Showing posts with label Cheese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cheese. Show all posts
I did have an internal debate with myself on whether to share these sandwiches with you or not. Lets face it they are not very attractive.
They kind of resemble a hot mess . . . but sometimes that can be a good thing. Sometimes the hotter and messier, the better!
It got really cold here yesterday (Monday). It was raining and blustery. The perfect soup day. I had been wanting to cook this Cheddar & Corn Chowder for a really long time and I decided it was the perfect day!
Normally I make this Corn Chowder Recipe. It is one that I have been making for years and years and years. It is the recipe my children grew up on. I used to make it every Sunday after church. It was and is a real family favourite!
Another one which we make and really like is this Chicken & Corn Chowder Recipe. I've been making that one for years also. I got the recipe out of one of those little cookbook magazines you used to be able to find buy next to the til's at the Grocery store. Its a real winner!
This Cheddar & Corn Chowder recipe is a bonafide true winning recipe however. I clipped it out of a magazine many years ago. I am afraid I don't know which magazine however as I only clipped the recipe and not the page, so there is no telling for sure . . .
I only know for sure that it was a Canadian magazine because the measurements were in both cup measurements and metric measurements.
I have a strong suspicion that it was Canadian Living. This recipe got a second prize in a Favourite Family Supper Contest. I have had it sitting in my binder for many years, and had never made it.
I made a promise to myself that this year I was going to try to use the recipes that I have collected and then share them (if they are any good) and then get rid of the paper. What is the point of keeping things you are not using? No point, that's what. It is only taking up space.
One day it will all end up in the bin anyways, as it probably only has value to me. I don't want to leave a mess for someone else to clean up and so I am trying to use as many of them as I can! I will only ever be able to touch the tip of the recipe ice-berg however as I have been very prolific and very good at collecting them through the years!
Back to the soup . . . this is a true winner. No wonder . . . its delicious! Simple to make as well.
It also uses ingredients you probably have in your kitchen already . . . onions, potato, frozen corn, butter, flour, milk . . .
It is flavoured with bay leaf and cumin seed. I like to bruise the cumin seed to release their flavours and I also break the bay leaf in two. This also helps to release its flavours. Trust me, you will notice a huge difference in just doing this. It also used fresh chives. I had none, so I used dry and it was still fabulous!
I used a really good cheddar in this . . . an old one, sharp flavoured . . . aged . . . with plenty of calcium crystals in it. You get more taste bang for your buck when you use a good OLD cheddar. You will find a little bit goes a very long way.
Yield: 4 - 6
Cheddar & Corn Chowder
Use extra strong cheddar cheese to give this hearty chowder a special zip! this is a prize winning recipe, so you know it is delicious.
ingredients:
- 3 TBS butter
- 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 bay leaf, broken in half to release the oils
- 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds, bruised
- 1/4 tsp dried sage
- 3 TBS plain flour
- 480ml chicken stock
- 300ml light cream or milk (1 1/4 cups)
- 225g frozen corn niblets (1 1/2 cups)
- 2 TBS chopped fresh parsley
- 2 TBS chopped fresh chives
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 60ml dry white wine (1/4 cup)
- 200g grated strong cheddar cheese (2 cups) plus more to sprinkle
- salt and black pepper to taste
instructions:
How to cook Cheddar & Corn Chowder
- Melt the butter in a saucepan with a heavy bottom. Add the onion, potato, broken bay leaf, cumin seed and sage. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the onion is softened without browning. Stir in the flour. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes. Don't let it brown.
- Whisk in the stock and the milk. Bring to the boil, whisking constantly until smooth. Reduce to medium low and simmer, stirring often for about 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the corn, parsley, chives, nutmeg and wine. Simmer for a further 5 to 6 minutes until heated through. Discard the bay leaf. Stir in the cheese and heat over low heat, just to melt the cheese. Don't let the soup boil. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper. Serve hot, ladled into heated bowls with a spoonful of cheddar sprinkled over top of each.
