I love hearty salads such as this grain salad that I am sharing with you today. Not only are they delicious and filled with fiber, but they are very simple to make.
When I lived in the UK, there was a really delicious one that I used to pick up at Marks & Spencers. I loved the food at M&S. I always said if I won the lottery I would only shop at M&S.
New look, new life, giveaway for you! I recently did a big upgrade to my blog here on The English Kitchen. Hopefully I have created a space that is more interesting to read, nicer to look at and a page which loads faster.
Linda at My Fairy Blog Mother did the revamp for me and I have to say she did an excellent job! Very professional. It was a complete pleasure to work with her. She was very attentive and did everything exactly the way I wanted it done. And she had it all done in a very short period of time. I highly recommend her if you are wanting to have any work done on your own blog! Highly professional and quite affordable as well! I could not be happier! Thank YOU Linda!
I have been wanting to do something special to celebrate me beginning my new start in Canada and I figured a giveaway would be a great way to do it.
Its also a great way to thank my readers and followers for all the support they have given to me over these past six months or so.
Haven't the last 18 months been hard on all of us, what with Covid and everything else. So what better way to chase away the humdrums than by giving and sharing with others!
To that end I have correlated a giveaway including some of my favorite things. I love a good cookbook and who doesn't love vintage looking kitchen linens!
I am all about vintage here, and lets face it, at the ripe old age of almost 66, I am a bit vintage myself! Here is what the lucky winner will receive.
During quarantine and while I was living at my sisters, waiting to find my forever-after home, I whiled away many an hour embroidering kitchen teatowels.
I love, LOVE embroidered teatowels and told myself I was not going to have anything in my new home that wasn't A. useful B. pretty and C. something which I loved.
I adore hand embroidered teatowels and I think you just might also. With that in mind I am including one of my hand embroidered teatowels.
The Fanny Farmer Cookbook is my all-time favourite cookbook to use for inspiration. I have been using it since I was a young bride in the 1970's. It is filled with gems.
I cannot tell you how many of these books I have worn out through the years. I am including a copy of this classic, all-time favourite cookbook.
Another thing I did to while away the time while I was waiting to get started on my new life was to crochet myself an abundance of cotton dish cloths. I am also including one of these. They are perfect for washing dishes, mopping up spills, etc. Every stitch contains a little bit of love.
So what do you have to do to get in on the giveaway? Its simple really.
1. Follow me and sign up for my newsletters. Follow my blog with Bloglovin
That's the easiest and simplest thing to do.
2. Follow me on Instagram.
3. Follow me on Twitter.
4. Follow my Facebook Page.
5. Leave a comment below telling me what your favorite recipe is that I have shared here in The English Kitchen and why!
And that is not all, as a second prize I will be giving one lucky reader the gift of their choice of five of my very popular Cookbooklets. There are 12 of them to choose from and you can pick five.
Its that simple really. This giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere in the world. I will post the prize anywhere. You have to be in it to win it however, so follow and comment away. Share as well if you want. I don't mind a bit!
This giveaway will remain open until one week from today at 12 noon Eastern Time on the 21st of June, which co-incidentally also happens to be the first day of Summer! I will be picking a lucky winner from the comments left on this post and I will be checking to make sure you have followed all the steps above so no cheating!
Good luck everyone!
One of my favorite fruits next to cherries, watermelon and pears has to be peaches. I simply adore peaches and will happily gobble them up however I can get them.
Usually its just tinned peaches, but I don't mind. I just love them. In the UK, I didn't often get to enjoy fresh peaches. We did get them on occasion from South Africa and from France. The ones from France were excellent!
I am sharing a heavenly dessert with you today. Perfect for the upcoming national celebrations which, here in North America, we will be taking note of on both the 1st and the 4th of July. But holidays aside, this fabulously tasty dish is welcome any time and on any occasion!
Berry Angel Pie! What you have here is a really light dessert, which is perfect to serve after a heavy meal or when you have been BBQ-ing.
I have shared a lemon version of this before. You can find that recipe here. It is really lucious. I hope you will forgive me for the bad photography of that one.
It was pretty early in my blogging days and I didn't have a great camera, etc. I have improved a bazillion times since then!
I found myself earlier this week with a quantity of berries that needed using up. I love, LOVE berry season when you can enjoy your fill of fresh berries!
When I was living in the UK, we grew all of our own soft fruit in the garden. We had black currants, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries and gooseberries. I will miss having such an abundance of those little gems.
There is nothing so wonderful as being able to eat soft fruit like that, freshly picked. It just tastes so much better than the super-market stuff.
You never know how long it has taken for that fruit in the shops to get to the supermarket shelves. A lot of it comes from great distances away and it just never tastes that good to me.
These berries came from Ontario and Mexico, so, not quite as good as they will be a bit later on in the season. I saw fresh local strawberries at the farm market behind my house today.
