I've been food blogging for about 10 years now I reckon. I did a number of years on AOL Journals, moving over to blogger and my blog called A Year From Oak Cottage when they closed the AOL Journals in 2007. That blog was food for the soul and the tummy. It is now called And Then We All Had Tea. (Tales from an almost Island)
I love the food blogging community. I have made some really brilliant friends via this medium. Sharing food with people has always been like one of the ultimate ways of sharing the love with one another, breaking bread together.
One of my favourite food blogging friends is April, who has the sweetest blog called Dimples and Delights. She always calls me her mentor, but I have to say it's always worked both ways because . . . just as I may have inspired her at times, she always inspires me too.
I was on her page the other day and she had this fabulous recipe for Baked Honey Mustard Chicken and as soon as I saw it I knew it was something I just had to cook and so I did.
Her's called for cooking some onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil first and then putting them in the casserole dish as a bed for the chicken pieces.
It worked wonderfully. I lay the chicken on top of it, poured that lovely honey mustard sauce over top, covered it with foil and baked it as per April's instructions.
The end result was utterly fabulous. Delicious moist chicken, with wonderful pan juices that are fabulous spooned over top . . . tasting of honey and mustard, with a slight onion and garlic and herby undertone that was oh so delicious.
a few springs of fresh thyme
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Today's economy and my strict budget means that I have to make every single penny count. I am ashamed to admit it but there were times in the old days when I would just throw leftovers away if there wasn't very much of anything, but a dib of this and a dab of that. Now, I keep it all . . . even the dibs and dabs . . . and I try to use them in as delicious a way as possible. Economy is economy and as one of our grocery shops likes to say . . . every little helps!
I am a big fan of Mrs Crimbles Gluten Free Products and was really happy when I was recently sent samples of their two new Teatime treats. I haven't disliked anything they have sent me yet and I was thrilled to see these newest Gluten Free Cakes. (I confess, the Toddster and I totally adore their coconut macaroons, and always always buy them when we see them.)
First off, I love their packaging. Everything I get sent is always wrapped in this lovely blue tissue paper. I love tissue paper. I know that has nothing to do with cakes, but I just thought I would let you know. These two newest cakes are the Country Fruit Slice and Lemon Slice. We are both big lovers of the "other" fruit cake slices and lemon slices out there, but would we like these? Let's see how they "stacked" up in comparison!
Todd has always been a big fan of fruit slices. He adores fruit cake and I have to tell you these did NOT disappoint. They were composed of an incredibly moist cake type filling packed with raisins, cranberries and apricots, lightly spiced and stogged full of just enough fruit to make them moreish . . . and those sugar nibs on top . . . scrumptious . . . but here is where they differ from other slices . . . there is a crisp pastry like bottom which we both found very appealing! They were well flavoured and didn't taste artificial as some gluten free goodies are wont to do . . . all in all we gave them two thumbs up!
These lemon slices were my favourite of the two however. (The Toddster is not fond of lemon anything so I got these all to my greedy little self!) Once again the cake was quite moist and well flavoured, not overpoweringly lemon flavoured, just right with a tangy lemon filling atop the cake, and a tasty lemon icing glaze on top of that, so you get a triple lemon bang for your taste enjoyment! There was just enough tang and sweet to satisfy . . . very moreish I would say. In short they were quite lovely! I gave these a two thumbs up as well!
I think of all the Gluten Free goodies out there Mrs Crimbles seems to have mastered the right balance between offering the consumer something which is not only gluten free, but also acceptably tasty. You don't feel like you are being deprived when you eat them . . . in fact to me they always taste a treat! From where I'm sitting that's a good thing.
Check out the Mrs Crimbles Home Page
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Many thanks for sending me these tasty cakes to try out! I had to say Mrs Crimble . . . you do make very good cakes!
To make it easier for everyone to find gluten free treats when they're out and about, Mrs Crimble's new Slices are now available everywhere from garden centres to railway stations and from service stations to delis.
Country Fruit Slices
RRP £1.69 - £1.89
Lemon Slices
RRP £1.69 - £1.89
Available in single packs or packs of four.
I mourne the passing of summer into autumn . . . it will take a while for me to get into the swing of the changing light and have my food photos start looking decent again . . . sigh . . . I find the transition really difficult. It's especially hard to make dishes such as this Slumgullion look good. Sigh again . . .
Slumgullion might not sound like the most appealing name for a dish, but I guarantee mom's slumgullion has a place in every kitchen!
Do yourself a favour and don't explore the entymology of this word. Appetites will be destroyed, lol.
I am sure very family must have their own version of this delicious stove top, one pan dinner.
Its basically just minced steak (I always use the extra lean with less than 5% fat) and a few store cupboard ingredients, put together in a way which is simple, quick and family pleasing . . .
One pound of minced steak, with a few ingredients added such as onions, chopped peppers, celery, some tinned tomatoes and tomato sauce (passatta here in the UK) and macaroni, with a bit of seasoning.
