One thing I really like is Onion Rings. I think if I had to choose between Fries or Onion Rings I would really have a hard time choosing which one to have. If push really came to shove, Onion Rings would win every time.
They are not so healthy though (as if fries are!). Deep fried food is not really a healthy thing to be eating. Also I tend to not deep fry anything at home if I can help it, due to the smell and mess. I save deep fried food for eating out and the occasional treat!
I recently purchased an air fryer and have determined to learn how to use it properly. I have had a difficult time coming to terms with it. I mostly just cremate food in it. In fact I have been calling it my cremator.
I really want it to pay for itself however, so I am sticking with it. I am happy to say I am getting way better and have had success with the last few things I have tried!
Air frying is so much better for you than deep fat frying. Not only it is quicker to cook foods in an air fryer, but studies have found that people who cook with a an air fryer reduce their calorie consumption by 70 to 80%!
All plusses in my book. I have never been a person that deep fried a lot of food anyways, but it is nice to know that if I want something with a deep fat fried flavor and texture I can achieve that in a much healthier way.
These newer air fryer models are so much better and more efficient than the fryers of the past and most of them these days provide multiple functions, rather than just frying.
Today I decided to do onion rings in them, because, as I said above. I enjoy onion rings, but I don't always enjoy the grease and indigestion they give me from the grease. Having said that however, I also have my favorites when it comes to onion rings.
Typically I have always found onion rings that are made from ground up onions, mixed into a batter and then fried in ring shapes disappointing. I want real onions, with a crispy coating. I like to chew my own food thank you very much!
When I was searching for recipes online as a guide to make my onion rings, I found that most were made with bread crumbs, and some with bread crumbs and cornmeal for extra crunch. I confess, I don't like the cornmeal. For me, that is a bit too much crunch.
I love cornmeal in breads and such, but not so much in breading. Panko bread crumbs seem to give the best results crunch wise, but don't worry if you only have regular dried bread crumbs. They can also be used with success.
If you really want a treat, add a bit of finely grated Parmesan Cheese and some herbs to the bread crumbs. You may want to make them the regular way first however so you know what to expect.
You want to use a sweet onion to make onion rings with. A Vidalia is great if you can get them, or a Spanish onion. You do want a large onion if possible.
Don't be tempted to use red onions. End of.
You will only need 1/2 of a large onion to make this recipe which I have sized perfectly for two people. You will find that it served two very generously.
Cut the onion into 1/2 inch thick slices and then separate them into rings. You won't be able to use the inner most parts, but that's okay, you can save them for something else.
The art of dredging or coating things in an egg/flour/breadcrumb coating is called Pane. It is not my favorite thing to do because it can get rather messy rather quickly.
I find that using three separate forks for each element of the pane works well and doesn't cross contaminate your coatings. You will need one for the flour mixture, one for the egg/buttermilk and one for the breadcrumbs. If you keep them separate with the three forks then there is very little mess.
These are not completely fat free of course. You need a bit of fat for flavor and to crisp them up. A bit of oil is mixed into the bread crumb mixture, which helps to crisp the crumbs beautifully. Use a healthy oil, a canola is good.
You will also need to spritz with some oil cooking spray as well. Some people swear by avocado oil cooking spray. I just used ordinary Pam.
This recipe I am sharing today makes the perfect amount for two people, although you could certainly double the recipe to feed more people if you wish.
Its helpful to know that you can also freeze these when done. Simply pop onto a baking sheet and into the freezer, repacking them into a zip lock freezer bag when frozen.
They will keep for up to two months packed this way and can easily be reheated quickly for a few minutes in the air fryer when you want to serve them.
I was really pleased with how these turned out. Not only were they quick and easy to make, but they were crisp and delicious as well.
I served mine simply with some tomato ketchup for dipping, but some people enjoy them with fry sauce (equal parts of ketchup and mayo) sour cream dip, etc. You know what you like best.
I would make these again and plan on making them sometime when Eileen and Tim come over. I just know they will love them! And it makes me feel good knowing that I can make a snack for them that is a bit healthier than the alternative!
