Broiled Peanut Butter and Banana Toast

Peanut Butter and Banana, such a classic combination.

I have always enjoyed a good old peanut butter and banana sandwich on white bread of course!

I decided to fancy it up a bit by using rye bread and broiling it with a drizzle of honey. It was amazing!

What you need,

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2 pieces of Rye bread, or whatever you like

2 tsp. peanut butter

1 banana sliced thinly

1 tsp. honey

Preheat your toaster oven to broil, or if you don’t have a toaster oven your regular oven broiler will be fine.

Spread 1 teaspoon of peanut butter on each slice of bread. Top with the sliced bananas. Drizzle a little honey over each piece of toast.

Broil until the top is caramelized and the toast is toasty.

Stuff in your face, but be careful it’s HOT!

Absolute perfection!

Jen

Meyer Lemon Roasted Chicken

I was so excited when I found some Meyer Lemons awhile back. I had to buy a big bag of them and make as many things as I possibly could.

I have a tendency to lean toward desserts when I think of lemon, but I saw this Meyer Lemon Roasted Chicken on Pinterest and I just had to make it.

It is fantastic! The chicken gets so nice and crispy and the sauce, it is heavenly!

What you need,

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4-6 skin on bone in chicken thighs (trim any excess fat)

2 Meyer lemons cut into ¼ inch slices

5-6 fresh thyme sprigs

Salt and Pepper

For the sauce,

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup Limoncello Lemon Liqueur

¼ cup fresh squeezed Meyer lemon juice

2 tbsp. Stone Ground Mustard

2 tbsp. brown sugar

4 sprigs fresh thyme

Start my whisking all the ingredients for the sauce together in bowl. Remove about half of the sauce and reserve it for later.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper then toss it in half the sauce and let it marinade in the fridge for 2 hours, no longer or it will start to cook the chicken.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade shaking off any excess. Place the pieces on the parchment paper. Spread the lemon slices and sprigs of thyme around the chicken.

Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 45 minutes until the chicken skin is nice and brown and crisp and the chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking put the reserved sauce into a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes until the sauce is reduced a little and get a bit thicker.

When the chicken is cooked, serve with the baked lemon slices and some of the reduced sauce over the top.

If you can’t find Meyer lemons I am sure regular lemons would work just as well. You might need a tich more sugar. Meyer lemons are a bit sweeter than regular old lemons.

Give this recipe a try, you won’t be disappointed!

Enjoy!

Jen

Recipe adapted from The View From Great Island

Asian Style Meatballs with Spicy Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce

Meatballs are always a favorite around here. Whether they are on spaghetti or done sweet and sour style or even stroganoff style, we love them all.

These Asian style meatballs are fantastic, such a different twist on a plain old meatball.

Not only do the meatballs have wonderful Asian flavor but the sauce is friggin fantastic! It would make a great dip for pot stickers too!

What you need,

For the meatballs,

1 lb. lean ground beef

½ small red onion, minced finely

1 green onion, sliced thinly

½ tbsp. minced fresh parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

½ tbsp. soy sauce

½ tbsp. sesame oil

½ lime, juiced

½ tsp. sriracha sauce

½ tbsp. rice wine vinegar

1 tsp. brown sugar

¼ cup panko crumbs

1 egg, beaten

2 tbsp. milk

For the sauce,

1 lime, juiced

2 tsp. sriracha sauce (you can add more or less depending how spicy you like it!)

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tbsp. soy sauce

3 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

½ tbsp. sesame oil

2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated

2 tbsp. brown sugar

Sprouts for topping, optional (I would use them if I was you, they really added a nice pop of flavor and texture!)

White or brown Rice for serving

Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking pan with non-stick spray and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the ground beef, red onion, green onion, parsley, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice, sriracha, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, panko crumbs, egg and milk. Gently mix everything together with your hands until it is well combined. Roll the beef mixture into small meatballs; I used about 2 teaspoons for each one. Place the finished meatballs on the prepared pan.

I made my meatballs earlier in the day and just put them on a plate in the fridge until I was ready to cook them. You could even make them and freeze them in advance.

Bake the meatballs for 20-25 minutes until they are well browned and cooked through. I flipped the meatballs over halfway through cooking.

To make the sauce whisk together the lime juice, sriracha, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and brown sugar.

Adjust the seasonings to your taste, if you want it spicier add more sriracha, or if you want it a bit sweeter add more sugar.

Put the sauce in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

When the meatballs are cooked serve them on a bed of white or brown rice.  Spoon some sauce over the top or serve on the side. Top with a sprinkle of fresh sprouts.

There you have it an absolutely wonderful dinner!

So much flavor and texture, I loved this dinner!

Enjoy!

Jen

Recipe slightly adapted from Heather Christo

Friday Favourite Things Vol. 66 – Milk Frother & A Chai Tea Latte

This week my favourite thing is a milk frother. I can’t believe it has taken me so long to buy one of these things. They are amazing!

When my best friend Brenda was here a few weeks ago she told me I should get one. So I walked over to the Wal Marts and bought myself one for under $10. It is a Chef's Bistro brand.

This thing works like a hot damn!  It runs on 2 double A batteries.

You just heat up your milk in a large-ish container then press the button and in a minute you have perfectly frothed milk.  

I have been making 1 or 3 of these Chai Tea Latte’s a day since I brought this frother home.

All you need to do is brew a Chai tea bag in 1 cup of hot water for 5 minutes. Add a little honey if you like. Heat ½ cup of milk (I have been using 1%) in the microwave for about 1 minute. Froth the milk for 1 minute or so then pour it over the tea. Sprinkle on a little cinnamon and you are in for a treat!

I would highly recommend getting one of these little frothers if you like lattes. I am sure it would make an awesome cup of hot chocolate as well.

I even tried frothing some heavy cream and it whipped it into pretty stiff whip cream in less than 2 minutes, which could be a little dangerous.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend.

Jen

My Mom’s Chicken Cacciatore

This used to be my FAVOURITE meal! I always asked my mom to make it for my birthday or if I was coming home for a visit.

It’s not exactly traditional Chicken Cacciatore but it is delicious all the same.

What you need,

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2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. canola oil

1 28oz. can diced tomatoes

1 16oz. can Hunts Italian tomato sauce

½ cup white wine (my mom’s wine always came from a box so I went out and specifically bought a box, just to be authentic!)

½ medium onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. seasoning salt

1 tsp. dried basil

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. granulated sugar

½ tsp. fresh cracked black pepper

½ lb. dry spaghetti noodles

Parmesan cheese for topping

Put the flour in a large zip top bag, toss the chicken in the bag and give it a good shake to coat the chicken well.

In a large non-stick skillet heat the oil over medium high heat.

Shake off any excess flour from the chicken and cook in the hot oil for 5-6 minutes until well browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium and sauté the onion and garlic until tender, about 4 minutes.  Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping up all the brown bits. Then stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, oregano, basil, hot pepper flakes, sugar and pepper. Simmer for 3-4 minutes, and then stir the chicken back into the sauce.

Meanwhile cook the spaghetti noodles according to package directions. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Toss gently to coat all the noodles in the sauce.

Serve with a little grated Parmesan cheese.

I hadn’t had this pasta in a long time. I am so glad I decided to made it, it is just so tasty. I still think it is better when my Mom makes it. 

Do you hear that Mom, it is better when you make it! That means you need to come visit and make it for me‼

Enjoy!

Jen

Recipe from my Mom!