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Every have one of those days? One of those days when all that you turn your hand to ends up as dust? I had one of those days yesterday. I have a day like that every now and then. I just don't tell you about them.
Days where I forget to put water in the bread machine and come home from church to find that I have a lovely bread pan of toasty buttery flour, but nothing else.
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Or days when I try out a new recipe only to discover that the recipe is a dud. The cake has fallen. The cookies have burnt. The casserole tastes blah . . .
We all have them. Days where all of our brilliant plans turn into dust. When things just don't go to plan . . .
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Like these Easy Christmas Pudding Cookies. I saw online where someone had used Tunnocks Tea Cakes to make these cute little Christmas Puddings.
I didn't have any Tunnocks Tea Cakes, but I had Chocolate Mallows, so I thought I would try out the idea. My thinking was the grandsons would really enjoy them.
What I got was Mallows with a decidedly grey looking glaze on top. For some reason the dark chocolate of the cookies bled through the glaze. There was no white brandy cream on top!
And not only that, but as the glaze spread so did the decorations. Never mind, the boys will eat them anyways, but they are not picture perfect by any stretch and were a huge disappointment to me!
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Likewise, my Mince Pies. They look picture perfect eh? The pastry turned out beautiful as well. I always use my Butter and Lard pastry. It is impeccable.
It always turns out light and flaky, perfection in and of itself. I could just sit and eat the pastry all on its own and in fact often do.
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All of the leftover scraps get pulled together and rerolled, spread with butter folded, cut into squares and baked. In my family we have always enjoyed this treat. So flaky and buttery. We eat it spread with more butter, or better yet, butter and peanut butter! (I know! Yikes!)
Sometimes I will spread the rerolled scraps with butter and cinnamon sugar, rolling them up and slicing them to make Pets de Soeur, a French delicacy from my father's heritage, which translated in English is not a very nice name and used to make us giggle a lot when we were children. (Nun's farts.)
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The problem with my mince pies yesterday was not the pastry, nor even the filling, but my lack of filling. I was so concerned that I would have blowouts that I don't think I put enough mincemeat into them.
They still taste good, but there is very little of that burst of mincemeat spice and sticky fruity sweetness to feed your Christmas senses.
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So, after the spectacular failure of my Christmas pudding cookies and then the disappointment of my Mince Pies, I decided to hang up my pinny for the day.
Hence, no new recipe to share today . . . and I really had such great plans for the holidays. All these recipes that I was going to cook and bake that never came to fruition.
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I'm tired now and lacking in inspiration. I still have to bake my whipped shortbreads and make my mother's Feather Squares before my family arrives.
I sure hope that they turn out.
I also want to clean out my fridge for all of the holiday goodies that I still have to pick up! Yikes! And they are calling for some very nasty weather on top of it all!
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I am doing a Beef Tenderloin Roast on Christmas Eve and I haven't been able to find Brussels Sprouts anywhere to cook as a side. The few that I saw were the size of small baseballs. Why not call them cabbages and be done with it!
I think sometimes we put far too many expectations on ourselves, and into our holiday celebrations, don't you?
We want everything to be picture perfect and, indeed, the internet is filled with images of other people's picture-perfect lives and creations.
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What we fail to see is the chaos going on just outside the camera's eye. I have always tried to be pretty honest with you. Sometimes you get some really good photos, some of the time not so great photos, but always food that tastes good and that is easy to prepare.
I share my chaos and will continue to . . . with Christmas Pudding cookies that are dismal and Mince Pies that fall short of what I wanted them to be.
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That is just to say that I am only human, and I don't live a perfect life, or even always cook perfect food. But what I do choose to share, is always very good. I share in the hopes that you will enjoy it.
I am done for Christmas 2022. Next up is New Years and then we have a whole new year of delicious Cooking Adventures to explore together. I, for one, am looking forward to it all!
In the meantime, I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! May all your Mince Pies be flaky and filled with flavor. May your Christmas Puddings have the wow factor and may all your dreams come true.
Be happy, be blessed and be content. I will catch you on the flip side! I'll just be here with my family eating not so perfect mince pies and Christmas pudding cookies, and hopefully some shortbread, feather squares, and a darn fine roast!
Happy Holidays!
