Now that summer is here, we are definitely eating a bit lighter. Todd has always said that he is not fond of salads, and by that he means a plate of boring leaves with little else.



Indeed . . . salad is something that the British got quite wrong for a number of years, with most salads consisting of some torn iceberg lettuce, a few slices of wilted cucumber and an bit of anemic tomato on top! If you got any dressing at all . . . it was salad cream, or straight mayonnaise. And while I am rather fond of salad cream on boiled eggs or in sandwiches at times . . . I really want to have something a bit more tastier on my salad. It is no wonder that Todd thought he didn't like salad.



Nowadays there is no excuse for a boring salad here in the UK. We grow all sorts and varieties of salad greens right here at home . . . meaty rocket, tender oakleaf, peppery watercress, sweet baby gems, cos . . . to name but a few. Us UK'ers are quite well travelled these days, and have taken a lesson from the continent. It is now quite common to find tasty salads in most restaurants.



At home, Todd is still not overly fond of a plate of lettuce and so I always try to dress them up with a bit more than just lettuce, using a variety of vegetables and in this case here today . . .



Topping the colourful plate of salad greens with a delicious wheatberry salad, chock full of crunch and sweetness. Crunchy toasted walnuts and chopped celery . . . sweet dried cranberries . . . spicy spring onions, and a tangy lemon and olive oil dressing.



Topped again with a breast of chicken that has been rubbed with a delicious mixture of spices and grilled until perfectly cooked, and still juicy and tender.



This is quite nice . . . Todd mumbled in between satisfied mouthfuls.
My job was done. ☺ I do ♥ a happy and well fed man!!



*Grilled Chicken and Wheatberry Salad*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Hearty and deliciously different with a nutty and chewy wheatberries, sweet dried cranberries, crunchy toasted walnuts atop tender greens and topped off with a spicy grilled chicken breast!

For the Salad:
1 cup of hard wheat berries
(I used an 8 ounce measure of Ebly and 16 ounces of chicken broth)
2 ounces of chopped toasted walnuts (1/2 cup)
a large handful of parsley, finely chopped
2 stalks of celery, washed, trimmed and finely chopped
2 1/2 ounces of dried cranberries (1/2 cup)
2 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS lemon juice, plus 1 tsp
salt and black pepper

4 cups of mixed salad leaves

For the Chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp olive oil

Make the wheatberry salad first. Combine the wheat berries and enough water to cover by 2 inches in a pot. Bring to the boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, uncovered until tender, about 1 hour. Drain and let cool. (If you are using Ebly, combine 1 measure of the Ebly with 2 measures of chicken stock. Bring to the boil, then cook for 10 minutes, until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Drain well and cool.)

In a large bowl, combine the cooled wheat, toasted walnuts, parsley, celery, cranberries, spring onions, olive oil and lemon juice. Season to taste with some salt and pepper. Set aside.

Place the chicken breasts into a plastic baggie and bash them with a rolling pin until they are about 1/2 inch thick and of even thickness throughout. Combine the cumin, coriander, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Rub the chicken breasts with the olive oil and then with the spice mixture, rubbing it all into both sides.

Heat a large grill pan over medium high heat. Spray with some cooking spray. Grill the chicken until grill marks have formed and the chicken is cooked all the way through, some 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

To serve, place 1 cup of salad leaves on each of four chilled plates. Cover with 3/4 cup of the wheat berry salad. Slice each chicken breast on the diagonal and lay atop the wheatberries. Serve immediately.



Note - You can also chill the wheatberry salad and then pack it with the salad leaves and chicken into a takeaway container for a delicious, and yet hearty, go to work lunch!



I stored the leftovers in one of my handy dandy Pyrex 4-in-1 Plus dishes that I was sent to try out last week. They are just lovely! Ideal for eat-in and take-away cooking, the Pyrex 4-in-1 Plus range offers air tight storage that can be used in the fridge or freezer. Its smart lid has a steam valve that enables microwave heating, remove the lid and it can be used to cook in an oven. Made from borosilicate glass, it is thermal shock resistant and able to withstand temperatures of up to 300*C. They come with a 10 year guarantee under normal use and are nicely sized for easy storage. Available at stockist in the UK and starting at £5.50 they are easily affordable. Thank you Pyrex for allowing me to try them out! I've spent the last week, storing, baking and reheating with the three that I was sent and I am very happy with them. I highly recommend!!

