Oh boy are we ever having some tumultuous weather here in the UK at the moment. The temperatures are positively frigid and a lot of our country has been under a "RED" Alert, almost unheard of in this country. Scotland and the North country has been really hit bad with some people having to spend overnight in their cars actually. (Not a prospect I would enjoy for sure!) If you don't need to go out, stay home because chances are you won't get very far if you try. Here in Chester, we are very lucky. We don't really get a lot of snow even when the rest of the country is being hammered. We've had a tiny bit but nothing untoward . . . so far. It is bitterly cold however.
We haven't turned our heat off for two days now. Normally in the Winter, we turn it on for a few hours in the morning and a few at night, so to have it on full stop all day and evening is unheard of, but it is just too cold to do otherwise!! This is the perfect type of weather for staying close to home and canoodling indoors with something hot to keep you warm. Something like this delicious White Bean Turkey Chili I am showing you today!
I have used one turkey tenderloin fillet for this. You could certainly use ground turkey in its place if you wanted to, but I really like the tender chunks of turkey in this. I am not a huge fan of ground meat per se . . . that is why you don't see a lot of it on here. Its a texture thing . . .
This is so simple to make and uses only a few store cupboard ingredients . . . onions, a green chili, some dried herbs and spices, tinned beans, some frozen corn and mushrooms, the turkey of course, and some tinned white cannellini beans. Oh and some low fat sour cream, although in all truth low far Greek yogurt would also work well.
It is very low in fat as well as being very Diabetic friendly! Its a very healthy bowl of nutrition! I like to sprinkle it with a bit of low fat cheddar. (Low low is very good.) And I add a spoonful of cooked brown rice when I serve it as well. That makes for a very hearty, yet . . . . nutritious meal.
If you are going to eat carbs, make them carbs worth eating! With the spoonful of brown rice, neither Todd nor I are tempted to have a piece of bread on the side because this fills us up to the brim with tasty goodness! High in protein and fibre, low in fat and carbs, and very very delicious!!! This ticks all the boxes! You couldn't ask for better on a cold, cold day!
*White BeanTurkey Chili*
Serves 42 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
75g of frozen sweet corn (1/2 cup)
a large handful of sliced frozen mushrooms
480ml chicken stock (2 cups)
To serve:
grated low fat cheddar, pickled jalapenos, light sour cream, chopped spring onions (all optional)
Trim the tough sinew from the turkey tenderloin if not already
done. You can leave it in if you want, but I like to take it out
because I don't like the texture when cooked. (It kind of gets gelatinous. Not a texture I like.) Simply find it and then
scrape it out with the edge of a sharp knife. Cut the turkey into
cubes.
Add the chicken stock, a splash of hot sauce, the frozen corn and the beans. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and then simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring every now and then. Stir in the sour cream and heat for about 5 minutes. Spoon out into heated soup bowls, and pass the accompaniements at the table.
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.
I cooked a roast chicken at the weekend. We love roast chicken in this house. You can't beat it. With a roast chicken you always get at least three meals from it.
One on the day, one with the leftovers and another with the bones when you make a delicious soup. With Roast Chicken, its always a winner/winner chicken dinner!
I have tried all sorts of recipes for roast chicken, all good . . . but this one here is my absolute favourite. way of doing it.
You always end up with a tender, well flavoured, moist chicken, with crisp skin. Its so delicious!
After we have had our chicken dinner, I always like to strip the meat off the bones. I may be odd, but I don't like the flavour of chicken that has been chilled on the bone.
I prefer it off the bone once it has been cooked and cooled. So just strip it off and chill it in the refrigerator, ready to use for casseroles or sandwiches, fried rice, etc.
Don't ever get rid of the bones! That's a big no/no.
I usually leave a few scraps of meat on the bones, and then you can either use them right away to make a tasty chicken stock, or freeze them in an airtight container to make a stock or soup on another day when you have more time.
A roast chicken just makes for great economy!
So, today I used the leftover meat to make us a delicious Scalloped Chicken, and not just a Scalloped Chicken, but a Scalloped Chicken Supreme!
