Roasted Curry Chicken

Posted on October 2, 2020 by Our Growing Paynes

I got the idea to do this Roasted Curry Chicken during this past weekend when we had a yard sale. There was a definite need for a clear out and I hate throwing things in the tip when someone else might find a use for something. One customer had some butternut squash in her car and she gave me some. As she loves habaneros, we did a trade. I thought the butternut squash would be great with a curry dish. Sadly the squash was rotten from within.

Luckily I bought some Japanese sweet potatoes. They aren’t orange like regular sweet potatoes and aren’t as sweet but their flavour is perfect to pair with a spicy curry.

This dish is perfect for a busy evening. Most of this was cooking while I walked the dogs. It’s important to have quick flavourful and nutritious meals in the back pocket for when life gets hectic. Still need to eat well!

Oh, I had forgotten to mention the excitement we had in my previous post. It was a Sunday afternoon and we noticed some activity in our front yard. Out we went and the people immediately said “don’t go into your back garden!” Turns out there was a 400lb male black bear on walkabout. This photo was about 50 feet from our driveway. A beautiful beast.

Technique for Roasted Curry Chicken

Preheat the oven to 375F/190C. If you have a convection/fan oven, use that.

Slice the Japanese sweet potato and brush with olive oil. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

In a baking dish, place the chicken thighs in the dish. Add the chicken stock and season with sea salt, freshly ground pepper and curry powder. Cover and place the chicken and sweet potatoes in the oven. It will take 30-45 minutes for both to cook. Half way through cooking, remove the cover from the chicken so the skin will roast nicely.

In a skillet, heat up the garlic infused olive oil. Begin sautéing the scallions, red pepper, mushrooms and the habanero. As the habanero came from our garden, I only used half as they pack quite the punch.

Add the minced ginger, tomatoes, chili powder, curry powder, cumin and cilantro/coriander leaves. Bring to a simmer. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

I do love roasted chicken.

The chicken and sweet potato should be done about the same time. Serve immediately after spooning the tomato mixture over the chicken. Enjoy!

Roasted Curry Chicken

A warming meal that is quick and easy to make on a busy evening.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Keyword Roasted Curry Chicken

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Servings 4

Author Our Growing Paynes

Ingredients

2 Japanese sweet potatoes sliced in half
4 chicken thighs with bone in and skin
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chicken stock 4oz
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp garlic infused olive oil
2 tbsp chopped scallions/green onion 11g
2 tbsp chopped red pepper 18g
1/2 habanero chopped
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes 14oz
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2-1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro/coriander leaves

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375F/190C. If you have a convection/fan oven, use that.
Slice the Japanese sweet potato in half lengthwise. Brush the halves with olive oil and then season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Place on a baking sheet.
In a baking dish, place the chicken thighes in the dish, skin side up. Sprinkly the curry powder over the chicken and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the chicken stock. Cover the dish.
Place the sweet potato and chicken in the oven. Cook for 30-45 minutes. About halfway through, remove the cover from the chicken so the skin roasts and gets nice and crispy.
Heat the garlic infused olive oil in a skillet. Add the scallions/green onions, red pepper, mushrooms and habanero. Sauté for a few minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer. Stir frequently so the tomato doesn't catch on the bottom. Simmer until the sweet potato and chicken are cooked.
To serve, place the sweet potato and chicken on the plate. Spoon the tomato mixture over the chicken and serve immediately.

Chicken Saagwala

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Our Growing Paynes

I have had to start a low FODMAP diet for health reasons. I was really worried that would mean a narrow range of foods (which isn’t good if you blog about food!) and bland flavours. Thankfully, as this Chicken Saagwala will show, that is not the case. There are plenty of ingredients to choose from, I just needed to change my habits and learn new dishes. I do have to be careful as just because the word low is in the diet name, it doesn’t necessarily mean low fat or calorie!

