.  Actually, I let my son choose between that or honey-sesame and he chose the orange-teriyaki.  It was a bit much on the green beans, so next time I will either sans the sauce when cooking them, or cook them with less.  The chicken, however, was delicious.  So much so, that I decided to blog it, even though I have no picture to show it off to you. 

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved and diced
• 2 green onions, diced (both green and white parts)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, diced (or to taste.. I like a lot of garlic)
• about 2 cups green beans
• about 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
• about 1/4 cup orange juice

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together teriyaki sauce and orange juice.  Adjust quantities of each to your taste. 
2. Saute green beans and garlic over high heat (I used a wok- use what you have that will fit them) in a small amount of the sauce mix.  A little goes a long way in flavoring the beans. Saute until tender-crisp and warmed through.  Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Saute onion and green onion in sauce left in pan until onion is clear- a minute or two.  Add diced chicken and some more sauce.  Add sauce in small portions at a time.  The idea was a light coating- not a full on sauce.  This of course you can adjust to your liking.
4. Cook, stirring constantly, until chicken is cooked through.  It took me about ten minutes. 
5. Serve warm with green beans.  I think rice or noodles would go wonderfully with this.  I just didn't make them.

This served 3 of us.  =)