Excitement is in the air this time of the year in most of the western world with Christmas on the way.
The malls are all decked out in brand new decorations & festive lights, Christmas songs can be heard all around and shelves are heavily laden with gifts for young and old. Poor old Santa Claus is everywhere but looks different every time one turns the corner; young ones and old ones, skinny ones and pot-bellied ones! Some look quite authentic and others really fake.
While we have been programmed to spend...spend...and spend again at this time of the year, we really should consider making our own Gifts, something I was inspired to do this year when I saw the theme for Season 3's finale - Cook with us #34 - Secret Santa, run by the awesome team of @chefsteve, @offoodandart and @pandamama.
A big thank you also to @curie and @sneaky-ninja for the generous sponsorship which made this season possible, and for all the lovely surprise upvotes, it really is appreciated especially now during this ice-cold bear market where everything is on a downhill slide!
Our family did Secret Santa last year and it really worked brilliantly as one could concentrate on getting something really nice for that one person whose name we drew out of the hat. Secret Santa is very popular with office parties as well.
I had been racking my confused Gemini brain about who was going to be the recipient of my Secret Santa gift - special fellow foodie friends, some other really good Steemit friends, the awesome people working behind the scenes in groups I belong to and of course a big contender was our Steemit Sandwich Contest manwich king @jaybird, who has given so much support to many new steemians - there were way too many contenders. So I wrote all the names on pieces of paper & drew one name.
I was really chuffed with the name I drew as this lady works quietly and tirelessly for members of @thesteemengine, curating and giving great advice both for steeming and with her Astrology posts.
Does @enchantedspirit ever sleep I wonder?
I sneakily asked her on Discord what her absolute favourite foods was - Fried Chicken, Potatoes & Corn featured among others.
Hope she enjoys the menu I'm serving her today - Crispy Fried Chicken Wings from Africa, Corn with Sour Cream and Baked Potatoes with a Mushroom, Spring Onions & Bacon filling, dusted with Parmesan cheese.
Unfortunately I don't think this serving will be enough for her trustworthy other half, the Doctor @catweasel ;)
FRIED CHICKEN WINGS
- 10 Chicken Wings - sinewy end piece trimmed off
- 1 Lemon - juice & rind
- handful Fresh Thyme
- 1 Egg - beaten
- 4 tablespoons Cornflour
- 1/2 cup Regular Flour
- Rustic Garlic & Herb seasoning
- Oil for frying
Marinade chicken in herbs, Lemon juice & rind and season to taste
Drain off juices & pour egg over to coat
Place dry ingredients in large bag, add chicken wings & shake to coat all over
Heat oil in deepish pan & fry chicken on a medium heat on both sides till golden brown
A great silicone cover to avoid splattering all over stove top when frying
Drain chicken wings on kitchen paper
Crispy on the outside but tender and juicy on the inside
A quick look at making Crispy Chicken Wings
BAKED POTATOES
I will share how to make the best baked potatoes - no recipe
Use soft cooking potatoes, cut a shallow cross on both sides of potato, cook in microwave on high for about 6 min for a single potato, turning halfway (time will vary, I used the sensor setting)
Leave to stand a little before squeezing to pop potato open on one side
Sautee Mushrooms & Spring Onions in a little butter & spoon into potato
Top with grated Cheese
Finally top with raw diced Bacon
Pop under grill till Bacon is crispy, dust with Parmesan cheese
A quick look at the making of the Mushroom & Bacon filled Baked Potato
Served with Corn & Sour Cream, this made for a delicious meal, hope you enjoy your Secret Santa gift @enchantedspirit!
Merry Christmas to all my #cookwithus friends, wishing you special times with your loved ones, until next year, keep on cooking and steeming!
Thank you for stopping by
Comments, upvotes & resteems all much appreciated :)
Copyright @lizelle - All Rights Reserved
Bless your heart. This is perfectly beautiful -- and all my favorites!! What an honor! You and your cooking brighten my day -- and The STEEM Engine and The Daily Whistle Stops regularly. We are so pleased you've joined us -- and I look forward to more meals from your kitchen.
