I was recently sent some really nice products from the people at Nifty Kitchen to try out. Tasty spice All Purpose Seasonings . . . mixes/rubs that are wonderful for using in a variety of ways. You can add them to dishes to add a bit of zip or use them to dust and marinade meats, fish and poultry for grilling or baking! I've been adding them to some of my chili's and stews over the past couple of weeks and sprinkled some on my fish yesterday as well. They are fabulously tasty!
To use you simply rub, sprinkle or load it onto meats, fish or poultry before cooking. The packs are quite a large size as well, at 225g, and contain no MSG, Anti-Caking Agents or Preservatives.
They are also Vegetarian and Vegan friendly.
(Smoky baked lentils . . . )
Smoke Dust
This is their best seller, and no wonderl. It smells amazing. I have used it on chicken and fish. It added a lovely smoky punchy paprika flavour, but of course you can use it on any kind of meat or even roasted vegetables. Try it on your oven chips! It's great! Smoke Dust is available to buy here on Amazon.
(contains smoked paprika, light muscovado sugar, pink himalayan salt, garlic, black pepper, mustard, cumin and ginger)
(Pan roasted tomatoes and eggs . . .)
Magic Dust
Spicy, tasty blend that can be added to almost anything and gives a lot of flavour. This was my favourite of the three as I don't always want smokey flavours in my food and I don't necessarily always want my food to bite me back. Its a great all rounder. You can buy Magic Dust here on Amazon.
( contains Chili powder, cumin, garlic, pink Himalayan salt, light muscovado sugar, mustard, black pepper, cayenne pepper)
(oven Cajun fries . . .)
Devil Dust
Now this really packs wallop!! If you a fan of hot and spicy, you will certainly like this one. Hot paprika is the main ingredient. I added it to a pot of vegetarian chili earlier this week and it was fabulously spicy! Devil Dust is available to buy here on Amazon.
( contains hot paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic, cumin, pink Himalayan salt, light muscovado sugar, black pepper and mustard)
Note - I was sent product free of charge for review, but was not required to write a positive review in exchange. Any opinions are my own.
One of the nicest gifts I ever was given for Christmas was a small notebook filled with my MIL's favourite recipes, her tried and trues and family favourites. Written by hand it represented a real labour of love to me, and it is something which I still use and cherish, some 40 years later.
As you can see it has been very much loved, its pages spattered and falling apart, the writing fading now . . . I keep saying I need to re-do it into a new notebook, but my nostalgic self never wants to part with this small treasure . . . to me it is a treasure. I love and loved my ex MIL. We got along so well and were very similar in personality and had many of the same likes and dislikes. I think the saddest thing about divorce is that you generally end up losing relationships not just with your spouse, but with all of the people who were a part of your family for so very long. You just can't stop loving people because they belong to someone who is no longer a part of you life, but people just don't want to divide their loyalities I guess . . . I still miss her.
The recipe for this really moist and delicious pumpkin loaf/bread comes from that notebook. As it is written it is very basic . . . I have added my own twists to it through the years and made it my own, but at its roots it is still very much Elizabeth's Pumpkin Bread . . .
I added the pumpkin pie spice (see my right hand column for how to make your own) and the vanilla . . . and I think they made what was already a very moist and delicious loaf, into an even tastier loaf!
Tinned pumpkin was not something that was readily available over here in the UK when I first moved over here, but it has become a bit more common nowadays, although it is still not there for the finding a lot of the time. It languishes in the North American Section of most grocery stores at a premium cost, although occasionally you can find it in other places.
A few years back I scored a huge find of it in Aldi of all places. I think I bought about 10 tins. I am sure the cashier thought me quite mad, but what can I say about that? I am a bit mad, mad for pumpkin! And what you can do with it, like pies and cookies and most especially this fabulous quick bread!
Deliciously simple to make and fabulously tasty, this goes down well about this time of year enjoyed thinly sliced with a nice hot cuppa of whatever you fancy. I enjoy it with a cup of hot redbush tea or mug of ginger and lemon . . . clearly however, it is mighty fine eating no matter what you choose to enjoy it with!
*Elizabeth's Pumpkin Bread*
makes 1 medium loaf
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (see recipe in my right side column)
1 tsp vanilla extract
190g sugar (1 cup)
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Toss in the raisins and jiggle them around to coat.
Whisk together the eggs, vanilla, sugar, vegetable oil and tinned pumpkin to combine well.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and stir in the wet just to combine. Everything should be moist, but it is not necessary for them to be completely smooth. Spoon into the prepared baking tin.
Bake for 1 1/4 hours until the top springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Let cool in the tin for 10 minutes before lifting out onto a wire rack and allowing to cool completely. Cut into slices to serve. Store in an airtight container.
