I thought that it would make the perfect dinner for today when I knew time was short and my energy would be flagging. I actually put them together this morning before I left and stuck them in the refrigerator, ready to throw into the oven for my supper tonight.
I did take them out about half an hour before I cooked them in order to bring them to room temperature. Here you have a delicious mix of sweet and white potatoes, along with broccoli, topped with chicken, cheese and bacon, with the flavors of ranch dressing running through out.
- 1 medium baking potato, peeled and cut into six chunks
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into six chinks
- 1 small broccoli crown, trimmed and broken into florets
- 2 smallish boneless, skinless chicken breast portions
- 1 TBS dry ranch dressing powder, divided
- 1/2 TBS canola oil
- 1/2 cup (60g) grated cheddar cheese, divided
- 3 rashers crisp cooked bacon, crumbled
I have always been a huge fan of foil cooking. Especially in the summer months when we can just throw the packs on the grill. If you are too, you may enjoy the following:
GRILLED CHICKEN FOIL PACKS - I give you three different versions here for ways to make chicken foil pack dinners. There is a Sweet and Sour Chicken pack, a Hunter's Chicken and Potato pack and a Honey Mustard Chicken pack. All are equally delicious!
You can cook anything in a foil pack like this. Salmon fillets are nice. Pork, lamb, beef. You can really use your imagination and put them together very easily. If you have children you can let them put together their own. Children love to think they are cooking! These really are great for camping or cookouts!
Cheesy Ranch Chicken & Bacon Foil Packs
Ingredients
- 1 medium baking potato, peeled and cut into six chunks
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into six chinks
- 1 small broccoli crown, trimmed and broken into florets
- 2 smallish boneless, skinless chicken breast portions
- 1 TBS dry ranch dressing powder, divided
- 1/2 TBS canola oil
- 1/2 cup (60g) grated cheddar cheese, divided
- 3 rashers crisp cooked bacon, crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat your outdoor grill to medium high. Alternately preheat your oven to 425*F/230*C/ gas mark 6.
- Tear four strips of aluminum foil measuring 8 inches wide. Stack them one on top of the other, making two piles.
- Place both potatoes and the broccoli in a bowl. Toss together with 1/2 of the ranch dressing mix and the oil. Divide the mixture evenly between the foil stacks, leaving a nice border around the edges.
- Top each pile of vegetables with 1 of the chicken breasts. Season the chicken with the other 1/2 TBS of ranch dressing mix. Top with half of the cheese and half of the bacon.
- Pull the foil up over the chicken and vegetables to meet in the centre. Pleat closed. Crimp the foil at both ends to completely contain the chicken. Place both foil packets onto a baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven or on the grill for 20 to 25 minutes, at which time the vegetables should be cooked and tender, the chicken juices should run clear and the cheese will have melted.
- Be extremely careful when opening the packets due to steam escaping. Serve hot.
I thought it would be fun to share with you all of the meals that I have enjoyed eating over this past week. When you are a person that lives on their own there can be a tendency to eat out of tins, or to eat frozen meals. I don't want that to be my life and if I can inspire one person to also want to cook for themselves, then I think that's a great thing.
My late mother lived all on her own from the age of 54 to 81 when my sister and her partner Dan moved in with mom. By that point mom needed someone to take care of her as she had dementia and was no longer to really care for herself.
While my mother was able to she always cooked for herself. Every day she had a meal that she prepared and that she enjoyed. The odd time it might have been a tv dinner or something from the freezer. She loved Big Macs and when they put them on offer, she would buy four or five, have one for her tea and then freeze the other four to have as a treat on another occasion.
She did love to shop at M&M meats and would pick up boxes of chicken breasts and fish from there. She might have a chicken breast for her supper but she always cooked potatoes or rice to go with it and a vegetable.
I am a little bit more adventurous myself, but them I cooked for a living for years and am quite used to cooking for a larger family. Food excites me. I love to cook. Mom ate to live whereas I live to eat! That does make a difference in what you choose to eat.
Anyways, I thought I would share with you the main meals that I enjoyed over this past week. Usually on Sundays I have supper at my sisters with the family and every Wednesday night I go out to dinner with my father and his friends at a local eatery. Other than that, I cook everything myself. Food doesn't have to be complicated to taste good. I like to eat a wide variety of things, although looking at the photographs for this week, I did have a very "red" week!