That's basically all it is . . . but simple doesn't mean that it isn't incredibly tasty.
Even my pasta hating husband tolerates this and goes back for seconds. (Methinks he doth protest too much actually. I
think secretly I am converting him into a pasta lover, but he would be the last one to admit it.)
This is the kind of meal that is perfect for this time of year. It's a great family meal and family pleaser. It's economical. Kids love it. Its hearty and filling . . . and it's deliciousy simple. You cannot ask for much better than that.
Now if I could only make it look as good as it tastes! A simple salad and some garlic toast and you have a fabulous meal!
Stir in the macaroni, cover,
and cook, stirring frequently, for a further 20 minutes or so, until
the pasta is tender. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve.
Note - Here in the uk, it may take longer for your macaroni to cook. It did mine. I just added a bit of boiling water every now and then to make sure it wasn't sticking. It turned out perfectly.
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!
As you know I get sent new products to try out from time to time and a few weeks ago I was sent a lovely hamper from the Lake District Dairy Co, containing their new Cooking sauces along with some fresh ingredients so that I could cook some recipes using the new flavours . . . Garlic & Herb, Tomato & Basil and Tikka Sauces.
Included in the hamper were all the necessary ingredients so that I could cook Gnocchi with Spinach and Tomat & Basil Quark Sauce, Chicken Tikka & Quark Rice, and Spaghetti Quarkonara.
First a bit about the sauces:
The new Lake Districk Dairy Co. Cooking sauces are ideal for those who are pressed for time and who are health conscious. Naturally low fat, convenient and naturally nutritious they taste deliciously indulgent, yet because they are made with Quark, they boast half the calories and treble the protein of other stir-in dairy sauces. They recently won an award at the World Dairy Innovation Awards. You can simply swap these cooking sauces into recipes as an alternative to traditional dairy ingredients such as creme fraiche or double cream to create a variety of healthy and flavoursome day to day dishes, from creamy carbonaras to tantalizing tomato bakes.
The first recipe I tried was Chicken Tikka & Quark Rice. The sauce itself was delicious as was the finished dish, however the recipe was inconsistent with the ingredients sent, with uncooked rice being called for in the recipe and a pouch of already cooked rice being sent in the hamper. I decided to go with the recipe and used uncooked rice.
This was our favourite of all the dishes cookes. Coming in at only 382 calories a serving, it was quite satisfying and very delicious. We all really enjoyed this.
(click on photo to enlarge recipe)
The Lake District Dairy Co - Naturally Low Fat Tikka Cooking Sauce
(RRP £1.75 per 200g pot)
One of the nation's favourites - a beautiful blend of herbs and spices for perfect curry dishes with minimal fuss. contains NO preservatives or artificial flavours
Nutrition (per 100g)
75 kcals, 4.5 g Sugar, 2.6g Fat, 0.6g Saturates, 0.74g Salt
The next dish I cookes was Gnocchi with Spinach and Tomato & Basil Quark Sauce. Everything for the recipe was included. It went together very easily and I found the sauce to be quite delicious.
The finished dish was attractive and very tasty. We all really enjoyed this as well.
(again click on photo to enlarge recipe)
The Lake District Dairy Co. - Naturally Low Fat Tomato & Basil Cooking Sauce
(RRP £1.75 per 100g pot)
Great for adding a sumptuous Italian twist to meat and pasta dishes.
Contains NO preservatives or artificial flavours.
Nutrition (per 100g)
79kcals, 6.3g Sugar, 2,8g Fat, 0.6g Saturates, 0.83g Salt
The final recipe which I cooked was Spaghetti Quarkonara using their Garlic & Herb Sauce. I have to say that we did not enjoy this recipe at all. First of all, I thought there was too much pasta per sauce ratio, and I would never use quick cooking spaghetti myself. I would like to try it again, using regular spaghetti and less pasta per sauce.
The ham added nothing to this recipe. You couldn't even taste it really. I added peas because I thought it could use some colour, but again, this wasn't our favourite dish
(Click on photo to enlarge)
The sauce itself was quite flavourful, but this recipe let it down in my opinion. I would use the sauce again in another way, but not this recipe.
The Lake District Dairy Co. - Naturally Low FAt Garlic & Herb Cooking Sauce
(RRP £1.75 per 200g pot
Smooth and indulgent, with a deliciously fresh garlic taste - great for mixing with fish, chicken or pasta.
Contains NO preservatives or artificial flavours
Nutrition (per 100g)
76 kcals, 5.6g Sugar, 1.5g Fat, 0.4g Saturates, 0.74g Salt
For more information about The Lake District Dairy Co. Quark, including delicious recipe suggestions to suit every occasion, visit www.lakeDistrictQuark.co.uk and follow @LDDCQuark on Twitter.
Over all I found the sauces themselves to be filled with flavour and I love that they are all natural and relatively low in fat which make them a great option for someone who is looking for convenience along with healthy options. Many thanks to The Lake District Dairy Co. for sending this lovely hamper to me.
