I had some breaded chicken tenders I wanted to cook for our tea the other day, but I also wanted to make a tasty sauce for dipping them into. One of the things we like to get when we go to McDonald's (a rare treat) is the chicken fingers with dipping sauce.
We always have two dips. The sour cream one and the sweet chili. I like to dip them into the sweet chili first and then into the sour cream. This is sooooo good! I love it.
I am also very fond of peanut sauce, especially when it is an easy peanut sauce.
I also love the sweet and sour sauce that you can get with McNuggets. Its delicious.
I found a copycat recipe for that on line and thought I would make that but then I didn't have the jams the recipe asked for, apricot and peach. DARN!
The only orange coloured jam/preserve I had was Orange Marmalade. My husband loves orange marmalade.
So do I for that matter.
Orange marmalade can be quite bitter though . . . but I still thought it would work. I measured some into my mini food processor. Then I thought . . . peanut butter. Smooth peanut butter.
Its creamy, salty and a bit sweet. I thought it would work well with the bitterness of the marmalade. So I measured some of that in. Equal quantities of both . . .
I added some rice wine vinegar for some sour . . . and to help thin the mixture . . .
A measure of honey for more sweet . . .
Soy sauce for some additional saltiness . . . and to think it a bit more as well . . .
Finally a measure of sweet chili sauce for another bit of sweetness and a hint of heat . . .
Blitzed together until smooth . . . and all I can say is WOWSA! A deliciously easy peanut sauce to serve with our chicken!
I was ever so pleased with how it turned out. I now have a new favourite dipping sauce!
This was a wonderful mix of flavours and textures . . . sweet, tangy, creamy, spicy, rich and sour. In short perfect!
This works well as a dip or as a sauce. It went wonderfully with our chicken strips, and I think it would also be excellent with pork and fish. I think it would be really good with grilled salmon!
Yield: 4
Sweet & Sour Peanut Sauce
prep time: 5 minscook time: total time: 5 mins
A delicious sauce that can either be spooned over chicken, pork or fish, or used as a dipping sauce.
ingredients:
4 TBS smooth peanut butter
4 TBS fine shred orange marmalade
2 TBS rice wine vinegar
1 TBS liquid honey
1 TBS light soy sauce
1 TBS sweet chili sauce
instructions:
processor and blitz together until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until
needed. This will keep for quite a while in the refrigerator.
Created using The Recipes Generator
I ended up just spooning it over my chicken. YUMMY! I think I may have discovered a new favourite sauce!
Here are some of my favourite kitchen tools that I used for this recipe.
Perfect for cutting heavy items like meats or full vegetables, this manual food power processor is made out of stainless steel blades and premium ABS plastic. Can be used to cut salad greens, prepare proteins, and facilitate your ingredient prep-time. Its perfect for smoothing out sauces like this one I am sharing today. Its the perfect size and you don't need any electrics to use it, which makes it perfectly portable! Again click on the link to find out more if you wish.
Happy Friday and happy eating!
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 have always been fond of the flavours of Teriyaki. Teriyaki is a Japanese term for fish or meat that has been marinated or cooked in a Teriyaki sauce/marinade, which is generally composed of soy sauce, sake or mirin, ginger, and sugar (or honey). Sometimes garlic is also added
Today I decided to adapt my favourite Teriyaki Meatball recipe to use ground turkey instead of beef, with excellent results. We like ground turkey in our house, but if you don't, feel free to use ground beef in it's place, or even pork or ground chicken!
Just make sure you use a mix of ground breast and thigh meat for the best results. Using all breast meat will result in dry meatballs. Just a warning here. You want a bit of fat to help to keep them succulent!
There is plenty of garlic in the meatballs themselves, plus some spring onions, an egg white, lemon juice and seasoning. No bread crumbs are used and if you use gluten free soya sauce in the sauce, these are completely gluten free for those who are gluten intolerant.
Just mix all of the meatball ingredients together, making sure they are well combined. (Do use a light touch, as too rough a handling will toughen ground meat. ) Wet your hands and shape them into balls about the size of a walnut.
