Showing posts with label simple suppers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label simple suppers. Show all posts
Creamy White Chili. I am a huge fan of chili, but if I am being honest here, and I always try to be, this creamy white chili is my absolute favorite version. I never tire of it, and yes it uses my favorite source of protein. Chicken.
This is an incredibly flavorful version of a white chili filled with hearty beans, tender juicy pieces of chicken, green chilies and a delicious variety of spices.
One of my favorite store cupboard ingredients has to be ready-made potato gnocchi! They come in really handy for all sorts. I tend to use them just as I would cooked potatoes much of the time.
Pan-fried potato gnocchi is especially delicious! You can use them as a delicious dish or as I have done here today, as one half of a lazy, hearty and tasty supper for two!
This is a delicious adaptation of a recipe I love which is found in Tessa Kiros cookery book entitled, "Apples for Jam." That has to be one of my favorite cookbooks, and one of the few that I chose to bring back to Canada with me.
One of the reasons I love this book so much is because it is filled with simple recipes that are very family friendly and easy to execute. I can be rather a lazy cook it seems. Although I do love both to cook and to eat, I try hard to get in and out of the kitchen as quickly as possible most of the time.
Don't get me wrong, I am not opposed to pulling out the stops when it comes to cooking for guests, or for special occasions. When it comes to ordinary every day meals, however, quick and easy is generally my rule of thumb.
There is a fabulous recipe in that cookery book for sautéed potatoes and egg. Its one of our favorite things to make on Sundays after church. Potatoes are peeled and boiled until tender, and then dropped into a mixture of hot olive oil and butter.
The fat is flavored with bashed garlic cloves and fresh sage leaves. They really impart a lovely flavor to the fat and in turn really give the potatoes a lovely flavor when they are cooked in it as well.
The potatoes get all golden brown and crispy edged, the middles remaining meltingly tender. The sage leaves are also quite tasty when they are fried crisp like that. (Don't worry if you can't get fresh sage. You can easily use a bit of dried sage in its place. But fresh is better if you can get it.)
Once the potatoes are all crisp and golden brown you drop a couple of large eggs into the middle of them and cook them until they are crisp edged as well. DELICIOUS!
Quick and easy as well.
The good news is that you can cook potato gnocchi in much the same way! Yay!! I love potato gnocchi. To be honest, using a package of potato gnocchi is even easier than using regular potatoes! Its also a lot quicker!
If you use refrigerated gnocchi, there is no need to boil them first. You can simply just drop them into the hot oil. I have never used the sweet potato gnocchi for this, but I think they would also be incredibly delicious as well.
I always like to use large free range eggs. I like to use RSPCA approved if I can get them. I know if they are RSPCA approved then they truly are free range. I have no desire to support an industry which is cruel to animals for whatever purpose.
It has been my experience that quite often what masquerades as free-range hens are not much better off than caged hens. True, they are not in cages, but they are often kept in pens in huge numbers. Often the conditions are not at all what you think they are or should be.
When I was a much younger woman, my first husband came from a farming family. I often used to work in the egg grading house at the weekend, grading the eggs. They had a huge battery of laying hens. I never ventured beyond the doorway to see inside the battery. I am sure if I had of done my heart would have broken.
This was some 46-47 years ago now, and what was seen as being acceptable back then is certainly not acceptable now. Things have changed a great deal and I am happy for that.
If you are lucky enough to know someone who has hens or even if you have laying hens yourself, those are the best eggs of all! Happy eggs from happy hens!
With beautiful big yellow yolks. Sometimes even a double yolker. Now that is an extra special treat.
I love the way the eggs cook in this dish. All ruffle edged and golden brown on the edges as well. I like to leave the yolks a tiny bit runny if I can.
All the better for dipping. Toast. Gnocchi. Fingers. (Oops did I just say that out loud? I think I did!!)
