I had some cooked chicken breasts today that I needed to use up. I had bought some already cooked ones at the weekend for something and then hadn't used them all, and so today I thought I better make good use of them.
You could use home cooked chicken breasts for this, or even leftover roast chicken. It's all a matter of using what you have on hand.
I like to use up all of my leftovers. I just hate waste and in today's economic climate, it just makes sense to use up all that we have.
I like to use up all of my leftovers. I just hate waste and in today's economic climate, it just makes sense to use up all that we have.
Good use of leftovers makes good food budget economy, and I am all for that!
I think baked jacket potatoes have to be the most versatile ingredient in the world.
It's so easy to just throw them in the oven and get on with other things, and presto, an hour later you have the perfect canvas to paint a supper meal on!
Today I browned some pancetta cubetti along with the chopped cooked chicken breasts, and threw in some spinach and seasoning.
You could use fresh spinach or even frozen leaf spinach. Both work well.
You could also use chopped streaky bacon, or even chopped cooked ham. Just what you have.
A bit of cheese and some cream, and I had a delicious mixture to top our jacket potatoes with. I just cut a cross in the top of each, pinched them open and . . .
Then I popped them into individual casserole dishes . . . because who doesn't love a tasty casserole just for YOU.
A bit more cheddar on top and a blast under the grill and we had a simple supper, that was low on cost and high on taste.
Fit for a King I would say. The King of this castle didn't complain at any rate! I love it when that happens.
Enjoy!
A great way to stretch your leftovers. Simply thrifty and delicious altogether.
4 large baking potatoes
1 TBS olive oil
160g package of pancetta cubes (about 1/2 cup)
3 leftover cooked chicken breasts
4 handfuls of baby leaf spinach, washed
salt and pepper to taste
100g of grated strong cheddar cheese (1 cup)
2 TBS double cream
Preheat your oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Wash your potatoes well and dry. Prick all over with a fork, to prevent them from bursting in the oven. Rub them with 1/2 of the olive oil and then place them into the heated oven directly on the oven rack. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until done.
Heat the remaining TBS of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the pancetta and cook for about 5 minutes, until it turns golden brown. Cut the chicken breasts into cubes and toss them in with the pancetta. Cook and stir until heated through. Add the spinach a handful at a time to wilt. Stir in half of the cheese and the cream. Heat through and stir to melt the cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Remove the cooked potatoes from the oven. Cut a cross in top and gently squeeze open. Place onto a baking tray (or into individual casserole dishes). Fill the potatoes with the cheesy and bacon mixture. Top with the remainder of the cheddar and pop under a hot grill until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Grind a bit of black pepper over top and serve.
Of course if you don't have pancetta, you can just use bacon! It's all good! Happy Valentines Day and Bon Appetit!
Love bites: over half of Brits say a dinner party is the best place to find love
Forget
Tinder and dodgy bars, 51% of Brits say that their favourite place to
look for love is at a good old fashioned dinner party. As part of a
report by Denby Pottery examining the UK’s entertaining habits, 44% of
Brits also admitted to having the most success with dating following a
dinner party ‘set up’. And thankfully, there’s plenty of opportunity for
love to blossom, as 87% regularly host friends for dinner.
- 60% claim they get to know a person better at a dinner party than at a bar -
- 6% of the nation has found the love of their lives at a dinner party -
- That 6% jumps to 1 in 10 for Londoners and Scots -
- 17% of people have been set up at a dinner party at least once -
- Under 35s are the most likely to be set up at a dinner party -
These
stats form part of The Art of Entertaining report by iconic British
brand, Denby, which delves into trends and eating habits of British
people today. It reveals that while the dinner party is as popular as
ever, the way we host has changed, with only 1/3 laying a formal table
these days and 75% not serving a traditional full three courses.
(Click on the photos to enlarge!)
I do like to spoil my husband at the weekends. These fabulous turnovers are a wonderful way to do just that. Simple to make and oh so delicious, they always go down a real treat with him!
