American Chop Suey. This is a recipe I discovered on the New England Today page. It sounded and looked incredibly delicious. I printed out in short time and put it on my to do list.
Yesterday was the day. I cut the recipe in half as there are only two of us. I have given that down-sized recipe here. If you want the full one, just click the link above. Its fantastic!
For me to call this fantastic is no small feat. You can consider that high praise indeed. Since I was a child I have had a strong aversion to eating ground beef mixed into anything.
It always made me gag. It was a texture thing. My mom always bought the cheapest meat she could. I don't fault her for that. She was being economical, or trying to be. It was always filled with gristle and sometimes bits of bone.
I have always been extremely sensitive to anything like that. Even paper touching my teeth makes me gag. I cannot stand it. They have a name for it now. Its called Tactile Defensiveness. There was no name for it back then.
My parents just thought I was being awkward. I used to get punished for it. I was probably one of ht few people on the planet who could take a plate of mixed meat and pasta and eat just the pasta, leaving every speck of meat behind. After a while my mother stopped giving me anything with hamburger in it.
Recently I have been buying extra lean ground steak and using that in my cooking. It does cost more than ground beef, but it is worth every penny.
I have discovered that I am able to eat it without any problem. In fact I am actually starting to enjoy it. I am ever so pleased about that. Making this American Chop Suey was final proof to me that I can do it. It was delicious.
There is a saying here in the UK, which goes, "There's naught so queer as folk." I think that saying would apply here. There is nothing remotely Chinese about this dish.
What it is is an amazingly flexible, easy and forgiving dish that can be hacked together in a myriad of ways. This way I am showing you today, is incredibly delicious, and my favourite!
This has comfort food written all over it. It has "family-pleasing" written right into it's DNA. There is nothing about this not to fall in love with.
Simple ingredients are put together in a very simple way. I bet you have just about everything in your kitchen right now to make this!
I use Garofalo Pasta in recent years. Not only do they have a wide variety of types and shapes available, but it is excellent pasta. I used their "macaroni" for this. It worked beautifully.
For many years here in the UK I could not find elbow macaroni. There are some things that are just better with elbow macaroni if you know what I mean. Shape is everything when it comes to pasta and the sauces you serve with them.
As I aready told you above, I used lean ground steak. I get it from my butcher and it is worth every single penny in quality, texture and taste.
The vegetables used are a fresh green pepper and a medium onion. Just one of each and both chopped. Not too large, not too fine. A medium dice.
It uses a jar of spaghetti sauce. Sauce is everything and I have learned that when it to spaghetti sauce, you get what you pay for. I used a small jar of Lloyd Grossman's Basil and Tomato Spaghetti Sauce.
It has a beautiful texture and is filled with lovely bits of real tomato and plenty of basil. If you want a well flavoured dish, do opt to buy a good quality sauce. It will make a huge difference.
There is also garlic in the dish. One clove minced. I have been using the jarred minced garlic in recent months. I have had a difficult time finding fresh garlic that doesn't taste funny to me.
The quality and taste in the jarred is always spot on for me. I keep saying every year I am going to try growing my own, but then I don't. This year was no different. I didn't.
Cheese. The original recipe called for just Mozzarella cheese. This gets sprinkled on top. I mixed Mozzarella with grated Jack cheese and it was excellent I have to say! EX-CELL-ENT!
It had just the right amount of flavour and just enough gooeyness. In short, it was perfect. Don't skip sprinkling more green pepper on top. It adds a special "je ne sais quoi!"
American Chop Suey
Ingredients
- 1 cup (115g) elbow pasta, uncooked
- 1/2 pound extra lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
- 1 green bell pepper, trimmed, seeded and diced, divided
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 TBS light olive oil
- 1 cup (8 ounces) (240g) jar of good quality spaghetti sauce
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning blend
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup grated four cheese blend (100g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 7 by 9 inch casserole dish and set aside.
- Cook the macaroni in boiling lightly salted water just until al dente. Drain and rinse. Drain again. Set aside. (If you want to keep it from sticking together you can add a touch of olive oil to it.)
