A Flavorful Appetizer for Every Occasion

Caprese skewers are a delicious and refreshing appetizer that combines the flavors of ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, and fragrant basil. Here's a simple recipe to make Caprese skewers: 

Ingredients:

• Cherry or grape tomatoes
• Fresh mozzarella cheese balls (bocconcini)
• Fresh basil leaves
• Balsamic glaze (optional)
• Skewers or toothpicks

Instructions:

1. Rinse the tomatoes and basil leaves under cold water. Pat them dry with a paper towel.
2. Drain the mozzarella cheese balls if they come in liquid.
3. Take a skewer or toothpick and start assembling the skewers. Begin by threading a tomato onto the skewer.
4. Follow with a basil leaf folded in half or torn into smaller pieces for better presentation.
5. Next, add a mozzarella ball.
6. Repeat the tomato, basil, and mozzarella layer until you've reached your desired number of skewers.
7. Arrange the Caprese skewers on a platter or serving dish.
8. If desired, drizzle balsamic glaze over the skewers for added flavour and decoration.
9. Serve the Caprese skewers immediately as an appetizer or finger food.
10. Note: You can get creative with the presentation by arranging the skewers in a circular pattern or alternating the colors of the tomatoes (using both red and yellow varieties, for example). You can also sprinkle some salt and pepper over the skewers for additional seasoning if desired.

Enjoy your homemade Caprese skewers!

HOMEMADE CHICKEN NUGGETS WITH SICHUAN SPICES

 Homemade Chicken Nuggets with Sichuan Spices are your kid favorite all grown up. Spicy, flavorful, and juicy, you're gonna want to make these nuggets ASAP.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
• Salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon Sichuan chili flakes
• ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1½ cups plain dried breadcrumbs
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and fresh black pepper. Set aside.
2. In a dry pan, toast the Sichuan peppercorns and chili flakes until fragrant. Grind the spice mixture with a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Stir in a teaspoon of salt, and set aside.
3. Prepare your breading assembly line by getting 3 shallow dishes. In the first dish, add ⅔ cup all purpose flour. In the second dish, beat 2 eggs together with 2 tablespoons water. In the third and final dish, mix together 1½ cups plain dried breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, and more salt and pepper to taste.
4. Bread the chicken a few pieces at a time by first dredging them in flour, then coating them in egg, and finally coating them in the seasoned breadcrumbs. Shake off any excess breadcrumb and set aside on a plate.
5. Meanwhile, heat a ½ inch of vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. When the oil reaches 375 degrees F, and all your chicken has been breaded, fry them in batches until golden on all sides. This will take about 3 minutes per batch, flipping the nuggets as needed. Ensure the oil temperature comes back up to 375 degrees before frying each batch. After they’re fried, immediately sprinkle with your ground spice and salt mixture.
6. 
   
7. Repeat until all the chicken nuggets have been fried. Serve!

Crispy Honey Chilli Potatoes So Easy To Make at Home!

Crispy Honey Chilli Potatoes are a super addictive snack – fried potato fingers are tossed in a sesame honey chilli sauce that’s sweet and spicy and will give you sticky fingers that you’ll be licking. You can use the same recipe to make honey chilli cauliflower, honey chilli mushrooms, honey chilli lotus stem etc – the possibilities are really endless!

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

 

Cook Time: 30 minutes

 

Yield: 4 Servings

 

Category: Appetiser

 

Method: Deep Frying

 

Cuisine: Chinese

DESCRIPTION

Crispy Honey Chilli Potatoes are a super addictive snack – fried potato fingers are tossed in a sesame honey chilli sauce that’s sweet and spicy and will give you sticky fingers that you’ll be licking to get every last bit of sauce!

