Peri Peri Chicken update

I was so excited at one of my finds will at Target today getting groceries and I just had to share it with you. 

They are now selling Nandos Peri Peri sauce.

So if you are going to try the dish getting the sauce just got a whole lot easier!!!! Thanks Target!

Happy Home Cooking!

Baked Potato with Garden Veggie Dip

Yesterday at the Tastefully Simple party I feel in love with their Garden Veggie Dip! You can read all about the party here. Nancy mentioned that it would be good as a topping for a baked potato. She was not kidding!!! I love baked potatoes and I'm more of a plain jane about it, butter, sour cream, and cheddar cheese. Anyhow I had some of the dip left over from yesterday and thought it would make a wonderful lunch.

So here's what I did. I baked my potato at 450 degrees for 45 minutes. Split it open added butter and a little grated Dubliner Irish Cheddar cheese and then took a spoonful of the Garden Veggie Dip. And voila, a tastefully simple lunch!!!

Thanks Nancy for the suggestion!!!!!

Happy Home Cooking - the Tastefully Simple way!!!

Chicken & Dumplings

I have to be honest this is the first time I have ever cooked this dish. I think I may only have eaten it once too, so I was going in blind!!! I picked an Emeril Lagasse recipe because I love Emeril and his cooking, like me he's not a Louisiana native but he knows Cajun cooking!

Here is the link to his recipe Emeril's Spicy Chicken & Dumplings. Yes it does say 'spicy' but it's not too bad and actually I found it a little weak on spicy side!

It was a big hit around here and definitely going to be a regular. Although straight up I have some changes I want to make.

1. I only used one large japaleno pepper so that might be why it wasn't as hot so I think I'll add 2 next time and a little Tony's!

2. I cut my chicken up too small and it all fell apart, plus I think I'll cook the cooking time for the chicken down.

3. I'll make my dumplings bigger, maybe 3 inch x 3 inch squares.

4. Oh and I added 1/2 cup of heavy cream, 1/4 didn't do it for me, if you are going down that road you may as well go ALL the way.

Now I do want to talk about the chicken itself, and no it wasn't one of my girls!!!! About a month ago I saw Whole Foods had a sale on their organic whole chicken which made it about the same price as the Gold n' plump variety that I buy (I like it because it's natural and not a lot of skin or extras like Sanderson Farm). So I got a few of the Whole Foods chickens and threw them in the freezer. I used one for this dish and can I say I am a convert!!!! The stock was beyond delicious and I didn't really have to skim too much stuff off the top as it boiled. The meat was juicy and perfect. So Whole Foods please have another sale so I can go get more!!!! I guess it's back to the old saying of quality ingredients make quality dishes.

Happy Home Cooking!!!

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

Gumbo is a Louisiana tradition. The first time I was coming over here to visit my husband when we were dating, my housemate's boyfriend told me I had to have Gumbo, he didn't know what it was but he had heard of it. So when I got here I asked Ken about it and he introduced me to Gumbo. To me it is a cross between a stew and a soup and as to what the traditional recipe is well that varies from kitchen to kitchen. Some say it's traditional to add tomatoes, some say it's a huge no no. As to the the meat well it can be anything that a Cajun can think off.

At the end of my first trip to Louisiana my mother in law gave me a gumbo mix pack and tin of Rotel tomatoes to take back to Northern Ireland to make Gumbo. I am really good at following recipes but I'm horrible at mixes, adding water seems to be beyond me! Anyhow I decided to cook it for my mother and was really excited to introduce her to it. Well the mix was for a huge pot and back then I didn't own a measuring cup never mind knew what to do with one. So I add a bit of mix and a bit of water. Well the concentration was off and well let say we couldn't eat it and had some unhappy stomachs for a day or so. 

After I got married, a few months later, I was on a mission to learn to make Gumbo from scratch because well the mix and I weren't getting on too well. I found a recipe and added my spin and now I use the same base and just switch between seafood or chicken and sausage. I add tomatoes to mine and okra. Okra helps thicken the gumbo. Yes I do make the roux from scratch although I don't always stand there for 45 minutes to get a dark chocolate roux. I don't like burning my roux so I have a habit of stopping at a dark peanut butter color. Sauteing the vegetables in the roux adds their flavor throughout the entire gumbo.

