Sticky Barbecue Crack Chicken

chicken, comfort food, dinner

As you can probably guess, January ‘new year, new me’ isn’t happening. I’m already awesome, I only plan to get awesome-er. Definitely a word. The best way for me to do this is by continuing to make absolutely-not-healthy-at-all food like this affectionately named American concoction, Crack Chicken. Crack chicken seems to take many forms, some people cook it in a slow cooker with ranch dressing and bacon, some people bake it whole smothered in barbecue sauce, but this is my version, deep-fried in breadcrumbs, smothered in sauce and baked in the oven until sticky, juicy and a bit crispy. If, like me, you’re 110% over January, I’d suggest you join me in making this for your tea tonight.

Ingredients

  • About 4-6 chicken breasts(depending on how hungry you are/how many people you want to not share this with) cut into thin strips
  • Roughly 200g plain flour, just enough to coat the strips
  • 3 eggs
  • 50ml milk
  • 250g breadcrumbs, any is fine, panko is preferred

For the sauce

  • 300ml Barbecue sauce (you favourite, or mine)
  • 100g muscavado sugar
  • juice of 3 limes
  • lots of cracked black pepper
  • teaspoon of smoked chopped garlic (this is the best, but you can go with unsmoked)
  • a few drops of Tabasco (if you’re feeling daring)
  • finely chopped parsley
  • 25ml vinegar

Also be sure to have a pan of vegetable oil ready for your frying, heat about 1 litre of oil on a medium/high heat until you can fry a cube of bread golden in about 30 seconds. This should take about 10 minutes

Let’s get cracking! First of all, preheat your oven to 180C. Get all of your sauce ingredients into a saucepan and let them simmer together on a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. In 3 separate bowls, have your flour, milks and eggs and breadcrumbs(known to us chefs as a pané mix) and coat you chicken in each in that order until they’re fully crumbed. Next, place your chicken pieces carefully into your hot oil and fry until golden. Take your sauce off the heat and once the chicken is ready, stick it all in the saucepan. Give it all a mix around so the chicken is fully covered and transfer the whole lot onto a baking tray with greaseproof paper, spacing them out a bit so they don’t stick together. Bake for about 15 mins, remove from the oven, check they’re cooked and then bung them all in your mouth!

Easy!

Chocolate, avocado & raspberry mousse

chocolate, dessert, healthy

So as of late i’ve been trying (huge emphasis on the try) to be healthier. Hitting the gym drinking tons of water and all that crap, but where i always slip up is food. Food is my baby, my passion, so having to cut things out, substitute naughty things and eat less just makes me want to cry. Desserts are my favourite thing in the world. You will always have room for dessert, it belongs in the heart, not the stomach. So finding healthy recipes has been difficult. They all seem to be American, using ingredients I’ve never heard of and quite frankly worry about their use or just plain rubbish. Definitely not inspiring me to eat them anyway. I had an abundance of long-gone avocados sitting in my fridge, but rather than use them up in guacamole or throw them away, i tried my hand at this mousse, it can very easily be dairy-free, sugar-free, vegan and is already gluten-free and vegetarian friendly. So this is an attempt at healthy. It may be the last for a while, i’ll be back to my normal self before long, I promise.

Ingredients

  • 125g dark chocolate (melted)
  • 225g avocados
  • 110g honey
  • 30g cocoa powder (but by all means add more if you want a more bitter mousse)
  • 75ml milk
  • 200g fresh raspberries
  • 2tbsp caster sugar

