I've been very lucky in my life to have been inspired and taught by remarkable women and cooks. One of them was my good friend Leona.
I was in my mid twenties when we met and Leona was probably a good 16 years or so older than myself. She was and is a remarkably great home cook and this is one of her recipes which she shared with me all those years ago.
It's not much to look at, but it's really a very simple dish and uses things we all probably have in our kitchens all the time, with the exception of maybe the onion soup mix.
I do always have a packet or two of that on hand . . . for dishes just such as this, but I know not everyone will.
It does not photograph very well . . . but don't judge this book by it's cover . . . it's really far, far more delicious than it looks!
Trust me on this. Would I lie to you? I think not!
You can use any combination of chicken pieces that you wish to use . . . legs, thighs, breasts, etc. Today I used boneless chicken breasts.
You will obviously not need to cook them as long as you would the bone in pieces.
You simply whisk together simple ingredients . . . tomato ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, water, lemon juice . . . and pour them over the chicken in a baking dish.
The dry onion soup mix is sprinkled evenly over top afterwards and then the whole thing is popped into the oven to bake.
I like to baste it every 15 minutes or so. The end result is tender chicken with a delicious sauce. Your family will think you have slaved all day, but that's okay . . . you don't need to tell anyone that you haven't!
I have always said that it is the simple things in life that are the most delious of all.
I am somewhat ashamed to say that there were not a lot of homemade . . . made from scratch . . . cakes that didn't come from a mix in my life prior to coming over here to the UK. I did some psuedo homemade cakes . . . you know the kind I mean. You use a cake mix and a few other ingredients to make a type of cake . . . but there's not really any science or skill involved in that is there. I did make my mom's hot milk cake from time to time and the odd gumdrop cake, and maybe a fruit cake now and again, but mostly . . . my cakes came from a mix. They were quick, easy, convenient and didn't taste all that bad.
(source)
This Sunday is
Today I tortured my pasta hating husband with some comfort food from my childhood, which rang all my bells, but left him feeling rather off key! haha He says he hates pasta, but he always eats it when I make it. I think it's because he knows it's cheap . . . and that part of him that grew up during the War and during rationing, likes a good bargain!
I think two of my favourite things have to be macaroni and cheese and hot dogs . . . (don't judge me!). Put the two together and I am in heaven. And by that I don't mean slicing some hot dogs into a casserole of mac an cheese . . . I mean topping a hot dog with mac and cheese! Yes, I am a big kid at heart!!
One of my favourite things to eat is . . . Buffalo Chicken Wings . . . scrummy yeh . . . but not so good for you with all of that skin and fat . . . that's probably why they taste so good. Why does everything that's bad for you have to taste soooo good???? It's not fair I tell ya! It's just not fair!
I got this recipe from my friend Laurie a few years back. She's a real sweetheart. A Canadian just like me. She also used to work as a chef, so you know it's got to be good.
This is a recipe for the Chatelaine Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies. Chatelaine is a very popular Women's magazine back home in Canada. It's been around for yonks.
It's kind of like the Canadian Good Housekeeping magazine I suppose. They are known for having great recipes too. I have an old Chatelaine Complete Cookery Book that I received for subscribing probably 35 years ago now and it is a treasure of mine.
This recipe is just perfect for us! With there only being two of us, it makes just the right amount and we aren't tempted by dozens of cookies sitting in the cookie jar waiting to be eaten!
The recipe said that it made two cookies . . . but I added some of my favourite things like sultanas and toasted walnuts along with the chocolate chips, and so I got four cookies! Perhaps they are smaller than the original ones, I don't know.
I only know they are quite, quite delicious and they are gone. And that's a good thing because I would not have been able to stop myself from being a pig with them . . . coz . . . that's how I roll.
*Four Chocolate Chip Cookies*
makes four
Printable Recipe
Makes only four of the most deliciously moreish chocolate chip cookies. This removes the temptation of over indulging.
1 TBS unsalted butter, softened
2 TBS packed soft light brown sugar
1 free range egg, beaten lightly
(You will only need 1 1/2 tsp of the beaten egg)
1/4 tsp vanilla
3 TBS plain flour
1/8 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 TBS semi sweet chocolate chips
1 TBS milk chocolate chips
1 TBS sultana raisins
1 TBS chopped toasted walnuts
Preheat the oven to 180*C.350*F/ gas mark 4. Line a small baking sheet with baking paper. Set aside.
Cream
the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Measure in 1 1/2
tsp egg. (This is the hardest part as it does not want to measure
easily. It can be done though if you persevere!) Stir in the vanilla
and egg to thoroughly combine. Whisk together the soda and flour. Stir
this in completely. Stir in the nuts, raisins and chocolate chips.
