Chef Hazel C

Chicken & Mushroom Fettucini

How y'all doing? ❤️

Marinating the chicken for at least 2 hours minimum is key to developing the flavours. Giving the chicken some colour enriches the flavour too. By the time we are eating this. It’ll be heaven.

We recently had jollof and baked chicken. That sauce is everything.

Made Blueberry coffee cake last night.

book post...

I’ll be posting the recipe tomorrow. Had to modify it a little today. This one will knock you out.

Seriously.

Hey guys

It’s okay to use my recipes but it’s wrong to present them as yours including my pictures. This is my work. I don’t just get up and throw things together. I take time to develop the recipes.

Please be courteous to mention the source or share the recipe not to poach them. Thank you kindly.

I’m saying this because I got a message from someone saying they saw my recipe and pics elsewhere and the person didn’t mention my page. Disheartening to say the least.

Let’s do better.

I made a mixed herb focaccia for tonight’s dinner.

I hope my husband actually finds it because I could eat it all.

One day, sooner than you think, you’ll be coming to my table.

Can’t wait for our December menu to take flight because baby!!! It’s all fond memories of my grandma and mother and I’ll try to put their names on the map! 🥰❤️❤️

My garlic Parmesan sauce is for the book. But I used it last night. Had to cook that chicken though 😂🤣

It was so good!!! Too good.

Old habits 😂🤣

I will spend some time thinking what my side will be. I finished it off with some lime & thyme then set it in the fridge.

This reminded me of chef Andrew back at work.

Smoked Chicken Brine.

Ingredients:

8 cups of water
1/2 cup of kosher salt (make sure it’s this salt please)
1/3 cup of brown sugar
6 whole cloves
1 tsp of ginger
4 cloves of garlic
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp liquid smoke

Method:

Put everything in a pot and bring to a boil then turn it off once boiled. Leave to completely cool.

I’ll be brining my chicken breast tomorrow and cooking it 2 days later. 🤓

See yah soon.

I’ll be brini

So, not only did my husband get me a laptop he got me some jars & baking tools.

He pays attention even when I’m just saying it in passing.

Can’t wait to make stuff and store them away. I’m definitely going to need more jars 😂.

My husband is such an amazing cook too. He prepared us some jerk chicken and it was off the charts. He hasn’t given me his recipe though 😂.

I simply used my left over pesto sauce to add to some left over rice. The two blended well together I must say but the star of the meal is that jerk chicken!

Too good.

Back in my country Zambia, my grandmother always made a feast during Christmas until she stopped celebrating it, my mum still carries on the tradition. Rice & Chicken are the staple and we also do potatoes, there has to be cake or trifle dessert. When it’s a big party, you’re having ice cream in there too.

Feasting, watching cartoons in the early morning such as A Christmas Carol always invited the Christmas spirit to celebrate. In America people decorated with a Christmas tree but we didn’t, in Zambia we were more on music, food, and sharing time with family & going to church.

This carried on when we moved to Botswana, one thing we’d do is first go to church! We always make sure we remember why we celebrated Christmas, Jesus Christ. It was more about Him than us. It was more like we ought to remember to love & give just as the Heavenly Father gave us Jesus.

For unto us a Son is given, unto us a child is Born!

This Christmas I would like to preserve the memories I shared with my family through food that we cooked.

Stay tuned.

Banana Muffins:

One thing about me is I studied hot kitchen with basics in baking but is really love to go pro with baking too. One day is one day. In the mean time I make simple delights like these muffins.

Ingredients:

1 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2tsps ground cinnamon
1tsp ground nutmeg
1tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda
1/2tsp salt

4 ripe bananas (I let mine get over ripe) mashed
1 large egg, room temperature
3tbsp whole fat milk
6tbsp melted butter
1tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup brown sugar (or regular white is fine if you don’t have any)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and prepare 12 cup muffin tray with liners. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, beat, egg, sugar, milk, bananas, vanilla extract, and melted butter until well combined. Then pour wet ingredients into dry & mix until well combined, don’t over mix.

3. Scoop batter into liners and bake for 25 minutes or until clean pick passes through.

Enjoy.

Spinach pesto pasta with baked Salmon.

For the pesto:

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
Sprig of fresh Basil
1/2 a bunch of baby spinach
Juice of one lemon
Sea salt

- blend together till desired consistency.

For the salmon:

Salt and pepper
Lemon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dill
Tbsp olive oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 400F and prepare the salmon on an oven proof pan. On a separate pan prepare cherry tomatoes with some olive oil, thyme, oregano and salt to season.

Once oven is ready, set the salmon and tomatoes in. Then boil your choice of pasta according to instructions. Once done, rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process then set back into the pot and pour in half of the pesto and mix well.

Once done, serve pasta on a plate and top it with the tomatoes and salmon.

Enjoy

Chicken Sharwama

Now, I had this idea to do a tandoori chicken Sharwama but I ran out of time but still wanted my wrap. I opted to do it very simple and let the sauce do all the talking.

I love lots of avo so I put it on the side. The wrap itself only has chicken & fries. I could use a pickle in there. But only worked with what was in my kitchen.

This could a good starter recipe for you.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, sliced into strips.

Seasoning:

Sharwama spice
Salt & pepper
Cajun (snuck that one in)
1tbsp olive oil
1.5 tbsps Greek yogurt.

Readily made fries

For the sauce:

2tbsp mayonnaise
3 tbsps yogurt
1/2 tsp dill
1 tsp lemon pepper
3 tbsp garlic powder
Pinch of salt to taste.

Method:

Marinade the chicken strips in the yogurt and seasoning spices. And set in the fridge for 1 1/2 to 2hrs.

Once ready to prepare, sauté the marinated chicken in a skillet until cooked through but still tender and moist. Set aside

Warm up a tortilla wrap and assemble starting with the sauce then the chicken and the fries. Scoop the left over sauce to serve as a dip.

You may also add pepper, baby spinach, lettuce, slices of red onion according to your desire.

Serve with side of your choice.

Enjoy.

I made some chicken stock last night in a crockpot.

I used chicken necks because I love their flavour. I wish I had some backs to throw in there too lol.

If you have a crockpot or slow cooker you can make this stock on low for 12hrs like I did.

Ingredients:

1pack of chicken necks or about 12 chicken necks. You can always add more. The more the better.

Mirepoix
- Half a large brown onion quartered
- 2 large carrots cut in chunks
-4 stalks of celery cut in chunks

Aromatics

- 6 cloves of garlic
- sprigs of thyme
- a bunch of green onions cut in chunks

1tbsp tomato paste.

Method:

Pre heat oven at 400F, and once ready, grill the necks for 20 minutes.

Place all ingredients in crockpot and cook on the low setting for 12hrs. I started this at 6pm last night and turned it off at 6am this morning.

I’ll strain it through a sieve once it’s cooled and then place it in a container & refrigerate.

My husband baked chicken last night and this afternoon I decided to repurpose the chicken and the sauce into a chicken mayo sandwich. And it’s giving everything.

I shredded half a breast, added the juices that were now gelatinous and concentrated, Caesar dressing and mayonnaise and topped it off with some fresh thyme and dill. 😍

So good.

Hey Guys!

What’s one Key ingredient in your kitchen that you can’t go without?

Be it a spice, protein, starch or vegetable! I’d like to see if I can whip something up with YOUR list of ingredients.

Went out for ice cream but ended up eating mango because I missed home. I eat them with salt & vinegar now but unfortunately they’d no vinegar today🥲.