Sangria

I came across this on Pintrest and really liked it. In a way it sums up the way I cook. I use a general guide and improvise. I used it tonight to make Sangria and it was great. I used red wine and brandy, ginger beer, fresh grated ginger and lots of orange and lemon juice and slices of fresh fruit.
Not only did it taste great, it was pretty potent too!

Roast Lemon Chicken and Potatoes and Tomatoes

Tonight we will watch the movie "Lemoney Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" with Isabella. We decided that this deserved a 'lemony' theme for our dinner to go with it.
We started with Tomato and Carrot soup with lemon from a children's recipe book of Isabella's we are working our way through, followed by this lemon chicken and finished with lemon, lime and gin mousse.

This recipe is very similar to another I make that had lemon, chicken and potatoes, it had the same gooey lemony sauce. I think a combination of the two might be a great idea. The slight smokey flavour from the smoked paprika I used in the liquid poured over was really nice and the cherry tomatoes gave another vegetable to the dish.

The picture of the original recipe is better than mine but it give the idea of what it was like.



Roast Lemon Chicken and Potatoes and Tomatoes

INGREDIENTS:

Nonstick cooking spray

4 lbs. (10-12) skin-on, bone-in chicken parts (thighs, legs, wings)

1 lb. baby potatoes

1/2 onion (yellow or red), thinly sliced

2 lemons, 1 sliced and 1 juiced

1/3 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

10 oz. cherry tomatoes

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Spray a rimmed 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish with cooking spray. Into the baking dish arrange chicken parts (skin side up), potatoes, sliced onion and lemon slices evenly in pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, paprika, salt and pepper. Pour mixture all over chicken and potatoes. Sprinkle all over generously with additional Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

Bake uncovered for about 1 hour, or until chicken and potatoes are fully cooked. During last 20 minutes of cooking, add cherry tomatoes and continue cooking for the 20 remaining minutes.

Turkey and Mozzarella Meat Loaf - Slow Cooker

Yet another recipe that looked too good to be true. Really quick and easy to make and great hot or cold.

I cooked this one evening and then heated it in the microwave for dinner the next night.
It was really nice cold for lunch the next day too!

Not the best shot - the top was wonderfully cheesy and crispy!

SLOW COOKER Turkey and Mozzarella Meat Loaf 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb lean ground chicken, or turkey
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup breadcrumbs, 
• 1 Tbsp dried Italian seasoning
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 cup prepared pasta sauce, divided
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

DIRECTIONS

1. Use a 6-quart slow cooker with an inserted 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken, onion, eggs, breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, 1⁄2 cup of the pasta sauce, and 1⁄2 cup of the cheese.
2. Mix well (I use my hands) and press the meat into the loaf pan. Smear the remaining pasta sauce on top, and top with the remaining cheese.
3. Lower the pan into the cooker insert (do not add water) and cover. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, or on high for 4 hours

Mozzarella and Basil Bites

I had won ton wrappers left over after making dumplings and knew I had another recipe that used them. It is super super simple and really yummy. Maybe not all that low calorie but worth it for a treat!

Mozzarella and Basil Bites

Ingredients
small pieces of buffalo mozzarella
basil leaves
wonton wrappers
oil

tomato pasta sauce for dipping


Method
Lay the wrappers on a dry surface.

Place a piece of mozzarella and piece of basil in the centre of the wrapper.

Use water to wet the outside edge of the wrapper, then fold in half and securely stick sides together.

Fry in oil until cooked on both sides.

Prawn and Turkey Dumplings - Potstickers

I'm not entirely sure what country or culture these come from and I'm sure I've had versions in a variety of asian restaurants.
This recipe is a Korean one and it seemed to easy to be true. After making a version of them I know this will become a regular for our family.

I used turkey mince and minced prawns, button mushrooms and sweet chilli sauce. I'm sure you could easily use a whole range of different fillings. I'm looking forward to experimenting in the future.

I cooked them fresh as per the instructions below. It was ok but the dumpling wrapper was a bit chewy.

We only used half the wrapper I had bought from a local asian supermarket and there was a lot of mixture so I made up more and froze them separately on baking paper (to be put in a bag together later). The frozen dumplings I cooked in a pan with water and oil - instructions are below.

I bought a dumpling dipping sauce from the local asian fruit and vege shop and we also used soy sauce as a dipping sauce. I'm sure a sauce of soy, sesame oil and chilli would be great too.

The picture is of the fried version, the dumplings cooked in oil and water were browed on one side and steamed on the other.

With some of the extra wrappers I made a mozzarella and basil wonton there recipe is here.

Turkey and Prawn Dumplings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground pork (or around 500 gms of turkey mince and minced prawns)
• 1 cup shredded green cabbage
• 3 ounces shiitake mushrooms, diced (finely chopped button mushrooms)
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon hoisin
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha*, or more, to taste (sweet chilli sauce)
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 36 2-inch won ton wrappers
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Soy sauce, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a large bowl, combine pork, cabbage, mushrooms, garlic, green onions, hoisin, ginger, sesame oil, chill sauce and white pepper.
• To assemble the dumplings, place wrappers on a work surface. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the pork mixture into the center of each wrapper. Using your finger, rub the edges of the wrappers with water. Fold the dough over the filling to create a half-moon shape, pinching the edges to seal.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add potstickers in a single layer and cook until golden and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side.
• Serve immediately with soy sauce, if desired.

If cooking from frozen add half cup of water and a tablespoon of oil in a pan. Cook frozen dumplings in pan covered until the water has gone and the dumplings are browned on one side. This will take about 15 minutes.

NOTES

*Sriracha is an Asian-style hot chili sauce and can be found in the Asian section of your local grocery store.