Showing posts sorted by relevance for query sandwich. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query sandwich. Sort by date Show all posts
Welcome to my humble home. Sorry about the view of my next door neighbors open garage door, but I wanted to get in a view of my whole front. I need to get some kind of welcome sign for it, but haven't seen one yet that suits I suppose.
One thing I fell in love with when I found this place was the way the front storm door looks like an old fashioned screen door, not to mention the Veranda across the front.
The plants in the garden were already here when I moved in. Hosta's and lilies. I am so not a gardener. Because of my osteo I am unable to get down on my hands and knees for gardening.
I am thinking next year I will get my son in law over and have him help me dig everything up, lay down some kind of garden barrier that will prevent things from growing back and then either cover it with stone or wood chips and then just have maybe 3 large planters.
I do like my hanging baskets and of course a hummingbird feeder was a must. I adore hummingbirds. They are such fun to watch. I actually adore bird watching of any kind.
This is the view when you come in the front door. It is not a very big place really, but it suits me to a "T." I don't need big with just me.
There is this open living/dining area, a galley kitchen, a bath/laundry room and two bedrooms, one small and one larger.
When I first moved into the place, I had my bed (which I had purchased in bits over the winter months), a dresser which had been my mum's and a folding metal chair. I managed to get other bits in time, and I was really lucky that I was able to get reduced prices on everything as they were floor models, or ends of line.
My real extravagance was the rug, but I fell in love with it. It was so bright and cheerful and, well . . . me! I am a Leo so I love bright colors. Because everything else is kind of muted, I thought the rug would go well.
At first when it arrived, I thought wow! Even the delivery guy said that is quite a colorful rug, but my eyes adjusted to it and I love it. It says, "This is a Happy space!"
The little rocking chair was another indulgence. My sister had one at her place and I thought how sweet it is. I saw this one and scooped it up. The few homemade dolls that I managed to salvage are sitting in it, and the little wooden stool that is in front of it is one that my middle son Doug made in shop back in high school. I painted it back then and I feel so blessed to still have it.
There are family photos on the corner bookcase and a few books I cherish. My Susan Branch ones, Flower Fairies, etc.
My sister brought me over a box of Knick-knacks that had been gifts which I gave to my mother through the years. She had forgotten she had them and thought I might like to have them. I feel so blessed to have some family treasures now that I can hand down perhaps.
It also feels a bit like mom is with me. Always a good feeling.
The covering on the sofa is a lap quilt I got on Amazon. I also got one for the armchair. Just to protect them. I am planning on having a pet of some sort.
The crochet shawl on the back of my armchair was one that I had crocheted for my mother and was a gift to her the Christmas just before her passing. I wanted her to be warm. She was such a tiny woman and really felt the cold.
The large painting over the sofa was a free gift from the people at Photowall. I love it and the colous go so well with the room, as does the size. I love Monet.
My curtains are flat single bed sheets. I only just recently put them up. I hung them on clips. Perhaps not the most elegant thing, but they work and afford me some privacy after dark. The birds I managed to bring over from the UK and they didn't break!
They are created by an Etsy Artist in the UK called Simon Aldersey. He does beautiful work. I had first bought one, a robin for my mom a number of years back. It was so lovely and she loved to look at it. It was buried with her.
I then got a robin for both my sister and myself, and that started me collecting all of his birds. I may not be able to afford stained glass windows (which I love) but I have these lovely little glass birds which not only remind me of England which I love, but also birds which I also love and they glow when it is sunny out. Little rays of joy.
I decided to frame these two cards that I got from friends. I loved the sentiments on them and thought they would be nice framed.They are the first things you see when you come in my front door.
The one on the top says, "home is that precious place where your heart feels safe to live, love, grow and simply be safe." The bottom one says, " the heart finds peace and happiness where God remains a welcome guest."
They just seemed so right for framing, and look very much at home where they are now. Reminders that I am loved and cared for, and of the feeling I want for and in my home.
I never thought I would end my life alone, but it is what it is. Many, many people are in the same shoes.
