You may recall me showing you a delicious casserole the other day called Beef and Beans.  Oh my but it is some good.   Just in case you missed it, that's a picture up there at the top of this  post, and you can find the recipe here.  This may not be a very pretty dish, but it is certainly one of the most delicious dishes you could ever want to eat. Economical, easy and tasty.  You can't get much better than that.

 

Well, after what I show you today . . . you may want to double that recipe the next time you make it, because I have a real winning sandwich to show you here today, and it involves using the leftovers from Beef and Beans.

 

Because there are only two of us we normally have leftovers when I bake a casserole unless it is a very tiny one or we are lucky enough to have someone here at the house to enjoy it with us . . . and this was the case the other day after I had baked Beef and Beans.   I could have just reheated the leftovers and they would have been really delicious that way, but . . .

 

I got to thinking about the baked bean sandwiches that we used to eat back home  the day after an especially tasty feed of homemade beans.  Oh my they were so good . . . mashed cold beans spread between two slices of buttered bread with a few thin slices of raw onion . . . oh boy . . . were they ever tasty.   A real favourite!



And then I got to thinking about patty melts . . . and how good they are and then . . . I thought to myself, why not combine the two ideas and create a delicious sandwich, using the leftover Beef and Beans???   Why not indeed!!  I heated some of the leftovers up and spread it on the un-buttered side of two slices of thick white bread.   Then I topped them with some thinly sliced raw onions and some slices of strong cheddar cheese.   I topped them with another slice of buttered bread, buttered side out and then toasted them like you would a grilled cheese . . .



The end result was one of the most delicious toasted sandwiches we have ever eaten.  So delicious.   So easy.    So good that it is one I will repeat . . .I love it when that happens and I am able to turn my leftovers into something which is every bit as delicious as the original meal.  I do hope that you will make the Beef and Beans . . . and that when you do, you have enough leftover to make one or two of these tasty sarnies!



*Beef and Bean Patty Melts*
For one
Printable Recipe

This may well be the tastiest patty melt you have ever eaten!  You will want to make sure you have leftovers from my Beef and Bean recipe, in fact I suggest you double the recipe when you make it!

Softened butter
two thick slices of sturdy white bread
about 1/2 cup of the leftover Beef and Bean Casserole
or enough to cover the bread in it's entirety
(Even better if you have managed to save some of the bacon from on top)
sliced strong cheddar cheese to cover the beef and beans
very thinly sliced raw onions



Warm up your beef and bean mixture in the microwave so that it is not cold.  Butter the two slices of bread on one side.  Place one slice buttered side down in a heavy skillet.  Spread the side facing up with the beef and bean mixture.   Top with thinly sliced onion and cheese to cover.  Place the other slice of buttered bread on top, butter side up. 

Grill over medium low heat, until the bottom side of the sandwich is crisp and golden brown.  Do not be in a hurry.  Carefully flip over and brown the other side in like manner, until the sandwich is golden brown all over the filling is nice and hot and the cheese has melted.

Serve immediately, cut into diagonals and topped with a pickle if desired.

I actually made this the other day to take to our Relief Society Activity last Thursday evening and am only getting to show them to you now.  They were stuck in the queue!



They went down a real treat with the girls and I brought home an empty plate.  I like it when that happens, don't you?   That means they are winners.



I got the recipe from out of one of those baking books you pick up in the magazine section at the grocery shops.  It is in the Best Baking Series, Volume 7, Tasty Traybakes.   I adapted and converted the measurements for my North American readers and I did not use the frosting recipe which was given with the recipe as it didn't look that good.



I made a chocolate buttercream icing.  I am a big fan of buttercream icing.   It went very well on these delectable little squares . . . it really did.

 

It's a good thing that I was taking them to church for the ladies as they would have been far too dangerous for me to keep in this house with a chocolate cake hating husband around.  They would have been too, TOO tempting for me.



That layer of raspberry jam in the middle is a nice touch and helps to make what's moist and delicious, even moister and delicious.   You can easily see why they would have been too dangerous for me to have here all on my own.  I could not risk eating them all myself . . . I'm fat enough already!



These are perfect for sharing though.  Your friends and chocolate loving family will love you to bits if you bake them a pan of these!  Trust me on this!  Mine did!!   Go on . . . make them.  You know you won't regret it!  (Well, your hips may not thank you on this one, but . . . meh!)



*Rasberry Brownies*
Makes one 9 inch square pan
Printable Recipe

Try to let these sit overnight.  They become even moister if you can resist them!

