I was trying to remember when it was that I had my very first one. It was certainly not anything I had grown up with. It was as foreign to small town Nova Scotia culture as a curry would have been. It simply did not exist!! At least not in my little corner of the world!
I am pretty sure that it must have been when I moved out to Winnipeg to get married to my ex-husband. It was pretty much love at first bite for me, and I have been loving them ever since!
I did have one at the restaurant which is near to where I live not so long ago. It was as soggy as all get out! They obviously did not drain the Kraut before they put it on the sandwich. That was a bit of a disappointment I have to say! Part of the appeal of a good Reuben is that crisp and buttery toasted bread. Sogginess is a huge no-no!
In any case I made myself one here at home and I was in Reuben Sandwich Heaven. With crisp and buttery toasted rye bread, gooey cheese, salty corned beef, tangy kraut and that delicious Thousand Island dressing, it went down a real treat! There was no soggy bread here!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A CLASSIC REUBEN SANDWICH
A few specialized ingredients for sure, but also very common and easy to find!
- 2 slices good quality rye bread
- 1 TBS softened butter
- 2 TBS Thousand Island Dressing
- 2 slices of Swiss cheese
- 1/4 pound (4 ounces/115g) thinly sliced deli corned beef or pastrami
- a large handful sauerkraut, squeezed dry and warmed up
I used a marbled rye bread which is a combination of dark and light rye breads marbled together. I thought it had a lovely flavor.
I used salted butter. If you think that this will make your sandwich too salty, by all means use unsalted.
Deli corned beef works perfectly for this sandwich. They can get it a lot thinner than we can at home.
Any brand of sauerkraut will do. Just be sure you squeeze it really dry before using it so as to prevent your sandwich from being soggy.
I used Swiss cheese that I had sliced at the deli. They are nice large slices but also thin. This gives the right amount of cheesy melt.
You can use a store bought Thousand Island Dressing, or you can make your own. It is very easily done. Just combine 1/2 cup (110g) full fat mayonnaise with 2 TBS each of tomato ketchup and sweet pickle relish. You can grate in a bit of raw onion and add a dash of Worcestershire sauce to finish it.
HOW TO MAKE A CLASSIC REUBEN SANDWICH
This is really not all that hard to do. So long as you don't try to rush it. Any grilled sandwich is worth the time it takes to brown and heat it through properly!
Butter the outer sides of each slice of bread with half of the softened butter.
Place one slice, buttered side down in a non-stick skillet large enough to hold it. Spread with 1 TBS of the Thousand Island Dressing.
Top with one slice of the cheese, the corned beef, the sauerkraut and the other slice of cheese.
Spread the unbuttered side of the other slice of bread with the remaining Thousand Island Dressing and place on top of the sandwich, buttered side up.
Cook over medium heat until golden brown on the bottom, flip over carefully and brown on the other side, and all of the cheese has melted, and everything is heated through. Take care not to be in too much of a hurry or have the skillet too hot or your sandwich may burn. (About 3 minutes per side.)
Cut on the diagonal to serve.
Potato chips on the side are really nice! You can multiply the quantities given to make more than one sandwich, although do to the size of them you will probably have to work in batches!
HINTS AND TIPS TO MAKE THE BEST REUBEN SANDWICHES
If you follow my hints and tips your sandwich is sure to be the best Reuben Sandwich ever!
1. Be sure to drain and completely squeeze all the liquid from the sauerkraut or your sandwich could end up soggy. I have eaten many a soggy Reuben in restaurants. Not nice. Squeeze it dry with your hands for perfection.
2. Warm up the sauerkraut a little before putting it on the sandwich, otherwise you will have a cold pocket in the middle of a hot sandwich. You can warm it up very easily in the microwave. It won't take long, about 20 or 30 seconds.
3. Place your cheese slices next to the bread when assembling the sandwiches. This ensures that it melts properly. Putting a slice on the bottom and top also acts as a barrier to help keep the sandwiches from getting soggy.
4. Don’t overstuff your sandwiches! Less is more here. The fuller the sandwich, the harder it is to handle and the longer it will take to heat things through and melt the cheese.
5. Ideally you can use a cast iron skillet, cooking the sandwich over medium/low-medium heat. This is just hot enough that the cheese melts but doesn’t burn the bread.