 

I quite simply love, LOVE potatoes . . . Any way . . . Any time . . . Any how.

You can take away my chocolate. You can take away my pasta. You can take away just about anything . . . just don't mess with my potatoes. They are my favourite vegetable.



Let's face it . . . low carb just would never work for me, coz I can't live without em!

Baked potatoes (Or jacket potatoes as they are called over here) are my absolute favourite version. Yes, I DO like em more than even chips. (But it's pretty close I admit!)



I like em with lots of butter and cheese on top, or sour cream and chives, or even just butter, salt and pepper!

Baked beans, or tuna or . . .well you name it. If you slop it onto a baked potato I am in love!



When I was growing up my mom sometimes used to make us twice baked, stuffed potatoes for a real treat! Oh they were soooo good, with the insides removed, mashed with some butter, milk and onion and then stuffed back in and baked again. We could never get enough of them!



Here's a slightly posher version of the same thing. Like Stuffed Baked Potatoes?? Like Welsh Rarebit??

Then you are gonna just LOVE these!!




*Rarebit Jacket Potatoes*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

Delicious jacket potatoes with a cheesy rarebit filling. Serve with a tossed salad for a light but filling meal for two!

2 large baking potatoes
olive oil
a knob of butter
2 TBS milk
1 medium free range egg, beaten
100g of grated strong cheddar cheese (3/4 cup)
1 to 2 tsp English mustard (can use Dijon)
a good splash of Worcestershire Sauce

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Rub the potatoes all over with oil, then prick with a fork in several places. Place directily on the top rack of the oven. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until they yield to soft pressure. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for about 15 minutes.

At the end of that time, slice horizontally in half. Scoop out all the flesh from the insides to a bowl. Mash together with the butter, milk, egg, 3/4th of the cheese, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Pile back into the potato shells. Place on a baking dish and sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese over top. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.

Serve immediately with some salad on the side.

Sometimes you want something for supper that is totally unpretentious, delicious and simple to make . . . made from simple, fresh ingredients . . .



Things that you have in your larder and fridge all the time.



Things like potatoes and eggs.



If you have potatoes and eggs . . . you got a meal.



Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Are you going to Scarborough Fair?



I did . . . and it was delicious.



It went down a real treat with a slice of buttered bread on the side, and a dab of ketchup.



Herby baked oven chips . . . with the skins on and coverd with little crunchy bits. Runny yolked oven fried eggs . . . broken open and running all over the potatoes . . . rich and scrummy . . . go on . . . dip your bread in. You know you want to.

Totally Todd approved.

Breakfast for dinner. Works for me!



*Scarborough Fair Egg and Chips*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. Delicious, quick and oh so easy. Healthy too, coz it's baked in the oven.

1 pound floury potatoes (Maris Piper, King Edward)
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
2 TBS olive oil
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 large free range eggs

Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ Gas mark 7. Wash the potatoes and dry. Do not peel. Cut into thick chips. Tip into a nonstick roasting tray. Drizzle with the olive oil and herbs. Toss together with your fingers making sure that they are evenly coated.

Bang the tray into the oven and roast for about 40 minutes until cooked through and golden brown, giving them a shake and a flip every ten minutes or so. Create two gaps in the middle of them, pushing them aside with a spatula. Break the two eggs into the gaps. Return to the oven and bake for another 3 to 5 minutes or until the eggs are as cooked as you like. Season the eggs to taste. Divide between two heated plates and serve hot with buttered bread and ketchup for dipping if desired!

My husband and I have been members of the National Trust for about 10 years now. We both just love visiting historical homes and gardens so it has always been worth it to us. A yearly membership works out a lot cheaper than having to pay entrance fees each time we visit one of the National Trust places.