How are all the parents doing out there with first days of school coming up quickly? Our district is still trying to sort out what to do. They have seemed to settle on dividing the schools in half and one group will go two days and the other two days. They are trying to encourage parents drop off students as they need to reduce those taking the bus. The tricky bit round here is there are several hill towns, up to 45 minutes away, that bus into our district. They state bus windows must be open. That can be a problem as we can have winter start in October. I know there aren’t any easy solutions to this surreal year. Universities are starting to reverse their decision to accept students on campus. Our daughter’s school is one of them so we get to have her home for this semester. I feel for her but am also glad she’ll be safer.

Technique for Chicken Saagwala

I found this recipe from A Little Bit Yummy. Of course I changed it but mainly I was trying to use what I had available. It still follows the low FODMAP guidelines. The only ingredient that I couldn’t fine definitive guidance on was the poblano but it didn’t cause me any problems. But just do your research.

We have lost the plot with the mustard greens we are growing so it was great to be able to use this in a recipe. The greens went like gangbusters but the rest of the lettuce we grew decided to be very indifferent to growing. I love gardening but at times there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason.

In a skillet, heat up the olive oil and begin to cook the cubed chicken breast. Add the garlic chives. Cook for a few minutes.

Add the leek, mustard greens and minced ginger. Cook until the greens begin to wilt down. I really like ginger which is why I put in 2 tbsp. If that is too much for you, just reduce the amount.

Add the poblano, diced tomatoes, cumin, turmeric, ground cloves and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and cook for several minutes so the liquid can reduce a bit. Season with sea salt and pepper.

While I was cooking this, I roasted a sweet potato to accompany this dish. I really enjoyed this dish with the flavours of the fire roasted tomatoes and the bitterness of the mustard greens. I don’t pretend this is full on traditional as if you look at other recipes, there are a few more steps and it looks a lot greener. They also have dairy in it. But I hope you enjoy my version.

Chicken Saagwala

A low FODMAP dish with loads of flavour and easy to make.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Keyword Chicken Saagwala

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

1 chicken breast, skinless and boneless, cubed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh garlic chives
1 cup chopped leeks, the green part only 80g
1 cup chopped mustard greens 120g
2 tbsp minced ginger
1 poblano, chopped and seeded
14 oz fire roasted diced tomatoes
splash of lemon juice
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground clove
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and begin cooking the cubed chicken. After a couple of minutes add the chives.
Add the mustard greens, leek and ginger. Sautè for a few minutes
Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for several minutes to reduce the liquid a bit.
To keep this low FODMAP, serve this with something like a roasted sweet potato. If you aren't worried about low FODMAP then naan would be perfect.

Chicken Flautas

Posted on August 9, 2019 by Our Growing Paynes

I find it interesting the so called shortcuts people like to take when cooking. How so much processed food seems to be the go to when they don’t really save time or money. In fact, it’s more expensive for the most part. When I was doing my pinning on Pinterest I came across a recipe for Chicken Flautas that called for canned chicken that came already seasoned. I wouldn’t want to even guess what preservatives and junk would also be in that can. No way, thank you.

I mean, how hard is it to mix a few ingredients together and slow cook chicken? Not very hard! While I cooked the chicken in the oven, you can use a slow cooker and walk away.

Our garden is doing so much better than last year so this is dish was a great way to use what is just outside our door. I was able to use tomatoes, hot peppers and sweet peppers for this meal.

Technique for Chicken Flautas

Pre heat the oven to 300F/150C.

Mix the marinade ingredients and make sure the chicken is coated. I cooked twice as much chicken so I could use some for salads and lunches.

Slow cook for 3-4 hours, until the chicken is tender and shreds easily. Using two forks, tear the chicken apart.

Set aside. Heat up the olive oil in a skillet. Sauté the onions, mushrooms and garlic until the onions begin to soften. Add the peppers and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the chicken, seasonings, lime juice and chicken stock. Stir well and simmer. You want to reduce the liquid so the mixtures stays moist but isn’t overly liquid.

Heat up the vegetable oil in a saucepan to about 335F/170C.

Place the filling on flour tortillas. I accidentally bought quinoa flour gluten free tortillas. I was a bit worried that this would end up a failure. Thankfully they fried up well. Roll the tortillas tightly and spear with a toothpick. Fry until they are golden brown and crispy. Drain and place on a piece of kitchen roll to absorb the extra oil.