There is nothing my husband loves more than a steamed pudding. He loves stodge and comfort especially in the Winter months. He feels the cold a lot more than I do. I have my own layer of insulation, haha, something which he is severely lacking. Yes, he is one of those lucky people who can more than look at tasty things and never gain an ounce. I just have to smell them and I gain a pound. Sadly, I do a bit more than smell . . . but that's another story!
I confess I am a great fan of one pan meals. This Pork Chop Dinner is a one pan meal that I have had written down in a notebook of mine for a very long time, and I confess that today I made it with thick slices of the leftover pork from the other day and halved the recipe for just the two of us. Its nice to know you can do that I think! It was delicious!
I think Bangers (sausages) and Mash has to be the Toddsters favourite meal of all that I cook for him. He loves a good meaty sausage. He love a nice pile of fluffy mash and . . . he adores a nice onion gravy. This meal ticks all the boxes for him and he is a very happy camper when I make it for him!
There are normally only two of us eating in this house and so I normally try to cut recipes in half for us, or create dishes which are simple and make just enough for two. It's not that hard to do really. And you can normally multiply up with no problems at all.
When I was a young woman, I couldn't really afford to buy cookery books. With a growing family to care for and being a stay at home mom, cookery books were not in my budget. I used to handwrite out recipes gleaned from library books and friends and magazines into notebooks. This is one of those recipes and I can no longer remember if it came from a book, magazine or a friend, or if it was an exeriment of my own that worked out well. I tend to think that it is the latter due to the simplicity of it. Simple recipes are often the best ones don't you think?
This is a recipe that I have been baking for years and years and years. It is one of my favourite all time bars and something which my family always loved during their growing up years.
They were quite dangerous for me to bake as I couldn't keep myself from indulging if these were around. Yes, they are that good.
Its an old handwritten recipe that is splotched and splattered which speaks volumes as to just how very beloved and good these squares actually are!
I can no longer remember where or who I got it from. But wherever and whoever it was, I have been very thankful for ever since!
What you have is a beautifully moist caramel flavoured cake base. Brown sugar keeps it moist and gives it that lovely caramel flavour.
I would say it is very similar to a blondie base.
With a totally scrumptious walnut filled brown sugar meringue topping!You actually fold the walnuts into the meringue in this recipe.
They kind of sink when baking into a sweet, almost buttertart/chess pie-like filling.
The two together make for total bliss. Break out the tea pot! You will want to enjoy these with a nice hot cuppa!
Do you remember that childhood verse? Polly put the kettle on? Well . . . Polly, put the kettle on!
*Walnut Slices*
Makes one 8 by 12 inch pan
These
have long been my absolute favourite bars. I've been making these
since my kiddies were kiddies! Delicious brown sugar cake base, gooey
brown sugar and nut meringue topping. For those with a sweet tooth.
114g butter, softened (1/2 cup)
400g soft light brown sugar (2 cups packed), divided
2 tsp vanilla, divided
1/2 tsp salt
2 large free range eggs, separated
175g of plain flour (1 1/4 cups)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
115g of chopped walnuts (1 cup)
Preheat the oven to 160*C/300*F/ gas mark 3. Butter an 8 by 12 inch baking tin really well. Set aside.
Cream
together the butter and half of the sugar (200g/1cup) until light and
smooth. Beat in the salt along with half of the vanilla and the egg
yolks. Sift together the baking powder and flour. Stir this into the
creamed mixture to combine well. Spread into the prepared pan.
Whisk
the egg whites with an electric whisk until soft peaks form. Continue
to whisk, whilst adding the remaining brown sugar a bit at a time. Whisk
until all is incorporated. Stir in the chopped walnuts and remaining 1
tsp of vanilla. Spread this mixture over the cake base in the tin.
Bake
in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Allow to cool completely in the
tin before removing and cutting into bars.
Colour these impossible to resist and quite dangerous! Betcha can't eat just one! 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!
I wanted to make a special dessert for Todd the other night. He is awfully fond of apple desserts. I think apple desserts are one of his favourite types of desserts when it comes right down to it. He loves to wax on about his mother's apple pies . . . but in truth . . . I have never been able to make an apple pie to come up to his mother's exacting standards.
