I Feel Like Chicken Tonight, Chicken Tonight!!

Hello Sweets,

Well I am officially back on Canadian soil :(, which is precisely why I didn't have a post for y'all yesterday.  Since I got an extra night with Nathan we spent a lot of time talking and enjoying our final night together :)  When I finally made it back to my home I had to run to the grocery store, because let's face it a girls gotta eat ;)  Since I am finally back on a somewhat normal schedule, I figured I would share a yummy treat with my lovely readers.  I have to say it feels really good to be writing again, I guess every once in a while a writer has to take a step back to put things into perspective.

As I am writing this post, I realize I have just dated myself lol.  The title of this post is from a catchy little jingle from the 1990's, even though the brand (Chicken Tonight) is still around you don't ever see their commercials.  The inspiration for the title came to me literally while looking at the pictures for tonight's post, I love when things just fall into place with little to no effort :)  A few months back Nathan came up to visit me for a few days, and we planned to go visit my mom and her husband.  Since we had an early flight the next morning, a red eye what fun lol, they offered for us to sleep at their house.  This lovely act of kindness would easily shave an hour off our drive to the airport, and with a red eye an extra hour of sleep is soooo worth it.  My mom makes pretty amazing chicken wings, but I haven't had them since I was younger and that was when she used to fry them.  Now she bakes them in the oven, they're crispy and not overly greasy.  What more can you ask for in a chicken wing?

Mommas Chicken Wings

Ingredients

Chicken wings (as many as you need)

Butter (you have to use it sparingly), melted

Ketchup (I used both regular and spicy)

Hot sauce, I used two types to kick it up a notch (use the spice level you're comfortable with)

Flour

pinch of salt

dash of pepper

dash of seasoning salt

 

Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 400F.  In a large Ziploc bag, add the dry ingredients.  Use enough flour to completely coat every chicken wing, I used more than necessary so I didn't have to re-adjust the spices.  Shake until wings are completely coated, shake off any excess before placing on baking sheet.

 

2)  Place chicken wings on a tinfoil lined (I forgot to do that and they stuck a bit) baking sheet, bake until crispy (oops forgot to write the time down :/ )

 

3)  While chicken is cooking, melt butter (not too much or the sauce will just slide off).  Add enough ketchup to thicken the sauce, then add your hot sauce.  Taste test the sauce as you go, making adjustments until you reach you desired flavor.

 

 

4)  Once the chicken wings are crispy, gently toss them in your sauce.  Serve immediately, you can even dress it up with carrots and celery.

 

These were so simple to make, and they tasted better than the ones you get at the bar!  Well at least that is what I took from Nathan gobbling them up lol.  I am actually excited to expand to new and different flavors, I am very partial to honey garlic or anything with a sweet heat kick to it.  The only way you get good at flavor combinations is by trail and error, so if at first you don't succeed.... well you know the rest.  Basically what I'm trying to say is just go for it, and follow your taste buds.

I should take a moment to thank my momma for not only sharing her recipe with me, but also for teaching me how to cook with my senses and not a recipe ;)  I know this post isn't a sweet treat, but you know me I like to mix it up.  However, tomorrow's post is going right back to the sweets so get ready for something delicious and holiday appropriate!  Yes I know the main holidays are over, but I'm back logged :p  So consider the next few posts like a time machine, "once this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you're going to see some serious s%*t!".  If you like Marty McFly, you'll know what I'm talking about ;)  Until next time....

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo

The Proof Is In The Pudding

Hello Sweets,

I hope y'all had a wonderful day. Mine was a little hectic, but since I got everything out of the way, I can spend the night relaxing and brainstorming :)  I wasn't having such a good day yesterday, feeling extremely awful and sore which makes sleep a trying task.  I was finally able to fall asleep (early this morning) but I made sure to set my alarm, well guess what I slept through?  You guessed it, my alarm :/  You know the feeling when you sleep through an alarm, rushing around and forgetting things.  That's how my day started, not a good way to start lol, but once I got the mundane stuff out of the way I decided to do something for me :)

When y'all think about your childhood what do you remember?  I think of baking with my grandma, cooking with my mom, building things with my grandpa, and all sorts of other fun memories.  Then my thoughts go immediately to all my favorite childhood foods like ice cream and freshly baked cookies, and then random things that not all kids may like such as shrimp.  I've loved seafood since I was a little kid, especially shrimp and in any form too!  I am leading you down the wrong path right now lol, because today's post is not about shrimp at all :p  We are not even going to be in the savory ballpark today, instead we are going back to the sweet memories of childhood.

