It's not that hard to cook scrambled eggs properly, although some people do seem to be a bit mystified as just how to proceed, and still others seem to overcook them so much that they end up as dry little rubbery curds. What you are looking for is something that luxuriously, meltingly creamy. 

First of all you need to start with a good egg. I know I don't need to lecture you on the difference between a cage grown egg and a free range egg . . . we've all heard that spiel . . . Let's just say that I prefer to pay more and use free range. For me it's more than just taste . . . it's a matter of conscience.

You want to use a skillet that's not overly heated, in other word, warm, but not hot. Then you want a nice lump of butter, softly foaming in the pan . . . and finally you want the perfect mix of beaten eggs, cream and milk.

You add this mixture to the warm pan, and then you just let it sit without disturbing it . . . not for long . . . just long enough that it begins to set on the bottom. Only then do you want to start moving the eggs. I like to use a wooden spatula or spoon. 

 I commence to folding my eggs, slowly . . . from the outside edges into the centre of the pan. Not stirring . . . but folding . . . a constant, and slow movement . . . which I keep doing . . . just until the eggs are almost set, but still moist. 

At this point you will want to take them right off the heat. The eggs will continue to cook for a bit longer from the residual heat in the pan, but what you end up with is a lovely moist product, not dry at all. 

 Perfectly scrambled eggs make a delicious light supper with either some buttered toast or even simple buttered bread.

*Cheese and Chive Scrambled Eggs*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe


Fresh chives and a good strong cheddar together with perfectly scrambled eggs, create a hearty breakfast dish just packed with flavour.

12 large free range eggs
2 ounces whole milk
2 ounces cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
2 TBS butter
4 TBS finely chopped fresh chives
4 ounces of a good farmhouse strong cheddar cheese, grated
(I use Davidstow)

Whisk the eggs, milk, cream salt, black pepper and hot pepper sauce together in a large bowl.  Heat the 2 TBS of butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Once the butter begins to foam add the eggs.  Allow to sit for several minutes, without stirring, so that the eggs can begin to set on the bottom.  Begin to draw a wooden spatula or spoon across the bottom of the skillet to form large curds.  Cook, continuing to fold the eggs with the spoon slowly, working from the outside edges into the middle until the eggs are thickened but still moist.  Do not stir constantly or you will end up with small curds, you want thick moist ribbons.  Remove from the heat to a warm platter. Sprinkle the hot eggs with cheese and the chives.  Serve hot with warm toast, if desired. 

 Nothing screams Home Sweet Home more than a delicious Roast Chicken. I could easily roast and enjoy a succulent Roast Chicken every Sunday.  Done properly it is a thing of beauty and a properly Roasted Chicken affords you so much more than just the roast on the day, depending on the size of your chicken. 

For the smaller family a roast chicken is a delicious alternative to roasting a large turkey at the holidays. This year due to the pandemic, many of us will  not be able to travel to our family's during the holidays, so having a roast chicken only makes sense.

Leftovers are great for sandwiches or casseroles and then there is always that lovely carcass ready to be used for stock and soups. 

I always choose to buy the best chicken that I can afford. Free range and corn-fed are the best, but you need to make this choice according to your budget.  

 

How to Prepare a Chicken for Roasting 

 

It goes without saying that when you are spending a bit of money on a nice piece of poultry you will want to treat it with respect. Here are my tips for making the perfect roast chicken! 

 

Before you roast the chicken, you will want to pat it dry with some paper kitchen towelling. This results in a crisper, tastier skin. I like to tie the chicken’s legs together after stuffing it with anything I might be stuffing it with, prior to roasting. This helps the chicken to keep its shape during its roasting. 

 

If you are roasting a chicken on its own, it helps to place the chicken onto a greased rack I the baking dish. This helps to prevent the chicken from sticking to the dish. Pouring a small amount of liquid in the baking dish helps to create steam which helps to keep your roasting chicken moist. You don’t need much, only about ¾ of a cup. This can be stock or wine, or both. 

 

Once your chicken has roasted and has been taken from the oven, remove it from the roasting dish to a platter, tent with foil and allow it to “rest” for about 15 minutes. This helps the juices to settle back into the meat and will reward you with a much more succulent finish. Cutting into it too soon will release all those lovely juices that you really want to retain.  

 

*A Simple Roast Chicken*
Serves 4 - 6

Printable Recipe  

You can't beat a nicely roasted chicken.   Simple.  Easy to prepare. Deliciously succulent.    

