As everyone is well aware of, Hurricane Irene is about to visit the East Coast this weekend. This is a monumental one - almost on a par with the lethal Hurricane Katrina.Power will definitely be out and that means no refrigeration and possibly no stoves or microwaves. This is going to be a tricky time for those who are staying home and cooking. What to do?Improvise.
Everyone should have stocked up on the basics by now. peanut butter is an excellent source of protein and can making tasty and filling sandwiches for those of any age. Other good sources are deviled ham and chicken . Again these can work as tasty and filling sandwich spreads and add herbs such as tarragon and celery seed to liven up their flavors. Think Italian cold cuts too to get you and your family through these upcoming days. Salami is a good choice. It can last up to a week along with some others such as capacolla and soppressata. You can make sandwiches and even add them to omelets (more on those later).
If you're lucky enough to have gas then use it. You'll have to especially if you have perishables such as eggs or even raw meat in your fridge. Be creative. With the eggs you can make omelets along with the English breakfast style fried bread for breakfast or even lunch. Another good idea is pasta. Just boil water to cook it and use canned sauce. Another spin is utilizing milk for cream sauces . Remember use the perishables first so they don't become rotten or spoiled. This is also a good time , believe it or not to , clean out the freezer. Most people probably have enough in theirs to last them through to Tuesday or Wednesday. There's no need to go out and get more food. Most supermarkets will be closed or worse - damaged by the storm.
Hurricanes play havoc with everything - including people's meals. However you can restore order to your eating routine with everything from canned goods to some creative cooking. Don't let Irene spoil your meal plans. Fight back with some good food.
Showing posts with label deviled chicken.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label deviled chicken.. Show all posts
Friday, August 26, 2011
Monday, May 18, 2009
An English Tea Food Elegance At Its’ Best
There’s nothing like a proper English tea. It has all the feel of a Merchant Ivory or Masterpiece Theater period piece. There’s something inherently elegant about sipping a fine Darjeeling or Earl Gray out of bone china. The sandwiches and sweets are perfect, delicate yet satisfying. It’s not hard to recreate one. Even for us Yank foodies who love fast food and messy dishes.
There are actually three kinds of tea to consider. The first is the cream tea. This is where tea scones and jam are only served. For a more substantial fare there is light tea which has sweets added to the menu and then there is the full tea which adds savories and a dessert (possibly a light trifle or small cakes). Savories usually mean small sandwiches , usually watercress or egg salad. Most English hotels serve the last , and cater to American tastes. The entire tea idea started during the Victorian era when Anna Maria Stanhope, Duchess of Bedford and one of Queen Victoria’s ladies in waiting felt a “sinking feeling around four in the afternoon. Borrowing from the Continental idea of having tea she arranged for the drink to be served with small sandwiches and cakes. This helped sustain her and her guests until the main meal which was probably served at seven or eight. Hence a British tradition was born.
Creating a full British tea is easy to do in this former colony. You can serve any kind of tea and have with it light sandwiches and scones. Supermarkets sell smaller loaves or what’s known as party loaves . These can be filled with cucumber, watercress, and cream cheese. You could put an American spin on them and use deviled ham or chicken as fillings too. Scones can be bought or made. The question is acquiring the clotted cream to go with them. Luckily it can be bought in any major city or on the Internet. As for having small cakes think cupcakes dusted with powdered sugar as opposed to being topped with a large mound of frosting.
An English tea is an elegant way of getting together with friends. It symbolizes timely elegance with delicate food. It's wonderful to indulge your foodie side while being civilized at the same time.
There are actually three kinds of tea to consider. The first is the cream tea. This is where tea scones and jam are only served. For a more substantial fare there is light tea which has sweets added to the menu and then there is the full tea which adds savories and a dessert (possibly a light trifle or small cakes). Savories usually mean small sandwiches , usually watercress or egg salad. Most English hotels serve the last , and cater to American tastes. The entire tea idea started during the Victorian era when Anna Maria Stanhope, Duchess of Bedford and one of Queen Victoria’s ladies in waiting felt a “sinking feeling around four in the afternoon. Borrowing from the Continental idea of having tea she arranged for the drink to be served with small sandwiches and cakes. This helped sustain her and her guests until the main meal which was probably served at seven or eight. Hence a British tradition was born.
Creating a full British tea is easy to do in this former colony. You can serve any kind of tea and have with it light sandwiches and scones. Supermarkets sell smaller loaves or what’s known as party loaves . These can be filled with cucumber, watercress, and cream cheese. You could put an American spin on them and use deviled ham or chicken as fillings too. Scones can be bought or made. The question is acquiring the clotted cream to go with them. Luckily it can be bought in any major city or on the Internet. As for having small cakes think cupcakes dusted with powdered sugar as opposed to being topped with a large mound of frosting.
An English tea is an elegant way of getting together with friends. It symbolizes timely elegance with delicate food. It's wonderful to indulge your foodie side while being civilized at the same time.
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