I was checking through my archives and couldn't believe that I had not shared a recipe for a Traditional English Trifle with you.  

 

After all these years I thought it was about time I did, so here we go!  Its not as hard to make as one would suppose actually.  Its really quite easy.

 

You can use slices of jelly roll for the bottom layer, if you wish, or even pound/Madeira cake, spread with jam.  What you want it a sturdy kind of a plain cake that will hold up well and absorb the sherry or fruit juice.  

 

These get laid on the bottom of the dish. You can also use trifle sponges, which you would split and spread with jam. Myself, I prefer the cake.

 

You sprinkle that with the sherry/juice and let it soak in. On top of that goes a layer of fruit.  Some people use banana, or strawberries.  

 

I have used drained fruit cocktail on occasion. My favourite thing to use are fresh  raspberries and blackberries if you can get them.  

The next layer is not exactly traditional, but something I love. This is something you will see in a lot of trifles and in almost every ready made trifle pot I have purchased and that is a layer of jelly/jello.  

 

You just make it up as per the package directions and then pour it over the fruit and cake, then pop it into the refrigerator to chill while you make the custard. 

 

You can use ready made custard, or make the custard from scratch.  Either are acceptable, but I do have to say I much prefer making my own, but then again I like to putter.  

 

Make your custard, let it cool to room temperature and then pour it over the set jelly. 

  

And that's it!  Other than making the whipped topping to spread on top and then garnishing it with more berries and some toasted almonds, your trifle is done.  

 

I prefer to make the topping as close to serving the trifle as possible.  It is made by whipping cream and egg whites together.  If you will be serving it to any elderly or very young people, use pasteurised egg whites. (You can find these in the chiller section of the grocery shop.)  

 

Of course you can leave the egg whites out entirely and just use twice as much cream.   Either way is acceptable.  Enjoy!!

 

This will be the last recipe that I am sharing with you prior to Christmas.  I do have a multitude of recipes on site for you to choose from, just put a search in the side column if you are looking for something in particular.  I do have many other trifle recipes should you be looking for another one, including a  delicious Pear and Ginger Trifle,  a fabulous Turkish Delight Trifle, and Christmas Pudding Trifles.  I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!  May it be filled with all the things that you love.  We have guests on both Christmas and Boxing days, so the kitchen will now be closed until the 27th.  Have a brilliant holiday!  God bless!

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I had a good clean out of the refrigerator today (Wednesday as I write this), in preparation for the up and coming holidays.  It is amazing how quickly your fridge can get full of bits and bobs of stuff, cluttering it up and taking up needed space.  You know the kind of thing I mean  . . .  that couple of tablespoons of relish in the bottom of the jar, or that bottle of ketchup that barely had enough in it for one serving.  I hate waste, so I always save this stuff, thinking I am going to use it, but then don't.

  

In all truth most jars and packs will tell you the shelf life of said article after opening, and its usually not very long.  Then too, you organise your fridge and it soon gets messy again with things being taken out and put back in.  I always give it a good lick and a promise about once a month anyways, but before Christmas I like to really have a good go at it, so that I have enough space for all the Christmas goodies we will be getting in.

 

I like a well organised refrigerator, with like things being in position together  . . .  like all the sauces and mustard's in one place  . . .  oriental foods (Ketjap Manis, Hoisin sauce, Srirachi sauce, etc.) in another area, dairy together, etc.  Cooked foods on a higher shelf and raw foods/meats on a lower shelf.  Did you know you should never store your eggs on the door?  In the shops here, they are kept on the store shelves, but they do recommend refrigerating them when you get them home.  I just leave them in the carton and store them on a shelf, rather than on the door.  They say that the temperature on the door fluctuates too much for them to be safely stored there. 

