Sticky Chicken "Flings" with Sweet Potato Fries

Since we're trying to be a little more health conscious when making our meal choices, we've completely eliminated chicken wings from our lives! But a reality of life is that most men loooove chicken wings! So I decided to put a healthy twist on chicken wings by using chicken breasts cut into "fling" pieces! Served up with seasoned sweet potato fries and veg of choice ET VOILA... A Great weekday meal! These flings are a SURE HIT! The chicken flings recipe is adapted from the Sticky Chicky recipe found in the Eat, Shrink & Be Merry Cookbook.

Sticky Chicken Flings - 


Ingredients 
4-5 large chicken breasts, cut into large chunks

1/2 of a cup of barbecue sauce (I used a spicy BBQ sauce to add some kick!)
1/4 of a cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 of a cup of red wine vinegar 
1/4 of a cup of honey 
1 tbsp of chili powder
1 tbsp of dijon mustard 
1 tbsp of grated ginger
2 tsp of minced garlic 
1 tsp of ground cumin 

1 tbsp of cornstarch

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Arrange chicken chunks in pan in a single layer.

Whisk together all sauce ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour evenly over chicken. Turn pieces to coat both sides with sauce. Bake, uncovered, for about 50 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center.

Remove chicken from pan and keep warm. Carefully pour sauce from pan into a small pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Combine corn starch with equal amounts of water and mix well until smooth. Add to sauce. Cook until sauce is bubbly and thickened, about 1 minute. Serve hot chicken with extra sauce on top.

Sweet Potato Fries 

Ingredients
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
1/4 tsp of garlic powder 
1/2 tsp of parsley 
1/4 tsp of chili powder
1-1/2 pounds of sweet potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise
3 tbsp of olive oil 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.In small bowl, combine salt, paprika, garlic powder, parsley and chili powder; set aside.

In large bowl, toss sweet potatoes with Olive Oil; sprinkle with seasoning mixture and toss to coat.Arrange potatoes in single layer on a baking sheet.

Roast, turning once, 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden. Bake longer for crispier fries.

Sticky Chicky Delious-y

Magic Cookie Bars

Magic Cookie Bars played a key role in my childhood. There was never a visit to my Granny Angus' without having a Magic Cookie Bar. This was one of her two staple bars that were ALWAYS made and ready to be served... These bars are great for a crowd, to serve with tea, to serve as part of a dessert platter...You name it, these bars deliver!

Ingredients 

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 cups of semisweet chocolate morsels (I used one cup of butterscotch chips and one cup of chocolate chips)
1 1/3 cups of  flaked coconut
1 cup of chopped nuts (I used toasted walnuts)

Heat oven to 350F. Coat 13x9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray. 

Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press down firmly with a fork. 

Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars or diamonds. Store covered at room temperature. 

 Childhood Favorite...

My Most Favorite Meatloaf

This is my absolute MOST favorite meatloaf recipe! This recipe originates from Kraft and is simple to make but packs some major flavor punch! I've made this recipe with ground beef and ground turkey, both turn out delicious and please everyone at our house! The ground turkey is more figure friendly and tends to win the battle at our house but the ground beef is OH-SO-GOOD and a classic.

Ingredients 

1 large onion, chopped
1/4 of a cup of Kraft calorie wise Zesty Italian dressing 
1-1/2 to 2 lbs of extra lean ground beef or ground turkey 
3/4 cups of Ketchup, divided
1 pkg. of Stove Top stuffing mix for Chicken or Turkey
3/4 of a cup of water
2 egg whites

Optional topping - 1/2 of a cup of shredTded cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 375F. Cook onions in dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Mix meat, onions, 1/4 cup of ketchup, stuffing mix, water and egg whites in a large bowl. Shape into a 10x5-inch oval loaf in a 13x9-inch baking dish. Cover with remaining ketchup.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until cooked through. If desired, sprinkle with cheese and bake for 2 minutes or until melted.
 

Just like Mamma used to make...
CAL 190, FAT 7g (sat 3.0g), CHOL 40mg, SODUIM 560mg, CARB 16g, FIBRE 1g, SUGARS 6g, PROTEIN 18g

Baklava

About a week or so ago I attended a friend of mine's baby shower which was lovely in itself but during the shower, there was home made Baklava as of the many desserts. This was the most delicious, fresh and crispy Baklava I think I have EVER had. It inspired me to try to make Baklava for myself... I found a recipe and made a few changes to it... Et voila... Perfect Baklava that tastes better than ANYTHING from the store :)

 Ingredients 

1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
1 pound (approx. 453 grams) of chopped nuts (I used walnuts & pecans)
1 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-1/2 cups water
1-1/2 cups white sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 of a cup honey

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan.  

Toast Nuts at 350F for 10 mins. 