Gumbo freezes really well and I have been known to make a massive pot and freeze enough for 4 or 5 meals. It's also great if you are cooking for a large group of people. As a Christmas/Thanksgiving Turkey leftover dish just switch out the chicken for the turkey!

Oh and yes I have cooked this for my mother, she was a little apprehensive at first but she does prefer this version to her first experience!

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb hot smoked sausage, cut into ¼ inch slices

1 whole chicken

½ cup olive oil

¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped green bell pepper

½ cup chopped celery

2 quarts chicken broth

3 cloves garlic, minced

Frozen okra, thawed

Tin of diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

2 tsp Creole seasoning

½ tsp dried thyme

1 T Worcestershire sauce

½ to 1 tsp hot sauce

½ cup sliced green onions

Hot cooked rice

Directions:

 1. Boil chicken in pot with Tony’s seasoning until cooked. Strip chicken meat and set aside.

2. Brown sausage in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Remove to paper towel, reserving drippings.

3. Measure drippings, adding enough oil to measure ½ cup. Heat in Dutch oven over medium heat until hot.

4. Add flour to hot oil; cook, stirring constantly, until roux is the color of chocolate (about 30 - 45 minutes). 

5. Add onion, green pepper and celery; cook until vegetables are tender, stirring often.

6. Stir in chicken broth; bring to a boil. Return chicken to pan; add garlic and next 7 ingredients. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour.

7. Add sausage to pan and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Stir in green onions; cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

8. Remove bay leaves; serve gumbo over rice. 

To complete the meal serve with potato salad and bread.

Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya

I can honestly say Jambalaya is one of my favorite Cajun dishes. It's ability to be cooked on mass makes it one of the most social dishes. 

On the subject, my friend is holding a Jambalaya Plate Benefit for Corbin Duplechin, a precious little angel that was taken from his parents too soon. You can read the details and how to get involved if you live in the Baton Rouge area on the link above.

So back to the jambalaya. This is one of the dishes that I used to cook from a box mix, Zatarians was my brand of choice. It was fairly good but when I needed to change my diet to less processed this was the first that I started from scratch and I can honestly say that it really doesn't take much more time than the box mix and it tastes a million times better.

Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya

Prep Time: 1 hour

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

1 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces

Salt and ground pepper

1 lbs sausage, cut into ¼ inch slices

2 cups chopped onion

1 cups chopped celery

1 cups chopped green bell pepper

1 Tbsp minced garlic

4 cups chicken stock (or water flavored with chicken bouillon)

1 Tbsp Kitchen bouquet (browning agent)

1 Tbsp seasoning salt (I use Tony’s, surprise surprise!)

2.5 cups uncooked long grain white rice

Directions:

 1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add to a large Dutch oven or stockpot along with the sausage and cook over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes. If it starts to brown the bottom of the pot don't worry this adds to the color and flavor, just don't let it burn.

2. Remove chicken and sausage from pan; set aside.

3. Add onions, celery, green peppers and garlic; cook, stirring 7 – 10 minutes or until vegetables begin to wilt.

4. Stir in chicken stock, reserved chicken and sausage, Tony's and Kitchen Bouquet.

5. Bring to a boil; add rice and return  to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer.

6. Cook 10 minutes; remove cover and stir. Replace cover and cook 15 – 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

To complete the meal, serve with salad and fresh bread rolls.

Peri Peri Chicken

I lived in London for 3 years and right across from my flat they opened a Nando's chicken. I LOVED this place. I love chicken anyway but something about the way they cooked it and the sauce just was divine! Anyhow that was a long time ago and the nearest Nando's is Washington D.C. (The irony is like Starbucks they have one in Belfast now after I move away!!!)

We were watching a cooking show, the BBQ University, man does that show make me hungry, and he was cooking Peri Peri Chicken Wings. They looked so good and it reminded me of Nando's. So I got on their website and the wonderful, thoughtful people have put their sauce in a jar and they will ship it to you!!! Yes even down here in Louisiana. So I order some and created this dish!!!! It is definitely a huge hit around here!!!!