I've replenished your Dustsweeper account by way of thanks -- and Merry Christmas. (It's odd to consider Christmas at the start of Summer where you live ... but still. Diversity. What a wonderful concept!!)
Check your wallet. Your Dustsweeper notice is there. (I already peeked.) Enjoy it as a gift that keeps on giving -- for a while at least. And thank you so much -- for everything. I love it all! Especially this special surprise at the start of my day. I couldn't have asked for anything better.
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I'm so very glad you enjoyed the meal, hope the Doctor did not steal any of your wings;)
You are so very kind, I just love seeing old dustsweeper popping up every now and then, thanks for that introduction a while back and thanks for the generous replenishment, my balance was going down, really did not expect this. Merry Christmas to you as well xxx
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What an amazing, thoughtful, beautiful gift my friend! I saw your comment the other day to ES and I had a feeling you would do this :) Well done, I only wish I could have a bite of this meal right now...I'm sure CW cleaned up any leftovers! What a wonderful surprise....and of course entry to this weeks contest! Good luck my friend!
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Thank you my birdy friend, I saw your comment about the milkshake & thought you were also planning something for ES, she is a wonderful lady! Have you seen @loveself's entry for CWU, amazing and beautiful meringue! Did not see you there?
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You are so kind, ES reallly was touched by your kindness! Yes, i plan to post a little chocolate goodie for her as well. She really works so hard for us! Yes, I did visit and comment on LS post today...you guys did an amazing job! If I weren't camping I would try to share something here but can only do so much magic at the campsite! :)
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Enjoy your camping trip my friend, it's lovely getting away!
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Wonderful post @lizelle. Love your food..getting hungry looking at it! Added you to my #2 Eyecatcher Post :)
Enjoy your week ahead!
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Thank you so much @dianadee, much appreciated :)
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Congratulations! This post has been chosen as one of the daily Whistle Stops for The STEEM Engine!
You can see your post's place along the track here: The Daily Whistle Stops, Issue 337 (12/11/18)
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Thank you @thesteemengine, you are awesome!
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You are so thoughtful. I agree with you about making gifts, they are much more personal. These fried chicken are finger licking good. I can just imagine all the flavors from the marinade. The stuffed potatoes and corn are over the top with yumminess. Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas.
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Ah thank you @loveself, but you really make magic in the kitchen!
Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas as well :)
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You have many Steemit friends and you are loved back. I think it's a great idea that you came up with to draw a name, then cook their favorites. That's definitely the Christmas spirit ... giving and sharing.
I can't thank you enough for all you've done for the community. Other than being creative and artistic, I love your positive and cheerful attitude. Thanks for helping make the end of Season 3 special and meaningful. Merry Christmas to you and to your family!!!
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Ah I must thank you @offoodandart for all the support and great feedback, you certainly have been an inspiration! Thank you for the lovely surprise prize :)
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You're welcome Lizelle!
Hey, here's wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Great and Happy New Year ahead!
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Thank you @offoodandart, hope you had a lovely Christmas day as well! Wishing you a fabulous 2019 :)
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Thank you @lizelle!
Wishing you a wonderful 2019 as well!
Oh and btw, I don't see you on whaleshares. Were you planning on joining? Just curious ...
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I started signing up but have not completed, but I'm also not sure if I'm going to have time for 2 platforms, it's been quite hectic here... especially now;) Miss seeing you all here!
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Yeah, life is busy especially during this time of the year.
Wishing you a blessed and happy new year!
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I am sure that @enchantedspirit was licking her computer screen when she saw this meal. Very thoughtful on your part to tease her and all of the rest of us with this.
How is the cook book coming?
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Oh my word, don't even ask about cook books! It's like this year has sped up and I have more and more stuff on my plate! Guests phoning and helping my sister in law with her guesthouse is keeping me on my toes, no time to even think about much! Once I get going with my recipe book though, it will be full steem ahead ;)
Thank you for the support!
