There is a distinct Autumn chill in the air today. As I write this it is the 1st of October. This is the time of year that we can begin enjoying the odd bowl of soup.
I love soup suppers. Usually, they are fairly easy to put together, quick to make and often hearty and deliciously rib-sticking!
This delicious recipe I am sharing today is one I found and adapted from the Gooseberry Patch book entitled, Autumn Recipes from the Farmhouse. It is attributed to Shelley Turner from Boise ID.
I love the recipes in the Gooseberry Patch books. They are always simple and delicious. The kind of food that you want to feed your family and yourself!
.JPG "Ham, Potato & Green Bean Soup")
This is a great little soup. It goes together very quickly and uses things that I almost always have in my larder/refrigerator/freezer.
I always keep an assortment of tinned vegetables in my store cupboard. I am a queer duck I suppose. I love canned green beans and carrots and corn. I think the only canned vegetables I am not fussy on are peas and Brussels sprouts.
.JPG "Ham, Potato & Green Bean Soup")
I actually cannot think of a vegetable that I don't like. Having an assortment of canned vegetables in the store cupboard has always served me well. You can use them for all sorts of tasty casseroles and dishes such as this tasty soup recipe I am sharing today.
This delicious soup makes for a great little dinner when you are short on time but still want to feed your family something which is hearty and balanced.
True confession, I cut the recipe in half today. I am however, showing you the full-sized recipe. If you would like to know my half-sized measurements, message me. I am happy to share them.
.JPG "Ham, Potato & Green Bean Soup")
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE HAM, POTATO & GREEN BEAN SOUP
There is nothing complicated or out of the ordinary here.
- 3 1/2 cups (490g) peeled, diced potatoes
- 1 stick celery, diced
- 1 small onion, peeled and diced
- 3 1/4 cups (780ml) chicken broth (stock)
- 1 (14 1/2 oz/420g) tin of cut green beans, drained
- 1 cup cooked ham, diced (about 3/4 pound)
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- garlic powder (not salt), fine sea salt, and ground pepper to taste
- 5 TBS butter
- 5 TBS all-purpose plain flour
- 2 cups (480ml) whole fat milk
- Grated cheese to serve (I like cheddar)
.JPG "Ham, Potato & Green Bean Soup")
You can use diced boiled ham if you wish, or even diced leftover roasted ham. Obviously if you have leftover roasted ham, it will have a bit more flavor than the regular diced boiled ham.
Today I used a piece of a ham steak which I had.
For the chicken stock, I use a liquid stock concentrate that you re-constitute with water. You can use any kind of chicken stock which you have, even stock cubes, but bear in mind stock cubes will be a bit saltier than regular stock. Judge the amount of seasoning you use accordingly.
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I don't see why you can't use frozen cut green beans in this soup. They may take a bit longer to cook through to a nice texture. You don't want them to be crispy tender in this. You really want them to melt in your mouth. Fresh green beans would also be nice.
But if you are using fresh or frozen green beans, my advice is to pre-cook the before adding them to the soup. I just used regular cooking potatoes and onions. I do not recommend using red onions.
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Do use full fat milk. It will add a nice creamy rich flavor and texture to the soup. It really is delicious.
I served mine with crackers, but you could also serve it with soft dinner rolls, crusty bread, or even a grilled cheese for the heartiest of eaters.
.JPG "Ham, Potato & Green Bean Soup")
HOW TO MAKE HAM, POTATO & GREEN BEAN SOUP
Nothing really could be easier. It's very simple.
Combine the potatoes, onion, celery and chicken broth in a soup pot. Bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce to medium. Add the ham and green beans, along with any seasonings.
Simmer until the potatoes are tender.
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 2 minutes to cook out the flour taste, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in the milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened.
Whisk the milk mixture into the potato soup. Heat through gently. Ladle into heated bowls, topping each serving with cheese if desired.
.JPG "Ham, Potato & Green Bean Soup")
I was really pleased with how this soup turned out. For something which was essentially a very simple make, the flavors were outstanding. I wasn't sure about the garlic, but I added it, and I am glad that I did. I think I added about 1/4 tsp which was just enough.
It was just enough without going overboard. I also added the thyme myself. Thyme goes very well with green beans (as does garlic) and potatoes and ham for that matter. It added a deliciously high hint of herbiness. If you are not fond by all means leave it out.
That bit of cheese sprinkled on top was a really nice touch. You can of course leave that off. It isn't a given, but it went very well.
I really, really enjoyed this soup. I will definitely be making it again! I highly recommend.
.JPG "Ham, Potato & Green Bean Soup")
If you are a lover of soups, you might also enjoy these other delicious options! Tis the season!
