Chicken Burritos

I'm not really a fan of Mexican food. I'm a picky eater, and I don't like peppers, hot spices, cheese, or overwhelming tomato. But there are things I don't hate, and I was willing to try a recipe in one of the old cookbooks my parents had before I started my life in the kitchen.

The first time we tried to make these, we tried to alter the recipe and left out the cheese and onions. The end result tasted like it was just chicken, ketchup, and garlic. So, since my dad cooks the meat around here, he came up with this. It has onion powder instead of onions, and the seasoning gives it a little more flavor without being overwhelmingly spicy.

RECIPE:

- Cooking oil
- 2 medium chicken breasts
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 packet taco seasoning
- 1 pack small tortillas

Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces.

Cook chicken in oil until done.

Mix tomato sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and taco seasoning in a bowl.

Add tomato mix to chicken skillet.

Reduce heat and simmer.

Wrap chicken, sour cream, and any other burrito ingredients you want in the tortillas.

We did have a few parts that got more taco seasoning than others, but most of it just left little tingles in the mouth. Maybe I should have mixed the sauce in a bigger bowl. Either way, it's good food.

Orange Pork and Vegetables

The cookbook said cashew pork, but we forgot the cashews. Since we were already replacing the pea pods with two of the only vegetables I'll eat, we decided to change the recipe.

We started by doubling everything to feed five people, and Dad decided to add some garlic. It took a while to get the recipe ready to post, but I think I've done it right.

RECIPE:
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2 pounds lean boneless pork
- 1 cup orange juice
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- Carrots and cauliflower, cut into pieces
- Rice

Trim fat from meat and cut into bite-size pieces.

Stir together orange juice, soy sauce, cornstarch, and ginger.

Pour oil into a wok or skillet.

Preheat over medium-high heat.

Stir-fry half the pork for 2-3 minutes, then remove and do the other half of the pork.

Return the other half of the meat to the wok, and add the garlic.

Cook for 1 minute, then add vegetables.

Push ingredients away from the center of the wok and pour in the sauce.

Cook and stir for 2 minutes.

Serve with rice.

It's not my best, but it's still pretty good. I've discovered that I'm not a fan of orange in my meals, just my desserts. Still, this made it into my personal cookbook, so it wasn't too bad.