You should get about 20 balls. I like to brown them in a bit of oil in a hot skillet. Just keep turning them as they brown, until they are golden brown all over. I use an old pair of tongs for this and it works fine. They shouldn't stick.
Once they are all golden brown, I pop them into a baking dish and pour the teriyaki sauce over and bake until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce has thickened a bit. Sometimes I double the sauce because it is really very yummy and we like a lot of sauce.
These are great served with steamed or fried rice. I think steamed rice is actually best, but today I did broccoli fried rice as I had some broccoli which needed using up. Delicious!
Yield: 4
Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs
prep time: 10 minscook time: 25 minstotal time: 35 mins
I converted my favourite Teriyaki Meatball Recipe to use ground turkey instead of chicken or beef. Make sure you don't use the really lean turkey as they will be a bit dry.
ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey (use a mix of breast and thigh meat)
3 spring onions, finely minced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and grated
1 large free range egg white
1 1/2 TBS fresh lemon juice
1 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Oil for shallow frying
(use a mild flavoured oil, such as sunflower)
For the sauce:
80ml Japanese Mirin (Sweet Rice Wine)
2 TBS dark soy sauce
1 TBS liquid honey
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Thinly sliced spring onions to garnish
instructions:
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Have ready a shallow
baking dish large enough to hold the meatballs in a single layer.
baking dish large enough to hold the meatballs in a single layer.
Mix
the turkey, onions, garlic, egg white lemon juice, salt and black
pepper together with a fork to well combine. Shape into around 20
meatballs, setting them onto a parchment lined plate as you go along.
the turkey, onions, garlic, egg white lemon juice, salt and black
pepper together with a fork to well combine. Shape into around 20
meatballs, setting them onto a parchment lined plate as you go along.
Place
a thin layer of oil in a heated skillet. Once it is hot add the
meatballs in a single layer and cook, turning frequently, until browned
all over, about 5 minutes. Place them into the baking dish in a single
layer. Whisk together the Mirin, soy sauce, honey and ground ginger
until well amalgamated. Pour over the meatballs in the baking dish,
turning them to coat them in the sauce.
a thin layer of oil in a heated skillet. Once it is hot add the
meatballs in a single layer and cook, turning frequently, until browned
all over, about 5 minutes. Place them into the baking dish in a single
layer. Whisk together the Mirin, soy sauce, honey and ground ginger
until well amalgamated. Pour over the meatballs in the baking dish,
turning them to coat them in the sauce.
Bang
into the preheated oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the
meatballs are cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Serve hot
with the sauce spooned over, and garnished with thinly sliced spring onions. We like fried or steamed rice with these.
into the preheated oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the
meatballs are cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Serve hot
with the sauce spooned over, and garnished with thinly sliced spring onions. We like fried or steamed rice with these.
Created using The Recipes Generator
The sauce on these is not really thick and cloying, but it is really beautifully flavoured. If you don't have any mirin in your cupboard, no worries, it is a bit of an unusual ingredient. Simple subs and hacks can easily mimic mirin’s sweet-tangy flavor. Dry sherry, sweet Marsala wine, dry white wine, and rice vinegar will do the trick, for instance, if you mix in about 1/2 teaspoon sugar per tablespoon. I really hope you will try these and enjoy them! Bon Appetit!
I come from a long line of soup lovers. My mom made the best soups in the world, and I like to think that I can make a pretty great pot of soup myself. All I know about making soup, I learnt at my mother's knee, which is a pretty good place to learn something if you ask me!
This soup I am sharing today is a fairly simple soup, using simple ingredients. I like recipes like that. Simple ingredients put together in a very delicious way. You can't beat it!
It makes use of root vegetables, although you would certainly be welcome to add other vegetables to it as you wish. Myself, I like the simplistic presentation of root vegetables, done in discernible pieces and not mashed together into a puree.