Anyhow I do cheat and use a jar sauce! However you may remember my weekend project that I started a while back to grow some Buckeye Chilies, which is gives the Peri Peri Sauce it's Peri Peri. So once my babies grow I'll be experimenting with my own version. For now I order regularly from Nando's and if you wish to do so too, click this link, US Store Garlic Peri Peri Sauce or UK Nandos Shop. I prefer the Garlic Peri Peri Sauce. I have found it in at World Market in the US but the selection is extremely limited.

I also like to use the mini sweet peppers in the dish but regular peppers will work too. You can easily find them at Target or Walmart.

 

Peri Peri Chicken

Ingredients:

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

2 bottles Nando's Garlic Peri Peri Sauce

12 mini sweet peppers or 1 small red and 1 small yellow bell pepper

1/8 cup vinegar

1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degree F.

2. In a hot skillet, sear the chicken skin side down until golden brown. Flip and brown the under side. Remove from skillet and set aside on a plate.

2. If using mini pepper slice in half and de-seed. If regular peppers, cut into 1 inch slices.

3. In a large 8 x 13 dish add the two bottles of sauce, vinegar and water and mix until combined.

4. Add the chicken, skin side up and add the peppers.

5. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and cover with foil.

6. Place pan in oven and bake for 35 minutes.

To complete the meal, serve with Potato wedges and salad.

Happy Home Cooking!

Sauce Update - March 28, 2012

Chicken Parmesan

I don't know how traditional a version of this dish this recipe is but it gets a thumbs up from my family.

Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil 

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 T chopped fresh basil

2 T balsamic vinegar

¼ tsp black pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

 ½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ tsp black pepper

4 (4oz) skinned, boned chicken breast halves

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

1 T olive oil

Cooking spray

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

3 cups hot cooked spaghetti (about 6oz uncooked)

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté for 7 minutes.
2. Stir in canned tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat; stir in parsley, basil, vinegar, ¼ tsp black pepper and garlic.
4. To prepare chicken: combine flour, parmesan and ¼ tsp black pepper in a shallow dish.
5. Place each breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to ¼” thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. 
6. Dip each breast half in egg white; dredge in flour mixture.
7. Heat 1 T oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
8. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes on each side or until golden.
9. Arrange in a 13 x 9 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour the tomato mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle with mozzarella.
10. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes.
11. Serve over pasta with the spaghetti sauce.

Happy Home Cooking!

Chili

Chili is one of those dishes that just says yummy, filling food. It's also one of those foods that has no set standard, it depends where you are and who you are with. It was one of the first things that we were taught to cook in Home Economics in school, but I can guarantee it wasn't the most flavorsome version!

I first developed this recipe when I decided I wanted to throw a cowboy themed 1st birthday party for my oldest son. And well when it came to the menu nothing says cowboy like a big old pot of chili!!!!

The original version had chunks of meat instead of ground meat and I actually really liked it but in our house ground is preferred. Although after hearing about the pink slime they add to the ground meat I'm thinking that I might start grinding my own meat. I haven't watched the news articles too closely because I don't think I could stomach it. Oh for the days of the local butcher where you could watch them grind it in front of you to order!!!!!

Chili

Serves about 6 

Ingredients

1 lb groundmeat (I use the leanest I can find 90/10 or 93/7)

1 1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 Tbsp minced fresh garlic

2 tsp finely chopped jalapeno pepper

1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground red pepper

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1 (28oz) can chopped tomatoes, undrained

1 (15oz) can dark red kidney beans, reduced sodium or no sodium, drained and rinsed

1 (15oz) can ranch style beans

1 cup water

Directions:

1. In a large Dutch Oven add ground beef, onion, green bell pepper, garlic and jalapeno and cook until browned and vegetables softening.

2. Add remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. You may also add it to your crock pot at this point and let it cook there for about 8 hours on low. If you started in the morning it would be perfect for dinner.

To complete the meal, serve with rice, or baked potato (my favorite) or with Fritos and cheese!

Happy Home Cooking!

Red Beans & Rice

Red beans and rice is true Southern Comfort Food. It's also one of my husbands favorite dishes. Now just so you don't think he does all the cooking, he is actually the one that taught me how to do the red beans, but I took over.