In an attempt to keep this somewhat healthy, I served it over a bed of lettuce. I chopped up a fresh tomato, a spring onion and cilantro to top along with queso fresco. You can also serve with dollops of sour cream or guacamole.

Chicken Flautas

Slow cooked chicken, seasoned with hot peppers, then wrapped in deep fried goodness.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword Chicken Flautas

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes

Servings 4

Author Our Growing Paynes

Ingredients

Shredded Chicken

1 lb boneless chicken breast
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chicken stock

Chicken Flautas filling

2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 mushroom, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 hot pepper, chopped
1 cup sweet pepper, finely chopped
2 cups shredded chicken
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp fresh cilantro (coriander leaf)
2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup chicken stock

Tomato and Spring Onion

1 tomato, coarsly chopped
1 small spring onion, chopped
dash lime juice
sea salt to taste

Completing Chicken Flautas

1/2 deep sauce pan of vegetable oil
12 half 8" flour tortillas
1 cup crumbled queso fresco

Instructions

Shredded chicken

Preheat the oven to 300F/150C.
Mix the ingredients together in a baking dish and add the chicken. Make sure the chicken is nearly covered and coated. Bake for 3-4 hours until the chicken is fork tender. Use two forks to shred the chicken. Set aside.

Chicken Flautas filling

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Sautè the onions, garlic and mushrooms until the onions start becoming soft. Add the peppers and the chicken. Mix in the seasonings, lime juice and chicken stock. Simmer until the liquid is nearly reduced to zero. You want the mixture moist but not overly wet.

Tomato and Spring Onion

Add the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

Completing the Chicken Flautas

Spoon a couple of tablespoons of filling onto each half tortilla. Roll tightly and secure with a toothpick. Heat the vegetable oil to 335F/ 170C. Deep fry the flautas until golden and crispy. Drain and place on kitchen roll to absorb excess oil.
Place the flautas on a bed of lettuce, top with the tomato and spring onion along with the cheese. Serve immediately.

Honey Ginger Grilled Chicken

Posted on June 7, 2019 by Our Growing Paynes

I start grilling as soon as the grill can hold its own in the cold weather, usually when the temperatures are hovering round freezing. When the heat and humidity kicks in, the grill goes into overtime. Since it will be a few months before I get tired of salads I made a Honey Ginger Grilled Chicken for dinner and my food bowls.

To be honest, when I do get tired of salads, this would be great with rice noodles and the like. Plus you can make this with pork or fish.

For the dressing, there are many different Asian inspired ones you can choose from but I confess my guilty pleasure is salad cream. We tried to explain it to our stateside friends and they were like is it mayo? No! There were many guesses so I think we’re going to have to share our stash. Luckily, it isn’t hugely price prohibitive to get it delivered. Not like Marmite, where you have to mortgage your house to get it here. Fortunately, my in-laws are coming next week and they are bringing that with them.

Technique for the Honey Ginger Grilled Chicken

I’m not sponsored by any of these but choose the brands you prefer.

The chicken should be marinated for at least a couple of hours. Mix the ingredients together in a bowl. Before adding the chicken check the flavour of the marinade to make sure the balance of the flavours are as you like them. With the honey, you want to make sure the sweetness comes through but doesn’t overpower the rest of the ingredients. As the marinade sits, the volume of the sweetness increases. So at the start have the honey just making the marinade a bit sweet.

Slice the chicken breasts lengthwise. Aside from lessening the cooking time for the chicken it makes it easier when cooking with honey. When using honey, you need to keep the temperature at medium on the grill. I always find that food photography that shows dishes with honey glazes still honey colored deceptive. Honey will brown when cooked. You do have to be careful as it will catch and burn very easily.

After marinating for at least a couple hours, grill the chicken making sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t catch and burn.

I have new cooking grids coming this weekend, can’t wait!

Prep the salad and top with the chicken.

Who says healthy eating has to be boring?

