Family-friendly ‘feastivities’

Nothing brings family together more than food. And with everyone in some form of quarantine due to the pandemic of COVID-19, this is a great time to reduce panic and fear by getting the children creatively involved in the culinary ‘feastivities’.

Food enrolled the expertise of Chef Noel Cunningham, who shared four family-friendly favourites from his recently published cookbook, Cuisine by Noel. Quick and easy to prepare, these include his mother’s barbecue chicken recipe, “We would always make this together and it’s now a favourite.” The good chef encourages children participation in the making of the sauce and dipping the chicken, “They will love it.”

Chef Noel also provided the lightly battered seasoned potato wedges, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, noting that your offsprings will appreciate the breading process. Then he journeyed to a palate-pleaser from the freezer, the parfait popsicle – this, he says, can actually be a breakfast or a snack – before making a final stop at dessert with Nutella or chocolate ice cream. Now, who doesn’t love chocolate? See these recipes for more details. Happy cooking!

Mom’s BBQ fried chicken

Ingredients

1 whole fryer chicken

2 eggs

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon paprika

Vegetable oil for frying

 

Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup ketchup

½ cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons white vinegar

½ teaspoon browning

 

Directions

For the sauce, combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. Adjust sweetness or vinegar to your taste and put aside.

For the chicken: In a large bowl, beat the eggs. In another bowl, combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika to season the chicken and put aside to marinate. Add the flour to a third bowl. Dip each piece in the egg, then in the flour until coated well. Lightly dust off excess flour and set aside. Fill a large frying pot with oil and heat to 350°F. Place the chicken parts in and fry until golden and crisp. The thighs and legs will take longer to cook – about 15 minutes – than the breast and wings, which will take about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow the children to dip the parts at the same time in the BBQ sauce. Serve with wedges and enjoy!

Seasoned Potato Wedges with Spicy Green Onion Mayo

Ingredients

2lb (5 large) potatoes

Oil for frying

1 teaspoon salt and pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 tablespoon chopped parsley to garnish

Breading

2 eggs

¼ cup milk

Flour

 

Spicy Green Onion Mayo

Ingredients

¹/4 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons hot sauce

1 stalk scallions, finely chopped

 

Directions

Wash and scrub potatoes until clean, then cut each potato in half lengthwise. Next, cut each half in half lengthwise again, and then, cut each piece in half lengthwise again until you have eight wedges. (Make sure they are about the same thickness and size.) In a large pot with boiling salted water, add wedges and cook until just tender. Combine in a small bowl the salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and seasoned salt, then pour half of the season mix over cooked potatoes and drizzle with one tablespoon of oil and put aside. Whisk together eggs and milk together then set aside. In a separate bowl, combine flour with the remaining season mix. Take a handful of potato and dip into egg mixture, then dip into seasoned flour and fry in hot oil for five to seven minutes per batch or until golden.

 

Parfait Popsicle

Ingredients

1 cup of yogurt

¼ cup of berries

¼ cup of granola

 

Directions

Layer yogurt, berries and granola in popsicle mould and freeze overnight. Enjoy the next morning, afternoon or evening.

 

Nutella or Chocolate Ice Cream

Ingredients

2 cups whipping cream

3/4 cup condensed milk

1 1/4 cup Nutella or chocolate

1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions

In a mixing bowl, whip the cream until light and fluffy, then put aside. Add the remaining ingredients in a separate container and stir to combine. Add to whipping cream mixture, stirring to incorporate both. Add to an airtight container with a lid for up to four hours. Freeze overnight. This has a serving size of six people.

You can find out more about Chef Noel, along with his innovative and tasty recipes, on his website: www.cuisinebynoel.com, or follow him on Instagram: @iamchefnoel

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com