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This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I'm not going to lie to you, I LOVE TURKEY! There I said it out loud. I love turkey. I love turkey in any way shape or form.
I love it roasted. I love it fried. I love it whole. I love it in bits. I love it ground, or in pieces. I love the leftovers in sandwiches or casseroles. I just plain love it full stop.
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Over in the UK turkey is readily available and not just at Christmas. Sure, you might only be able to get a whole turkey for roasting around Thanksgiving or Christmas, but the rest of the year turkey parts are very common and easy to buy.
I used to buy ground turkey fairly often and use it to make turkey burgers. There were turkey chunks and turkey steaks, and even small turkey breast roasts, which I bought fairly often.
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It's not so common where I live in Canada to find turkey pieces. It might be elsewhere, but not where I am living now. At least not at my local shops.
Oh, I can find ground turkey, but not so much the steaks or even small roasts. When I do see pieces of turkey, I jump on them and buy them and throw them in the freezer to use when and as I wish.
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The other day I saw some skin on, bone in, turkey thighs and I snapped them up. I thought they would be perfect to cook as a festive dinner for just one or two people.
The thigh meat is my favorite part of the turkey. Along with those little oysters of flesh, sweet tender nuggets on the bottom of the bird. I call those the cook's treats! (Coz nobody else ever sees them!)
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I have never had a dry thigh. They are so tender and moist and the flavor to me is unbeatable. I know some people, like my sister, don't like the dark meat.
But I am a person who loves and cherishes it above all else. I can't get enough of it. So, Turkey thighs suited me very well. I actually bought two packages. One to cook now and one to throw in the freezer.
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I also decided to try cooking them in my Instant Pot. I haven't been using an Instant Pot for very long, so I am still kind of experimenting with mine, having been inspired by my sister.
I thought, if they cocked up, at the very least I would end up with a turkey soup or stew. Thankfully they didn't. They were delicious! Tender. Juicy. Moist and filled with flavor.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO COOK INSTANT POT TURKEY THIGHS
Aside from an Instant Pot, some very simple ingredients. This is a meal for two people.
- 2 bone in, skin on turkey thighs
- 1 TBS butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp bells seasoning, or other poultry seasoning
- 3/4 cup (180ml) good chicken stock
- 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 stick of celery chopped
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
For the gravy:
- The juices from the pan, strained and enough chicken stock to make 1 1/4 cups (360ml)
- 1 1/2 TBS corn starch (corn flour)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream
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Make sure you use the onion and garlic POWDERS, not the salts. I know that Poultry Seasoning is not something you can find in the UK, or I never could at any rate. That is when I started making my own.
Poultry seasoning is a simple blend of herbs and spices, typically used to season chicken, turkey or stuffing. Usually, it is made from things like sage, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, etc. Herbs and seasonings that go well with Poultry.
I make my own Bell's Seasoning, which is like the Cadillac of poultry seasonings. There is a link to my recipe in the recipe ingredients. Its fabulously tasty! I use it all the time.
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HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT TURKEY THIGHS
These are really simple and very quick to cook in the Instant Pot. Quick cooking ensures a tender and moist result. You can also make a tasty gravy from the drippings.
Pat your turkey thighs with some paper kitchen toweling to dry and then season them all over with the salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder, and bells seasoning.
Prepare all of your vegetables.
Press the sauté function on your Instant Pot and add the butter. Once it begins to foam add the turkey thighs, skin side down. Sear for about five minutes, flip over so that the skin side is up. Stop the sauté function.
Add the vegetables to the instant pot, placing them around the turkey thighs.
Pour the chicken stock around the thighs.
Place the lid on the Instant pot and seal. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.
Once the cooking time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes. Release any remaining pressure by engaging the quick release button. Once the valve drops, you’ll know the pressure is done releasing.
Transfer the turkey thighs to a plate and begin making the gravy.
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Strain the turkey drippings to remove any large bits and pieces, discarding them
Press the sauté function on the Instant Pot.
Add the turkey drippings and corn starch to the instant pot and whisk together and mix well together to remove any lumps that might have formed.
Add in the heavy cream and continue stirring for another 2-3 minutes or until the gravy has thickened. Cancel the sauté function once you are finished.
Serve the gravy over your turkey thighs and enjoy!