Honey Ginger Grilled Chicken

A honey ginger marinade for a healthy meal.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Keyword Honey Ginger Grilled Chicken

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

1 lb chicken breast, sliced lengthwise
1/3 cup honey
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp lime juice

Instructions

Mix all the ingredients together. Add the chicken. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Grill the chicken on medium heat. Cube and top on salad. Serve.

Chicken Corden Bleu Mac and Cheese

Posted on April 26, 2019 by Our Growing Paynes

It’s official, our daughter has chosen where she is going to university, deposits paid, and so begins the journey. We’re excited for her but will miss her very much. It’s time though, she’s ready to fly. Now that tax season is over we’ll be going over any gaps in her knowledge with recipes, budgeting, etc. She actually is pretty good with this stuff but she has a list of things she wants to make sure she knows. Trust me, we are not sending our kids out into the world without knowing how to write a check or do laundry.

A big thing as she heads out into the world is knowing how to cook cheap and delicious meals. The kids had mentioned an idea of Chicken Corden Bleu Mac and Cheese that they were playing round with at the other house which would fit the bill. As it is a cool and rainy spring, we’re still in the comfort food season which makes this meal perfect.

Making the Chicken Corden Bleu Mac and Cheese

This can definitely be made on the cheap. Use chicken thighs instead of breast, lemon juice instead of white wine, etc.

Marinate the chicken a few hours beforehand. Whisk the ingredients together and add the chicken. Cover and chill in the fridge.

Grill the chicken until just cooked. It will then be cooked more in a skillet and oven so you don’t want to end up with rubbery chicken. It’s bad enough as a strange toy but awful when eating! I discovered I was out of propane for the grill so inside it was. We use our cast iron griddle constantly. Pity it’s so heavy!

While making the sauce cook up the pasta. Melt the butter and add the onion. Cook until they start to become translucent. Add the garlic and mustard. Bring to a simmer, careful not to let it catch. Add the flour and whisk thoroughly. Cook for a few minutes while whisking, Then add the remaining marinade, wine and milk. Keep stirring until it comes to a boil but don’t boil over! With milk it can happen in a blink which creates quite a mess.

In goes the cheese, chicken (cubed) and ham. Simmer until the cheese has melted and you have a creamy thick mixture.

Pour into the baking pan with the pasta and mix well. Top with panko bread crumbs.

Bake until the top is nice and golden.

It is ready to serve as soon as it is out of the oven. We did carb overload with fresh baked bread my husband made. It’s so good with butter! It went quickly as I found when I went to have some for lunch and it was all gone!

Chicken Corden Bleu Mac and Cheese

Comfort food with a twist. Grilled chicken with corden bleu flavours.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Chicken Corden Bleu Mac and Cheese

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 8

Author Our Growing Paynes

Ingredients

Marinade and Chicken

1 lb chicken breast 16oz/454g
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp dry white wine
1 tbsp brown mustard
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
sea salt and pepper to taste

Mac and Cheese

4 tbsp butter
1/2 large onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1-2 tbsp brown mustard
sea salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup dry white wine 4oz
2 cups milk 16oz
2 cups shredded jarlsberg cheese
3-5 slices ham, chopped
1 lb pasta
Panko Bread crumbs to cover top

Instructions

Marinade and Chicken

Whisk the ingredients together. Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise. Coat and cover the chicken with the marinade and chill in the fridge for a few hours.
When it’s time to make the dish, grill the chicken until just done. Cube and set aside.

Mac and Cheese

Pre heat the oven to 350F/175C
Cook the pasta
In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the garlic, mustard and sea salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes then add the flour to create the roux. Cook additional few minutes. Add the remaining marinade, wine and milk. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Next add the chicken and ham.
Add the pasta and sauce to a baking dish. Top with the panko bread crumbs.
Bake until the bread crumbs are golden. Then serve.

Apple Brie Chicken

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Our Growing Paynes

“Out of the mouth of babes” is a very apt phrase. Obviously it’s important to listen to your children. Aside from the fact it’s healthy for them and can be a lot of fun for all, you never know when they will be a source of inspiration.