4 large free range eggs
300g caster sugar (1 2/3 cup)
150g unsalted butter, melted (2/3 cup)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
150g of plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
75g cocoa powder (not drink mix) (2/3 cup)
100g of finely chopped toasted walnuts (3 12 ounces, 14 TBS)
3 TBS seedless raspberry jam

Chocolate buttercream frosting to cover
(A tub of prepared or your own recipe)

Preheat the oven to 165*C/325*F gas mark 3.  Butter and line a 9 inch square pan with baking parchment.  Butter the paper.  Set aside.

Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and frothy. Whisk in the sugar and then slowly whisk in the melted butter and vanilla.    Sift together the flour, cinnamon and cocoa powder.  Gently stir it in and then stir in the nuts.  Spread the batter in the prepared pan, level the surface and bake for 25 minutes, or until firm to the touch.  Allow to cool completely in the tin,

Once they are cold, carefully remove from the tin and cut in half horizontally with a sharp knife.  Warm the jam and spread it onto the bottom half of the brownies.  Sandwich wih the top later.  Frost with some buttercream frosting. Cut into squares to serve.  Delicious!

 

As you know from time to time I am sent cookbooks to trial.  I love that part of my job . . . you can never have too many cookbooks.  Todd would beg to differ, but I have noticed he never complains at being able to test the fruits of my labours.

The latest book I was sent was  for the Grilled Cheese Lover in each of us!   "Melt," by Shane (Sanford) Kearns, creator, GrilledShane.com.   Over 100 recipes, each one accompanied with a beautiful colour photograph.   I just love cookbooks which have lots of photos.   It's nice to be able to see what you're cooking is supposed to look like.



The book is basically divided into two parts.  Part 1 is "Seriously Savory Sandwiches."  It compromises of  chapters ( Gastronomically and Living on the Edge.)  Here is just about any savory combination the brain can think of . . . and then some . . .  like:



Basil Peppercorn - Caramelized Vidalia onions, Chaumes and Havarti Cheeses, and with hints of basil and pepper corn, grilled between two slices of Italian bread.   What's not to like?

And that's just one of the taste tempters on offer.   There are other delicious delights such as Sweet and Spicy Popcorn, Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Cheddar (how is that for inventiveness!), the Sunflower Gouda Griller, . . . and even the simple . . . such as The Fried Egg, but even that has an inventive twist to it.

Part Two is entitled Surprisingly Sweet Stacks, again comprised of two chapters . . . Epicurean Adventures and Experimental Territory.



Anyone up for "The Cinnamon Roll?"  A rich mix of refrigerator cinnamon rolls and Philadelphia Milk chocolate Cheese Spread and caramelized pecans . . .



The Candy Cane . . . Refrigerator Biscuits layerd with crushed peppermint candies/candy canes/ ricotta cheese and crushed gingersnaps.   Now, that is called pushing the envelope I think!  It does look incredibly tasty though . . .

and that is just the tip of the iceberg!

 

Scattered throughout are "Tips from the Stovetop." Handy little tips and bits of advice to help you make the most of your "Grilled Sandwich" experience.

I chose two recipes to test out . . . first up was the Baked Pretzel Beans.  We really like baked beans in this house and we love beans on toast.



It looked and sounded very appealing to say the least . . .

I adapted it very easily to what I had in the house to use and this is how mine turned out.  Looks delicious eh?   It was!   A new favourite twist on beans on toast.  I had to switch a few things around as we don't have the ingredients were not readily available over here, but it worked out fine.



*Pretzel Baked Beans*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

A rather upscale Beans on Toast!

1 cup Vegetarian baked beans
(I used one tin of Heinz baked beans)
2 TBS Barbecue sauce
(I used Jack Daniels)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 TBS soft light brown sugar
1/8 cup mushrooms, chopped
(I left these out as I did not have any)
1/8 cup onions, chopped (about 2 TBS)
pinch dried dill tops
2 round pretzel rolls, scooped (see tips)
(I used two round Bavarian rye rolls as I didn't have pretzel rolls)
1/2 cup Jarlsberg cheese
(I used strong cheddar, about 2 TBS)



Combing the beans, barbeque sauce, garlic powder, brown sugar, mushrooms, onions, and dried dill in a saucepan.   Simmer on medium high heat for 5 to 8 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180&C/350*F/ gas mark 5.  Place the scooped rolls on a baking tray.   Fill them with the bean mixture.  Top with the cheese.   Bake for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted.   Serve hot with a spoon.