Make the Baklava sauce: Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.Once finished, cool in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon (I chopped the nuts using the food processor). Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep. 

Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp. 

Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.   

Baklava is always a crowd pleaser and GREAT for any type of event!! 

Pure deliciousness... 

 

Surprise Cookies!

I was home today and left to my own devices... I decided some baking was in order. I settled on Surprise Cookies from Martha Stewart's Cookies. I wanted to try something a little different and this recipe fit the bill! AND who doesn't love marshmallow, gooey centers? NO ONE! This recipe yields about 2-1/2 dozen cookies!

Ingredients  

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder 
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg 
1/2 cup milk 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

12 large marshmallows, cut in half horizontally

Ingredients for the Chocolate Frosting

 

2 cups confectioners' sugar

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 

  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, milk, and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add reserved flour mixture; mix on low speed until combined. 

Using a tablespoon or 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto ungreased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies begin to spread and become firm, 10 to 12 minutes. 

Remove baking sheets from oven, and place a marshmallow, cut-side down, in the center of each cookie, pressing down slightly. Return to oven, and continue baking until marshmallows begins to melt, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. 

Place confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in butter and cocoa powder. Add milk and vanilla, and whisk until well combined.

Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting over each marshmallow, starting in the center and continuing outward until marshmallow is covered.

 

These cookies turned out gooey, moist AND delicious!! 

 

Gooey-Goodness!

Merry-Berry Tart

I had an over stock of berries in my fridge this morning and all I could think of was: "How on earth am I going to eat all of these berries?"... Well left to my own devices...Anything is bound to happen. :)

Ingredients for the pasty 

1-1/4 cup of all-purpose flour 

1/2 tsp of salt

1 tbsp of white sugar 

1/2 cup of unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into 1 inch pieces 

1/8 to 1/4 cup of water 

Ingredients for the filling 

1 pound (454 grams) of berries (combination of cut up strawberries, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, and/or blackberries) I used: Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries!

1/4 cup of white sugar 

1 tbsp of brown sugar

zest of 1 lemon 

1-2 tbsp of all-purpose flour 

Pastry Crust: In a food processor, place the flour, salt, and sugar and process until combined.  Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal (about 15 seconds).  Pour 1/8 cup (30 ml) water in a slow, steady stream, through the feed tube until the dough just holds together when pinched.  Add remaining water, if necessary.  Do not process more than 30 seconds.

Turn the dough out onto your work surface and gather it into a ball.  Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about an one hour before using.  This will chill the butter and allow the gluten in the flour to relax.

While the pastry is chilling, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Once the pastry has chilled sufficiently, remove the pastry from the refrigerator and divide into four equal portions.  On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of pastry into a 7 inch (18 cm) circle.  Place the four pastry circles onto the prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to firm up the pastry while you make the filling.

Filling: In a large bowl, combine the berries, sugar, lemon zest (if using), and flour. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and divide the filling between the four pastry circles, leaving about a 1 inch (2.5 cm) border around the outside edges of the pastry. Gently fold the edges of the pastry up and over the filling, leaving the center of the tart open. Press the edges gently so the pastry sticks together. Once all the tarts are assembled, cover and return to the refrigerator for about 15 - 30 minutes to chill.

 Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Remove the unbaked assembled tarts from the refrigerator and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling and start to run out from the center of the tart. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool before serving. Serve with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.

Makes 4 individual tarts.

 

Merry-Berry Goodness! 

Old Fashion White Cake with Brown Sugar Icing

This is a recipe that I remember my grandmother making over and over again... The icing is absolutely fabulous and truly what makes the cake!! I didn't have a cake recipe so I adapted one from something I had which turned out moist and delicious... This recipe is easy to make and a true crowd pleaser

Ingridients for the cake 

1 cup of unsalted butter 
2-1/2 cup of white sugar
2 beaten egg 
2 tsp of vanilla extract 
4 cups of flour 
2 tsp of baking soda 
2 cups of buttermilk 

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9x13 cake pan. Mix butter and white sugar until well blended and fluffy. Add beaten egg and mix until incorporated. Stir in vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, mix flour and baking soda. Add flour mixture and buttermilk, alternating between the two until incorporated. Add mixture to cake pan and bake approximately for 40minutes. Insert toothpick in center of cake to ensure the cake is cooked.

Ingredients for Brown Sugar Icing

1 cup of brown sugar 
5 tbsp of butter
1/4 tsp of salt 
1/2 cup of milk 
1-1/2 cup of icing sugar 

Boil brown sugar, salt, butter, and milk together for 3 minutes. Let cool. Add icing sugar and beat well until fully incorporated. Let cool slightly and frost cake. Icing will harden slightly as it cools.

 

Brown Sugar Party! 