A bit on the pricey side. As the season moves along they will get cheaper. I can't wait! I used to pick tons of strawberries every year when the children were growing up. Most of it got made into jam.
When you have five hungry children to feed, you go through a lot of jam, and strawberry was their favorite! As they got older they would help me pick berries, not their favorite job, but then again, do any children really enjoy this type of chore?
Probably not!
One year when we were visiting my in-laws on the Island, their father took them berry picking and when they got back my MIL let them set up a small stand at the end of the driveway so that they could sell some of their boxes of berries.
They sold every box more than once, lol. My in-laws lived in a community of retired folks.
The old guys were buying boxes of berries and then giving them back to the children so they could sell them again. The kids were amazed!
Most of the time in those days berries would be made into jam, or served as Strawberry Shortcake. Occasionally a strawberry pie would be baked, or a blueberry pie. (My father's favorites!)
Angel Pies are basically composed basically of a sweet meringue crust, which is baked in a moderate oven until golden brown. It is crisp on the outside, but chewy and marshmallow like on the inside.
Onto that goes lightly sweetened whipped cream and on top of that fresh berries
The meringue crust for this version is slightly different than the usual. It contains a small amount of baking powder, which makes it rise nice and tall.
It also has a quantity of broken cookies folded into the meringue before baking. I used custard creams because I was topping it with berries.
I knew that the vanilla like flavor of the custard creams would go very well with the berries. You might think that folding broken cookies into a meringue prior to baking it is an unusual thing, and perhaps it is.
But the end result is a fabulous crust. Crisp on the outside. Billowing and soft on the inside, and studded with these crunchy/chewy bits that become almost like a toffee-like, and yet not. Its hard to describe.
Your family will wonder what it is that is giving it that fabulous texture and flavor. You can't quite put your finger on it. Its just amazing.
I can think of only one word to describe it and it is this. MOREISH!
Combine that with the soft richness of whipped cream. Oh sure you could use frozen whipped if you wanted to and even the lower calorie frozen whipped topping if you are watching your calories.
In fact you could use low sugar, reduced fat cookies in the crust as well. But, I like to keep things as natural as I can.
Processed foods to have their place, but if I can use something natural and pure, I would rather use that.
I also prefer the flavor of real whipped cream over the artificial stuff. I am not even fond of squirty cream that comes out of the can.
I do sweeten the cream a tiny bit. I add about two teaspoons of sugar to it. It just adds a slight hint of sweetness.
I don't sweeten the fruit at all. I just wash it. Dry it. Slice the strawberries and then arrange them on top with the blueberries.
What you have here is a delightful dessert, with a crisp soft marshmallow inside base of a crust filled with toffee-ish bits, combined with rich cream and then tart berries.
Altogether this is incredibly delicious as well as being very simple and easy to make. I think you are going to love this one. I can pretty much guarantee your family will also!
Berry Angel Pie
Yield: 6
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 45 Min
With its crisp meringue crust this is a real favorite during the berry season!
Ingredients
- 3 large free range egg whites
- 2/3 cup (130g) granulated sugar (in the UK use castor sugar)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 10 custard cream type of cookies/biscuits, coarsely broken into bits
- 1 cup (240ml) whipping cream
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 cup (150g) sliced strawberries
- 1 cup (190g) fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter a 9-inch pie plate really well, or spray with low fat cooking spray. Set aside.
- Whisk together the first amount of sugar and the baking powder. Set aside.
- Beat the egg whites in a clean grease free bowl with an electric whisk until soft peaks form. Slowly start to add the sugar mixture, beating continuously, until the mixture becomes glossy and forms stick peaks. Fold in the broken cookies.
- Spread this mixture into the prepared pie plate.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until lightly browned. It will look really puffed up, but don't worry it will sink.
- Allow to cool completely in the pan, on a wire rack.
- Whisk the cream along with the 2 tsp of sugar in a clean, grease free bowl until thick. Spread into the meringue crust.
- Top with the sliced berries. Serve immediately.
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Singed Angel Wings. I suppose that is what happens when an angel flies too close to the sun. Their wings get singed.
No worries. There have been no angels hurt today in the making of this very easy and simple dessert. This is a very old, old recipe. I discovered the original in the desserts section of the Betty Crocker Picture Cook Book.
It was in the desserts section under the heading of Favorite Angel Food Desserts. They had angel food cakes on offer at the store this week, so I thought why not!
Why not indeed! Of course if you want to make your own angel food cake for this you can, and if you are a small family, you can make my recipe for an Angel Food Cake for Two. Its very easy and delicious.
Just be sure to cut the cake into wedges if you want it to look like wings. I am sure that is not really all that important however. You can cut it however you wish to. Slices, wedges, etc.