Today was "Torture Todd with Pasta Day." I know, I am a really meanie. He is not fond of pasta. I love pasta. Sometimes I just need to indulge.
Delicious Cherry Granola Breakfast Buns.
A drop type of scone, all short and buttery . . . each crumbly buttery
mound filled with delicious cherry preserves and topped with some
crunchy granola.
Baked until golden brown and then glazed with a
delicious vanilla icing drizzle.
Oh so good! Sweet and savoury at the same time, with some crunch and meltingly buttery goodness.
What's not to like??
Oh, and did I remember to tell you that they are quick as a wink to
make, easy and you can have them on the table in about 20 minutes???
Well . . . You can! Go on . . . what you waiting for??? Your family will thank you for them!
*Cherry Granola Breakfast Buns*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe
Buttery drop scones, filled with cherry preserves and granola crumbles, and then glazed with a delicious vanilla drizzle. Yummo!
280g plain flour (2 cups)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 TBS caster sugar
3/4 tsp salt
8 TBS butter, melted
225ml of cold buttermilk (1 cup)
cherry fruit preserves
1 crisp granola bar crumbled (I used Nature's Valley honey and oat)
to glaze:
2 heaped dessertspoons of icing sugar
milk
vanilla
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt and sugar. Stir together the melted butter and cold buttermilk. Stir this into the flour mixture. You should have a somewhat sticky dough of dropping consistency. Drop this mixture by heaped tablespoonful's onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving some space inbetween for spreading. You should get 12 mounds.
Using the back of a wet teaspoon, make a shallow hollow in the centre of each. Drop a scant teaspoon of cherry preserves into each hollow. Sprinkle some of the crumbled granola bar over each.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until browned on the bottoms and golden on the tops. Remove from the oven. Allow them to cool for a few minutes.
Whisk together the icing sugar along with a few drops of milk and vanilla, to make a drizzable consistency glaze. Drizzle over top of the breakfast buns. Serve while still warm. Store any leftovers in an airtight container. Reheat briefly in the microwave before serving. (Not too long as you don't want the jam to get too hot, about 15 to 20 seconds should do the trick.)
These are the perfect thing to bake for your sweetheart (s) this month, don't you think? 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@aol.com
My Todd is an old fashioned guy. There is nothing fancy smancy about him. He likes simple things, which is probably why he likes me so much. 😉 There is nothing fancy smancy about me either! And I, too, like simple things. Things like thie simple baked rice pudding please us both on many levels.
Not only is it delicious, but it is very easy to make and well suited to using up that little bit of leftover rice from last night's dinner.
It is just the right size for just two people, which means it is just the right size for our wee family, or for a very hungry Todd.
No, it is not pretty, but you could certainly dress it u with a dab of jam if you wished or a dollop of softly whipped cream. It is very comforting . . .
Almost nursery food . . . warm hug food. Little nuggets of rice encircled by rich milky custard. I love the skin on top. It's my favourire bit. This is perfect food for the winter blues. Enjoy . . .
*Baked Rice Pudding For Two*
Serves 2
Preheat the oven to 165*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Butter a small 5 inch square baking dish. Set aside.
Whisk together the egg and sugar, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Whisk in the milk and vanilla. Stir in the milk and rice. Pour into the prepared dish.
Place the dish with the pudding in it into a larger pan and pour hot water into the pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the dish holding the rice pudding. Bake in the preheated oven for 55 minutes or until golden and set. Serve warm with or without whipped cream.
There were years when I had a hard time cooking for just two people, especially having had to cook for a large family and then my employers etc. for a number of years. I am getting used to it now, and am becoming very good at it. You could of course double this if you wished, but if you are only two, then this is the perfect winter pud for you. Bon Appetit!
No doubt about it my husband is a chop man. He does love his pork chops so very much. I can take or leave meat for the most part except for a good chop, I do love those, but Todd, he loves a good chop, and I like to accomodate him whenever I can.
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