Absolutely delicious, great for parties, and extremely easy. You can even cook the chicken the night before to save on time. Cover it really well to keep it moist, refrigerate, and just reheat when you’re ready.

Because of the super yummy sauce this rich marinade creates, I like to serve this chicken over rice. I often add a cup of frozen green peas to the rice before cooking it, the bit of green adds a nice colour to the dish. Just make sure you add an extra ½ cup liquid to the rice’s cooking water or broth to account for the peas.

Ingredients:

500grs chicken breasts fillets

marinade:

2 tbsps oil

2 tbsps honey

3 tbsps soya sauce

3 tbsps vinegar

2 tbsps grated ginger

2 tbsps chopped parsley

1 garlic minced

Method:

cut chicken in small-ish cubes

mix all in ingredients of the marinade and pour over chicken

mix really well, cover, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight

when ready, pour the entire mixture including the marinade in a baking tray large enough that the chicken cubes sit in it in one layer

bake on 4^th shelf from bottom in a 200centigrade preheated oven for 30-40mns or until nicely coloured. Make sure you take the tray out two or three times and give it a couple of stirs so that the chicken cooks well on all sides

when you’re ready to serve, put the rice first in the serving dish, spoon your chicken on to cover the surface, then pour your sauce over that.

Enjoy!

So … last night’s dinner went really well in case you’re wondering.

It had me in the kitchen for two days! OK slight exaggeration, it wasn’t all cooking. There was also the shopping, and the thinking. But the kitchen therapy was successful as usual! Between the appetizers, first course, main meal, and dessert I had my hands full, and my heart and head had to go along to help out.

I will only be posting the main dish for now. Believe me, it needs all the attention it can get!

The stuffing I used for this recipe is my traditional turkey stuffing that I have been using for years and years and years. It is super delicious as is, and you can vary it by adding pine nuts to it, or small pieces of chestnuts if you wish. Just please do not add anything sweet to it, like dried cranberries or raisins or whatever. It will totally ruin it, OK?!

This is a bit of a fiddly recipe, so I added as many pictures as I could to aid with the description. As usual just trust your guts and go with whatever feels right.

Ingredients:

500 grs chicken breast fillets

500 grs chicken legs fillets

and for the Stuffing:

4 fresh butcher sausages, skin removed

(I used 2 beef & 2 chicken because I like to experiment, but usually I use beef. Unfortunately I forgot to weigh before using but they are on the large side. I promise when I make it again I will come back to this recipe and add the weight. )

1 large onion

a good fat bunch of fresh sage (the leaves may look a little small, but it’s fresh from our garden & it smells delicious!!!)

8 ready toasted bread slices (or you can toast your own, just make it crunchy). The weight equivalent is about 100grs

Method:

Chop the onion using a food processor, it needs to be on the mushy side

clean the sage discarding all the stems and keeping just the leaves

run the leaves through the food processor

sautee the onions in a little olive oil till soft

add the chopped sage and continue sauteing just a little longer

add some water (or white wine) & half a chicken bouillon cube

stir well

crunch the toast ruffly with your hands till coarse crouton size (as in picture)

add the onion sage mixture (still warm) and mix well with a spoon

add the skinned sausages and work it well with your hands until thoroughly mixed and resembling a hamburger mix

set aside

now the fiddly part!!

cut the chicken breasts into 1/2cm (¼ inch) thick fillets. (if necessary you can pound between 2 grease proof sheets of paper to get the right thickness)

spread open a good size grease proof paper on your counter

arrange the chicken pieces “slightly” overlapping on the paper forming a rectangle

spread half the sausage mixture working delicately in small batches so as not to dislodge the chicken fillets from one another

start from the side near you, and using the grease proof paper as help, start rolling tightly like a swiss roll, pushing from the sides in, and shaping with your fingers (on the paper), making sure it all stays together

now you have a roll that resembles a loaf

lift with the aid of the paper and place in a loaf pan

trim the paper

sprinkle with salt & pepper

add a few pats of butter and you’re ready

repeat with the chicken thighs

bake your two loaf pans in a 180 centigrade pre-heated oven (with fan)

it should take no more than 1 to 1 ½ hours. Check often, draining the liquid & reserving separately for gravy. I drained it a total of 4 times. You will know its enough when you run out of liquid!!!