Air Fryer Onion Rings for Two
Yield: 2
Prep time: 12 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 27 Min
Crisp and delicious and oh so simple to make! Sized perfectly for two people. Great on their own as a snack with a dip, or as a side for burgers or dogs.
Ingredients
- 1/2 of a large sweet onion (the sweeter the better)
- 1/3 cup (50g) plain all purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp seasoning salt
- hefty pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 large free range egg
- 1/3 cup (80ml) buttermilk
- 1 cup (110g) panko bread crumbs
- 1 TBS vegetable oil
- 1 TBS cornmeal (optional)
- low fat cooking spray
- additional seasoning salt to finish
Instructions
- You will need three shallow bowls for the breading.
- In bowl one, whisk together the flour, seasoning salt and cayenne pepper
- In bowl two, whisk together the buttermilk and egg.
- In bowl three, whisk together the bread crumbs, oil and cornmeal (if using.)
- Cut your onion into 1/2 inch thick slices. (I peel my onion after I slice it.) Separate into rings. Save the small inner parts for another use.
- Working with one ring at a time, dip first into the buttermilk egg mixture, then into the flour and back into the buttermilk. Toss into the bread crumb mixture, pressing to adhere.
- Spray each with some cooking spray and place into the air fryer basket (s), in a single layer, taking care that they don't touch. (You can put the really small ones inside of the larger ones.)
- Preheat your air fryer to 350*F/180*C. Air fry for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
- Sprinkle with additional seasoning salt and serve immediately.
Here in Canada the children will soon be going back to school. I know that this is also true of children in the UK! I believe that many children in America have already gone back to school.
No worries however. No matter if they have already gone back or are going back soon, as a mom you will be racking your brain some mornings for something delicious they can eat for breakfast!
And it isn't just children who enjoy these quick and easy breakfast sandwiches! Grownups do too. How many people stop by fast food restaurants on their way to work to grab something just like this!
Along with a cup of coffee these are a favorite breakfast choice for many adults as well.
Once made, it is a very simple thing to wrap them into some greaseproof paper and go on your way, making them also a very portable breakfast option.
If you keep a few ingredients ready in the freezer, you can always have the makings of these tasty breakfast sandwiches at the ready.
Breakfast sausage rounds, frozen waffles are two things you might want to keep around. You will also need some cheese and eggs. I like to use large free range eggs if possible, but that is a personal choice. You can use whatever eggs you can afford and use according to the dictates of your conscience.
I cooked my sausage in my air fryer. 10 minutes at 350*F.180*C. Easy peasy.
If you are not fond of breakfast sausage, you can use bacon. I often buy bacon and fry the whole package up, or bake it in the oven.
I then pop it into a freezer container with some baking paper in between, ready to take out and use at a moments notice. A few seconds in the microwave is all you need to warm them up to perfection.
The egg for this sandwich is cooked in a cooking ring. I use my crumpet rings. I spray them first with non-stick canola oil cooking spray and then place them into a non-stick skillet, which I have also sprayed with the same cook spray.
Place onto a moderate heat, you simply crack the egg into the ring and let it cook first on one side until almost set, removing the ring and finishing cooking on the other side.
If you place a slice of cheese on top of the egg as soon as you flip it over, it doesn't take very long to melt.
You can also scramble the egg and cook it that way in the cooking ring. Just like a little omelet.
Which ever you choose to do/use, just cook it to your desired level of done. Personally if I am eating a breakfast sandwich like this, I prefer my yolk to be hard.
Cooking the waffles is easy. Just follow the directions on the box. You can use plain waffles, or blueberry waffles. I know some people who like chocolate chip waffles.
To each their own. I like plain myself. But I am a plain jane kind of a girl.
The main question with these sandwiches is . . . syrup or not? (Always pure Maple Syrup for me please.)
You can go old school and drizzle some syrup on top of the whole thing and eat it with a fork and a knife, or you can cut the sandwich into quarters and serve it with a small pot of maple syrup for dipping.
After living in the UK for 20 years I know that may seem a bit foreign for some over there. Dipping an egg into maple syrup, or even a sausage.