A dusting of freshly grated Parmesan cheese is drifted over the top of the eggs and the gnocchi, completing the dish. The quantities I have given is for two servings, but you can easy double this up if you wish.
If doubling every thing up however, I do recommend cooking it in two separate skillets. That way nothing is crowded in the pan and everything gets perfectly golden and crisp as it should do. This is the perfect lazy day supper!
You are sure to find this to be so, so, so very tasty! Puffy little potato gnocchi, gilded until golden brown in a mixture of olive oil and butter infused with sage and garlic.
Two fresh organic free range eggs broken over top and fried until the edges of the eggs are crisp, the golden yolks still runny and just waiting for your fork to dip one of those little gilded gnocchi in.
Pan Fried Potato Gnocchi & Egg
Yield: 2
Cook time: 20 MinTotal time: 20 Min
This makes a hearty, quick and simple supper for two. A variation on my regular posh egg and chips recipe.
Ingredients
- a generous pound (500g) of refrigerated potato Gnocchi
- 2 TBS good quality olive oil
- 1 TBS butter
- 2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and bruised and left whole
- 3 springs of fresh sage
- 2 large free range eggs, at room temperature preferably
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Finely grated Parmesan Cheese (grate it yourself, preferably)
Instructions
- Put a pot of lightly salted water on to boil. Place the olive oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet along with the garlic and sage. Heat gently while you cook the gnocchi. (Do not allow it to brown.)
- Cook the Gnocchi according to the package directions. Once they are done and float to the surface, scoop out with a slotted spoon and drop into the infused and heated oil/butter mixture.
- Turn the heat up and cook, stirring occasionally until they begin to turn golden brown and the sage leaves crisp up. If the garlic looks like it is going to burn, lift it out and place on top of some of the gnocchi. Make two hollows in the bed of gnocchi and drop an egg into each.
- Cover with a lid and cook over medium low heat, just until the whites are set. Season to taste with some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Serve at once, divided in half and placed onto heated plates. Sprinkle some cheese on each serving. The gnocchi is delicious dipped into the egg yolks.
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There are quite a few recipes for Swiss Chicken on the internet it seems, but none quite like this delicious chicken recipe I am sharing with you today.
Yes, it is a mushroom swiss chicken recipe, like the others, but that is where all similarities end. This contains no cream soup, unlike many of the others.
This Swiss Chicken is very easy to make and yet one of the most flavourful chicken dish ever! Despite not being made with a tinned soup.
Instead you create a simple sauce, which is poured over top. Read on and I will let you in on my secret for making the most delicious, moist and incredible chicken entrée for your family ever!
To be honest I am not really sure why this is called Swiss Chicken. Yes, there is some Gruyere or Swiss cheese involved, but really that is the only thing Swiss about it!
Like I said, no cream of whatever soup. Instead there is a lush and creamy rich sauce which gilds those perfectly golden sautéed pieces of chicken breast meat. Flavoured only with cream and Tarragon and some seasoning.
Oh, and a tiny bit of Brandy. You could also use white wine or dry sherry. Am I the only one who has a collection of tiny bottles of liqueurs and spirits to use in cooking? Small bottles of wine? And I repeat they are only used for cooking.
I don't drink alcohol (for religious reasons) but I am not adverse to cooking with it. My ex Bishop's wife cooked with it all the time so if its okay for her, its okay for me.
You begin by gently pounding boneless, skinless chicken breasts until they are the same thickness throughout. This is so that they will cook in like time.
Once pounded, they are seasoned and lightly coated with flour before browning to perfection in some butter/olive oil. Don't be shy. I like to put a nice golden crust on these!
Once browned, they are popped into a baking dish, ready to be topped with everything else. You will need to brown some mushrooms and garlic in the pan drippings. Be very careful about the mushrooms you choose.
You don't want to choose a mushroom which will turn the pan juices grey and unappealing. I think a nice chestnut or white button mushroom works well here. I have a secret to perfectly browning mushrooms.
