I have five children and all of them love to cook, and are great cooks. No surprise there! I always had a very cooking friendly kitchen when they were growing up. They were always allowed to help me out, stir batters, etc.
My oldest daughter is pretty amazing. Her name is Eileen. She is developmentally challenged. Most people would see that as a handicap, but she has never allowed her challenges to stop her from doing anything. She is very capable and very pro-active about all she does. I have always been very proud of her.
She's an International Winter Special Olympics Gold Medalist, and she is a wife, and she takes care of the home that she shares with her husband, and she also works. We talk every day on Messenger and we like to exchange recipes and ideas. She was always telling me about this casserole that she makes for herself and her husband. It sounded really delicious, and so today I decided to try it out for myself.
I made a few tiny alterations, but for the most part I made it exactly as she told me to. Its a recipe she got from her Mother In Law, and I have to tell you, it's really, really good!
I love that despite being thousands of miles apart, we can have this wonderful exchange with each other just about every day, and that we can share recipes and thoughts and special things like this. We've always been really close and being able to share things like this really makes me happy!
This simple casserole is easy to make, its economical and its delicious. You can't ask for much better than that!
*Eileen's Hot Dog and Corn Casserole*
Serves 4
1 TBS mild mustard
1 large free range egg, beaten lightly
Mix together the creamed corn, cream, milk, beaten egg, mustard, onion and crumbled crackers. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season to taste with salt and black pepper, remembering that hotdogs and cheese are both salty. (So are crackers). Pour into the baking dish. Cut the hotdogs in half diagonally and make slashes down the tops of them, also on the diagonal. Place on top of the corn mixture.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Scatter the remaining cheese on top and return to the oven to melt the cheese. Serve hot. Delicious!
I think she must have told me about this tasty casserole about half a dozen times. Every day we talk she asked me what I am making for our supper and I tell her and tell her how to make it as well. Then she tells me what she is making. After her telling me about this so many times I thought it must be really delicious if she makes it that often!
She is always posting food videos on her FB wall also. I think it is pretty safe to say she is a foodie just like her mum! I hate that I have to live so far away from her, but thats just the way it is for now.
I served this with some green beans and a tossed salad on the side. It went down a real treat! I really do think it is the simple things in life which bring us the most pleasure of all! Bon Appetit!
I have a confession. I can be rather lazy when it comes to every day ordinary cooking. I love good food, but I usually try to get to good food in the easiest way possible and with the least amount of faffin about. Chicken Fajita Bake is one of those dishes.
Its as simple as laying a few chicken breasts in a baking dish. I like free range, corn fed, but you can use whatever kind of chicken breasts your little heart wants to use . . .
I top them with a mix of crispy breadcrumbs (I use panko) and taco seasoning. You can make your own, or use a store brand. (I have a recipe in my side bar to make your own.)
A dribble of olive oil and some salt and pepper, and they go into the oven, tightly covered with foil . . .
They bake for a little while, and then you slather the top with grated cheese . . . you can use a good cheddar, or a pepper jack. It all depends on how hot and spicy you like things!
Back in the oven for a little bit longer, just to melt the cheese and let it get all scrummy, and "Bob's your Uncle!" Dinner's ready.
*Fajita Chicken Bake*
Serves 4
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.
Lay the chicken breasts out in a baking dish. Mix together the crispy bread crumbs (I use panko) and taco seasoning and sprinkle it over the chicken evenly. Dot with the salsa. Mix together the onion and peppers and sprinkle these on top of the salsa dotted chicken Season with some salt and black pepper. Drizzle with a bit of oil and cover with a sheet of foil.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, uncover and sprinkle the cheese over top. Return to the oven and bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes. The chicken juices should run clear and the cheese be bubbling, but not coloured overly much. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.
Lay the chicken breasts out in a baking dish. Mix together the crispy bread crumbs (I use panko) and taco seasoning and sprinkle it over the chicken evenly. Dot with the salsa. Mix together the onion and peppers and sprinkle these on top of the salsa dotted chicken Season with some salt and black pepper. Drizzle with a bit of oil and cover with a sheet of foil.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, uncover and sprinkle the cheese over top. Return to the oven and bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes. The chicken juices should run clear and the cheese be bubbling, but not coloured overly much. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
I throw a pouch of microwave rice or two into the microwave and
everything is tickety boo. You have your protein, and your veg and your
starch. Done! In fact if you wanted to you could just cut the chicken up and serve it in warm tortillas with the peppers and cheese for a really casual meal. Either way you are sure to enjoy this! Provecho!!
I confess I am a bit of a cookie monster. I only rarely bake them however, because I am such a cookie monster that I can scarce leave them alone when I do. And I am not supposed to have them, so they are a rare treat.
I adore bakewell anything. Bakewell tarts. Bakewell pies. Bakewell cakes . . . and these Bakewell Cookies. Mmmm . . . they are chewy, almondy, buttery and crisp edged . . . and stogged full of candied cherries . . .
