Victoria Scones

 

Victoria Scones.  I wanted to share this lovely traditional scone recipe with you this morning.  It is a be-ro scone recipe coming from a book that was sent to me from a friend.

It is a lovely scones recipe that was originally published in the 1928 Be-Ro recipe book, so, it is a very old recipe. In this newer version of the book it has been updated to use modern methods and ingredients.  

Roasted Tomato Soup

 

Roasted Tomato Soup.  Nothing is more delicious than a fabulous soup made from fresh ripe vine tomatoes tomatoes roasted in the oven with plenty of herbs and garlic.

Several weeks in a row my sister and I were lucky enough to score two very large boxes of fresh vine-ripened tomatoes at the shops. Normally I would not get so excited about seeing tomatoes out of season, but these looked beautiful and the price was right.

They were only $4.99 for about 6 pounds of them. An amazing value, and what is wonderful about tomatoes is that they keep ripening so long as you keep them out on the counter.

The first bunch we enjoyed in tomato sandwiches and bacon and tomato sandwiches.  And then the next week they had them marked down to $3.99 for the box and we bought some more to use in a soup and more sandwiches.

Yes, we love tomatoes.

How to Create the Ultimate Home Baking Station

 

Baking is a lot of fun, and it’s also a fantastic way to foster your creativity and sharpen your skills. If you love to bake, adding a baking station to your home is an excellent way to cook up new creations and keep things organized. 

Baking stations offer you a designated area for all of your baking ingredients, goods, tools, and more. But beware: A baking station might just encourage you to bake so much that you end up starting your own business. Here’s how to design and build the ultimate baking station at home. 

Materials

As with any DIY project, you’ll want to start with the materials you plan to use when building your baking station. Quartz is a favorite choice for bakers, as is marble, which keeps your butter cold while you’re prepping dough or working it into a recipe. 

Once you’ve chosen your countertop surface material, consider how to spruce up the wall behind it. Bead board or shiplap painted in a charming color is a fabulous choice, or you can install a tile backsplash to add some flair and keep the walls easy-to-clean and protected from damage.

Placement 

 

Once you’ve decided on the materials, it’s time to think about where your baking station will be. Here are a few ideas to inspire you:

Under a window: If your sink isn’t already taking up this space, consider placing your baking station under a sunny window so you can enjoy the view while you bake and prep your favorite homemade recipes.

Kitchen island: Your kitchen island can easily double as a baking station, but make sure you have plans to organize everything when you’re not using it. A stepped-down section with a lower countertop installed on one side of your island is a great option, too.

End of the kitchen island: Another great option is to create an extension of your island with wheels so you can roll it out, then tuck it away when you’re finished. Just be sure that the extension is lower than the island and that you have room to roll it under

Add on to your kitchen: If you have the budget and the time, a complete extension of your kitchen is an excellent way to designate a particular area just for baking. Always consider the pros and cons of additions or extensions to your home before committing to this type of project.

Pullout shelf: For those short on extra space, a large pullout shelf can double as a counter for your baking endeavors. You can also designate specific cabinets in your kitchen for ingredients, tools, and accessories.

Height 

 

Your baking station’s height is very important since you need to be able to comfortably mix ingredients, roll dough, spread dough for a delicious focaccia, and perform other baking-related tasks. 

When designing the station, keep in mind that the counters should be lower than the rest of your kitchen countertops. Table- or waist-height is ideal, which is approximately 30 to 32 inches. 

If you plan to use an existing table, you can cut the legs to height, making it shorter for better functionality. Ensure that anything with wheels has a locking mechanism, so it stays securely in place.

Equipment 

 

If you cook everything from sweet cookies to savory breads, you’ll need a variety of different tools and equipment for a successful baking station.

Stand mixer. Perfect for all kinds of dough and batters, a stand mixer is a must-have piece of equipment for any avid baker. Additional tools like a paddle can be attached for perfect bread and more.

Hand mixer. When baking smaller batches or specific recipes, a hand mixer can make your baking projects fast and easy.

Measuring cups and spoons. Stock measuring cups for both wet and dry ingredients as well as measuring spoons for accuracy when you bake.

Wooden spoon and rubber spatula. This simple tool is a baker must-have. A wooden spoon and rubber spatula make it easy to “fold” ingredients together and scrape your bowls without damaging them.

Baking pans. From cookie sheets to pie plates, you’ll need a variety of baking pans in different sizes and materials, depending on what you love to bake.

Rolling pin. Perfect for rolling your dough to the right thickness, a rolling pin is a critical tool for any baker’s arsenal to create the perfect homemade white bread.

Wire rack. A wire rack helps your baked goods cool faster, and it’s another must for your baking station.

