Crumbed and Stuffed Chicken!

Ahhh this was tonight's dinner! Crumbed chicken with pancetta, spinach, sundried tomato pesto and cheese! :) I roasted some potatos for the side dish, and to make it complete, sliced up some cucumber! :)

This was fairly yum!!! A bit of work though, because of the assembling, and also because you had to first coat it with flour, then dip it in the egg + milk mixture, then coat it with breadcrumbs, leave it in the fridge for 30mins, then pan fry it each side to get it nice and brown, then place it in the oven for about 10mins or until the chicken is cooked through!

This is the first time I'm using pancetta... hmmm... I think I may go for bacon next time, because I could hardly feel or taste the effects of the pancetta... however, I think bacon may be a little too strong....

I'm not sure if my picture does justice to the chicken, but it was quite a satisfying meal!

Do have a go when inspiration hits you! :)

'Tis the Season to be Jolly!!!

8 Days to go before Christmas!!!

I love this time of the year! :) The cheer, the festivity, the relaxed atmosphere, the christmas carols, just everything about December! I wish December lasted a little longer than a month... :) Anyway, so I had big plans to bake, and maybe even do a Christmas cake... but with 8 days to go, none of it has happened :( - There will be always be the hope for Christmas 2007.

However, we had a christmas dinner for the YAs, and Janice and I were placed in charge of catering dinner for 60 young adults!!! It was a huge task, at times seemed too large and a mountain too high to climb, but we had so much fun, and Janice is absolutely amazing with her decorations and food ideas! So we had heaps of fun!!!

Thank you to all the wonderful people who helped us out! :) Couldnt have done it without you! :)

Incase I don't see or speak to you guys soon, just want to...
wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a very blessed 2007!!!
May 2007 be an even better year for you, with more dreams coming true and success in everything you do! :)

Thanks for reading my blog - may 2007 bring even more food and cooking inspiration!!! :)

Check out the photos below.........

The beginning of the feast for the night....

Another view of the food... :)

The yummy ham Eulynn roasted....

The turkey I roasted... not exactly the best shot but thank God it worked out well.
Did you know turkey porridge is extremely yummy??? :)

The summer berry trifle that I made! :)
(check out the cool food labels that Janice made!!!)

Perfect Mini Fruit tarts!

Heyhey!!! Yes I know, it has been so long since I last blogged! I just realised there were NO entries in November! I have been pretty busy, didn't bake all that much actually, on reflection. But promise there will be a few more entries coming up! Okay for the first time ever, I made proper custard.... this is called pastry cream, and it was really good! But I want to modify it next time... I'll post the recipe below and write little notes at the bottom on how I would modify it. It was really delicious, a little bit too sweet (which is why i would suggest the following modications), I used real vanilla instead of the essence... it was a pastry cream hence if you want it a little firmer, you prob should add in more cornstarch. But this certainly beats the box custard! So try it sometime! :) No, I didn't make the shortcrust pastry - bought the mini tarts (Pampus) brand - follow instructions, real simple and totally yummy! I brushed some gelatine over the top of the fruit.

Perfect summer treat especially when chilled!!! :)

2 cups half-and-half (mixture of milk and cream)
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated white sugar
A pinch of salt (1/8 tsp.)
5 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Heat the half-and-half, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and salt in a saucepan until the mixture simmers. Stir occasionally to dissolve sugar.

2. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks in a bowl until smooth. Whisk in the remaining sugar (2 tablespoons) with the egg yolks. Whisk the mixture for about about 15 seconds. Whisk in the cornstarch and keep whisking for about 30 seconds.

3. When the half-and-half mixture is simmering, gradually add the the hot milk/cream mixture to the egg yolks, only a little at a time. Return the mixture to the pan and simmer until the mixture is thick and shiny, about 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla. If you prefer a smooth pastry cream, strain the mixture through a sieve. Refrigerate the pastry cream for at least 3 hours, until it is cold. You can keep it for two days!

Source: http://kokonuggetyumyum.blogspot.com/2005/05/biggest-disappointment-ever-strawberry.html#111638886260095363

*Liz's modifications: Here is what I would suggest for next time - mind you, I havent tried this modified version, just some thoughts I had after tasting it - it is fairly sweet, so I would cut down the sugar by 1/3. I would perhaps add in an extra tablespoon of the cornstarch*