So this recipe is dead easy. You will need a blender or a food processor for this, it’ll give you a smoother mousse than doing it by hand. First of all, make your raspberry compote. In a small pan, pour in half of the raspberries and the sugar. Heat on a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the raspberries and broken and juicy, much like me after leg day. When that’s done, pour into a bowl and place in the fridge to cool down. Next make a start on your mousse by skinning the avocados and chopping into manageable sized pieces for your blender, this could be small or large depending on how powerful the machine is. Blitz the avocado until smooth. Next add the dark chocolate, then the honey, then the cocoa powder and finally the milk, giving a really good blend after each addition. It up to you if you want a thick mousse or a slightly looser one, so the amount of milk you put in is up to you, the amount i have here will get you a mousse like really thick greek yoghurt. Once you’re satisfied with the consistency and taste(check to make sure it’s not too sweet/too bitter for you) it’s time to dish it up. In your glasses/bowls/trainers, however you want to eat it, start of by mashing the remainder of the raspberries and giving each glass a spoonful the bottom. Then spoon some of your mousse into it, top with some of the raspberry compote from earlier and there it is. Done. I’ve got some cream on mine here, but i won’t judge if you won’t. Enjoy!

 

Mozzarella dippers with Pesto Mayonnaise

Cheese, Snacks

I was feeling seriously peckish for something naughty. Not Ryan Reynolds naughty(another time maybe) but TGI Friday’s naughty. There was some pizza mozzarella in the fridge, breadcrumbs as always in the cupboard and so there was one obvious answer. Deep-fried, gooey yet crispy mozzarella dippers with a punchy kick of basil-pesto mayo. Make these tonight, they’re Deadpool easy.

 

Ingredients

  • 1 packet of pizza mozzarella (not fresh, it really won’t work with fresh)
  • 200g plain flour
  • 300g breadcrumbs (this’ll work with anything, plain, panko, whatever you can find)
  • 3 eggs
  • 200ml milk
  • 2tsp salt
  • 2tsp pepper
  • 1tsp sweet smoked paprika
  • 1tsp dried oregano
  • 1tsp fajita seasoning (completely optional but it made these babies just plain sexy)
  • 3tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1tbsp pesto
  • about 1lt of vegetable oil for frying

 

First things first, find a decent sized saucepan for deep-frying, make sure you can fit the oil in with plenty of room for your dippers, those things can spit worse than cat cornered by cucumbers. Heat the oil gently until you can drop a piece of bread in it and it’s golden within 2 minutes, or if you’ve got a thermometer, heat til it’s about 160C/170C. Don’t have it too hot or you’ll colour the outside of the dippers but your inside will still be firm, we want gooey. Have 3 bowls ready for your bread crumbing, one for your flour, one for your eggs and milk and one for the breadcrumbs and seasoning. Cut the mozzarella into fingers, mine were about ½ and inch in width and the length of the pack. As long as they slightly resemble these, make them whatever thickness you fancy, though remember, the thicker you make them, the more temperamental the cooking is likely to be. You’ll end up with dark brown coats and firm, resilient middles. Once you’re happy with the fingers, chuck them into the flour. Give them a good shake-up to make sure they’re well coated and move on to the egg mix. Coat them well and throw into the breadcrumbs. Don’t worry if there are bald patches on them, you’ve got to dip them back into the egg and breadcrumbs again, just to be safe, you don’t want to be losing all your cheese in the pan after all. When you’re ready and the mozzarella is appropriately dressed leave them to one side and quickly make your mayo, the easiest thing ever, just by mixing the mayonnaise and pesto together in a bowl. When the oil is ready to go, very carefully lower the dippers into the pan using a spatula or something similar. Cook them until they’re golden brown on the outside and completely melted inside. That’s it. You’re excused. Go and eat those b*****s.

 

 

Sweet & Sticky Golden Syrup Sponge

baking, dessert, pudding

It’s absolutely freezing outside today, so what better warmer do you want than a sweet, sticky, classic that is Golden Syrup Sponge? This is a really quick and easy pudding,  perfect with ice cream, custard, double cream, whatever your topping, it’ll go. Mine here is with vanilla ice-cream, and a berry compote, like the one here. The compote omits the cinnamon for a squeeze of lemon juice so it cuts through the sweetness of the sponge perfectly.