What can I say really? It's a delicious sandwich full stop. Buttery toasted rye bread. (I used marbled rye.) Melted Swiss Cheese. Tangy kraut. Rich Thousand Island Dressing. Salty corned beef. What's not to love!!
I enjoyed this for my lunch along with some tasty potato chips on the side. A very naughty and delicious combination for sure!
I am a huge fan of the hot sandwich. No surprise there. I love sandwiches of any kind really. I have never met a sandwich that I didn't enjoy! Truth! Here are a few other hot and hearty sandwiches that I enjoy!
HOT HAM & CHEESE SANDWICH WITH BACON & CARAMELIZED ONIONS- Fresh poppyseed Kaiser rolls brushed with a honey mustard butter and filled with plenty of deli ham, Swiss cheese, caramelized onions and crispy bacon! Amounts are for one sandwich but are easily multiplied to make as many as you have guests! These really are very easy to make. Probably the most time-consuming part is the caramelizing of the onions. If you are not keen you can always leave them out, but I highly recommend you do make them as they really add to the deliciousness of this tasty sandwich!
Yield: Makes 1 sandwich
The Classic Reuben Sandwich
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 6 MinTotal time: 16 Min
This is a delicious classic that always goes down a real treat. To make more than one sandwich, simply multiply the ingredients accordingly!
Ingredients
- 2 slices good quality rye bread
- 1 TBS softened butter
- 2 TBS Thousand Island Dressing
- 2 slices of Swiss cheese
- 1/4 pound (4 ounces/115g) thinly sliced deli corned beef or pastrami
- a large handful sauerkraut, squeezed dry and warmed up
Instructions
- Butter the outer sides of each slice of bread with half of the softened butter.
- Place one slice, buttered side down in a non-stick skillet large enough to hold it. Spread with 1 TBS of the Thousand Island Dressing.
- Top with one slice of the cheese, the corned beef, the sauerkraut and the other slice of cheese.
- Spread the unbuttered side of the other slice of bread with the remaining Thousand Island Dressing and place on top of the sandwich, buttered side up.
- Cook over medium heat until golden brown on the bottom, flip over carefully and brown on the other side, and all of the cheese has melted, and everything is heated through. Take care not to be in too much of a hurry or have the skillet too hot or your sandwich may burn. (About 3 minutes per side.)
- Cut on the diagonal to serve.
This content, written and photography, is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
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I had a son who used to live on things like mini pizzas. My youngest son. I used to worry that he would get sick from malnutrition. He was incredibly fussy. He would go through stages.
One state was what I called the "white" stage. He would only eat white bread and white rice. Sometimes with corn niblets. Hot dogs. Frozen pizza pockets.
He would eat toast occasionally, but it had to be just the perfect color. It could not be too dark or too light. I don't know why we catered to him so much. Probably because he was the youngest of five. We all fussed over him.
I grew up being forced to eat whatever was put in front of me. I can remember being late back to school after lunch because my mother was making me sit in my chair and wouldn't let me leave until I had eaten everything on my plate, whether I liked it or not.
I hated being late back to school and I hated ground beef. My mom always bought the cheapest kind and it was full of bits of gristle and sometimes even bone. As soon as anything like that touched my teeth my gag reflex would kick in and I wouldn't be able to eat any more without feeling sick.
I swore that my children would never be forced to eat anything they truly didn't like. They could have a peanut butter sandwich, but I wasn't going to force them.
My oldest son would eat anything. He still enjoys eating pretty much anything. He has a very adventurous palate. My oldest daughter did not like potatoes (except if they were deep fried) or fish. My second oldest daughter didn't like soups or stews. My middle son would eat just about anything and was especially fond of cheese. My youngest son . . . if you looked up fussy in the dictionary you would see his photograph I am sure.
I think he eats pretty much most things these days. I am not sure but as a child he had a steady diet of frozen mini pizzas, hotdogs, toast, white rice and corn. He did like the frozen toaster strudels and waffles. You can probably understand why I despaired.
There were no air fryers back then. We had only just got microwaves, so the pizza pockets got microwaved and the toaster strudel got toasted in the toaster. Everything else it was either on top of the stove or the oven.