Tips:  A pretzel roll is exactly that, a roll made out of soft pretzel dough.  Scooping a pretzel roll is different from scooping a normal roll.  You want to keep the flaps intact whilst removing the bread inside.  I cut a cross into the top and then used a fork to  scrape and pull out the insides.  It worked really well.

 

The next recipe I tried was an upscale version of what we call a "Chip Butty" over here in the UK.  Our version is not elaborate . . . simply fried chips (french fries) salted and vinegar-ed with malt vinegar and slapped between two buttered sliced of cheap white bread.   This is delicious folks.  Simply delicious.  There's many a kid in this country that was brought up on chip butties!

Shane's version is really upscale though . . . no salt and vinegar here, just a nice mix of spices, crisp potatoes laid out onto a ciabatta roll, slathered with cheese and onion and grilled.  What's not to like about this??

I cheated a bit and used the low fat Skin on Baked Oven Chips, chunky cut and that worked fine.  It was not as tasty probably as the fried version . . . but with all that cheese on top, who cared?   Certainly not me!  It really soothed this carb lover's heart!   I love, LOVED it!

 

 *Ultimate Cheesy Fries*
Serves 1
Printable Recipe

Half a ciabatta roll topped with fries and cheese.   Don't knock it until you try it!

1/2 a large (12 inch) ciabatta, approximately 4
inches in length
(I used half of a small cheese ciabatta roll)
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced like thick cut French Fries
(I used  a handful of skin on, low fat thick cut oven chips)
1/4 tsp dried dill, divided
1/4 tsp paprika
sea salt to taste
1 TBS vegetable oil, for frying
(I didn't need this as I didn't fry my chips, only baked them)
2/3 cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese
(I used cheddar)
1 TBS red onion, diced
(I used spring onions)
ketchup for side



Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 5.   Slice the bread horizontally.  Save top for another use.

In a mixing bowl, combine the sliced potatoes, 1/8 tsp dried dill, 1/8 tsp of paprika and sea salt to taste.  Toss until the fries are covered.  (I did this to my oven chips before I put them in the oven on a tray and baked them.)

Cook the seasoned fries in 1 TBS oil on medium heat, continually tossing/stirring.  As fries cook, add the remainder of the dried dill, paprika and sea salt to taste.  Cook until they begin to crisp and brown.

Place the cooked fries on top of the ciabatta, followed by the cheese and red onion.  Place on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes, to melt the cheese.   Serve warm with a side of ketchup if desired.

All in all the recipes are quite taste tempting and easy to execute from what I can see.  The only hardship might be the lack of American Ingredients here in the UK, but that is hot a hurdle which you couldn't cope with.   I think any inventive cook could cross that hurdle quite easily and may-hap even come up with something tastier than the original.

 

If you're a fan of the Grilled Cheese (or Cheese Toastie as it is known over here in the UK) you will love this book.   I think it's a real winner.   I can't wait to try out the Chocolate Brownie Indulgence and the Candied Baconator . . . I just have to lose about ten pounds first!



Published by Aadamsmedia.   You can get a copy here in the UK via Amazon for £13 and a bit of change, a 15% saving off the cover price.

Many thanks to FWmedia International and Aadamsmedia for sending me this review copy.

I give it two thumbs up,  a high five and a ten out of ten!  

 

When we were in town the other day I saw this sandwich advertised on one of the little cafe windows.  I think it was an Italian one. 

It sounded fabulous.  Cranberry, Bacon and Brie Panini.   What's not to like about that!

 

That very day I bought a wedge of Brie at the cheese mongers in the Market.  I was already formulating a plan in my head.   

I already had some nice dry cure streaky bacon in the fridge.   I like to buy dry cure bacon.  It's not pumped full of water. I hate bacon that has been pumped full of water. The dry cure bacon fries like a dream and tastes a bazillion times better.



I used a spicy cranberry chutney, because I rather like that.   But regular cranberry sauce would be delicious as well I think.   I just happened to have some of my homemade Cranberry Chutney to use. 

  I also added some greenery . . . mustard cress, for colour and for a bit of a peppery bite. But you can use any microgreen you want, or even just leave greens out altogether.



Some nice fresh Panini rolls and Bob's your Uncle!   These went down a real treat.   They were rich and smokey and sweet and salty . . . deliciously scrummy. 

I do so love a good sandwich. I applaud the Earl of Sandwich who supposedly invented the Sandwich. He was on to a really good thing for sure.



Even my husband who is basically a "cheddar" man loved them.   Seriously the man thinks that only cheese worth eating is cheddar.  

He complained when we were in France a few years ago and we couldn't get any.  Any cheese of the world you could imagine . . . but no cheddar.  If it's not cheddar it's not cheese as far as he's concerned!