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the beef, garlic, onions and peppers. (reserve 2 TBS of the green pepper for later.) Saute unil the beef is browned and no longer pink. Add the spaghetti sauce and seasonings. Taste and adjust as necessary. Add the cooked macaroni and then pour the whole mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over top and sprinkle with the reserved green pepper. Cover tightly with aluminium foil.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and just starting to brown.
- Serve hot.
This is delicious served with a side salad and perhaps some crusty bread, depending on appetites. On this particular occasion we enjoyed it with a salad alone.
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!
Canned/tinned pumpkin is the best kind to use for pies and bakes. It is almost impossible to get homecooked pumpkin dry enough to get favourable results.
I have tried it in the past and I have to say it is just not worth the time and effort. Save that for making soups and sauces.
When I first moved over here to the UK, it was impossible to find tinned pumpkin anywhere. My first thanksgiving I made sweet potato pie instead of pumpkin pie and longed for pumpkin pie.
Which was kind of strange really. Pumpkin pie was not something I had really enjoyed when I was a child. (I didn't like mincemeat pie either!) It has only been since becoming an adult that I have come to appreciate it, and pumpkin, for what it is.
I now enjoy and appreciate it in many things. Pies, cakes, breads and in this lovely bread spread. Its not overly sweet and was beautiful the other day spread on our warm biscuits.
It has only the tiniest hint of sweetness. This comes from the use of real Maple Syrup. Something else which is much more accessible over here in the UK these days than it was when I first arrived. Don't be tempted to use fake maple syrup or pancake syrup. Its just not the same.
It has a lovely spiciness from the use of Pumpkin Pie Spice. This is not something you can get over here in the UK. You might be tempted to use mixed spice (a British baking spice mix) but it is NOT the same!
I always make my own. It is very much like the real thing and at least I know whats in it. No chemicals or preservatives. I have included the instructions on how to do this in the notes of the recipe for this spread.
You will find that you can use it in all sorts of recipes. Recipes such as my delicious Impossible Pumpkin Pie. (Totally from scratch, no mix involved.) Then there is my totally delicious Pumpkin Spice Bread.
How about Pumpkin Crumb Pie. This delicious bake boasts an oatmeal cookie crust and topping. So delicious.
And today I add another way to enjoy this wonderful Autumn ingredient by way of this delicious Spiced Pumpkin spread.
It truly is delicious and so very easy to make. It goes together in about five minutes and is a great way to use up any bits and bobs of pumpkin.
Its delicious spread onto waffles and biscuits. Fabulous on muffins and toast. Great on pancakes, with some maple syrup poured over top.
It also keeps for about 2 weeks, covered in the refrigerator. I do not know if it will freeze or not. I have not tried.
In any case if you are looking for one more tasty thing to do with tinned pumpkin this autumn, you can't get much better than this! Quick and easy and most delicious!
Spiced Pumpkin Spread
Ingredients
- 1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup (60g) plus 2 TBS pumpkin puree
- 3 TBS pure maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp fine seasalt
Instructions
- Beat all of the ingredients at high speed with an electric mixer until well blended, pale in colour and fluffy. Cover and store in the refrigerator.
- You can keep this fresh, refrigerated, for up to two weeks.
notes:
What is your favourite thing to bake with pumpkin? Any suggestions? Tis the season for all things pumpkin after all!
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 cooked a roast chicken at the weekend. I love cooking a roast chicken. It makes for a great economy. You end up with a great meal on the day along with several more options.
Depending on the size of the chicken you can get at least one additional meal from it. If it is a large chicken you may also get some sandwiches, and then with the spent carcass you can always make a delicious soup!
My mother always said I could make the sole of a boot taste good. I have to say I have never had any complaints when it comes to feeding my family leftovers.
Nobody ever turned up their noses at any second hand meal of mine. I guess mom was right, I do know how to put the flavour into things.
This is one of my favourite casseroles. I know it says "Chicken Noodle Casserole," but I think that a sturdier pasta holds up better in this.