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INGREDIENTS

• 4-5 medium Potatoes, peeled and cut into fingers
• Oil for deep frying

First Coating:

• 2 teaspoon Chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Paste
• 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Paste
• 3 tablespoon Corn Flour
• 3 tablespoon All Purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoon Salt

Second Coating:

• 3 tablespoon All Purpose Flour
• 3 tablespoon Corn Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 2-3 tablespoon Water

For the Sauce:

• 2 tablespoon Oil
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped Garlic
• 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Flakes
• 3 tablespoon White Sesame Seeds
• 1 teaspoon Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Soy Sauce
• 2 tablespoon Tomato Ketchup
• 1 1/2 tablespoon Honey
• 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Paste
• 1/4 cup Water + 1 teaspoon Corn Flour mixed to make a slurry
• 2 tablespoon chopped Spring Onion (green part only)

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash potato fingers well in running water and set aside. This removes any extra starch in the potatoes.
2. Mix together corn flour, all purpose flour, chilli powder, chilli paste and salt. Coat the potato fingers evenly with this flour mix. Heat oil in a wok or karahi and deep fry the potato fingers in batches till the potato is half cooked. It’s important that you drop one potato finger at a time in to the oil so that they don’t stick together (watch video above to see how to do this). Remove the potato fingers on a tissue lined plate and let them cool.
3. For the second coating, make a medium thick batter with all purpose flour, corn flour and pepper powder by adding just a few tablespoons of water. Dip the half done fries in this batter and fry again in hot oil till crisp and golden. Drain on a kitchen paper and keep aside.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in another wok, add chopped garlic and stir fry for a few seconds. Add chili flakes and sesame seeds and saute for another minute to toast them. Now add vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, honey and the red chili paste and stir together. Mix corn flour with 1/4 cup water to make a slurry and add this to the honey- vinegar mixture in the wok and stir for a few seconds till it thickens.
5. Add the fried potato fingers and spring onion greens and toss together so that they are coated evenly in sauce. Switch off the flame and serve immediately garnished with some more sesame seeds and spring onion greens.

NOTES

• You may adjust the quantity of honey as per your taste
• Its important to cut the potato fingers evenly so that they cook evenly
• You will need approximately two cups oil for deep frying, and you can use the same oil for the second frying
• A wok is the best way to coat the potatoes in sauce, because it provides enough space to toss them around, but if you don’t have one, feel free to use a frying pan

Top 5 Favorite Real Simple Recipes

Top 5 Favorite Real Simple Recipes

Recipes#04

Roasted Poblano Corn Chowder

INGREDIENTS:

. 5 to 6 large poblano green chiles (to yield 1 1/2 cups roasted, peeled, and chopped), (can sub canned chopped green chiles, enough to yield 1 to 1 1/2 cups, the amount depends on how hot the chiles are)
. 3 Tbsp butter
. 2 medium onions, diced (about 2 1/2 cups)
. 2 ribs celery, diced (about 3/4 cup)
. 1 clove garlic, minced (1 teaspoon)
. 2 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks (10 - 12 ounces)
. 4 ears of corn (enough to yield 4 cups of corn kernels), or 4 cups of corn
. 5 cups chicken stock
. 1 teaspoon kosher salt
. 2 bay leaves
. 1 teaspoon ground cumin
. 1/2 teaspoon dry oregano
. 1 cup heavy cream
. 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
. 2 limes, one sliced for garnish, one for juice (can substitute lemon juice)


Method:

Step 1
Roasting-chiles-for-corn-chowder-1 roasting-chiles-for-corn-chowder-2
Roast the chiles. There are lots of ways to do this (see How to Roast Green Chiles over an Open Flame), I tend to just put them either directly on the flame, or in one of those grill pans with holes in them, over the gas flame. You can roast them on a grill or under a broiler. Just make sure they get blackened all over. Then put them in a bowl, cover the bowl and let them steam. When they've cooled down enough to touch, use your fingers or a dampened paper towel to strip off the charred bits. Cut them open, remove and discard the stem, seed pod and inside veins. Roughly chop the chiles and set aside.
poblano-corn-chowder-1a poblano-corn-chowder-2

Step 2
Melt butter in a 5 to 6 quart heavy-bottomed pot on medium high heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onions and the celery, stir to coat with the butter. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, lowering the heat to medium, until the onions and celery are softened and are beginning to brown.

