Chicken Amandine

 

I had some leftover chicken in the refrigerator the other day and I decided I wanted to make a casserole with it.   I have quite a few chicken casseroles on here, but I was wanting to try something a little bit different.

I  found a recipe for Chicken Amandine in a cookbook I have entitled Grandma's Favorites, by Taste of Home.

 

 

I love the old Taste of Home Recipes.  I used to subscribe to the magazine when it first came out and I used to have quite a few of their earlier cookbooks.

  

I ended up leaving them in the UK thinking I could replace them when I got to Canada.  Unfortunately I have not been able to as they are no longer available.  I wish that I had brought them with me now.

 

Hindsight is 20/20.  I have bought the magazine a few times since my return and I have to say I found it to be very disappointing compared to what it used to be. It has gone way down hill in my opinion.

I did buy this cookbook however and I loosely based the casserole recipe I am sharing today on one which I found in this book. I say loosely because I did not have the exact ingredients called for in the original recipe, and so I substituted what I did have for them with, I might add, very delicious results!

I also cut the quantities in half so that it made only four servings instead of 8.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHICKEN AMANDINE

Simple store cupboard ingredients and some leftover chicken.  This is such an easy and forgiving casserole.

• 1 pouch ready cooked rice (I like the one which is a mix of long grain and wild rice, with garlic)
• 1 1/2 cups (210g) cubed cooked chicken
• 1 cup (150g) frozen stir fry vegetables, thawed
• 1/2 can undiluted cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup (35g) flaked almonds, divided
• 1 TBS dark soy sauce
• 1 TBS hoisin sauce
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 strip of streaky bacon, cooked and crumbled

 

The ready cooked rice in the pouch I used was Uncle Ben's and there is about 2 cups of cooked rice in each package. This one was a mix of whole grain and wild rice with garlic. I thought the garlic would work well with the other ingredients.

It is such a time saver not having to stop and cook rice.  I also love the nuttiness of the wild rice.

The original recipe called for frozen green beans, thawed.  I had those in the freezer, but I also had some frozen stir fry vegetables, containing carrots, peppers, broccoli, mushrooms and onions.  I thought they would be a lot more exciting and colorful. 

You do only need 1/2 the tin of soup. You can pop the other half tin into a freezer container and freeze it, or you can make a simple sauce in it's place using 1 TBS each of butter and flour, along with 1/2 cup chicken stock and 1/2 cup of milk.  This will give you approximately 1 cup of sauce.

Just melt the butter and then whisk in the flour.  Cook for a minute, then whisk in the stock and  milk and cook, whisking constantly over medium high heat until it bubbles and thickens.

 

The Hoisin Sauce and the dark soy sauce are my own additions. I do another casserole which uses them and I knew the flavors would work well here with all of the other ingredients.

You can leave them out if you want to, but I have to say they add a really nice touch.  Also the almonds add a bit of nutty crunch. Yum!!!

And the bacon on top?  Well I have yet to hear anyone say leave off the bacon when it comes to anything.  Everyone loves bacon and it works beautifully here.

 

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN AMANDINE

Nothing could be simpler to make. Its a matter of stir, pour, cover and bake. Uncover and bake some more.

Nothing could be easier.  A child could easily put this together.

 

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 1 liter/quart casserole dish.

Combine the chicken, rice, thawed vegetables, undiluted soup, 1/2 of the almonds, pepper, soy sauce and hoisin sauce together in a bowl, mixing everything together well. 

Spread in the casserole dish.

 

Sprinkle the remaining almonds on top along with the bacon. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. 

Uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer. When done it should be heated through and bubbling around the edges.

 

Like I said, I am not stranger to the chicken casserole. It is something we have often around here.  I have never met a chicken casserole I didn't like. Some of my favorites are:

Grandma's Chinese Chicken Casserole - with chicken and celery, chow mein noodles and cashews. What's not to love!

Creamy Parmesan Chicken Casserole - chicken, rice and vegetables in a creamy Parmesan sauce.

Chicken and Dumpling Casserole -  built for two this tasty dish boasts a creamy chicken and gravy base topped with tender dumplings. Its a real favorite!

Chicken Noodle Casserole - Another family favorite. Pasta twists, broccoli, cauliflower and chicken in a delicious creamy base.  Yummilicious!