Don't get me wrong, I love pureed vegetable soups quite a bit also. Sometimes though I like the interest and texture of lovely bits and pieces, in a well flavoured broth. Today I used chicken stock, but you could certainly use vegetable stock and keep it all vegetarian for the veggies in your life.
Celeriac is a vegetable I don't use really often. I don't know why. I really love it. I think it might be called celery root in North America. You could certainly use cubed celery in its place if you wanted to. I like the mildness of celeriac however, and I do think it is more attractive in this soup than celery would be.
For the potato, you will want to use a good baking or russet potato. Oddly enough once they are cooked you can hardly tell the difference between the potato and the celeriac, unless you look really closely. They, of course, taste very different!!
Carrots are a must. I love the pop of colour that they bring to an otherwise very plain soup. Also, I love the flavour of carrots . . . earthy and sweet. You sweat them first in butter with the onions, which really helps to enhance their sweetness. Onions are a must in soups in my opinion. They are such flavour boosters!
The only other vegetable I have used is Swede or rutabagas as they are also called. I adore rutabagas. I think they are one of my favourite vegetables.
We just called them turnips when I was growing up, and my mother always served them mashed with a bit of potato mashed into them. I always just adored my mum's mashed turnips. They were a must when it came to celebratory dinners! It was not a holiday without them!
Neither was a soup or a stew complete without them!
You could also add some parsnip if you wanted to. They are also a root vegetable, resembling somewhat a pale white carrot . . . but with a very distinct flavour. Personally, I think the root vegetables that I have used in this soup are simply the perfect combination. (I am a tad biased admittedly!) Don't skip adding the lemon juice, it really does make a difference!
Yield: 6
Root Vegetable Soup
prep time: 15 minscook time: 35 minstotal time: 50 mins
This simple soup really is delicious. Proof positive that it is the simple things in life which bring us the most joy.
ingredients:
2 TBS butter
2 onions, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled, quartered and sliced
scant 2 litres chicken stock (8 cups)
1 baking potato, peeled and diced
1 turnip or medium sized rutabaga, peeled and cut into bite sized wedges
1 celeriac,, peeled and diced (celery root)
1 bay leaf, crumbled
1 tsp celery seed
the juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and black pepper to taste
instructions:
Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onions and carrots. Cook,
stirring often, over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken
stock, potato, turnip, celery root, bay leaf, celery seed and lemon
juice. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer for about
half an hour until the vegetables are nice and tender. Taste and adjust
seasoning as required with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve hot.
stirring often, over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken
stock, potato, turnip, celery root, bay leaf, celery seed and lemon
juice. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer for about
half an hour until the vegetables are nice and tender. Taste and adjust
seasoning as required with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve hot.
Created using The Recipes Generator
We had some stale bread left from a loaf I had bought when we had company. They made beautiful toasts to serve along with the soup. I lightly buttered them and sprinkled them on both sides with some Italian Garlic Seasoning. I then baked them on an oven tray in a hot oven until golden brown. Perfectly delicious. I do like something crunchy with soups. Its a personal preference of mine. Todd, he always likes a bread roll.
As any good cook knows, the most dangerous article in the kitchen is a dull kitchen knife. I remember my mother almost cutting her finger off with a dull chef's knife when I was a young child. Traumatic to say the least! It is an image which has always stayed with me. Even now when I go home I bring my own knives with me because mom's are always dull and they have broken handles taped together etc. I like to use my own knives, and I like to keep them sharp.
The Any Sharp Pro is the perfect tool for keeping your knives in tip top condition, and can quickly restore even the oldest bluntest knife into the perfect condition for use. The Any Sharp uses tungsten carbide technology to extend the life of almost any knife. AnySharp works on virtually any knife, including expensive hardened steel knives. It even works on serrated knives and kitchen scissors. (One exception being very fine-toothed serrated knives.)
When your whole knife has been run through, your knife edge may touch as it exits the sharpening tools. The AnySharp has a long-lasting polymer guiding top that is softer than metal, and therefore won’t damage the metal edge, making it safe for your knives too.