 

*Cranberry, Bacon and Brie Panini*
for two
Printable Recipe

Fabulously moreish panini.  Salty and sweet, rich and a bit peppery from the mustard cress.

two panini buns
6 rashers of streaky bacon, cooked to your desired doneness
4 slices of brie cheese
a handful of mustard cress (can use rocket or watercress)
4 TBS cranberry sauce
butter



Cut your panini buns in half horizontally.    Spread the bottom half of each with 2 TBS of the cranberry sauce.  Top with 2 slices of Brie on each some cress and 3 slices of bacon.  Place the panini bun tops on each.   Butter lightly on the outsides and then toast in a panini press, or in a hot skillet just until golden and the cheese has begun to melt.  Serve hot and cut in half on the diagonal. 

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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Hands up if up if you are not overly fond of January and already in need of a bit of a pick up!  Me too!   I've been dragging along with this rotten cold/sinus infection/chest infection . . . . and feeling blah since before Christmas.  Christmas Dinner was a wash out . . . couldn't taste a thing.  Likewise New Years . . . I am more than ready for a pick-me -up!



I saw an article in one of my latest month's food magazines, where they were talking about having a Duvet Day as a January Pick Me Up.  I think by that they meant a day when you just laze around and eat nothing but junk and stuff, in your jim jams, watching cheesy films and stuff.   I totaled up all the calories for what they were suggesting that a person imbibe for the day and it was outrageous!

 

Breakfast Sandwich 563 cals. Bloody Mary 128 cals.  Teatime Treat Cake 352 cals, Creamy Hot Chocolate 293 cals.  Movie Snack of Honeycomb, Pancetta and Maple Popcorn  431 cals.  (All of this is per serving folks!)  All topped off with a takeaway feast of homemade  wings 450cals,  Spiced Wedges 299 cals,  Sticky Ribs 571 cals, and Red Cabbage Slaw at 248 cals . . . They can't be serious can they???  Or can they???  The mind boggles.



Kind of makes the calorie count of one of these tasty scones with some cream and jam seem rather healthy in comparison . . .  duvet or no duvet . . .



In any case . . . these certainly were a pick-me-up.  Is it feed a fever starve a cold?  Or is it starve a fever, feed a cold.  I don't know.   I only know for sure that I am about fed up to the eyeballs with coughing my guts out . . .

These made a nice change . . . a small indulgence without going over the top.

 

 *Cherry Almond Scones*
Makes 8
Printable Recipe

Beautifully  rich and flaky scones, stogged full of candied cherries and lovely flavours of vanilla and almond.  The flaked almonds which are baked on top give them a lovely crunch.

2 cups plain flour (200g)
1/3 cup caster sugar (65g)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup chilled butter (75g)
2/3 cup whipping cream (156ml)
1 large free range egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp pure almond extract
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup candied cherries, washed, dried and cut into quarters (200g tub)
flaked almonds and cream to finish

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.

Sift the flour into a bowl along with the sugar, baking powder and salt.  Drop in the butter, cut into bits.  Rub the butter in with your finger tips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.   Stir in the cherries.   Whisk together the cream, egg and extracts.   Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a fork.  The mixture will be very sticky.  Tip out onto a floured board.  Knead several times with floured hands to bring together.  Pat out to 1 inch thickness.  Cut into rounds with a sharp round cutter, 3 inches in diameter., using a sharp up and down tap.  Do not twist.

Place rounds onto the prepared baking sheet.  Brush the tops with more cream and sprinkle with flaked almonds.  Bake for 18 to 22 minutes until well risen and golden brown.  Scoop off onto a wire rack to cool.   Dust with icing sugar to serve if desired.   Delicious split and served with clotted cream and preserves.

 

I was recently sent some delicious Pretzel Snacks to try out by the Penn State people.  I am a real pretzel lover so I was quite happy to give them a go.  They have come out with a couple of new varieties for the Holiday season and interestingly enough, I had already purchased them!!

First up their Maple Bacon Pretzels.  As a Canadian, I love Maple . . . and who doesn't love bacon???  The two together is pure genius!  (Well, I think so at any rate.  Maple Bacon is a very popular flavour in Canada . . . you get maple flavoured bacon and sausages and ham all over the place.  I think it's that sweet and salty thing that is just sooooooo addictively gorgeous!)

  

 Pretzels make the perfect snack to have with drinks when you have guests dropping in over the holidays, and Penn State Snacks fit the bill perfectly.  They have a range of pretzels, both plain and flavoured which are perfect served with a dip or just to munch on while you are relaxing.