I made Todd some cheesy toasts to enjoy with his. I had the cheese straws . . . I just love something crunchy with my soups. I think it is the Canadian in me! Anyways, you are going to love LOVE this Cheddar & Corn Chowder. Its fabulously tasty! Quick, easy and delicious. YUM!!!
Up Tomorrow: Stacked Turkey Mexi-Melts
I would pick one of the warmest days this week to make us soup for our dinner wouldn't I? Never mind, it was enjoyed no matter the temperature and I just know you will enjoy this Cheddar Chowder Recipe also, if not now, then in the coming months, so you might want to pin or bookmark it for later on.
It won't be the last, I guarantee. Isn't it funny how you save things for years and years and years, and never get around to using or making them.
Losing my mom this past year taught me one thing and that was that life is too short not to use the things you have. There is no point in saving things for a rainy day or for better times . . . use them now and get all the joy that you can get from them for as long as you can!
And that includes old recipe cards, filled with recipes that once upon a time you thought were good enough, and tasty enough to want to record them down by hand and tuck into your recipe box with the idea in mind to make them.
This is a fabulous soup . . . rich and creamy. Cheddar Chowder . . . meant to be hearty. You will want to make sure you have a really good cheddar cheese to use in this. A farmhouse cheddar, an old strong or sharp cheddar, I guess it is called in North America . . . well aged.
I used a cheddar that I picked up in Costco . . . aged enough that it is crumbly and there are little crunchy bits of calcification in it . . . a cheese you want to flake off and eat with a nice piece of apple pie if you had some, or enjoy with a nice glass of wine if you were a wine drinking person.
We have no apple pies . . . nor are we wine drinkers, but I do confess I enjoyed a few flakes while I was preparing this tasty recipe.
Served hot, ladled into bowls and topped with homemade croutons, it went down a real treat. There's enough leftover for Todd to enjoy some more tomorrow. He's really looking forward to that!
Yield: 4
Cheddar Chowder
This is a fabulously tasty chowder. I adore chowders, which are milk based soups. This one boasts the rich and creamy taste of a good farmhouse cheddar. Make sure you pick a good one. Your choice will make all the difference in the world.
ingredients:
- 2 TBS butter
- 1 large onion, peeled, cut in half and then sliced into thin half moons
- 2 TBS flour
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
- 240ml chicken stock
- 2 pints whole milk (4 cups)
- 1/4 tsp celery seed
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
- 1/2 tsp hot paprika
- 180g of a well flavoured old cheddar cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)
- salt and black pepper to taste
- buttered croutons to serve
instructions:
How to cook Cheddar Chowder
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally over low heat until softened without browning. Stir in the flour. Cook for a minute or so to cook the taste of the flour out. Stir in the stock, milk, potatoes and celery seed. Heat just to the boil. Don't allow it to boil. Reduce to a slow simmer, cover and simmer over very low heat for 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are knife tender. Stir in the mustard powder and paprika. Cook, uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cheese and season to taste with salt and white pepper. Ladle into heated soup bowls, sprinkle with croutons and serve immediately.
I make my own croutons for soups. They are so easy to make. I just preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Butter some slices of stale white bread (or any bread really) and cut the bread into shapes with a cookie cutter (s). Today I sprinkled them with Everything But Bagel seasoning I bought on Amazon. It was Trader Joes. I paid a bomb, but I wanted to try the best so that then I can make my own. Watch this space!
Up Tomorrow: Crispy Sheet Pan Chicken Milanese
Welsh Rarebit is one of our most famous and enjoyable traditional dishes here in the UK, with a long history dating back to at least the 1500's.
This is when a very simple but popular dish of toasted bread, covered in melted cheese and topped with mustard or spices, became a staple in the diets of Welsh men and women.
A "poor man's" protein fix, Welsh Rarebit is sometimes known as "Welsh Rabbit", even though no rabbit has ever been involved in its preparation.
It has become through the years a very popular dish throughout the United Kingdom, despite its humble beginnings.
In Wales, it actually has a National Day devoted to it. The 3rd of September is known in Wales as Welsh Rarebit Day!
