I know a lot of people go to the trouble of cooking a big dinner on Sundays, but . . .  I'll be honest here  . . .  that doesn't happen very often in our house.  

I usually make something quick and easy.

 

There is just the two of us and, after church in the morning, we really just want to relax and enjoy some time together as a family.  

Normally I will call Canada to talk to my family. Not a lot of time gets spent in the kitchen.

 

This week I baked us these delicious oven baked turkey sandwiches loosely based on a recipe that I found here on a blog entitled Wonky Wonderful.  

Hers were the inspiration, but I just can't leave well enough alone. 

  

I had leftover roasted turkey from the other day so this is what I used, slicing it very thinly with a sharp knife. (What is it about thinly sliced meats that makes them taste even better?  Its a mystery to me!)

 

She used slider rolls. I used finger rolls, because that is what I had.  Finger rolls are kind of like unsliced hot dog rolls.  

They are soft, not hard.  This works well for us as Todd doesn't really like to eat anything too hard.

 

I added a layer of mayonnaise on the bottom, along with some Jarlsberg cheese, which is a type of Swiss cheese, which melts really smoothly and has a lovely flavour.  

I just thought that these two additions would add a lot to the sandwich. (I was right!)

 

On top of that goes the sliced turkey and then on top of that cranberry sauce.  Failing that I think a flavourful chutney would also work very well.  

I was wishing I still had some of my Christmas chutney left, as that would have been gorgeous!

 

She had a cream cheese drizzle on top of her cranberry and I thought that sounded tasty so I went with that but added some poultry seasoning for additional flavour.

  

The final touch is the top of the buns, pressed down lightly on top of it all.  I chose to brush it with some melted butter and a dusting of poultry seasoning and both garlic and onion salts, before covering and baking.  This was an inspired choice because they turned out really gorgeous!

 

Don't be tempted to over-do any of the fillings, except for the turkey if you wish.  To much of the other things would end up a bit sloppy I feel.   In this case, less really is more!  I served these with oven chips.  I buy the ones with the skins on and dust them with a bit of seasoning salt prior to baking.  Always nice.  Hope you have had a great weekend and Mondays not too much of a trial for you!  Bon Appetit! 

 

I had some leftover chicken to use and so I decided to make us some chicken salad sandwiches.  I like a chicken salad sandwich every now and then.

 

I saw what looked like a particularly tasty recipe in The Taste Of Home's Busy Family Cookbook that I had wanted to try for a while and today was the day!

 

I made it pretty much as written but with a few changes which I will add here.  The original recipe called for the filling to be used to stuff croissants, and that would indeed be very tasty! 

 

I didn't have any croissants however and I am quite fond of whole wheat toast, and so that is what I used for my sandwich.

 

The recipe called for a quantity of flaked almonds.  I always like to toast my nuts prior to using them.  I find that toasting them heightens their natural flavours, and adds to their crunch. 

  

Ten minutes in a moderate oven does the trick.  Make sure that they are well cooled off prior to using.

 

I have always thought that there isn't any kind of meat, poultry or fish sandwich that is not made better by adding the crunch, colour and flavour of fresh salad leaves. I like the mixes which contain rocket/baby arugula.

 

I quite adore the earthy pepperiness of rocket leaves!!

 

You can butter your whole wheat toast if you wish, or even just lightly spread it with a bit more mayo to help the leaves and filling to adhere better.

  

I cut it into quarters  . . .  I like the look of sandwich quarters . . . somehow they just look more special to me!

 

You get a nice sweetness from the sultanas, which are the same as golden raisins . . .

 

A sweet chewy tang from the dried cranberries  . . .  I really like dried cranberries and the flavour of cranberry has such a beautiful affinity with poultry.

 

The addition of some finely chopped red onion adds another layer of flavour . . . sharp but not overly so. It goes just right. If you don't have any red onions, I think chopped spring onions would work well in their place. 

  

These delicious sandwiches went down a real treat with us. Todd of course, man that he is . . .  enjoyed his on plain white bread,  not toasted. 

 

I would love to try this delicious chicken salad in croissants one day, as originally intended.  I bet it would be even more fabulous!  These were really tasty as is!  Bon Appetit! 

 

Turkey Croque Monsieur. The Croque Monsieur Sandwich has to be one of my favourite sandwiches, and I love sandwiches.

 

One of my greatest weaknesses has to be sandwiches.  I know that I have many weaknesses, of which these are only one, but . . .  on a scale of 1 to 10, sandwiches are a 10+ for me.  I just adore sandwiches.

 

My Aunt Freda also loved sandwiches, so I guess we are a lot alike in that respect.  If it is between two slices of tasty bread, I love it . . .  for the most part.  

 

There are a very few exceptions. 

 

I know most people will have cooked their turkeys for Christmas (or Thanksgiving) and you might not have leftover turkey in the house at the moment.  

 

We cooked our Turkey at New Years.  It is important to note that you could also make these with slices of Deli-turkey. Just so you know. You don't actually need leftover turkey to make these.  Deli-turkey is delicious also!

 

I have made Croque Monsieur sandwiches in the past with ham.  You can find that here.  

 

They were most delicious.  Topped with a fried egg, they become a Croque Madame.  Also most delicious.

 

I found a recipe for this tasty Turkey Croque-Monsieur on the Jamie Oliver site.  I love Jamie Oliver recipes, so often troll there.

 

Attributed to Chef Bruno Loubet from the Bistro Bruno Loubet, in London's Clerkenwell, it looked and sounded absolutely fabulous.

 

It would also allow me to use up some of our leftover Christmas cheeses and cranberry sauce!  Win/win/win all round! 

 

You cannot beat the combination of turkey, cranberry, bacon, cheese, etc.  Need I go on?

 

You begin by making a delicious Stilton cheese sauce, lightly flavoured with Dijon mustard.  It is luscious and rich.  

 

This gets spread on the bottom slice of bread (use a rustic white bread) after you have spread the bread with some cranberry sauce. 

 

Gruyere cheese gets grated on top of that and then you layer on turkey, the top slice of bread, also spread with some of that luscious Stilton cheese sauce  . . . 

 

A final grating of Gruyere cheese and they are ready to toast in the oven  . . .  a hot oven . . .

 

Just until the sauce has bubbled and melted a bit, along with that cheese  . . .  gilding the sandwiches with a blanket of deliciousness . . .

 

This sandwich is so simple to make.  If you can make a simple cheese sauce, you can make this! 

 

Its also very quick to make once you have all of the ingredients assembled . . .

 

And it is incredibly delicious!

  

So delicious that while I was meaning only to have a tiny taste  . . .  before I knew it half the sandwich had disappeared and I was licking my chops.    I'll start my diet on Monday.  😏

 

If you don't have turkey to use, or are all turkey'd out (understandable) do bookmark this to make at some future date.  You will not be sorry you did!  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 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!

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!  Follow my blog with Bloglovin