But as a Canadian it is perfectly natural. We buy maple flavored sausage here and my grandmother used to cook/poach our eggs in maple syrup. (Very French Canadian)
It is a flavor combination we totally love and not really all that strange. Some people love to eat that caramel popcorn which has been mixed together with cheese popcorn.
Its a sweet and salty combination that people seem to naturally love. I am tempted to say, don't knock it until you try it!
I never thought I would like a cheese and onion sandwich, or a cheese and pickle sandwich. But when I tried them, I fell totally in love with them! They are favorites with me now!
These are not just great for breakfast however. They are also pretty darned good when you want to have a breakfast for supper night!
Or a night when you just are too tired to cook much of anything. Pop a few hash browns into the oven, and Bob's your uncle. A quick and easy meal with little or no effort or faffing about involved.
Deliciously simple!
Yield: 1
Waffle Breakfast Sandwich
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 20 Min
Fun, fun, fun, and pretty tasty too. This simple breakfast sandwich is pleasing all round!! Ingredients are to make one delicious sandwich. Multiply to feed more!
Ingredients
For each sandwich:
- 2 toaster waffles
- 1 frozen breakfast sausage round
- 1 large free range egg
- 1 slice of cheddar cheese
- salt, black pepper and maple syrup as desired
Instructions
- I used my air fryer to cook the sausage round. I popped it into the air fryer in the basket and cooked it for 10 minutes at 350*C/180*F. Remove and keep warm.
- You will need a cooking ring to cook the egg. Spray the ring with some cooking spray and place into a non-stick skillet which you have also sprayed. Crack the egg into the cooking ring and season lightly with salt and black pepper.
- Cook over medium heat until the egg is almost set. Remove the cooking ring and then flip the egg over. Place the slice of cheese on top.
- At this point you can take the pan off the heat, cover it and set aside while you cook the waffles.
- Toast the waffles in the toaster.
- Layer one waffle with the sausage patty and then the cooked egg with cheese on top. Top with the remaining waffle and serve, with or without maple syrup
Notes:
You can use link sausage in place of the sausage patty if you with, or even slices of cooked bacon or both, depending on appetites!
I was in the grocery store yesterday and I spied some eensie peensie peanut butter cups, not much larger in size than a Chocolate Chip! I thought to myself, aren't those cute! I thought they would be perfect for baking with.
I couldn't resist. I bought them to use in baking. Yes I did sneak in a few tasty nibbles as well. How could I avoid that temptation! Zero willpower here people. Zero willpower!
I decided to make a small batch of chocolate chip peanut butter cookies, but with mini peanut butter cups as well as chocolate chips. If you can't get the mini peanut butter cups, you can just use regular ones, chopped up.
The mini ones are about the size of a large chocolate chip, so judge the size you chop them into accordingly.
And then I remembered those Sweet and Salty Krispy Bars I made a few weeks back. I still had half a bag of pretzels left from them.
I decided to add a few of them to the cookies as well. I love the sweet and salty combination, especially in a cookie.
I thought the pretzels would add a bit of crunch as well. You can't beat a bit of crunch in a cookie.
I used a mix of butter and peanut butter to inject a bit more peanut flavor into the cookie. I love chocolate chip cookies. I love peanut butter cookies.
I love the combination of the two even more! Add the flavor of chocolate of any kind, and you have a pretty tasty combination!
I also added semi sweet chocolate chips to help cut the sweetness of the peanut butter cups a tiny bit. I like cookies like this to have a balance of all things, and these do.
You have a crisp edged chewy middle-d brown sugar cookie. Just like a chocolate chip cookie, but with the added touch of peanut butter flavor.
Filled with crisp and salty pretzel pieces. Sweetened and studded with sweet peanut butter cups with a slight tang of the semi-sweet chocolate for balance.
Very yummilicious indeed. Its a good thing that the recipe only makes 8 cookies. They are a good sized cookie, but there is only 8. Less temptation for less time is a good thing for me.
You can double it up and make 16 cookies if you wish. Again, this would be 16 large cookies.