One of my son’s chores is to help me walk the dogs. It’s my favourite “task” to have him do as it means one on one time with him. I get to listen about his day, find out how things are going for him, etc. We also, surprise, surprise talk about food. He mentioned trying a frozen stuffed chicken with apples and brie/camembert. Ooh, I said, that sounds really good. It promptly went on my list of thing to make.

Technique for Apple Brie Chicken:

This is a quick easy meal to put together with breaded chicken and a mushroom garlic sauce.

Sweet apples with brie is a lovely flavour combo.

Preheat the oven to 375F/190C.

Slice pockets into the chicken breasts and fill with the apple and brie.

Coat the chicken with beaten egg and dredge in panko bread crumbs. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Brown the chicken on all sides.

Finish cooking the chicken in the oven. In the same skillet add the mushrooms. Sauté for a few minutes before adding the garlic and rosemary.

Add the butter and wine and simmer for a few minutes. Once the chicken is finished cooking serve with the mushroom sauce spooned over the chicken.

I served this with corn and roasted potatoes. See, it does pay to listen to the kids. 🙂

Apple Brie Chicken

A quick meal with apple and brie.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Apple Brie Chicken

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4 people

Author Our Growing Paynes

Ingredients

Chicken

2 boneless chicken breasts
6 slices brie or camembert
1 apple, sliced
1 egg, beaten
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 tbsp olive oil

Mushroom Garlic Sauce

1 cup sliced mushrooms
3-5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp chopped rosemary
1/3 cup dry white wine 3oz
1 tbsp butter

Instructions

Chicken

Preheat the oven to 375F/190C.
Slice pockets into the chicken and stuff with the brie and apple. Dredge in the beaten egg and Panko bread crumbs. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Brown all sides of the chicken and finish cooking in the oven.

Mushroom Garlic Sauce

Sauté the mushrooms in the olive oil in the skillet for a few minutes. Add the garlic and rosemary. Cook for a few more minutes. Add the wine and butter. Simmer for a minute or two.

Serving

Slice the chicken and spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Kai Phat Khing (Chicken with Ginger) and Will There Be Progress?

Posted on September 27, 2018 by Our Growing Paynes

Once again the world watches. Watches while a woman testifies about sexual assault in front of powerful men whose first reaction is to say boys will be boys. When I was my daughter’s age I remember the world watching as well. The message was the same then as it is now. That breaks my heart.

I want better for my kids. It seems a reasonable ask to for those who have been assaulted to heard and to raise boys to men who know “boys will be boys” is outdated and dangerous. I’m inclined to believe Dr Ford, given the timeline of who she told. Whether or not it’s true, I believe a proper investigation needs to be done. I’m surprised things were delayed and today they are hearing her given how many have seemed to come to a conclusion already. I don’t believe the proper venue is in the senate. I’m curious what the result will be but I’m doubtful as much hasn’t changed since Thomas was confirmed 27 years ago. On the flip side, Cosby has been sentenced so maybe, just maybe the tide is shifting.

Thai Food:

It is a quiet week as my in-laws drove to New York to visit old friends. I don’t envy them doing the 8+ hour drive. It is not a very exciting highway, straight and dull. Hopefully they will have a good trip.

That leaves just my husband and I. I’ve gone to cooking up a storm for 6 people to 2. You wouldn’t think it would be difficult to adjust but I always find it hard to do that. I either end up making too much or too little. Because we did a traditional roast this past Sunday I had leftover chicken to use up so I thought it would be great to make a Thai dish. We are both fans of the cuisine and luckily it’s very easy to cook.

Kai Phat Khing (Chicken with Ginger) Technique:

I have a cookery book called The Complete Asian Cookbook by Charmaine Solomon. In it, there is a recipe for Kai Phat Khing (Chicken with Ginger) that was a great choice to use up the chicken. The interesting thing is the first ingredient in her recipe was wood ear fungus. But the directions never mentioned putting it in the recipe! At any rate, I used it as a light guide so I could use what I had on hand.

Kai Phat Khing (Chicken with Ginger) by Our Growing Paynes

The co-op had hen of the woods and chicken of the woods mushrooms and I wanted them to be the highlight the dish. Because I wasn’t sure when my husband would be home I prepped all the ingredients first as it only, when using leftover chicken, takes a few minutes to cook.