STONE SOUP -Stone Soup was one of my children's favorite stories when they were growing up and so this simple cabbage, tomato and rice soup became known as Stone Soup. It's a deliciously hearty testament to what can be done with a bit of this, a bit of that, and a whole lot of nothing!
LITTLE MEATBALL SOUP - It's amazing what you can do with a package of macaroni, a tin of tomatoes, some stock cubes and a pound of Italian sausage!! This deliciously hearty soup is fantastic ladled into heated bowls and topped with a smattering of good, grated cheese! Some garlic toast on the side would be great!
Ham, Potato & Green Bean Soup
Yield: 4
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 30 Min
A creamy soup that comes together in minutes. Hearty and delicious! We enjoy it with a bit of cheese sprinkled on top.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups (490g) peeled, diced potatoes
- 1 stick celery, diced
- 1 small onion, peeled and diced
- 3 1/4 cups (780ml) chicken broth (stock)
- 1 (14 1/2 oz/420g) tin of cut green beans, drained
- 1 cup cooked ham, diced (about 3/4 pound)
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- garlic powder (not salt), fine sea salt, and ground pepper to taste
- 5 TBS butter
- 5 TBS all-purpose plain flour
- 2 cups (480ml) whole fat milk
- Grated cheese to serve (I like cheddar)
Instructions
- Combine the potatoes, onion, celery and chicken broth in a soup pot. Bring to the boil over high heat.
- Reduce to medium. Add the ham and green beans, along with any seasonings.
- Simmer until the potatoes are tender.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 2 minutes to cook out the flour taste, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in the milk.
- Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened.
- Whisk the milk mixture into the potato soup. Heat through gently.
- Ladle into heated bowls, topping each serving with cheese if desired.
Most Wednesday evenings will see me having supper out at a local restaurant with my father and his two friends Hazel and Marilyn. It's just nice to get out of the house in a fresh setting and have some other people to talk to.
My father ordered cherry pie for his dessert the other night and we got to talking about how much we love cherry pie and cherry pie filling.
Hazel said that reminded her of a dessert she used to make for her family using a can of cherry pie filling and a can of refrigerated cinnamon rolls. She said it was very good and it sounded really good too, and relatively easy.
.JPG "Apple Cinnamon Roll Bake")
I was still thinking about it when I got home. I got to thinking that it would probably be great using any kind of pie filling and then I thought oh boy, would it ever be delicious using apple pie filling.
And it is apple season, the autumn, the season for everything pumpkin and apple. I decided to look online to see if anyone else had thought of that and, lo and behold, I discovered this recipe on the Pillsbury site, for a make-ahead apple pie cinnamon roll breakfast bake.
Now that's a mouthful!
.JPG "Apple Cinnamon Roll Bake")
It actually sounded delicious and used very few ingredients. A bit more than what Hazel had discussed, but still very few.
I was not able to get the same size tin of Cinnamon rolls and so I used the tin that has 8 smaller rolls in it rather than the one with 5 larger rolls. It worked out just fine.
.JPG "Apple Cinnamon Roll Bake")
Their recipe also used a lot of extra sugar. 1/2 cup of brown sugar packed actually (100g) I thought that the cinnamon rolls and apple pie filling would be quite sweet enough and so I did not add that much.
I only added 3 TBS, so roughly half the amount. I did add all of the cinnamon required, because . . . well, can you ever have too much cinnamon??? I think not!
.JPG "Apple Cinnamon Roll Bake")
With the Thanksgiving holiday coming up on the weekend of the 8th of October here in Canada, I thought this would make an excellent breakfast bake for my son and his family who are supposed to be coming over from New Brunswick.
With two strapping boys, this is the perfect size. I did want to try it first myself to see if it was any good, and wow. It's really good. I mean . . . look at it!
.JPG "Apple Cinnamon Roll Bake")
If your tastebuds aren't tingling at the sight of that, there's something wrong! And the smell when it was baking was incredible.
Plus, it was amazingly easy to make. It could not get any easier! It would be a fantastic breakfast or brunch break, but also with a scoop of Ice Cream on top it would make a fabulous dessert, which is how I enjoyed mine today.
And I have to tell you, served warm, with all of those delicious apple and cinnamon flavors, and that cold vanilla ice cream melting down into them, who needs apple pie!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE APPLE CINNAMON ROLL BAKE
You can do it their way, or you can do it mine.
- 1 can of refrigerated cinnamon rolls (save the icing)
- 21oz (540ml) can of apple pie filling
- 2 TBS butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 TBS soft light brown sugar
.JPG "Apple Cinnamon Roll Bake")
In the UK the refrigerated Cinnamon Rolls are by a company called Jus Roll and you can find them in the chiller section of the store next to the croissant roll dough. They are pretty much the same thing.
