Caramelized Baked Chicken

Ingredients:

One whole chicken, cut into pieces

3/4 Cup of honey

1/2 Cup of Soy Sauce

1/4 Cup of Ketchup

2-3 Cloves of minced garlic

Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (180 C).  Place the chicken legs in a foil-lined baking dish.  The foil just makes the clean up easier, it is not essential.  Lay the chicken pieces out and give them a good sprinkling of salt and pepper on both sides.  In a bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce and the ketchup.  Stir well and then add the minced garlic and stir again.  If the mixture does not combine well, microwave it for 30 seconds and then stir again.  Pour the honey mixture over the chicken.  

Put the pan in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.  Take the chicken out of the oven and rotate it so that the bottom that was in the sauce is now on top out of the sauce.  Put the chicken back in the oven.  Raise the heat to 425 and bake until the sauce is bubbly and starts to caramelize on the chicken.  This should take about 15 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the oven and let it to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe Credit:   http://www.blessthismessplease.com/2012/11/chicken-legs.html

Potato Skins

This is a comfort food for me !!  It's fairly easy & reminds me of appetizers at restaurants in the States.  We make it as a dinner meal around our house.

Ingredients:

8 potatoes, scrubbed clean

4 Tablespoons of oil

Salt to Taste

2 Tablespoons of Butter, melted

1 1/2 Cups of Cheese (I like to use Mama's Cheddar when I can get it, otherwise I use provolone)

8 slices (or more) of bacon, fried and chopped

1 small onion, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the whole potatoes on a cookie sheet and brush them with a good coating of oil.  Sprinkle them with salt & bake them for 35 to 45 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the skin is starting to crisp. 

When the potatoes are done, slice them potato in half lengthwise.  Then use a spoon to scoop out the middle of each potato - making sure to leave a rim around the edge of each half.  Scoop out the insides.  You can store them in a plastic container in the fridge for another use (like potato salad??).  Raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees.  Brush the skins on the inside with the melted butter, then put them back in the oven for 3 minutes.  After that, use tongs to turn the skins to the other side.  Brush that side with more butter and return the skins to the oven until crisp, 3-4 minutes.  Remove them from the oven.  Fill the skins with a small amount of cheese and place them in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese.  Sprinkle on the bacon and onions.  Serve immediately!  Enjoy!

Recipe Credit - The Pioneer Woman Cooks - A Year of Holiday's -  Page 36

Hummus - Our new favorite hummus recipe

My husband found this recipe online & I don't know what website he found it on so I don't know the recipe credit.  This has become our new favorite "Go To" hummus recipe!  It's great for snacks, for an all veggie/hummus dinner, etc.  

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Tahini

1/2 Cup Lemon Juice

2 cloves of Garlic (chopped)

4 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Cumin

1 teaspoon Salt

 2 Cans of Chickpeas (Garbonza Beans)

Optional - 1/2 teaspoon Chipotle Chili Powder (if you like a kick to your hummus)

Add the tahini and lemon juice to the food processor (or blender) and power for 1 minute.  Add the minced garlic cloves, olive oil, cumin and salt to the mixture and process this for about one minute.  Scrape the sides and then process it for another minute.  Drain the chickpeas, then add half of them (1 can) to the processor and mix it for 1 minute.  Scrape the sides and then add the second can of drained chickpeas.  Process the mixture for 2 minutes.  Scrape the bowl and add 6 Tablespoons of water while the mixture is running.  Add the chipotle chili powder (if you want a kick) and mix it for 1 more minute.  

Stick it in a container or put it on a plate or bowl with a little olive oil drizzled on top.  

This makes a lot & it is great for a quick healthy snack!