You can make this in a skillet but it’s better in a wok if you have one. Heat the peanut oil. The 2 tablespoons may sound like a lot but when the mushrooms get tossed in, it’s needed. But first cook the onions for a few minutes. When the onions start to become translucent add the garlic.

Keep an eye on the garlic! The oil is very hot and you want the garlic to be golden, not burnt. If you are using uncooked chicken, start cooking it now. Add the mushrooms to the wok. This needs to be cooked for a few minutes given how hearty the mushrooms are. While this is cooking add the ginger and stir well to coat the mushrooms. The book mentioned making the ginger less “pungent”. No way! The ginger is a great flavour, I have no desire to dull it.

Add the soy sauce/vinegar mixture along with the leftover chicken.

Near the end of cooking add the scallions. I don’t like them full on raw but you don’t want these mushy or overcooked.

Garnish with a bit more scallion and serve right away. As per my usual, I asked my husband how he liked it. He really liked it but then said though you’ll probably not make it again. Not true, but someone needs to remember and request. Fingers crossed one of us doesn’t brain cramp. 🙂

Kai Phat Khing (Chicken with Ginger)

A flavourful Thai dish with chicken, ginger and mushrooms

Course Main Course

Servings 2

Author Our Growing Paynes

Ingredients

2 cups Mushrooms, coarsely chopped I used Hen of the Woods and Chicken of the Woods
2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 cup cooked chicken If using raw, use about 1/2 lb cubed
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1 scallion, sliced

Instructions

Mix the soy sauce, fish sauce, rice vinegar and brown sugar together and set aside.
Heat the peanut oil in the wok. Cook the onions until they start becoming translucent. Add the garlic. Cook for another minute before adding the mushrooms. If you are using raw chicken, add it now. Add the ginger and stir to coat the mushrooms.
After cooking for a few minutes add the soy sauce mixture. Stir well. Allow the mushrooms to begin to brown a bit. Near the end of cooking add most of the scallions to cook a minute or so.
Serve immediately and garnish with the remaining scallions.

Pineapple Asian Chicken

Posted on August 16, 2018 by Our Growing Paynes

I have a little vent before I get to my recipe. Thursdays are my grocery shop day and I headed to our co-op. They leave water out for the dogs which is great on hot days like this but the whole front is covered by concrete which gets quite hot. When I pulled in I could hear a dog whinging. There was a small dog tied up outside on the hot concrete. It kept lifting its paws. I took out one of my cloth bags and laid it down and the pup immediately sat down on it. I sat on the bench to wait for the owner so the dog could keep it’s paws off the concrete.

I only waited a couple of minutes before the owner came out. She was not happy with me at all! I said the dog’s paws were too hot because of the concrete and she very dismissively said the dog was fine. I didn’t leave right away and said if a dog keeps trying to lift all their paws, they aren’t all right. She was a bit shirty with me but I didn’t care and then she noticed the cloth bag and asked if it was mine and tossed it to me. Honestly, while I would never tie my dog outside somewhere, if I did and someone said the pup was distressed I wouldn’t be bitchy about it! I really don’t understand people.

I hope I got my point across!

Last week while we were running errands I got peckish and grabbed some turkey jerky. A very strange texture but the flavour was really good so I made note of the ingredients as I thought it would make a great marinade for some chicken wings I needed to use up.

Now I don’t get anything for “promoting” the ingredients in the picture, they just happen to be what we like to buy and use. In a bowl or container add 2 tablespoons of peanut oil, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of pineapple juice, a splash of lime juice and 1 1/2 tablespoons of tomato paste. Finely chop 2-4 cloves of garlic, depending on their size, and grate 1in/2.5cm cube of fresh ginger.

Whisk until the ingredients are well blended. Taste and adjust the flavours as you like. Toss the chicken wings to coat well.

Marinate for at least an hour, I marinated for most of the day. When it was time for dinner I fired up the grill and prepped the ingredients. Out I go to grill the wings and find we ran out of gas. Thank goodness for the stove top griddle so I got that heated up and began to grill the wings.

