REFRIGERATOR TOFFEE BARS - An oldie but a goodie. Layers of crisp buttery crackers, sweet toffee and chocolate. Something to satisfy the children's sweet tooth's when the temperature goes up and you don't want to turn on the oven!
FRESH BERRY CROSTINI - Crisp sour dough toasts, spread with creamy cheese, fresh berries and a drizzle of honey. Deliciously simple!
MABEL'S STRAWBERRY PIE - A fresh no bake strawberry pie that is deliciously simple to make. An old recipe I got from my friend Mabel when both of our families were very young! A summer time right of passage.
WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE - The filling for this is super easy to make. Melted white chocolate beaten together with cream cheese, vanilla and sugar, poured over the base and allowed to set up in the refrigerator. If you can stop at one piece of this tasty dessert, you are a better person than I am!
CREAM TEA TRIFLE POTS - Fresh scones, crumbled, with a drizzle of sherry and honey, fresh berries, jam and custard. There is also some clotted cream, which I know is very difficult to find outside of the UK, but I give you a more than adequate substitute to use! Fabulously tasty!
GRANDMOTHER'S STRAWBERRY PIE - You will have to heat up the oven for this, but trust me when I say this fabulously delicious pie is worth every bit of extra heat! Deliciously old fashioned. Serve warm with scoops of cold vanilla ice cream on top for the perfect early summer dessert!
BLACKBERRY & LEMON ETON MESS - A riff on the traditional raspberry version with layers of lemon curd, yogurt cream, a fresh blackberry sauce and broken meringues. Easy and delicious.
LEMON SANDWICHES WITH BLUEBERRIES & CREAM - Thick slices of a moist and delicious lemon cake are topped with a rich yogurt cream and a sweet fresh blueberry sauce. Its very similar to a strawberry shortcake in a way I suppose.
Except this isn't made with baking powder biscuits. Its made with lemon cake. A moist and delicious lemon cake. A very yummy cake.
MACEDONIAN FRUIT SALAD - This is a fabulous recipe that really goes together quickly and that your family will love. You can serve this either for breakfast spooned over some yogurt or cereal, or even pancakes. Or on it's own with a dollop of yogurt on top or a muffin on the side. Light and refreshing. Healthy even!
REFRIGERATOR FUDGE CAKE - A rich vanilla cake, with pockets of rich chocolate pudding, topped with whipped cream. All from scratch and a real favorite family dessert. You can make it even less fussy if you use a boxed cake mix and a pudding mix. Either way its fabulously tasty!
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CHICKEN TACO SALAD - This is the low fat version of a popular salad, but I can promise you, you will never miss the fat! With plenty of chicken pieces, low fat cheese, and baked tortilla chips, lots of veggies, and a very tasty low fat dressing, this always goes down a real treat! Its just spicy enough without being over the top. You can adjust that as you will.
BUFFALO CHICKEN SALAD - A delicious chicken salad with crisp vegetables, spicy chicken tenders and a fabulous low fat blue cheese dressing! Adapted from Ellie Kreiger's Book, the food you crave. You just know its healthy.
GRILLED CHICKEN & WHEATBERRY SALAD - A colorful 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.
HONEY & SESAME CHICKEN NOODLE SALAD - With this you get a cold sesame noodle salad adorned with perfectly cooked chicken, and plenty of green crunchy tender stem broccoli. It makes for a perfect make ahead family supper for those days when you are really busy and know you won't have a lot of time on your hands. This is absolutely delicious! If you are fond of Asian flavors, you will love this.
ALMOST FRIED CHICKEN CHOPPED SALAD - Quite simply delicious. A chopped salad using crispy home breaded chicken tenders and whatever vegetables you have on hand. Its fabulously tasty, boasting a rich, creamy and flavor filled dressing.
CHICKEN, AVOCADO & TOMATO SALAD - Tender, perfectly cooked pieces of chicken sit atop a salad composed of mixed salad leaves, creamy avocado, and rehydrated sun dried tomatoes. Crisp pepitas or sunflower pumpkin seeds as you may know them, make for a tasty and crispy garnish. Not only is this low in carbs and keto friendly, but it is also totally gluten free for those who cannot tolerate gluten. If you rein in the dressing, it is also low in fat and I think totally Diabetic friendly.
CASHEW CHICKEN SALAD - Tender chicken breast slices, coated with cashew nuts and fried in olive oil until golden brown on both sides . . . Served hot atop crisp baby gem leaves. Baby Gem are like tiny romaine lettuces, but a bit more bitter in flavour. You could use baby romaine or romaine hearts. A lush Maple Mustard Dressing completes the picture.