Grandma's Chocolate Pudding (via Grandma's Kitchen)

Ingredients

2/3C sugar

1/4C unsweetened cocoa powder

3Tbs cornstarch

2C milk

1 large egg

1/2tsp vanilla extract

1Tbs butter

 

Directions:

1)  Combine sugar, cocoa, and cornstarch in a medium saucepan, whisk in milk.

 

2)  Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until mixture boils.  Boil for one minute, stirring constantly.

 

3)  Beat egg in a small bowl.  Whisk about 1/2C of hot chocolate mixture into egg.

 

4)  Whisk egg mixture back in to the milk mixture in the saucepan.  Cook over medium heat for two minutes, stirring mixture constantly.

 

5)  Remove pudding from heat; stir in vanilla and butter.  Pour into 4 individual serving dishes.  Serve warm or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

 

 I will never eat pre made pudding again!!  This is so good it's unreal :D  It's deep, rich, chocolatey flavor is perfectly sinful.  It's so good that I want to make vanilla pudding tomorrow and make a layered delight.  I don't think there is one thing in this world that wouldn't taste better made from scratch, and I am going to try everything in my path!  I even managed to set aside a little container for my little monkey to enjoy too!  If I manage to make a vanilla pudding before they pick up the chocolate he'll have two more reasons why his auntie Jemmy is the best ;)

This was yet another first for little ol' me, and again I went at it with gusto and succeeded!  If there is ever something you want to try and make don't let the unknown stop you, whether it works out or not it's the road there that teaches us the lesson :)   Now I am going to see what is needed for vanilla pudding and do some more sketching for the upcoming job ;)  Sketching is not my forte by any means, but since the subject is Star Wars, I have Nathan to tell me where to make adjustments.  Until next time....


Stay sweet,



Jennifer xoxoxoxo

Stewing With Ideas

Hello Sweets,

Well last night was the first step in moving forward with my little business, and it was more stressful than I anticipated -_-  I am trying to create my website and just like when I was designing my blog I am putting entirely too much pressure on myself, but I just want it to be perfect!  I found the right layout, now to focus on color, pictures, content.....  Ya that is what is tripping me up, lol myself :p  So I decided to take a little break and write a little post for y'all :)

This is the last post from my Texas stash :(, but as the saying goes I've saved the best for last.  For the last two years Nathan has been bragging about his delicious stew, yet until recently we had never made it.  Lucky for me he made it a few days before I left, and I made my deliciously sweet cornbread to accompany it :)  Growing up when my grandfather made stew it was a thicker style broth, the way Nathan prepares it it's more of a broth.  Now don't get me wrong it's absolutely delicious, it's honestly the best stew I've had :)  And now it's time to share with y'all!

  Nathans Super Delicious Stew

Ingredients

2lbs stewing beef, cut into bite size pieces

red potatoes, chopped

onion, chopped

carrots, chopped

celery, chopped

2 cans tomato sauce

Worcestershire sauce

teriyaki marinade

garlic, chopped

parsley

black pepper

salt

seasoning salt

garlic salt

garlic powder

oregano

beef bouillon cube, dissolved into hot water

 

  

 

Directions:

1)   Tenderize meat, season with spices and add marinade and Worcestershire sauce.  Mix well and allow to sit for at least six hours.

 

 

2)  Meanwhile, chop all veggies.  Don't worry about uniformed cuts as it is a rustic meal :)

 

 

 3)  Place veggies into a large cauldron with the tomato sauce and dissolved beef bullion cube.  Keep on a low simmer.

 

4)  Take the beef and place into a frying pan, be sure to save the marinade to add to the broth.  Brown the meat slightly as to not fully cook it, the beef will finish cooking in the cauldron.

 

5)  Add the partially cooked beef to cauldron, also adding the marinade.  Also add in additional seasonings, but not too much because as it cooks you'll taste and adjust. 