We cook ours in the crock pot!!! The crock pot is a great invention, and I believe that we are on our 3rd in less than ten years so we use it alot! 

So story time! A few years into our marriage I went away on the church's women retreat to the beach, leaving my poor husband to fend for himself, he was over the moon to have some quiet time. Anyhow back then I didn't care for red beans, my food tastes have changed since becoming a mother, I don't know if pregnancy did something to me or simply not having the time to think about what I am eating did it. Back to the story. His survival plan was to make a huge pot of red beans. I was only gone for 3 days!!!! So while a group of us were sitting on the beach one asked me what Ken was doing for food that weekend and I told her that he was eating beans. She asked did he cook them himself and how and I told her that he used the crock pot. She had a complete fit and exclaimed that you can't cook beans in a crock pot. Well he is proof that you can because we do and usually twice a month in the form of white and red beans.

I was very proud of myself this time around because I made some homemade corn bread from scratch.

When my husband would visit his grandparents who were farmers they would eat alot of corn bread and made the old fashioned way. I turned to Pioneer Woman's cookbook and it's a good recipe but I think I would skip the cooking in on the stove top for a minute and the shortening because it had too much of a crust. Here is a link to her recipe Pioneer Woman Skillet Cornbread and buy her book, Amazon listing, it's wonderful, interesting, funny, and not just a cookbook, her photography is awesome. 

Back to the beans, I really slave hard over the store with this one, NOT! I usually put the pot on the last thing the night before we are going to eat them, around 10pm and then add the sausage around lunch time, 12pm, the day of. I love this dish because it's minimum effort cooking. And it also freezes well so if you don't fancy left overs then freeze for another night. Now tell me how is cooking something out of a box easier?

Anyhow yet again there is no exact recipe so I will do my best to provide one!!!

Red Beans & Rice

Ingredients:

2 lbs red kidney beans (dried)

1.5 lbs of smoked sausage (I use Manda Pork) cut into 2 inch pieces

Tony's seasoning

Water

Directions:

1. Empty the beans into the crockpot and fill to the top with water. It might seem like a lot of water but those beans will suck it up. Oh and use a large crockpot! Then sprinkle with Tony's, again as always do this to taste! We like it spicy so I sprinkle a lot!

2. Cook on high for at least 12 hours.

3. About 6 or 7 hours before serving add the sausage and continue to cook on high until done.

To complete the meal, serve with hot cooked rice, corn bread and a salad for something green on the plate!

Happy Home Cooking!

Homemade burgers

You are going to think I'm a lazy cook at the weekend because yes the job of burger cooking is my husband's. In our house he has claimed the grill and I have claimed the stove.

So as with the fried fish I face the problem of I don't have a recipe. But really it's not that complicated. And they are delicious!!!

Now funny story time! For my youngest son's 1st birthday we decided to serve burgers. I'm not boasting (ok I am!) but his burgers are really awesome and always a crowd pleaser. Anyhow we made alot, the most we've ever done at a time. I couldn't get the usual 80/20 mix but they had the 70/30 and 93/7 mixes on sale. So I figured adding the two would roughly make 80/20! Well mmm NO! There was so much fat that it dripped down and the gas grill got so hot that the knobs melted off the grill and the grill caught fire!!!! Only at our house!!! So get the fat content right is the moral of the story!

Now size wise my husband makes huge burgers, I have finally got him to make me a smaller version!!!! There's only so much red meat a girl can eat! As you can see they are huge!!! But they do shrink down as the fat cooks so make you burgers larger than the finally size of burger you want. 

Yes that is 7 inches

Homemade Burgers

Ingredients

80/20 ground beef (minced beef in UK)

Worcestershire sauce

Tony's Cajun seasoning (if you are a regular reader you shouldn't be surprised!)

Fixings as they say in the South (optional) :

Burger buns

Lettuce

Tomato sliced

Cheese slices

Onion sliced

Mustard

Ketchup

Mayonnaise

Bacon

Directions

1. In a large bowl mix together ground beef, a generous helping of Worcestershire sauce and Tony's, use your hands to mix it.

