Italian Chicken Casserole

This was based loosely on a recipe I found on the Masterchef Australia website from Campbells using their chicken stock.

Now the recipe that follows is what I used for 12 drumsticks (so for 2 nights worth, you would probably cut the quantities of some things down, so I will write that next to what I used).

preheat oven to 220c or 428 F

12 chicken drumsticks (recipe called for 8 for 4 people)

1 onion chopped

2-3 cloves garlic chopped

1 zucchini chopped

3 potatoes chopped

2 carrots chopped(recipe said 1)

I also added

1/2 red capsicum (pepper)

1/3 bunch celery or 2 stalks I guess

4 mushrooms

1/3 cup plain flour

1/4 cup red wine

500 mls chicken stock

4 tablespoons tomato paste (tomato puree)

salt and pepper for seasoning

I used dried herbs as I didn't have any fresh ones on hand, i didn't measure this but I am guessing it was around 1 tablespoon of each of these

basil
thyme

oregano

1. Cook chicken in pan/dish on the stove for around 5 mins or until just brown on the outside

2. Add in onion, garlic cook for a minute

3. Add in vegetables and cook for a few minutes (I had WAY too much for my small saucepan so I couldn't do this as long or as well as I wanted)

4. Combine in a jug the wine, 1/3 cup plain flour, stock, tomato paste and herbs

5. Pour juices into the pan and place in the oven for around 45 mins or until chicken is cooked.

I served with rice, you could serve with pasta or some nice crunchy bread too

What are we eating this week?

I am pretty sure I have the days figured out for what we are having this week. We are trying to cut down on costs across the board, so there is not going to be as many fancy things each week, and some repitition through the week but you do what you have to do :)

Monday- beef schnitzel, baked potatoes with mushroom and bacon and cheese topping (and steamed veggies)
Tuesday-Italian chicken casserole with rice
Wednesday- Italian chicken casserole with pasta
Thursday-Lamb chops and vegies (chicken sausage rolls for the kids)
Friday- Spaghetti bolognaise (steak and vegies for Arch)
Saturday- chicken pasta bake
Sunday-chicken pasta bake

Honey Lemon Chicken with Fried Rice

So yesterday on a kids show they made Fried Rice and I decided that we would do it too but wasn't sure on what to do as the main part. I love honey and lemon so thought I would do a chicken dish. I did a search on the net and found an AWESOME blog which he had done EXACTLY what I wanted to do (not deep fry etc) I added one or two differences to it though. Here's his blog to check out :http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2009/06/honey-lemon-chicken.html

So for my recipe I used 2 chicken breasts and I sliced them down the middle so they were thinner. Then I seasoned them with salt and pepper and cooked them in the fry pan til cooked through and removed from the pan. Next I added to the pan 1/4 cup chicken stock, juice and zest of 1 large lemon and around 2 tablespoons of honey ( I didn't really measure that, but you would have to taste the sauce anyway to see if you have the balance right). Then the original recipe said to add some grated ginger, but I had some powdered so I added maybe 1/2 tea spoon of that or maybe a teaspoon (I didn't measure).Then I added in 1 chopped clove of garlic and one chopped stem of spring onion. Let it simmer for about a minute then added the chicken back in and then served.

I also made a fried rice, the rice I only cooked that day though so it wasn't as good as it could of been. We added corn, capsicum, celery, carrot, onion, garlic, egg, bacon, oyster sauce and soy sauce. Oh and some frozen peas!!

The meal was AMAZING. Like seriously DELICIOUS. We even went back to the pan to dip our fingers in the left over jucie LOL

Menu this week

Soooo I am a little lost with new things to try at the moment, and kind of have a cold so its sort of basic this week.

Lamb chops and veg
Crispy chicken drumsticks with tomatoes and garlic
Roast Lamb and veg
Beef Stew (2 nights)
Home made pizza
Something else with chicken, not sure yet, or maybe left over spaghetti bolognaise that's in the freezer.

Lamb Chops (For Jessica)

Here is the lamb chops that we use. We prefer the forequarter chop as it's bigger and cheaper than the small "chump" chops that they call them. You can also get the backstrap of lamb which is lovely but VERY expensive. We also have lamb roast of which I have posted a blog about a few months ago.

I cook them on the inside grill. I use a seasoning I get from the grocery store that a Greek family makes. It has various herbs, spices, some flour, chicken stock etc. Its a dry seasoning. Its YUMMY :) I have also marinated with Emglish Mustard, red wine vinegar and parsely. Rosemary and lamb were made to go together so sometimes I just put sprigs of rosemary on the chops too. And rosemary, garlic and red wine is devine on the roast lamb.

I like my lamb almost well done, so if its slight pink, I take it off and let it rest. You can eat it rare/medium too.

Meals for the week

Ok here is the menu for this week. I didn't bother last week as Nath was sick and I didn't have time to write about it :) Thanks Jessica for checking up on it!

Monday- scotch fillet steaks and vegies (kids are having chicken sausage rolls)
Tuesday- Roast chicken with lemon, garlic and thyme
Wednesday-Lamb chops and Vegies
Thursday-Chicken and pumpkin pasta
Friday-pasta left overs
Saturday- ?
Sunday- chicken breasts with a sundried tomato pesto sauce and roast vegies

Menu for the week

So I am writing the days next to what we are having but its really give and take depending on my mood :P
Monday- Baked chicken breast in foil with cherry tomatoes and asparagus- served with roast veg
Tuesday- lamb chops and veg
wednesday- crispy baked drumsticks with tomatoes and garlic served with roast veg
Thursday- Shepherds pie and garlic bread
Friday- left overs
Saturday- going for tea with Arch, mum and kids will have beef stir fry
Sunday- roast chicken with lemon and thyme and veg