We recently visited Erddig, which is near Wrexham in Wales. "Widely acclaimed as one of Britain's finest historic houses, Erddig is a fascinating yet unpretentious early 18th-century country house reflecting the upstairs downstairs life of a gentry family over 250 years.

We both thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this great historical home. We found it quite astonishing that the orignal owner of the Estate was simply a "Mr" and not a person of noble birth. Judging by everything that was on this property, he was one very wealthy individual, and one could tell by all of the photographs and paintings that, although they had lots of money and servants, their servants were very much cared for and well treated.



We spent a wonderful day there exploring all the nooks and crannies and the beautiful gardens. So much so, that we plan on going back again soon. There was so much still left to explore, and one visit just didn't do it enough justice.



One of the things we both look forward to when we are visiting these places is having a light lunch in the cafes that are, in most cases, right on the grounds. Lovely little places where you can get everything from soup to nuts . . . always very tasty stuff!

We shared a delicious cheese and onion sandwich and some hot cocoa the day we were there, but right next to the cash register in the cafe was a little leaflet for sale,, containing some of the recipes from Erddig House, dating back to the 1700's.



It was only a pound, so how could I resist!! Of course I had to pick it up!

That night I made us the carrot soup for our tea from the leaflet, and let me tell you . . . it was the MOST delicious carrot soup I have ever, ever eaten! It should have served at least 4 people but Todd and I polished it off between the two of us. NOT A PROBLEM! It was rich and creamy and had the most wonderful flavour. Carrots, potatoes, celery, turnips, onions and lettuce . . . a delicious combination of simple garden fresh ingredients!

This is now our 'alltime' favourite soup.



*Erddig Carrot Soup*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

Taken from a 'Receipt Book 1765', the second oldest Erddig cookery book.

2 ounces butter
2 large onions
2 large potatoes
2 pounds carrots
1/2 pound turnips
1/2 head celery
1/4 lettuce
3 1/2 pints (about 7 cups) vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste

Peel and chop all of the vegetables. Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the onion and saute until golden. Add the potatoes and stir well. Add the remainder of the vegetables and the stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer until all the vegetables are tender. Liquidise. Check for seasoning and adjust as necessary.



I also baked up some very delicious Cheese Scones to have with the soup. They went down a real treat!! You can find the recipe HERE.

Cheese started being used as a vegetable topping waaaay back in the eighteenth century. In France they began by using it as a topping for Cardoons, which are a close relative of the artichoke, and called the dish "Chardons a la Fromage." It wasn't long before England started using the same idea, and began to top cauliflower with it.



I have to say, what a fabulous idea that was! Cauliflower Cheese is one of my most favouritest of all British dishes! In fact, I could very happily sit down to a plate full of Cauliflower Cheese and nothing else at all!!



Crispy tender Cauliflower florets, slathered in a lucious cheese sauce and cooked in a hot oven until browned and bubbly . . . mmmm . . . this has to be one of the best vegetable dishes going!



I think Cheddar is the best of all cheeses to use in the sauce, and specifically a good strong farmhouse cheddar . . . but you can, of course, use a variety of cheeses. Gruyere and Parmesan immediately spring to mind, used in equal quantities of course! You can even add a bit of stilton which is very yummy when mixed with the cheddar. It's a bit strong all on it's own though . . .



You can top this with buttered bread crumbs, for a buttery crunch!



Or you can simply top it with more cheese, for a lucious golden brown topping that is as rich and tempting as what lays beneath.

This is a tried and true favourite in this house.



*Cauliflower Cheese*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

An old British favourite. This dish makes a tasty side dish, light main course, or delicious alternative for a Vegetarian Sunday lunch.