I need to hide those wires. I was able to get myself a television, and a stand to put it on. The stand was also a floor model and serves a dual purpose in that it is also a Heater.
I will surely get good use from it next Winter. It has flickering flames.
There is not much stored inside at the moment. A few picture albums and some candles.
I was lucky and got the tv for a really good price. Its a Roku. I got it on Amazon and it cost me less than $300, but I see now it has doubled in price, so I got really lucky! The Windows of Heaven and all that! It is a smart tv and so I can watch whatever on it. Netflix, Prime, etc.
This little cabinet was another floor model I found and it sort of serves as a divider between the dining area and the living area.
I needed something to hold my food props, etc. The tray is completely separate and a bonus! I got the glasses at a yard sale and my friend Jacquie gave me the large salad bowl. I bought the other bowl at Winner's Home Plus for real cheap and my friend Noelle gave me the sweet tatted collar which looks nice there.
The two paintings are prints I bought last Winter when I was at my sisters. The top one of the Savior is by Simon Dewy, "Lead Kindly Light", and the bottom one is called "To the Rescue," and depicts the Savior walking across the waves to his disciples in the boat.
If anyone needed rescuing and light in their life it was me, and they perfectly exemplify the spirit I want in my home. I want it to be a place filled with light and joy and love.
The bookcase I built myself. I was pretty proud of doing it as well. I have more things of my mom's on the middle shelf, and some cookbooks on the bottom two. I hope to have my mom's teacups on the top two shelves eventually.
Of course mom is always with me. This portrait of her was done when she was about 19. I love it and it is the perfect spot for it. On either side are prints from an artist called Annie Henrie Nader.
The one on the left is called, Forget Me Not. "As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." - Joshua 1:5
It depicts a woman kneeling in a field of forget me nots, and held in the comforting embrace of the Savior.
The one on the right is called, "Loves Pure Light." "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." - Luke 2:14
This painting is symbolic of two different scenes. Initially, this represents a tender moment between Mary and her infant son, the Savior of the world. Angels watch over in love and worship, and all are encompassed by heavenly surroundings.
On further consideration, this painting further represents any mothers pure love toward her child, while watched over by angels, both those on earth and those who have passed on before us. It serves as a reminder of peace, harmony, and the continual outpouring of divine love.
One way which I like to show my love for others is in being able to cook for and feeding them. I expect, and hope that I will be able to do that many times over my remaining years of life, bringing both joy to them and to myself.
My father dropped by for lunch yesterday after his haircut and I made him a grilled cheese sandwich. This is the kind of thing which makes me really happy.
I never thought I would see my father again. Being able to see and spend time with him, to cook for him is the silver lining on all that has happened. I am blessed.
This is where the magic happens. My little Galley kitchen. It is not a large space and there is no window, but it is large enough for me. I bought the rolling Island on the end, again as a floor model, to hold my baking supplies/tools.
Much of what happens in this kitchen is due to the generosity of others. I will forever be grateful for the many gifts of love that were shared and given to me. For the dishes, glassware, kitchen tools, etc. It was very overwhelming and I felt so very blessed by everyone's many kindnesses.
I pinched myself every day, thinking I was dreaming. I wasn't sure I deserved any of it, but I was so very grateful for all of it. You all know who you were. You were angels on earth and I bless and thank you for your many kindnesses.
This is my stove. It was provided with the apartment/house. This along with a refrigerator and a dishwasher.
I bought the toaster oven and the microwave. I thought I would use the toaster oven much more than the stove, but so far I haven't done much but cremate things in the toaster oven, haha.
I am trying to get used to it and in time I hope to master it. I refuse to let it beat me! If you have any tips on toaster oven cookery, I would be most grateful!
This is the view on the other side. In the UK, I bemoaned the fact I had no counter space. Here I have plenty of it and I am so grateful for it!
I hope that I never clutter it up with stuff that I can't or don't use often enough to justify having them.
That is one good thing about the extreme manner in which I downsized in November of last year. Starting off with nothing again, means you can invite into your home only what you need, love and can use. It is a much happier and less stress filled way to live!!
