Ploughmans

No trip to England would be complete unless you ate in a pub or had a ploughmans. I can say I did both quite regularly on my trip. Whenever it was time to grab a meal out I was all about the ploughmans. Every pub seems to offer their own version of this classic British dish.  

The New Flying Horse in Wye offered this ploughmans. Ham, cheese, grated cheese, salad, french baguette, celery, pickles and Branston pickle. I can't understand the grated cheese however this made for an adequate appetizing lunch. 

Marks and Spencers in Canterbury had a pre-packaged jubilee cheese ploughmans. The charming bunting package had me sold. This is my kind of fast food. Fresh and on the go. It was more like eating a homemade sandwich and satisfied my hunger. Luved the fact that they used watercress.    

Kings Head in Hythe offered these two amazing ploughmans. This is the small. It offered Irish brown bread, salad, grapes, pearl onions, massive chunks of cheese (that lie under the slices of bread) and caramelized onions. The two chunks nestle on top of the bread are butter. I rarely butter my bread so I put those to the side. This was a very filling ploughmans.  

This is the full order. Similar to the small however it came with two extra slices of bread, Branston pickle, coleslaw, potato salad and a slice of pork pie. I would only recommend this if you were not going to have anything else to eat for the rest of the day. This is such a simple British dish, why don't we see this more often on the lunch menu?  - JW 

Fit For A King

Before I head off on vacation I wanted to do a post about this cookbook. This book actually crossed the path a close friend of mine and in turn was given me. Fit for a King: The Elvis Presley Cookbook By Elizabeth McKeon, Ralph Gervitz and Julie Bandy, 1992 pp.[8] 240, Nashville, Tennessee; Rutledge Hill Press is Southern cooking at it's best. Elvis luved food and nothing was better than down home cooking. In particular his mothers. There was no doubt about that. And she luved to cook and bake for him and his friends. I believe she took Southern hospitality seriously.  

There is a condensed Elvis Presley bio, a small introduction and also a foreword by one of his cooks, Alvena Roy. Menu suggestions help you plan out your Southern meal. Personal and publicity black and white photographs of Elvis and Elvis trivia are laced throughout. I feel it's quite the collectors book... or a cookbook collectors book. I also luv how on the half title page the previous owners inscription is in the upper left hand corner and states that it was bought in Las Vegas, of all places! It can't get any better than that. With over 100 recipes the book is divided into eight sections: Appetizers, Beverages, Bread, Desserts, Main Dishes, Salads, Side Dishes and Soups and Salads. 
      

This page of the cookbook I found very interesting. It's a list of things that Elvis liked to have in the pantry. Just click on the photo to enlarge. I have made a version of an Elvis pound cake, not the one from this cookbook. I had to look past the seven eggs and three cups of sugar... I think and I can't remember how much butter. I just know I was surprised  with the amounts. Still, look past that and you have one delicious cake that tasted like no other. Mind you I have only made it once. This cookbook's pound cake calls for four eggs and one cup of sugar and one cup of butter. You can certainly substitute ingredients for lower fat versions but it wouldn't be Southern cooking then I find. If you do find a copy of this cookbook I do recommend picking it up because the recipes are suitable for a King or Queen! -JW

Into the Frying Pan

The previous non-stick teflon fry pan I owned went the wayside in only a matter of months. Very disappointing! Perhaps they aren't making them like they used to or the quality was really not great... I have forgotten who it was made by. Still it wasn't an inexpensive brand. Regardless I was perplexed when that pan finally headed straight into the garbage.

This is my current kitchen buy, to replace that other frying pan and I luv it!!! It was expensive but I didn't bat an eye when buying it. I like my kitchen wears and I like when they perform well. This Paderno EcoPan made with a non-stick ceramica coating not only cooks evenly, it cleans up very well too. Making life in the kitchen easier and efficient. It is also PFOA and PTFE free. If given the chance to buy more pans with the ceramica coating I would. If you are considering replacing that worn out fry pan I strongly suggest one of these. - JW

          

Peachy Pork Tenderloin

Nothing says summer like peaches. Peaches remind me of stopping at a roadside fruit stand while driving in the country and buying fresh local fruit. It all seemed magical to me. Novel, I suppose... fruit came from the grocery store. With this recipe I tried to capture sweet summer days.