This Chicken Amandine was really nice.  I loved the crunch from the almonds and the colors of the different vegetables.  The garlicky rice was a great fit as well.

This went down beautifully with some crusty bread and a salad on the side. I will make this again, maybe even for company next time! 

Chicken Amandine

Yield: 4

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 40 Min

A quick and easy to throw together casserole with a slight oriental flair. Delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 pouch ready cooked rice (I like the one which is a mix of long grain and wild rice, with garlic)
• 1 1/2 cups (210g) cubed cooked chicken
• 1 cup (150g) frozen stir fry vegetables, thawed
• 1/2 can undiluted cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup (35g) flaked almonds, divided
• 1 TBS dark soy sauce
• 1 TBS hoisin sauce
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 strip of streaky bacon, cooked and crumbled

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 1 liter/quart casserole dish.
2. Combine the chicken, rice, thawed vegetables, undiluted soup, 1/2 of the almonds, pepper, soy sauce and hoisin sauce together in a bowl, mixing everything together well. Spread in the casserole dish.
3. Sprinkle the remaining almonds on top along with the bacon.
4. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer.
5. When done it should be heated through and bubbling around the edges.

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Croissant Turkey Club Sandwich

 

There are some nights when I really don't fancy having a cooked dinner.  Living by myself as I do, that really isn't a problem these days. I can eat what I want, when I want.  I have nobody to answer to but myself.  

Today was one of those days when I really didn't fancy cooking much.  I have a lot on my plate today with one thing or another and tomorrow looks to be the same.  I did have to pop to the shops to pick up a few bits for the cats.  

When I was there I noticed that they had these beautiful fresh croissants.  Smoked turkey was also on offer and for once their fresh hot house tomatoes looked half decent.

I decided right then and there I was going to come home and make myself a Croissant Turkey Club Sandwich for my dinner!  And that's just what I did! 

 

Traditionally a club sandwich will be made using three slices of bread, toasted.  Into that will go turkey, bacon, tomato, lettuce and sometimes even sliced cheese.

Whenever we went out to eat for lunch my ex husband would always get a turkey club. It was his meal of choice when eating out.  (With me its always fish and chips.)

My days of eating triple bread sliced sandwiches are long over.  To be honest I struggle some days eating a whole sandwich at all. These croissants were not overly huge though and I thought I could definitely manage one of those! 

I knew I had everything else at home to complete the sandwich. You could make this a bit healthier by using low fat mayo, but lets face it  . . .  you've already lost it with the bacon and the croissant!! 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A CROISSANT TURKEY CLUB SANDWICH

Quantities are given for one delicious sandwich. To make more simply multiply by the number of sandwiches you want to make.

• 1 fresh all butter croissant
• 2 TBS good quality mayonnaise
• 3 slices streaky bacon
• 3 ounces (85g) thinly sliced smoked turkey
• 3 slices of ripe tomato
• medium sized handful of finely shredded romaine lettuce
• salt and black pepper to taste (remember the bacon and turkey will be salty)

 

The croissant were on the small side, which made them perfect for this sandwich. They were also almost closed together into a circle, which also made them very sandwich friendly.

I  just happened to have some already cooked bacon in the freezer, so it was a simple matter of quickly thawing it out to use in the sandwich. It was very thin bacon which is why I used 3 slices. If your bacon is really thick you may want to only use two.

I cut my tomato very thin.  I also shredded my lettuce fairly thin.

 

If you are not a fan of turkey you could use sliced/shaved ham in its place.  You could also add a slice of cheese if you wanted to. I would recommend swiss cheese.

I did not butter the croissant. I felt that as I was eating the sandwich right away, it was not really needed.   

Usually when you are making sandwiches ahead of time a layer of butter is added to form a barrier between the fillings and the bread. This helps to prevent the bread from becoming soggy.

 

HOW TO MAKE A CROISSANT TURKEY CLUB SANDWICH

It may seem a bit moot for me to be telling you how to make a sandwich, but there might be someone out there who needs some help in this area so do bear with me!

Cook the bacon in a skillet until your desired doneness. I like it crisp. Drain on some paper towels.