And that is to leave them completely alone for the five first minutes or so of cooking them. Don't be tempted to stir them, or agitate them in any way. Just leave them to sit and get all gilded brown in those lovely pan juices.
Patience is truly a virtue here. Once you see them starting to turn golden you can give them a little stir and then leave them again, for a little while longer. Your reward for your patience will be perfectly cooked and golden mushrooms, with lovely crisp edges.
Now is the time to stir in the cream and the tarragon. Oh, and the brandy. Just let it bubble up and then pour it over the golden pieces of chicken. Make sure you get plenty of mushrooms on each slice.
And that's it. Pop a slice of cheese over top and bake it in the oven until the sauce is bubbling, the chicken is cooked through and that lovely cheese has melted perfectly on top.
Nothing could really be easier. And, if you follow my instructions implicitly, you end up with perfectly cooked, no hint of dryness, chicken breasts.
I love cooking with chicken breasts. They make a beautiful canvas on which to paint most flavours, but if improperly cooked (ie. over cooked) they can be dry and dull.
The trick is to not over do it. Once you have gilded them nice and golden brown, they really only need a short cook-time in the oven.
I find that if I pop them into the oven while I am making that sauce, it is sufficient time in order for them to cook through thoroughly.
You will know they are cooked through when the juices run clear when you prick them with a fork. If there is any hint of pink at all, simply return them to the oven for a few more minutes.
Better safe than sorry! (And this comes from someone who has experienced food poisoning. Not nice, not wanting to experience it again. Never from chicken though. It was coleslaw.) So do make sure they are cooked through just to be safe.
This really is an incredibly simple to make and delicious supper option. It uses very few ingredients and goes together in a flash!
Easy and delicious, it is sure to be something your family is going to love. Be prepared for it to become an often requested supper entree! You have been warned!
Creamy Swiss Chicken
Yield: 4
prep time: 10 Mincook time: 20 Mintotal time: 30 Min
Filled with lovely flavours. This is a very simple dish. Tender moist chicken topped with a creamy mushroom sauce and gruyere cheese.
Ingredients
- 4 (200g/7oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- salt, pepper and plain flour to dust
- 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1/2 pound (200g)mushrooms, sliced
- 1 TBS chopped fresh Tarragon (or 1/2 TBS dried)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whipping cream
- 1 TBS brandy
- 4 large slices Gruyere or Swiss Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Have ready a baking tray.
- Place your chicken between two pieces of plastic cling film and pound lightly until they are each about 1/2 inch thick. Season with salt and black pepper and dust lightly with flour.
- Heat half of the olive oil and butter in a large skillet. Add the chicken breasts presentation sides down, and brown on one side for approximately 3 minutes until golden. Flip over and brown on the other side for a further 3 minutes.
- Place onto the baking tray and pop into the oven while you make the sauce.
- Add the remaining butter and oil to the pan drippings. Throw in the mushrooms and garlic and cook over medium heat until the mushrooms have softened.
- Add the tarragon, cream and brandy. Stir over high heat for about 2 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and spoon the hot sauce over top, dividing it equally amongst the four pieces.
- Top each with a slice of cheese and pop back into the oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Serve immediately.
Easy peasy this is. Actually it is beautiful dinner party fare, and would make a brilliant option for Valentine's Day Supper. It is quick and easy to make, and yet tastes like you have been slaving all day over it. I served with English petit pois and roasted potatoes. Yum.
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!
This recipe I am sharing today for a Chili Cheese Dog Casserole is sure to become a firm favourite with your family. Tis the season for comfort food! Comfort food needn't be complicated or take hours to cook.
This fabulously tasty and hearty recipe goes together in a flash and uses only a few simple ingredients. This family friendly recipe goes down a real treat and is perfect for those days when life gets really busy but you still want to feed your family a delicious meal!
I have a real fondness for hot dogs. I know, they are probably not the healthiest things to eat, but the heart wants what the heart wants, and sometimes my heart just longs for a hotdog in any way shape or form.
