Tag Archives: Home Cooking

Chicken Drumsticks in Mustard and Honey Marinade

Chicken, a member of the poultry family that includes turkey, duckling and goose, is one of Britain’s most bought meat products with an estimated 2.2 million birds eaten every day! That’s nearly half of all the meat consumed in the UK according to The British Poultry Council. So, once known as a predominantly red meat eating country, chicken looks set to have become the nation’s firm favourite for sandwiches, salads, starters and main meals.

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Ingredients

Serves 4

900g chicken drumsticks

1-2 tsp crunchy coarse mustard

3 tbsp runny honey

Method

  • In a medium sized bowl, mix the honey and mustard together. Add the chicken drumsticks and swish the honey mustard mixture about so that the entire drumsticks are coated in the googey goodness. Set aside in the fridge to allow the marinade to work its magic into the chicken, preferably overnight if time permits.
  • Grease a 2 litres ovenproof dish and place the prepared chicken drumsticks in it, cover with either foil or the dish’s lid if it has one and put in a pre-heated oven at gas mark 4, 180°C electric.
  • Cook for about 45-50 minutes until the meat is tender. Take the dish from the oven and remove the foil or lid, putting the uncovered dish back into the oven and cook until the chicken drumsticks’ skins become golden and caramelised in appearance.

Dawn: You can check the drumsticks are cooked by sticking a fork into the meatiest, thickest part of one or two and if the juices run clear, then they are cooked. 

For more recipes from the Cooking Dynamo, follow @Love_Food_UK on Twitter and follow this blog www.forfoodlovers.wordpress.com. You’ll also find us on Mumsnet Bloggers Network and Foodies100…oh, and did I mention Facebook at www.facebook.com/lovefood.forfoodlovers? See you there for more fab recipes and food chat!

Sunshine Smiles Chicken Casserole

Now that Autumn has turned her come-hither look upon all she surveys, turning Summer’s once lush and green glories to tantalising burnt umbers, ravishing reds, vivid vermilions, opulent oranges and golden yellows, we start to think about warming evening meals to fill our hearts with joy. This chicken casserole dish is an excellent heartening meal that accompanied with seasonal vegetables makes for a wonderful comfort food experience that’s guaranteed to bring sunshine smiles to your home.

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Ingredients

Serves 4

4 chicken breasts

2 tsp cooking oil

25g flour (any kind)

400g can of tomatoes or fresh ones, washed and roughly chopped

1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

300ml stock (chicken or vegetable will be fine)

200g mushrooms, washed and sliced

1 tbsp mixed herbs

Method

  • Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5, 190°C electric.
  • Put half the cooking oil in a frying pan and warm, then add the chicken breasts, skin side down and gently brown. Turn the chicken breasts over once brown and brown the other side. Set aside in a casserole dish.
  • Add the remaining cooking oil and warm. Once warmed, add the onion and garlic, and gently cook until the onion becomes transparent and soft. Add the flour and cook for a minute. This helps create a thickened stock later on in the cooking.
  • Slowly add the stock and stir until the flour and stock are combined. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms and mixed herbs, and stir.

Dawn: As a wee optional flavour enhancer you may decide to add at this point a splash of brandy and then simply cook the alcohol off for a few minutes. 

  • Add this mixture to the chicken breasts in the casserole dish making sure they are covered.
  • Cover the casserole dish and place in the oven.

Dawn: I like to season with salt and pepper a wee way into the actual cooking so that the real, true flavours of the food are realised first.

  • Cook for about 1.5-2 hours. Test at about 1.5 hours to determine if the chicken is tender. If not, return to the oven and cook until mouthwateringly tender and to your preference.
  • You may decide that the sauce the chicken is cooking in is too thick in which case simply add a drop or two of hot water and mix well.
  • Serve with boiled potatoes, carrots and green vegetables.

For more economical and tasty food recipes, follow this blog – www.forfoodlovers.wordpress.com and scoot over to Twitter @Love_Food_UK for regular food chat as well as finding the Cooking Sensation over on Facebook (come ‘Like’, please). Oh, not forgetting the fab MumsNet Bloggers Network, too! 

Tasty Courgette and Mixed Peppers Tortilla

Not to mistake this Spanish tortilla with the Mexican wheat flour or corn tortilla that’s an unleavened circular flatbread, this version is based upon an omelette and usually consists of onions and potatoes, with other ingredients being used if and when required.

DSCI3503Dawn: Yes, and in this recipe, I’ve omitted the potatoes and opted for courgette and mixed peppers. This simple recipe makes a great tapas dish to serve at a picnic or add to a salad at home while also making for a nut!ritious lunch box addition and a tasty mid-afternoon snack – a great, all-round favourite at the Love Food HQ!

Ingredients

Serves 4

1tbsp vegetable oil

1 Large onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 Red pepper, washed, cored and sliced

1 Yellow pepper, washed, cored and sliced

1 Courgette, washed and sliced

7 eggs, beaten

1tsp Oregano (fresh or dried: if former, washed and finely chopped)

Salt and pepper

 Method

  • Preheat the oven to gas mark 5, 190°C electric.
  • Pour the oil into a large frying pan that’s safe to put in the oven, and heat the oil on a medium heat hob, adding the onion and stirring frequently to avoid the onion sticking to the pan.
  • Next, add the mixed peppers stirring them for 5 minutes as you watch them begin to soften in texture. Add the sliced courgette and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring as the ingredients cook.
  • Add the oregano and stir this herb into the mixture. Next, add the beaten eggs swishing them around the pan to make sure all the ingredients are covered in this glistening yellow loveliness. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Cook on the hob until the mixture looks to be setting and you can lift the tortilla away from the pan base with a flat spatula.
  • Place the pan in the pre-heated oven and cook until the tortilla has risen, is golden brown and set.

Dawn: If you prefer, you can finish cooking the tortilla under a medium heated grill and do make sure that you watch it as it cooks to avoid it burning.

  • Cut the tortilla into 8 even pieces and serve either warm or as a cold dish with a salad of your choice.

Dawn: Another simple to make and easy to follow recipe from Love Food! Let me know how you get on with any of the recipes on this website, please. 

For more recipes from the Cooking Dynamo, follow @Love_Food_UK on Twitter and follow this blog www.forfoodlovers.wordpress.com. You’ll also find us on Mumsnet Bloggers Network and Foodies100…oh, and did I mention Facebook at www.facebook.com/lovefood.forfoodlovers? See you there for more fab recipes and food chat!