It typically is composed of a rich, but simple cheese sauce which is traditionally spooned over hot buttered toast. You can also pop the sauce slathered toast beneath a hot grill to gild it a bit, which is my preferred way to eat it!!
There is no need for fancy ingredients. At its very simplest it is made with a hearty home style bread and a good farmhouse cheese.
It makes a lovely simple supper served with some slices tomato and salad greens, and is surprisingly hearty!
The true and traditional method is to make a simple and unadulterated rich cheese sauce.
This is composed of a bit of cream, a bit of milk, some butter and flour, plenty of cheese, all thickened with a beaten egg, and seasoned with mustard powder and cayenne pepper for a bit of a spark.
But it is important to note that traditionally it did not have any of those things . . . just the basics.
It is delicious and hearty! And very rich in flavour.
You don't have to make it with ale. You can use milk instead of the beer. It is done both ways actually.
The beer does add a nice flavor however . . . which we quite like . . .
When I was a girl we used to love it when my mom made us cheese on toast, and we would love it even more if she added a slice of bacon to it.
It wasn't Welsh Rarebit . . . but it was incredibly tasty.
Both are a very naughty once in a blue moon treat!
Yield: 4
Proper Welsh Rarebit
Moreishly cheesy. I don't want to know the calorie count in this and neither do you! A once in a blue moon treat.
ingredients:
- 1/2 TBS butter
- 2 tsp plain flour
- 80ml beer (lager) (1/3 cup)
- 80ml single cream (1/3 cup)
- 250g grated strong cheddar (2 cups)
- 1 medium egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp dry mustard powder
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 4 slices of thick, hot buttered toast to serve
instructions:
How to cook Proper Welsh Rarebit
- Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Cook, stirring, for about half a minute until the flour is light golden brown.
- Add the beer and cream, stirring constantly. Stir in the cheese, a bit at a time, whisking it in to melt. Make sure the mixture does NOT boil. Cook until all the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat.
- Beat the egg together with the mustard powder and cayenne. Temper with a bit of the hot mixture and then whisk the whole lot back into the melted cheese mixture.
- Return to the heat and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened. Pour the mixture over the hot toast and serve immediately.
- Alternately you can spread the mixture over the toast and pop under a hot grill until it is bubbling and golden brown.
I think you need to enjoy something like this every once in a while . . . something simple . . . but outstandingly delicious despite its simplicity. What do you think?
Up tomorrow: Lemon & Caper Dressed John Dory
John Dory is called the ugliest fish . . . but it has a delicate and sweet flavor you will absolutely fall in love with!
If you are looking for some other simple supper dishes, might I suggest the following:
BEANS ON TOAST - This can be as simple as opening a can of beans, heating them up and ladling them onto crisp buttered slices of toasted bread. Or you can ladle it over cheese on toast. I love it with the cheese on toast.
SKILLET BEANS & WEINERS - Simple, delicious and goes together lickety split.
PASTA WITH SEARED CAULIFLOWER & GARLIC - This is a really delicious, yet simple supper dish. Quick to make. Interesting, lush and fresh flavors, with very little effort. I don't think you can go wrong with this.
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 so much for visiting! Do come again!
I think I was rather fussy as a child. I can remember a kid at school having Spam sandwiches and thinking they were gross. I would not even try them.
It was not something we ever had at home, although we did eat plenty of bologna, which is not that different.
Macaroni and cheese was also not something we had in our house, although my mother did treat us to the mix in the blue box on occasion, and we did love that.
It was considered a real treat. That blue box helped sustain me when I was at college!
I fell in love with real mac and cheese as an adult. I also fell in love with REAL cheese, which was something else I wasn't fond of when I was growing up.
We only had processed cheese slices in our home or in the block. Once a year (at Christmas) my mother would get some Cracker Barrel Cheese and that was considered a real treat.
We would have it with saltine crackers. I wasn't too sure about it myself. It seemed kind of strong.
I discovered all of these tasty delights as an adult and never looked back. Oh, sure, every now and then I do treat myself to a blue box . . . but I love homemade mac & cheese most of all.