I love my air fryer. It is the ideal kitchen appliance for cooking small amounts of food. It cooks things quickly and doesn't heat up the kitchen which makes it ideal for the warmer months of the year. It is also ideal for a person who lives on their own as it saves you heating up a whole oven for just one or two little things!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE AIR FRYER FROZEN PIZZA
Some frozen pizzas and an air fryer. Mini pizzas. This is the brand I use. They can be found in Costco and are very good.
You can find frozen mini pizzas (of various brands) in the grocery stores here in Canada. We like the Sabatasso's and the Red Baron ones. In the U.K. I used to like the Chicago Town pizzas.
ALL ABOUT MY AIR FRYER
I wanted to tell you a bit about my Air Fryer as so many people had asked. Mine is a Kuraidori Multi-Function Air Cooker/Fryer.
It does much more than just air fry, you can also bake in it, although so far I have not tried baking anything in mine! I have just been using the air fry function! It works very much like a small convection oven.
It is the brand of appliance that is carried at Home Hardware here in Canada. It uses high-speed hot air circulation to produce crispy, cooked foods without oil. Featuring a fryer basket, two grill inserts, a rotisserie spindle and a non-stick pizza pan, this versatile air cooker makes it easy to get creative in the kitchen.
You can set the timer control for up to 60 minutes and keep an eye on dinner through the transparent door panel. This air cooker comes with cooking program presets and a clear digital LED display for ease of use.
My sister and I each have the same model, and we have been using them for several years now without any problems. I highly recommend.
.jpg "Air Fryer Frozen Pizza")
HOW TO COOK FROZEN MINI PIZZA IN THE AIR FRYER
It's such a simple thing. I wish I had thought of this before. It would have saved me from eating a lot of burnt and over cooked frozen pizzas!
Preheat your air fryer to 360*F/185*C with the basket(s) in the air fryer for 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove the basket(s) and place the pizzas, frozen, in the basket(s). In my air fryer you can cook more than one at a time. Just make sure that you do not allow the pizzas to touch and that you don't overcrowd the air fryer.
Air fry for 4 to 7 minutes (rotating them from top to bottom and bottom to top halfway through the cook time if you have an air fryer like mine.) The edges should be crisp and the cheese melted and any toppings should be bubbling. If not return to the air fryer for another minute or so.
Remove from the air fryer using a spatula or tongs and allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting and serving.
I was really pleased with how the mini pizzas came out in the air fryer. They were absolute perfection. I don't really like cooking them in the microwave and I always burn them in the oven. They were quick and easy to make as well. I highly recommend this method of cooking them!
My air fryer comes in handy for cooking all sorts. I especially like to use it in the summer months as it helps to keep my kitchen cool! Here are a few other things I like to cook in my air fryer.
CRISPY AIR FRYER CHIPS/FRIES - For this recipe you simply prepare the potatoes, dump them into the basket and then air fryer them, stopping to shake them every five minutes, until they are golden brown, crispy and perfectly cooked through. This really is a no fuss no muss kind of recipe and the chips are fabulously tasty!
AIR FRYER ROAST CHICKEN - Yes, you can roast a whole chicken in an air fryer, and it comes out perfect each and every time, with a lovely crisp skin and succulent moist and tender meat. You do have to bear in mind that you won't be able to roast just any chicken in the air fryer. It needs to fit into the basket comfortably and none of it can touch the top of the air fryer. But with the right sized chicken, cooking it in an air fryer is a God send in the summer months! Well anytime really. My sister always roasts her chickens in the air fryer.
Yield: variable
Air Fryer Frozen Pizza
Prep time: 3 MinCook time: 7 MinTotal time: 10 Min
Mini pizzas cooked in the air fryer are quick and easy to make and they always come out perfect! It's all in the timing! You may need to work in batches depending on how many you are doing.
Ingredients
- frozen mini pizzas (mine were 4 inches across)
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 360*F/185*C with the basket(s) in the air fryer for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove the basket(s) and place the pizzas, frozen, in the basket(s). In my air fryer you can cook more than one at a time. Just make sure that you do not allow the pizzas to touch and that you don't overcrowd the air fryer.
- Air fry for 4 to 7 minutes (rotating them from top to bottom and bottom to top halfway through the cook time if you have an air fryer like mine.) The edges should be crisp and the cheese melted and any toppings should be bubbling. If not return to the air fryer for another minute or so.