2. Divide the mix into rounds about the size you would like the burger. I can't give you an exact amount because if you saw the size of his burgers, normal humans can't finish them. I like a good 1/4 lb or 1/2 lb.

3. Cook on the grill until done to your taste.

4. Serve with the remaining accompaniments of choice.

Happy Home Cooking!

Fried Chicken

Today is definitely not on the healthy list but man there is nothing like fried chicken. I must say I've always loved it. As to the unhealthy aspect well it's all about balance. Some of my dishes are really healthy but then there are a few that are really unhealthy, so it all averages out! Well at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

For the longest time I was intimidated by fried chicken, I'm not really sure why but it just seemed hard. When I first got married I really wanted to try it but I wasn't brave enough to try the real thing. So I found a recipe that you coated the chicken with ranch dressing and coat with bread crumbs and fry. It was ok but it wasn't the real thing. So after a year of getting comfortable with 'faux' fried chicken I took the daring step into the world of real fried chicken and I don't know why I was so intimidated! So if you are like me go ahead a give it a go, you will surprise yourself. 

The key is a candy thermometer to makes sure the oil is the right temperature and a meat thermometer to make sure that the chicken is cooked. I have a deep fat fryer and it actually works even better but I always feel like I'm wasting oil because I don't like reusing the oil after frying chicken or fish. Talking about oil I use peanut oil, it just adds to the flavor. Obviously if you have nut allergy or someone that you are cooking for I don't advise this and vegetable oil works great.

FRIED CHICKEN

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 (3 to 3 ½ lb) broiler-fryer, cut up (I cheat and buy the pre-cut up chicken)

½ cup buttermilk

Tony's

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

¾ tsp black pepper

½ tsp ground red pepper

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp paprika

1 large egg, beaten

½ cup buttermilk

Peanut oil

Directions:

1.   Season chicken with Tony's to taste and place in a dish. Cover with buttermilk and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour but overnight works good.

2.   Combine flour and next 5 ingredients, I put them in a ziploc bag, it easy and less messy to coat the chicken; stir well, and set aside. Combine egg and buttermilk; stir well.

3.   Dip chicken in egg mixture; dredge in flour mixture, coating each piece well, if you put the dry mix in a bowl. Or place all the pieces in the ziploc, seal and toss until all the chicken is coated well. If you want extra crispy fried chicken repeat procedure, heavily coating chicken pieces.

4.   Pour oil to dept of 1 inch into a large heavy skillet; heat to 335 degrees F. Fry chicken 20 to 25 minutes or until golden, turning to brown both sides. It should read 180 degrees on a meat 

 thermometer. 

5. Drain well on paper towels.

To complete the meal serve with corn on the cob, green beans and fries.

Happy Home Cooking!

Day 9 - Szechuan Noodle Toss

This has definitely been an easy week. We cooked twice but had dinner four times. Tonight Szechuan Noodle Toss is on the menu, Click here for the recipe.

The thing about stir fry dishes is that most of the time you spend more time preparing the ingredients than you actually do cooking them. Fast, healthy food!!!! This recipe is no exception, full of all the wonderful nutrients that come from spinach, red bell peppers and garlic. Plus the bonus is that you don't have to add any additional dishes if you don't want, you have all the food groups covered.

Happy Home Cooking!!!

Day 7 - Beef Stew

I hope you enjoyed having an easy day yesterday eating leftovers, I did!!!! I love double cooking!!!! And guess what? We're going to do it again. Make a big pot of Beef Stew - Click here for the beef stew recipe - and you have dinner for tonight and tomorrow night.

I do alot of double cooking during the week because my husband does not work regular hours so I don't know exactly what time he will be home every day. My solution was to cook things that didn't need to be cooked right before they were served and leftover meals. When he did work a regular day I used to do these meals on the weekend that way I could have a more relaxed weekend or if we were busy I didn't have to worry about what to cook. It's like I always say my meal plan is a constantly evolving thing and once you have the basis for yours all you have to do is adapt it each month to the needs of your family.

Happy Home Cooking!

Spaghetti & Meatballs

I really love Italian food, I could live on pasta. Spaghetti just seems to be a staple in every kitchen and every family has their version.