We are on a really tight budget this week, so I am counting my pennies, and using up what is in the larder. This time I decided to add in some Spam to the Mac & Cheese, so that my husband wouldn't balk too much at the thought of eating pasta.
I was really pleased with how it turned out! This was absolutely delicious.
I used the small tin of Spam that you can buy, which was just right the right amount, but you can use a larger one if you want.
I use two kinds of cheese in the sauce for the macaroni, a strong cheddar and some Parmesan. Both give a really nice flavour. Rich and delicious.
I also add a tsp of Dijon mustard and a splash of hot sauce for a bit of a kick. It really brings out the cheesiness and adds some warmth.
Other than that there is only salt and pepper. Do bear in mind that Spam is salty and so is cheese, so you won't need much salt.
Most of the Spam gets cubed and folded into the macaroni and sauce, but I did reserve some to cut into small triangles to put on top. I thought it looked really pretty.
I also sprinkled it with a bit of brown sugar to glaze it a tiny bit. Yum!
Also I saved a bit of the cheese to sprinkle on top as well. I like a cheese crust on top of my mac & cheese, don't you?
I served this with some sliced cherry tomatoes and some of those Angel Biscuits from yesterday.
And a tin of baked beans. It all went together beautifully, and we have the leftovers to share today. (There are only two of us)
I really love meals like this. Economical, homey, comforting . . . I could eat like this every day of the week, but alas, my hips would probably want to kick me out of the house!
Yield: 4 - 6
Spameroni & Cheese
prep time: 20 minscook time: 30 minstotal time: 50 mins
A delicious version of mac & cheese which includes the addition of spam. Rich, creamy and delicious. A real family pleaser.
ingredients:
230g (8 ounces) elbow macaroni (2 cups)
3 TBS butter
35g of plain flour (1/4 cup)
590ml milk (2 1/2 cups), heated gently
salt to taste
1 tsp Dijon mustard
splash hot sauce
1/2 tsp ground pepper
330g grated strong cheddar cheese, divided (2 3/4 cups)
45g grated Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup)
200g tin of Spam (7 ounces)
1 TBS brown sugarinstructions:
Cook your macaroni in a pot of lightly salted boiling water, drain well and rinse. set aside.
Melt
the butter in the saucepan and then whisk in the flour. Cook for
several minutes. Slowly whisk in the warm milk. Cook, stirring
constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Whisk in the
mustard, hot sauce, black pepper and salt (remembering spam can be salty
as can cheese). Mix the cheeses together and then whisk 2/3 of the
mixture into the hot sauce to melt. Stir the cooked macaroni into the
sauce. Cut the rounded ends from the Spam, cube them, and stir them in.
Cut the remaining Spam into 1/3 inch slices. Reserve 4 slices
for the top and cube the remaining Spam, stirring it also into the macaroni
cheese. Turn into a buttered 1 litre shallow casserole dish. Cut the remaining
slices of spam into halves diagonally and sprinkle each with some of the
brown sugar. Place in a decorative manner on top of the mac and
cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over all.
the butter in the saucepan and then whisk in the flour. Cook for
several minutes. Slowly whisk in the warm milk. Cook, stirring
constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Whisk in the
mustard, hot sauce, black pepper and salt (remembering spam can be salty
as can cheese). Mix the cheeses together and then whisk 2/3 of the
mixture into the hot sauce to melt. Stir the cooked macaroni into the
sauce. Cut the rounded ends from the Spam, cube them, and stir them in.
Cut the remaining Spam into 1/3 inch slices. Reserve 4 slices
for the top and cube the remaining Spam, stirring it also into the macaroni
cheese. Turn into a buttered 1 litre shallow casserole dish. Cut the remaining
slices of spam into halves diagonally and sprinkle each with some of the
brown sugar. Place in a decorative manner on top of the mac and
cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over all.
heated oven for 20 to 30 minutes until the cheese has melted and all is
heated through. Serve hot.
Created using The Recipes Generator
Mmmm . . . this was so, so, SO good. I do hope you will give it a go! Bon Appetit!
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 so much for visiting. Do come again!
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