BBQ Chicken Pieces

Taken from: Feed your family for about 20 a week

Kid friendly BBQ chicken pieces! Kids adore these (so do the grown ups!)

It's a simple sweet sticky make shift BBQ sauce... Ketchup, 3tbs, brown sauce 3tbs, tsp coriander powder, a squirt of tomato purée, a glug of vinegar and a a dash of Worcestershire sauce, mix, put into a ziplock with the chicken (or whatever you are using) and marinate for as long as you can, then oven bake for about 45 mins. The kids adore this, it's also lovely on pork, chicken and ribs. I use a good sprinkle of chilli flakes in it in doing hot BBQ ribs for grown ups. Doesn't sound great, but I promise it's amazing! 

Doughnuts

Taken from: Feed your family for about £20 a week

Go nuts for doughnuts!!! We bloody adore these bad boys!! It's a bit of effort, but seriously worth it! Really, you knead (see what I did there?) these in your life!

Ingredients

• 500g/1lb 2oz strong white flour
• 50g/2oz caster sugar
• 40g/1½oz unsalted butter
• 2 free-range eggs
• 2 x 7g sachets instant yeast
• 10g/¼oz salt
• 150ml/5fl oz warm milk
• 130ml/4½fl oz water

Method

• For the dough, place all ingredients into a large bowl holding back a quarter of the water.
• Stir with your hands until a dough is formed.
• Slowly add the remaining water and knead the dough in the bowl for four minutes. (Alternatively, you could mix with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook).
• Tip dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead well for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Place the dough into a clean bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise for an hour.
• Tip the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface, and knock it back by kneading it a few times.
• Divide the dough into 20 equal portions and shape each portion into a ball.
• Place all balls onto a floured baking tray and allow to rise for an hour.
• Preheat a deep fat fryer, filled with sunflower oil, to 180C/350F.
• Lower each doughnut into the fryer, cooking each side for about five minutes or until golden brown. Remove the doughnuts from the oil with a slotted spoon and immediately roll in caster sugar so that the hot fat makes the sugar stick to the sides.
• Set aside and leave to cool.
• When completely cool, using a small, sharp, knife make a cut into the side of the doughnut, reaching to the centre.
• Spoon some smooth or sieved strawberry jam into a piping bag, or piping syringe.
• Pipe, or syringe, the jam generously inside. You could use custard, chocolate or apple sauce! Make your own! Sometimes, I don't even fill em!

Sugar Doughnuts

Kitchen Cheat Sheet

I don't see many Infographics that I like or that are useful so its a rare treat when I come across one that is both!  Everest has produced a great kitchen cheat sheet that has everything that I always seem to Google.  From conversion charts for Gas Marks, Fahrenheit and Celsius to cooking times for different cuts of meat, this chart is very useful. There are even printable PDFs in the link under the image.

So here it is....

If you'd like to find a printable version of this cheat sheet, visit the Everest kitchens page.

Christmas Cake

This is the recipe for the Christmas Cake that my Mum in Law and her best friend bake every year. This year however as my mum in law is overseas visiting her daughter I though I would bake the cake for her. I've never baked a fruit cake before so this could be wonderful or disastrous!! Unfortunately I won't know for a couple of weeks as you have to let it sit for a while.  Wish me luck!!

Ingredients

• 350 g (12 oz) Plain Flour
• 1 x 5 ml spoon (1 tsp) mixed spice
• 100 g (4 oz) ground almonds
• 4 medium eggs
• 150 ml (¼ pint) milk (or ½ milk, ½ brandy)
• 225 g (8 oz) butter
• 225 g (8 oz) caster sugar
• 225 g (8 oz) currants
• 225 g (8 oz) sultanas
• 225 g (8 oz) raisins
• 100 g (4 oz) glacé cherries, halved
• 100 g (4 oz) cut mixed peel

Method
Cake

1. Heat oven to 150ºC, 300ºF, Gas Mark 2. Grease and line a 23 cm (9 inch) round or 20.5 cm (8 inch) square tin.
2. Sieve together flour, spice and ground almonds. Beat eggs with milk.
3. Cream butter and sugar, stir in flour mixture and egg mixture alternately, a little at a time.
4. Lastly add fruit. Mix thoroughly. Place mixture in prepared tin and protect with brown paper.
5. Bake for about 3½-4 hours.
6. Allow to cool then cover with almond paste and leave for 1 week.

N.B. If you prefer a more open texture use self raising flour in place of plain.

Royal Icing

1. If possible, stand the cake on a revolving cake stand or upturned cake tin.
2. Spread the icing on with a palette knife dipped in hot water to ease smoothness of the finish - but avoid making the icing too wet.
3. Cover the cake completely with icing, using sweeping strokes of the knife. Then spread the top smooth. To make the sides straight, bring the palette knife around the cake continuously, holding the knife upright.

N.B. If the cake is to be iced further e.g. piping, leave to stand for 24 hours.