Braised Chicken Thighs

I love comfort food and this dish definitely falls into that category. 

A few weeks ago I was watching the fabulous Donal Skehan cooking this dish and had to give it a go.

This is my version of the recipe because I wasn't feeling too well when I was shopping and forgot the vegetables but I can say it is a dish that everybody in our home really enjoyed and have asked for it to be done again. That's a sure sign that this is a great little recipe to have up your sleeve for those days when you don't know what to make or are in a complete hurry. You can check out the full recipe here along with some other great recipes at the Donal Skehan Blog.

Try it out for yourself and let me know what you think. I served it with some plain boiled rice and a little glass of wine for myself.

Ingredients

1 tblsp olive oil

100g streaky bacon, chopped

6 boneless chicken thighs

1 tblsp butter

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Glass of white wine

Thyme 

50ml chicken stock

6 spring onions, trimmed and sliced

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the bacon pieces and fry until crisp.

2. Add the chicken thighs and fry on each side until golden and crisp.

3. Add the butter and allow it to foam, then stir in the lemon zest and fry it in the butter.

4. Pour in the wine and then add the thyme and chicken stock.

5. Add the spring onions.

6. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve with boiled rice or fresh crusty bread.

Tuesday's Kitchen Fruit Smoothie

This past few weeks I've been making up fruit smoothies for breakfast.
Suddenly with the longer evenings and better weather I've become more conscious of my diet and my weight.

I haven't weighed myself since our Little Fella was born and I'm not too bothered about getting on the scales just yet but I know there is some weight that needs shifted.
All in good time I know.

Smoothies are great to get you going in the morning, they are so easy to make and very healthy.
Even my Teen has noticed that she isn't as hungry later in the morning since trying this smoothie out.

The recipe is so easy and it can be whizzed up in a blender in seconds and I use frozen berries so there's no need for ice cubes but you could use fresh berries and a handful of ice cubes.

Ingredients

1 Banana

Glass of Orange Juice

Handle of Frozen Mixed Berries

Put everything into your blender and process until smooth.

Serve in a tall glass, this will make 2 glasses like the one in the picture.

It's really that simple and refreshing, so happy sipping!

Tuesday's Kitchen Homemade Sausage Rolls

This week I want to share with you the most simple recipe for sausage rolls which I made for my oldest son's birthday a few weeks ago.

Everybody loved them and kept asking where I bought them so I think it's fair to say that once you have made your own you won't want to buy one again.

It's quick and easy using ready made puff pastry and sausage meat with a few extra bits to transform the flavour.

I think the combination of flavours you could add are endless but I was mindful of smaller children who can sometimes be a bit fussy.

Ingredients

Sausage Meat

Ready Made Puff Pastry Sheets

1 Clove Garlic finely chopped

1 Small Onion finely chopped

2 Teaspoons Mixed Herbs

Salt and Black Pepper to season

Beaten egg or milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/Gas 7

2. Place your sausage meat into a large bowl along with the chopped garlic, onion and herbs.

3. Add some salt and pepper to season and mix everything together with your hands.

4. Lightly flour your work surface and unroll out the ready made pastry.

5. Cut the sheet of pastry in half.

6. Divide the sausage meat in two and roll each piece into a sausage shape.

7. Place the sausage meat down the middle of the pastry and wash over the edge of the pastry

 with the beaten egg or milk and fold it over - the beaten egg or milk will make sure that the edges stick together.

8. Next brush over the whole length of pastry with the beaten egg and then divide into small rolls - you should get about 8 good sized sausage rolls from each piece.

9. Place in the oven and bake for about 20 mins until the pastry is golden and the sausage meat is cooked through.

10. These are lovely on their own, or served with pickle, mustard, tomato ketchup.

I'm linking in with Townsend House What I am Eating click on the link to have a look at what everybody else is eating this week.

Tuesday's Kitchen Cupcakes

As you know last week our Inbetweener turned eight years old( Birthday Celebrations).