This is my bath/laundry area. Not much to say about this area. I did have to buy myself a washer and a drier. I got a good deal on the pair of them, thank goodness. There is plenty of storage in here for my necessities such as towels, etc. and of course toiletries and cleaning supplies.
There is a large jet tub (which I will probably never use) and a nice walk in shower. It is perfect for me and for my needs. I am borrowing the ironing board and steam iron from my father with the promise that I will iron his shirts when he needs them doing.
They are both Endy and so comfortable. It was easy to put the frame together, my BIL did it in about 10 minutes. Buying the frame was more practical than bringing my mom's old bed over and it also meant that my sister didn't have to buy a bed for her spare room.
She gave me one of mom's night tables and a lamp to use and I have mom's highboy dresser.
There is another longer lower dresser with a mirror, but I probably won't be bringing it over. I have no real way of getting it here and to be honest I don't really need it.
My sister will probably use it more than I ever would. I don't have a lot of clothes and stuff, just what I could bring over in my suitcase and it all fits in this one dresser. I have never been a slave to fashion!
There is a walk in closet at the far end of the room with some built in shelves, quite roomy.
There is also one smaller bedroom, but I didn't bother to take a photograph of that because there really isn't anything in it. My printer on a tv tray, my sewing machine. My light box for photography and some boxes with my art supplies in them from the UK.
Eventually I hope to be able to afford to get a sofa bed or trundle bed in there so that my kids/grandkids will have a place to sleep if they come over, but to be honest, even a couple blow up mattresses and sleeping bags would work just as well, for the amount they would be used.
I also have a garage to park my car in which is nice and roomy.
And that's it in a nutshell! My Home Sweet Home! My little kingdom. I hope you've enjoyed the tour! Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again. Next time I promise to feed you!
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
We quite like sliders in this house. Sliders are small sandwiches or burgers baked all together in one sheet in the oven, and then cut apart into single servings after baking. I have done a few versions of them on here in the past, including Heavenly Ham and Cheese Hots, Reuben Sliders, Salmon Melt Sliders (You could also use Tuna), and Turkey Fajita Sliders to name a few. Love them all. They make quick and simple suppers when served with some chips or salad on the side, and are also perfect for game nights, etc. with the family. (Think FHE here!)
Today I made BBQ Beef Sliders with Caramelised Onions. You can use deli sliced beef in them, or you can use leftover sliced roast beef. Either one would work well. Todd has an easier time eating meat which is thinner sliced, so for things like this I tend to use deli meat as it is sliced much thinner than I can do myself at home.
I buy my buns at Asda. You can get a bag with 24, unseparated, called a freezer pack for about £2, and they work perfectly. They are also in a nice study bag so you can freeze the ones you don't need to use right away.
You begin by caramelising some onions. What is is about the smell of caramelising onions that gets the taste buds to tingling? There used to be a guy with a sandwich/burger van in downtown Chester by the town hall that was always frying onions. I always felt super hungry when I would walk past his van. It didn't matter if I was really hungry or not, just the smell made me hungry.
You layer the caramelised onions on the bottom half of the buns and then top with a bit of BBQ sauce. Today I used Bullseye because that is what I had, but you can use whatever kind you like. On top of that you layer on the meat.
I then put a layer of cheese. I buy a four cheese blend at the shops and just sprinkle it all over the meat in a nice layer. It has orange and white cheddar, mozzarella, Gouda . . . a nice mix that makes for good melting.
The cut side of the top bun gets spread with a horseradish mayo, which as you know goes very well with beef. Aside from the flavour it also helps to hold the cheese in place before it start to melt.
Finally you simply brush the top with a mix of melted butter, Worcestershire sauce and herbs. This gilds the lily, and adds another layer of delightful flavours!
And they truly are delightful flavours . . . you get the sweetness from the caramelised onions, a smoky touch from the BBQ, the richness of the roast beef, that creamy melty ooze from the cheese, a touch of creamy heat from the horseradish mayo, and of course that buttery, herbed crispy bun at the top. Everything just works together heavenly. I served them with some vegetable chips, which had carrots, parsnip and beetroot, but they would be nice just with coleslaw or even a green salad or potato chips. Its all up to you!