CRISPY CHICKEN SALAD - What you have here is a delicious mix of salad greens, topped with a mix of fruit and vegetables. Spring and red onion. Cucumber, carrot. Radishes and sliced apple. Add to that cubes of sharp cheddar cheese and sweet and tangy dried cranberries. Now top it all off with scrumptious little bits of shredded chicken breast that have been coated in a spice mixture and fried until crispy golden brown. Fabulously tasty!
BLT CHICKEN SALAD - I adore chicken salads of any kinds. I also adore BLT sandwiches. This delicious salad is a way of enjoying both of those loves at the same time. Everything in the salad is perfectly cooked without going over the top. You have perfectly crisp and salty pieces of streaky bacon, not too crisp, not limp. Perfectly cooked, juicy tender boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Perfectly cooked hard boiled egg. Grated Cheese and a punchy Honey Mustard Dressing complete the picture.
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.
One thing I love about the warmer months is Salads! We are no longer craving the hearty sustenance that we craved all winter but are longing for lighter, fresher flavors and ways to really incorporate as much of the fresh produce available at this time of year as we can!
I am a person who enjoys salads any time of year, but in the summer months we can get a bit more inventive with them, and pasta salads are a wonderful way to do that. A tiny bit heartier than a bit of lettuce and cucumber they go really well with all of our BBQ's, Picnics, Pot Lucks and outdoor eating!
Today I am sharing some of my absolute favorite pasta salads, each one designed to bring some flavor and flair to all of your warm weather meals! Quick, easy and yes, delicious!
Be sure to scroll down to the bottom to read all of my hints and tips for making this the best pasta salad season ever!
TURKEY, SOUR CHERRY, & ALMOND PASTA SALAD - This is a lovely main dish salad. I like to use farfalle (bowtie)pasta for this, whole wheat if I can get it It has the perfect shape to use in a pasta salad. Nice and open, but with a few little pleats to hold in the dressing.
And the dressing for this salad is delicious. A homemade poppy seed dressing that is lovely and tangy from fresh lemon juice, with a bit of punch from Dijon mustard and sweetness from creamy honey.
The salad itself boasts the inclusion of cubed cooked turkey breast. You could also use chicken if you don't have any turkey. Also in the mix are dried sour cherries for a bit of sweet tartness, sharp red onions, crunchy celery and salted almonds . . . and creamy tangy Gorgonzola cheese.
ITALIAN PASTA SALAD - This fabulous salad is a small batch salad designed to feed only two people, but can be very easily multiplied to feed more! Italian Pasta Salad is actually a pretty versatile salad. Basically you can add any Italian style ingredients you wish. I used a hard Italian Salami in this version, but you could also use bite sized bits of pepperoni!
Bocconcini, fresh peppers, basil, parsley, Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, artichokes, salami and a punchy Italian dressing complete the picture. You will want to use a nice corkscrew type of pasta that helps to hug in all of that tasty dressing!
BACON & TOMATO PASTA SALAD - All the flavors of your favorite toasted sandwich in a delicious salad! With fresh cherry tomatoes, crisp bacon, spring onions and celery.
Mix that with some fusilli and a punchy creamy dressing and you have a salad combination that goes with just about anything!
GREEK PASTA SALAD - This delicious salad embodies all of the elements of a good Greek Salad with fresh crisp cucumbers, ripe tomatoes, red onions, kalamata olives, plenty of parsley and a delicious red wine herbed dressing.
Oh, and pasta twists, which while not exactly traditional, make this a fabulously tasty and hearty salad! Don't have pasta twists? Use any other pasta that will work to hug all of that fabulous red wine herby dressing and hold it close!!
There will also be gravy and an assortment of cooked vegetables on the side and any number of condiments such as Horseradish Sauce, hot English Mustard or Apple Sauce. Popular vegetables are cabbage, brussels sprouts, carrots, swede (rutabaga) and peas!
Number Two would have to be FISH AND CHIPS. This delicious dish has been a popular meal with the British since the 19th century. Known as a street food, even small Hamlets can boast of having their own fish and chips shop and it would not be a trip to the seaside without enjoying a feast of fish and chips, wrapped in white paper as you sit on a bench watching the waves and beating off the sea gulls. (They love fish and chips as well.)