Ingredients

 

While every recipe is different, there are some standard ingredients to keep on hand in your baking station, including:

• Flour: Perhaps the most common ingredient in baked goods, keep cake flour and all-purpose flour on hand.
• Sugar: White, brown, and powdered sugar are all crucial ingredients for baking.
• Salt: Even if you need just a pinch, it’s wise to have plenty of salt on standby for your recipes.
• Cocoa powder: Many recipes call for cocoa powder, so be sure to have at least a small amount on-hand.
• Butter: Most baking recipes require unsalted butter, so it’s good to have plenty in the fridge whenever you need it.
• Eggs: Keep a dozen fresh eggs in your refrigerator at all times if you’re planning to do lots of baking.
• Nuts: From almonds to pecans, you should stock up on a variety of nuts for various recipes.
• Oil: Vegetable, coconut, and canola oils are all common ingredients in baked goods, so be sure you have all three on-hand and stocked up.
• Extras: From chocolate chips to dried cranberries, keep some extra goodies stored for different recipes so you’re prepared.

Storage

 

Once you’ve gathered everything together, it’s time to organize. It’s important to keep your baking station tidy and clean, and the right storage can keep this area mess-free. 

Here are a few helpful tips to inspire you:

• Clear jars or canisters with a tight-sealing lid make it easy to find the ingredients you need. Label each jar using stickers or a small chalkboard label that you can write on.
• If you have the room, consider installing open shelving over your baking station area, so it’s easy to grab what you need as you go.
• Dedicate one section of your kitchen cabinets solely to organizing your baking ingredients. You can use a drawer underneath for your tools and the bottom cabinets for your mixers and other equipment.
• Add organizers to your baking drawer so that you can separate items by type or size. It also keeps the drawer from getting cluttered, and you won’t lose your favorite tools in the fray.
• A spice rack is a great way to store and organize ingredients that you only need a pinch of, like salt or powdered sugar. Use a tackle box for your food coloring and sprinkles.
• To store your cookie sheets more easily, “file” them lengthwise and upright in a lower kitchen cabinet. Install small dividers so each cookie sheet is separated yet stored with the others in one central location.
• If you’re short on storage space, use a kitchen or bar cart, and stock it with all of your tools and ingredients. This is also a terrific way to access everything you need in one place while freeing up the rest of your kitchen.

Create a business out of it

 

If baking is truly your passion, there’s no reason why you can’t make it a successful business. Now that your baking station is set up and you have a great space to create your delicious recipes, it’s time to think big. 

Before you dive into baking as a career, be sure to look into your state or provinces cottage food laws. 

Each location has different laws that apply to cooking and selling food out of a residence. Start by creating a comprehensive budget, and decide which items you plan to sell and to whom. 

Local schools and small businesses are both excellent places to start. You can advertise online through social media or design your website. 

Whatever you decide, becoming a professional baker can be an extremely fulfilling and rewarding career that allows you to do what you love.

Make it family-friendly 

 

Baking together as a family is a wonderful way to bond and spend time with those you love. If you want the entire family to cook with you, there are a few important safety precautions to take into consideration:

• Set a few safety ground rules in advance, like washing hands before handling ingredients or cooking.
• Never leave children in the kitchen unattended, especially if the stove is on or there are knives within reach.
• Use a small step stool to help your child reach the countertops so they can bake with you without straining or being tempted to climb onto the counters.
• There are many activities young children can help you with that are safe, easy, and fun. For example, stirring up ingredients in a large bowl is something safe that kids love to do.
• Ensure all pot and pan handles are facing inward to prevent them from accidentally getting caught on clothing or knocked off the stovetop.
• Store all knives and sharp tools safely out of the reach of children.

Whether you enjoy baking in your free time or your dream is to start your own baking business, a beautifully organized baking station is a great way to get started. 

Remember to decide on your baking station’s materials and placement first, then stock up on ingredients, tools, and equipment. 

With the right organization and the perfect spot, you can enjoy using your home baking station for years to come.

Note: This unpaid guest post comes to you courtesy of Andrea Lozoya from Porch.com

Oven Roasted Smoked Sausage and Potatoes

 

Oven Roasted Smoked Sausage and Potatoes. This easy recipe for sausage and potatoes in the oven has to be one of my most popular recipes on here.  It has had literally millions of views.  

I first published it way back in 2012 on my Recipes From the Blue Binder Blog and then I moved it over here.  It has been copied (including the text and photography) onto other people's  pages over and over again through the years. 

They do say that copying is the most sincerest form of flattery. But I will confess I don't really feel flattered when they do that, I just feel robbed, but it is what it is, and there's not a lot I can do about it.

 

 

 

I wish I could say that I am updating the recipe with new photos, but I can't. Its the same old photographs. I don't think it hurts to be reminded every now and then when you have a recipe that's this delicious.