NO Skill Required
The optimum angle to sharpen a good quality steel knife is 20 degrees. AnySharp is pre-set at 20 degrees to give an optimum edge every time. Getting a consistent angle with a sharpening stone is a skilled job, but AnySharp allows anyone to get professional results without any training at all.
Hands free safety
The AnySharp’s safety feature is its PowerGrip suction cup base, which attaches securely to any smooth surface or worktop without the need for any tools. Once it’s attached you can sharpen any knife safely hands free.
Knife edge safety
The optimum angle to sharpen a good quality steel knife is 20 degrees. AnySharp is pre-set at 20 degrees to give an optimum edge every time. Getting a consistent angle with a sharpening stone is a skilled job, but AnySharp allows anyone to get professional results without any training at all.
Hands free safety
The AnySharp’s safety feature is its PowerGrip suction cup base, which attaches securely to any smooth surface or worktop without the need for any tools. Once it’s attached you can sharpen any knife safely hands free.
Knife edge safety
Easy, light strokes
With a totally blunt knife, AnySharp will hone it to an optimal angle, and remove excess metal rapidly the first time you use it. AnySharp does not work well with heavy strokes or too much pressure. A light touch is all you need to give you a beautifully sharp knife.
Whether you’re slicing meat, dicing vegetables, or carving the Sunday Roast, a sharp blade makes cutting effortless, and I can say with all veracity that the AnySharp is one of the best ways of keeping your knives sharp and ready for use.
Bon Appetit!
I love recipes like the one I am sharing today. Not only are they delicious, but they are simple and no fuss.
They also make great use of leftovers (such as cooked chicken) from the Sunday Roast, and can be done all in one pan, so not a lot of mess to clean up afterwards!
I especially love this one I am sharing today as it combines two of my loves. Tex Mex flavours and Pasta!
Those two together are quite simply two of my favorite things, and no small wonder!
It uses leftover cooked chicken. Usually when I roast a chicken I get at least three meals out of it depending on the size.
The roast on the day, a day of leftovers and soup, sometimes even sandwiches. Again, depending on the size. You can even use rotisserie chicken in this which works very well.
You will need a tin of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice. I have my favourites as you know. Cirio are always my choice of tomato.
They just have a beautiful flavour and in my opinion are best quality. The chopped tomatoes are also in a lovely rich and thick tomato juice, which works very well in this recipe.
I use whole wheat spaghetti. Since I was diagnosed with diabetes several years ago, I have made the move to whole wheat pasta and I have to say I really like it.
At first I thought it might not have a palatable flavour and texture, but I was totally wrong. You really can't tell the difference in my opinion. Its really good and good for you!
I adapted the recipe from one which I found on Tablespoon. It used a brand name Taco seasoning. I prefer to make my own. I am funny that way. I kind of like to know all of the ingredients in things I use.
I have included the recipe for that if you are also interested in trying it. Its completely natural and contains nothing artificial, and . . . I think . . . has a lovely authentic flavour.
The original recipe had only tomatoes, chicken stock, onions and the seasoning along with the pasta and chicken. I added some olives and garlic. I like olives in Tex Mex cooking.
I used a mix of black and green olives, the dry cure ones, which have abundant flavour. Abundant flavour means you don't need to use as many to get the same oomph. You can, of course, leave them out if you wish!
It all goes together very simply and quickly. I like to have all of my ingredients ready ahead of time. This makes the actually execution of the recipe quick, and easy.
For a quick tip on breaking up spaghetti, I roll the spaghetti up in a clean tea towel and then (grasping both ends of the tea towel firmly) run the tea towel firmly down over the edge of a counter top.
This breaks it up in lovely lengths, perfect for using in this recipe.
I like that this all cooks in one pan. The pasta takes on all of those delicious properties of the sauce and seasoning.
This is because it actually cooks in the sauce, absorbing all of those lovely flavours. I love it when that happens.
Altogether this is a really lovely, family friendly dish. I throw some cheese on the top of it (which melts nicely from the heat) and a smattering of sliced spring onions.
