Some of my meals for this week.

I have chosen some really kid friendly meals this week. I have just copied the recipes from Taste and will update them with my changes and review them too.

Chicken wings

Makes

16

Ingredients

• 8 chicken wings
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
• 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons chilli sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder

Method

1. Remove tips from chicken wings and discard. Cut wings in half at the joint. Place in a large, ceramic dish. Combine soy sauce, oil, rice wine, tomato sauce, honey, chilli sauce, garlic and five spice in a jug. Pour over chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight, if time permits.
2. Preheat oven to 200°C. Place chicken and marinade in a greased roasting pan. Roast for 55 to 60 minutes, turning occasionally, or until chicken is cooked through.

Crunchy chicken drumsticks

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 3 1/2 cups cornflakes
• 2 teaspoons ground paprika
• 2 teaspoons lemon pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 8 large chicken drumsticks, skin removed
• olive oil cooking spray
• steamed vegetables, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Using your hands, gently crush cornflakes over a large bowl. Add paprika, lemon pepper and garlic salt. Stir until well combined.
2. Place flour and buttermilk in separate shallow dishes. Dip drumsticks, 1 at a time, in flour to coat, shaking off excess. Dip in buttermilk and turn to coat.
3. While drumsticks are still moist (this ensures crumbs cling), coat in cornflakes mixture, pressing on with fingertips.
4. Place on prepared tray. Spray drumsticks with oil. Roast for 40 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Serve with steamed vegetables.

Curried chicken stir-fry

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 125g packet fresh chow mein noodles
• olive oil cooking spray
• 500g chicken breast mince
• 1 bunch broccolini, trimmed, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled, cut into matchsticks
• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon red curry paste
• 2 tablespoons salt-reduced soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1/4 cup Ayam Light Coconut Milk
• 2 cups beansprouts, trimmed
• lime wedges, to serve

Method

1. Separate noodles following packet directions. Drain. Cover to keep warm. Heat a wok over high heat until hot. Spray with oil. Add chicken mince. Cook, breaking up mince with a wooden spoon, for 2 minutes or until golden. Remove to a plate.
2. Spray wok with oil. Add broccolini and carrot. Stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add celery, tomatoes and onions. Stir-fry for 2 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove to a plate.
3. Spray wok with oil. Add curry paste. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Combine soy sauce, fish sauce and coconut milk in a bowl. Add to curry paste. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until thickened slightly.
4. Return chicken and vegetables to wok. Add noodles. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. Remove from heat. Toss through beansprouts. Divide stir-fry between bowls. Serve with lime wedges.

Prosciutto and Bocconcini Pizza

I wanted to make a 'simple' pizza on few ingredients. This recipe was from the Women's Weekly 'Food We Love" book. I have made adjustments though, as with many recipes there wasn't any salt in it for a start, which I find really bizarre.

Topping
200g prosciutto
fresh bocconcini
fresh basil leaves

Tomato Sauce
500g Tomatoes (recipe called for 400g tinned diced tomatoes)
1 and tablespoon fresh oregano,
1 tablespoon fresh greek basil
sprigs of fresh thyme
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons crushed salt flakes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup tomato paste

To skin the fresh tomatoes. Place tomatoes in a bowl and pour over hot boiling water. Leave for five minutes. The skin will split, and easily peel off. Chop tomatoes roughly.

In saucepan, cook onion and herbs in the oil, then add tomatoes. Cook on low for a couple of hours. Add tomato paste, salt and sugar at some point during cooking. Let sauce cool a little before adding to pizza.

The smells of this cooking is just divine, nothing like fresh ingredients - the kids outside said it just smelled delicious.

Basic Pizza Dough
I always make my own pizza dough, unless I'm closely watching calories and then I'll use pita bread. I make a large pizza, which fits on a cookie tray.

2 sachets dried yeast (14g)
1 1/2 cups combined water and milk warmed
4 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon crushed salt flakes
1 teaspoon sugar

Add yeast to warmed liquid with salt and sugar and let stand until it bubbles. Add sifted flour and then work to form a smooth dough. Leave in bowl with a clean tea towel draped over to keep it warm. I will make it quite a while before I need it. My girlfriend has discovered that once the dough has proved, it will keep well (and still rise) after it's been refrigerated, something we need to do on hot days, if you are making it up several hours before hand.

I then spread the dough on a cookie tray covered with baking paper and I have olive oil on my hands. I let the dough prove again for another half hour or so, before I add the ingredients.

Spread sauce over pizza base. Add sliced bocconcini and sliced prosciutto. Cook in hot oven (200 degrees celcius). Spread basil leaves on pizza, slice and serve with a delicious glass of red.

Simple, few ingredients, but very tasty.