mmmmm crispy oven baked chicken wings

I know that it has been ages since I have blogged, but to be honest I have had a lot of other stuff on my mind and plate. I was shocked and thrilled to see that even though I haven't been actively blogging that my site has had almost 12,000 hits in my absense. That is crazy! So thank you to all of my readers for visiting me. Where was I during this period of absenteeism? Well, I spent a couple of months with no internet up at the cottage, soaking up some sun, enjoying the beauty of the lake, and, of course, the glory of my BBQ. I also read through a whack of really good food writing novels which I will be sharing at a later date. I came back to the city a couple of weeks ago and have been trying to readjust to the noise and speed of the city, as well as using my oven once again. I have also been checking out a few new dining digs, and am excited by some of my finds. I thought that I would kick off this cooler fall season with a recipe that qualifies as comfort food for me - crispy, yummy baked chicken wings. Delish!

Throughout the years I have been experimenting with various ways to prepare wings, both baked and fried, and I think that I have now found a new favorite. The reason why I like it so much is that it is on the healthier side, and although a bit more labour intensive than just banging them in the oven, they seem to produce wonderful crispy results. Credit goes to Alton Brown who introduced me to the steaming technique.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 lbs chicken wing pieces - I like both the drumstick and the wingettes. To save money I buy the whole wings and take kitchen sheers to the joints and separate them. I don't use the very end tips for this preparation. I instead collect and store them in the freezer ready for when I make chicken stock.


• About half a cup of your favorite BBQ sauce


• 1 tbs melted butter


• A couple of shakes of tobasco (or more depending on your tastes)


• Salt and pepper

Directions:

Steam the chicken wings for 10 minutes. This can be accomplished by putting a metal collander over a pot of boiling water if you don't have a commercial steamer. Turn the wings half way through.

Pat the wings dry and place them uncovered for about an hour on a baking rack on a baking pan in the fridge. Line the baking pan with paper towel to catch any juices that might leak out. Do not omit this step - It is the key to the crispy wings.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Remove the wings from the fridge. Replace the paper towel with parchment paper. Shake on the salt & pepper and place them on the middle oven rack.

Bake for 20 minutes and then turn the wings. Bake another 20 minutes until nicely browned.

In a bowl large enough to season all the wings, combine the 1 tbs melted butter, your favorite bbq sauce and the tobasco. Toss the wings in the sauce and serve. Yum!

Summer time means BBQ time!

I love summer for many reasons. I am very fortunate to have a terrific cottage north of the city to which I can escape the fog and noise pollution of the city. I spend my time reading, napping, gardening, burning stuff, and of course barbequing.

One of the recipes that is most requested by all of my guests is my beer can chicken. It is not only gives you chicken that is so moist that you won’t believe it, but it also is one of the few items that you can put on the barbeque and just leave alone. Over the years I have simplified the recipe greatly and no one has noticed any difference in taste, so I am sharing with you my simplified recipe.

Here's what you need:

- 1 medium size chicken
- A couple of tablespoons of your favorite rub that may include any combination of the following: salt, paprika (smoked, regular, or hot), garlic powder, onion salt, seasoning salt, poultry seasoning, lemon pepper, regular pepper, mixed grilling spices, steak seasoning etc. Note: All spices and herbs should be finely ground – Do not use loose herbs or they will burn.
- 1 can of whatever beer you have on hand.

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Instructions:

The morning that you plan to BBQ, take the chicken and cover it inside out with the spices. It may look like it is going on a little thickly – Don’t worry – It all works out. Return the chicken to the fridge until you are ready to put it on the BBQ. Short on time? No worries. The recipe still works even if the chicken doesn't marinade in the fridge with the spices.

One hour and fifteen minutes before you plan to eat, turn on the BBQ to high on all burners. You now have fifteen minutes to get the chicken ready. Take the seasoned chicken from the fridge and impale it on an open can of your favorite beer. Place it on a pie plate upright. Take a small amount of foil and cover the ends of the chicken legs that are resting on the pie plate – This helps them not to burn. Take another piece of foil and stuff it in the neck of the chicken to stop the steam from coming up through the neck. The ball of foil that you use will depend on the cavity. Take any extra skin around the neck and cover the foil.

Turn all of the BBQ burners down to low and place the chicken on the pie plate on the front part of the grill with the back facing toward the front of the BBQ. Rotate the chicken after it has been on for a half hour. Be careful when closing the BBQ lid as the chicken might fall over.