When I was growing up Friday nights were always hot dog nights in our home. My mother worked so they were simple enough that they didn't require too much work at the end of the week. She got her groceries on Saturdays so the fridge was also probably getting a bit empty. Hot dogs fit the bill perfectly!
My mother cooked a mean hot dog. People used to wish that they could be invited to our home for Hot Dog Night. Seriously!
Mom had an old electric grill that she would use to cook the hot dogs. It had removable plates, one side which was for waffles and the other side flat for frilling. Mom always split the weiners in half almost all the way through, down the length of them.
She would open them up like a book and then grill them in the electric grill until they were toasted and golden brown on both sides. I cannot begin to tell you how delicious these were. They were quite simply amazing.
She would have already grilled soft sided hot dog buns, buttered on both sides of course, to put the cooked hotdog in. These would be all crisp and golden and buttery as well. Perfection served with one of those grilled weiners.
And that was it. We would have our ketchup, mustard and relish on them and sometimes grilled onions or even raw onions. Mom always wrapped each hot dog in a square of paper kitchen towel.
Mom always cooked two for each of us. We didn't have anything else, except maybe a bowl of ice cream for dessert. That was Friday supper, and let me tell you, we were as happy as we would have been had she set a good steak down in front of us, probably even happier.
I still like to cook my hotdogs like that from time to time, and yes, I still enjoy them immensely. Sometimes though, I also like to make these and yes, I enjoy them immensely also!
I always start off with a good all beef hot dog. I only eat beef hot dogs. I am a bit of a snob that way, sorry. I know hot dogs are not exactly gourmet food, but . . . meh . . . I like all beef, even in my trash food.
You will need some more trash food for these. They are a real convenience meal, using store cupboard ingredients. Hot dogs. Refrigerated Pizza Dough. String cheese. Canned chili con carne.
Simple. And it makes only four servings. Trust me when I say one of these is more than ample. At least it is for us.
You unroll the pizza dough and cut it into four equal sized rectangles. You will need to cut the string cheese in half also. Right down the middle lengthwise.
A hot dog gets laid on the end of each rectangle of pizza dough, with a piece of string cheese laid on either side of it. You then roll the dough up to cover both the weiner and the cheese completely.
The chili gets dumped into a shallow casserole dish. The original recipe only used one can of chili, with beef and beans. I like to use two.
Two cans gives you a much nicer amount to serve with the dogs. I felt that one can divided between four people was a bit too stingy. If you hav homemade chili so much the better! Just use that. There is no need to heat it up.
Just dump it into the dish and lay the dough wrapped dogs on top, seam size down. I like to melt some butter and mix it with some dried parsley flakes, and onion and garlic powders. This gets brushed on top of the rolls.
That's it. Then you bake them. Until the rolls are golden brown and risen, the hotdogs heated through, the cheese melted, and the chili is bubbling away.
Can you say "Oh baby!" These are A M A Z I N G L Y tasty! You get the heartyness and spice of that chili . . . and then those wrapped dogs.
Meaty, cheesy, buttery, yummy. They go so very well with that chili. It is a marriage truly made in heaven. Truly.
You don't really need much on the side, if anything. You could serve this with coleslaw or a salad if you were wanting to get some vegetables into you family. I especially like coleslaw and have a really yummy recipe for that here. You can't go wrong.
These always go down a real treat with the family. Hearty and delicious, quick and easy to make. What more could a person ask for!
Baked Chili Cheese Dogs
Yield: 4
prep time: 10 Mincook time: 25 Mintotal time: 35 Min
This family pleasing recipe is really simple to make and incredibly delicious. With this you get two comfort foods in one. Its really a win/win supper!
Ingredients
- 4 all beef hot dogs (You can freeze any leftover frankfurters for another time)
- 5 pieces of string cheese (cheddar)
- 1 can of refrigerated pizza dough
- 2 14-oz (400g tins) of chili con carne
- 2 TBS butter, melted
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp parsley flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.
