I think of all the part of the chicken, the wings are my favourite part of all.  There is not a lot of meat on them admittedly, but what there is, is succulent and bone sucking delicious!  And these Crispy Baked Hot Wings are the most delicious of all!

 

They are also rather inexpensive when compared to the rest of the chicken. When I was raising five children, we would often have chicken wings for supper rather than the more expensive other parts.  Ain't nobody was complaining about it either!

 

I would buy a couple of big packages of them and throw them into a large roasting pan, season them all over and then roast them in a hot oven until they were crispy and finger-lickingly delicious.  With five children, you needed a lot of them!

 

Of all the kinds of chicken wing recipes that are out there, I think Hot Wings are my favourite of all. Oh I do like the Hot Wings from KFC, but these . . .  I don't mind saying . . .  are twice as good as those!  Seriously!

 

No frying involved. You just trim the wings, joint them, pat them dry and then shake them with a dry seasoning mixture and bake in a hot oven . . .

 

Until they are golden brown and crispy tasty!

 

While the oven works its magic you heat some more special ingredients to create a spicy sweet sauce.  I use Franks hot sauce in this. I buy it from Amazon at a premium price  . . . but it is worth every penny for dishes like this.

 

Its just Franks and brown sugar and water  . . . heated gently until the sugar completely melts.

 

Once the wings are done and crispy and golden . . .  I toss them into this special sauce  . . .

 

And then I pop them back into the ovn until they are nicely glazed and truly finger-licking delicious to be sure!

 

These are so delicious I could easily be greedy and eat them all by myself, but . . . I share.

  

Coz I'm nice like that.  I enjoy these with some good blue cheese dressing for dipping, but I know some people prefer ranch. Whatever floats your boat!

 

I declare, looking at these photos this morning makes me want to go out and buy some more wings and make this again.  These are truly some delicious.  Naughty perhaps, but very nice! 

 

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Fresh Fruit Bruschetta makes for a beautiful breakfast or brunch dish at the weekend, especially when it is drizzled with a lush Orange-Honey Cream!

 

One of the things I love most about the summer months is the availability of beautiful fresh and local fruit! One of the best ways to showcase and take advantage of it is to serve it every chance you can and this beautiful bruschetta is not only a great way to do that, but its quick, easy and delicious as well!

 

Perfect for when you are entertaining, (not that many of us are doing that at the moment) or even for when it is just you and the family!

  

Like any bruschetta you begin with slices of baguette, which get brushed with melted butter, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and then toasted in a hot oven until they are beautifully crisp and golden around the edges.

 

Once cooled you top them with your favourite fruits.  Today I have used kiwi, mango and strawberries from the garden.  If you are not fond of any of those, substitute them with fruits you do like!

 

Any mix of ripe berries would work beautifully! Can you imagine how tasty strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries would be?

 

Just so long as your fruit is bite sized and the favours go together I think the sky is your limit!

 

These tasty Fresh Fruit Bruschetta are topped with a drizzle of Orange-Honey Cream!

 

If I was using blueberries I would be tempted to use lime instead of orange! Mint also goes well with most berries!

 

I always keep bake at home French baguettes in my freezer, ready to whip out and bake up for delicious options such as these tasty bruschetta!

 

If you think the Honey-Orange Cream is a bit messy for the top, keep it on the thick side and spoon it onto each brushetta before topping with the fruit.

 

On top or beneath, this lush cream is the perfect pairing with everything here.

 

It would be really fun to serve these for a special brunch with some Breakfast Taquitos and Virgin Margheritas (or real ones if you are a drinker!) Maybe throw in something lush for dessert. (Mmmm . . .  cheesecake bites would be wonderful!)

 

Not too big, not too small  . . .

  

These are a perfect two-bite indulgence, each bite bringing you a bit of crisp, creamy, tart, sugary and fruity deliciousness!

 

What combinations of fruit would you use for these if you could?  I think strawberry/blackberry/kiwi would be nice, as would raspberry and peachs or nectarines . . . . banana, pineapple, kiwi and coconut!  You really can let your taste imagination go wild here! 

 

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When I worked at the Manor I always had to have a fresh plate of cooked Chicken Tenders in the refrigerator for the Mrs. to snack on at all times.  I also had to have a tray of fresh vegetables and dip and a tray of devilled eggs at the ready for the Mrs and Mrs.

  

It used to really annoy me if I got them done and in the refrigerator and the daughter came home with her friends and then they snuffled them all up without a second thought.  That meant I would have to make a quick trip to the shops and do them all over again . . .  along with my other duties.    I did not have a very understanding boss.  The daughter and her friends eating all that you had prepared was not a good enough excuse.  Those things had to be there no matter what.   It was my job after all  . . . so I shouldn't really complain.  It wasn't that I didn't like doing these things, I just didn't like having to do them twice in one day.

 

Chicken tenders are  a little strip of meat that is attached to the underside of a chicken breast.  Most of the time you won't actually see them on the breast because they have already been removed and packaged separately, but occasionally you will find them still attached.  This is the most succulent and tender part of a chicken breast, with the exception of the tendon that you can usually see quite clearly running down the length of the tender on one side.  I normally remove this prior to cooking, as it can be quite tough and unappealing.

 

The first way that you can do this is I recommend two ways to grab the tendon with your fingers (or a piece of paper towel) and pull on it while scraping with your knife to release the tendon from the breast. Continue to lift and scrape until the tendon is completely removed. Alternatively, you can use a sharp boning knife and slice along both sides of the tendon (without slicing through the tendon). Then lift any part of the tendon that has been separated from the breast and use your boning knife the cut any parts where the tendon has not cleanly separated from the meat.

 

I have also heard of people using a fork to do this.  Basically you cut around the small piece of the tendon that is already protruding out a little bit, just to get a little better grip on it. Then, slide that end of the tendon through a fork and pull it straight out as the fork holds the chicken in place. You might have to use a paper towel to hold on to the tendon as it has a tendency to slip right through your fingers.  The paper towel helps to hold it in place.

 

Hopefully they will stay all in one piece (the tenders) but occasionally they will tear a bit.  That's not a problem when you are doing some thing that is wrapped in bacon like these ones I am sharing with you today.  The bacon holds them together well.

  

This recipe has to be the Cadillac of chicken tender recipes  . . .  imagine it  . . .  a length of juicy and tender chicken . . . .

 

Rolled in a selection of herbs and spices . . .

 

Wrapped in a rasher of streaky bacon  . . . .

 

Coated in a mix of brown sugar and chili powder  . . .

 

And then baked, until the chicken is cooked through and all of those fabulous flavours from the bacon and spices have been absorbed . . .

 

And the brown sugar and chili mixture has coated them in a sticky sweet layer of finger-licking goodness!

 

Oh boy but these are some good!  Especially if you serve the with a dip for dipping.  Some people like a sour cream ranch dip and others like a honey mustard . . .  still others like a creamy garlic dip.

  

Me, I like them just the way they are. Unadulterated. A lip smacking tasty mix of sweet, spicy and smoky!!

 

This is a really popular finger food for when you are entertaining guests at a cocktail type of affair,  or for when the gang is all gathered  together to watch the big match, children's or teen parties, etc.  In short . . . . anytime. Put it this way, there are never any leftover.