Chicken will be cooked at one hour. Resist the urge to keep opening the BBQ door several times during the cooking as it will only slow down the cooking time.

Oh and here are a couple of lessons learned by my sister:

1) Place the chicken toward the very front of the grill. It helps the chicken not to burn.

2) Do not use pie plates with holes in them. As you can see the chicken on the left is almost perfectly cooked except the breast is a little too dark as a result of the pie plate being placed at the back of the grill as opposed to the front. You will notice that the chicken on the right however is so char grilled and looks like it is trying to escape from the BBQ as a result of the chicken fat dripping through the holes and igniting on the grill setting the poor bird aflame!

In terms of serving, I'm pretty lazy when it comes to "carving" a chicken. I have found that the best way to disassemble the bird is with kitchen shears. Simply cut at each joint and pile the pieces happily on a serving platter. No fuss, no muss. Happy grilling!

The best carrot cake ever!

Many in my life boast that I know my way around the kitchen. Those who know me really well though know that I although I can make a mean entrée, that I am generally not a baker, but instead a burner.

In digging through my crisper last night I found a very old bag of carrots – Not yet at the liquefied stage, but definitely past their prime. Never wanting to throw anything away (a trait endowed upon me by my parents) I went in search of a recipe that would use them all up. One of my favorite consistently great sources of recipes has always been Canadian Living Magazine. Their recipes are tested and true, and I have been able to recreate them and have them look as they do in the magazine and online. I made a few modifications that I have posted below to suit my personal taste, as well as to reduce the calorie content but I imagine that the original recipe would be just as delectable. This cake turned out so moist, and really yummy. It has frozen really well too – I just wrapped it in foil and then in a zip lock bag.

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

¼ cup + 2 TBS Splenda Brown Sugar
1 cup Splenda granulated sugar
3 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

2 heaped cups grated carrots

1 cup drained canned crushed pineapple

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Icing: 1 pkg brick cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup icing sugar

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Preparation:

Grease and flour a bundt pan or a square or round cake pan and set aside. In a large bowl beat together granulated and brown sugars, eggs, oil and vanilla until smooth. Add in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and stir just until moistened. Stir in carrots, pineapple and walnuts. Spread in prepared pan.

Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven for 30-40 minutes or until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean. (A fully baked cake will spring back when touched in the center. The cake also draws away from the side of the pan, and a cake tester (a toothpick of skewer works well) inserted in the center comes out clean. Also trust your sense of smell: the fresh aroma of butter and sugar wafting out of the oven can be the signal to check the cake.)

Let cool in pan on rack. Ice with cream cheese icing and decorate with whole walnuts.

Icing: In bowl, beat cream cheese with butter until smooth. Beat in vanilla and icing sugar until smooth.

Recipe: Baked Halibut Over Minty Mushy Peas

Ok so here I go trying to eat more healthily and not lose my passion for food. I went to my favorite supermarket yesterday (T&T) and acquired a very large halibut steak for dinner from my favorite fish guy (he is the one who puts everything down the second that he sees me. He is also the one who pulled out an *entire* side of tuna from the back - As in a 75 lb half of tuna, to cut me a select steak that I wanted) I was trying to get inspired and find a way to cook halibut other than deep fry it with panko crumbs (my all time fav preparation)

So here is what I came up with. And I have to tell you folks, it is pretty awesome - Fresh, light, flavorful, and good for you! And don't not try the minty mushy peas. They do not in any way taste like baby food. They are minty and really fresh tasting!

For the Fish (two portions):

1 halibut steak or fillet no more than 1 inch thick. Mine was pretty big and equalled two portions. For the purpose of calorie counting I assumed 5 onz per portion which is a generous amount.
1 small glass baking dish - Just big enough to hold the fillet and a bit more
1 large tomato chopped (approx 1 cup)
zest of half a lemon
juice of half a lemon (please don't use bottled - Spend the $.50 on a real lemon - I promise it is worth it)I handful of fresh mint leaves chopped
1 green onion chopped
1/4 tsp of tarragon (I only had dried)
salt & pepper
1 tbs Presidents Choice Memories of Portugal sauce. This sauce is fantastic on chicken, salmon, shrimp too. You never have to use a lot of it, and just a bit packs quite a punch.
1 tsp good olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Put 1 tsp of olive oil in the dish and then the fish. Roll the fish around until it is covered with oil. Liberally season both sides with salt and pepper. Cover the fish with the 1 Tbs of Memories of Portugal sauce, mint, tarragon, lemon zest. Sprinkle the green onion and tomatoes on top of the fish and around it.
Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes until the fish is cooked all the way through and begins to flake with a fork. Serve on top of minty mushy peas and drizzle ~1 tbs of pan juices on top. A side salad would round the dish out nicely.