- Butter a 6 by 10 inch baking dish or lightly spray with low fat cooking spray. Spread the chilli out into the dish evenly.
- Unroll the pizza dough and cut into 4 equal sized rectangles.
- Cut the string cheeses in half lengthwise. The fifth one will be used to make up the length of the hotdogs in the four main ones, so cut it again cross wise into 4 bits, divided in half)
- Lay a frankfurter at one short edge of each rectangle with 1/2 slice of cheese string placed on either side of it, plus one fourth of the fifth one to make up the length. (If your hotdogs are short you may not need a fifth one.)
- Roll up beginning at the hotdog side, to cover the hot dog completely, and place on top of the chili in the baking dish, seam side down.
- Mix together the melted butter, garlic and onion powders and parsley flakes. Brush evenly over top of the rolls.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the dough is well risen, the chili is bubbling and the rolls are golden brown. Enjoy!
notes:
The original recipe only called for one tin of chili. I felt that it needed more and so I have used two tins. Even better, use leftover homemade chili if you have any.
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!
Sheetpan Crispy Chicken & Potatoes! I love easy and delicious suppers like this fabulous all in one sheet pan supper for two! With this tasty meal you get fabulously tasty chicken that is crispy on the outside and yet still tender and juicy on the inside.
Add to that an array of deliciously roasted vegetables. Crispy roasted cubes of potato. Crispy tender green beans. Lush roasted baby plum tomatoes. All in all a dinner made in heaven!
Everything cooks beautifully on one sheet pan as well. No fuss no muss, and very little clean up involved, especially if you line your sheet pan with aluminium foil as I always do.
Just rip off the foil after you have removed your dinner to serve, and throw the foil away. You cannot get a much easier cleanup than that!
The quantities given are for just two people, but can very easily be multiplied to serve more. Just double the ingredients and spread them out onto two baking sheets! Easily done!
A full meal in one, with only one dish to wash? Sign me up! Life gets so busy sometimes and I get so lazy. Meals like this were made for people like me, and I am betting you too!
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are pounded and then dipped in an egg and lemon mixture before coating them in crispy seasoned bread crumbs and parmesan cheese to coat. The pounding evens the chicken out and creates a really tender piece of chicken.
The bread crumb coating created a beautiful crisp coating that is absolutely filled to the hilt with flavour. There is some really scrumptious crispy chicken going on here, let me tell you!
I have chosen to roast whole green beans with this. First of all they were on special and looked really lovely in the shop. Secondly they are one of my favourite vegetables and lend themselves beautifully to the roasting treatment!
These do not get really tender, but rather crispy tender. (If you want your green beans to be exceptionally tender, then you can blanche them for a few minutes first.) Tossed together with melted butter and garlic, etc. they come out really tasty I could eat a whole tray of these and nothing else!
Likewise those crispy roasted potatoes. I like to leave the skins on, both for colour and flavour, not to mention texture and fibre. I adore roasted potatoes, probably more than fried potatoes.
Plus they also get the butter, herb and garlic treatment. Today I used red skinned potatoes. They have a beautiful yellow flesh and lovely flavour.
I roast them first, along with the chicken. Both take approximately the same amount of time to get crisp and cooked through perfectly.
I love those crisp and golden gilded edges on the potatoes. The flavours of the garlic, butter and herbs are amazing on these potatoes. I could eat them every day of the week and with everything! I am a real potato lover!
Baking the potatoes rather than frying them makes them a tad bit healthier. And they always come out crisp and golden brown yummilicious!
If you are low carbing it, and many people are, you could replace them with
cauliflower florets. Equally as delicious, but they won't take quite as long to cook. (Just a warning.)
I had some baby plum tomatoes which needed using up. Roasting is a great way to get some flavour into the anemic tomatoes we see in the shops this time of year. A drizzle of good balsamic vinegar and some salt and pepper are the only seasonings you need for these.