What I loved about this dessert was the simplicity of it all. Quick and easy to. Everyone needs to have a dessert like this up their sleeves, ready to pull out and execute at the last minute.
Another beautiful thing about it is that you can make as many servings as you want or need of this tasty dessert. One, or ten, its all very easy.
I was drawn in by the title and then just could not help making it. The original recipe in the book suggested toasting the cake and then serving it with an orange butter sauce.
I thought I can do better than that, and I did!
Angel food cake is cut into wedges (the angel's wings.) The wings are brushed lightly with a bit melted butter and then toasted lightly on both sides under the broiler. (grill in the UK)
How easy is that? It could not be easier. The hardest part is keeping an eye on them so that they don't burn. The high sugar content in an Angel food cake makes it susceptible to burning. So DO keep a close watch when the wedges are under the broiler.
Once the wings are singed you are ready to proceed. Toasting the wings under the broiler gives them a nice crusty surface, buttery and crisp, but not overly so.
The insides of the cake remain soft like marshmallow. You get the best of both worlds. Crusty and billowy soft at the same time!
That's the hardest part done. Tout finis! All you need to do now is to place those wings on a place and finish the dessert.
In order to make them really look like a pair of wings, I place the toasted cake slices on the plate with the thicker edges to the outside of the place and the thinner edges meeting in the middle.
Angel food cake was a cake that I often had to bake when I worked at the Manor. My boss, the Mrs. liked it because there was no fat in it.
Angel Food Cake is basically just egg whites beaten with a bit of sugar, with flour being folded in. Such a simple thing, and oh so tasty.
Light as air. Light as a cloud. Light as an angel's wings, which I suppose is where it got its name from! No matter, its delicious and contains no fat.
Once you singe the wings and place them on the plate, the hard part is done. You simply have to top them with a scoop of your favourite ice cream, some sauce and nuts.
I love Vanilla ice cream. I know . . . boring, but what can I say. You can't beat plain old Vanilla ice cream!! Oh, I do like other kinds, but when you are going to put it with other things, toppings etc. Vanilla works the best every time.
Of course that all depends on what you want to top it with. A ripple ice cream would also be very nice. Butterscotch ripple, or raspberry ripple, etc. You get the picture.
I topped this dessert today with some warmed Dulce de Leche. I adore Dulce de Leche. It is one of my favorite dessert ingredients.
If you are not familiar with it, Dulce de leche is a confection/spread/sauce from Latin America. It is prepared by slowly heating sugar and milk over a period of several hours.
The resulting substance takes on a spreadable, sauce-like consistency with a rich flavor and color. This is a result of non-enzymatic browning. It is typically used to top or fill other sweet foods, and it is delicious, with a beautiful caramel-like toffee flavor.
Of course you can use whichever sauce you desire to top the ice cream. Chocolate sauce would be lovely. So would cherry or strawberry, blueberry, etc.
Crushed fresh berries would also be very nice. Rhubarb sauce. Strawberry and rhubarb sauce. Just pick something which is sweet and saucy and that your family enjoys!
I topped mine with the dulce de leche and then sprinkled crushed peanuts over top. Toasted pecans would also be very nice, as would walnuts, macadamia nuts, etc. Just pick your favorite nut. Do be sure they are toasted however.
You could also use a pineapple sauce and toasted flaked coconut. That would be really tropical!
The important thing is not to stress about it. Just enjoy it. This is not a dessert that is meant to be over-complicated. Simple. Easy. Delicious.
That's what makes it so attractive to make, and so delicious. Food doesn't have to be complicated in order to taste good! Some of the best things in life are the simplest.
Singed Angel Wings
Yield: variable
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 5 MinTotal time: 10 Min
This quick and easy dessert can be made to serve as many or as few people as you are wanting to feed. It is quite simply delicious. Amounts are given for one serving. Multiply as needed.
Ingredients
For each serving:
- Two wedges of angel food cake
- melted butter to brush
- a scoop of vanilla ice cream
- your favorite ice cream topping to drizzle
- chopped toasted peanuts or other nuts as desired
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler to high. Brush melted butter lightly on both cut sides of each wedge of angel food cake.
- Lightly brown both sides of the cake under the broiler. (Keep an eye on them as they brown quickly.)
- Place the cake wedges on a plate to resemble wings, with the thicker edges at the outside and the thinner edges facing each other in the middle of the plate.
- Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, drizzle with the ice cream topping, sprinkle with nuts and serve immediately. Delicious!
Now that the rules for lockdown are relaxing a bit, they have opened local restaurants for outdoor dining. My father goes every Tuesday for Fish and Chips at his local with his lady friends. That leaves Cindy and Dan free to do their own thing.
When I was still living with them, we would take the opportunity on Wednesday nights to eat something we knew dad wouldn't like that much. We would explore Tex Mex and Indian cuisines, etc. take a bit of a walk on the wild side as it were.