(1 1/4 cups flour/175g, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 cup (120g) butter softened, 2/3 cup (150g) soft light brown sugar, 2 TBS granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla, 4 TBS peanut butter, 1/2 cup (90g) mini peanut butter cups, 4 TBS chocolate chips and about 20 pretzels, broken.
Those are the amounts to make 16. Just mix and bake as per the recipe. Easy peasy.
When my children were growing up, I think I baked a batch of cookies just about every second day or so. Chocolate Chip were their favorites of course. But they also liked oatmeal raisin and peanut butter.
I determined that they would always have fresh baked cookies and milk to come home from school to. I never did when I was growing up. Mom worked and she was super worried about our weight.
She had been quite overweight as a child and determined her children were not going to be. Everything we ate was counted. She was also very budget conscious and only spent a certain amount of money on groceries.
We were not allowed to help ourselves to anything at all. Our snacks were deeply regulated. I can remember telling myself that when I grew up I was going to eat whatever I wanted.
Well, you see where that got me. I am fat. I am making up for all of the deprivation of my childhood I guess! I am not saying we were starving, we weren't in the least.
But when you have kids that spend all of their weekly allowance on buying themselves stuff to eat, there is something wrong. At least that is my opinion.
And that is what we would do. As soon as we got our allowance, we would high-tail it to the corner shops and get ourselves naughty treats like butter tarts and stuff. Potato chips. Things we weren't allowed to eat at home.
I know my mom meant well and wanted only the best for us. My sister and brother are not overweight. Just me. But they both work very hard at keeping in shape. Me . . . I was so busy with children, etc. for so many years, and then three unhappy marriages did not help.
Neither did working with food, and lets face it . . . I'm a bit of a card carrying glutton when it comes right down to it. I just enjoy food and everything to do with food, and . . . it shows!
In any case if you are looking for a great cookie filled with lots of scrumptious bits . . . a bit of rope but not enough to hang yourself, then this is the cookie for you!
Peanut Butter Cup Pretzel Cookie (small batch)
Yield: 8 cookies
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 12 Mininactive time: 15 MinTotal time: 37 Min
The beautiful combination of sweet and salty in a chewy cookie with crisp edges is a hit with all ages!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (105g) plain all purpose flour
- pinch salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup (60g) butter, softened
- 2 TBS smooth peanut butter
- 1/3 cup (75g) soft light brown sugar packed
- 1 TBS granulated sugar
- 1 large free range egg yolk
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (45g) mini peanut butter cups (really mini, can also use small peanut butter cups, quartered)
- 10 pretzel hoops, crumbled coarsely
- 2 TBS semi sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with baking paper or a silicone mat. Set aside.
- Cream the butter, peanut butter and both sugars together until well combined and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla. Stir in the salt.
- Sift together the flour and baking soda. Stir into the creamed mixture until thoroughly mixed together. Stir in the mini peanut butter cups and chocolate chips to combine along with the broken pretzels.
- Divide the mixture into 8 equal amounts and roll into balls. Place about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Pop the cookie filled tray into the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/ 180*C/ gas mark 4.
- Bake the well chilled cookies in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown and crisp around the edges. Leave to sit on the pan for about 10 minutes before scooping off onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Delicious warm from the oven. You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container.
I recently got myself a new book on my kindle entitled, Snacking Cakes, Simple Treats for Anytime by Yossy Arefi. Being on my own now, snack sized cakes are the way to go, if not smaller.
I normally don't buy cookbooks on my kindle, but I thought I would try and see how it worked out. Less space on the book shelf. So far so good.
This recipe was adapted from one in the book which was called Swirled Jam Cake. I decided to adapt it to what I have in my house at the moment. Wild blueberry jam that my sister gifted me with and an almost empty jar of lemon curd.
It looked like a really delicious cake and because I love jam in anything, it sang the song of my heart.
What I ended up with was a very easy blueberry & lemon snack cake. If you can whisk things together, you can make this cake.
You don't need any special ingredients, and actually you can adapt the flavor of jam you use in it to any jam you happen to like or have on hand.
The cake itself is very buttery and moist, with a rich sour cream batter. I love sour cream cakes! They always have a beautiful texture.
