If you are a regular reader here, you will recall me having received a hamper of meat from Piper's Farm several weeks ago, and a very fine hamper it was. We greatly enjoyed all that they sent. I am only now getting to try the bacon though, and I have to say it is the finest bacon I have ever tasted! I'm not making that up either, just because they gave it to me for free. I speak the truth.
It tastes just like bacon used to taste in the old days before supermarkets and plastic packaging. This tastes just like the bacon we used to get back home . . . home smoked and very flavourful. I have fallen in love with it.
From their page: Cured in our home-made brines, air-dried and smoked over oak, our bacon has a wonderful texture and flavour, crisps in the pan.
It is fabulous!
I chose to make a delicious bacon sandwich with some of it for our lunch today. I can't remember where I got the idea for this combination. I won't take credit for it. I saw it somewhere one day when I was surfing the www and it sounded delicious so I made a mental note of it.
Imagine a delicious sandwich, all buttery and toasted on the outsides . . . the insides spread with honey dijon mustard and stogged full of delicious smoked back bacon, sweet slices of apple and gooey scrummy melting farmhouse cheddar . . .
Are you there yet??? Can you taste it???
Go for it. You won't regret it . . . oh, your hips might groan a tiny bit, but all will be forgotten as soon as you sink your teeth into that first delicious bite.
*Grilled Apple, Bacon and Cheese Sarnie*
Make as many as you like or think you can eat
Printable Recipe
Ingredients vary according to how hungry you are or how much you like. Know only for sure that it is delicious!
two slices of sturdy bread (you choose, white, whole wheat, grainy, etc.)
cooked back bacon
a strong farmhouse cheddar cheese, cut into slices
a granny smith apple, washed, cored and cut into thin slices
Honey Dijon mustard
softened butter for spreadin on the outsides
Take your bread and spread both slices on the insides with some of the mustard, spreading it as thin or thick as you prefer. Top one slice with the cheddar cheese and bacon. Top the other one with the thinly sliced apple. Press both slices together with the ingredients on the insides. Butter the outsides, top and bottom.
Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium low heat. Place the sandwich in, apple side on the bottom, and butter to the pan. Cook gently over low heat until the bread is nice and toasty. Flip over and toast slowly on the other side until the cheese melts.
Note - You cannot rush a grilled cheese sandwich. Slow and steady over a low temperature is the key, oh and patience. That also helps. A tasty sandwich is it's own reward!
Thi sandwich I am sharing with you today is not a supper dish for the faint of heart. It is loaded with fat and calories. Every once in a blue moon, however, it's nice to treat yourself to something special like a Croque Madame.
I have never been to Philadelphia. I have never had a Philly Steak Sandwich. I have seen plenty of photos of them flying around Pinterest and loads of different recipes. They are basically a hot beef sandwich with onions and peppers and cheese on top. They look pretty fabulous!
I had wanted to try to make some of them for a long time and yesterday I just happened to have pretty much the right ingredients in the house to make some. I don't want any purists coming along now and telling me my version is wrong! I am not representing this as a Philly Steak Sandwich. Just a mighty tasty Beef and Cheese Sandwich, or Sarnie as they are lovingly referred to in some circles over here in the UK.
I was able to pick up some really nice looking rare roast beef at the deli section of the grocery store the other day at a pretty fair price. Interestingly enough the rare roast beef cost more than the regular roast beef. I wonder why that is? It takes less time to cook, so you would think it would be less. It's the same beef, pretty much. One piece just took longer to cook. It doesn't make sense. Anyways, I digress . . .
So I bought some of the rare roast beef and brought it home and cut it into thin slices cross wise, added it to some thinly sliced sweet onions, and green peppers that I sauteed in a pan until the onions were just beginning to caramelize and the peppers were soft. I added some garlic. I don't know if this is what people normally do, but it's what I did.
I added a soupçon of Worcestershire sauce and dark soy sauce, coz that's how I roll. (Like how I mixed a little bit of French in there? I know! ☺ Thanks!) I seasoned it with a bit of black pepper and salt, scattered it generously with two kinds of cheese . . . strong cheddar and red leiceister . . .