- Remove from the air fryer using a spatula or tongs and allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting and serving.
This content, written and photography, is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
Thanks for visiting! Do come again!!
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Every once in a while, I like to bake myself a batch of muffins. Sometimes I will downsize the recipe I am using and other times I will keep the recipe as a full recipe, freezing the excess so that I have tasty muffins waiting in the freezer for me to indulge in when the craving hits!
This wholesome Seeded Cranberry Muffin recipe I am sharing with you today is one of my favorite muffin recipes. It comes from the pages of my Big Blue Binder and is a muffin I have been baking for many, many years.
Wholesome because of all the different seeds included in the mix as well as the dried fruit. I am a huge fan of seeds. They are full of nutrients and good for the digestion!
I am truly mad about muffins. I adore muffins, especially muffins that are not like cake. When I eat a muffin, I don't want a piece of cake, or muffins that are like eating cake. I want them to be wholesome and somewhat nutritious. I also don't want them to be huge. Some of those bakery and store baked muffins you can get are more like cake then they are a muffin and are the size of two or three regular muffins.
You wouldn't sit down and eat two or three muffins in a sitting, but when you eat one of those, you might just as well.
I want a muffin as it is supposed to be. Slightly raised with rounded pebbly tops. The insides filled with nice holes. Perfect for spreading with a tiny pat of butter.
This delicious muffin recipe suits me to a "T" on many levels. It is wholesome and not overly sweet. It is loaded with goodness, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, poppyseeds, as well as dried fruit in the way of cranberries.
You can feel good about eating one of these. I promise you!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE WHOLESOME SEEDED CRANBERRY MUFFINS
I usually keep all of these things in my larder and freezer. That way I can whip up these delicious muffins anytime I want to indulge in one!
- 25g pumpkin seeds (1 ounce) plus extra for sprinkling (1/2 cup)
- 25g sunflower seeds (1 ounce) plus extra for sprinkling (1/2 cup)
- 225g plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp poppy seeds
- 115g demerara sugar (1/2 cup turbinado) plus extra for sprinkling
- 80g dried cranberries (generous 1/2 cup)
- 250ml plain bio yogurt (1 cup)
- 75ml sunflower oil (1/3 cup)
- 1 large free range egg, beaten
I used raw, untoasted and unsalted seeds for these muffins. I always keep them in the cupboard as I also put them into my homemade granola.
Demerara sugar is a coarse type of granulated sugar which is in its most natural state. Here in North America it is known as Turbinado sugar. In the U.K. it is very common for people to use Demerara sugar in their coffee so it is also known as coffee sugar.
If you are not a fan of dried cranberries you can use any kind of dried berry or fruit. Cut the larger ones, such as apricots, prunes or dates, into smaller pieces. Dried blueberries are very nice in these.
Bio yogurt is not necessary. You can use any plain full fat yogurt. I used bio as that is what I had. I love using Greek yogurt.
No sunflower oil? No problem! Substitute any mild flavored oil in it's place. Rapeseed, Grapeseed, light olive, etc.
HOW TO MAKE WHOLESOME SEEDED CRANBERRY MUFFINS
They are not hard really. Making muffins is a doddle. Just remember not to overmix the dough and you will have an excellent muffin with a beautiful texture. Check out my hints and tips for the best muffins below!
Line a muffin tray with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.
Pop the sunflower and pumpkin seeds onto a baking tray and toast in the oven for 5 minutes. Let cool.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, poppyseeds, cooled seeds and the cranberries in a large bowl.
Whisk together the oil, yogurt, and egg. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour in the wet ingredients and stir together just to combine. Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops of each with a few seeds and some demerara sugar.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Tip out to cool on a wire rack. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
HINTS AND TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST MUFFINS
Here are my hints and tips for making sure that your muffins turn out beautifully every time:
1. Mix wet and dry ingredients separately. To prevent the mix from being overworked, first mix the wet ingredients together in one bowl and mix the dry ingredients in another. Make a well in the dry ingredients, carefully pour in the wet ingredients, then stir the mix a couple of times to roughly combine.
2. Don't over mix your muffins. The most important rule of muffin making is to not over stir the mix. What you really want is to just moisten the ingredients. Do not stir or beat the batter until it is smooth and lump free. You want the final mix to be lumpy, and thick with a few floury streaks.