I also grilled some mushrooms and jalapeño as sides to the salad. It’s much easier on the grill as the wings are surrounded by the heat. When it is stovetop you have to keep turning and making sure nothing catches while you are trying to get it cooked through.

Serve on top of a salad and enjoy. A very easy meal to throw together if you have a crazy busy day. 🙂

Creamy Lemon Bacon Chicken Pasta

Posted on May 24, 2018 by Our Growing Paynes

It was a rite of passage this past weekend for our daughter with the high school prom. She’s been to friends proms in the past but this was the first for her high school. I have to say, proms have come a long way since I last had to worry about prom. It’s much more inclusive and more often than not, groups of students go as friends rather than missing out because a date couldn’t be found. Way better!

My daughter had a few friends over to get ready before her date showed up. I did my first ever updo. It came out ok, phew! It was lovely to see that all the girls dressed in elegant dresses, no hoochie mamas. Some of the dresses I’ve seen in the past few years leave little to the imagination. Thankfully that trend wasn’t to prevalent this time round.

Unfortunately the weather was very rainy so we just did photos round the house. The weather did bring in some cooler weather which called for comfort food! I saw a recipe calling for bacon and mushroom in a cream sauce. That sparked an idea. Lemon and grilled chicken would be a great addition.

I kept the marinade for the chicken very simple. With a ratio of about 2:1 olive oil to lemon juice, whisk those together with sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Add the chicken and marinate for a couple of hours.

When it’s time to cook up the dinner, grill the chicken and cook up the pasta. Cut into small squares, 3-4 rashers of streaky bacon. Start cooking the bacon in a large skillet. Slice a few mushrooms and finely chop 3-5 cloves of garlic. Sauté the ingredients with the bacon. Add a handful of fresh thyme.

When the bacon is nearly cooked add 1/2 cup/4oz of chicken stock and a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice. You want this to be really lemony at this point so the brightness isn’t lost in the cream and pasta. Bring this to a simmer then add a 1/3 cup/3oz of heavy cream. Cook on low until the chicken and pasta are done cooking.

Slice the chicken and add that and the pasta to the skillet and stir well. Right before serving add a bunch of arugula or spinach and let wilt.

Serve and grate fresh parmesan cheese over the dish.

Comfort food with the lightness of lemon, great for a cool spring night.

Orange Thyme Grilled Chicken

Posted on May 17, 2018 by Our Growing Paynes

On Sunday, the day I made this meal, we were faced with how surreal life is. It was a gorgeous day and we were tackling the hops (seriously never plant those!). We were struck by how busy the fire and police departments were. While we were planting some veg in the back we realised the current set of sirens didn’t go past our house.

Out of curiosity we wandered out front to see 5 cop cars, 2 ambulances, and various other vehicles. Something was definitely up. A few minutes later an ambulance went tearing up the road. The initial report was someone shot himself by accident and he was belligerent which caused the cops to be called to hospital. Unfortunately the real story was worse. The man died and the guy who shot him is in jail for felony manslaughter.

It’s a bit shocking in our small town. What made it all surreal for me was as they were putting up the crime tape I noticed how life continues on. The next door neighbour to the crime scene was mowing the lawn, people were walking their dog and we’re were putting about in the garden. I know it’s how life works but I found it jarring.

After all the work in the garden we wanted a light dinner. I had seen a few recipes involving orange juice and mustard, orange juice and thyme or orange juice and garlic. I thought I could come up with a recipe involving all of it. Lots of flavour and still keeping it light.

In a bowl add equal parts orange juice and olive oil. Finely chop a few cloves of garlic and add it to the bowl with a handful of fresh thyme. Add a dash of lemon juice and a good heaping spoonful of stoneground mustard.

Season with sea salt and pepper. Add the chicken breast to marinate for a couple of hours.

When it’s time for dinner fire up the grill.

I did up a fresh salad with avocado, tomato, cucumber and carrot. I do love salad season!

Here’s hoping the upcoming weekend is a lot quieter for all.