How can you not love it! This recipe was adapted from one I found in Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook, so its a really old recipe. It is in the Supper Dishes Chapter.
I have updated it for my own use by using low fat evaporated milk, which cuts down on fat and calories.
I also used my tip I shared the other day about blitzing the flour and chicken stock in a blender, along with the seasonings, pouring into a saucepan and then adding the cream, before thickening.
This cuts even further down on the fat and calories, but I have given you the full fat version recipe here. If you want any help in cutting back on it, just let me know.
I also used cooked brown rice, which adds favour and makes it lower GI. Every little helps.
With its delicious sauce, tender chicken and layers of sauteed mushrooms and toasted almonds, this went down a real treat.
Oh yes, I also used whole wheat bread crumbs on top, which I spritzed with low fat cooking spray instead of butter.
*Scalloped Chicken Supreme*
Serves 8
6 TBS butter
6 TBS plain flour
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
480ml chicken stock (2 cups)
You will also need:
325g of cooked rice (2 cups)
325g of cooked rice (2 cups)
240ml chicken Stock (1 cup)
375g of cooked chicken, torn up or cut into cubes (3 cups)85g flaked toasted almonds (1/2 cuup)
75g of sliced mushrooms, sauteed (1 cup)
2 TBS finely chopped red pepper
a handful of buttered bread crumbs
Pour the second amount of chicken stock over the cooked rice, and stir. Set aside until you need it.
First
make the gravy. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and
cook for several minutes. Whisk in all og the seasonings/herbs. Slowly
whisk in the stock and then the cream. Cook, whisking constantly,
until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Set aside and keep warm.Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter an 12 by 7 inch deep baking dish. Begin layering in as follows: Half the rice, half the chicken, half the sauce, half the mushrooms, half the peppers and half the toasted almonds. Repeat. Top with the buttered bread crumbs.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Serve hot with your favourite vegetables on the side.
I was able to very successfully cut the recip in half as there are only the two of us, and we now have leftovers of this tasty casserole to eat tomorrow. So, really from this chicken I will have gotten 4 meals, and I still have some roast chicken in the refrigerator to do a fried rice or some such. You really can't go wrong with a roast chicken, you really can't! Bon Appetit!
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!
I allowed myself to be tempted into buying a huge bag of cauliflower florets the last time I was at Costco. (I also bought a huge bag of broccoli!) There are worse things I could have been tempted by, let me tell you! That place is a veritable Aladdin's cave of scruminess. Don't get me started on the cakes, pies and muffins. I have never bought them, but boy oh boy are they ever tempting! Its only because there are only two of us and I have limited freezer space that keeps me from caving in and buying those! (Especially the muffins!) So anyways, I reckon buying big bags of vegetables is not all that bad of a temptation to succumb to in comparison!
I have always loved potatoes. They have long been my favourite vegetable. As a type 2 Diabetic however, these days they are more than often off my menu. I have had to rethink a lot of my old favourites and try to create new favourites. Oddly enough new potatoes are not as bad for you as old potatoes, and sweet potatoes are actually the wisest choice of all the potatoes. High in fibre and vitamins, they are also considered to be low GI, which means they won't spike your blood sugars as much as regular potatoes. Great news for me, because I also love sweet potatoes!
And by that I don't mean the sugar and marshmallow laced variety that you will see on some tables, I like them just plain, with a bit of salt and pepper, nothing else needed . . . well sometimes a bit of garlic and some parmesan cheese, but I am more of a savoury sweet potato lover rather than a "sweet" sweet potato lover, if that makes sense.
A casserole I used to love was made using lightly fried potatoes and onions . . . and cheese, all mixed in and baked until ooey gooey fabulous. Maybe with a bit of bacon scattered over top. You can well imagine how very tasty it was. But not so good for you. This is my rethink on that dish.
I switched out the regular potatoes for sweet potatoes, and I didn't fry them. Nope. I cut them into chunks and par boiled them. I didn't fry onions either. I finely chopped some red onion and mixed it into the sweet potatoes, along with a bit of salt and pepper.
