We are definitely having winter weather now. It's been positively frigid and today is no different. It's definitely the type of day you want to spend indoors next to the fire!
There are two things in life which I really enjoy. One is potatoes and the other is Mexican Food. When I first moved over here to the UK, it was extremely difficult to get the ingredients to make Mexican anything. I used to bring them back with me every time I went to Canada for a visit, or order them from a very expensive North American supplier here inthe UK. Happily it is a lot easier now and most grocery stores have a dedicated Mexican Food section in them. It is very much a Briticized version of Tex Mex . . . but at least it isn't the vast no-man's land that it used to be!
Todd is not overly fond of eating raw apples, but if you cook an apple, he is the first in line wanting to tuck in! He just loves baked apple desserts. I had about half a jar of mincemeat that needed using up in the refrigerator and I also had some apples that had seen better days as well as about 1/3 of a loaf of stale bread. I decided to use all three and make a Betty with them.
I have several recipes posted on here for donut muffins. This recipe for Jam Donut Muffins is very good. This recipe for Glazed Donut Muffins is also excellent! This recipe for Donut Muffins is my absolute favourite. They are also filled with jam, but are more cakey than the first one. All are good. Today I am showing you a recipe for Baked Apple Donuts, which are a mini muffin that greatly resemble donut holes when done!
I love these kinds of recipes. You know the type I mean . . . the kind where you just go to the fridge and see what you have in there and then throw it all together to come up with something tasty? Yeh . . . I love those. I used to love watching Ready Steady Cook when I first moved over here to the UK.
It's been colder than blazes this week. Winter has finally arrived. Not as cold as it gets in North America of course, but cold is relative. It's a damp cold here and it feels positively frigid coz it gets right through to your bones! It's soup season!
After all the comforts of the Christmas period, the thought of a detox can be daunting. But what if you could still eat foods packed with flavour AND be healthier at the same time? The ‘Mediterranean diet’ is exactly this, having been at the forefront of the media in recent years due to its appealing balance of delicious food and enormous health benefits. The tomato is a key ingredient in many Mediterranean dishes and tinned tomatoes are used just as frequently as fresh produce, with Cirio’s authentic tinned tomatoes being the best loved in Italy!
I make no secret of the fact that the humble potato is my favourite vegetable. Actually I love all vegetables (except canned peas), and could quite happily become a vegetarian . . .
well . . . except for my love of a good steak, which I would really have a hard time turning my back on . . . but, I digress.
The potato . . . my favourite vegetable. Yes.
I was in the grocery store on Saturday looking at the chickens. There are a lot of choices these days. In the bag, out of the bag, cut up, boneless and skinless, bone in skin on, and even spatch cocked chicken for roasting,slathered in this that and the other. Garlic butter, barbeque, spicy chili, etc. Those already spatch cocked and seasoned birds cook in half the time of a whole bird, but they also cost roughly twice as much. You are paying for the convenience I guess!
As I mentioned last week, I was challenged recently by the people from The Laughing Cow to come up with some recipes for the new year using their Laughing Cow Extra Light Spreadable Cheese, and leftovers. Last week I showed you some delicious Hot Ham and Cheese Rolls and today I am showing you a recipe I made for Turkey Monte Cristos, which you can not only make using leftovers (turkey and cranberry sauce) but which are also quite healthy in comparison to the original version!
It's hard to believe but a week ago today Tatiana flew back to Greece. This past week has just flown by. It's crazy quickly time is already passing so far this year! The day before she left her friend Richard came up for a visit along with his friend Kasia (She loves Cockers too!) and I made a late lunch/early supper for us all to enjoy. Nothing special really. A leftover tortiere from Christmas, mash, vegetables, salad and then for dessert I knocked together this Fudge Brownie Pudding Cake.
The lad next door turned 15 earlier this week. I have great neighbours. Good neighbours are worth their weight in gold. I wanted to make him a treat and knew that his mom would probably have gotten him a cake and so I baked these delicious Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars instead. They went down a real treat, but then these always do! No surprise there.
I was recently asked if I would like to participate in a Challenge put forth by the People from The Laughing Cow to create some scrumptious recipes using their Extra Light low fat cheese spread triangles and leftovers! You know me, I do love a good challenge and this recipe here today is the first which I have come up with for them.
One of the favourite meals my mother used to make for our family when I was growing up was Cabbage Rolls. My father loved the meat but not the cabbage.
I loved the cabbage but not the meat, so we used to trade. I'd give him my meat and he would give me his cabbage. Everyone was happy. Mom used to cook carrots and potatoes in the pot along with the cabbage rolls. It was a rib sticking meal in one!
Cabbage and cabbage rolls remain a real favourite in my home to this day, although admittedly there are times when I am just craving the flavour of them but hesitate to make them as they are a LOT of work.
There is a cabbage and sausage casserole I make which is called Stuffed Cabbage Trou Style and its just gorgeous.
The other day I got to thinking . . . what if I used the same principle except adapted it to use Cabbage roll flavours . . . and we all know what happens then. I just had to give it a go!
It turned out to be quite delicious! I am so glad that I made it. It was a lot less trouble than regular cabbage rolls, and yet it had the flavour of cabbage rolls, compacted into a round cake that you can cut into wedges.
You will want to use a good quality sausage with this. I like Debbie & Andrew's Sausages myself. They are meaty and organic and gluten free, and their Cumberland are just filled with flavour. I like to know what is in my sausage and these are quite simply fabulous. In any case I hope you will give this a go! I think you will find it's delicious, simple to make and a real family pleaser.
*Lazy Cabbage Roll Bake*
I adapted my recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Trou Style to incorporate flavours I grew up with. It was delicious
3 to 41/2 pounds of cabbage, cut into thin strips
1 1/2 pounds of good quality, free range sausages (you will want a well flavoured one.
I like Cumberland Sausage, but a spicy Italian would also work well)
salt and pepper to taste
butter
Pre-heat the oven to 150*C/300*F. Generously butter a large casserole dish. Set aside. Cut a piece of greaseproof paper to fit the top and set this aside as well.
Place the sliced cabbage into a large pot of salted water and bring to the boil. Cook for five minutes, then drain well. Run cold water over it to stop it from cooking any further and drain well again.
Remove the skins from the sausages and discard.
Layer 1/3 of the cooked cabbage in the casserole dish. Season well with salt and pepper. Top with 1/2 of the sausage meat, pressing it out to fit over the cabbage. Top with another 1/3 of the cabbage. Season again and then top with the remaining sausage meat, pressing it out as before. Top with the last of the cabbage, season again, Pour the tomatoes over top. Dot with butter. Cover tightly with a layer of greaseproof and the the lid of the casserole dish. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the cabbage is meltingly tender. Serve, sliced into wedges with your choice of side dishes. We like steamed rice and mixed vegetables with this. Enjoy!
Note - I was not sent any sausages to use in this recipe, nor was I paid to promote Debbie & Andrew's sausages. I quite simply like them and I think you would too.
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!
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When I moved over here in the year 2000, I carried a 4 litre tin of Maple Syrup right onto the plane with me. I have always loved the flavours of maple and it wasn't something I thought I could live without. Of course you would never get a tin like that on an aircraft now, but this was pre 9/11. Flying was pretty much fear free . . .
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