And they cut beautifully. They are a little bit dense and go very well with hot or cold drinks, and are perfect for eating out of hand and for casual occasions. Such as snacking!
What you end up with here is a dense moist cake with a surface riddled with little pocket of blueberry jam and lemon curd, which is also swirled here and there through the batter.
No special equipment or ingredients are required. Simple. Simple. Really simple.
The whole time I was in the UK, I longed for the flavors of wild blueberries. The taste of my childhood. I was told that they did grow in some areas, but I have to say in all honesty I never ran across any.
Every August of my childhood my siblings and myself picked wild blueberries for my mom. My father grew up in Northern Quebec and wild blueberries were one of his favorite things.
We had our favorite secret spots that we went to. Mom always gave us large 2 liter ice cream buckets and we were charged to fill them. You quickly learned that they filled up a lot faster if you didn't eat them yourself.
Wild blueberry picking is hard work. They grow close to the ground and you spend the whole time crouching. My wild blueberry picking days are long gone now, due to arthritis in my lower back and limbs, but my sister thankfully hasn't yet been affected by it.
She and Dan have been out picking a few times this year. She made my dad a few blueberry pies and one day she made some lovely wild blueberry jam, and I thought to use some of it in this lovely cake.
I was going to save it for the depths of winter, but . . . me <=== no willpower. Or very little anyways, especially when it comes to homemade jam.
As you can see, this cake cuts into perfect squares. I did leave it overnight to cut it. And it cut beautifully.
You will get 9 (2 1/2 inch) squares from an 8-inch pan. Out of all my baking pans I have discovered that I use my 8-inch square pan the most. I am happy that I chose to buy a quality one.
It is a USA pan and very heavy duty, which is a good thing because I am really putting it through its paces. I figured that I might as well buy the best of what I could because I will probably never buy, or want to buy anything like this again now that I am into the Winter years of my life.
Look at that lovely pocked of lemon curd, nestled into those streaks of blueberry. Sets my mouth to watering just looking at it.
Blueberry and lemon are perfect partners. There are two forms of lemon in this. Finely grated lemon zest in the batter and lemon curd swirled throughout.
Then there is the blueberry jam. I think raspberry jam would also work very well with the flavor of the lemon.
Pure vanilla extract has a lovely clean flavor as opposed to the artificial one. You need less of it because of this. When you freshly grate your nutmeg you also get a more pure flavor. You never know how long that nutmeg in your jar of nutmeg has been grated.
I prefer to grate mine fresh, fresh, fresh. The smell and flavor are simply heavenly.
Like this cake. Pure flavored, simple, deliciously moist. Rich and dense. Cake doesn't get much better than this!
I am thinking it would make a lovely dessert as well, served with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream!
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
Blueberry & Lemon Snack Cake
Yield: Makes one 8-inch square cake
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 Hour
This buttery sour cream snack cake is filled with delightful pockets of lemon curd and blueberry jam!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- finely grated zest of one lemon
- 2 large free range eggs
- 1 cup (220g) sour cream
- 1/2 cup (115g) butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups (210g) plain all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 5 tsp blueberry jam
- 5 tsp lemon curd
- 1 TBS icing sugar to sift over top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F.180*C. gas mark 4. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line with baking paper, leaving a bit of an overhang to lift the cake out when done.
- Rub the sugar and lemon zest together in a medium bowl until very fragrant. Whisk this mixture together with the eggs until pale and foamy. Whisk in the sour cream, melted butter, vanilla, nutmeg and salt. Whisk together until smooth and completely blended.
- Sift together the flour, soda and baking powder. Whisk into the batter until thoroughly combined. It will be a thick batter. Scrape into the prepared baking pan. Tap the pan gently on the counter top to release any air bubbles.
- Dollop the blueberry jam and lemon curd alternately on top of the cake leaving space between each dollop. Using a toothpick or a wooden skewer swirl both into the batter.
- Bake on the center rack in the preheated oven and bake for 35 to 45 minutes until well risen and golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes, before lifting out of the pan to cool completely.
- Dust with icing sugar and cut into squares to serve.
- This cake will keep tightly covered for up to three days.
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