1 large free range roasting chicken (between 3 1/2 and 5 pounds in weight)
a few knobs of softened butter
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a sprig of thyme
a couple cloves of garlic, peeled
the juice of half a lemon 

225ml of chicken stock (1 cups)

1 TBS flour     

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Have ready a nice deep roasting pan. 

Take your chicken and season it liberally inside with salt and pepper.  Stuff in the thyme into the cavity, along with the garlic, and a large knob of butter.   Rub the remaining  butter all over the outside of the chicken, pushing some of it beneath the skin of the breast between the skin and the flesh, taking care not to tear the skin.  Place the chicken into the roasting tin.   Season it with salt and pepper on the outside, and then squeeze the lemon juice over all.  Put the spent lemon half into the cavity of the chicken as well.  Pour  the chicken stock into the roasting tin around the chicken.   

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, basting with the pan juices from time to time.  When done the juices should run clear from the chicken when pierces between the thigh and the breast and the legs should feel quite loose when gently twisted.  Remove from the oven.  Remove the chicken to a serving platter and tent loosely with foil.  Allow it to rest while you make the gravy.

To make the gravy, pour the pan juices out into a measuring jug.  Pour a bit of boiling water in the pan and scrape up any juicy browned bits.  Pour this into the measuring jug.   Spoon about 2 TBS of the fat from the jug into a saucepan.  Discard the remainder of the fat.   Heat over medium heat until bubbling.  Whisk in the flour and cook for about a minute.   Slowly whisk in the pan juices, whisking until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken slightly.  Season to taste.  Allow to simmer over low heat for a few minutes to get rid of any flour taste.

Serve the chicken sliced, along with some of the gravy and any vegetables which you have prepared. 

 

 

Now that you have a roasted chicken and have eaten all that you want from it, you will want to make yourself a delicious soup.  Its not at all very hard to do and can really help to make your hard earned dollars go a lot further. 

There is nothing tastier to make with the spent carcass of your roasted chicken than a beautiful big pot of chicken soup.  My mother taught me how to make soup and she never used a recipe.  She could make soup out of just about anything.   A soup is only as good as it's stock.   Here is my foolproof recipe for making a beautiful chicken soup that is sure to become a family favourite.  

*Chicken With Stars Soup*
Serves 4-6

Printable Recipe  

This is a very simple and easy soup to make.  I often use the carcass from a roast chicken to make this, saving some chicken from the roast to use as well.   As I always cut up chickens myself to use in other recipes, I usually always have bags of chicken backs and necks in the freezer as well, which are very good when used in this soup!   Its amazing what you can do with a few bones and some vegetables!  

1 spent chicken carcass (if there is not a lot of meat left on the carcass you can add a few chicken wings or a leg)
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
1 carrot, unpeeled and cut in half
1 stalk of celery
Handful of celery leaves
1 onion, unpeeled, cut in half, root end removed
Sea salt
Cracked black pepper  

To finish:
1 carrot peeled and grated
¼ of a swede peeled and grated

1/2 mug full of Stelline Pasta (star shaped pasta, about 1/2 cup, or more as desired)  


Put your chicken carcass in a pot and cover with boiling water. Add the bay leaf, thyme, carrot, celery, celery leaves, onion and salt and pepper. Bring back to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 ½ hours to 2 hours. Strain broth into a clean pot. Discard vegetables and pick off as much meat as you can from off of the bones. Cut into small chunks. Bring broth to a boil and reduce somewhat. Taste and adjust seasoning. (If it is not very strong you can add a TBS or two of Marigold vegetable stock powder, but it really shouldn‘t be necessary.)  


Add the grated vegetables and the Stelline pasta.  Bring to the boil and then reduce to low and simmer for about 15 minutes until cooked. Add the diced chicken meat. Heat through and then ladle into hot bowls. Serve with some nice crusty bread or rolls.   

Next up I am showing you how to make a very basic stew.  You can use beef cubes, or pork or lamb for this, or even venison.  This is a very basic recipe. Once you master this and can make it without a recipe, you can branch out and begin to add other flavours, such as a bit of horseradish, some balsamic vinegar, even sweet pickle juice.  You can even use leftover wine for added flavour instead of water.   All are beautiful additions.
   

 

Another thing I like to make from scratch rather than from a box is Stove Top Mac and Cheese. My sister gave me this recipe many years ago and it has been an old stand by ever since.  Why pay a premium price for a boxes Mac and Cheese when making your own is such a simple thing and so much tastier!  