Spoon the batter into 4 equal sized mounds on the prepared baking sheet,
leaving 2 inches between each.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until
golden brown around the edges. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for
several minutes. Remove to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
SCRUMMO!!
Serves 4
This is kind of like an apple brown betty, except it is made with plums and has a creamy fudge sauce. Yum!!
50g unsalted butter (3 1/2 TBS)
50g of runny honey (2 1/3 TBS)
2 TBS double cream
2 TBS soft light brown sugar
1 tsp ground mixed spice (see right side column for a recipe to
make your own mixed spice)
75g fresh white bread crumbs ( 1 1/4 cup)
2 ripe plums, stoned and thinly sliced
Cream or creme fraiche to serve
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Have ready 4 (150ml) glass ramekins. (4 ounce size)
Put the butter, honey and cream into a saucepan and heat, whisking constantly,until melted and amalgamated. Put the breadcrumbs into a bowl and mix with the sugar and spice.
Divide half of the buttery fudge mixture between the ramekins. Top with 1/2 of the plums. Top with half of the bread crumb mixture. Top with the remainder of the plums. Top with the remainder of the bread crumb mixture. Drizzle the remaining buttery fudge mixture over top of each one evenly. Place the ramekins onto a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes, before carefully unmolding onto dessert plates. Serve with cream or creme fraiche for spooning. Serve warm.
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.
I was recently sent some vouchers to try out the Menu at TGI Fridays. We have one very close to us in Ellesmere Port so I was really excited to go and check it out. We don't eat out a lot in this house because I am usually disappointed.
First off I have to say that it was really difficult for us to find. That could be because we are old and not that great at finding places. We had such a hard time finding it that we almost gave up and came home. It was when we were in the process of turning around and coming home that we stumbled onto it. So we were really happy because we were starving by then! It was advertised as being in the Cheshire Oaks Super Mall Area, but in reality it was across the road, and tucked in next to a KFC. I think it could benefit from a much larger sign!
Once we found the place and got inside, we were both impressed with the decor and spaciousness of it. Because we had gone in the early afternoon, and on a week day, it was busy enough, but it wasn't overly busy, which was good. I have heard that it gets really busy at the weekends.
The music was not too loud and quite fun to listen to. I liked that it was not so loud that we couldn't hear each other speak. With a choice of either booths or tables, I can see where it would be quite family friendly also, which is a great thing to bear in mind with Mothering Sunday coming up here in the UK very soon now!
The staff were friendly and very welcoming. Bonus.
They do have a special offer menu - available from Monday to Friday - you can eat two courses for £10.99 or £15.99 (two menus to choose from, selected restaurants only, check availability at your local restaurant on line) which can offer significant savings compared to the main menu.
The main menu was filled with ample choices and it took Todd and I quite a while to make up our minds. We opted to eat from the main menu because there was only two of us, but I can see where the special offer menu would be very family friendly.
For starters Todd chose to have Jack Daniels Cajun Battered Shrimp which was £4.99. For that price he got six jumbo battered shrimps on a bed of lettuce, served with a lemon wedge and their signature Jack Daniel's Smoky Glaze for dipping.
Here he is enjoying it. He thought it was quite delicious. He loved the glaze. We hardly ever have starters when we eat out so this was a real treat for him. The shrimp was crisp, well cooked and a nice size and the glaze went very well.
I had the boneless Chicken Wings, priced also at £4.99. Crispy coated chicken breast chunks tossed in Franks Hot sauce and served with blue cheese for dipping. These were delicious, but they were hot! Oh baby, was I ever grateful for their bottomless soft drink service! Yep, free refills on soft drinks and I needed a refill after these. They were fabulous, but very very hot.
I tried really hard to talk Todd around to ordering something different for his main meal, but he was really set on having a steak. He chose the 12 ounce rib eye, choosing to have a wild mushroom sauce with his, mixed vegetables and cheesy mash. (£17.49). Over all he was quite pleased with his steak. It was done exactly how he wanted it. It was HUGE. He couldn't eat it all.
I ordered the 7 ounce Fillet Steak, served with wild mushroom sauce, crispy fries and a house salad with blue cheese dressing (£19.49)
I thought the presentation was a bit lacking. When you spend almost £20 on a steak dinner, a bit of garnish would be a nice addition, but overall the steak was done exactly as I wanted it (rare) and the salad was huge. I was stuffed when I was only halfway through the steak.