 

Ingredients

  • 300g caster sugar
  • 300g margarine
  • 300g self raising flour
  • 6 eggs
  • 2tsp vanilla extract
  • 400ml golden syrup (or more or less, depending on how syrupy you like yours)

 

First off, heat your oven up to 160C for a fan and 170C for a gas oven. find yourself a baking tin or a pudding dish and grease with a little butter. If you’re using a tin, grease and then line with baking paper. Pour your golden syrup into the tin or dish and make sure it’s covering the bottom evenly. Once you’ve done this you’re ready to make the sponge, i would suggest putting the tin in the fridge and letting the syrup firm up, this makes your life easier when spooning the sponge mixture on top. In a mixing bowl tip all of your ingredients in. This is an all-in-one sponge, so theres no need for the creaming method. If you’re using an electric machine, just mix on a low setting at first for about 2 minutes before increasing the speed slightly for another 2 minutes, or until all the ingredients are incorporated. If mixing by hand, just give the whole lot a good mix till there are no lumps of margarine left. Spoon the whole lot into the tin or dish and whack it in the oven for about 30-40 minutes, or until golden and a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Eat at once with your favourite accompaniment, always ice-cream for me! Enjoy!

 

Lemon Drizzle cake, Milla style.

baking

Lemon drizzle cake is a staple, traditional cake that every baker should have in their repertoire. This one is an all-in-one cake, decorated as i usually do with edible flowers from the garden( these are Aubrietia), fresh mint and crystallised mint. The perfect cake to have when you need a good chinwag with your friends accompanying a steaming mug of tea.

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 400g golden caster sugar
  • 400g salted butter
  • 8 eggs (medium sized)
  • 400g self raising flour
  • ½ a vanilla pod
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • 1tsp baking powder

For the syrup

  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • 3tbsp golden caster sugar
  • 50ml of boiling water

For the lemon icing

  • 400g icing sugar
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 50ml of water (for thick icing) *or*
  • 100ml of water (for runny icing)

Heat your oven up to 170C. Grease and line 2 sandwich tins with greaseproof paper. In a mixer (or a big bowl, if mixing by hand) bung all the ingredients together, preferably flour first, and slowly mix until the ingredients are incorporated. Mix on high for a minute or two for aeration and spoon evenly between your two tins. Smooth the mixture flat and pop them into the oven for about 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted into them comes out clean. Whilst the cakes are cooking make your syrup by mixing the water, lemon juice and sugar in a jug, until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes come out of the oven, prick them all over with a fork and pour the syrup oven them. Always make sure one or the other is hot when using syrups to flavour a cake; either a hot cake and a cold syrup or a cold cake with a hot syrup. The heat makes it easier for the syrup to absorb rather than pooling around the cake. Make your icing by mixing your sugar, juice and water together until you have a smooth, glossy paste, be it thick or thin, so long as it’s free from lumps. When the cake is cool, decorate it in any way you wish, leaving it plain and simple, maybe with a grating of fresh lemon zest over the top, or slightly more complicated like mine, with whatever you can find to throw on top. However it looks, it’ll be a sure-fire winner.

The best Spinach, Roquefort and Almond dip.

Snacks

So this was an accidental gem that I conjured up, bored and hungry but wanting something relatively healthy. It very quickly became a firm favourite with my friends, something I was definitely not expecting(sometimes fussy eaters can seriously surprise you). It’s so easy, but you do need a blender for this, I have a Vitamix and it’s makes the most amazing things, this being one of them. It’s best with a selection of crudités, but still amazing with tortilla chips or oven baked pittas.

Ingredients

  • 500g bag of spinach, washed and thoroughly drained pleased
  • 300g roquefort cheese
  • 250g flaked almonds
  • ½ lime juice
  • salt and pepper to taste

As I said, this is so straightforward to make, just bung your spinach into the blender, really mash it down and make sure it’s completely smooth. Then add everything else, keep blending until it’s all smooth and silky. Get the lot into jars, label, and keep them in the fridge til cool. This dip will keep for about a week in jars in the fridge.

Light and fresh Lemon and Blueberry Baked Cheesecake

baking, desserts

Sorry, sorry, I know it’s been a seriously long time since i’ve posted anything again, deepest apologies, but i’m hoping this delicious cheesecake recipe more than makes up for it!!