And then tucked it in between the buttery toasted crevices of a nice soft bun which I had already slathered with garlic mayonnaise. The rest is history. The next half hour was filled with satisfied sounds as we both tucked into something which was quite, quite delicious . . . and to think . . it was quick, it was easy and it wasn't all that expensive to do. I will be doing this again. Maybe the next time the missionaries come for their tea. I think they might like that. I know we sure did!
Serves 4
I hesitate to call these cheese steak sandwiches because there isn't any steak in them, just roast beef. They're similar to what is known as a Philly Steak Sandwich, but they're unique. I just kinda made them up as I went along. Whatever they are, they are totally delicious, simple to make and make a nice quick supper.
1/2 pound of thinly sliced rare roast beef, cut into 1/2 inch slices across
Split and toast the buns as desired. I like to butter mine, but not everyone will want to do that. I toast only the insides under the grill so that the outsides remain nice and soft. Once the buns are toasted, place one on each of four plates. Spread the bottom halves with some garlic mayonnaise. Top each with one fourth of the beef and cheese mixture, and the top toasted bun. Serve immediately.
How can it already be Sunday again! This week has just flown past, and here I am once again sharing a Meals of the Week Post with you!
This is something I decided to start doing about a month or so ago now. Not only does it help me to keep track of everything I have eaten over the past week, but it helps me to plan my meals for the next week, so that I don't end up repeating myself too much!
I had a pretty busy week, but it was a very rainy week off and on, so a bit of comfort food still figured here and there. I also took a meal over to my daughter and her husband as a bit of a treat for them. My daughter has had an earache this week so was not feeling too well.
Even on a day when I was not feeling entirely well myself (rain and arthritis = a very bad combo) I managed to make myself something pretty decent to eat for my tea. Simple but filling and delicious.
Having found myself living on my own after having cooked for a whole crew and others for over 50 years, I am determined I am not going to be that person who eats out of tins or who fills up on ready meals. That is okay every now and then, but so long as I am capable of doing so, I want to cook proper meals for myself.
I hope you don't mind me taking you along. Perhaps I can inspire you as well and give you a few ideas on what you can cook as well. I promise you nothing is extremely complicated and it is all delicious! I did eat a lot of chicken this week, so must take care to get in a bit more variety next week!
SUNDAY June 11th - Chicken Cordon Bleu
I had my usual Sunday Dinner at my sisters. This week instead of a roast dinner she did Chicken Cordon Bleu which we enjoyed with wild and white steamed rice, roasted asparagus and roasted broccoli. It was those frozen cordon bleu things that you can buy ready made from Prime, but I found a really lovely looking recipe that you could use to make your own on Carlsbad Cravings. I am going to give that a try sometime and downsize it for two people. The photo above is one I made on The English Kitchen about 7 years ago now. Also very good and linked above next to the date.
MONDAY, June 12th - Croissant Turkey Club Sandwich
My arthritis was playing up really bad on Monday so I took the simple route. Supper was a cup of soup and a Croissant Turkey Club Sandwich. I love club sandwiches, with thinly sliced deli turkey, crisp smoky bacon, sliced tomato and crunchy shredded lettuce. You could also add a slice of cheese if you wanted to. Harvarti is awfully nice with this. I loved the Harvarti we used to get in Germany.
This sandwich reminded me of the cold meats, cheeses, fresh brochen, etc. that we used to get at the breakfast buffet in Germany when we travelled there. Yes, I am a sandwich for breakfast kind of a girl.
On this night I enjoyed this sandwich with a few cheeky potato chips, a rare treat. I buy my potato chips in these large bundles of small single serve bags. That way I don't have to worry about them going stale before I can finish eating them, plus it keeps me in check and I eat a more reasonable amount!