Needless to say neither one of us had any room for any pudding, but apparently they do great puddings or so I hear.
We took our leftover steak home for Mitzie to enjoy. She is one pampered pooch for sure. She really enjoyed it.
This would be a great place to take your mum on Mother's Day, although I would book in advance if possible as I am sure that with food and service this good, it will be a hopping place on the day!
What I liked:
A wide menu with something to pretty much suit every taste, as well as a wide selection
on their special offer menu.
A children's menu for kiddies under ten.
Free refills on soft drinks.
Our steaks were cooked to perfection. (This is a real bonus with me as it only ever
rarely happens. Most times my steak ends up overdone.)
Pleasant serving staff.
Clean and well laid out.
Music at the right tempo and volume for an enjoyable dining experience.
Negatives:
It was difficult to find.
The entrees could have benefited looks-wise with some garnish. (I am being really picky here.)
Really. I could not fault it. This was our first time eating at TGI Friday's. We both really enjoyed our experience and we would go again. I would love, LOVE to try the ribs. They looked fabulous.
Disclaimer: I was given £50 in vouchers to use towards our meal. Irregardless of this any and all opinions are my own.
I have to confess . . . I am somewhat of a cinnamon bun nut. I do love cinnamon anything . . . just the smell of cinnamon anything baking gets my taste buds to tingling.
It should come as no surprise that I have an abundance of cinnamon related recipes! Most are quick and easy to make because . . . another confession . . . I am not a very patient person and the idea of waiting hours and hours for doughs to rise and what not just pains me.
So all of my cinnamon indulgences are almost instantaneous gratification! And that's how I like it.
This cake has to be one of the simplest snack/brunch/teatime cakes to make. You just throw everything for the batter into a bowl and beat it up . . .
Then you dollop a buttery cinnamon/flour mixture over top and swirl it through with a knife . . . then pop the cake into the oven.
A final vanilla glaze gets poured over top when the cake comes out of the oven . . . because the cake is still warm, it kind of gets absorbed a tiny bit . . . scrumptious!
The result is a warm moreish cinnamon cake that will have everyone wanting just one more tiny sliver . . . you could always double it, which would mean of course that there was plenty for seconds and thirds, etc.
In any case, I predict a love at first bite!
Whisk together all of the glaze ingredients until smooth. Take a fork and prick the hot cake all over. Pour the glazed evenly over top while the cake is still warm. Serve warm. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
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!
Tinned salmon is something which I have in the cupboard all the time. If you always keep a few things in the larder, like tinned salmon and tuna, you always have the makings of a tasty meal. Be it sandwiches for lunch, or a delicious casserole for supper. Tinned fish always comes in really handy.
I make no secret of my great love of Peanut Butter. It is quite simply one of my favourite things. It is one thing I could not live without and I confess I have at least a tiny bit of it every day. True confessions here. Even if it is only a cracker with a bit of it spread on top.
I was recently sent a new product to try out. The Pepita Chef from http://www.domital.it/
Pepita Chef, made of porcelain, is a new kitchen tool for cooking skewers of meat, fish and vegetables rapidly and genuinely. It is also perfect for baking a chicken in your own oven without the addition of fats. It can be used to serve various appetizers, snacks and starters straight on your table and is also excellent for displaying colorful fruit skewers. It is a practical and elegant product, suitable for home, bars, restaurants and also catering and party services.
It's an interesting and attractive tool and is safe to be used in the oven at temperatures up to 250*C and as low as -10*C. You can use it in both the microwave and regular ovens and it is also dishwasher safe.
I used it to roast a chicken. I rubbed the chicken with herbs and placed potatoes that I had also chunks and seasoned around it in the roasting pan. I squeezed a lemon over all and then, glutton that I am, I popped a bit chunck of butter on top of the whole thing.
It ended up being most delicious. The Pepita Chef was easy to use and easy to clean.
Many thanks to the people at www.domital.it for sending me this innovative piece of kitchen kit.
I have a husband who is not particularly fond of Pizza . . . or pasta as you know. He says he hate Italian food . . . but he really just means he hates Pizza and pasta . . . I keep reminding him that Italians eat a lot more than that! Bake a pizza in a cake tin, and call it a tart and he is quite happy to eat it however. A woman has to do what a woman has to do. ☺
One thing that took getting used to when I moved over here to the UK was the fact that they call cookies biscuits . . . whereas biscuits to me had always been a type of quick bread not dissimilar to a scone in many ways. I still struggle with calling cookies biscuits . . . but biscuit or cookie . . . no matter the name, the fact remains that they are much beloved by most people.
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