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Oh Lizelle, you make it sound like you haven't a moment to spare and we both know that I am the only one in that boat. (Haha) But even as my boat is sinking I am going to go harvest all your recipes from your blog and create that cookbook myself. Of course I will give you credit for the recipes, but I will keep all the millions and millions of dollars the book earns just to show you that you really did have the time to do it.
I may even start my own cooking show too... "Cooking with Sult N Papper" or maybe it should be "Shakin and Bakin with Sult N Papper" I kind of like the second one best, which do you think would best fit me and your recipes?
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I think we all believe we're the only ones with no time to spare but I think we're just trying to squeeze too much into our days!
You're really making me sit up now...keeping the millions to yourself... I'd better get a move on.
I also like the sound of Shakin & bakin with Sult n Papper ;)
But I'm going get a move on soon, too late in the day to think of a title now :):)
Thanks for the prodding Mr Papper!
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Take your time Lizelle, but I will keep on you about it periodically because you have too many great recipes and great presentation not to capitalize on it. Plus you have a great smile to go with it.
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Happy to see some entries for this last round popping up! What a great idea to go sneaky and figure out what her favorite foods are. I too love the idea of giving homemade goods. What better way to show love than through delicious home-cooked food?
You also inspired me--I had my boyfriend help make a gif of my lasagna preparation for my entry this week! I always love how yours turn out, so I'm happy he is much more savvy than I am to put something together. Luckily I can repay him in food... ;)
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Haha @plantstoplanks, secret Santa really was such a great idea, thank you for thinking of that! You will have to ask your boyfriend what he used for the gif, I use google photos but cannot slow it down! Your speed is perfect! Lucky boyfriend to get such delicious food :)
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I just checked with him and he used Photoshop. He said on there you are able to adjust how long you want each image displayed. He's never used google photos for a gif, so he wasn't sure if you can make a similar adjustment to the settings with that or not. :)
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Thank you so much, will ask my son's girlfriend to show me :)
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Those potatoes look amazing! I am saving the recipe! Thank you!
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And they're so easy @lymepoet, thank you for your feedback & support!
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I liked how you found out the perfect meal to make for your secret santa! great idea! You can't go wrong with this amazing menu of fried chicken, corn and stuffed baked potato. Thanks for sharing with us!
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Thank you @chefsteve, but my plating is still lacking! This was a lovely idea by @plantstoplanks and I'm so glad you used it, one could actually take it a little further and be a secret Santa to a homeless stranger in the street not so. I've really enjoyed all the challenges you put to us this year, bless you and your wingladies
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Hey @lizelle! Your plating looks like a proper comfort meal! I think it looks delicious and inviting. I was happy @plantstoplanks made the suggestion. It took me just a little bit of time to adapt the concept to Steemit and I think it worked out great! I like your idea of taking the concept farther and actually helping homeless people in need. Perhaps we can work on that next year for a charity fundraiser event. I am always so happy to see your posts arrive on my feed! You are such a valuable member of the CwU community. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
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Thank you @chefsteve, and a merry Christmas to you and yours as well :)
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What a wonderful meal for a wonderful friend! That's just incredibly good looking meal that just plain makes me hungry.
Thanks Lizelle.
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Ah thank you Tom, your talking of Bacon on Discord made me add it on top of those potatoes, was really nice ;)
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being vegan doesnt mean that i dont get hungry when i look at chicken wings >< im closing my eyes now and walking away :)
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Ah so sorry for tempting you @celestialcow, will try not to do it again...soon...
Thank you for your lovely comments!
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mmm, that looks sooo good! Potatoes are my nemesis 😈
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Thank you so very much @princessmewmew, I would have loved to send a Secret Santa your way too :)
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ahhh! next time Lizelle. When we are in KZN again, we will come say hi! My brother in law lives in Howick x
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That looks absolutely delicious, A L L of it and to answer your question, nope. She does not sleep :D :D :D
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And does @zen-art ever sleep? You are a real busy lady writing the most amazing posts!
Thank you for your support!
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