I think you would pretty much have to live under a rock to not know what Biscoff, or Lotus cookies are. They are those gorgeous little caramel flavoured biscuits that they hand out in coffee shops and that get handed out on Delta Airlines etc. I just adore them. I just love Nutella and Peanut butter . . . so when I found that they make a Lotus (Biscoff) Spread I was thrilled and of course I had to buy some. Oh boy that is some good. I could eat it with a spoon. All caramel rich and gooey . . . lovely on crackers or plain biscuit/cookies. Or sandwiched between two . . . just sayin!
Days when I can't get motivated to do much of anything, and yet I am absolutely starving! That is when a recipe like this one here today comes in really handy.
It might not look like very much, but don't let what it looks like fool you into thinking that this isn't very, very tasty. It's fabulously tasty . . . well as tasty as the jar of pasta sauce that you use.
Yes . . . she shrieks in horror . . . I do use a jarred pasta sauce once in a while! Doesn't everyone?
I am not a culinary paragon of virtue. I do have a store cupboard full of ingredients that I use from time to time . . . when I am lacking in time, energy . . . and yes inspiration. Because even I am not always "on."
I do buy quality pasta sauces when they are on offer . . . I am not fond of no name or generic brands. I have a particular fondness for Lloyd Grossman sauces . . . and Napoli, which brings me to this dish here today.
About a month or so ago, I found a jar of Lloyd's oven bake pasta sauce that I had picked up on offer a while back, just to try like. I can't remember what flavour it was . . . I think it might have been the Al Forno one with pancetta in it.
In any case, I made it and it was really tasty. So tasty that I tried to pick up some more one day when I was at the shops . . . to no avail, because they had plenty of his pasta sauces, but no oven bake pasta sauces.
And that is when I decided that I would try making my own version of it, using whatever pasta sauce I had in my larder, simply by adding some water and dry pasta to it and baking it . . . and you know what???
It worked like a charm. In fact it was perfect. Result! Pasta which has been baked in sauce is really very tasty . . . and all you have to do is just sit there and let the oven do all of the work. All you need is some salad and crusty bread on the side and Bob's your uncle! Even the Toddster rather liked this and that says a LOT!
For those nights when you are singularly lacking in inspiration and time. This leaves your hands free to do something else when it is baking.
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.
Empty
the sauce into a 1 1/2 litre casserole dish (about 1 1/2 quarts).
Whisk in the water to combine and then stir in the dry pasta. Bake in
the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir well.
Stir half of the cheese into the dish. Combine the remaining cheese
with the buttered crumbs, and Parmesan Cheese and sprinkle this evenly
over top. Return to the oven and bake for a final 10 minutes at which
time the pasta should be cooked properly and the top will be bubbling
and golden brown. Let stand for about 5 minutes prior to serving.
Sorry for my absence of the past couple of days! I had no internet connection, well not a lasting one anyways! Hopefully it's now been sorted! I missed 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 Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
In America there is a debate between bakers in the south and bakers in the north about whether there is sugar in a proper cornbread or not. Up north, and in Canada actually, we use some sugar in our cornbread and our corn muffins. Down south they do not. In their eyes, once sugar is added . . . it becomes a cake.
I am a huge fan of quick breads . . . muffins, loaves . . . scones, biscuits. Scones and biscuits are really quite similar. The basic ingredients are essentially the same . . . flour, butter or shortening, milk or cream, leavening, and a bit of salt and possibly sugar.
I think another difference lies in the type of fat which is used, and in how you incorporate it. Traditionally in biscuits the fat is cut in with a pastry blender and in scones it is rubbed in with the fingertips.
These flaky savoury breads I am showing you here today are called biscuits . . . but they use butter instead of vegetable oil and the fat is rubbed into the flour mixture, instead of cut into it with a pastry blender . . .
Which is not to say that they are heavy, because they are not heavy in the least.
and lovely little flecks of oniony chives. These go wonderfully with soups and stews . . . with sliced meats and cheeses. Heck they would even be fabulous with bacon and eggs for breakfast.
We enjoyed them today with hot mugs of soup. They went down a real treat. I had halved the recipe because I did not have enough goats cheese to do a full recipe.
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7.
Sift the flour, baking powder and soda into a bowl. Whisk in the salt, pepper and parmesan cheese. Drop in the butter. Work it into the flour mixture using your fingertips or a pastry blender, until you have the butter about half incorporated and half pea sized bits remaining.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until they are well risen and golden brown. Allow to cool for five to ten minutes prior to indulging. Best on the day they are baked, but these will keep at room temperature for several days. Reheat in the oven for a few minutes to crisp up.
Note - You can successfully cut the recipe in half and it works fine. Also you can freeze the biscuits prior to baking for use at another time. Freeze solid on the baking sheet and then pack into zip lock bags to bake off when you like. Partially thaw prior to baking.
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