Do you keep your tomatoes on the counter top? If not, you really should. Tomatoes are one fruit (and they are considered a fruit) that continue to ripen on the countertop at room temperature. You can really bring out lush flavour in pretty inspipid shop tomatoes simply by leaving them in a bowl on the countertop for a few days.
I am really going to miss those beautiful tomatoes that I was able to have delivered from the Isle of Wight in the UK here in Canada. They were always beautiful, no matter the time of year.
I haven't been able to source anything similar here in Canada yet. I suspect that North America is not quite so advanced in the art of home delivery of food and food products, but I could be wrong. If you know any different, please enlighten me!
As you can see the chicken in this sheet pan supper is perfectly cooked succulent and juicy. Not greasy at all, and the coating is beautifully crisp. I use panko crumbs because I like them.
The vegetables are crispy tender, beautifully flavoured and go really well together with the chicken. Likewise those roasted tomatoes. Beautiful, all of it. Beautiful.
I served this with wedges of fresh lemon (its citrus season) and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese to finish it off.
This is such a beautiful combination . . . tender juicy crisp coated
chicken, crispy buttery potatoes, crispy tender green beans, caramelised
tomatoes. No fuss, no muss. What more could you ask for?
Yield: 2
Sheetpan Crispy Chicken & Potatoes
prep time: 15 Mincook time: 30 Mintotal time: 45 Min
An oven baked all in one pan chicken dinner for two with delicious Italian flavours!
Ingredients
For the crispy chicken:
- 1 small free range egg, beaten lightly
- 1 TBS lemon juice
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- 1/4 tsp each salt and black pepper
- 35g dried bread crumbs (1/4 cup) (I like panko)
- 3 TBS freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 TBS melted butter
For the Vegetables:
- 250g baby potatoes, washed, dried and quartered (1/2 pound)
- 250g green beans, washed, trimmed and dried (1/2 pound)
- 12 baby plum tomatoes, halved
- 1 TBS balsamic vinegar
- 60g melted butter (1/4 cup)
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- dry Italian seasoning
- salt and black pepper to taste
To finish:
- Chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- a dusting of Parmesan cheese
- fresh lemon wedges
Instructions
- First prepare the chicken. Whisk the egg, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper together in a shallow bowl. Pound the chicken breasts so that they are roughly the same thickness throughout. Add them to the egg mixture, turning to coat them. Refrigerate and marinate for half an hour at least.
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Put the bread crumbs in a bowl with the Parmesan cheese. Dredge each chicken breast on both sides in this, pressing them lightly to help the crumbs to stick. Place them onto the baking tray. Drizzle with the melted butter. (Alternately you can spray them with the low fat cooking spray). Place them in a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Melt the butter for the vegetables and mix with the garlic, Italian seasoning and salt to taste. Toss the potatoes with half of this and the green beans with the other half.
- Place the potatoes in one layer around the chicken, reserving the beans for later.
- Roast the chicken and potatoes in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Push the potatoes to one side and add the green beans around the chicken on the other side. Return to the oven and roast for a further10 minutes.
- Remove the tray from the oven again. Push the beans aside to make room for the tomatoes. Add the cherry tomatoes and drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and season with some salt and black pepper. Return the tray to the oven and roast for a further 10 minutes, until the chicken is golden and cooked through, the potatoes are crisp and golden brown and the green beans crispy tender. The tomatoes should be wilted and beginning to caramelise. Scatter some Parmesan cheese over the tray and sprinkle with the flat leaf parsley. Serve immediately with lemon wedges for spritzing over top
If you want to make this really quick, you can use frozen ready fried crispy chicken breast cutlets like the ones you get the bag in Costco. They are excellent. Also, ifyou don't like your green beans crispy tender, you may want to blanch them first. If you don't like green beans you can use trimmed asparagus spears, or baby corn cobs. Tasty either way!
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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