For the minty mushy peas (2 portions):

2 cups of frozen peas
1 tsp salt for the cooking water
1 med handful mint
2 tsp fat free cream cheese
1 good squeeze lemon
salt & pepper to taste

Boil the peas in salted water for about five minutes. Just before you are about to pull it off of the heat, throw in the mint. Strain peas and the mint and blitz in a blender ( I used my magic bullet) until smooth. Add in the tsp of fat free cream cheese and the squeeze of lemon and blitz until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in a shallow large bowl with fish on top. For two people, double this recipe.

Approx Calories – 433 per portion. And this assumes that you are going to consume all of the broth that accumulates around the fish. If you don’t – then the calories will be less.

1 five once filet of halibut -160
½ large tomato chopped - 15
Lemon Juice -30
Mint - 10
1 green onion - 3
1 tbs Presidents Choice Memories of Portugal sauce -25
1 tsp good olive oil - 40
1 cup peas -125
1 tbs fat free cream cheese - 25
Total Calories = 433

Spring time Weigh-In Blues

Ok so now that we are into spring I know that my body SHOULD be starting to kick this carb addiction and begin to crave leafy salady type things (right?!). We are hopefully over this cold weather that makes me want to hunker down under my synthetic duvet and store up energy for some unforeseen grain shortage. I mean, let's be honest here...I won't be able to justify that this extra poundage is just "winter weight", like I do for my little porky yorkie, Ripley, who like myself has put on a pound or two (or ten - for me not her) over the winter. So here I am on this fine spring morning digging through my plethora of cookbooks, as well as the net, in search of a few core recipes that I will be able to use and recycle into new variations in the weeks going forward.

There has been one that has been a standout for me over the past little while that even my veggie-resistant spouse has asked for on more than one occasion. I don't think that it ever came from any one recipe - more like the mother of invention when I was stuck for a meal one night. It does require quite a bit of chopping, but I swear that it is worth it, because it can sit in the fridge for at least a few days, and the flavors meld and are better the second day.

Jen's Healthy Spring Salad

1 Pepper of your choice roughly chopped (red, yellow, orange or green)
1 large tomato that you have taken most of the seeds out of and chopped
1/2 English cucumber chopped

1 large handful of fresh flat leaf parsley chopped coarsely
1 large handful of fresh mint chopped coarsely
1 tin of chickpeas drained and well rinsed (you can also use other types of beans but this is my fav)
1-2 green onions chopped (you can also use red onion or shallots)
Any other veggies that might be sitting around in the crisper that you enjoy including broccoli florettes, cauliflower florettes, cubed zucchini etc.
1/4 cup Kraft fat free Italian dressing (or any other low-cal dressings of your choice other than ranch or anything "fruity". I have also added a combination of good olive oil and white wine vinegar. If you do this, you want to make it more vinegary that you probably normally would.

Serve over a bed of any of your favorite lettuce-like greens or eat on its own.

Variation # 1: add in one cup of cous cous that has been "cooked" by adding in one cup of boiling water and allowed to rest covered for five minutes.

Variation # 2: add in one cup of any other whole grain that has been cooked according to package directions including barley, wheat berries, millet, etc.

Variation # 3: Top with a cooked and sliced chicken breast or a grilled piece of tuna.

If you wanted to make the core salad stretch even farther I would start off on day 1 with the core salad, day 2 I would add in the grains and day 3 I would top with the chicken/tuna.

Cheers and happy eating!

Lamb jerky likely won't make a Bonacini restaurant menu any time soon

So last night my sister called me from the supermarket, basket in hand, looking for accoutrements for the frozen half price lamb chunks that she had found. Woohoo! Half price. Way to go! I quickly scanned through the mental rolodex of appropriate accompaniments, taking into account this week's food restrictions (my sister, from time to time goes on cleanses, or has food intolerances that creep up and strike her gastricially in a terrible way) So of course, thyme, rosemary, garlic, mushrooms, parsnips, quartered lemon to replace the vino she can't have, carrots, zucchini came to mind. Since her plan was to crock-pot-it, provided that either the veg would stand up to the slow cooking, or contributed in some way to the sauce, all was good. I hung up the phone and made a mental note to speak to her in the morning and find out how it was. I also wrote it down to let her know that next time she should try adding sliced fennel, since that would add a nice mild licoricy flavour too.