The fish, which usually Cod, Haddock or Plaice is dipped in a delicious batter and deep fried. Chips are almost always hand cut and twice fried. You will always be asked if you want salt and vinegar on them and they will lavish them with salt and malt vinegar if the answer is yes. This is the ultimate finger food! When enjoyed in a sit down restaurant you will often have them served with some mushy peas and or coleslaw.
Simple, yes, but proof positive that sometimes simple can be very, very good. You can use oven chips if you wish, but once in a while it doesn't hurt to have a real chip. (In the UK French fries are called Chips.)
Number Four, CLASSIC SHEPHERD'S PIE - The UK is famous for all of their pies, steak and kidney, chicken and mushroom, pork pies, etc. but one of the absolute most comforting of pies is this classic. And its not really even a pie!
This is the perfect family meal and is very easy to make with a rich ground lamb and gravy filling topped with vegetables and a layer of fluffy mashed potatoes. You can top the potatoes with grated cheese if you wish. It is cousin to the also very popular COTTAGE PIE which is made with ground beef.
Both are equally popular and incredibly satisfying. You can also use leftover cooked beef or lamb in the fillings, which is how they were originally planned to be used, as a vehicle for the leftovers from Sunday dinner.
BUBBLE AND SQUEAK is another bonus meal created from the leftovers of Sunday lunch! Traditionally it is a hash made with leftover gravy, potatoes, cabbage, and onions, as well as brussels sprouts during sprout season, but really . . .
You can use whatever combination of cooked vegetables you have to hand . . . carrots, peas, parsnips, beans, swede . . . it doesn't really matter . . .
The name comes from the way it bubbles and squeaks in the pan as it is cooking.
Number six - BANGERS AND MASH - This is so popular that even songs have been written about it. Banger is a term lovingly used to describe sausages and is a term which began during World War ll. This was attributed to the sound that sausages might make when cooked under high heat, a pop and a sizzle.
You will find this tasty dish on offer at most pubs and restaurants in the country. What you get here is a delicious snappy skinned thick pork sausage grilled to perfection and served with a fluffy pile of mashed potatoes and plenty of onion gravy!
Number Seven - TOAD IN THE HOLE - This tasty dish combines grilled sausages and Yorkshire pudding batter. The sausages are partially cooked in a dish and once the fat has been released a pudding batter is poured around them and they are baked until the batter is all puffed and golden brown and the sausages are cooked through,
This is a favorite of one and all and delicious served with Bisto gravy and fluffy mash. The origin of the name 'Toad-in-the-Hole' is quite vague. Most suggestions are that the dish's resemblance to a toad sticking its little head out of a hole provide the dish with its somewhat unusual name.
Number eight - CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA - The British love their curries and Chicken Tikka Masala is a real favorite. Chicken tikka masala is a dish of pan roasted chunks of chicken in a spicy sauce. The sauce is usually creamy, spiced and orange-coloured, from the tomatoes that are in the dish.
It was almost certainly invented in Britain and is among the country's most popular dishes, leading a government minister, Robin Cook, to claim in 2001 that it was a British national dish.
When I went to Culinary school in the UK Chicken Tikka Masala was one of the first dishes we were taught to make.
Number 9 - APPLE CRUMBLE - So popular you could almost call it the National dessert. Usually served warm with cold cream for pouring over top, or warm custard sauce.
When it comes to an apple dessert you can't get much better than an apple crumble. I like the ones with the Oats in the crumble most of all. You can find my recipe for the custard here. This custard is also awfully good served with stewed rhubarb, another British favorite!
Number ten - THE CREAM TEA - You will find "Cream Teas" on offer throughout the UK, but they are truly a speciality of the SouthWest . . . Devon and Cornwall areas. I have seen Welsh Cream Teas as well as Cream Teas being offered in many other areas of the UK. In general nowadays, they are offered in Tearooms EVERYWHERE across the UK wherever someone wants to give an impression of British influence.
Not to be confused with high tea which is more like a meal, Cream teas are meant as a light lunch or snack and usually consist of CLASSIC SCONES, served with jam and clotted cream (a true British delicacy) and hot pots of tea.
This is by no means a complete list, but only the tip of a very delicious iceberg. I came to love many different dishes when I lived in the UK. Every region has their own specialty and all of them are endearingly delicious. These are just a few of the things which wangled their way into my foodie heart!!
There is Sticky Toffee Pudding and Banoffee Pie for instance, but I had to draw the line somewhere. If you ever are lucky enough to travel in the UK these are some of the more traditional culinary delights which await you! Bon Appetit!
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