This is perfect all year round. Cheesecakes aren’t just a summer dessert for me. My mum makes an amazing banana, pecan and caramel baked cheesecake which is one of my earliest memories of a cheesecake and one of the first I ever made. This recipe is fantastic because it’s super versatile, take away the lemon zest and blueberries and you’ve got yourself a perfectly acceptable baked vanilla cheesecake. Nothing wrong with a sweet, easy and simple once to start with. Equally, dress that thing up with some cocoa powder, black pitted cherries, chocolate chips and Crème Chantilly for a decadent Black Forest cheesecake. Whatever you choose to do, this is the recipe for you.

Ingredients

For the base

  • 250g of digestive biscuits
  • 125g salted butter
  • ½ zest of lemon (finely grated)

For the cheesecake mix

  • 900g cream cheese (not mascarpone)
  • 140g caster sugar
  • 200ml double cream
  • 6 eggs
  • ½ a vanilla pod (scraped)
  • Zest of 2 and a ½ lemons (use that last ½)
  • 250g fresh blueberries (you can use frozen if you can’t get a hold of fresh)

What you’ll need to do first is set your oven to 180C. Next make your buttery biscuit base(yes i did do that on purpose) by getting all your biscuits into a large food bag and giving them a jolly good whack with a rolling pin. You need to make sure the crumbs are fine, not coarse, there must be nowhere for the cheese mix to leak through when you’re baking it. Put your butter in a microwavable bowl and heat for about 30 seconds until completely melted. Tip your crumbs and lemon zest into a bowl, followed by your butter and mix it all together. It’s best if you use a springform cake tin for this, it makes for easier removal, but any cake tin will do the trick. Make sure it’s well greased and lined (bottom and sides) with greaseproof paper. Using the back of a spoon, press your crumbs into every nook ad cranny of the base, making sure it’s kept even and being very careful to cover the whole base. Pop it in the oven for about 10 minutes until it’s a golden brown. Doing this will make sure you have a gorgeous, crunchy, buttery biscuit base. While that’s in the oven, crack on with your cheese mix. In you same mixing bowl as the base, carefully mix your cheese, cream and sugar until you’ve fully incorporated everything and it’s a smooth, creamy mix. Next mix in your eggs, one by one, until all have been added. Stir in your vanilla, the your lemon zest and finally your blueberries, being as careful as you can not to break any of them. Take your base out of the oven when it’s ready, turn it up to 220C and pour your cheese mixture in, smoothing it evenly as you go. Pop it back into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes until you have a gorgeous golden crust. Then turn the oven down to 130C and cook for another 20 minutes. After this turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in for about 30 mins. Transfer to the fridge and let it fully cool before cutting into the polka-dotted, lemony goodness. Yes the cooking bit is a faff and takes time, but it’s worth it when you end up with a cheesecake like this! Enjoy it while it lasts, it doesn’t stay on our table for long!

Easy Sweet Pastry

baking

A good sweet paste (chef’s term, ladies and gents) is a must-have in every chef’s repertoire. The versatility of this means you can make any pie, tart and strudel your stomach desires. This recipe is easy to jazz up too; try some finely chopped rosemary with your apple pie, maybe switch a spoonful of flour for cocoa powder for a cracking chocolate pastry. Plain or jazzy, this is quick and easy to do and a good recipe to know.

Ingredients

  • 100g icing sugar
  • 250g plain flour
  • 100g salted butter
  • 2 yolks
  • 1 egg

You need to make sure your butter is completely cold before you start, this’ll just make the mixing so much easier. In a mixing bowl weigh in your flour sugar and cubed butter. Either mix on a slow speed if using an electric mixer or rub between your finger until everything is incorporated, you should be able to squeeze a handful and it’ll keep it’s crumbly shape. Just. Next mix in your egg and yolks. Tip it all out onto a heavily floured surface and give it a good knead until you have a smooth dough. Chill until needed and you’re good to go. There, easy.