You don't have to use any raisins, but Elizabeth always did, and so do I. This was another of the weaknesses we shared . . . our love of raisins and anything baked with raisins in it. I do hope you will try it. I think this is sure to become a favourite loaf in your life as well! Bon Appetit!
One thing that I learned a lot about, and got a lot of practice doing, when I worked at the manor, was putting together a Cheese Tray for dinner parties or other celebratory occasions. I can now put together a really attractive one with confidence and knowledge.
This is saying a lot, considering the fact that I grew up eating only plastic cheese, and wouldn't have touched a smelly cheese with a ten foot pole! I have come to love a great variety of this wonderful food, and am game to try almost any kind, having developed in my later life what I would consider to be a really adventurous cheese palate!
I owe a lot of this knowledge and experience to my ex boss, who was a great tutor in teaching me what was right and proper when it came to putting together a great cheese tray!
The first thing you will want is a nice surface to lay everything out on. A large flat board works well. At the Manor we used a large flat wicker basket/tray.
Today I have used one of my larger wooden cutting boards. It doesn't really matter if it is a big banged up, because you will be covering it. I have chosen several nice paper doilies to do this . . .
My boss used to pick up these paper leaves whenever she would go to the States, and bring them back to use on the Manor Cheese trays. We had them in all sorts of colours, shapes and sizes.
We could usually get away with using only three or four of these, so they did last a long time. But paper doilies work very well also, just so you know.
Another thing to remember is that you don't have to break the bank with the cheeses you choose to buy and serve. You will want at least four different kinds, and you should buy the most expensive cheese that you can afford to buy.
You will want a soft cheese, such as a goats cheese, ash covered or not . . . please don't be tempted to use cream cheese. A Cheese tray is not the place for that. (If you do want to serve cream cheese, a block of that placed onto a plate with a hot pepper jelly, gently warmed to loosen it and poured over top goes very nice.)
A semi-soft such as a brie or a danish blue, perhaps a reblochon . . . a semi hard, like a stilton blue, or a comte, maybe a manchego. I like the white stilton with mango and ginger, or with cranberries . . . and of course you will want something hard.
A really good crumbly well-aged cheddar is nice, as is a Parmesan or an Asiago. There are over 500 varieties of cheese in the world that you can choose from, and they are all very delicious.
One rule of thumb you will want to follow, is to bring the cheeses to room temperature before serving. They taste much better at room temperature.
You will need something to eat with the cheese. Crackers, toasted slices of baguette, crisp breads and the like. I have chosen a selection of crackers here.
The digestive are always favourites to serve with a fruity cheese . . . there was a time when I thought holiday crackers meant buttery round crackers. I have grown so much since then and I am fond of many different kinds and in fact they would be my last choice as they are far too crumbly and break up too easily.
At the manor the crackers were handed around in an antique silver biscuit barrel. Most of us, however, don't have budgets that run to one of those.
Today I have simply arranged my crackers in an attractive porcelain dish.
You will also want something sweet, or nutty or salty to go with your cheeses. Some people add chacuterie such as a good salami, or proscuitto ham.
Nuts also go well. Toasted walnuts are nice with most cheeses, as are toasted almonds.
We like fruit with ours. Today I used some really nice sweet sable grapes and crisp slices of a sweet apple . . .
If you are using grapes a set of grape shears comes in really handy. At the manor we had beautiful silver ones, but again, not all of us can afford something like that.
What you can do however is to clip the grapes ahead of time into small managable clusters before placing them attractively on the tray. A small round bladed knife for cutting the cheese is also a must.
If you have included soft cheeses, you will also want another one to use for them so that you don't contaminate your lovely goats cheese with the strong flavoured stilton, etc. and vice versa.
Another thing which goes really nice with cheese is Membrillo, a delightful sweet semi solid fruit paste/cheese made from the Quince. It is really delicious, but somewhat hard to find.
Apple jelly or butter goes very well with a good cheddar. You can also use hot pepper jellies, etc.
I always add a small bowl of a pickle or relish. A well flavoured chutney works perfectly with cheese. Sweet, sticky and spicy they help to really enhance the beautiful flavours of cheese.
We are huge fans of the English Provender range of chutneys in this house. (Cheese and chutney sandwiches are a real love!)
English Provender have a wonderful variety of chutneys available for use with your holiday cheese trays. In fact I would call them cheese-board-tastic!
Today I used their Caramelised Red Onion, but it is only one of many that are available. My Cranberry Chutney would also go very well.
Great cheese pairing tips for the ultimate cheese board:
- Caramelised Red Onion Chutney – pair with a strong hard cheese like mature Cheddar or strong blue cheese like Blacksticks blue or Stilton
- Sweet Tomato and Chilli Chutney – pair with smoked log cheese or a hard cheese like Red Leicester, mild Cheddar or Double Gloucester
- Plum & Bramley Apple Chutney - pair with white soft cheeses like brie and cambazola, rind washed cheeses like Epoisses or Morbier, or try blue cheeses like Blacksticks blue or Stilton
So as you can see today, putting together a cheese tray for the holidays can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. It needn't cost a lot of money, and it certainly doesn't take a lot of time.