Using a serrated knife cut the croissant in half horizontally. Spread the cut sides of each half with mayonnaise.

 

Place the bottom half on a plate. Top with half the lettuce. Place the tomato slices on top of the lettuce. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper if desired. Remember both the bacon and the turkey will be salty.  I tend to use only pepper.

Cut the bacon slices in half crosswise and place on top of the tomato. Pile the smoked turkey on top of the bacon.

 

Finish off with the remainder of the lettuce and place the top half of the croissant on top of the lettuce, mayonnaise side down. Cut in half and enjoy!

If you are really hungry a few potato chips on the side would be nice, or even some crisp vegetable sticks for a healthier choice!

 

I am a person who is always happy to have a sandwich, be it for lunch or for supper. Here are some of my favorite sandwiches: 

Baked Western Sandwich - An egg omelet with onions, peppers and chopped ham, baked and then sandwiched between two slices of buttered toast. 

Grilled Steak Sandwich - thin slices of steak, perfectly seasoning and served on an open face slice of toasted rustic bread, topped with grilled mushrooms and some fresh rocket salad leaves. 

Cob Sandwich - all the beautiful tastes of a delicious cob salad with cheese, boiled egg, ham, turkey, bacon, lettuce and tomato tucked into two slices of a toasted rustic loaf! 

Classic Tuna Salad - it speaks for itself. Sandwiches don't get much better than this old lunch time classic!

 

That is by no stretch the full list of sandwiches I have posted on here. I am a real sandwich aficionado for sure!  Just put the word sandwich into the search and see what comes up!

My eyes were indeed too big for my stomach here and I could not finish it.  I made a great attempt however!  This was incredibly delicious to say the least! 

Croissant Turkey Club Sandwich

Yield: 1

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 8 MinTotal time: 13 Min

Quantities are given for one delicious sandwich only. Multiply to serve more.

Ingredients

• 1 fresh all butter croissant
• 2 TBS good quality mayonnaise
• 3 slices streaky bacon
• 3 ounces (85g) thinly sliced smoked turkey
• 3 slices of ripe tomato
• medium sized handful of finely shredded romaine lettuce
• salt and black pepper to taste (remember the bacon and turkey will be salty)

Instructions

1. Cook the bacon in a skillet until your desired doneness. I like it crisp. Drain on some paper towels.
2. Using a serrated knife cut the croissant in half horizontally. Spread the cut sides of each half with mayonnaise.
3. Place the bottom half on a plate. Top with half the lettuce.
4. Place the tomato slices on top of the lettuce. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper if desired.
5. Cut the bacon slices in half crosswise and place on top of the tomato. Pile the smoked turkey on top of the bacon.
6. Finish off with the remainder of the lettuce and place the top half of the croissant on top of the lettuce, mayonnaise side down.
7. Cut in half and enjoy!

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Yogurt Cake

 

I don't know about you, but there are times in my life when I just need to have a cake in the house.   And it doesn't necessarily need to be a fancy cake. Just a plain cake.

Something to enjoy with  a hot cuppa, or some fruit, or even ice cream. Plain. Delicious. Ordinary. Cake.

 

I don't always want to be fussing with special pans or equipment. When the craving hits, I want a cake that I can throw together quickly and easily without much bother.

This simple Yogurt Cake is just such a cake. It uses ordinary ingredients that I always have in my home and goes together in a flash with just a whisk and a bowl. No need to break out the fancy mixer with this one!

It is a basic, no-frills, moist, dense, only slightly sweet cake. An any time of day cake.  

Its great in the morning with some fruit for breakfast. Fabulous for coffee break or as a dessert with some ice cream and sauce.  

It is wonderful as a sneaky snack that you don't want anyone to know about. (Tell me I am not the only one who does this!)

 

Sandwiched together with some icing or cream cheese in the middle for the children's lunches.   Its fabulous cut into slices and wrapped for a picnic.

You name it. This cake is a great all rounder!  Homey and humble, this is a simple cake that is welcome any time of the day, any how, any where, any when!

We have the French to thank for this fabulous cake. Its considered to be a classic In France. It is considered such a simple cake to make that it is often the first cake that many children in France learn how to bake.

Originally the measurements were measured out simply using a yogurt pot as the measuring cup.  Not all yogurt pots are created equal however, and so it makes much more sense to measure it in the more traditional way, at least it does for me! 