Just use the stuff called Apple Fruit Filling, which is what you use to make apple pies with. Here it's made with Jona Gold apples in the UK with Bramley.
Both delicious.
.JPG "Apple Cinnamon Roll Bake")
HOW TO MAKE APPLE CINNAMON ROLL BAKE
Nothing could really be easier.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 10-inch, deep pie dish, or 1.5 liter/1.5 quart baking dish.
Cut the cinnamon rolls into 1-inch pieces. Place them into the pie dish, spreading them out evenly. Drizzle with the melted butter. Sprinkle with half of the ground cinnamon and 1 TBS of brown sugar.
Spoon half of the tin of pie filling over top, chopping up some of the larger pieces of apple. Stir together with the cinnamon rolls and spread out evenly. Sprinkle with 1 TBS of the brown sugar. Spread the remaining pie filling over top evenly. Sprinkle with the last TBS of brown sugar and the remaining ground cinnamon.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until the pie filling is bubbling, and the cinnamon bun pieces are golden brown on the edges. It should not be gooey in the center.
Remove from the oven. Slightly warm the icing from the tin of cinnamon rolls and drizzle it over top.
Serve warm as is spooned out into bowls. For breakfast serve with a hot beverage. For dessert a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of each serving goes very well.
.JPG "Apple Cinnamon Roll Bake")
This really was amazingly tasty. I would even go so far as to call it incredibly moreish. I would give it an easy 10 out of 10!
If you are a fan of apple recipes, you might also like the following recipes:
QUICK AND EASY APPLE TARTS - Halved and sliced apples. Puff pastry and a bit of ingenuity is all you need for these quick, easy and delicious apple tarts. Incredibly yummy! Pretty too!
APPLE JACK COOKIES - Think of your favorite chocolate chip cookie . . . crisp edged . . . buttery and chewy almost caramel like in the centers . . . now replace the chocolate chips with diced apples. Chewy, sweet and crisp edged.
Apple Cinnamon Roll Bake
Yield: 6
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 50 Min
Delicious, quick and easy to make, this simple dessert is sure to become a firm family favorite!
Ingredients
- 1 can of refrigerated cinnamon rolls (save the icing)
- 21oz (540ml) can of apple pie filling
- 2 TBS butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 TBS soft light brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 10-inch, deep pie dish, or 1.5 liter/1.5 quart baking dish.
- Cut the cinnamon rolls into 1-inch pieces. Place them into the pie dish, spreading them out evenly. Drizzle with the melted butter. Sprinkle with half of the ground cinnamon and 1 TBS of brown sugar.
- Spoon half of the tin of pie filling over top, chopping up some of the larger pieces of apple. Stir together with the cinnamon rolls and spread out evenly.
- Sprinkle with 1 TBS of the brown sugar.
- Spread the remaining pie filling over top evenly.
- Sprinkle with the last TBS of brown sugar and the remaining ground cinnamon.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until the pie filling is bubbling, and the cinnamon bun pieces are golden brown on the edges. It should not be gooey in the center.
- Remove from the oven. Slightly warm the icing from the tin of cinnamon rolls and drizzle it over top.
- Serve warm as is spooned out into bowls. For breakfast serve with a hot beverage. For dessert a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of each serving goes very well.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
I have a beautiful Butterscotch Cake recipe to share with you today. This is one of my favorite cakes to make and bake.
Not only does it turn out perfect every time I make it, with a beautiful butterscotch flavor, but it is also incredibly moist and delicious.
It smells amazing when it is baking. My mouth waters in anticipation each and every time!
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One thing you can count on when making a cake with buttermilk is that it is going to be super moist. Add brown sugar into the mix and you have a recipe for a really delicious and moist cake.
There is nothing artificial in this cake or its lush frosting. Only natural ingredients. Soft light brown sugar, real butter, buttermilk, eggs, and the usual suspects, flour, baking powder, soda, and real vanilla extract.
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The frosting is also natural. Just butter, cream and brown sugar. Put together in such a way as to create a lush penuche frosting. Fudgy and buttery.
When we were children, my mother would sometimes make us brown sugar fudge as a treat. It was so sweet, but so good. Other times she would make peanut butter fudge. It was my favorite.
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I used to do the same thing for my own children when they were growing up. When I was beating the frosting for this cake with my wooden spoon it reminded me of those times and how much they enjoyed being able to scrape out the fudge pot when I was done.
Children love simple things like that. I wonder if they remember those times with as much fondness as I do! I sure hope so!
.JPG "Butterscotch Buttermilk Cake")
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BUTTERSCOTCH BUTTERMILK CAKE
Simple ordinary everyday ingredients. Nothing artificial here.
