CHINESE HONEY CHICKEN

Chinese Honey Chicken has always been a favourite in our house when we've ordered Chinese Takeaway for dinner, with the one notable exception being my eldest twin daughter Eliza who almost has a meltdown when we even mention we're thinking about ordering Chinese. I don't know what it is that she doesn't like about it, she just can't stand it, and this is a child who will eat and try anything, she's the furtherest thing from a fussy eater. However, I can say proudly that she ate this Chinese Honey Chicken without complaints so maybe it's just a Mother's touch that made the difference because to be honest I couldn't tell a huge difference between this one I made and the one you order takeaway.The one notable difference I can happily say is that it didn't cost as much to make as it does to buy. All I can say is give it a go, you might just be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to make your own Chinese Honey Chicken at home.

                                                                      CHINESE HONEY CHICKEN
1 cup S.R. Flour
1 T Chinese Five Spice
1teasp. Ground Black Pepper
1 1/4 cups Soda Water, chilled
1 Egg, lightly beaten
500g Chicken Breast, trimmed, sliced
1/4 cup Cornflour
1/2 cup Honey
2 T Peanut Oil


1. In a large bowl, combine self-raising flour, spice and pepper. Make a well in
   the centre and whisk in soda water and egg until smooth.


2. Heat oil in a wok on medium-high, until a drop of batter sizzles as soon as
    it's added.


3. Meanwhile, dust chicken pieces in cornflour, shaking off excess. Working
   in two batches, dip chicken in batter, wipe excess off and gently lower 
   into hot oil. Deep fry, turning with a slotted spoon, 2-3 minutes until
   crisp and cooked through. Drain on paper towel.


4. In a small saucepan combine honey and peanut oil. Stir on medium heat 1
    minute until runny. Pour honey mixture over hot chicken, toss to coat well.

MACARONI WITH CABANOSSI AND TOMATO

On those nights when you just want to get dinner on the table as quickly as possible, this Macaroni with Cabanossi and Tomato is a recipe that can do just  that. You may also find that the simplicity of the recipe will probably mean too that you may have the majority of the ingredients already in your cupboard.To those of you who are trying to live on some sort of budget, finding recipes that contain most of the ingredients you already have at home is a great way for you to save you having to spend money on too many ingredients.

                                            MACARONI WITH CABANOSSI AND TOMATO




40g Butter
2T Plain Flour
2 cups Milk
1/2 cup Tasty Cheese, grated
375g Macaroni
1 T Olive Oil
2 sticks Cabanossi, sliced
250g punnet Cherry Tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup Parsley Leaves
Crusty Bread, to serve


1. Melt butter in a large saucepan on medium.Stir in flour and cook, stirring,
    1 minute. Remove pan from heat and blend in milk until smooth. Return
    to heat and cook, stirring, until mixture boils and thickens. Simmer
    3 minutes. Stir in cheese and season to taste.


2. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salt water following packet instructions. Drain well and return to pan. Stir hot sauce through.


3. Heat oil in a frying pan on high. Saute cabanossi 1-2 minutes. Add
   tomatoes, cook 1 minute to soften slightly. Transfer mixture to
   macaroni. Toss parsley through and serve with crusty bread. 


COOKING HINTS FROM VON:-


* I didn't have any macaroni so I just substituted penne.

QUICK CHICK BAKE

I always seem to be able to pick up chicken on special so we eat it a lot at our place, because I'm always trying new recipes I'm thankful my family never seems to get sick of chicken. To make this recipe even more affordable, instead of buying a BBQ chook I had a whole chicken I had picked up at the supermarket, got up early and cooked it in the oven before we left in the morning, threw it in the fridge and broke it up ready to use when we got home. This Quick Chick Bake has minimal ingredients but maximum taste.

                                                             QUICK CHICK BAKE
                                   
1 BBQ or Roasted Chicken
440g can Cream of Mushroom Soup
130g can Corn Kernels
1/2 cup Thickened Cream 
1/2 cup Milk
1 cup grated Swiss Cheese ( about 200g Cheese)
1/4 cup Slivered Almonds


1. Remove chicken meat from bones. Discard bones and skin. Place in an
    ovenproof casserole dish.


2. Combine soup, corn, cream and milk. Pour over chicken.


3. Sprinkle with grated cheese and almonds. Bake in a moderate oven (180 
    degrees celsius) for 45 minutes until chicken is hot and sauce has 
    thickened. Serve with steamed vegetables. Serves 4.

KUGELHOPF CAKE...German Buttercake

This German Buttercake,was really simple to make and even easier to eat.The kids absolutely loved it despite it's simplicity and I must admit I felt in making this cake I was paying homage to my great-grandparents on my Father's side who were German. 
      

                                             KUGELHOPF CAKE
2 cups S.R Flour
1 cup Butter, melted
1 cup Sugar
6 Eggs
1 teasp. Vanilla Essence
Pinch of Salt


1. Sift flour into a large mixing bowl and add melted butter and sugar.
    Cream well.


2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.


3. Add the vanilla essence and a pinch of salt to taste.


4. Grease and flour a fluted ring cake tin.


5. Pour the cake mixture into the tin and bake in a moderate oven
   for approx. 1 1/2 hours (test with a skewer after 40 mins).