The ingredients you will need are:

2 tablespoonfuls of olive oil
1-2 teaspoons of cajun spice
1-2 teaspoons of ground cumin 
two cloves garlic chopped and minced
1/4 cup - 1/2 cup of peach jam
chicken or vegetable stock
water
a slow cooker

You can always tweak the measurements to your liking. Mix the olive oil, cajun spice, ground cumin, chopped garlic and peach jam in a bowl. Add some chicken stock and water to the slow cooker. This is to make sure that the pork doesn't stick. Place the pork tenderloin into the slow cooker. Place the mixture over top of the pork. Making sure all the surface is covered. Add some crushed black pepper and a pinch of salt on top. Close the lid and cook on low for 4 hours. Slow cookers are valuable in the winter and a heavenly in the summer. When the days are hot... very hot, who wants to be sweltering in the kitchen. 

You may also add fresh peaches with the ingredients or possibly make a fresh peach compote to serve with the cooked pork. The aroma in the house was absolutely scrumptious! I found the flavour was more of a smoky sweetness and not so heavy on the peachy flavour as I would have liked. So I had it as is with a side of rice, fresh runner beans and a spinach and kale salad. - JW  

    

Caramel Popcorn

I made caramel popcorn for a snack mostly because I was in a mood after a very draining morning this week and needed to create something in the kitchen. I wanted my energy to go elsewhere. The popcorn turned out alright however I feel that the amounts of butter and sugar could be tweaked. It was very sweet. That is why I served the caramel popcorn in small ramekin bowls. All first attempts are trails not failures... - JW

Caramel Popcorn
----------------------
1 cup of brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1/4 teaspoon of salt 
10 cups popped popcorn ( equals approximately 1/2 cup of unpopped popcorn kernels)
1 lined baking tray with waxed paper or parchment paper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a microwave safe bowl melt the brown sugar, butter, vanilla and salt. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir well to combine all ingredients. Then put the bowl back into the microwave for another 2 minutes. Now you could easily melt the brown sugar, butter, vanilla and salt in a pot on top of the stove, over medium heat. Stirring constantly. Making sure that the sugar has dissolved somewhat and nothing burns.  

Put the popped popcorn into a large ceramic bowl. Pour the hot melted mixture over the popped popcorn and stir until the syrup coats the popcorn. You have to work fast because the mixture tends to glob in places but no worries. 

Take the pre-lined baking tray and pour the coated popcorn onto the tray and place in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes. Checking after 5 minutes. When the time is up remove from the oven carefully. The tray will be hot. Then spoon into whatever serving bowl you desire and enjoy! 

You can shake some cinnamon on top before you serve or salt but I tend to steer clear of adding more salt than needed.  

        

Left Over Rice

I can't say this is another one of my new favourite snacks because I have made this, one of my favourite snacks, before. Made... well there isn't much to it really. You need to take some day old left over rice and place some in a dessert or cereal bowl. Pour heated milk over top and add some brown sugar with cinnamon. A sweet, filling comfort snack. Yesterday's late night snack had coconut sugar on top instead. It's like an instant rice pudding. You could possibly heat everything in a sauce pan on the stove but to be honest I have never done it that way. The microwave has been far too convenient. Now you just don't have to save the left over rice for fried rice anymore. - JW 

Corn Fritters

These are the corn fritters I made from the cookbook I reviewed yesterday. The recipe was easy and in no time they were hot and ready to eat. Cheesy with fresh chives. I served them with a... you guessed it, leafy green salad and raw veggies. They were dressed with salsa. Although the kidlets just had to try them with syrup! After all the sweet and savoury flavours it was agreed that the salsa was the best. - JW