*Stove Top Mac and Cheese*

Serves 4

Printable Recipe

So easy to make and incredibly tasty!

2 cups (480ml) water

2 cups (230g) dry macaroni

1 cup (240ml) milk

2 TBS butter

2 cups (245g) grated strong cheddar cheese

2 TBS finely grated parmesan cheese

salt and black pepper to taste

Heat and stir the water, macaroni, milk and butter over medium heat for 15 minutes until the macaroni is al dente stirring frequently. Should take about 15  minutes.

Remove from the heat. Stir in the cheeses until the cheese melts.  Season to taste with salt and black pepper and serve immediately. Delicious! 

 

Who doesn't melt at the sight of a warm plate of Baking Powder Biscuits.  They were one of the first things I learned how to make.

 

These are one of the most basic of the quick breads and I have never known anyone to turn a well made biscuit down.   The important thing to remember about biscuits is to use a light touch with them.   Over working them toughens them.   

Pat them out gently and cut them out with a sharp cutter, using a very sharp quick straight up and down motion and your biscuits will always be perfect!

 

 

*Baking Powder Biscuits*
Makes 16
Printable Recipe


Golden brown and crusty outside, meltingly tender inside.

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1 TBS sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2/3 cup of  milk


Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 6.  Grease two 8 inch cake tins. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar together in a bowl.  Drop in the shortening and cut it into the flour mixture with two knives or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add the milk all at once and stur just until the dough forms a ball around the fork.  Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead about 14 times.  Pat out to 1/2 inch thickness.  Stamp out rounds with a 2 inch biscuit cutter, giving it a sharp tap straight down and up again.  Do not twist.  Place touching each other in the cake pans and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

If you like biscuits with crusty edges all around, place them 1 inch apart on a baking sheet to bake instead. 

  

 

 

Next up I am showing you how to make a very basic stew.  You can use beef cubes, or pork or lamb for this, or even venison.  This is a very basic recipe. Once you master this and can make it without a recipe, you can branch out and begin to add other flavours, such as a bit of horseradish, some balsamic vinegar, even sweet pickle juice.  You can even use leftover wine for added flavour instead of water.   All are beautiful additions. 

 

 

*A Basic Stew*
Serves 4

Printable Recipe

This is the very basic recipe for a delicious stew.  You can use beef, or pork, or lamb, or venison and it will come out perfectly every time.  The secret is in the browning.

1 pound of stewing meat, cut into 1 inch cubes

(trim of any fat and gristle and discard)

salt and black pepper

flour to roll the meat in
a knob of butter

1 onion, peeled and chopped

1 stalk of celery, trimmed and chopped

3 carrots, peeled and cut into coins

1 parsnip, peeled and cut into coins

1/2 a small rutabaga (swede) peeled and cut into cubes

4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

1 TBS tomato ketchup

hot water to cover

beef stock cube

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

1 bay leaf

Season your meat and roll it in flour to coat.   Melt the knob of butter in a large heavy bottomed saucepan.  Add the meat and brown it well on all sides working in batches.   Don't over crowd your pan or your meat won't brown well.  Browning it well is the secret to a nicely coloured gravy.  Remove the meat to a bowl as it browns and repeat until all the meat has been browned.  Add the onions and celery to the pan.  Saute until softened.  Return the meat to the pan along with any juices that have accumlated in the bowl.  Add enough hot water to barely cover the meat along with the worcestershire sauce, ketchup, stock cube, thyme and bay leaf.  Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, tightly covered at a slow simmer for about an hour.   Add the carrot, parsnip and rutabaga.   Cover and cook for about half an hour longer.   Add the potato cubes and cover again.   Cook for a further 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the meat is falling apart.  Taste and adjust seasoning as required.  Serve hot with plenty of crusty bread for sopping up all the juices.

Note - if you wish a thick gravy you can shake a tablespoon of flour in a jar with about 110ml or 1/2 cup of cold water until smooth.  Stir this into the stew and bring to the boil, stirring constantly.  Cook for several minutes to cook out the flavour of the flour. 

 

 Now that you have the stew made you are going to want to make some dumplings to drop on top and enjoy with your stew.  When I was a child it was always a great day when my mother made stew and dumplings.

They are quick and easy to make. Just try not to peek into the pan when they are cooking and you will be okay!

  

 

*Basic Dumplings*

Serves 6

Printable Recipe

Quick and easy and oh so tasty.  A must with some soups and always with stew.

2 cups (280g) all purpose flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup (240ml) milk

Quickly whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add the milk all at once and mix only to combine. Let rest for a few minutes.