In short, they are incredibly moreish, with an almost almond macaroon quality . . . Crisp on the outside, but with a almost marshmallow cavernously chewy middle . . .
Toasted almonds scattered over top . . . and an almond drizzle icing . . . these are seriously tast tempting cookies . . .
Can't put them down cookies. Cookies that beg to be enjoyed with a nice hot cuppa for dunking . . . or an ice cold glass of milk . . .
These are so good that I will almost guarantee that you can't eat just one. In fact, if you can stop at one, I will eat my hat. Sincerely. You have more will-power than me.
*Chewy Bakewell Cookies*
Makes about 24
Preheat the oven to 150*C/ 300*F/ gas mark 2. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper and set aside.
Cream the butter and both sugars together until light. Beat in the egg and almond extract. Sift in the flour and stir in the ground almonds to make a soft dough. Stir in the cherries. Shape into golf ball sized balls of dough and place evenly spaced on the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches in between each. Flatten slightly with the back of a spoon and sprinkle the flaked almonds over top.
Bake for 30 to 15 minutes until puffed and a pale golden brown. Let stand on the baking sheets for 5 to 8 minutes to cool. Lift carefully off with a metal spatula to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Whisk the icing sugar together with the almond extract and just enough water to give you a thin drizzle icing. Place a sheet of newspaper underneath the rack and then drizzle the icing decoratively over top of the cookies. Allow to set completely prior to storing in an airtight container.
I am not sure if I have managed to give you a glimpse of the moreishness that is the insides of these biscuits. Little almondy crisp/chewy pockets of gorgeousness. I will say no more. Get baking and Bon Appetit!
Tomorrow night on the fifth of November all of the UK will be celebratin what is called Bonfire Night. Its a night where families and communities gather together to burn bonfires and shoot of fireworks in recognition of Guy Fawkes failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament back in 1605. Of course, as with any celebration, there are traditional foods associated with it. And for Guy Fawkes/Bonfire night, it is hot soups (to keep your hands warm), baked potatoes (baked in the fire), roasted sausages (grilled over the fire), sticky Cinder Toffee, toffee apples, and this Yorkshire Parkin loaf.
Fireworks and bonfires are all well and good, but for me (o surprise here) any celebration is always about the food. End of. I absolutely love these dishes and bakes of the UK, that are steeped in history and tradition. Parkin is a a strongly-spiced sticky gingerbread-cum-cake-loaf flavoured with treacle and dark brown sugar, and it's gorgeous. I have seen it baked as a low cake and as a loaf. I favor the loaf.
This does not look like much, but it smells heavenly when it is baking. It is one of those cakes that actually gets better tasting with each day that passes. It looks dry, but it is not. It's stodgy and moist and very delicious. With each day that passes the syrups settle in and it gets stickier and more delicious . . . very moreish.
Do take care not to dry it out however. I tend to take it out of the oven as soon as the sides spring back when touched. The centre will be just set. It continues to bake a bit after you take it out and it ends up just perfect.
It is one of those cakes that begs to be devoured eaten whilst sitting before a cosy fire with a hot cuppa in one hand and a slice of cake in the other. It speaks to my heart of everything Home Sweet Home-ish. It is loaded with sugar and syrup/treacle however, so nowadays, I can only have a smallish taste . . . *sniff* *sniff* boo hoo . . .
It is beautiful served in thin slices, spread with softened butter. I am sure that is not the British way to do it, but it sure is the Canadian way. We love our tea loaves buttered. That's just the way it is with us. You can take the girl out of Canada, but you can't take the Canada out of the girl.
*Yorkshire Parkin*
Makes 1 2-pound loaf
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
110g black treacle (1/3 cup, black strap molasses)Preheat the oven to 150*C/ 300*F/ gas mark 1. Butter a 2 pound loaf tin well and line with baking paper. Set aside.
Measure all of the dry ingredients into a bowl, and whisk well together. Put the butter, syrups and milk into a saucepan. Gently heat over low heat to melt the butter without boiling the milk. Make a well in the dry ingredients. Add the wet mixture all at once and stir well together. Pour into the prepared baking tin.
Bake for about 1 1/2 hours in the middle of the preheated oven. The cake around the edges should spring back when lightly touched, and the middle be just set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the tin, set on a wire rack before removing. Once cold wrap in grease-proof paper and pop into an airtight tin. Best left to set for a few days to ripen and develop its full stickiness.
You can of course make this with regular corn syrup if you can't get the golden syrup, but there is an appreciable difference in taste, DO try to get Golden Syrup if you can, or at least golden corn syrup. In any case I hope you will try it. It is these autumn and winter foods that I love the most! Bon Appetit!
I can't say that I recall my mother ever making mac & cheese from scratch when I was growing up. I don't think it was something that my father would have enjoyed and my mother cooked to please him for the most part. He was the main bread winner for the family and he didn't like anything too much out of the ordinary. In fact for a very long time the only seasonings he wanted my mother to use were salt and black pepper.