Step 3
While the onions are cooking, if using fresh corn on the cob, cut the fresh kernels of corn away from the cobs.
poblano-corn-chowder-3 poblano-corn-chowder-4

Step 4
Once the onions and celery are beginning to brown, add the garlic and cook for a minute more. Add the potatoes and the stock to the pot. Add the bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Increase heat and bring to a simmer. Lower heat to maintain a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes until the potatoes are just cooked through.
poblano-corn-chowder-5 poblano-corn-chowder-6

Step 5
Add the corn kernels to the pot and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until cooked through. Add the chopped roasted poblanos to the pot.
poblano-corn-chowder-7 poblano-corn-chowder-8

Step 6

Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the cream. Add black pepper, more or less to taste. At this point, if you want a thicker base for your chowder, you can use an immersion blender or standup blender to purée about a third of the soup.

Recipes#
4/5

Easy Garlic Chicken

A quick, easy chicken recipe for days when you don't want to spend time in the kitchen. Even finicky people will eat it. Goes great with traditional potatoes or rice. As it bakes, the garlic and sugar will melt into a sweet glaze. Customize with your favorite herbs or spices..

Easy Garlic Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

    . 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
    . 4 garlic cloves, minced
    . 4 tablespoons brown sugar
    . 1 tablespoon olive oil
    . additional herbs and spices, as desired

Directions:

    1 Preheat oven to 450°F Line a baking dish or cookie sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with cooking spray or lightly brush with oil.
   
2. In small sauté pan, sauté garlic with the oil until tender.
   
3. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar. Add additional herbs and spices as desired.
   
4. Season chicken with salt and pepper. .Place breasts in a prepared baking dish and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture.
   
5. Bake uncovered for 15-30 minutes, or until juices run clear. Cooking time will depend on the size and thickness of your chicken.

Baked Garlic Parmesan Potato Wedges

INGREDIENTS:

. 3-4 large russet potatoes, sliced into wedges
. 4 tablespoons olive oil
. 2 teaspoons salt
. 2 teaspoons garlic powder
. 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
. ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
optional: fresh parsley (or cilantro), ranch or blue cheese dressing for dipping

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a large baking sheet and set aside.

2. Place potato wedges in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. In a small bowl whisk together salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Sprinkle potato wedges with the shredded cheese, tossing to coat, then sprinkle with the seasoning mixture.

3. Place potato wedges on prepared baking sheet in a single layer with skin-sides-down. Bake for 25-35 minutes until potatoes are fork-tender and golden. Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and dressing for dipping.

Caramel Raspberry Banana Napoleon

INGREDIENTS:

. 1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls
. 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
. 1 cup milk
. 1 box (4-serving size) French vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
. 1 cup Cool Whip or whipped cream
. 3 large bananas
. 1 1/2 cups sliced raspberries
. Caramel Topping

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F.

2. Unroll dough and separate into 4 rectangles. Pinch perforations to seal. Use rolling pin to smooth out pinched perforation (optional)

3. Cut each rectangle into four pieces, forming 3x2-inch rectangles . Place on ungreased or parchment lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle each with brown sugar.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, beat milk and pudding mix with wire whisk until mixture begins to thicken and refrigerated for 30 minutes until nice and set.

6. Fold in whipped topping. (for advanced preparation you can stop here, cover pudding and refrigerate for several hours until ready to serve)

7. To serve, build each napoleon by starting with one of the crispy crescent squares. Dollop on the vanilla pudding mixture. Top with sliced fruit. Add a second crescent crisp and more of the pudding and fruit. Top with a third crisp, a spoonful of pudding, one raspberry and banana slice and drizzle with caramel topping.

Best Ever Blueberry Cobbler

INGREDIENTS:

For the Blueberry Filling
. 6 cups (30 ounces or 850 grams) fresh blueberries, sorted, rinsed and dried
. 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
. 2 teaspoons (4 grams) freshly grated lemon zest
. 3 tablespoons (22.5 grams) all-purpose flour, such as Gold Medal®

For the Buttery Biscuit Crumble Topping
. 1 cup plus 5 tablespoons (157.5 grams) all-purpose flour, such as Gold Medal®
. 6 tablespoons (75 grams) granulated sugar
. 1½ teaspoons (7.2 grams) baking powder
. ¼ teaspoon (1.5 grams) salt
. 6 tablespoons (¾ stick or 84.75 grams) unsalted butter, chilled & cut into bits
. 1 large egg (mine weighed 52 grams w/o shell), slightly beaten
. 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
. 1 tablespoon (12.5 grams) granulated sugar
. ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
. ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg, optional

Preparation:

1. Arrange oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 375ºF. Lightly butter 10-inch round quiche plate, pie plate or 2-quart baking dish. I like to use my 10-inch round French White Corningware® Quiche/Pie Plate.