3. Add your flavors last. While spices should be added with all the other dry ingredients, additions like fruit and nuts should be added last. Give the batter one more light-handed stir once you've added them in just to combine.
4. Line the pans. You can choose to either grease the muffin tin or line it with paper liners. If you choose to forgo the liners, make sure you grease the base and sides of the cups with oil spray or a little melted butter. If you're not going to eat the muffins for a while, do use paper liners as these will keep the muffins fresher for longer.
5. Don't overfill your pans. Aim to fill the cups ¾ full to get muffins with nice round tops and to prevent them from spilling out over the top of the cups. Often if your tins are over filled the muffins will rise to the top and then collapse on themselves.
6. For extra interest, add a flavorful sprinkle on top. Once the muffin cups are all filled, you can choose to sprinkle the tops with more fruit, nuts or a crumble topping, even sanding sugar or cinnamon sugar, for even more taste and or crunch. As the muffins rise these toppings will cook into the tops of the muffin.
7. Protect your baking pan. If there isn't enough batter to fill all the cups, half fill the empty ones with water. This will help the muffins bake evenly and will help to protect your pan from buckling.
8. Cooling them down. Once you remove the muffins from the oven, let them sit in their pan for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack. This is especially important for muffins that aren't in a paper liner, as it will help them from falling apart. However, remove them after five minutes otherwise you risk them going soggy as they cool in the pan.
9. Freeze extras for later. Muffins freeze beautifully, so if you can't enjoy them all on the day they're baked, wrap them in plastic wrap tightly, and put them in the freezer for later. They will keep for about 3 months and reheat wonderfully in the microwave for about 30 seconds on high from frozen.
These are really delicious muffins loaded with plenty of texture and goodness. I loved all of the seeds and of course the dried cranberries. Altogether I would call this a delicious muffin. Not too sweet and full of goodness with a real wholesome quality that is quite moreish!
Are you as mad about muffins as I am? I just adore them. If you are, perhaps you would also enjoy the following tasty options! Is there such a thing as a bad muffin? I think not!
ORANGE MUFFINS - Buttery, moist and stuffed with plenty of orange flavor from the outside in. These are winners all round! I like to stud mine with dried currants, but you may like raisins, or nuts, or blueberries, etc. You may even prefer them to be plain. One thing is for sure, you will enjoy these moist and delicious muffins. Fresh orange flavors filled with an optional fruit and sweet glaze. You can't go wrong!
CINNAMON ROLL MUFFINS - Prepare yourself to fall in love with this small batch muffin recipe with makes six gorgeously delicious muffins. They embody all the flavors of your favorite cinnamon rolls, except they are muffins, not a yeast bread. I am of the school that cinnamon flavored anything is good. It doesn't really matter too much what it is and these are OMG good!
Wholesome Seeded Cranberry Muffins
Yield: 10
Quick to make and perfectly wholesome muffins to help get you set up for the day ahead.
Ingredients:
- 25g pumpkin seeds (1 ounce) plus extra for sprinkling (1/2 cup)
- 25g sunflower seeds (1 ounce) plus extra for sprinkling (1/2 cup)
- 225g plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp poppy seeds
- 115g demerara sugar (1/2 cup turbinado) plus extra for sprinkling
- 80g dried cranberries (generous 1/2 cup)
- 250ml plain bio yogurt (1 cup)
- 75ml sunflower oil (1/3 cup)
- 1 large free range egg, beaten
Instructions:
How to cook Wholesome Seeded Cranberry Muffins
- Line a muffin tray with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.
- Pop the sunflower and pumpkin seeds onto a baking tray and toast in the oven for 5 minutes. Let cool.
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, poppyseeds, cooled seeds and the cranberries in a large bowl.
- Whisk together the oil, yogurt, and egg. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Pour in the wet ingredients and stir together just to combine. Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops of each with a few seeds and some demerara sugar.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Tip out to cool on a wire rack. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
This content, written and photography, is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
Thanks for visiting! Do come again!!
If you like what you see here, why not consider signing up for my newsletter and/or subscribing/following me on Grow. You can also bookmark my recipes via the Grow platform. Check out the heart on the right hand side of the screen.
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