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I enjoyed my turkey thighs along with some mashed sweet potatoes, stove top stuffing, carrots and English peas. It was a simple supper that went together very quickly.
I don't normally use stove top, but I was wanting to see how expedient this could be. Altogether I had my dinner ready to serve in a little more than half an hour. Cooking the sweet potato, stuffing, carrots and peas in the microwave while the turkey thighs were cooking in the Instant Pot.
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I am really planning on using my Instant Pot more often in the future. The model I have is Instant Pot and I bought it via Amazon. It is a 6 QT one and more than ample for my needs.
I have found it very easy to use and very easy to clean. The insert comes out for cleaning, and is dishwasher safe. I just wipe everything else with a damp cloth. The lid, I rinse under hot running water and then dry.
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TURKEY & BROCCOLI CASSEROLE - Turkey and broccoli are great flavor partners. This is a really simple casserole which requires no tinned soup, nor the making of a cream sauce. It could not be easier.
CRANBERRY APPLE TURKEY MEATBALLS - Grated raw apple and chopped dried cranberries to the meat mixture, along with some garlic and onion powder, a bit of seasoning and some dried sage. A delicious sauce is poured over them prior to baking which gives them a lovely glaze. Low fat, high taste, these also make a great appetizer nibble.
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.
Yield: 2
Instant Pot Turkey Thighs
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 45 Min
Something quick and delicious that you can make if there are only two of you for the holidays. The meat is so tender and the drippings make a fabulous gravy!
Ingredients
- 2 bone in, skin on turkey thighs
- 1 TBS butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp bells seasoning, or other poultry seasoning
- 3/4 cup (180ml) good chicken stock
- 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 stick of celery chopped
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
For the gravy:
- The juices from the pan, strained and enough chicken stock to make 1 1/4 cups (360ml)
- 1 1/2 TBS corn starch (corn flour)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream
Instructions
- Pat your turkey thighs with some paper kitchen toweling to dry and then season them all over with the salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder, and bells seasoning.
- Prepare all of your vegetables.
- Press the sauté function on your Instant Pot and add the butter. Once it begins to foam add the turkey thighs, skin side down. Sear for about five minutes, flip over so that the skin side is up. Stop the sauté function.
- Add the vegetables to the instant pot, placing them around the turkey thighs.
- Pour the chicken stock around the thighs.
- Place the lid on the Instant pot and seal. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.
- Once the cooking time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes. Release any remaining pressure by engaging the quick release button. Once the valve drops, you’ll know the pressure is done releasing.
- Transfer the turkey thighs to a plate and begin making the gravy.
- Strain the turkey drippings to remove any large bits and pieces, discarding them
- Press the sauté function on the Instant Pot.
- Add the turkey drippings and corn starch to the instant pot and whisk together and mix well together to remove any lumps that might have formed.
- Add in the heavy cream and continue stirring for another 2-3 minutes or until the gravy has thickened. Cancel the sauté function once you are finished.
- Serve the gravy over your turkey thighs and enjoy!
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
Are you ready for the holidays? I have a few more things that I want to make like my mince pies and some short bread cookies.
I'm really excited because I have family coming over from New Brunswick for Christmas. My oldest son and his family. This will be the first Christmas in 24 years that I have had any of my children here and the first time ever I have had grandchildren here for Christmas!
So it's all very exciting!
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My goal is to make this the best Christmas ever. None of us knows how much longer we will be around or what can happen. I am going all out with this one, making it as special as I can.
We are having Turkey on Christmas Day at my sister's and on Christmas Eve we are having a Beef Tenderloin roast.
I plan on playing games with the family on Saturday night and so I have gotten in a bunch of fun card games like Yahtzee, Family Charades, and a really fun one called Things.
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Today I decided to make some Homemade Bits & Bites for us to snack on while we are having fun on Christmas Eve. My sister had made some earlier this week and hers tasted really nice.
They were not as salty as some I have made in the past, and definitely not as salty as the commercial ones! I asked her for the recipe, and she happily shared it with me.
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The original recipe came from here. It did make rather a lot however, so I have cut the recipe in half. It still makes a fair bit, but I am sure we will be able to work our way through it!
When you think of how much you are paying for the commercial brand, it only makes sense to make your own and to be honest, I have always felt that homemade tastes far superior. Plus it is made with all natural ingredients.