Oh well, some weeks are bound to be like that! Wherever possible I have given links to the recipes!
SUNDAY MARCH 19TH - Supper at my sisters
Cindy had prepared Roasted Spareribs in the Instant Pot, her Stovetop Mac and Cheese, Homemade Baked Beans and oven roasted tender stem broccoli. Everything was fabulously delicious. I love being included in these Sunday Suppers with my family.
MONDAY, MARCH 20TH - Lamb Chops with Honey, Lemon & Thyme, served with pan fried potatoes and oven roasted tender stem cauliflower. I had the opportunity to pick up some fresh Nova Scotia lamb and cooked it simply, not wanting to detract from its delicate flavor. This made a beautiful supper for the first day of spring.
TUESDAY, MARCH 21ST - Small Batch Spaghetti and Meatballs
This gave me enough to enjoy on the day and some to pop into the freezer for another time.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22ND - On Wednesday nights I always go out to supper with my father and his friends to a local eatery called The Big Scoop. The food is always hit and miss. I go for the company and to please my father. This weeks special was a Hot Turkey Poutine. I decided to have that. It was so/so. My own version is a lot tastier. Hot Turkey Poutine. Hot chips, covered in chunks of cooked turkey, turkey gravy, stuffing and cheese with a side of cranberry sauce.
THURSDAY MARCH 23RD - Herbed Cod with Crispy Garlic Potatoes
Crispy buttery garlic potatoes are shingled on a sheet pan and cooked alongside a fillet of breaded herbed cod fish. The cod is transferred to the potatoes at the end and the whole thing is popped under a grill and crisped up. I served it with a grilled half a tomato and some green beans.
FRIDAY MARCH 24TH - Stone Soup
I found it really chilly on Friday and so thought a bowl of soup would go down well. This is one of my favorites because it uses a bit of this and a bit of that. Its a delicious way to make your budget stretch and fill your tummy up with something hearty and warming at the same time. Chopped cabbage, onions, tomatoes, rice, stock, and a few seasonings combined together in a most delicious way! I enjoyed a lovely bowl of this along with some crackers on the side and a sprinkle of cheese on top.
And just in case you are wondering, here is my recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. It is gorgeous in strawberry season, but in the winter time its a great way to use some of those mediocre strawberries they put out at the shops at a decent price that are often disappointing when you eat them raw. Cooking them helps to bring out their flavor. Combine that with rhubarb and you have a dessert made in heaven!
And those were my meals of the week for March 19th to 25th! Let me know in the comments section below if you enjoyed this post or not. I may make it a regular thing if you do!
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 which I really learned to love when I was in the UK was lamb. It was not something which I had ever really eaten very much of prior to going over there to live.
At our wedding supper I had roasted saddle of lamb and it was delicious. I fell in love. It was so tasty! My mother had only ever cooked lamb chops once for us when we were children. I think it was mutton actually as it smelled like she was burning mittens when she was cooking them.
None of us would touch them.
- 4 bone in rib lamb chops, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper
- the zest of 1/2 lemon, cut into long shreds (julienne)
- the juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 TBS runny honey (I used Greek)
- 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 TBS light olive oil
- sea salt, black pepper and paprika to taste
If, like me, you are also fond of lamb, might I also suggest these other recipes to cook:
SLOW ROASTED LAMB SHOULDER - If you are lucky enough to be able to get your hands on a shoulder of lamb, this is the perfect way to cook it. The meat ends up succulent and tender. This is fabulously delicious.
LAMB & DAMSON STEW - Lamb has a delicate almost sweet flavor that goes very well with fruit. You could also use apricots in this stew rather than plums if you cannot get the plums. It is incredibly tasty, especially with dumplings on top!
Lamb Chops with Honey, Lemon & Thyme
Ingredients
- 4 bone in rib lamb chops, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper
- the zest of 1/2 lemon, cut into long shreds
- the juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 TBS runny honey (I used Greek)
- 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 TBS light olive oil
- sea salt, black pepper and paprika to taste
Instructions
- Take your lamb chops and rub them all over on both sides with the thyme, salt and pepper. Set aside while you start the potatoes.