TUESDAY, June 13th - Mini Quiche for Two
I had not had quiche for dinner for a very long time. Mostly because I don't want to have to deal with a whole quiche. I downsized my favorite recipe and made a small six inch deep mini one, and then took half over to my next door neighbor Sheila who declared it totally delicious when she returned my container the next day. I used my Butter/Lard pastry recipe for the crust. I think homemade pastry is so much nicer than anything you can buy ready made.
Now that I am living on my own, I still make the full recipe for a two crust pie, but I divide it into four small flat discs, wrapping each one really well and then I freeze the discs in an airtight container. Homemade ready made pastry at my fingertips. It only takes about half an hour to thaw, and will keep in the freezer properly wrapped for up to six months. And it is enough for four mini single crust pies, or two mini double crust pies.
WEDNESDAY, June 14th - Dinner out with Dad
On Wednesday nights I always have dinner out with my dad and his friend Hazel. Sometimes my sister comes with us. This week was no different. I enjoy these meals out with dad. It was something I could only dream about doing when I was living in the UK. This week I had my usual small eaters Turkey dinner with coleslaw instead of a roll. Hazel had a one piece fish and chips. I was treating dad for Father's Day so he had a burger and chips. He couldn't finish it.
He would have been better off with this Pub Cheese Open Faced Burger! Not too much bread, lovely grilled and caramelized onions, melted cheddar spread and a tomato and lettuce on the side. This with a few oven chips would make a really great midweek supper!
THURSDAY, June 15th - No Fuss Chicken Dinner
On Thursday I cooked something to take over to my daughter. I did enjoy one serving of it myself. This No fuss Chicken Dinner cooks nicely in the crock pot all day. It is a perfect midweek dinner, especially for those days when you know you are not going to have a lot of time to cook. It tastes a lot like a chicken pot pie without the crust. Pop everything into the crock pot in the morning and just get on with your day.
I sprinkled some crispy fried onions on top for a bit of crunch when I served it. It had potatoes, carrots and a flavorful gravy along with the tender and juicy chicken. I cooked some peas and corn on the side for Eileen and Tim.
FRIDAY - June 16th - TikTok Feta Baked Pasta for two
I had been intrigued with this viral TikTok recipe for a while. I am not one to go with trends, but it really did look good and sounded dead simple. I decided to try it, but downsized it for just two servings. This was AMAZING! I couldn't believe how simple and easy it was to make. I channeled two separate recipes and created one by using bits of both.
I thought it would be ultra salty with the feta cheese, but it wasn't salty at all. The sauce was rich and creamy with lots of bits of tomato. I actually am still thinking about how delicious it really was!! You really need to try this. I enjoyed it with some crusty bread and a bit of salad on the side.
SATURDAY, June 17th - Cast Iron Roasted Butterflied Chicken & Potatoes
I was inspired by a new cookery book I had just gotten and adapted this Roast Chicken recipe for a father's day celebration. The cookbook was called The Prairie Kitchen Cookbook, by Kayla Lobermeier of Under a Tin Roof. I switched out the flavors a bit. Hers was a Buffalo Roasted Chicken. I am not overly fond of the spice of Buffalo chicken so I created a delicious BBQ rub to use on mine in it's place.
The chicken is butterflied open and rubbed with a tasty rub both under and on top of the skin and then placed on a bed of baby new potatoes, onion, and garlic in a cast iron skillet. Roasted to perfection and basted with butter at 20 minute intervals, the end result is a delicious moist and flavor filled chicken. Those potatoes get all sticky and filled with lovely chicken juice flavors as well. Altogether very delicious. I served with some baby peas and carrots on the side.
And there you have it, my meals for the past week. I ate something delicious and yet simple every day. It was a really tasty week! I also now have some roasted chicken to use in sandwiches, etc. over the coming week and some bones in the freezer to make soup at a later date!
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
Now this is nothing new. I have seen waffled grilled cheese on a variety of sites over the past few months and they have been on my bucket list to try . . .
I amped them up a bit however by doing three very tasty things . . . One, I used sour dough bread. Our local shop sells a sliced sour dough loaf that is shaped like sandwich bread. Works a charm and is so tasty!