Make sure your soup or stew mixture is bubbling. Drop the dumpling mixture on top of the hot stew by the spoonful, trying to keep it on top of any vegetables and meat. Cover tightly and cook for 10 to 15  minutes without lifting the lid.  The dumplings are done when you can insert a toothpick into the centre of one and it comes out clean. 

 

 

So there you have it. Ten basic delicious recipes that everyone should know how to make by heart.  These are my ten basics. What are yours?  I really want to know! 

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! 

 Follow my blog with Bloglovin 

My father is going to be a very happy camper tonight. My sister is making Chili for supper. My father loves Chili.

Me, not so much, but it she has it cooking now and it sure smells good. I am quite sure I will enjoy hers! I baked some Three Grain Biscuits for us to enjoy along with it.

 The recipe comes from an old cookbook of mine entitled Home for the Holidays, festive baking with whole grains by Ken Haedrich.  My father happened to have it in his bookcase so how lucky was that. 

I did have a copy in the UK, which I had to leave behind, so it was nice to have this one to use. My father did not mind me having it, as he never cooks anymore.

 

The sour cream also gives them a lovely rich flavour as well. There is butter in there also to add to the sumptuousness of these.

They are not really heavy biscuits as one would suppose with whole grains.  They are quite light and fluffy!

 I think they will go great with the chili, especially once they are split and buttered.  I can almost taste how good that will be.

Hot Biscuits and Chili. It doesn't get much better than this. These bake fast enough that by the time people get their bowls filled and are sitting at the table they are ready to serve.

Chili was not something we ever really had when I was growing up. My mother discovered the recipe on the side of a tin of beans once, or  maybe it was tomato soup.  

She tried it. My father loved it, and every Saturday night from then on it was Chili night.

My father and daughter love to treat themselves to a bowl of chili at Tim Hortons. Mom also loved it. I have never had it myself, but I have seen it in cans at the shops.

My daughter Eileen loves it so much that she has it almost every day for her lunch. She gets it at the actual restaurant. I have heard the stuff in the tins is not that good.

I wouldn't know as I have never had either.  I like to make my chili at home from scratch. I normally use ground steak. My sister is using grass fed lean ground beef. I am sure it will be delicious.

I hope there is some cheese to sprinkle on top!

I had to taste test one of the biscuits with my lunch time salad. Just to make sure they were palatable you know.

They were lovely.  I suggest they go well with a soup, or a salad. Or even on their own with some peanut butter or honey or both!

 They are especially nice split and spread with butter.  Hot biscuit, cold butter, melting down into all those light nooks and crannies.

Perfection.  Pure Biscuit perfection.  I cut them into rectangles so that every one of them is a first cut. No re-patting of the dough.

 The key to a light biscuit is to handle the dough the least amount as possible.  Over-handling them can toughen them considerably.

And when you have to gather up and re-pat out scraps that doesn't help. The re-pats never come out as nice. Not to look at and not texture wise.

If you are using a biscuit cutter, make sure you cut them out with a sharp up and down tapping motion. I know the temptation is there to want to twist the cutter, but don't.

Twisting seals the edges and you get a biscuit that is not as light, not as tall and often lopsided to look at.

 

Three Grain Biscuits

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Yield: Makes 12

Author: Marie Rayner

prep time: 10 Mincook time: 14 Mintotal time: 24 Min

Crisp on the outsides with a soft, creamy interior these are fabulously light and delicious biscuits! They are perfect for when you don't want a really heavy bread on the side.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups (170g) unbleached flour
• 1/3 cup (51) yellow cornmeal
• 1/3 cup (25g) rolled oats (not instant)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup (60g) cold butter, cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup (60g) sour cream
• 1/2 cup (120ml) milk
• butter for brushing on top

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 235*C/450*F/ gas mark 7.  Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Whisk the flour, oatmeal, cornmeal, soda, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.  Drop in the butter and cut it in with a pastry blender or two round bladed knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. Mix together the milk and sour cream.
4. Make a well in the centre of the dry mixure.  Pour in the wet and stir quickly together with a fork to make a soft dough.
5. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and pat out using floured hands to make a rectangle, roughly 3/4  inch thick.
6. Cut into 12 rectangular biscuits and place onto the baking tray.
7. Bake for 13 to 14 minutes, until risen and golden brown.  Brush the tops with butter and serve while still warm.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #EnglishKitchen

Created using The Recipes Generator

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! 