Occasionally she would treat us to a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese and we were pretty happy about that. When I was going to University with my first husband Kraft Mac & Cheese got us through a whole year. I remember at the time, you could buy 10 boxes for $1. That's a lot of Mac & Cheese! We didn't mind. We were young, poor, and had other priorities.
A dish such as this Mac & Cheese I am showing you here today would have been a real luxury. (Its still a real luxury!) Both in calories and cheeses . . . and this uses not one but four kinds of delicious cheese!
A nutty Comte, a sharp strong cheddar, some rich tallegio and salty parmesan. This is the Queen of Mac & Cheese dishes! Simple ingredients put together beautifully. This is nothing less than spectacular!
*Gourmet Mac & Cheese*
Serves 4pinch of ground nutmeg
Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions
in lightly salted water. Drain well, rinse in cold water, and drain
again. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Whisk in the flour in and allow to cook over low heat for about a minute. Slowly whisk in the warm milk. Cook and wisk until the sauce coats the back of a spoon and thickens. Stir in the cheddar cheese and all but 3 TBS each of the Comte and taleggio cheeses. Whisk and stir until all of the cheeses have melted and the sauce is smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. Remove the pan from the heat and fold in the cooked pasta.
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a shallow 1 litre baking dish. Pour in the pasta and cheese sauce. Mix together the remaining cheeses along with the Parmesan cheese and sprinkle over top Sprinkle the crumbled crackers over top. Bake in the heated oven for 30 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
You really need to do yourself a favourite and try this Mac & Cheese. I would serve this to company! And they would want seconds, so really . . . . I'd have to double the dish I think! If you are looking for something extraordinary to feed the family this weekend, look no further. This is IT!! Bon Appetit!
Perfect Egg and Chips. One of our favourite meals to have when I am lacking in time and
inspiration is Egg and Chips.
Again, something I had never considered
eating before I moved over here to the UK. There is nothing on earth
more satisfying than a perfectly cooked chip, unless it is a perfectly
cooked chip accompanied by the perfectly fried egg.
With a slice of
white buttered bread, you have a feast for the Gods.
Unless you want to add some baked beans. They are pretty wonderful when
included as well, but we mostly do Egg, Chip and Beans for breakfast
here at home, and only ever on a Saturday.
Oddly enough I had never considered eating beans with eggs until I moved to the UK. Its one of those things you never think of having until you have tasted it and then you can't stop thinking about!
Egg and chips are a form of comfort food over here I think, and let's
face it . . . they're simple to execute, quite filling, economical and
very tasty together.
I think you might even go so far as to call this the "poor man's supper."
The perfectly fried egg is a beauty to behold, with it's crispy edges,
beautifully set white and wobbly yolk, just perfect for bread or chip
dipping . . .
I suppose everyone has their own way of making chips, and indeed their
own way of frying an egg. This is my way and results in perfectly
cooked chips and eggs every time.
Serves 2
Printable Recipe
Simple, yes, but proof positive that sometimes simple can be very, very good. You can use oven chips if you wish, but once in a while it doesn't hurt to have a real chip.
2 large chipping potatoes
(you want a nice floury type of potato such as a Maris Piper, King Edward, Desiree, etc.
old potatoes work better than new, in North America I would use a russet or baking potato)
Oil for frying the chips
a large knob of butter
2 large free range organic eggs, at room temperature
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
(Malt vinegar for the chips)
Peel your potatoes and cut them into chunky chip size. Soak them for at
least 15 minutes in cold water to help get rid of some of the excess
starch. Drain and then dry them very well with a clean tea towel.
Heat your oil to 170*C/335*F. Add the chips to the hot oil and then fry them for 6 to 8 minutes, just until they begin to colour. Remove from the oil and drain, whilst you increase the temperature of the oil to 190*C. Once heated add the blanched chips and cook for a further 3 to 4
minutes until they are nicely browned and crisp. Drain well and keep
warm while you do the eggs.
Make sure your eggs are at room temperature. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add a knob of butter and allow it to melt and heat up. When it just starts to sizzle, you are ready to fry your eggs. Break the eggs, one at a time into a small bowl and slide them into the hot fat. Let them settle for about 30 seconds and then reduce the heat to medium low, tilting the pan and basting them every so often with the hot fat, so that the tops of the whites can be cooked too. After about a minute or so the eggs will be ready, so remove them from the heat. Remove with a slotted kitchen spatula and drain for a few seconds on some paper toweling before putting them onto warm plates to serve.
Serve hot and sprinkled with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper,
along with some hot chips on the side. Don't forget the Malt Vinegar!
We like to have bread and butter with this. Fresh soft white bread,
squidgy and just perfect for dipping into the runny egg yolk, and . . . . to make a
chip buttie with after.
Chip Buttie = soft buttered white bread
wrapped around some hot crisp chips, so that the butter on the bread
melts around the hot chips. Moreishly delicious!
Very naughty, but very good! I tend to use whole wheat bread these days for myself, but white bread is more traditional.
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@aol.com
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