With over 10 years worth of content on the blog, sometimes these golden oldies can get buried in the mix! I hope you will forgive me for repeating myself.

This is a FABULOUS recipe.  I love sheet pan suppers.  They are so quick and easy to make and when you are talking about smoked sausage and potatoes, DELICIOUS as well!

No fuss, no muss, very little to clean up afterwards!

 

This fabulous sheet pan sausage and potatoes dinner has everything you need for a delicious dinner.  Smoky rounds of sausage, gilded brown on the edges.  Lightly caramelized onions  . . . 

Crisp golden brown cubes of potato.  All herby and crisp on the outsides, and meltingly tender on the insides. 

This is a tasty supper that is simple, delicious and economical. Plus you only need five basic ingredients to pull it off.  Smoked sausage, potatoes, onions, some oil and seasonings.  Oh, plus cheese if you are wanting to add an extra special touch.

 

You can of course fancy it up by adding chopped peppers or other vegetables, but to be honest, it is pretty darned perfect just as is.  Why mess with perfection? 

It makes for a wonderful supper to throw into the oven on those nights when you just can't be asked to cook anything complicated.  Perfect for nights when you have been dashing about all day coping with one thing or another and I can tell you this . . . 

Ain't nobody ever turned up their noses at this one!  Seriously.  Unless they are vegetarian I suppose.  Its quite simply delicious.

 

The smoked sausage is sliced into coins and then tossed together with cubed potato. I like to use a baking type of potato as they roast the best.  A russet in North America is best, whilst in the UK I would use a King Edward or a Maris Piper. 

You add some oil to this. I like to use a light olive oil. Never Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  Using EVOO for cooking is a tad pretentious I believe. Its wonderful for salads, but for cooking, its a waste of olive oil in my opinion.

I just use a light olive oil, which is still good for you, but a bit cheaper. You can also use a canola or sunflower seed oil. 

 

I like to use a mix of herbs and seasonings in this. Salt and pepper of course.  I like fine sea salt.  I love the purity of its flavor and I usually grind my pepper fresh.  

Add to that some sweet paprika.  This gives a touch of flavor but I mostly use it for the color it adds to the dish. You could use smoked paprika if you want to add an extra touch of smokiness and some zip, but I am happy with just the sweet. 

In addition I add some dried thyme.  This adds a lovely herby touch. If you don't like thyme just use an herb that you do like.  Marjoram is nice as is rosemary. You don't want anything that will be too overpowering however, so be judicious in whatever you choose to use.

I also like summer savory. 

It all gets mixed together and spread out onto a baking sheet before roasting in a moderate to high oven. (200*C/400*F)  You do need to stir it every fifteen minutes or so.  This helps to keep anything from sticking to the pan and gives your potatoes and sausage a better chance of gilding golden brown all over.

 

The final piéce de resistance is the smattering of cheddar cheese that you scatter over top at the end. I like to use a good cheddar.  If you use a good strong one, you don't need as much, but well . . . 

In all honesty I have never been really good at moderation, so add as much as you want, or as much as you think your family will enjoy.

And that is one promise I can make to you. Your family WILL enjoy this a lot!  I like to serve it with baked beans and crusty bread, maybe some pickled beets.  All in all a most delicious supper that is easy to make, easy to clean up after and well received.

Supper just doesn't get much better than that!

 

Oven Roasted Smoked Sausage and Potatoes

Yield: 4

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

An easy and simple meal that is also economical . . . oh, and pretty delicious too!!

Ingredients

• 1 package of smoked sausage
• (Peel if necessary, and slice into rounds)
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 5 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
• olive oil
• fine sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• sweet paprika
• dried thyme
• a handful of grated strong cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line a large baking tray (with sides) with several sheets of foil, and drizzle with a bit of oil. Spread the oil out over the pan. Set aside.
2. Put the sausage rounds, onions and potatoes into a large bowl. Drizzle with a couple TBS of olive oil and season to taste with salt, pepper, paprika and dried thyme. Toss together with your hands until everything is evenly distributed. Pour this out onto the baking tray, and spread it out as much as you can.
3. Place into the heated oven and roast for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so, until the potatoes are golden brown and tender. Turn off the oven. Scatter the cheese over top of the cooked meat and potatoes, Pop back into the oven a few minutes to melt the cheese. Serve immediately.

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Bread Machine Parker House Rolls

 

Bread Machine Parker House Rolls.  I have never made any secret of the fact that I am yeast bread challenged.  For some reason when I make yeast breads the end result has always been hit and miss for me. Sometimes it works, more often than not it doesn't. 