6. Turn cake onto a plate and dust with sifted icing sugar.


COOKING HINTS FROM VON:-


* I didn't have a fluted ring cake tin so I just improvised by using another
   tin I had, you may need to adjust the cooking times accordingly.

CRUMBED CHICKEN SCHNITZEL

I have never been a big fan of Chicken Schnitzels, they remind me too much of the some of the dried up versions you can encounter when you go out for dinner but this version is definitely a reason for me to revise my opinion on the good old Crumbed Chicken Schnitzel. 

                                                    CRUMBED CHICKEN SCHNITZEL


4 skinless Chicken Schnitzel
100g fresh Breadcrumbs
2 T finely grated Parmesan Cheese
1 T finely grated Lemon Rind
2 T finely chopped fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley Leaves
1/2 cup Plain Flour
1 Egg
150ml Milk
Vegetable Oil, for shallow-frying


1. Cut each breast in half and then, using a meat hammer, pat each piece of
   chicken on each side until evenly thin(it works well if you do this between
   cling wrap).


2. Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan, lemon rind and parsley on a plate. 
    Season with salt and pepper. Season the flour with a little salt and pepper 
    and place on a plate.


3. Whisk egg and milk together in a shallow bowl. Coat 1 piece of chicken
    in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg mixture. Coat in breadcrumb
    mixture. Place on a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken, flour, egg and
    breadcrumb mixture.


4. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, in batches
   for 3-4 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to 
   a plate lined with paper towel to drain. Serves 4-6.

LEMON GRASS CHICKEN

Chicken is an affordable way to feed the whole family and although I had never cooked with lemongrass before and despite the kid's joking that lemon and grass for dinner didn't seem that appetising, this Lemon Grass Chicken certainly was a hit at our place with everyone wanting seconds. I think I will definitely have to double the recipe next time.

                                              LEMON GRASS CHICKEN


1 T Peanut Oil
600g Chicken Breast Fillets, thinly sliced
1 long fresh Red Chilli, thinly sliced diagonally
2 stems Lemon Grass, pale section only, finely chopped
2 T Fish Sauce
1 T Caster Sugar
3 Shallots, ends trimmed, thinly sliced diagonally
1/3 cup(55g) roasted Salted Peanuts, coarsely chopped
Steamed Rice, to serve




1. Heat the oil in a wok over high heat until just smoking. Add 1/3 of the
   chicken and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until browned. Use a slotted spoon
   to transfer the chicken to a large plate. Repeat in 2 more batches, with the 
   remaining chicken, reheating the wok between batches.


2. Add the chilli and lemon grass to the wok and stir-fry for 1 minute or until 
    aromatic.


3. Add the chicken, fish sauce, sugar and half the shallot to the wok and 
   stir-fry for 1 minute or until the chicken is heated through. Divide the 
   chicken mixture among serving plates. Scatter the peanuts and remaining
   shallot over the chicken. Serve with steamed rice.


COOKING HINTS FROM VON:


* I couldn't find Lemon Grass for this recipe so I bought one of the herb tubes of Lemon Grass available in the fruit and Vegie section of the supermarket.

SWEET POTATO and CORN SOUP

Oh my goodness, this soup is absolutely positively De-licious. This Sweet Potato and Corn Soup was yummy the night I made it and seemed to taste even better when I reheated it for my lunch the next day and the day after that.I doubled the recipe when I made it initially as I knew with this cold weather we have been having that we'd be needing a nice warm soup to help heat us up.

                                                   SWEET POTATO AND CORN SOUP




1 kg Sweet Potato
Cooking spray
1 teasp. Crushed Garlic
1 cup Onion, diced
1 teasp. Cumin
4 teasp. Vegetable Stock Powder
8 cups Water
2 T Honey
420g can Creamed Corn
Salt and Pepper, to taste


1. Peel sweet potato and cut into cubes. Coat a large, deep saucepan with 
   cooking spray then saute garlic and onion for 1 minute.


2. Add cumin, stock powder and the sweet potato. Mix for a further minute.


3. Add the water, honey and creamed corn and bring to the boil. Reduce heat 
    to simmer and cook for around 30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then 
   puree in a food processor until smooth. Return to saucepan to reheat. Add 
   salt and  pepper to taste .

CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM BREAD PIES

I really enjoyed making and eating these Chicken and Mushroom Bread Pies. I thought it was such a novel way to eat your dinner and the finished product looks great too.

                                       CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM BREAD PIES




400g Chicken Thigh Fillets, trimmed, finely chopped
200g Button Mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
1 T Plain Flour
1/2 cup Milk
1/4 cup chopped Frozen Mixed Vegies
1 cup grated Tasty Cheese
Mixed Salad, to serve


1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Lightly grease 8 holes of 2x 6-hole
    (1 cup capacity) Texas Muffin Trays with a little butter. Using a rolling pin
    flatten bread slices. Ease into prepared holes. Bake for 5 minutes or until
    crisp.


2. Meanwhile, heat butter in a large frying pan over moderately high heat. 
    Add chicken, cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until browned. Add mushroom 
   and garlic; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until tender. Stir in flour; cook and
    stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat; gradually stir in milk. Return pan to
    moderately high heat. Cook and stir until mixture boils and thickens. Add
    vegetables. Simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat.


3. Stir half the cheese into the sauce. Spoon mixture into bread cases.
    Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden. 
    Serve with salad.