I like to use fusilli pasta twists. And I use the whole wheat ones as well. This ups the fibre content and makes it a bit more gi-friendly. As a diabetic that matters.
To that end I have also cut the amount of pasta in half. I doubled the amount of vegetables from my original recipe.
That means half the carbs and twice the nutrition! I can honestly say you will not notice the difference in the least flavour or consistency wise. It is every bit as delicious as the original.
Also as cauliflower is white, you fool the eye into thinking there is plenty of pasta in the dish. We eat first with our eyes.
Yes, I have used a can of cream of chicken soup, but I am not a canned soup snob. It has its uses and this is a brilliant one. You can opt for a low fat low sodium one if it really bothers you, or make a basic 2 cup sized cream sauce using half chicken stock and half milk.
If there is a downside to this, it would be that there is plenty of cheese. Sorry about that. You can opt for a low fat cheddar if you wish.
I prefer the sharp/strong cheddar for the casserole itself as it gives the best flavour all round. You get a lot more bang for your buck!
I have used an Italian Garlic Seasoning mixture to flavour the chicken. It has plenty of zip. Just cut up your chicken and stir it together with the seasoning before mixing it into your pasta, etc. It will give everything plenty of flavour.
I do not add any extra salt to things. People are free to add salt at the table if they wish. I just think it is better for people to add any extra seasoning they want themselves. Some people like their food extra salty, we do not.
This recipe does make six servings, which can be a lot for a smaller family. I always break it down into two individual casseroles. I freeze one prior to baking, and bake the other for on the day.
To freeze it unbaked, simply wrap it airtight. I use a couple of layers of cling film and then a final layer of aluminium foil, adding a freezer label with the contents and date written on it so there is no confusion at a later date!
When it comes time you want to cook it simply place in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. Unwrap and leave the casserole on the counter for half an hour, while you are pre-heating your oven.
I think it is a smart thing to bring casserole dishes to room temperature before putting them into the oven if they are really cold. I wouldn't want to have one crack from a sudden temperature change!
This is also a great casserole to make ahead. If you know you are going to be rushed for time on the day, just make it up the night before, ready to pop into the oven when you get home.
Allow it to cool completely then cover tightly and refrigerate. You can keep it in the fridge for up to two days prior to cooking.
When you are ready to cook it, remove it from the fridge. Let it sit at room temperature for about half an hour.
Add five minutes to the initial cook time, uncover and then continue as per the recipe instructions. Easy peasy.
This is an incredibly versatile recipe. If you don't have any leftover cooked chicken, you can poach two chicken breast fillets and cube to use in its place.
You could also use leftover roast pork instead of chicken if that is what you have. It works beautifully. After all it is not called the other white meat for nothing!
Chicken Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (175g) dry fusilli pasta twists
- 2 cups of cubed cooked chicken
- 1 1/2 tsp Italian garlic seasoning
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 (10.5 ounce) (295g) tin of condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
- 1 cup (120g) dairy sour cream
- 1/2 cup (120ml) semi skimmed milk
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 2 cups (245g) grated strong cheddar cheese
- 1 cup (123g) grated medium cheddar cheese
- a handful of crispy fried onions (in North America, French's) (can also use cracker crumbs)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook to al dente according to package directions, adding the broccoli and cauliflower for the last 4 to 5 minutes. Drain well.
- Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/gas mark 5. Butter a 9 by 13 inch casserole dish.
- Mix the garlic Italian seasoning together with the pepper and cubed chicken, making sure the chicken is well coated.
- Whisk the soup, strong cheddar, milk and sour cream together in a bowl. Stir in th chicken, pasta and vegetables. Spread into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the medium cheddar and fried onions. Cover tightly with a sheet of buttered aluminium foil.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
Recently when I was doing my online Grocery order I noticed that Ocado had Tomahawk Pork Steaks. I ended up ordering two of them. They were a bit pricier than normal chops, but I had high expectations.