1 large cauliflower, trimmed and divided into florets
butter
salt and pepper

For the cheese sauce:
1 clove
1 bay leaf
1 small onion, peeled
600ml of milk (2 cups)
1 ounce of butter (2 TBS)
1 ounce of plain flour (2TBS)
150ml of single cream (slightly more than half a cup)
1 tsp English mustard
6 to 7 ounces grated strong cheddar cheese
salt, pepper and some freshly grated nutmeg

To top:
2 ounces grated strong cheddar cheese

First make the cheese sauce. Stud the bayleaf to the onion with the clove, pressing the clove through the bayleaf and into the onion. Place in a saucepan along with the milk and the cream. Warm the milk mixture slowly to a simmer. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to infuse with the flavours of the studded onion for 15 minutes. At the end of that time, strain the onion out.

Melt the butter for the sauce in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook over low heat for several minutes. Whisk in the warm milk, a little at a time, until the mixture forms a smooth bechamel sauce. Add the onion again and allow to cook, over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes. At the end of that time it should be lovely and thick and rich. Scoop out the onion and discard. Season to taste with some salt and pepper, the mustard, and some freshly grated nutmeg. Whisk in the cheese until it melts. Set aside and keep warm.

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the cauliflower florets. Cook just until tender. This should only take a few minutes, leaving a slight bite. Drain off the water. Warm a knob of butter in a frying pan and add the florets. Roll without colouring in the butter and season with some salt and black pepper.

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Spoon a little of the cheese sauce into an ovenproof dish. Arrange the cauliflower on top and pour the remaining cheese sauce over top to coat. Sprinkle with the 2 ounces of cheese. Place in the oven to melt and colour for 10 to 15 minutes. It should be nicely browned and bubbling. Enjoy!

A few months ago, shortly after we moved into our new home, Todd went to work digging and planting a garden. He's not really that organized when it comes to such things. I am the organizer, but . . . I was busy sorting out the inside of the house, and we wanted to get something in before it was too late.



There is no rhyme or reason to much of what he planted, which is kind of nice really . . . and makes it sort of interesting.

Like the row of what he thought was parsnips, that ended up being rocket . . . not quite the same thing of course, but nice nonetheless!

We returned from our holidays on Sunday to a garden filled to the brim with Baby Gem Lettuces . . . all ready for the picking NOW. Now, as a woman, I would have spread out the planting of these little treats, over several weeks, so that they would not all be ready at the same time . . . but men . . . well, this man at any rate . . . meh . . .



I count my blessings where I find them, and at least he planted the garden!!

My beetroot are pretty much ready now as well . . . and the beans, both yellow and green are beginning to come fast and furious! Yummo!! The courgettes and butternut squash are also full of blossom, so that looks very promising as well . . . the pigeons ate our cabbage while we were away, but again . . . it is a blessing that they left it at the cabbage and didn't taste everything else as well!!




Anyways, here is a lovely salad that makes a nice light supper. It's easy to make, quick and we think it's quite delicious. You don't have to use canned ham, sliced baked ham works very well also, as do a few other suggestions which I have mentioned in the recipe!

I like to think of most recipes as being basic canvases for you to make your own mark upon in any case . . . isn't that the true wonder of cooking!!



*Beetroot Summer Salad Bowl*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

You don't have to use ham in this if you don't want to. You could use a flavourful goats cheese, torn inbto bits, or chopped camembert, smoked fish . . . use your imagination. Chopped cooked steak or beef is also very nice.

100g of frozen petit pois (about 1/2 cup)
175g of beetroot (2 medium beetroot), cooked until tender and peeled
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
1 small tin of cooked ham, flaked
3 baby gem lettuces, sliced crosswise

For the Dressing:
2 TBS thick Greek Yoghurt
2 tsp horseradish sauce
approximately 1 TBS milk
salt and black pepper to taste

Put the peas into a dish and pour boiling water over top. Allow to sit for several minutes, then drain very well. Set aside.

Slice the beetroot into thick wedges. Set aside.

Divide the lettuce between two chilled dinner plates. Sprinkle the spring onions over top, along with the peas, dividing them equally amongst the plates. Top with the beetroot wedges.

Whisk together the yoghurt, horseradish sauce and milk until smooth and drizzable, adding more milk if necessary. Season to taste with some salt and black pepper.

Drizzle this dressing over the salads and then top each with equal amounts of flaked ham. Serve immediately.