Reuben Soup

 

 

I have a confession to make. I adore Reuben Sandwiches. There is not a much tastier sandwich than the classic  Reuban, rye bread piled high with plenty of shaved salty corned beef or pastrami, tangy sauerkraut and rich melted cheese. Lets not forget the Thousand Island Dressing.

This delicious soup recipe takes all of those flavors and combines them in one tasty creamy bowl, perfect to enjoy on these first chilly, often rainy, days of spring.

 

These days can be a bit damp and chilly, the perfect kind of soup weather. And this is one very delicious bowl of soup!   I have veer a bit of course from the traditional Rueben soup however, but hear me out.

I did not have any sauerkraut to use today. Instead I used cabbage. I thought it would work well in it's place, with the exception of it not being sour. 

 

I cooked the cabbage until it was meltingly tender, almost buttery, along with some onions and a tiny bit of garlic.  It smelled gorgeous.  I do so love the smell of cabbage. I know not everyone does, but I do. 

 I got meltingly tender cabbage, no tang, but the addition of a bit of caraway seed more than made up for that.

 

I used Pastrami.  Corned beef and pastrami are quite different actually even though they may seem quite similar and are often used interchangeably.

Corned beef is usually made using beef brisket.  Brisket comes from the lower chest of the animal, whereas pastrami comes from the deckle, which is a lean wider shoulder cut, or the navel, a smaller juicier section below the ribs.

 

Both are brined before they are cooked. Both are rubbed with and submerged in a solution of salt and spiced, and left to cure for a period of time. This helps to infuse the meat with more moisture and flavor.

Commonly a mixture of salt, sugar, black pepper, cloves, coriander, bay leaves, juniper berries, and dill, as well as the preservatives sodium nitrate or sodium nitrite will be used.

 

The real difference comes in the coating which is used to cover the surface of pastrami after brining.  Corned beef is generally left naked, although it is often simmered with a variety of spices when cooking it.

Pastrami has a spice coating of black pepper, coriander and mustard seeds, fennel seeds and often garlic. This gives it that darker outside color. 

They also differ in the manner of cooking.

 

Corned beef is boiled, whilst Pastrami is smoked, over hardwood.  A pan of water is often kept nearby to create steam and keep the meat tender and moist.

So you can see, whilst being very similar in flavor and often used interchangeably, they are also very different.

 

As I said, today I used Pastrami because that is what I had and I have to say it turned out delicious. 

Everything was simmered for a time in chicken broth.  The pastrami, the cabbage, garlic, caraway  . . . 

 

The creaminess comes not from adding any milk or cream, but by the clever use of a bit of flour for thickening.  

I added some gruyere cheese at the end (swiss) and of course a touch of Thousand Island Dressing.  What would a Reuben be without Thousand Island Dressing?

I also sprinkled some of the cheese on top of the soup to serve.

 

I didn't have any rye bread or I would have added some rye bread croutons, which would have added even more to the authenticity of it.  Buttery rye bread crunch, just like the sandwich.

If you have some rye bread, do make yourself some crunchy rye croutons.  Just butter the bread lightly, cut into shapes and then toast them in a hot oven until golden and crisp. It won't take long, maybe about 10 minutes at about 200*C/400*F will do the trick.

 

Instead we enjoyed it with some crusty bread on the side, torn into pieces and lightly buttered.  Oh my, but I do so adore a crusty loaf when served with soup. Truth be told I adore a crusty loaf any time! 

I really hope you will give this rather unconventional version of  reuben soup and that you will enjoy it as much as we did. Rich, creamy, delicious and wonderfully hearty!  Perfect for a cooler spring day!

 Reuben Soup

Yield: 4

Author: Marie Rayner

prep time: 10 Mincook time: 25 Mintotal time: 35 Min

Hearty and comforting. We loved this.

Ingredients

• 1 TBS unsalted butter (Only because the pastrami is salty)
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 small head of cabbage, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 tsp caraway seed (or less if you are not fond of it)
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 1/2 TBS plain flour
• 1/2 pound sliced pastrami, rolled up and cut into slivers
• 1 1/4 litre of chicken stock (5 cups)
• 30g thousand island salad dressing (1/4 cup)
• 130g of grated gruyere cheese (1 cup Swiss) divided
• minced chives or parsley to garnish

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cabbage.
2. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until beginning to soften without browning.
3. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant.
4. Add the caraway and the flour and cook for a minute.
5. Stir in the chicken stock and corned beef and bring to the boil.
6. Reduce to a slow simmer, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes to meld all the flavours and make sure the cabbage is nice and soft.
7. Stir in half the cheese along with the salad dressing. Stir to melt the cheese.
8. Ladle into hot bowls and garnish with the remaining cheese and minced chives or parsley.
9. Serve immediately. Crusty bread or rye bread goes very well with this.

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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. 

Thank you for visiting! Do come again!

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