Crispy Baked Chicken Legs

These are so easy and so delicious!!  Flavorful, crispy skin outside and tender, juicy meat inside!  Best part, kids just love eating them!!

Enjoy!

Kirsten

CRISPY BAKED CHICKEN LEGS

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/4 teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 pounds chicken legs with skin on

1)  Preheat oven to 425F.  Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2)  Mix spices in a small dish and set aside.

3)  Lay chicken legs on greased foil and brush each leg with olive oil.

4)  Sprinkle the seasoning mix over each leg.

5)  Bake 40-45 minutes or until browned and meat thermometer registers 165 degrees or higher.

6)  Cool for at least 10 minutes and serve with your favorite sides.

NOTES:

~I always use Kosher salt when I'm cooking.

~Sometimes I throw a little garlic powder in with the spices too.  You can change it up if you like!

Best Ever Italian Meatloaf

A friend gave me this recipe years ago (sorry it took me so long to post it) and it is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES!!!  It's so flavorful, delicious and simple to make!!  I am confident you'll love it as much as I do!

Enjoy!

Kirsten

BEST EVER ITALIAN MEATLOAF

2 large eggs

1 onion, quartered

3 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the kind with the green label)

1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

2 pounds ground beef

1 pound Italian sausage

For The Sauce:

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

2 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

2 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Topping:

8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.

2)  Add the first 9 ingredients to a food processor or a good blender.  Process well for a minute or two until the mixture is smooth.

3)  Add this mixture to the meat in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and mix together thoroughly.

4)  For the sauce, just use the same food processor/blender, you don't even need to rinse it.  Add the 7 sauce ingredients to the food processor/blender and process until smooth.

5)  Pour half of the sauce into the baking dish with the meat mixture and mix well.  Press the meat out flat and pour the remaining sauce over the top, then top with the mozzarella cheese.

6)  Bake 50 minutes.

7)  Cool 10 minutes, then cut into squares and enjoy!

NOTES:

~The meat loaf will shrink up as it bakes and it will release a lot of juices.  I usually get rid of about 1/2 of the juices and keep half to pour over the pieces as you serve them.

~After storing any leftovers in the fridge, the fat will come to the top and solidify.  I discard it and just use the juice that remains underneath.

~You can leave the sugar out or add a bit more if you like it a little sweeter.

~This recipes goes well with a nice tossed salad and some garlic bread!

Tanghulu

This treat originated in China!  Believe it or not, my 13 year old son saw it on Tik Tok and was dying to try it. We did, and it was super yummy and super easy too!!  We did strawberries the first time and they were delicious.  We learned a few tricks in the process that I will share with you.  We made it again and tried cutie orange segments and grapes in addition to the strawberries.  My son loved the oranges, I thought they tasted a little weird, but weren't horrible.  The grapes were delicious and of course the strawberries are probably the favorite!  What a great crunch and so fun to eat!!

Enjoy!

Kirsten

TANGHULU

Fruit of your choosing (strawberries, grapes, orange segments)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

1)  Lay out some wax paper on a cookie sheet.  Spray the paper lightly with coconut oil cooking spray.  Rub it with your hand to spread the oil out thinly and evenly, you don't want too much.  Set aside.

2) Pour the sugar and water into a small saucepan.  Do not stir it.  Just give it a little shake in the pan to combine the two slightly.

3) Put over medium heat until the mixture becomes bubbly and golden brown. DO NOT STIR!

4)  As soon as it turns golden brown, turn the heat down slightly and quickly dip your fruit and set aside on the prepared wax paper.

5) Place the tray in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes so the fruit can cool.  Then pop them in your mouth and enjoy!

NOTES:

~We used fondue forks to dip, but you could also use skewers, or even toothpicks, but be careful, you definitely don't want to get this on you!!  I wouldn't let young children dip, since the mixture is sticky and very, very hot!!

~Dip quickly so the mixture doesn't burn!

~This coats maybe 10-15 pieces, depending on the size.  Double the recipe to do more fruit!

~If you don't wait for it to brown, it won't harden, so be patient! Turning the heat up too high will only burn it, not make it go faster!

~I recommend cutting the leaves off the strawberries so you can just pop them into your mouth when they are done!  If you bite into it, the coating can easily break apart and fall off.