So we were craving Chinese food again but yet again, don't want to shell out the cash for some pricey (in England anyway) orange chicken. This sauce makes a lot but is great on breaded chicken, or battered chicken, or possibly grilled chicken...

Ingredients:
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup OJ
1/3 cup vinegar
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 T orange zest
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 green onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons corn starch

Directions:
Dump all ingredients in a microwavable bowl and cook on high until sauce is obviously thickened. May take a minute or two.

...who needs "take-away" anyway?

We had some leftover cucumber... hmmm... what should I do.. Ah-ha! Chicken gyros with fabulous summery tzatziki sauce! Sweet Pea surprisingly enjoyed this so much that she dipped her bread and then sucked all the sauce off. We'll teach her the no double dipping rule in a few years.

Ingredients:
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup thinly grated cucumber
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs dill
1 teaspoon garlic powder or 3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
Mix everything together and enjoy.

If you have leftovers, this would be great topped on grilled salmon. Mmmmm.

An old standby that almost never has any leftovers...

1/4 cup mayo (can definitely use light)
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon favorite mustard- we like French Mustard (not to be confused with French's Mustard)
1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice
dash of salt

Mix all together and use for dressing or dipping

We've been craving Chinese take-out (or "take-away" as the Brits would say). But with our limited budget we haven't indulged ourselves, which has made the craving inevitably stronger. While I know that home-made stir-fry doesn't hold a flame to traditional take-out, this Martha Stewart inspired General Tso's recipe does. It met our hankering perfectly and didn't feel like we had to sacrifice taste to save £'s.

Ingredients:
For sauce:
1 Tbs cornstarch
1/2 cup water
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
3 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs white sugar
2 Tbs soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
dash of salt

2-3 chicken breasts, sliced nugget size and breaded (drench in flour, egg-wash, then dry bread crumbs) Sometimes pre-breaded chicken is cheaper, so if you're looking for a quicker meal, grab some of those.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450F and bake breaded chicken until golden, about 25-30 minutes

In a glass, microwavable bowl, dissolve cornstarch in the water. Once dissolved mix the rest of the ingredients with water mixture.

Heat sauce until bubbly in the microwave (it will also thicken). Depending on the microwave, it should take 30sec-1min.

Pour sauce over breaded chicken, serve with fluffy rice. Enjoy!

While living overseas, Cheap and I find ourselves longing for maple syrup. At least in the States you have an assortment of inexpensive, flavored maple syrup or the real stuff (which we prefer). Here the real stuff is doubly expensive Canadian Maple Syrup and there's no way we're forking over $10 for a small bottle. This is a tasty alternative from the more traditional and can really be a fab twist for special occasions.

Ingredients:
1 cup honey
1/2 cup water
1/2 tea vanilla or almond extract (I prefer almond but both work well)

Directions:
(Watch-out, they're incredibly intricate instructions)
Dump everything into a microwave safe bowl/mini-pitcher and nuke it (around 30 seconds depending on the size of your microwave oven) Use it as you would traditional maple.

Cheap and I really like the bright, natural flavors of this. Surprise your family and friends and look like a gourmet. Enjoy!