*BBQ Beef Sliders with Caramelised Onions*
Makes 12
These are simple to make and oh so delicious. A real family and crowd pleaser.
1 TBS flavourless oil
2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
130g BBQ sauce (1/2 cup)
73g mayonnaise (1/3 cup)
1 TBS creamed horseradish sauce
1 package of soft dinner rolls (12 count)
12 slices deli roast beef
120g grated 4 cheese blend (1 cup)
2 TBS butter, melted
1/2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp each garlic and onion powders
1 tsp dried parsley
To caramelise the onions, heat the oil in a large skillet over
medium/high heat. Add the onions, reduce to medium low and cook,
stirring frequently until golden.
Preheat oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Have ready a 13 by 9 inch baking dish with sides. Lightly butter. Set aside.
Whisk together the mayonnaise and horseradish sauce.
Slice
the buns in half through the middle, keeping both halves in one sheet.
Place the bun bottom sheet into the prepared baking dish. Cover with
the caramelised onions. Divide the BBQ sauce amongst each bun section,
smoothing it over with the bottom of a spoon. Top with the sliced roast
beef and sprinkle the cheese over top of the beef. Spread the
mayo/horseradish sauce on the inside of the top bun halves and place
over all, sauce side down. Whisk together the butter, Worcestershire
sauce, garlic and onion powders and dried parsley. Brush over the tops
of the buns. Cover loosely with aluminium foil.
I managed to pick up a rotisserie chicken at the shops today that was marked half price. Did you know that they are only allowed to keep them in the cabinet for a certain amount of time and after that they have to mark them down and get rid of them? I discovered this little bit of information a while back and haven't paid full price for one since.
There is nothing wrong with them. They are still perfectly good. I just bring them home, strip them and then use the meat for casseroles or sandwiches.
Today I wanted to treat Todd to a Chicken Pot Pie . . . sort of as an apology for having fed him pasta that I tried to pass off as flat potatoes yesterday, he he he. I may torture him from time to time with things he is not overly fond of, but I always more than make up for it.
This recipe is quite simple and easy to do. It makes a nice sized casserole pot pie that is very family friendly. I used carrots and peas today, but you can also add some corn if you want to. You can also very easily double the recipe to feed more than four.
Instead of a traditional crust, I made some cheddar dumplings to drop on top . . . I was feeling rather lazy and didn't want to go to all the faff of rolling out a dough. Todd didn't mind. He loves dumplings even more than pie crust.
Stogged full of cheddar cheese and all crispy on the outsides they were just beautiful with that delicious filling. You could use cream, but I always just use skim evaporated milk. It saves somewhat on the calories and fat, and you can't really taste that it is tinned milk. The sauce is luxuriously rich tasting and lucious indeed!
We had it with a salad. Rabbit food as Todd calls it. He wasn't too happy about that. He doesn't like salad and I had given him some salad along side of his sandwich at lunch time. He figured once a day was enough, without me trying to palm it off on him twice in one day! Men!!
*Chicken Pot Pie with Cheddar Dumplings*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
A delicious pot pie which makes good use of leftover chicken, or you can pick up a small rotisserie bird at the shops and use the meat from that. Scrumdiddlyumptious!
250ml of chicken broth (1 cup)
250ml of tinned evaporated milk (1 cup)
3 TBS butter
1 large leek, dark green leaves trimmed away, washed and then the light green and white parts chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
1 stick of celery, trimmed and chopped
1 mug full of frozen petit pois
1 small rotisserie chicken, shredded ( 2 1/2 to 3 cups of meat)
2 heaped dessertspoons of flour
1 fluid ounces of cream sherry (1/8 cup)
1 tsp dried sage
a handful of fresh parsley, chopped
For the dumplings:
4 1/4 ounces plain flour (1 cup)
1 tsp baking powder
generous pinch of baking soda
generous pinch of salt
2 ounces grated strong cheddar cheese (1/2 cup)
4 TBS cold butter, cut into bits
125ml of buttermilk (1/2 cup)
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Have ready a shallow baking dish.