This week I decided to invite them over here to my place for Chili Dogs. Dan likes Chili Dogs and Cindy usually has to work on Wednesday, so it would be a chance for her to have a bit of a break and for Dan to have a bit of a treat!
I am a person who doesn't like chili with beans on my hotdogs. It has a bit too much going on for me. I prefer a much more unadulterated, meat only chili. Without chunks of onions and beans, etc.
This recipe I am sharing with you today is just that. A meat only, unadulterated, chili sauce, meant to be eaten on Chili dogs.
I actually ground my own meat for this. It was very lean. What you want is a nice and lean ground beef, without a lot of fat in it.
Hot dogs are fatty enough without adding even more fat to them. As you can see this sauce is not really soupy either. You want a sauce with a thickish consistency, but not dry.
The best I can describe it to you is to show you the above photograph. As you can see it is neither overly wet, nor overly dry. It is nice and meaty and well flavored.
There is a beautiful mix of flavors and spices in the sauce. Because I didn't want chunks of onion or garlic in the sauce, I opted to use powdered garlic and onion. This gives you the flavor without anything else.
If you have a family member who doesn't like onions in things, slipping a bit of onion powder into the dish is a great way to inject onion flavor without them realizing it. Be careful to use the powder and not the salt. What you don't want to do is be adding more salt.
I always use all beef hotdogs. Today I used ball-park all beef hotdogs. They had a nice snappy skin and were surprisingly lean! I was quite happy with them. I grilled them on my electric grill.
I actually ended up having to finish them in the oven. I recently purchased a Gotham Electric smoke free grill and I have to say, I was not impressed. I had never heard of them and it was on sale, half price, so I bought it.
If the cooking of the hot dogs was any test, I would say don't waste your money. There was no smoke, but I also ended up finishing the dogs in the oven. Of course that is only the first thing I have cooked on it but so far not impressive.
You also want a sturdy kind of a hot dog bun. I used D'Italiano buns. I hate it when I am eating a burger or a dog and the bun is falling apart with every mouthful.
These buns stayed the course and remained pretty much intact. Keeping your buns from getting overly soggy is also a reason for making sure your sauce is not too thin.
You can of course adorn your dogs with whatever toppings you enjoy. My sister added additional mustard to hers (There is some mustard in the sauce.) I offered all the traditional hot dog toppings as well as grated cheese and finely chopped raw sweet onion.
I used a Tex Mex blend of cheese with spicy Jack and Cheddar in it. It was perfect. You don't want to overdo the cheese. Well, maybe YOU do, but I didn't. lol
To me this was perfect just as is. The sauce has a lovely smoky spicy flavor. North American style chili powder, which is not as spicy as the chili powder in the UK, along with chipotle chili powder, ground cumin and celery seed.
I can remember the first time I used chili powder in the UK. I had not realized it was PURE chili powder, essentially ground dried red chilies. I about blew our socks off. Hot. Hot. Hot.
If you are in the UK, do not make that mistake. Use mild chili powder and judge accordingly. Add and taste. Add and taste. Stop when it gets to your preferred level of heat.
I like chipotle chili powder. It is a bit hotter, but adds a lovely smoked flavor to the sauce. In the UK, you could add a quantity of smoked paprika which will give you the same effect.
Coleslaw would also go very nicely. I really hope you will be inspired to give this tasty sauce a try. Next time you are cooking hotdogs for the family on the grill, why not offer up some of this sauce on the side.
You can make it ahead of time and reheat it gently over medium low heat. (You may need to add a touch of water.) You can also freeze it in smaller quantities for future use.
Above all enjoy!
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@aol.com
Chili Dog Sauce
Yield: About 4 cups
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 50 Min
This delicious sauce is snappy and spicy and so great on hot dogs. It makes quite a bit, but freezes very well.
Ingredients
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef mince
- 1 can (156ml/6 ounces) tomato paste (tomato puree)
- 1 TBS sugar
- 1 TBS yellow mustard
- 2 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp chili powder (mild)
- 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp celery seed
- 1 cup (240ml) water
To serve:
- hot dogs
- hot dog buns
- finely diced sweet onion
- grated cheddar cheese (I like to use a mix of Jack and Cheddar cheeses)
Instructions
- Spray a large skillet with some low-fat nonstick cooking spray. Crumble in the ground beef.
- Scramble fry over medium high heat until browned and no longer pink. Add all of the spices, seasoning to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Cook for a minute or so longer and then add the Worcestershire sauce, sugar, mustard, tomato paste and water.
- Bring to the boil, then reduce to a slow simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally (cover slightly to prevent spatters) for 35 to 40 minutes until nicely thickened but not dry.
- Cook your hotdogs using your preferred method. Serve in heated buns with some of this sauce spooned over top of the hotdogs. Top with cheese and chopped onion.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
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