 

 

What I love about it most is that it is moist and dense, with a texture not dissimilar to pound cake, with a tender delicious crumb.

It also has a nice hint of tang from the yogurt and is a cake that never seems to dry out. This is probably due to the use of oil and yogurt.  I think its a magnificently perfect and simple ordinary cake.  In short, one of my favorite every day cakes.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE YOGURT CAKE

Its pretty simple really.

• 2 large free range eggs
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (226g) plain whole milk yogurt, regular or Greek
• 1/2 cup (120ml)vegetable oil, canola oil, or olive oil, plus more for coating the pan
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups (210g) plain all-purpose flour
• Icing sugar to dust (optional)

I almost always use full fat Greek yogurt for this. It is the yogurt I always have in my fridge. I am not one much for eating flavored yogurt. Most of the time my yogurt is enjoyed spooned over top of my homemade granola along with a drizzle of date syrup.  

Don't be tempted to use low fat yogurt. You will not get the same delicious results or tender crumb.

I always and only keep large sized free range eggs in my kitchen. I can't really afford to keep in a range of different sizes.  I also usually use regular canola oil to make this cake.

I only use pure vanilla extract.  Today I did use Swerve granulated sugar to make this cake. I am trying to cut back on my use of processed sugars. It worked great! 

 

HOW TO MAKE YOGURT CAKE

This has to be one of the simplest cakes to make. As I said, it is one of the first cakes that children in France learn how to make. 

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan lightly with olive oil and line it with parchment paper. I like to leave about a 1 inch overhang on the long sides for ease of lifting out the cake.

Break the eggs into a large bowl. Add the sugar, and using a wire whisk, whisk vigorously until pale yellow and frothy. This will take about a minute. Whisk in the yogurt, oil, and vanilla extract.

 

Whisk in the baking powder and salt. Using a rubber spatula, add the flour and stir together until just combined and all of the flour is incorporated. There may be a few lumps, that's okay. Take care not to overmix.

Spoon into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing over the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, until the cake is lightly browned and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean with just a few crumbs.

 

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and leave to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Lift out at the end of that time using the paper sling onto the wire rack and leave to cool completely.

Dust with icing sugar. Cut into slices to serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

This is a cake that is quite amenable to trying out a few different flavors in it as well.   A touch of almond extract gives it a nice almond flavor, whereas adding a bit of finely grated lemon zest also adds a really lovely touch.

I really do hope that you will be tempted to want to bake this simple and delicious cake. I predict that you will be so impressed with it that it is destined to become a favorite go-to recipe for when the cake craving hits!

I am that sure of this that I will eat my shirt if it doesn't!  And that is saying a lot!  Enjoy!  

PS - This is fabulous in berry season when all the berries are ripe.  I love it served simply with crushed berries and plenty of whipped cream. Its quite simply . . .  wonderful!

Yogurt Cake

Yield: One 9 by 5 inch loaf cake

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 55 Min

Such a simple cake, but extraordinary flavor and texture. This is delicious.

Ingredients

• 2 large free range eggs
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (226g) plain whole milk yogurt, regular or Greek
• 1/2 cup (120ml)vegetable oil, canola oil, or olive oil, plus more for coating the pan
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups (210g) plain all-purpose flour
• Icing sugar to dust (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan lightly with olive oil and line it with parchment paper. I like to leave about a 1 inch overhang on the long sides for ease of lifting out the cake.
2. Break the eggs into a large bowl. Add the sugar, and using a wire whisk, whisk vigorously until pale yellow and frothy. This will take about a minute. Whisk in the yogurt, oil, and vanilla extract.
3. Whisk in the baking powder and salt. Using a rubber spatula, add the flour and stir together until just combined and all of the flour is incorporated. There may be a few lumps, that's okay. Take care not to overmix.
4. Spoon into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing over the top.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, until the cake is lightly browned and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean with just a few crumbs.
6. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and leave to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Life out at the end of that time using the paper sling onto the wire rack and leave to cool completely.
7. Dust with icing sugar. Cut into slices to serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it marierayner5530

 
  

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! 

 Follow my blog with Bloglovin