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Yet another Martha Stewart Cupcake recipe from her book "Martha Stewart's Cupcakes". This Red Velvet recipe came out moist and delicious! Add the cream cheese icing and it tastes just divine! I brought these to a dinner party and they were a BIG hit!

Ingredients  

2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self- rising), sifted

2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon red gel-paste food color

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar 

Cream Cheese Frosting (See recipe to follow)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cake flour, cocoa, and salt.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whisk together sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in food color and vanilla.

 

 

 Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and whisking well after each. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will foam); add mixture to the batter, and mix on medium speed 10 seconds.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

 

To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting (or use an icing bag and pipe it on like I did). Refrigerate up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature before serving

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (about a package and a half of cream cheese)

1 pound (4 cups) confectioners' sugar, sifted

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, and then vanilla; mix until smooth. Frosting can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; before using, bring to room temperature, and beat until smooth.

 

Red Velvet Love!

Tiramisu Cupcakes

Say what you want about Martha Stewart... Jailbird, Baker extraordinaire! This women knows her stuff... This recipe is from her new baking book called "Martha Stewart's Cupcakes". I absolutely love Tiramisu.  This is a cupcake version by Martha herself...AND includes the yummiest Mascarpone icing I've EVER tasted! It was a HIT!

Ingredients 

1 1/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 cup milk

1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces

3 large whole eggs plus 3 egg yolks, room temperature

1 cup sugar 

Coffee-Marsala Syrup (See recipe to follow)

Mascarpone Frosting (See recipe to follow)

Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting or shaved chocolate

Preheat oven to 325F.Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Heat milk and vanilla-bean pod and seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat just until bubbles appear around the edge. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter until melted, and let stand 15 minutes. Strain milk mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, and discard vanilla-bean pod.

With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk together whole eggs, yolks, and sugar. Set mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water, and whisk by hand until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm, about 6 minutes. Remove bowl from heat. With an electric mixer on high speed, whisk until mixture is fluffy, pale yellow, and thick enough to hold a ribbon on the surface for several seconds when whisk is lifted.

Gently but thoroughly fold flour mixture into the egg mixture in three batches; stir 1/2 cup batter into the strained milk mixture to thicken, then fold milk mixture into the remaining batter until just combined. 

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until centers are completely set and edges are light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. 

To finish, brush tops of cupcakes evenly with coffee-marsala syrup; repeat until all syrup has been used. Allow cupcakes to absorb liquid 30 minutes. Dollop frosting (or pipe, like I did) onto cupcakes; refrigerate up to overnight in airtight containers. Dust generously with cocoa powder or chocolate shavings just before serving.

Coffee-Marsala Syrup

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly brewed very strong coffee (or espresso)
1 ounce marsala (2 tbsp)

1/4 cup sugar

Stir together coffee, marsala, and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Let cool.

Mascarpone Icing 

1 cup heavy cream

8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk heavy cream until stiff peaks form (be careful not to overbeat, or cream will be grainy). In another bowl, whisk together mascarpone and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture until completely incorporated. Use immediately. 

C'est absolument parfait!

Jamaican Style Chicken with Tropical Fruit Salsa

This dish has both the sweet and the spicy! The marinade with the jalapeno peppers provide the right about of spice while the tropical fruit salsa provides the balance with the sweet factor. This chicken is different from regular chicken dinners with it's bold flavors and provides freedom from the regular boring chicken dinners!
This recipe is from my favorite cookbook: Eat, Shrink & Be Merry by Janet and Greta Podleski.

Ingredients for the marinade 

1/3 cup of chopped green onion (with the white parts)
1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice 
2 tbsp of olive oil 
2 tbsp of reduced-sodium soy sauce 
2 tbsp of liquid honey 
1 tbsp of grated gingerroot 
2 tsp of minced garlic 
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
2 tsp of ground allspice 
1 tsp each of thyme, salt and freshly ground pepper 
1/2 tsp each of ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg

5 - 6 chicken breasts 

Whisk together all marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Place chicken in a large, heavy duty, resealable plastic ziplock bag. Add marinade and seal bag. Turn bag several times to coat chicken with marinade. Marinade overnight in the refrigerator. Once marinaded, BBQ chicken until cooked.

Ingredients for the Tropical Fruit Salsa

1 cup of diced fresh pineapple
1 cup of diced fresh mango 
1/4 cup each of diced red onions, red bell pepper and green pepper 
1 tbsp of minced fresh cilantro
1 tbsp of freshly squeezed lime juice 
1 tsp of granulated sugar 
1/4 tsp of salt 

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

 

Top chicken with tropical fruit salsa and serve. Delicious, flavorful, sweet & spicy chicken! YUM-O 

Jamaican Me Hungry!