Strip all the chicken from it's bones, discarding any skin or bones. Cut into small bits or shred. Place in a bowl.
Heat 1 TBS of butter in a skillet. Add the leeks, celery and carrots. Cook and stir over medium low heat until tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the sage. Add the remaining butter and then sprinkle the flour over top and give it good stir to coat everything. Pour in the chicken stock, milk and sherry. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about a minute. Stir in the parsley, frozen peas, chicken and season to taste with some salt and pepper. Pour this mixture into the baking dish.
Sift the flour into a bowl. Whisk in the baking powder, soda and salt. Drop in the butter and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in the cheese and then enough of the buttermilk to make a soft dough. Drop by tablespoons onto the hot chicken mixture.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until bubbling and the dumplings are crusty. Serve hot.
Our little princess celebrated her Birthday today with a tasty Beef Cake. She wasn't too happy about the party hat, but she sure enjoyed her cake! She wasn't bothered about the balloons either. I thought she might be afraid of them . . . but one whiff of the beef and she could think of nothing else! (That would be like me and good chocolate. You could sit anything on my head and cover me with balloons, just so long as I got the chocolate in the end!) Happy Birthday Mitzie!
I'd like to talk to you a bit about Quorn, which is a meat substitute used by Vegetarians all over the UK and comes in many varieties, from sandwich type of filler slices to chicken type filets and mince. What's great about it is that it's very low in fat and quite healthy for you, which is appealing not only to vegetarians, but also to people who are trying to shed some of those access pounds!
Quorn products are made from Mycoprotein. Mycoprotein is a nutritionally healthy protein source that is meat free and naturally low in saturated fat and high in fibre. Quorn products have the taste, appearance and texture of meat, perfect for if you want meat free meals or are thinking of creating healthier versions of your favourite everyday meals.
This is perfectly highlighted in the following recipe for Spaghetti Carbonara! Now you can indulge in one of your favourite meals and be relatively guilt free!
*Vegetarian Spaghetti Carbonara*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
If you’re not sure how to make Carbonara, try our low in saturated fat Spaghetti Carbonara recipe. The ultimate guilt-free Italian, coming in at only 359 calories and only 2.5g of saturated fat. Winner/winner!
150g pack Quorn Meat Free bacon slices, chopped (about 5 ounces)
175g Quorn mince ( 7 ounces)
350g dried spaghetti (a scant pound)
1 tablespoon olive oil (Quorn just needs to be added to the sauce,
so the recipe requires about 50% less oil than you would usually use)
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 free range eggs, whisked
1 TBS grated Parmesan or vegetarian Italian style hard cheese
handful chopped fresh parsley
seasoning to taste
Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the spaghetti, cook as per back of pack instructions.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pan over a moderate heat. Add the shallot, garlic and the Quorn mince, saute gently for 3 minutes. Stir in the ham or bacon and cook for 2 minutes. Season to taste.
Whisk the eggs in a large serving bowl with the grated Italian style hard cheese. Drain the spaghetti reserving 2 large spoonfuls of cooking water.
Add the cooked spaghetti to the whisked eggs in the serving bowl with the ham and mince mixture and the reserved cooking liquid. Keep stirring until all the ingredients are well combined.
Divide the pasta between 4 bowls and serve garnished with fresh parsley and some freshly ground black pepper. Really delicious!
Quorn Products are found in the chiller and freezer sections of most Grocery Stores here in the UK.
I am a pasta lover extraordinaire!!! Seriously. I kid you not. I will eat pasta in just about any way, shape or form. Cold. Hot. Sauced or not. It doesn't matter to me. I've even been known to pig out on a bowl of pasta with no garnish other than butter, salt and pepper . . . and it's been absolutely glorious.
