Winger's Dinner

My hubby's birthday was last week, and I surprised him with a Winger's Bar & Grill inspired menu. He'd been asking for wings for a while, and since that's one of his favourite places to eat in Utah, I wanted to make it as authentic as possible. I searched the web for some of the recipes, and just made up the rest. The recipes below are the ones I made, and are really just estimates. Here is the menu:

Chicken wings, this was a great recipe. The wings turned out really crispy just like they had been fried.

Winger's Original Amazing Sauce. I decided on this recipe as opposed to the Franks hot sauce recipes, since I didn't want it to be too hot for the boys.

Blue Cheese dipping sauce: 1/4 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup yogurt, Tbs chives, 1/4 cup crumble stilton cheese, salt and pepper to taste.

Potato Skins: Take small bakes potatoes, cut in half lengthways and scoop out the flesh, leaving just a little left in the skin. Top with crumbled bacon and grated cheese (you could spread pizza sauce on first if desired). Bake at a high temperature (about 400 F) until cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream and chives if desired.

Raspberry Lemonade. This was a bit hit.

Asphalt Pie: (It's impossible to get a good quality mint ice-cream in the UK, so I decided to make my own. I didn't measure the ingredients out. Maybe someday, I'll try it again, and measure the ingredients to make a real recipe. It was REALLY good).

Oreo crust: oreo crumbs, and enough melted butter to get oreo crumbs to just start to stick together. Press into a pie dish or round cake tin. Bake in oven, 350F for about 15 minutes.

Mint chocolate chip ice-cream: Mix 1/2 bar of grated mint flavoured chocolate (Lindt intense mint), with 1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk, and about 1/4 cup milk.

Whip one container of heavy cream with about 1/4 cup milk until soft peaks form. Mix a small amount of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture until smooth, then gently fold the rest of the cream in until well combined. Pour over the cooled Oreo crust, cover and freeze until solid (a few hours at least).

Monday: Roast Chicken and Veg, and Carrot and Nettle Soup

I took the boys to the park today, and finally harvested some Nettle that grows along the creek near the playground. Stinging Nettle grows everywhere in England. Although it's something you want don't want touching your bare skin, once cooked, it's apparently quite delicious and very nutritious. It loses it's stinging quality once cooked. It's similar to spinach, but with a peppery kick.

So with gloves, scissors and a bag in tow, I trimmed the tops off of several nettle plants. I discovered that the cheap disposable plastic gloves are not strong/thick enough for this job (but at least I knew I was picking the right thing). Next time I'll bring my rubber washing up gloves.

Since I had the nettle, I decided to make a soup to go along with the roast chicken I had planned for tonight. (I bought a whole chicken at Tesco for £1.59!) Even though I don't write out a weekly menu for the week, sometimes I am organized enough to plan ahead, especially when I have leftover food I need to use up. I had a ton of rice leftover from dinner last night, and knew I would have leftover chicken from tonight. So I plan on making burrito/enchiladas later this week using those two ingredients. Because I wanted some Mexican type flavours for the burritos, I decided to go that route with the roast chicken as well.

Verdict: The soup was actually really good. My two-year old ate it right up. Although a bit wary at first, Paul really enjoyed it too. My three year-old took one look at it and declared he didn't like green soup. I made him try a couple of spoonfuls, and he still declared he didn't like it. The chicken turned out great, and the oven chips were good as usual.

Carrot, Nettle and Coriander Soup

1 medium onion, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

Bunch of Nettle leaves, about 1 cup packed (handle with gloves!)

~1 Tbs dried coriander leaves (cilantro leaves)

Vegetable stock or water

salt and pepper to taste

Sweat the onion and carrot in a bit of Oil until soft. Add the nettle leaves and cook until wilted. Add the coriander, seasoning and enough stock or water to cover the vegetables. Bring to boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Let cool, and puree the soup until smooth. Season to taste.

Roast Chicken with a spice butter rub

In a frying pan, (I used the saucepan I was going to use for the soup), dry roast about 1 Tbs Cumin seeds, 1-2 tsp Coriander seeds, and a dash of hot pepper flakes, on medium heat for a couple minutes, until you can smell the spices well. Remove from pan, and using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, grind the mixture into a powder. Add salt and pepper to taste, and some chopped fresh Coriander/cilantro leaves. Add to some softened butter (~1-2 Tbs), along with a squeeze of lime juice), and mix.

Using your finger separate the skin from the flesh of the breast on a whole roasting chicken. place about half the butter rub under the skin of the breast, and using your hand, push the butter to the end of the breast, and evenly spread it around. Do the same with the other breast. If desired, you could make a slit in the skin of the drumsticks and rub some butter under that skin as well. Season the cavity with a salt, pepper, ground cumin and paprika rub, and place a couple small pieces of lime inside as well. Rub the outside of the chicken with oil, and season with the salt, pepper, ground cumin and paprika rub. (You could also just season with Salt and Pepper. Cover the breasts with foil. Place chicken in a roasting pan, on a rack if possible, and bake at 350*F for about an hour, removing the foil after 30 minutes. The temperature of the meat should reach 170*F. Let rest for at least 10 minutes.

I also made some oven fries and roasted carrot sticks to go along with the meal.

Home Made Vegetable Stock (among other things)

When I was at school and then working, most of my meals were ones that I could prepare quickly. Now that I am a SAHM, I have more time throughout the day, but that time is usually rationed to small amounts at a time. So, my meal preparations have changed quite a bit. Instead of finding meals I can prepare quickly, I tend to cook meals that I can prep ahead of time, little bits at time. Today was a good example of how I tend to spend my afternoon, and what I do for dinner.

12 noon, put my boy down for a nap, eat lunch and find a recipe online.