One of the best things about all of the Penn state range is that relatively speaking they are healthy snacks, with lower fat and calorie count than most crisps and chocolates because they are oven baked not fried.  A 25g serving of pretzels comes in at around 100 cals. So they are not really all that bad for you as far as snacking goes.  Every thing in moderation, but . . .

Pretzels are not just for snacking on these days.  There are all sorts of things you can do with them.  I have often used them during the Holidays to make my favourite Reindeer Cookies.  Kids always love these.




*Reindeer Cookies*
Makes 3 dozen
Printable Recipe

These are fun to make and oh so delicious! I love the combination of the saltiness of the pretzels and the sweetness of the cookies. Salty and Sweet is a classic flavour combination that pleases more often than not!

1 cup soft light brown sugar, packed
1 cup white sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup smooth peanut butter
3 scant cups of flour
2 eggs
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 (300g) bag of small pretzels (the heart shaped ones)
1 (250g) bag of coloured M&M candies (smarties work well also)

Pre-heat the oven to 190*C/375*F. Line some baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Cream together the butter, peanut butter and both sugars, until light and fluffy and well mixed together.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir it into the creamed mixture, mixing it in well.

Roll Tablespoons of the dough into balls and then flatten the balls, shaping them into triangles. Place on the cookie sheets, at least 2 inches apart, with the wide end of the triangle at the top.

Lightly press pretzels into the 2 top corners of the triangle for antlers. Place a red candy at the bottom corner for the nose and two green or blue ones on the cookies for the eyes.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until set and lightly browned. Remove from the oven. Let sit on the pan for a few minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Enjoy!!

 

 But that's not all you can do with them.  The Maple Bacon ones are just perfect for making these delicious little two bite Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites.

 

I have always made peanut butter balls at Christmas time . . . or Buck Eyes as they are sometimes called.  These are along the same lines except instead of stirring rice crispies into the peanut butter mix . . . you roll it into balls and then press it between two pretzel rings . . .



But that is not all . . . no, no . . . that is not all.  Once you get this moreishly scrummy peanut butter mixture pressed between the pretzels . . . you dip them into melted semi sweet chocolate.

Think about it . . . maple and bacon flavoured pretzels . . . smokey and salty . . . sandwiched together sweet peanut butter . . . and then dipped in smooth chocolate.  This takes the sweet and salty thing to the limit.  Oh so scrummy!




Think Elvis . . .  and his favourite peanut butter/bacon sandwich . . . and then kick it up a notch!  I think he would definitely approve of these scrummy snacks!

 

*Maple, Bacon and Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites*
Makes a lot
Printable Recipe

Scrumptious.  It's that salty sweet thing.  I used maple bacon pretzels for mine and they are fabulous!  Bacon makes everything taste even better don't you think?

1 bag Maple Bacon Pretzel twists

Filling:
1 cup of creamy peanut butter (180g)
1 TBS softened butter
1 cup icing sugar, sifted (130g)
1 cup soft light brown sugar (200g)

2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips (360g)

Combine the butter and peanut butter in a bowl.  Cream in the sugars, until you have a mixture with a smooth consistency which can easily be rolled into balls without sticking to your hands.  If you find it is too sticky, add more icing sugar.

Roll tsp of the mixture into balls and then sandwich the balls between two pretzels.  Place in the refrigerator to chill for half an hour or so.

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in a microwavable bowl according to the package directions.  Dip one half of each pretzel bite into the melted chocolate.  Place onto non stick baking paper and allow to set before serving or storing.

 

They also sent me a bag of these giant stars, which I'd also already bought myself, thinking they would be perfect as this . . .



Chocolate dipped and peppermint candy sprinkled pretzel dips.  No recipe . . . just melt the chocolate and dip the pretzels in it and then sprinkle with some crushed candy canes.

 


OHHHH so good and scrummy and just the perfect snack for on your holiday trays during this festive season.

When I was to Idaho a few years back in one of the shops I found these fabulous dipped Pretzel Rods . . . dipped in all sorts of things . . . caramel, chocolate, etc.  I fell in love with them.

No such thing as Pretzel Rods over here.  I have been craving and craving them . . . but when I saw these pretzel stars I knew they would be perfect for dipping in chocolate!



And . . . they were just that!!

Penn State Pretzels are available in the snack sections of all of the major grocery stores all over the UK and come in a variety of flavours.  Many thanks to them for sending me some to play with . . .

 

Pretzels . . . they're not just for eating plain . . . they're also fun to play with.  Trust me on this.