- Melt the butter in a skillet along with the oil. Once the butter starts to foam add the potato slices. Sprinkle all over with the pepper, salt and paprika. Cook slowly over medium heat until just beginning to turn on the bottom, flip over and season the other side with pepper, salt and paprika.
- Cover with a lid and cook on medium low for about 10 minutes, until golden brown on the bottoms and cooked through.
- Increase the heat to medium high.
- Push the potatoes over to one side. Add the lamb chops and sear on one side for 2 to 3 minutes, flip over. Add the lemon zest strips to the pan. Sear the chops on the other side for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Squeeze over the lemon juice and drizzle over the honey. Turn the chops over to coat them in both the honey and the lemon.
- Remove the pan from the heat and leave to rest for a few minutes.
- Divide the lamb and potatoes between two heated plates, spooning some of the juices from the pan over the lamb.
- Serve immediately.
Tomorrow is Saint Patrick's Day and I thought I would gather as many of my Irish related recipes in one spot as possible so as to make it easy for you to find them. This is by no means all of them, but I do think that I am giving you a nice variety of them to choose from!
I suppose there are not too many people who cannot claim to have at least a small portion of Irish DNA in themselves, which gives most of us much to celebrate when it comes to Saint Patrick's Day. I had my DNA done several years ago with the end result that I was 27% Irish.
I would have to say that the Irish are some of the most wonderful and humble people you could ever want to know. Living in the UK, I was blessed to be able to call a few Irish people friends. You could not ask for a better friend. They are the cream of the crop.
Their food is also incredibly humble, what I would call country cooking. Straightforward and without pretense, homey fare based on unsophisticated yet delicious raw ingredients. That is what I love most about it. It is simple and wholesome food.
Aside from fresh seafood and shellfish, which you can enjoy in abundance in Ireland, dried fruit and potatoes figure massively in Irish cooking. A goodly portion of their breads, cakes and desserts make fabulous use of this. You won't see any of the shellfish on here as I am allergic to shellfish and typical Irish seafood is just not easy to come by here in Canada.
I do hope that you will enjoy the examples of recipes I have shared with you however. I know that I certainly have!
BREADS & SCONES
WHITE IRISH SODA BREAD (NON-FRUITED) - Quick, easy and very delicious, this is the white bread version of a non-yeasted Irish quick bread. You will see some versions containing dried fruit and you are certainly welcome to add some. Having said that, it is pretty tasty just on its own. I enjoy it sliced and spread with butter and jam or with soups, or stews for mopping up all that delicious gravy.
TRADITIONAL IRISH SODA BREAD - A simple classic bread in Irish households. This yeast free whole meal bread is perfect served with soups and stews, salads, etc. Its also pretty delicious served sliced and spread with butter and jam, marmalade and honey.
SMALL BATCH IRISH SODA BREAD - This is a small batch version of the traditional Irish soda bread, made for the smaller family to enjoy without having a lot of waste or leftovers. Every bit as delicious as the full batch.
BOXTY - This delicious potato bread/potato cakes is also known as Potato Farls. This is a very simple recipe and very authentic in its simplicity. Composed of only three ingredients. Potatoes, flour and salt. These are traditionally cooked on the stove top in a flat surfaced griddle pan. At one time they would have been baked on a grill pan over an open fire.
IRISH SODA BREAD MUFFINS - Small individual soda breads baked in a muffin tin. Loaded with plenty of dried currants and caraway seed. These are fabulously easy to make a incredibly tasty! Again, quick and easy to make, bake and eat!
IRISH TEA BRACK - A non yeasted heavily fruity bread. You begin the night before by soaking a quantity of dried fruit in Irish breakfast tea overnight. The next morning you add the remaining ingredients and bake. This is heavy, yet beautifully fruited bread that is fabulous thinly sliced, spread with butter and served up with copious amounts of hot tea.
TRADITIONAL IRISH BARMBRACK - A fruity yeasted bread that is traditionally enjoyed sliced and buttered. This makes for a fabulous tea time treat, or even a breakfast treat. Its delicious any time you choose to enjoy it.
IRISH HONEY SCONES - These lovely scones are filled with the nuttiness of whole wheat and are gently sweetened with honey. They are simple, but don't let that simplicity fool you into thinking these are nothing special.