 

These Deluxe Double Layer Egg Containers are the ideal thing to use for storing them in the refrigerator or in the cupboards if you are so inclined.  It's convenient and protective, and double layered with space enough to hold 2 dozen eggs.  Its easy to use and grid shaped to take up less space in the fridge.  You can find out more about that here.  They come in three snazzy colours.  I have one of those on my Christmas wish list! 

 

I like to store my milk, other drinks and all of my jams and a few pickles on the door to my fridge.  My old fridge had a water dispenser and there was hardly any room on the door for anything.  I like the setup in this refrigerator so much better!  I know there are only two of us, but you would not believe the amount of milk we go through.  Todd is the main user of it. 

 

 

I had  small package of fresh ravioli taking up some space that was on its due date today so I threw together a Ravioli Lasagna for us for our dinner.  It was a beef and red wine ravioli.  Fresh pasta. 

 

The package said it was just enough for two servings. I have noticed lately that most things only serve two people, which is okay for us as we are only two people, but what do larger families do?  They must have to buy in multiples! That must get pretty expensive and annoying!

 

For this recipe you simply layer the fresh ravioli with a good tomato pasta sauce and cheese in a baking dish and bake.  Its so simple.  No fuss, no muss.

 

Layer and bake and in no time at all, dinner is ready.  All you need on the side is a lovely salad and maybe some garlic bread if you are feeling really hungry. 

 

This was really very tasty!  Even Todd (who hates pasta) didn't complain.  I don't think he realised what he was eating actually, lol.

  

I do have to apologise for the lousy photos today.  It has been raining cats and dogs and is dark, dark, dark.  I like to use natural lighting, hence the poor photographs, but trust me when I say if I had turned the lights on they would have been worse! 

   

In any case this makes a delicious supper for when you are lacking in time and inspiration.  Although the quantities are for two people, it can very easily be doubled to serve more!

 

One thing that I really like in my refrigerator are these Essential Refrigerator Containers.  I just have one at the moment, but plan on getting more.  These innovative refrigerator containers add space to your fridge and help you to safely and neatly arrange things to your convenience.  Right now I have some cheese in mine, but they come in handy for all sorts, sandwich meats, snacks, yogurt tubes, squeeze condiments, eggs, etc.   They are simple and easy to use.  You just slide them onto the refrigerator shelf using the handy clips which hold it in place, allowing for you to slide it open easily as well.  Simple to handle, set up and use, secure locking, with a good fresh air flow, and are dishwasher safe for easy cleaning.  Click on the link above to find out more. They are available at a pretty good price at the moment as well, with free shipping in the USA.    I love mine and plan on getting a couple more in the new year!

So now that my fridge is all clean and tidy for Christmas, I can start planning on what I am going to fill it with!  Not too much I don't think, until just prior to Christmas.  Filling it up too soon will just defeat my purpose in cleaning it up and getting it ready!  Enjoy the lasagna and Bon Appetit! 

 

I have not baked these delicious cookies in a very long time now.  They are really big cookies and I am not supposed to be eating things like this.  

They are so darned tasty, I find them quite impossible to resist!  I am really, really naughty.  😟 

 

I have little to no will power when it comes to things which are delicious.  

I try to only bake things like this when I have people coming over, or when I know that I can give it away.  

 

I can't say for sure, but I believe that I may have gotten the original recipe from a Martha Stewart magazine.  Don't quote me on that however, because as I say, I never bothered in the old days to copy out the source of my findings. 

 I never dreamt, way back then, that I would one day be able to share my favourites with the world!  Isn't life amazing!

 

These are incredibly tasty cookies  . . .  with lovely soft ginger cookies, well flavoured with molasses and the warm baking spices, shaped into balls and rolled in sugar prior to baking . . .

 

They spread out and puff up like little sugar coated clouds and smell heavenly when they are baking . . . 

 

The cooled cookies are sandwiched together with raspberry jam/preserves. I like the Bonne Maman brand myself, but use whatever is your favourite kind and if you have homemade, so much the better! 

  

The jam kind of gets absorbed into the cookie a bit  . . . 