I rely very much on instinct to judge when its done, be careful to not over cook!

Let cool lightly on the chopping board, then slice with a very sharp knife

serve with roast potatoes on the side and a drizzle of gravy

Enjoy!

Its been a rough couple of days! Grief has this funny way of popping its head uninvited, welling up inside, like a big wave slowly gathering momentum. Just when you think you’re getting stronger, that darkness is not as dark anymore, bam, the wave washes over you, threatening to pull you under. … Trying to understand it, trying to reason with yourself, trying to talk yourself out of it; simply does not work! You just have to accept it, feel it, and hope that time will eventually take care of it. And of you.

Today is too cold and windy for another long walk on the beach, some serious kitchen therapy is needed, and big time!!!

I just made a couple of phone calls and scheduled four friends for dinner on Saturday. A full blown cooking marathon: two days from today! They are all excellent cooks. Now, there is a challenge! What’s on the menu? I don’t know yet, I’ll just go shopping and something will pop up. We shall see.

Meanwhile my husband & I need to eat. I’m thinking something comforting, and easy, and light.

Turkey Schnitzels and Couscous salad. Yum… I can taste it already…

Turkey Schnitzels:

So easy, so quick, and never fails. Its one of those dishes I often fall back on whenever I’m at a loss as to what to cook. I usually do it with chicken breasts fillets, but since turkey breast is what I have in my fridge today, it will work just as nice. I love the combination of the outside crispiness and the inside tenderness.

Unfortunately I do not have measurable quantities for you, so you’ll just have to wing it, and trust that you can be no wrong, except over frying of course!

For your assembly station you will need the following:

a small heap of plain bread crumbs

add a handful of grated Parmesan & some salt

mix well with your fingers

(you can replenish if you run low, using the same proportions as above. It all depends on the quantity of turkey or chicken I guess. I prefer to mix fresh as needed, rather than start with a big quantity and ending up with the remainder in the garbage!)

beat one egg, salt & pepper and a few drops of milk

fillets your turkey or chicken

dip each fillet in the egg mixture, then dredge it in the breadcrumbs making sure it is well covered on both sides. Press well with the palm of your hands applying some pressure to flatten the fillets further if needed, and to also make sure that the breadcrumb mixture has stuck nicely to your schnitzels.

Pan fry in some olive oil, on medium heat, until golden and crisp on both sides. Keep in mind that your schnitzels are thin, so make sure you do not over fry or they will become rubbery.

That’s it, drain on kitchen paper to remove any excess oil. You can serve warm as a main meal, or cold in a sandwich If I have leftovers, I sometimes cut them into small strips and serve them with a sweet chili sauce in the center of the plate. It is great as an appetizer served with drinks.

Enjoy!

While I’m still on my olive kick of late, and definitely having way too many olives in my kitchen, I think I will make us: Chicken with Green Olives and Lemons. I’m a sauce freak, and this sauce I tell you is so yummy, you’ll see! On the side? I don’t know yet, maybe Basmati? maybe boiled potatoes? We shall see.

I miss my kitchen!

Ingredients:

2 chicken legs cut into thigh & drumsticks

2 chicken breasts fillets

(I use the breast fillets because my husband does not like to fiddle around w/bones! Since I believe that it is the bones that give the dish its rich taste, I compromise by using both kinds: w/bones and boneless!)

2 medium size tomatoes cut into wedges

1 large onion cut into wedges

1 lemon cut in half and sliced medium thin

1 cup green olives with the pits (again it’s the pits -like bones- that have all the taste!)

½ a cup capers

1 cup white wine

sea salt

pepper corn

coriander

Method:

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with sea salt, pepper corn, and coriander, and brown on both sides in some olive oil (yes I know, it is the only oil I use!!)

Remove from pan and set aside

in the same pan, add the onion wedges, stirring to loosen the stuck pieces of browned chicken

add the tomato wedges, stir

add the lemon slices, stir

add the capers, olives, and wine

top up with some water

then add your browned chicken pieces, cover, and simmer on medium heat, adding water when necessary, until chicken is tender, and sauce delicious!

Serve with some Basmati, or some boiled potatoes. You may also opt to serve with some crisp French Bread of the side. Anything you fancy, but believe me, you will definitely need to mop up that sauce!!

Enjoy!