You could add any of your favourite taco toppings if you wanted, shredded lettuce, picante sauce, sour cream, etc. Use your imagination and just go with it! I think crushed tortilla chips would also be nice!
Yield: 4
Mexican Chicken Spaghetti
prep time: 10 minscook time: 20 minstotal time: 30 mins
I love no fuss meals like this that make good use of leftovers and can be cooked all in one pan. This one is delicious.
ingredients:
225g spaghetti (1/2 pound)
(I use whole wheat)
60ml olive oil (1/4 cup)
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 TBS minced garlic
1 (400g) tin of chopped tomatoes in juice, undrained (14 oz tin)
2 TBS Taco Seasoning Mix (see my recipe below)
720ml chicken stock (3 cups)
225g diced cooked chicken (1 1/2 cups)
a handful of green and black olives, sliced
salt and black pepper to taste
120g grated medium cheddar cheese (1 cup)
2 spring onions, sliced
a few more chopped olives to garnish
instructions:
Using a large heavy based deep skillet, add the olive oil and
heat. Add the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring, over medium heat,
until they soften without browning. Add the undrained tomatoes. Heat
through for one minute. Break up the spaghetti and add along with the
taco seasoning and chicken stock. Bring to the boil, and cook, stirring,
until the spaghetti starts to get limp. Stir in the diced chicken and
olives. Reduce heat to low and simmer for a further 15 minutes,
stirring frequently to make sure that the spaghetti doesn't catch and
stick to the bottom of the pan. When it is done most of the liquid will
be absorbed. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle the cheese on top along with the sliced spring onions and
chopped olives. Serve immediately.
heat. Add the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring, over medium heat,
until they soften without browning. Add the undrained tomatoes. Heat
through for one minute. Break up the spaghetti and add along with the
taco seasoning and chicken stock. Bring to the boil, and cook, stirring,
until the spaghetti starts to get limp. Stir in the diced chicken and
olives. Reduce heat to low and simmer for a further 15 minutes,
stirring frequently to make sure that the spaghetti doesn't catch and
stick to the bottom of the pan. When it is done most of the liquid will
be absorbed. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle the cheese on top along with the sliced spring onions and
chopped olives. Serve immediately.
Make Your Own Taco Seasoning: Mix together 1 TBS mild chili
powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp
oregano and 1/2 tsp of onion powder, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black
pepper. Store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6
months.
powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp
oregano and 1/2 tsp of onion powder, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black
pepper. Store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6
months.
Created using The Recipes Generator
If you have lovely expensive non-stick pas like I have you will want to really protect them by using the best tools when you are cooking with them.
Tools that will protect and hot scratch the surface of your pans. Good pans are quite an investment and we want to make sure that they stay in good condition for as long as possible, if not a lifetime.
To that end, I have been using the 3-piece di Oro Silicone Spatula Set from the award winning di Oro Living seamless series (America’s Test Kitchen Best Overall Spatula, Cook’s Illustrated Best All-Purpose Spatula, and Cook’s Country Best All-Purpose Silicone Spatula). This 3 piece set includes the award winning large spatula, spoon and mini spatula which are composed of pro-grade silicone.
They also have the Ore™ Internal Stainless Steel Handle Support Technology. The strength of stainless steel means that these utensils will hold up to the demanding use of home cooks and professional chefs and won't break like cheap plastic store brands. I, personally, love the weight of them. They are sturdy and have a nice heft to them, not flimsy in the least.
Dish washer safe with a sleek styling, these are high quality and a great addition to any kitchen. I love LOVE the forever warranty. They are available in two colours, this lovely red and a beautiful classic black. You can read more about them and the other products in the line here.
Dish washer safe with a sleek styling, these are high quality and a great addition to any kitchen. I love LOVE the forever warranty. They are available in two colours, this lovely red and a beautiful classic black. You can read more about them and the other products in the line here.
I also hope you will want to cook this recipe. Its really delicious! Bon Appetit!
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