Vanilla scones with Earl Grey sultanas.

baking

So, strawberry season is fast approaching. I like mine just as they are, sneaking a few more than allowed when picking the plump, sweet reds, but if you’re gonna make a jam, you’d better be making these bad boys to go with it. These scones aren’t just your everyday fruit scone, these are monsters; sugar crusted and vanilla laden with plump and juicy Earl Grey tea-infused sultanas. Damn good scones, in short. And a doddle to make, which is always a plus.

Ingredients

  • 675g plain flour
  • 40g baking powder
  • 115g golden caster sugar
  • 115g butter
  • 350ml milk
  • 70ml cream
  • 1tsp vanilla essence
  • 150g sultanas
  • 3 Earl Grey teabags
  • 500ml boiling water
  • 1 egg for glazing
  • extra sugar for sprinkling

Okay, the first thing you want to do is infuse your sultanas. You can either do this the easy way; leave them overnight in a bowl with the water and teabags covered with clingfilm, or the quick way which is steep the teabags in the boiling water for a few minutes, discard the teabags, pour the tea into a saucepan along with the sultanas and just let a medium heat do its work. Occasionally stir them until they’ve soaked up all that citrussy tea and they’re good to go. Just be careful not to burn them. Preheat the oven to about 190C for a fan and 200C for a gas. Next get your flour, baking powder, sugar and butter in a big bowl. Rub the mixture through your fingers until all the butter has gone(fine breadcrumbs, the book’s’ll tell ya). Make sure your sultanas are well drained of any leftover liquid and stir them through the flour mix. Now make a well in your dry ingredients and pour in the cream, milk and vanilla. stir everything together until you have a pretty wet dough. Tip onto a heavily floured surface and knead for a minute, sprinkling liberally with flour so the dough is good enough to handle without your hands being too sticky, but is still wet inside. Roll to a thickness of about 2 inches (if you want my big, generous scones) or thinner if you’re wanting a more dainty confection. Cut them out using a round pastry cutter (mine had a 3’’ diameter) and transfer them onto a lined baking tray. Paint some egg wash(lightly whisked egg) on the tops of them and sprinkle with sugar. Bake them in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, let them cool slightly then crack on with clotted cream and jam. Tidy.

Crunchy and Gooey Chocolate Chip Blondies.

baking

You’ve all heard of brownies. Maybe you’ve made my seriously sexy marshmallow brownies? If you have or haven’t, make these. Blondies are essentially brownies without the chocolate. Fine, these ones have got white chocolate chips in, but you could try chopped pecans and fudge chunks, maybe banana chips and dried strawberries. The list is endless, so these can suit everyone. Their one-bowl easiness makes them even more appealing too! Just be sure to really let them cool before you attempt to portion them, they’re gooey as hell so they need to set properly after cooking.

Ingredients

  • 235g melted butter
  • 545g light soft brown sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 315g plain flour
  • 1tsp vanilla essence
  • 5g salt
  • 150g white chocolate chips (or whatever you prefer)
  • 50g dark muscavado sugar (optional, but it gives you a gorgeous, crunchy crust)

First things first, preheat your oven to 170C for a fan oven and 180C for a gas. Line a deep baking tray with greaseproof paper (it tends to rise, sometime A LOT). Now get a big mixing bowl, a wooden spoon and chuck your sugar and butter in. Give it a really good mix til it’s a smooth and the two are fully incorporated. Next mix in your eggs, then fold in your flour, salt, vanilla and mix-ins. Spoon the whole lot in your baking tray and sprinkle over your muscavado. Cook the lot for about 25-30 minutes, or when the middle is mostly set. They’ll still be gooey if the middle IS set, so don’t worry about undercooking, if needs be check the middle with a clean knife. If it comes out almost clean, it’s good to go, if it comes out with mixture, give it another 5-10 minutes. When it’s completely cooked, as I said, leave it to set and cool before portioning. Trust me on this.