I have never met a person yet, whose eyes don't light up when you bring one out. A nice cheese tray can make a perfect finish to a holiday meal, as well as going very well as nibbles with drinks.
However you choose to serve one, it is bound to be a popular addition to your holiday celebrations!
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PS - any cheese leftovers will also work very well in a Gourmet Mac and Cheese. Just saying! Check it out!
I think one of my favourite things about any holiday meal has to be the stuffing, or dressing as it is sometimes also called! The two terms seem to be used interchangeably, although arguably stuffing would denote something which has been stuffed into something else, and dressing . . . well, dressing usually makes me think of salads and something tasty that you pour over top of them!
My mother always made the best stuffing. She used plenty of sage and poultry seasoning. She also used raw onion, rather than cooking the onion. Stale bread, salt and pepper and mashed potato made up the rest, with perhaps a small amount of the turkey juices.
It was a bit unconventional for sure, but we always thought it was the best and there is not a one of us in my family today that wouldn't kill to have my mother make it again for us. Somehow whenever I try to make hers, mine never ever tastes as good as the memory of hers does in my mind!
This is very similar, but it is my own version and it is also very, very good. I cook my onion first as some people find the sharpness of raw onion quite unpalatable. You can either stuff it (completely cooled) into the bird, or you can bake a casserole dish of it along side of the bird. Either way, you are in for a real treat!
225g fresh soft white bread crumbs (8 slices, 1/2 pound)
salt and black pepper to taste
Place the chopped onion into a saucepan. Cover with the water.
Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer over low heat for
15 minutes. Drain very well. Stir in the butter and the remaining
ingredients, tossing to combine and seasoning to taste. Allow to cool
completely if you are using it to stuff a bird. If you are cooking it
separately. Place into a buttered dish. Dot butter over the top.
Cover and bake in a 180*C/350*F/gas mark 4 oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
Uncover and bake for a further 10 minutes to crisp up the top if
desired.
Note - One potato mashed can be stirred into the bread crumbs along with the onion and then you have Bread, Sage & Onion Stuffing. This is as my mother always made it.
What would a leftover turkey sandwich be without a layer of stuffing to give it some extra flavour! Not half of what it should and could be I wager! Bon Appetit!
One thing I love most about this time of year and the holidays is the abundance of root vegetables, which are at their freshest and finest. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, celeriac, parsnips, rutabaga, etc. I am a root vegetable lover.
This simple and easy bake makes good use of a variety of root vegetables. It makes a wonderful holiday side dish as well. It is colourful and delicious!
You simply peel and thinly slice your vegetables and then blanch them for a few minutes in some lightly salted boiling water. I like to slice my vegetables by hand, but you can use a food processor or a mandoline if you want to.
I really don't mind slicing them by hand. It is the type of mindless chore that I enjoy. I just peel and then slice them thinly, practicing mindfulness . . . I am usually in another world entirely. I find it quite relaxing.
Once you have sliced and blanched them, they are simply layered in a shallow baking dish (s) with some good olive oil, seasoning and chopped parsley. Make sure you save some of the blanching water to pour over them in the dish . . . just enough to cover the bottom layer. If you forget to do that you could use a good vegetable stock.
Once they are layered in the dish(s) you simply cover the dish loosely with two layers of buttered baking parchment and pop them into the oven and bake. One half hour covered, and one half hour uncovered.
At the end of that time they will be tender and golden and soooooo tasty! Perfect for enjoying as a delicious side dish for all of your holiday meals, be it turkey, or ham, or beef, or pork . . . I dare say that this goes well with anything, even fish.
Its simple, and healthy and very adaptable also. I have used sweet and white potatoes today, along with some celeriac (celery root) and parsnips, but you can use carrots, swede (rutabaga), onions, or any other root vegetable which you enjoy, in any combination. This is delicious!
*Root Vegetable Tian*
Serves 12
Chopped fresh parsley to garnish
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil.
Begin layering the vegetables in the baking dishes. Making about 3 layers and sprinkling each layer with some salt and black pepper, some parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. Pour enough of the cooking liqeuer into the bottom of each baking dish, just to cover the bottom layer of vegetables. Cut out two pieces of baking parchment large enough to cover each casserole. (4 pieces of paper) Oil them lightly and then place two on top of each baking dish loosely.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the baking parchmet and bake for a further 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and golden. Garnish with more parsley to serve
Colourful, healthy, easy to make and delicious! What more could a person ask for? Bon Appetit!
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