 Follow my blog with Bloglovin 

 

  

There is also a simple icing sugar glaze which gets spooned over top of the finished muffins.  This is the photograph from the book I got the recipe from.

I am still struggling to find good light for my food photography. In the UK I had a specific place that worked very well for this purpose. Here its a lot more difficult, as the windows in my sister’s house are not really facing in the right direction.

 

 

*Homemade Baking Mix*

Makes 24 servings

Printable Recipe

This is  mix which comes in really handy to have in the cupboard, ready to use for making muffins, pancakes and all sorts.

1260g of plain flour (9  cups)

245g milk powder (1 cup)

5 TBS baking powder

50g white sugar (1/4 cup)

1 TBS salt

220g white vegetable shortening (1 cup)

Whisk flour, dry milk powder, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Cut shortening into dry ingredients with a pastry cutter, about 1/2 cup at a time, until mixture resembles cornmeal. Store in an air-tight container for up to 3 months. 

 

To make biscuits/scones: Measure 260g (2 cups) of the mix into a bowl.  Stir in 180ml buttermilk (3/4 cup) with a fork, Pat out, cut into circles and bake in a 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7 oven for about 10 minutes.  Makes six large biscuits (scones).

To make Pancakes:  Measure 260g (2 cups) of the mix into a bowl. Whisk in 3 TBS sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 TBS vegetable oil and 2 eggs.  Whisk together until smooth.  Cook as per regular pancakes on a greased griddle.  Drop 1/4 cupful at a time onto hot greased griddle.  Cook until the edges are dry, flip and cook until golden.  Makes about 14.

To make Waffles:  Measure 260g (2 cups) of the mix into a bowl.  Beat together with 310ml milk (1 1/3 cups), 2 TBS vegetable oil and 1 egg.  Pour into centre of hot greased waffle maker.  Close lid.  Bake abour 5  minutes or until steaming stops.  Remove with a fork and keep warm.  Makes about 12.

 

They refer to these in the cookbook as being muffins.  I really think they are more like a cross between a muffin and a biscuit/scone type of pastry. 

I would think they are more like the biscuit than the muffin, but you can make your own mind up.

I love recipes with a history and containing a bit of nostalgia. In modern times we have a tendancy to look past these types of things and judge them as being archaic and old fashioned.

Young people today are keen to embrace the new, and I don't blame them. New is good.  But I think old is often better. (That is my age speaking I guess!)

 

 

 

 It was not always so.  I remember gorging myself on some from a neighbours raspberry canes when I was 10 years old. (Very naughty on my part.)

I got a tummy bug combined with being motion sick not too long after the binge. My father was hoovering the seeds from out of the carpeting in the car for years afterwards, and it was a very long time before I could face a raspberry again.

 

In any case I hope that you will be inspired to want to bake these lush muffins/pastries for your family.  I think they are something which everyone will enjoy.

If you are not fond of raspberries I am thinking you could use blackberries or even blueberries!  I think toasted flaked almonds would also be very nice baked on top! And if you used almond flavouring in the batter, they would be almost like a Bakewell type of bake! Yum!!

Raspberry Peek-A-Boos

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Yield: 12

Author: Marie Rayner

prep time: 15 Mincook time: 20 Mintotal time: 35 Min

A delicious cross between a muffin and a pastry. They are filled with fresh berries and topped with a vanilla glaze!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (125g) fresh raspberries, washed and drained
• 4 TBS granulated sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 cups (240g) original bisquick baking mx
• 1/4 cup (60g) butter softened
• 2/3 cup (160ml) milk

For the glaze

• 1 cup (130g) icing sugar, sifted
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• pinch salt
• 1 to 2 TBS milk

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Butter a 12-cup medium muffin cup really well, or line with paper liners.
2. Toss the berries together in a bowl with 2 TBS of the sugar, the lemon juice, nutmeg and cinnamon.
3. Combine the bisquick and remaining sugar. Drop in the butter and rub it in with your fingertips to combine.  Add the milk all at once, stirring it in just until moistened.
4. Spread 1 TBS of the dough into the bottom of each muffin cup. Top each with 1 TBS of the raspberry mixture.  Divide the remainder of the dough equally and drop it on top of the raspberry mixture.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.  Allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes.
6. Whisk all of the ingredients for the glaze together, adding milk 1 TBS at a time until you have a mixture with a drizzle consistency.
7. Drizzle over muffins and allow to set before serving.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #EnglishKitchen

Created using The Recipes Generator

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! 

 Follow my blog with Bloglovin