I nixed the bacon and replaced it with another "B" word, broccoli, which we also happen to love in this house. Cut into florets and lightly blanched, it works perfectly in this.
I use a lower fat cheddar cheese. Get a whole block and crumble it yourself. It melts better and you get nice gooey nuggets which are really pleasing to the tongue.
Half the sweet potato, onion mix is layered in a baking dish and topped with half of the crumbled cheese . . . repeat and then bake until hot and bubbling.
This is really REALLY good. In fact I like it better than the old version. Colourful, delicious,and filled with lots of fibre, it is helping on my road towards better and healthier eating. I don't feel deprived and I am eating a delicious rainbow of taste. Nom Nom!
*Sweet Potato, Broccoli and Cheese Bake*
Serves 4
Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the cubed sweet potato. Bring back to the boil and then cook for about 10 minutes, until semi tender, adding the broccoli florets in the last five minutes. Drain well and then refresh under cold water. Toss together in a bowl with the minced onion and some salt and black pepper to taste. Layer half of the vegetables in the baking dish. Scatter half of the cheese crumbles on top. Layer on the remaining vegetables and scatter with the remaining cheese. Bake for 15 minutes until golden and bubbling. Serve hot.
This was so delicious I can't quite remember what I served with it?? Whatever it was, it obviously paled in comparison to this delicious bake. The leftovers the next day served with some salad were also mightly tasty. I hope you will give it a go! Bon Appetit!
This happens to be one of our favourite cookies and I can't believe I have never showed it to you before today! I went to bake them this morning, and was looking for the recipe in my online recipe file, only to discover that it wasn't there, which meant I had never baked them for the blog.
I had to rifle through my big blue binder for the recipe, which was so not a problem, because I love rifling through my big blue binder!
This is a very old recipe which has a story attached to it. I love old recipes, and I especially love old recipes with stories attached! Don't you???
Apparently the original recipe was found pasted on a piece of paper pasted into the drawer of an old table, hand written in fading ink, in an old fashioned script . . . "For Ella."
I don't know how true the story is, or who Ella was, but the story certainly has its charm, and I never fail to think about Ella and her charms whenever I bake them. She must have been very special indeed to have someone want to bake these cookies for her!!
Why are they called Monkey Face Cookies? Because of the raisins which you apply to the tops of them prior to baking.
Two eyes and a mouth, which settle themselves into cute little droll expressions during baking, each one seeming to say something different!
Some looking surprised . . . others sad . . . some angry, and still others very nonchalant . . . or even mischevious . . . . kind of like monkeys!
Children love them. Partly because of the name, and partly becaus they are delicious! Its fun to pick the raisins off and eat them separately . . . its fun to eat them all together. Its just fun to eat them!
They go down really well with an ice cold glass of milk, be you a child or a grown up! Molasses cookies always taste wonderful with cold milk. That is my considered opinion at any rate!
See that one with the little sticky brown sugar nugget in it? I call dibs on that one! Its mine! Yum! Slightly chewy, and lightly spiced, these Monkey Face Cookies are good old fashioned pleasers. There's no denying it!
*Monkey Face Cookies*
Makes about 4 dozen 
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper. Set aside.
Cream together the shortening, brown sugar and molasses until light and creamy. Beat in the milk and vinegar. Sift together the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger.Stir this into the creamed mixture, mixing it in thoroughly. Drop by heaped teaspoons onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 1/2 inches in between each to allow for spreading. Place 3 raisins on each for eyes and mouth.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until set. Let sit on the baking sheets for several minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.
Cream together the shortening, brown sugar and molasses until light and creamy. Beat in the milk and vinegar. Sift together the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger.Stir this into the creamed mixture, mixing it in thoroughly. Drop by heaped teaspoons onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 1/2 inches in between each to allow for spreading. Place 3 raisins on each for eyes and mouth.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until set. Let sit on the baking sheets for several minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.
Oh this one does look rather sad doesn't he? I think I will gobble him up and put him out of his misery. Bon Appetit!
Note - there are no eggs in this recipe, don't worry I have not left them out. The recipe is exactly as written.
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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