Cajun Fries

Oh man, these were so good! I served them as a side to sloppy joes and corn on the cob.  I used sweet potatoes and regular potatoes.  The regular potatoes were way better than the sweet potatoes, but the sweet potatoes were still good enough to include next time. 

Ingredients:

•  2 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• a few shakes of cayenne 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 Tbs olive oil
• 2 regular potatoes 
• 2 sweet potatoes

What you do: 

1. Preheat oven to 230 C (450 F)
2. Slice potatoes into thirds and then slice each portion into 3 or 4 wedges.  
3. Mix the spices and olive oil together in a bowl, add the potatoes and coat thoroughly.
4. Spread out into a single layer onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until done! ENJOY!

Herbed breaded chicken

This one was great! I served with a potato bake dish that wasn't anything special.  Next time I will serve with potatoes au gratin and a vegetable.  Recipe from here.

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of chicken legs (mixed drumsticks and thighs are fine too - about 8 medium sized pieces)
• 2-3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 T. parsley (dried or fresh is fine)
• 2/3 sprigs fresh rosemary (dried is also fine - about 1 1/2 -2 T. will do)
• 6 leaves chopped fresh basil (dried is fine)
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 T. red wine vinegar 
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1/3 c. plain bread crumbs 
• 1-2 T. butter

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180 C fan forced)
2. Place chicken parts in a bowl, add garlic, all herbs (dried or fresh), salt, pepper, vinegar and olive oil and toss/coat chicken very well
3. Sprinkle bread crumbs over top (bread crumbs will absorb all liquid) and coat chicken
4. Lay chicken out in a roasting pan - be sure to place any bits of the bread crumb coating on the chicken, as the goodness should not go to waste
5. Pat with butter on top and roast for 35 minutes
6. Once chicken is cooked through, finish off in the broiler for 3-5 minutes (watch well so it doesn’t burn) so bread crumbs darken and chicken fat crisps
7. Remove chicken from pan and place on a dish

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Yum! This was great! Like, seriously amazing! I got the recipe from here.  The only thing I might do differently next time is perhaps use a touch less sugar. Although, I'm not sure I want to mess with this sauce too much because it really was great.

*Note: if you like extra sauce, double the sauce ingredients – pour half over the chicken and follow the baking directions in the recipe and pour the other half in a small saucepan. Cook the sauce on the stovetop at a simmer for 8-10 minutes until it reduces and thickens. Serve it on the side of the chicken.
*Serves 4-6

Chicken:

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup canola oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce:

• ¾ cup sugar (try using a bit less next time) 
• 4 tablespoons ketchup
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes so it is evenly coated with the sauce. Serve over rice.