To be honest I haven't found a from scratch recipe for the sauce that I like but this year when tomatoes are in season I really want to give it a go. So for my sauce I like Hunts sauce the Zesty and Spicy flavor, it has a little kick to it, so I don't have add Tony's for a change!

I was never a big fan of meatballs but then I found this recipe and after a little adapting I really enjoy them. In fact I'm think of try it as a meatloaf. I'll let you know how that one turns out.

I braise my meatballs in the sauce, it just seems to merge all the flavors. If you don't have fresh herbs you can use dried, just use a one-to-three ratio (one part dried to three part fresh). I use Parmigiano-Reggiano or Asiago cheese and it's worth the additional expense over Parmesan, but feel free to try it with Parmesan.

This recipe makes about 32 large meatballs, serving 8 - 12, or enough for 2 nights dinners. If you only want to make enough for one meal just cut everything in half. Or put half in the freezer for next time! I tried this last time in the crock pot, I started it up to step 6 on the stove and then transferred it to the crock pot. It turned out fine but it wasn't as good although everyone in my house seemed to enjoy it just the same.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Ingredients:

Sauce

2 large jars or cans of Tomato Sauce (I use Hunts Zesty & Spicy Tomato Sauce)

2 can condensed tomato soup

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp Italian seasoning

Meatballs

2 large eggs

2 lbs lean ground beef

1 cup chopped yellow onions

3 tsp minced garlic

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

2 tsp freshly chopped basil leaves

1 tsp freshly chopped oregano leaves

2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp Tony's

1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Hot cooked spaghetti noodles.

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients for the sauce in a large pot, simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.

2. Place all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl. and stir until all the ingredients are combined. 

3. To form the meatballs take 2 tablespoons of meat between your hands and roll them into a ball. To make this easier make sure your hands are damp. Place the meatballs on a plate.

4. When you have made all the meatballs, gently place the balls into the sauce one at a time, I use a ladle so that I don't burn myself. 

5. Cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes, DO NOT STIR!

6. After 10 minutes gently stir when the meatballs have risen to the top of the pot. Simmer for an additional 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan.

7. Serve with your hot cooked noodles.

To make a meal out of it serve with some fresh salad and garlic bread.

Happy Home Cooking!

Fried Catfish

Down here in Louisiana Fried Catfish is a stable. In Northern Ireland it's Cod. I do have to say that I much prefer catfish.

Again like yesterday I let my husband do the hard work here. He's so good at it!! (Just in case he's reading this!)

Unlike my fried chicken I use a pre-made seasoning mix and my favorite is Zatarain's Seasoned Fish-Fri Crispy Southern Style. There's just something special about how it tastes. Although in true Home Cooking Mama style, my husband adds a generous helping of Tony's seasoning to it. 

This past Alligator hunting season my husband got to kill an alligator and he brought the yummy meat home. So when we fried the catfish this time we took some gator meat out too. I also have to add that he caught the catfish too, he loves to fish but then he is a Louisiana son!! Alligator is delicious, I think it's actually one of my favorite things down here, after crawfish and crab. We just cooked the delicious nuggets of meat the same way as the catfish. If you are not from the South and you ever get a chance to try it it is worth it. People compare it to chicken but I actually think it tastes better!

Fried Alligator

Now back to the catfish, I really don't have a recipe for you because firstly my husband usually makes it and secondly it's not that difficult so I'll give it a go!!! Again I'm sharing our recipes and if you are following the Month of Home Cooked Meals then if normally your family gets frozen fish then go for it. 

Fried Fish

Ingredients:

1 lb catfish fillets (I prefer thin cut)

1 box of Zatarain's Seasoned Fish-Fri Crispy Southern Style

Tony's Seasoning (optional depending on your spice taste)

Vegetable Oil for frying

Milk

Directions:

1. Place fillets in a large pan or bowl and cover with milk and sprinkle with Tony's seasoning. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

2. In a ziploc bag add the Fish-fri and season with Tony's.

3. Add the fish and toss to cover completely.

4. Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet (or heavy saucepan/skillet) until it reaches 325 degrees F.