1:00 pm, little one wakes up earlier than I expected. He is a bit groggy and wants to watch t.v. I take advantage of this opportunity to get started on dinner by peeling and cutting celeriac and potatoes for a mash. I am nearly finished when little one comes in needing me. Put the celeriac and potato pieces in a pot, cover with water and leave for later.

2:00, after playing with little one for a while, I find some more time to sneak away and get more done on dinner. Slice the leeks for my main, cut off broccoli florets to steam later, and decide to make a vegetable broth using the ends of the leeks and broccoli stems among other things.

3:30, after getting my older boy from school, I get them interested in colouring in the kitchen while I prepare the rest of the meal. I decide to not only skin my chicken thighs, but actually bone them too, which I actually found quite easy to do with a pair of kitchen shears. So I put the bones into my vegetable stock, and suddenly it becomes a chicken stock. My boys have lost interest in colouring at this point, and want to watch t.v. I decide not to argue, and am able to finish boning the chicken, and get it in the pan to cook. By this time, my little one comes in needing my attention and wants to help me cook. So I let him have a butter knife to help cut up the pears for the main, when he's finished he gets distracted with something else, and I am able to finish up dinner.

5:00, dinner is served. Since the only table we have is a small one for the boys, my hubby and I end up eating on the floor, and both boys usually end up wanting to eat their Dad's food, because his plate is more interesting than their own. I usually end up sneaking their food onto Dad's plate, and they end up eating it that way.

Recipes

Vegetable/Chicken Stock

Making a vegetable stock couldn't be easier, it just may take a bit of planning. I like to use up the bits of vegetables that I don't normally use in my regular cooking. Therefore, my stock is never exactly the same. I tend to use the stalks from broccoli and cauliflower, sometimes the stems from mushrooms I may have just used, the tough ends of leeks, old celery or the tough outer stalks. I'll then supplement those veg with some staples: one or two onions peeled and quartered, one or two carrots cut into chunks, and a few cloves of garlic (no need to peel), and a couple of dried Shitake mushrooms (this really adds a depth to the broth). Then I'll add some herbs (bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, parsley, peppercorns, etc). Cover the veg with water, bring to a boil and simmer for a couple of hours. To make is a chicken stalk, just add a chicken carcass or some chicken bones (like from boning chicken thighs).

Let the broth cool, strain the liquid and place in the fridge overnight. Skim any fat that has risen to the top (not necessary if making just a veg stock). To store, I like to pour the stock into ice-cube trays and freeze them, then place the cubes in a freezer bag/container for later use.

Celeriac and Potato Mash

Peel and cut equal amounts of potato and celeriac, place in saucepan, cover with water and add salt. Boil the potatoes/celeriac until soft enough to mash. Add chopped roasted garlic if desired (I had some leftover from roasted veg the night before). Then add a bit of butter, milk or cream, or a combination of the three as desired, and mash. Season to taste.

Chicken Thighs with Pear and Leek Sauce

I found the recipe for the main on the Eating Well website. I had 6 chicken thighs, so I doubled the recipe for the sauce. Instead of using all olive oil, I rendered the fat from some of the pieces of chicken fat I had cut off of the thighs. It gave it a really rich buttery flavour. I also used gooseberry jam instead of the currant jelly, I only used about 3 teaspoons, and it was already pretty sweet. I'd say you definitely don't need as much jelly as the recipe calls for. I used my homemade stock, and it was yummy!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs, (about 1 1/2 pounds), trimmed (see Tip)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 1 large firm ripe pear, peeled and diced
• 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons currant jelly
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (see Tip)

PREPARATION

1. Place sliced leek in a colander; rinse and drain well.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until golden brown and no longer pink in the center, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
3. Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Add the leek and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown and soften, about 2 minutes. Add pear and 1/4 cup broth; simmer until the pear is soft and the broth is evaporated, about 2 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup broth and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add currant jelly to the pan and cook, stirring, until melted. Stir in the cornstarch mixture, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring, and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan and turn to coat with sauce. Serve sprinkled with walnuts.

Simple Friday Night Meal

I try to give my kids a variety of foods, lots of vegetables and different flavours. I don't want them to grow up being picky eaters. But, they're still kids, and sometimes don't want to try a new curry, or a different looking stew. They can sometimes be a bit picky, and still enjoy the kid friendly fare. One of my boys' favourite things to eat is chicken nuggets (with BBQ sauce). I on the other hand am not a fan of the store bought pre-processed chicken nuggets. Who knows exactly what they contain? Most have added salt, and other unhealthy preservatives. I like making my own chicken nuggets. It is so easy and so quick, and I know exactly what's in them. My boys love them too! When I make the chicken nuggets, I also make some sort of vegetable side dish to accompany it.

Chicken nuggets

1-2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

~1/2 cup plain/natural yogurt

salt and pepper to taste

Other herbs and seasonings of choice to taste: i.e. paprika, minced garlic, dried herbs with

dried or fresh bread crumbs seasoned with salt & pepper.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F/170 C. Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper. Pound the breasts flat to about 1/2 inch thickness (you could use a rolling pin, the flat side of a meat tenderizer, a rubber mallet, or the bottom of a glass). Cut the chicken into pieces of desired size, about 2 inches, and set aside.

2. In a bowl or bag, mix together the yogurt salt, pepper, and other seasonings of choice. Place the chicken pieces in the bag and marinate for at least one hour if possible.

3. Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish, cover each piece of chicken in the bread crumbs, and place on a greased baking sheet (or covered with baking paper). Place in oven and bake for 7-10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Minted Carrots: slice a couple of peeled carrots, place in saucepan, cover with water, cook with some chopped fresh mint until water evaporates and carrots are soft. Add salt and pepper, and honey to taste. You could also add a little knob of butter if desired.