Month: April 2018

Baked spiced wedges

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Baked spiced wedges

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Slow cooked wedges are a healthier favourite of mine. The slower and lower temperature you cook them the better they become but you can do them quicker if you are in a rush. Swap out the potatoes for any you have in or particularly like such as sweet potatoes. I also enjoy a variant of these using fresh cut rosemary and sea salt (see link to HelloFresh recipe).

 

Ingredients:

  • The larger the potato the longer the wedge slice
  • Pinch of sweet paprika
  • Pinch of garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper
  • Pinch of chilli powder
  • ‘Frylite’ cooking spray (1 calorie spray stuff) or a little olive oil

 

Method:

 

  1. Pre-heat the oven 180 degrees c
  2. Give the potatoes a quick wash just in case they have any residual soil and remove any eyes or bad bits
  3. Cut into long thin wedges by cutting the potato in half lengthways first and then into slices. About half a cm is a good guide
  4. Spray a baking tin or coat with a thin layer of oil
  5. Lay the wedges on the tray and sprinkle with the seasoning and spices
  6. Turn the wedges over giving them a good coating on all sides
  7. Cook for 30-45 minutes until golden brown

‘Hellofresh’ try Pork and Apple Burgers

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I wanted to recommend a new unusual way I found this week of making burgers. I order ‘Hellofresh’ delivery service every once in a while when I fancy some inspiration for new recipes and some healthier food. This week Pork and Apple burgers arrived and as I always love a burger it was worth a try. I’ve made lots of burgers over time including breadcrumbs or no breadcrumbs or binding with egg or no egg but I’ve mainly focused on the meat. What was really unusual about this recipe is that it wanted you to grate a whole apple and dry it using kitchen paper and add it to the pork mince. Alongside some seasoning this really made the most juicy burger that was unsurprisingly more sausage pattie like than anything else. It was definitely a great way to add flavour and moisture to a burger so I’d highly recommend it.

 

Accompanying the burgers were my favourite style of slow cooked wedges which I’m already a major fan of (see my recipe) but this variation using rosemary was a perfect addition.

 

Some pictures.

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www.hellofresh.co.uk

 

My sharing details if you want a free box and I do get rewards in return just for complete transparency.

https://www.hellofresh.co.uk/landing/helloshare-psd/?c=RLFTKE&utm_source=raf-share&utm_campaign=share-email&utm_medium=app

Perfect Cake Mix

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I had a craving for cake this Sunday and decided to look up as I couldn’t remember the standard mix for Victorian or simple sponge cake. I’ve made these types of cakes since I can remember but I’ve never quite had the perfect fluffy recipe that other people seem to achieve. This time however I think I got lucky trying to make a recipe fit the quantities I had and the cakes were ridiculously fluffy so I will share with you what I did.

 

Ingredients:

200g self raising flour

200g caster sugar

3 medium free range eggs

1tsp of baking powder

200g melted butter

 

Method:

  1. Pre-heat the oven 180 degrees c
  2. Put your put in a bowl after measuring and put in the microwave for 20-30 seconds until softened
  3. Put everything else in a bowl
  4. Add the butter
  5. Grab an electric hand whisk. Mine is an old fashioned one so not particularly fast
  6. Whisk everything together for 3 minutes until the whole mixture goes white
  7. Spoon into either a greased cat tin or cup cake cases
  8. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown
  9. Decorate or fill however you see fit

My simple cake tin if you’d like it:

<a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0001IX454/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B0001IX454&linkCode=as2&tag=melmosparkly-21&linkId=ab2ca78e62964b3d0d68539e267861ad”>KitchenCraft MasterClass Non Stick Quick-Release Springform Cake Tin with Loose Base, 20 cm (8 Inch)</a><img src=”//ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melmosparkly-21&l=am2&o=2&a=B0001IX454″ width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”” style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” />

Cupcake tin:

<a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009SP9XK6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B009SP9XK6&linkCode=as2&tag=melmosparkly-21&linkId=897a18f2e164de241b1cce7cfbd4a58b”>Prestige Inspire Steel 12 Cup Non-Stick Muffin Tin – Black</a><img src=”//ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=melmosparkly-21&l=am2&o=2&a=B009SP9XK6″ width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”” style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” />

Pretty tin to store it in

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008D2MWKS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=melmosparkly-21&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B008D2MWKS&linkId=e23486a563262bcb624ae3d03f29c457

Healthier ‘KFC’ Style Chicken

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Healthier ‘KFC’ Style Chicken

I just love ‘KFC’ or similarly branded fried chicken, however because of all of the lovely grease it is fried in it’s not really best choice to have. Well every day at least anyway. I was really craving some of the fabulous chicken one afternoon and went to my kitchen cupboard to see what I had to make something similar and this is what I came up with.

 

Ingredients:

 

For the chicken

  • 2 large chicken breasts
  • Tub of dried bread crumbs (they tend to be called golden crumbs and I’d used them before in making up burger mixes). You can also use Panko bread crumbs that you find in the Chinese cooking aisle
  • Garlic powder
  • Flour
  • Salt and pepper
  • Chilli powder pinch
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • ‘Frylite’ cooking spray (1 calorie spray stuff) or a little olive oil
  • ‘Tabasco’ sauce
  • Optional: Ranch dressing and sweetcorn

 

Sauce

  • Bottle of ‘Franks’ hot wing sauce
  • Half a jar of honey
  • Pinch of garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper

 

Method:

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  1. Cut your chicken into pieces about the size of your thumb
  2. Set the oven to 190 degrees c
  3. Make up three bowls. One with plain flour; the second with the beaten egg and the third empty some of the breadcrumb mix into
  4. Into the breadcrumb mix add a pinch of garlic powder; chilli powder and salt and pepper
  5. Into the eggs add a dash of ‘Tabasco’ sauce
  6. Grease a baking sheet with a little olive oil or spray with ‘Frylite’
  7. Using a fork or your fingers dip the chicken pieces in the flour first
  8. Then dip into the egg mix
  9. Then dip into the breadcrumb mix coating the chicken and place on the tray
  10. Either toss the chicken around in the oil or give it another spray
  11. Bake for 10 minutes initially
  12. Whilst baking make up the sauce
  13. Mix all the ingredients together and after 10 minutes cooking take the chicken out of the oven and pour over the sauce
  14. Put back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes until cooked through
  15. Serve with ranch dressing and sweetcorn as optionalimage1