 

 

6)   Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, covering with a lid to cook for 2-3 hours.  Taste as you go along adjusting spices as needed.

 

7)  Once all the veggies are soft and you've achieved the flavor you're looking form enjoy!

 

doesn't it look so delicious!!

This stew is so good, it's full of flavor and very filling.  I didn't add anything extra to mine because Nathan made it perfectly delicious!!  Once it was paired with the sweet cornbread it was a perfect dinner, not that it needed anything more.  To be honest, this would be the perfect dinner for a cold Canadian night....which is now so I want!!  Lol I don't have any so I'll have to make something else for dinner :(

Now I need to get back to creating my website, but I don't know why I'm having such a difficult time :(  Maybe I just need to remember why I'm doing this, and stop over thinking it.......but if any of my lovely readers has any helpful suggestions they are more than welcome :)  But in the meantime I'll be brainstorming away behind my laptop, until something wonderful hits me :p lol ya I'm cheesy.  Until next time.....


Stay sweet,



Jennifer xoxoxoxo

Stick a Fork in Me, I'm Done!

Hello Sweets,

Well I am still very upset and mad at myself :(, but the show must go on right?  I'm really trying to keep myself busy and not think about the colossal mess I've made, unfortunately there are so many things that remind me of him it's kind of hard.  However I figured I wouldn't bum y'all out today with another sad post, instead I am going to write about food something I don't screw up often :s

I just realized that my previous statement is going to be harder to stay true too :(  Why you ask, because this entire meal was made while in Texas and we made it together.  Maybe I can use this little post as a happy memory that will sort of pick my mood up, this is me trying to be hopeful :/  I wrote a post very similar to this earlier in the year (food wise that is), but we chose to do things a little differently this time :)  For me the pressure was really on this time around, you see we were cooking for his entire family and I wanted everything to go perfectly.  I don't know why but I always seem to put pressure on myself in these situations, but I think it works..sometimes lol like this time.  Having a family judge your cooking skills is both stressful and a learning process, I just hoped they would enjoy what they were about to eat.  Thankfully they enjoyed every part of the meal, even Nathan's dad enjoyed my yorkies!  For the record, I knew he would but he still protested lol.

Nathan and Jennifer's Collaborative Roast

Ingredients

Roast, either chuck or rump

red wine

Worcestershire sauce

garlic

garlic powder

meat tenderizer

salt

pepper

seasoning salt

 

Directions:

1)  Tenderize and season your meat to your preference, then place in a gallon zip lock bag and add enough wine and Worcestershire sauce that the roast becomes submerged.  Remember to balance the wine and Worcestershire sauce, I can't give you measurements but you should be able to tell by the smell.  Refrigerate overnight.

 

 

2)  Preheat oven to 375F.  Cut up your carrots, onions, and potatoes (anything else you want to throw in there too!).  Place in the bottom of your roasting pan, surrounding the roast.  Pour your marinade over top of the roast and veggies, add more garlic to the top of the roast.

 

 

 

3)  Cook for about 2 hours (depending on the size of your roast), checking after 1 hour to ensure the veggies aren't drying out.  If they're sort of dry add either beef broth or a dissolved bullion cube.

 

Some people like to cook their vegetables separately, but when you cook them in the roasting pan they soak up the marinade and don't need to be seasoned after :)  This was the dinner that accompanied the super yummy Cherry Dr. Pepper Cupcakes, see;

 

All the work was worth it, not just because Nathans family enjoyed it but because he did and he is a big reason I want to cook from scratch.  He's also the only person that's ever encouraged me to pursue my dreams of Canuckette's Creations as a business.  I'm making cupcakes for a party my mother is throwing tomorrow, and the box that will be carrying them will be adorned with my little logo.  It's a big step and actually kind of scary, but if I'm going to do this I need to be willing to put myself out there.  Maybe he'll read this post, if he does I want him to know how thankful I am for the encouragement and I hope it makes him proud.

Speaking of which I need to get back to the kitchen, I need to crank out two icings tonight and then decorate them too!  Wish me luck and keep your fingers crossed that I do okay tomorrow.  Until next time.............



Stay sweet,



Jennifer xoxoxo