5. Add the fish to the oil and cook until lightly golden brown.

6. Serve with tartar sauce and ketchup, or my preference mayonnaise (much to my father-in-law's disgust! He hates mayonnaise\)

To make a complete meal out it serve with fries, corn on the cob, coleslaw and hush puppies.

Happy Home Cooking!

BBQ Chicken

Now I have to admit that I really only do the preparation of this dish and then hand the chicken to my wonderful husband who has grilling down to an art. I guess that's one of the ways that I have made the month of home cooking easier in my house I have recruited his help, especially at the weekends.

The key to the delicious taste of this chicken is the rub and letting the chicken cure. If we are doing this for dinner I usually do the preparation in the morning and leave it in the fridge all day. Just make sure you give it at least an hour. And I've put 2 leg quarters and 2 chicken breast as an recommendation but go with whatever your family likes. You can even butterfly a whole chicken and cook it which is equally delicious.

BBQ Chicken

Ingredients:

2 chicken leg quarters

2 bone in chicken breast

1 ½ tsp coarse salt (kosher or sea)

1 ½ tsp sweet paprika

1 ½ tsp brown sugar

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp celery seed

2 cup of Barbecue Sauce (I use Kraft Hickory BBQ Sauce)

1. Rinse and pat dry the chicken.

2. In a bowl mix together salt, paprika, brown sugar, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and celery seed. Use your fingers or whisk.

3. Cover the chicken with the rub and place in an air tight container and put it in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

4. Hand the chicken to your husband and wait patiently!

5. If step 4 isn't an option, place the chicken skin side up away from the direct flame on the grill. Cover the grill and grill the chicken until cooked through, 30 to 45 minutes. To test for doneness, use an instant-read meat thermometer: Insert it into the thickest part of a thigh but not so that it touches the bone. The internal temperature should be about 180 degrees F. 

6. After the first 15 minutes of grilling, using a barbecue mop or basting brush, baste the chicken with the sauce every 10 minutes while it cooks. Be sure to baste both sides of the chicken halves.

7. For the last few minutes move the chicken pieces directly over the fire to sizzle and brown the sauce on both sides.

8. Transfer the grilled chicken halves to a platter or plates and let rest for  3 minutes. Serve the chicken with the remaining barbecue sauce on the side.

To make a meal serve with baked beans, corn on the cob, coleslaw and twice baked potatoes.

Happy Home Cooking!

Beef fajitas

For day 2 we're having beef fajitas. Now I'm going to admit this is one of my not made from scratch meals. I experimented years ago with a seasoning recipe but it didn't quite do it for me. So I buy a packet of fajita seasoning. The prepackaged kits are really good and you will find them and taco kits in my cupboard because it's quick and easy.

I use beef because that's what my husband prefers but you can very easily use chicken. Any beef I use I buy on sale and freeze, most stores put their meat on sale regularly so if you can figure out the timing and buy the amount will need until the next sale it can make it more affordable.

To make it more of a meal I make a big bowl of my guacamole and heat up some queso (from a jar, need to add to my list of things to learn how to make!) and add some tortilla chips.

Beef fajitas

Ingredients

1lb sirloin steak

2 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 1/2 packets of fajitas seasoning

1 medium red onion, cut into long strips

1 red bell pepper, cut into long strips

1 green bell pepper, cut into long strips

1 package of flour tortillas

Fixings (optional) Sour cream

                 Salsa

                                  Shredded cheese

                                 Shredded lettuce

1. Cut steak into thin strips. It's easier to cut thin if it's a little frozen.

2. In a ziploc bag or bowl mix oil and seasoning and add the steak. Stir and make sure all the steak is covered with the seasoning. Place in the fridge and allow to marinate for at least an hour, the longer the better.

3. I use a cast iron skillet to cook my fajitas. Heat the skillet until nice and hot and empty the steak, oil and seasoning mix into it. Stir and cook the steak until it is browned. If you like your steak rare you may just want to cook it for a short time or longer if you are more a well done kind of person.

4. Add the onions and bell peppers to the steak and continue cooking until the bell peppers are softened but still have a little crunch.

5. Heat the tortillas as the package describes. Serve.

Happy Home Cooking!