Two, I spread the outside of the bread with low fat mayonnaise instead of butter. It adds a lovely taste to the sandwich. I have been doing this to my grilled cheese sandwiches for years and years. Lots of people like mayo in their cheese sandwiches, why not on the outside of their grilled cheese. It grills really well!
Three, I sprinkled a bit of Garlic Herb Seasoning on the buttered side of each slice of bread. This adds even more delicious flavour to an already tasty sandwich!
Altogether this makes for one very delicious sandwich indeed, with lots of crisp buttery flavour filled crevices and crunch . . . lots of oozingly tasty melted cheese and a hint of garlic butter flavour, except it's not butter . . . its low fat mayo. This was quite simply a winner, and great for dipping!!
Heat your waffle iron. Butter the outsides of two slices of bread with the mayonnaise and lightly sprinkle with the garlic seasoning. Place one slice buttered side down into centre of the waffle iron. Top with the grated cheddar and then top the grated cheddar with the slice of melting cheese. Top the whole lot with the other slice of bread, buttered side up. Close the waffle iron and cook until golden brown and the cheese is nicely melted. Serve immediately.
Here I am with another Sunday round up of my Meals of the Week. On Sundays I like to share with you, my readers, all the things that I have cooked and enjoyed eating over the previous week. It helps me to recap the things I have eaten and then to plan my meals for the week to come.
As a person who lives on their own I am determined that I am not going to be someone who eats totally out of cans, jars and boxes. Frozen dinners are not for me! Not unless they are meals that I have prepared and frozen myself.
I am very much a person who enjoys cooking and I also enjoy eating good food. I don't know about you, but a steady diet of ready meals and food from cans is very boring. I want fresh and deliciously cooked food, which means I have to cook it myself! If I don't like what's on the menu I have only me to blame!
I do usually have Sunday dinner with family and every Wednesday night I eat out with my father and his friend. Sometimes my sister will join us. On those days I have endeavored to include a tasty recipe that you can make at home which is close to what I have eaten whilst out and about.
My sister was over here the other day, helping me to organize my cupboards. She is really good at that sort of thing. We determined that I have no need to buy any canned, boxed or jarred goods for quite some time. Nothing too exciting. Just a few different vegetables, plenty of soups, baked beans etc. I need to be using those up before I buy more.
Funny story. My mother used to pick up a few tins of salmon every time she went to Walmart. When she passed away the store shelf she had downstairs was filled with tins of salmon, many of which were out of date and needed to be disposed of.
I have realized over the past week that Sugar-Free Jell-O is my tinned salmon. I think I have about 20 boxes of it that I need to be using. I love fruit jello and every time I see it, I end up buying a box or two. I don't have a favorite flavor. I love them all!! I need to be using these. What is the point in having them if you are not going to eat them!
SUNDAY June 4th - Air Fryer Roast Chicken
I had Sunday dinner with my sister, brother in law and father. My sister had prepared a Roast Chicken in the air fryer along with an assortment of roasted vegetables. This was delicious. If you have a small enough chicken, they cook very well in the air fryer basket. You can find the link to my recipe for how roast a whole chicken in the air fryer above.
Also if you are wanting a tasty gravy to serve with your meal, I have a brilliant and easy to make recipe here for Perfect Gravy from Scratch. It always turns out beautiful.
For dessert we had some chocolate cake with frosting. Again, very yummy. Especially with some squirty cream on top!
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!
Fruity Chicken Salad
ingredients:
- 1 small stalk celery, trimmed and chopped
- 40g sultana raisins (1/4 cup golden raisins)
- 40g dried cranberries (1/4 cup)
- 45g toasted flaked almonds (1/4 cup)
- 165g good quality mayonnaise (3/4 cup)
- 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
- 2 cups diced cooked chicken
- your desired choice of bread, croissant, etc.
- optional salad leaves
instructions:
- Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, mixing well. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Spoon about 1/2 cup salad into each croissant or sandwich, on top of salad leaves if using. Serve immediately.
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