I was busy all day last Tuesday baking and cooking for our little get together and one of the things I made was cupcakes.

So many people are making cupcakes these days and they really are so easy, that being said I'm not the best baker but I try my best.

Here is my recipe and I also used the same mixture to make up the birthday cake. 

This recipe will make 12 cupcakes and  they went down a storm.

Ingredients

150g Butter

150g Caster Sugar

150g Self Raising Flour

2 Eggs

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence

2/3 Tablespoons of Milk

For the Buttercream Icing:

75g Butter

125g Icing Sugar

1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas4 and line a standard muffin tin with your paper cases.

2. Beat the butter, sugar, flour, milk and eggs together. I used an electric mixer but you can also use a wooden spoon like I normally do, just make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature.

3. Beat the mixture until smooth and pale, then divide between the paper cases.

4. Bake in the oven for 20 mins, or until golden and remove to a wire tray to cool.

5. At this stage you can make up the buttercream icing, place all the ingredients together and mix with either a wooden spoon or electric mixer.

6. Once the cupcakes are cooled you can ice them, I used a palette knife to save on time but you can pipe it on for a cleaner finish.

7. Decorate as you wish, we used coloured candy discs chosen by the birthday boy himself.

Tuesday's Kitchen - Wholemeal Bread

I love the smell of freshly baked bread, there's nothing more homely and comforting.
I remember my grandmother always made her own bread.
You just can't buy it like that anywhere.

This loaf is perfect any time of the day, but it's especially good with soup or one of my own favourites butter and jam.

The recipe is tried and tested many times by me, it's taken from one of those recipe cards I picked up in Supervalu by Irish chef Kevin Dundon.

Kevin's recipes are all family friendly favourites and better still they work.

Give it a go and it won't disappoint.

Ingredients

350g Wholemeal Flour

50g Plain Flour

50g Porridge Oats

Pinch of salt

2 Level Teaspoons Bread Soda

2 Large Eggs

1 Dessert Spoon Vegetable Oil

500ml Buttermilk

1 Tablespoon Treacle

Method

Preheat oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3

Put the flours, sieved bread soda, salt and porridge oats into a large mixing bowl and combine well

In a separate bowl beat the eggs,oil, treacle and add to the dry mixture

Add in the buttermilk and mix to a sloppy consistency

Pour into a greased 2lb loaf tin and smooth the top with a wet spoon

Bake in the oven for 45 minutes and remove the bread from the tin.

Return to the oven inverted and bake for another 15 minutes - this makes a lovely crust all around the loaf

Remove from oven and test - if the loaf is cooked there should be a hollow sound when you tap the bread with your knuckles.
 Allow to cool.

*If you like you can add a sprinkle of seeds or porridge oats before baking - this adds a nice touch*

Joining in with Townsend House What I am Eating Linky. Follow the link back and check out some of  the other great recipes.

Tuesday's Kitchen - Succulent Lamb Burgers

This week we are trying something different for dinner.

I fancied making burgers from minced pork because I saw it being done on TV last week but couldn't find any minced pork in the shop. Being too lazy to go to the butcher in the town centre I opted for minced lamb instead. I'd never used minced lamb for anything before.

These do not disappoint and the children absolutely loved them. 

They are sure to get your taste buds jumping and definitely give the beef burger a run for their money.

It's great getting the children involved in preparing the dinner from scratch get their hands messed up a bit, it teaches them to eat well and have a healthy attitude to food.

My daughter was once a very fussy eater and I am glad to say is fast becoming a lover of all foods and trying new things all the time. I think this is because she is learning to cook herself at school and she seems to have a flair for it.

Our Inbetweener is a joy and eats anything, his favourites are Indian food and duck.

So, a very quick and simple dinner, I served these with potatoes that were par boiled and baked off in the oven with olive oil and chilli powder to taste.