So I spoke to her this morning and asked how the lamb was. "Lamb Jerky" didn't sound like a particularly appetizing response, and definitely not the one I was expecting. "How was the zucchini?" I asked. "pulp?" Apparently what we hadn't discussed was how long to leave a slow cooker on, and I suppose this was learning the hard way after ten hours of anticipated cooking. Although it was still tasty in a doggy treat, chew till you choke kind of way I am sure, I don't think that lamb jerky will make it onto a Bonacini restaurant menu any time soon.

So, in typical Sagitarian fashion, I thought that today I would dedicate this blog to her, and do a quick slow-cooker 101 for those who may need to be reminded of the basics.

Jen's Crockpot 101:

Pretty much any meat can be made in the crockpot. Here is a basic guideline if you don’t want to follow a recipe.

Add in any meat that you have on hand (beef, pork, lamb, chicken breasts, chicken legs, chicken thighs). This is also your chance to use those tougher cuts of meat such as:
Beef: round, brisket, flank, plate, shank, shin, leg, and chuck Flank steak (beef)
Pork: shoulder or butt
Lamb: shank or shoulder

If you have time brown the meat first in a skillet. If you don’t have time don’t worry just throw them in. You can even pull frozen meat and throw it in – Just add in a couple of hours more cooking time.

If you have any “sturdy” vegetables on hand throw them in if you want (potatoes, whole or cut up, carrots, celery, mushrooms, parsnips, rutabaga, cabbage in chunks). Any other veg are still fine to add, but keep in mind that they will contribute more to the sauce, and will not likely remain whole. Good choices include: tomatoes, zucchini

Add one can of any kind of any condensed soup (mushroom, chicken, celery, broccoli and cheddar etc.) Alternatively, if you have “packet sauces” like beef gravy, dried soup mix etc. these can be used in place. But boost up the liquid to the max amount in the next section.

Add ½ cup – 1 cup (or so) of any liquid (beer, wine, water, apple juice, tomato juice, chicken broth, beef broth,) You can also pitch in ½ to a whole cut up lemon in there too if you want a more acidic taste (perfect for lemon chicken, or greek lamb)

Add about ¼ tsp each of salt and pepper

Add ½ - 1 tsp of any seasoning you have on hand in any combination (oregano, basil, steak seasoning, garlic powder, onion flakes, real garlic, Italian seasoning etc).

Cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 5-6

Serve with any combination of rice, pasta, potatoes, salad, other veg.

The ultimate trifle

Trifle has been a regular at all family special occasions for as long as I can remember. Back when I was a little girl my mother used to use syrupy tinned fruit salad, day-glow jello, and Byrds custard as filling. Today, I have modified the version to take advantage of fresher, lighter ingredients, while staying true to my mother's legacy.

Choose any clear deepish bowl-like container for the trife. (I used a shallow vase for Easter to accomodate a smaller portion)

Ingredients:

I package of small jelly rolls (usually six to a package) left open for one day (they work best when they are slightly stale)
I tin of President's Choice custard
1 half bag (approx) of any frozen berries that have been defrosted and strained (I prefer Europe's Best Raspberries of Blueberries) Alternatively fresh berries rock too. I would plan for at least two pints or a quart.
1 package of jello (I use diet raspberry but feel free to use regular)
1 small container of whipping cream (seasoned with a bit of sugar and Grand Marnier or Rum)
Cream sherry, (such as Harvey's Bristol Cream) and Grand Marnier (or substitute any other liquor such as rum, amaretto,)
Any combination of fruity gums, shaved almonds, silver dragees, sprinkles, shaved chocolate, marachino cherries, or candied fruits for decorating the top

Cut the jelly rolls into fours and layer along the bottom and a quarter of the way up the sides of the container. You will likely have some left over. Freeze in a zip lock bag until you need them next. Sprinkle LIBERALLY with cream sherry and Grand Marnier (or chosen liqueur)

Prepare jello in a separate container at half strength (1 cup hot water only) and stir until completely combined. Pour over jelly roll, completely saturating each piece. Put in fridge until set.

Once set pour the fruit onto the set jelly rolls and then top with the tin of custard. Whip the cream with a teaspoon or so of sugar as well as a sploosh of grand marnier or alternatively rum and spread over custard. Right before searving top with jellies/almonds/toppings of choice and refrigerate until serving.

The whole thing can be prepared the day before and kept in the fridge