  

Creating a squidgy jammy layer that is most delectable.

 

These are perfect with a hot cuppa  . . . or a tall glass of cold milk . . .

 

They are actually pretty fabulous no matter how you choose to enjoy them.

  

I tend to cut them into quarters myself.  It sort of helps to assuage some of my guilt over eating them to begin with.  Sort of  . . . nobody is perfect I guess.

 

 

A new Lidl shop opened near us recently and they have a lovely in store bakery where they bake fresh rolls and other baked goods.  I confess I am a bit of a glutton when it comes to fresh rolls and such.

 

They are like a siren to a seaman.  They call to me. I just love bread.

 

They have these really lovely cheese rolls.  They aren't round like most buns, but shaped like diamonds and have a nice amount of cheese on top. 

 

 Baked perfectly so that the cheese isn't burnt. They are like a sour dough kind of a roll. Crisp on the outside, chewy inside.  Perfection.

 

I had the last of the leftover roast chicken to use up. I decided to make a filling that I could stuff the rolls with and then toast them in the oven.  

 

I do love a hot sandwich or baguette, don't you? Toasty bread, hot filling. Yum yum!

 

I shredded the chicken and mixed it with a goodly amount of cheese. I used a mix of mild and strong Cheddar cheese and some Dutch Gouda which has great melting properties and a lovely flavour. 

You can never go wrong with a melty cheese. Well, any cheese really. I love cheese.

 

Along with that I added some thinly sliced spring onions, or scallions as you might call them in North America. My friend Tina's husband Tony grew them this summer and they did really well. 

 

We have been treated to several bunches of them now and I think they are still producing.  They are just gorgeous!

 

Far superior to any you might find in the shops, which begs the question, just how long does it take our fresh fruit and veg to reach our grocery store shelves?  I reckon it is a lot longer than we might these.  

 

These fresh spring onions are like nothing I have ever tasted. They are crisp and delicious!  We love them! 

 

I moistened the mix with some Caesar salad dressing because I love the flavour, but you could just as easily use ranch if you like, or any other creamy dressing that calls your name! 

Your options are only limited by your imagination. Just use your favourite dressing.

 

Once I mixed all of that together, I stuffed it into the split rolls and then toasted them in the oven in a covered casserole.

 

I did this so that they wouldn't get too TOO crisp, and yet the cheese would melt and everything would melt together in a most delicious way! Wise choice on my part.

 

We had these sandwiches hot with some vegetable sticks for a beautiful lunch!!  They were really delicious! 

We could have just as easily enjoyed them with potato chips.  Whatever you enjoy with a hot sandwich would go well.

 

The cheese was all gooey, and the chicken well flavoured with the dressing, and those delightfully crisp spring onions added just the right texture and amount of sharpness!

 

As you can see I filled them generously.  I was taught from a girl that if you want to make a good sandwich you never stint on the filling.  

 

A good sandwich has to be filled generously or all people will taste is the bread.  And whilst these are mighty tasty rolls, I wanted the filling to shine! 

 

A little bit messy to eat, but all good sandwiches, especially hot ones, can be a tad bit messy to eat.  It only adds to their tastiness!  

Make sure you add napkins!

 

I wish I could adequately show you just how delicious these were with my photography, but alas, the pictures don't really do these tasty babies justice! 

I have never been really good at food photography. I try my best. I want to show you deliciousness.

 

You will just have to take my word for it. These sandwiches were the bomb! They were truly delicious.

From beginning to end. Top to bottom, inside and out.

  

But don't just take my word for it. Try them for yourself and see. You begin at the very beginning . . . 

With an excellent roll or a crusty bun.

 

I think this filling would also make a great grilled sandwich. I would brush the outsides of the bread with a bit more Caesar salad dressing prior to grilling in that case and use a nice thick whole wheat bread, grilling them in a hot skillet until tasty toasty and just right!