Ham and Mango Chutney Bites

   

I was going to call these sandwiches, or as my friend Doris calls them, sammies.  But they were too small.  Just a bite or two, really.

Fellow bloggers were stopping by on their way through Southwest Virginia and I wanted to try something new. A recent visit to the Fresh Market FORCED me to buy some Mango Chutney.  I didn't have a plan for it, but a few recipes I read recently had used some and I wanted to have some on hand.  So now I needed to find something using the chutney.  The jar suggested chicken or ham.  We ALWAYS eat chicken, so ham it is.  But the chutney is sweet, so I thought I could use some goat cheese to offset that.  And an idea is born.

Ham and Mango Chutney Bites

Baguette
1/2 pound very thinly sliced ham, I used Black Forest ham.  Nice and smoky.
Mango Chutney
Goat cheese
Honey Mustard
Olive Oil

   

Thinly slice the baguette.  I wanted it toasted, but it was VERY crunchy.  If you want a softer bite skip this whole step. Brush with OO and toast in a toaster oven until lightly brown.

Heat oven to 350.

   

Spread each piece with a wee bit of honey mustard.  It added a nice little bite of spice.

  

I ALWAYS cut the brown edges of the processed ham.  This is a pain, but I don't like the texture of the edges in the middle of a bite of the tender ham.  The dog and cats are fond of this compulsion and are thrilled to find these additions to their diets placed in their bowls!  Place a generous serving on top of each slice of bread.

   

Spread a small amount of goat cheese on top of the ham.  Place the slices on a cookie sheet and heat in the oven for 5 or 6 minutes or so.  I just wanted to get the ham warm and the cheese creamy and melty.

 

 

   

 

 

Top them off with about 1/2 teaspoon of the chutney and serve warm.

Pub Grub

   

I have one more recipe from our pub crawl.  OK.  Two pubs in Nottingham and one pub in London.  That is a crawl for US.  The brew pub is Nottingham had a recipe book that espoused the opinion that if a recipe called for liquid, you could pretty much always replace it with beer.  I'd hate to see that done in a custard, but it worked for the Hefeweizen Beer Bread so I thought to try it with, wait for it...

Beer Braised Sausages and Garlic Mashed with Peas and Carrots

Sausages
Onions
Olive Oil
Pilsner

First of all, I didn't know what a pilsner is, so I used my trusty cell phone to search while at the store.  I was informed it was a pale lager.  We were at the Fresh market to get some fresh made sausages so we made up our own six pack and got the brew for two different meals.

   

We bought 3 sausages because I couldn't decide between them.  Two were chicken with Granny Smith apples. The other one was turkey with wine and garlic.  See?  We couldn't decide either!  They were very soft and fragile so if you get fresh ones handle them gently.

   

Heat some OO in a cast iron pan.  Brown the sausages on all sides and set them aside.

   

Cut up a half of an onion for every person, so we used a whole one.  I cut it in half and then thinly sliced it. The onions went in the hot pan and cooked until they were caramelized. Start heating the oven just before the onions are done.  It needs to be at 315 degrees.

   

Return the sausage to the pan with the onions and cover them with beer.  It took about 1 and 1/2 bottles, but if I had more sausages, I probably could have gotten away with 1 bottle.  But then I wouldn't have had an open bottle that must be consumed or wasted, so that all worked out for me.  I popped it in the fridge until everything was cooked and made a shandy with some Sprite Zero.  A shandy with pub grub sounded good to me.

Put the sausages in the heated oven for 2 hours.  Go take a rest. 

Garlic Mashed with Peas and Carrots

Potatoes  We used 3 medium sized Yukon Gold, but Russets would also do.
Garlic
sour cream
butter
milk
s & p

carrots
peas

   

After one hour come back and make up the garlic for the mashed potatoes. Take a whole garlic and peel off all the loose "paper". Cut off the top and place it in the middle of enough foil to cover the whole thing. Drizzle olive oil over the top and season with s & p. Seal the foil and pop it in the oven with the sausages for the last hour. Go take another rest. This is hard work.