I also happen to be married to a pasta hater extraordinaire! Proof positive that opposites attract, I am sure. One of the reasons the Toddster balks at visiting Italy is because he hates Italian food. It's no good for me to reassure him that Italians eat a lot more than just pasta and pizza . . . he has that idea firmly entrenched in his brain. Italian Food = Pasta + Pizza and he hates both.
Occasionally though, I do have to feed my desire for something pasta-like, anything pasta-like and today was the day. I had seen a noodle similar to this somewhere on the web in recent days and do you think I could find the recipe??? Of course not! I know I even had it printed out somewhere, but it's buried in my craft room, amidst a bazillion other print outs. *blush* I know . . . I'm completely incorrigible. I often make a note of recipes to make at a future date, only to never find them again . . . am I alone in this??? Please tell me I'm not!
Today, I hazarded a guess today at what might have gone into these delicious noodles based on what I remembered in my head and the end result was quite, quite delicious. Scrummy even and purely, simply . . . satisfying.
I made Todd a ham sandwich, which he was very grateful for. I gave up on trying to eat with the chopsticks, however . . . . I can't deal with chopsticks, no matter how elegant oriental folks look eating with them. I don't . . . look elegant that is . . . I just look very hungry and getting nowhere.
I was happy. Todd was happy . . . and the only penance he had to pay for my indulgence was having to smell my garlicky sesamy spring oniony breath for the remainder of the day.
Meh!! C'est la vie! (as the French would say) Cosi va il mondo! (Italian) or in British terminology "Deal with it!!" (Do British accents make people sound smarter??? I dunno!)
*Simple Sesame Noodles*
Serves 4 (recipe can be easily doubled)
Printable Recipe
Simply scrummy. No more need be said.
1/2 pound (8 ounces weight) of thin uncooked noodles, such as spaghettini, linguine, vermichelli etc.
(You want a noodle that is quite floppy if you know what I mean, fluid)
For the sauce:
30ml of dark soy sauce (about 2 TBS)
1 TBS caster sugar
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 TBS white rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 TBS toasted sesame oil
hot chili oil to taste
2 TBS light sunflower oil
Additonally you will need:
2 spring onions, sliced thinly on the diagonal
Place all of the sauce ingredients into a jar with a lid. Affix the lid tightly and give them a shake until well amalgamated. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, according to the package directions. Drain well once done and return to the pan. Give the sauce in the jar another good shake. Pour over the warm noodles, and toss to coat. Add the spring onions and toss again.
Serve warm. (These are also excellent served cold as a salad with some shredded cooked chicken or pork, or cooked baby shrimps added.)
I don't think I have ever met a scone that I did not fall in love with. Sweet or savoury, they all hit the spot with me. People tend to think that scones and biscuits are the same thing, which is not exactly true, although they may seem very similar in texture and taste. And that is not to confuse British biscuits (which are cookies) with North American Biscuits (which are a type of quick bread similar to a scone!) Are you confused yet?
A biscuit is not a scone people and a scone is not a biscuit. The two are definitely not interchangeable! To be sure, they are composed of basically the same things . . . fat, leavener, dairy and flour . . . but the very way that they are put together generally results in a somewhat different animal altogether. Biscuits tend to be light and airy, with almost visibly defined, flaky layers. A scone, on the other hand, whilst also light and somewhat airy, has an almost crumbly texture. When you are making a good biscuit, the fat is "Cut" into the flour mixture with a pastry blender until the mixture has lumps of fat in it the size of small peas. Fat in a scone is "Rubbed" in with your fingertips, in an almost snapping motion, until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.
See, two different creations entirely . . . and both can have various amounts of sugar in them, or no sugar in them, and can come in sweet and savoury versions.