2.Prepare the Blueberry Filling: Place blueberries into prepared baking dish. In a small bowl, combine sugar and lemon zest. (I like to work the zest into the sugar with my fingers to release the essential oils for maximum flavor.) Add the flour and whisk until thoroughly combined. Sprinkle mixture evenly over berries in prepared baking dish and toss gently. Make sure the sugar and flour mixture is evenly distributed over the fruit with no mounding in the center or in any one place. This will ensure the sugar will caramelize and the flour will thicken evenly throughout the cobbler with the berry juices. Set aside.

3. Prepare the Buttery Biscuit Crumble Topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until well combined. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles a coarse meal with small pea-sized pieces of butter. In a small bowl, whisk vanilla into beaten egg using a fork. With a fork, gently toss beaten egg and vanilla into flour mixture until moistened and dough starts to hold together. Continue to toss and blend gently with fingertips until well combined yet taking care not to overwork the dough.

4. Assemble the Cobbler: Sprinkle biscuit crumble topping evenly over fruit filling. Sprinkle biscuit crumble topping with sugar and, if desired, dust with freshly grated nutmeg. Alternatively, dust with cinnamon-sugar combining sugar and cinnamon before sprinkling over topping. If desired, dust freshly grated nutmeg over cinnamon-sugar.

5. Bake the Cobbler: Bake in preheated oven until topping is golden brown and filling is cooked through and bubbly, about 40 to 45 minutes. To prevent over-browning of topping, cover with sheet of aluminum foil after 25 minutes of baking. Remove foil and carefully transfer to wire rack to cool.

6. Serve the Cobbler: Serve cobbler warm a la mode or with fresh whipped cream…or both!

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich

INGREDIENTS:

. Pre-made cookie dough (I used Pillsbury)
. ½ gallon of Ice Cream (I used chocolate chip cookie dough)
. Toppings of your choice!
. You could use, Oreo's, sprinkles, chocolate chips, M&M's, peanuts, coconut, candy, fruity pebbles, or anything your kids would like!

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Bake cookies according to package, or you could make your own chocolate chip cookies if you prefer.

2. Let cookies cool completely before putting ice cream on them, or the ice cream will melt.

3. Place a scoop of ice cream on a cookie, and sandwich it with another cookie.

4. Roll in your favorite topping and freeze until ready to eat!

Kahlua Hot Chocolate

INGREDIENTS:

. 2 cups milk
. 2 tablespoons sugar
. 1 1/2 tablespoons Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder
. 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
. Pinch of nutmeg
. 1 ounce Kahlúa coffee liqueur
. Mini marshmallows, for serving
. Salted caramel, for serving
. Chocolate syrup, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a medium saucepan, combine milk, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon and nutmeg over medium heat until heated through, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Kahlúa.

Serve immediately, garnished with mini marshmallows, salted caramel and chocolate syrup, if desired.

Original Old Bay Crab Cakes

INGREDIENTS:

2 slices dried bread, crusts removed
1 Tbs. milk
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 pound lump crabmeat
vegetable oil

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, break bread into small pieces. Moisten with milk.

2. Add mayo, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, baking powder, Old Bay, salt, egg and crabmeat. Mix lightly and shape into 4 patties. Refrigerate patties 30 minutes to help keep them stay formed when cooking.

3. Fill your frying pan with about 1/4″ vegetable oil. Over medium-high heat, fry until golden-brown on both sides. I usually flip every 1 minute to avoid over frying.

Spicy Remoulade Dipping Sauce:

1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup horseradish
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbs. hot sauce
1 tsp. paprika