When there is only 30 minutes left for the sausages, start the potatoes.  Peel and cut them into cubes for faster cooking.  Cover them with water and bring to a slow boil.  Keep an eye on them so they don't boil over and also so they don't get over cooked.  Every once in awhile, pick one up with a spoon and cut it with a sharp knife.  When it cuts easily, you are done.  Drain and place in a large bowl.

   

After you start the potatoes, start the carrots.  I just used a steamer over a bit of water and heated it to a boil.  Put a handful of baby carrots in the steamer and cover with a lid.  When they are mostly done, add another handful of frozen peas. When done remove the strainer and dump everything in a serving dish.  Add a bit of butter.

Remove the garlic from the oven.  Let it cool a bit.  Then peel back the foil and squeeze all the garlic on top of your potatoes and start mashing.  A ricer will give you mashed potatoes with no lumps, but it is a pain to clean, so I just mashed away and decided to embrace the lumps.  I put in a hunk of butter and a dollop of sour cream.  Add s & p and mash some more.  Then add a bit of milk and keep mashing.  Keep adding SMALL amounts of milk until the proper consistency.  Don't go crazy with the milk or it will get soupy.

   

To serve, place a circle of mashed potatoes in the middle of the plate.  Put a serving of the peas and carrots on top of the mashed potatoes.  Then top everything with the sausages and spoon some of the onions with a bit of the reduced beer/sauce.  Because there were two of us and three sausages, I cut them in half before serving.  That way be both got to taste each type of sausage.

   

I somehow managed to make some really excellent Pub Grub.  Perhaps I will start a Pub instead of a B&B!

I decided to use the Hefeweizen banana bread for a dessert.  One slice covered in sliced strawberries with a dollop of Cool Whip may not be traditional Pub Grub, but it was delicious.

 

 

  

 

Unbaked Fruit Cobbler

   

I wanted to make a dessert with fruit.  I like the idea of cobblers, but I decided I didn't want to bake the fruit.  But I wanted a cobbleresque topping.  Why not bake some cobbler rounds and then put them on top of the fruit?  No reason as far as I can see.

Unbaked Fruit Cobbler

1 large mango
3 large peacharines (or peaches)
1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup Bisquick  I used the Heart Smart Bisquick
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk  I used 1 %
1 /2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Cut up 4 or 5 different fruits.  I had just been to the Fresh market and saw some Peacharines..This is a hybrid of peach and nectarine.  Why not try something new and untested on company, I always say?  Well, not always, but I did this time.  And mangoes are always good.

   

I peeled and diced the fruit.  Because it would have to sit for a bit, I sprinkled a Tablespoon of lemon juice on top and mixed it around.  This keeps it from turning that yucky brown.  Then add 1 1/2 Tablespoon of sugar and let it sit.  I had some time before the guests would arrive so I put it in the fridge.

Now to bake the topping.  Pre-heat the oven to 425.  Grease a cookie sheet, use a Silpat or sheet of parchment paper.

  

I used the recipe for the shortcake on the box.  Mix the Bisquick, sugar and milk.  Add in the cinnamon and let it rest for a few minutes.  While you have the sugar and cinnamon out put the smaller amounts in a little dish and set aside.

Spoon the dough onto the cookie sheet.  This should make 6 or 7 large cobbler tops.  You could easily get 8 if needed.  Sprinkle the reserved sugar/cinnamon mixture on top just before baking.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.  Let cool on a wire rack.

 

Place the chilled fruit in a clear bowl or goblet.  Place the cap of cobbler on top.  Add vanilla ice cream or Cool Whip.  Or do like I did and add BOTH.  It made for a nice, not too sweet ,refreshing dessert.

My pictures for this post are getting sort of fuzzy.  I think my camera is slowly dying.  I hope to keep it going until Christmas, when I will beg for a new one.  If the horses sell and after the daughter-in -England-wedding, finances may loosen up a bit.

Blueberry Peach Cobbler

When Lee and I go to town we like to stop by the Fresh Market for the best produce.  We had just been to the regular market and didn't really need anything, but like I said, when we are in town we go to see what is there.  We always find something that we "need".