Salt dried aged pork tomahawk steak from M&S. They feature outdoor bred pork from Hampshire. I have always enjoyed the quality of M&S goods. I always said if I won the lottery I would only ever shop at M&S. They have excellent food and other products. Just my opinion.
I think calling them Tomahawk Pork Steaks was a bit of a stretch. Basically it was just another way to describe a bone in pork loin chop which has had the rib bone "french trimmed."
I decided to give them the sheet pan method of cooking. I love sheet pan cooking. It involves very little preparation and little to no clean up. I am all for that!
I had enough of fiddly cooking when I cooked at the Manor. I can do fiddly along with the best of them and occasionally I do like to fancy things up a bit here at home.
In my normal day to day life, however, I like to keep things simple. Life is far too short to complicate things that don't need to be complicated. Things like every day meals.
I found the original recipe on a blog called Dinner Then Dessert. I cut it down to size and adapted it to ingredients and methods, etc. that I felt would work for me.
I actually didn't change a lot really. I used a large baking potato instead of Yukon Golds. I am not really sure what Yukon Golds are. We don't have them over here. I understand they are a yellow fleshed potato that lends itself beautifully to roasting and mashing.
I love the idea of using garlic and brown sugar. It reminded me of my favourite Italian Brown Sugar Chicken Thighs. I have not made them in a long time. (Time to change that!)
The potatoes are chunked and tossed together with some oil and seasoning. You then scatter them on a baking sheet. I lined the sheet with foil so there was no sticking, and again, an easy clean up afterwards.
I think you could add a peeled and chunked sweet potato as a substitution for half of the regular potato. Sweet potatoes go very well with pork.
The chops get massaged with a mix of the leftover oil from the potatoes, brown sugar and plenty of garlic. And I do mean plenty. Garlic and pork have a natural affinity for each other.
When my family was growing up I used to do a roast of pork which was highly flavoured with garlic. I would take a sharp knife and make deep slits down into the flesh of the roast.
Slivered cloves of garlic would be pushed into these slits. Oh my but it always came out some delicious!! The pork would be beautifully flavoured in and out, and the gravy was fantastic.
You can do the same treatment with a beef sirloin roast. Trust me, it will be fabulously delicious, and you may end up with a brand-new favourite way of cooking it.
These are just little tips of adding tastiness to things that I have accrued through the years. My mom always said I had a special knack for making even simple things taste incredible.
I just like eating delicious food. It is the glutton in me. If you love to cook and you love to eat, you will probably have a natural aptitude for deliciousness.
Its a gift I guess. But I come by it naturally. I've also had lots and lots and lots of practice through the years.
I was not always a great cook. There was a lot of trial and error in the early years. I have cooked some pretty awful food in my life time and my family has eaten rubber chicken.
I think though, because it was something I loved to do, I soaked all the knowledge I could up like a sponge. By watching others and reading I grew in knowledge and waxed strong. Anyone can be a great cook. You just need to love food and eating. That's my opinion anyways!
Garlic & Brown Sugar Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 1 large baking potato, washed and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 1/2 TBS canola oil
- 2 bone in pork chops
- 1 TBS minced garlic
- 1/4 cup (50g) soft light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp salt, divided
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Line a baking tray with some aluminium foil and spray it lightly with some low fat cooking spray.
- Put the potato chunks into a bowl. Toss together with the oil, half of the salt and 1/2 of the pepper. Scatter on the baking sheet.
- To the oil left in the bowl, add the brown sugar and garlic. Season the chops with the remaining salt and pepper. Put them into the bowl with the garlic/brown sugar/oil mixture and rub them to coat. Place them onto the baking sheet, nestling them in between the potatoes. Drizzle any remaining mixture in the bowl over top.
- Cook for 30 to 35 minutes until the pork is cooked through and the potatoes are tender. If desired you can flash it underneath the broiler for a minute to really gild the chops.
- Let rest for 3 to 5 minutes before serving with your favourite vegetables on the side.
notes:
We both really enjoyed these delicious, flavourful and tender pork chops. I loved that there was little to no clean up. I served them with some frenched runner beans and mashed turnips. Yummy yummy!
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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