Ingredients

500g Minced Lamb

1 Clove Garlic finely chopped

1 Small Onion finely chopped

1 Teaspoon Garam Masala

1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger

Breadcrumbs (2 slices)

1 Egg Beaten

Method

Simply place all your ingredients in a bowl and mix everything together.

Form into thick patties and grill for about 5 minutes on each side until cooked through. (This will really depend on how thick you make them).

I love cheese and tomatoes with relish on all burgers but you can top with whatever you fancy!

I've linked this post to Townsend House, please pop over and check out the site from here for some more mouth watering recipes.

Tuesday's Kitchen - Flourless Chocolate Cake

We are still on a chocolate theme this week on Tuesday's Kitchen mainly because I'm trying to use up all the Easter eggs we have here!

This is a great little recipe for a flourless chocolate cake. It sounds a bit scary what with no flour but if you follow the recipe it will work out and it's delicious, a great cake for special occasions or having friends round for tea.

I substituted the dark chocolate with Easter Eggs when making this one, normally it would be much richer in colour, but it still tastes good regardless.

Ingredients 

500g dark chocolate

6 eggs, at room temperature

2 tablespoons brandy

165g ground hazelnuts

250ml whipping cream

icing sugar - to dust

Method;

1. Preheat the oven to 150C (300F/Gas2). Lightly grease a deep 8 inch round cake tin and line the base with greaseproof paper.

2. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, stir until the chocolate has melted and make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.

3. Put the eggs into a large heatproof bowl and add the brandy. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Beat the mixture using an electric mixer for about 7 minutes until it is light and foamy. Remove from the heat.

4. Using a metal spoon, quickly fold the chocolate and ground hazelnuts into the egg mixture. Next, add the cream and pour into the cake tin.

5. Put the cake tin in a roasting tray half filled with hot water and bake for 1 hour until set.

6. Remove and let the cake cool,  then cover with clingfilm and put in the fridge overnight.

This should serve 10 and keep for 2 days in the fridge.

Tuesdays Kitchen - Honeycomb Crunchies

With too many Easter Eggs about the house I always end up making goodies with them just to use them up - there really is only so many eggs you can actually eat and it's a pity to let them go to waste!

This recipe is taken from The Great British Bake Off Learn to Bake Book. 

My husband bought it for me and I'm making my way through the recipes which are all fabulous and you don't have to be an expert to get through them!

It was very exciting to try something new here, making honeycomb which is pretty amazing partly because I didn't think it would work and partly because it tasted so good!

For this recipe I've substituted the chocolate with two medium sized Easter Eggs.

For the Honeycomb

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

75g caster sugar

2 tablespoons golden syrup

To Assemble

250g dark/milk/mixture chocolate

100g unsalted butter

2 tablespoons golden syrup

150g digestive biscuits

Method;

1. Make the honeycomb first.

 Before you start make sure you have an oiled baking tray and bicarbonate of soda ready. 

Put the sugar and golden syrup into a heavy saucepan and warm gently for 10 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally.

2. When the sugar is completely melted, turn the heat to medium and once it starts to boil, leave it to bubble until it turns golden brown - do not stir at this point.

3. Turn the heat off and making sure you cover your hand with a cloth, take hold of the pan handle.

Add the bicarbonate of soda quickly whisk for a couple of seconds. 

The mixture will froth quickly

and you need to be very careful here.

4. Pour this mixture into the oiled baking tray and leave it to cool and harden for about 20/30 minutes.

5. Put the chocolate, butter and golden syrup into a heatproof bowl. 

Melt gently and remove from heat when the mixture is smooth, set to one side.

6. Break up the biscuits in a plastic bag using a rolling pin, and then break up the honeycomb in the same way. 

Add both to the chocolate and mix well.

7. Spread the whole of this mixture evenly into a lined square tin, cover with clingfilm and chill for about 2 hours.

This should cut into 16 squares and stored in the fridge will keep for 2 days.