We found peaches and so I bought them.  I had previously bought a small magazine-style recipe book that they place at the checkout counter knowing that I will come through and be hungry.  It was Crisps and Cobblers.  My favorite, fruit AND dessert.  And also potential B&B recipes.  They had some blueberry and peach cobblers and I tweaked and combined two of them to make our dessert.

We still have a bag of frozen blueberries from last year that we picked ourselves.  My goal is to use up the blueberries just before it is time to go pick some more!  So blueberries and peaches and a cobbler.  I am trying to watch my sugar and carbs, so I took that into consideration.

Blueberry Peach Cobbler ( low fat/low sugar version)

Pam
2 cups frozen blueberries
3 to 5 peaches
Splenda divided use, 1/3 cup and 2 Tablespoons
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup Heart Smart Bisquick
1/4 cup milk, I used 1 %
2 Tablespoons REAL sugar, divided use
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon corn starch

Pre-heat the oven to 400.  Spray a small oven proof dish with Pam.  Set aside

Place the frozen blueberries in a saucepan and sprinkle in 1/3 cup Splenda.  Heat on medium, stirring occasionally. 

While the blueberries are heating, peel and slice the peaches.  Place them in a bowl and sprinkle them with 2 Tablespoons Splenda and add in the vanilla.  Stir to coat and set aside.

                          

In a medium bowl,  mix 1 cup Bisquick, 1/4 cup milk and 1 Tablespoon REAL sugar.  Mix until moistened.

By now the blueberries should be cooked enough, but kind of watery.  Use the same 1/4 cup measure (rinse it out first) and use it to put 1/4 cup water in a small glass.  Add the corn starch and stir to dissolve.  Add it to the simmering blueberries and stir.  It should thicken quickly.  Remove from the heat and assemble.

                             

Dump the peaches in the baking dish.  Spread the blueberry sauce over the top.  Then using a large spoon drop the Bisquick in small mounds over everything.  Sprinkle the last of the sugar over the top of the Bisquick mounds.  Bake for 18 minutes or until nicely browne
                             

Serve with Cool Whip.  We had some strawberries and I sliced them and added them on the top.


                             

 I wish I could come up with some patriotic name.  It IS red, white and blue, after all.  It was delicious and you won't miss the sugar or the fat.

                                

(Note:  I writes notes on 3X5 cards when I cook to keep track of what I used and how I did it.  As you can see my handwriting is atrocious, so I am very appreciative of my computer and backspace!  I wonder what happened to the REAL 3X5 cards.  The new ones are so thin and flimsy they could almost be computer paper cut in smaller sizes.)

Chicken Salad Wrap

Lee likes sandwiches.  A lot.  We are trying to avoid a lot of carbs, so I made a chicken salad sandwich in a wrap.  We were in town (Roanoke) and so we went to the Fresh Market.  The stores closer to us in Buchanan don't always have the best produce, so when we are in town we like to go there.  They had some interesting wraps, so we decided to try them out.  A whole wheat tortilla would have worked, but these looked good.
 
                                        

Chicken Salad Wrap

1/2 pound cooked chicken or so.  We bought fat slices from the deli section.  This makes plenty for a family or for leftovers for two.

Here is where you can make this how you like it.  We bought some things and had some things so here is what I used.

Chopped onion
chopped celery
chopped water chestnuts
chopped hearts of palm
red grapes, sliced in half
toasted walnuts, roughly chopped   I put some on a broiling pan for the toaster oven.  5 or so minutes on 350.

whole wheat wrap
mayo
mustard
lettuce
avocado
        
                                                

Chop the chicken into medium chunks.  Place the chicken and all the chopped ingredients in a medium bowl.  Add mayo and mustard to taste. You can add curry instead of mustard for a different flavor.  Mix well.

                                                 

Place the chicken salad mixture down the center of a whole wheat wrap.  Add lettuce and avocado and roll tightly.  Slice in half and serve with fruit for a light and healthy meal.