Now lets talk about Bacon. Who doesn't love Bacon (barring all vegetarians.) I don't know any meat lover that doesn't wax poetic about a lovely piece of bacon. Before I moved here to the UK, I only knew one kind of bacon, and that was . . . well . . . bacon. Oh, and Canadian bacon, which was quite nice and meaty. Since moving over here I discovered that there are all kinds of bacon. First there is smoked and non-smoked. Then there is dry cured and wet cured. Bacon over here mostly looked like the kind you see in the bottom of the above photo, which is kind of like Canadian bacon with a leg of streaky bacon attached. Streaky bacon is the type that I had grown up with for the most part, like you see in the upper right hand photo. Fattier. And then there was rind on and rind off. I have never come to enjoy it with the rind on. I don't like bacon rinds. So I always buy it rind removed, dry cured and depending on what I am using it for either smoked or non-smoked, and they are now bringing in nitrate free cured bacon, which is good news for us who want to avoid nitrates.
Cheese. Before moving to the UK, the most adventurous I got with cheese was having sliced Havarti on a sandwich, or treating us to a small block of marble cheese if we were having company, or, yes . . . a piece of Kraft Cracker Barrel Cheese at Christmas. We did use smelly-sock (Parmesan) from the green can (I put my hand up) on our spaghetti, but that was the whole extent of my cheese usage. I was a cheese virgin so to speak. Living in the UK has been a wonderful education to me of all the wonderful cheeses that are available here in the UK, and indeed Europe altogether. It has been an education and a journey I have greatly enjoyed. My husband will tell you (and he is a Brit through and through) that there is no cheese worth eating except for Cheddar. He is a huge fan and was very disappointed when we were on the continent and couldn't find good old cheddar cheese in the shops there. Never mind, when I do a cheese tray, he happily helps himself to all the cheeses, but lets just say that a good strong cheddar is his favourite. And I have to agree that a good strong cheddar, slightly crumbly and sharp flavoured, is a thing of beautiful taste to be sure.
So what do you get when you combine the three of those things? A good strong cheddar. Some crisp streaky dry cured smoked bacon. And a good scone?
Well, you get another thing of beauty . . . Cheese and Bacon Scones. Crunchy on the outside and so soft and flaky on the insides . . . all
buttery and stogged full of strong cheddar cheese and . . . lovely
salty, smoky bacon. Perfect for serving with soups, salads, or even just hot and buttered with a nice hot cuppa on a leisurely afternoon.
*Cheese and Bacon Scones*
Makes 15 to 20, depending on how big you cut them
Makes 15 to 20, depending on how big you cut them
Scrumdiddlyumpitiously savoury. Perfect with some sliced ham or cheese, or both. You can vary the spiciness of them by adjusting the amount of cayenne used.
490g plain flour (about 3 1/2 cups)
1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 level tsp of cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 tsp salt
2 TBS cold butter, cubed
4 ounces bacon, grilled and finely chopped with a sharp knife, or
in the food processor
115g strong cheddar cheese, grated (1 cup)
1 medium free range egg
375ml of sour milk or buttermilk (1 2/3 cup)
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Dust a large baking sheet lightly with flour. Set aside.
Sift the flour, soda, cayenne pepper and salt into a large bowl. Drop in the butter and then rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine dry bread crumbs. Stir in the bacon and cheese.
Whisk together the egg and milk.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet. Mix to a soft dough with your hand by running it around the bowl. Try not to knead it as this will develop the gluten which will toughen the scones. Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. (The dough will be quite sticky) Pat out with floured hands until you get a square 3/4 inch thick. Using a pizza cutter, cut it into 15 to 20 squares. (Alternately you can cut them out with a sharp knife or a 2 inch round cutter) Place onto the floured baking sheet leaving about 2 inches between each.
Bake for 10 to 14 minutes until well risen and golden brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
Sift the flour, soda, cayenne pepper and salt into a large bowl. Drop in the butter and then rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine dry bread crumbs. Stir in the bacon and cheese.
Whisk together the egg and milk.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet. Mix to a soft dough with your hand by running it around the bowl. Try not to knead it as this will develop the gluten which will toughen the scones. Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. (The dough will be quite sticky) Pat out with floured hands until you get a square 3/4 inch thick. Using a pizza cutter, cut it into 15 to 20 squares. (Alternately you can cut them out with a sharp knife or a 2 inch round cutter) Place onto the floured baking sheet leaving about 2 inches between each.
Bake for 10 to 14 minutes until well risen and golden brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
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