For the cake:
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter
- 1 1/3 cups (280g) soft light brown sugar
- 2 large free-range eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups (280g) plain all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
.JPG "Butterscotch Buttermilk Cake")
For the icing:
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter
- 1 cup (200g) firmly packed soft light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) cream
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HINTS AND TIPS FOR A GOOD CAKE
Follow the recipe as written. Most times when people fail at making cakes, it's because they didn't follow the recipe as written.
Always use the correct sized pan as directed in the recipe.
Get all of your ingredients ready before you begin and make sure they are all at room temperature. If you have everything out, you are less likely to forget to add any vital ingredients.
Sift together the dry ingredients so that you can aerate the flour and evenly distribute any leavening needed.
Don't be slack or lackadaisical in measuring your ingredients. Baking is an exact science. Actually, baking by weight is the most reliable way to bake. 100g will always be 100g but a measuring cup can often vary a bit in size.
Push your brown sugar through a sieve to get out all of the lumps. I find the brown sugar here in Canada to be a lot lumpier than the brown sugar I was used to in the UK. Pushing it through a sieve takes care of that problem.
Don't over beat the batter. Over-beating toughens cake batters. Likewise, don't under beat.
Don't open your oven door when baking a cake. Opening the door can cause a cake to fall or sink in the middle. If you need to look, turn on the oven light and look through the window.
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HOW TO MAKE BUTTERSCOTCH BUTTERMILK CAKE
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9-inch round cake tin and line the bottom with some baking paper. Set onto a baking sheet and set aside.
Put the brown sugar for the cake through a sieve and then beat together in a medium sized bowl with the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the vanilla and salt, blending well.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and soda together. Fold into the creamed mixture alternating with the buttermilk, blending until you have a smooth batter. Pour into the prepared baking tin.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325*F/165*C/ gas mark 3 and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. The cake will spring back when lightly touched in the center and a toothpick inserted will come out clean.
.JPG "Butterscotch Buttermilk Cake")
Leave to cool in the tin completely. Tip out and remove the paper and place right side up on a serving plate.
To make the frosting combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan. Cook stirring over medium heat until the butter melts and everything is well blended.
Bring to a simmer and then simmer over medium low heat until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage (see note). This will take from 7 to 12 minutes.
Remove from the heat and beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture begins to thicken and loses its gloss. Spread the frosting over the cake decoratively while the frosting is still warm. It will set like fudge.
.JPG "Butterscotch Buttermilk Cake")
Sometimes I find that store iced cakes can be overly sweet or almost cloying. This one isn't that way in the least. In fact, I would go so far as to declare it the perfect Butterscotch cake!
.JPG "Butterscotch Buttermilk Cake")
The simple flavors of this cake tick all my boxes. If you are looking for something equally delicious but perhaps in a different flavor, you might enjoy these!
QUEEN ELIZABETH CAKE - We are especially fond of this old, old recipe for Queen Elizabeth Cake. I don't expect there is a Canadian community cookbook without a version of this in it. It goes way back. It is a simple and delicious cake! The dates make it incredibly moist. It is also studded with plenty of toasted walnuts. Topped with a sweet caramel icing and sprinkle of coconut, this is a real treat!
SPANISH CAKE - I have really saved the best for the last. This is my all time, absolute favorite cake. So much so that I also recreated it in a small batch version. This cake is so good that I once baked it about three times in one week! It has a lovely moist crumb, flavored with cinnamon and that brown sugar penuche frosting is to die for. It is the absolute best!
Butterscotch Buttermilk Cake
Yield: 8 - 10
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 H & 5 MTotal time: 1 H & 15 M
A moist and delicious brown sugar buttermilk cake with a lush penuche frosting.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter
- 1 1/3 cups (280g) soft light brown sugar
- 2 large free-range eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups (280g) plain all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
For the icing:
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter
- 1 cup (200g) firmly packed soft light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9-inch round cake tin and line the bottom with some baking paper. Set onto a baking sheet and set aside.
- Put the brown sugar for the cake through a sieve and then beat together in a medium sized bowl with the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the vanilla and salt, blending well.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, and soda together. Fold into the creamed mixture alternating with the buttermilk, blending until you have a smooth batter. Pour into the prepared baking tin.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325*F/165*C/ gas mark 3 and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. The cake will spring back when lightly touched in the center and a toothpick inserted will come out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin completely. Tip out and remove the paper and place right side up on a serving plate.
- To make the frosting combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan. Cook stirring over medium heat until the butter melts and everything is well blended.
- Bring to a simmer and then simmer over medium low heat until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage (see note). This will take from 7 to 12 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture begins to thicken and loses its gloss. Spread the frosting over the cake decoratively while the frosting is still warm. It will set like fudge.
Notes
You can test for the soft ball stage by dropping a bit of the mixture into a glass of cold water. You should be able to pull the drop together into a soft ball.
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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