SOUPS, STEWS & MAIN DISHES
BALNAMOON SKINK - A delicate Irish version of a delicate soup made with fresh vegetables, enriched and lightly thickened with a mixture of cream and egg. This makes great use of the early Spring Vegetables and is light enough that although satisfying, it leaves you with room for the main course.
SMALL BATCH IRISH STEW - A delicious lamb stew for the smaller family. Cubes of lamb are layered in a casserole with onions, carrots and seasonings, then topped with wedges of potato and covered with stock. Cover tightly, pop into the oven and then let the oven do the work. Quite simply delicious.
IRISH STEAK AND GUINNESS STEW - A hearty stew made with lean cubes of stewing steak, carrots, parsnips, turnips and onions, cooked in a delicious Guinness gravy until deliciously fork tender. Plan ahead as this takes a good 2 1/2 to 3 hours to cook, but then again the best things in life are worth waiting for.
IRISH HUNTER'S PIE - Buttery mash lines a pie dish that is filled with chunks of simmered lamb. The juices of the lamb are then made into a gravy which is poured through the top of the pie to moisten the filling, with any excess being served on the side. Simple vegetables accompany this tasty dish.
BOILED BACON AND CABBAGE - There is nothing out of the ordinary here . . . it's just simple imgredients . . . cured pork, a few vegetables, water . . . pepper. Cabbage.Simple ingredients put together in a simple way with extraordinarily delicious results! I made a mustard sauce to serve with it, and boiled new potatoes . . . but a parsley sauce is just as delicious.
CORNED BEEF WITH PARSLEY SAUCE - Tender slices of juicy perfectly cooked corned beef, served thinly sliced with a variety of fresh and tasty vegetables on the side and a deliciously lush and creamy parsley sauce!
DUBLIN CODDLE - A Coddle is a traditional Irish dish usually associated with the city of Dublin. Hearty and delicious it is a stew-type of dish created with good pork sausages, salty bacon, pearl barley, onions, potatoes and herbs.
POTATOES
CRUSHED NEW POTATO COLCANNON - There is something pretty wonderful that happens when you combine cabbage and potatoes and Ireland. Humble ingredients put together in a most delicious way, this is considered haute cuisine in many multiple Michelin star restaurants. In short this is a beautiful side dish well deserving to be served on any table!
TRADITIONAL IRISH CHAMP - Mashed potatoes with warm milk, spring onions and butter beaten into them. It's so tasty. The Irish know how to do potatoes and do them well!
PUDDINGS AND CAKES
IRISH WHISKEY AND GINGER CAKE - A dense and moist cake chock full of lovely ginger flavor! With the consistency of a pound cake, this cake is studded with plenty of candied ginger and loads of ginger flavor that really shines through.
IRISH MARMALADE CAKE - A sweet and moist marmalade flavored loaf studded throughout with sticky sweet sultanas. A delight when sliced, buttered and enjoyed with a nice refreshing hot drink.
IRISH BOILED FRUITCAKE - A plain cake, beautifully moist and stuffed with loads of fruit. Dried Currants and sultana raisins are boiled in a mixture of golden syrup and tea. A few other simple ingredients are added prior to baking in the oven to create a delicious moist and fruity cake that is a great keeper, and quite simply delicious.
IRISH BLAEBERRY PUDDING - A sweet blueberry/blaeberry/billberry fruity filling is topped with a light and delicious cake batter then baked to perfection. Delicious served warm and spooned out into bowls with a topping of cream, custard or ice cream.
IRISH APPLE CAKE - A delicious apple cake with a cake/scone base, topped with plenty of sliced apples. A topping of crumble is sprinkled on top prior to baking to perfection. Delicious served warm and sliced in wedges, along with lashings of warm custard.
BERRY BUTTERMILK COBBLER - Frozen fruit baked into a buttermilk batter, served up warm, with a simple custard flavored with Irish Cream. Not only is this simple to make, but also very quick. You can have everything ready to mix together ahead of time and just do the final mixing at the last minute so that it can bake while you are enjoying your main course.
FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH A BAILEY'S CHOCOLATE SAUCE - You will want to make the cake for this the day before. It needs several hours in the refrigerator to set up properly for cutting. (I like to leave it overnight.) It's rich and delicious. Top with a scoop of really good Vanilla ice cream and a spoonful of Bailey's Chocolate sauce for the perfect finish.
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: theenglishkitchen@mail.com
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