There are no surprises here or any MSG, etc.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE HOMEMADE BITS & BITES (SMALL BATCH)
Very simple ingredients. Some seasonings and flavorings and a whole lot of crunchy bits! Oh and butter. Yum!
- 1/2 box (75g) Cheez-it crackers
- 1/2 bag (100g) Goldfish crackers
- 3 cups (85g) Cheerios
- 3 cups (165g) Shreddies
- 3 cups (87g) Rice Chex
- 3 cups (126g) small pretzel or pretzel sticks
- 1 cup (240g) butter, melted
- 2 1/2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Tabasco Sauce (or to taste)
- 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 Tbsp onion powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp chili powder (In UK use very mild chili powder)
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I can't remember if they have Cheez-its in the UK or not, but I think they have something very similar. What you want is a small cheese cracker. I think Jacobson's makes one.
The other difficult thing to procure over there would be the rice chex cereal. Just use more of the other cereals, or you can use Bugles in their place if you can get them. I seem to recall them having those.
I'll tell you what else would be nice in the UK, plain potato hoops. Incredibly moreish.
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Some people add Spanish peanuts to the mix. I don't. I guess I worry too much about one of the children choking on one.
I used pretzel hoops, but you can use pretzel sticks if you like. I think the sticks are more traditional.
If you don't want the mix to be too hot or spicy, cut back on the Tabasco sauce. Also, in the UK, the ordinary chili powder is far too strong, only use a fraction of the chili powder asked for or use a very mild version.
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HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE BITS & BITES
Other than being a bit time consuming with all the stirring, etc. these are very simple to make and well worth all the time.
Preheat the oven to 250*F/121*C. Have ready a large baking tray or roasting tin.
Mix all of the cereals, crackers and pretzels together in a large bowl.
Whisk together the melted butter and all of the seasonings. Pour this mixture over the cereal mixture, tossing everything together well to coat.
Spread the mixture out on the baking sheet, or in the roasting pan.
Bake for 2 hours, stirring very well without crushing every 15 minutes. (Try to pull the ones from underneath up.) At the end of that time the mixture should be dry and toasted. If not, cook for a further 15 minutes.
Leave to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
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I am not sure why, but this always seems to be a Christmas snack to me. Something to munch on while you are immersing yourself in all of those Hallmark Christmas movies!
Or, yes to nibble on when you have people over for drinks or games.
It doesn't need to be the holidays to enjoy this, however. This tasty snack is great any time of the year, whether you are watching football matches or hockey games or whatever.
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It's great for teen parties and get-togethers. I also happen to think it makes a great hostess gift, or even a gift for your neighbors and friends during the holidays.
Just pop it into a pretty jar and tie it up with a ribbon. Nobody will be complaining! I guarantee!
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EASY PIZZA ROLLS - Children love these, even the big children! They are so quick and easy to make. Serve hot with some marinara sauce for dipping!
CARAMEL POPCORN - Crunchy sweet and incredibly addictive! A delicious snack for when you are watching movies together as a family, packaged up and given as gifts for Christmas, or as a tasty share around on Bonfire Night!
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.
Yield: 15 cups (approximately)
Homemade Bits & Bites
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 10 M
Ingredients
- 1/2 box (75g) Cheez-it crackers
- 1/2 bag (100g) Goldfish crackers
- 3 cups (85g) Cheerios
- 3 cups (165g) Shreddies
- 3 cups (87g) Rice Chex
- 3 cups (126g) small pretzel or pretzel sticks
- 1 cup (240g) butter, melted
- 2 1/2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Tabasco Sauce (or to taste)
- 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 Tbsp onion powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp chili powder (In UK use very mild chili powder)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250*F/121*C. Have ready a large baking tray or roasting tin.
- Mix all of the cereals, crackers and pretzels together in a large bowl.
- Whisk together the melted butter and all of the seasonings. Pour this mixture over the cereal mixture, tossing everything together well to coat.
- Spread the mixture out on the baking sheet, or in the roasting pan.
- Bake for 2 hours, stirring very well without crushing every 15 minutes. (Try to pull the ones from underneath up.) At the end of that time the mixture should be dry and toasted. If not, cook for a further 15 minutes.
- Leave to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Thank you so much for visiting! Do come again!
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