I find that the more I read.. the more I like to dissect books… really look into the time period, the setting, and the food. Currently my book club is reading Pride and Prejudice for our annual October Classic read and I thought it would be fun today (as I make my way through this book) to connect with some of the food from the Regency era.
My husband = house lab rat. 😛
As I love the Weekend Cooking meme, I want to try more of this bringing the food out of whatever book I am reading…. and so today I present our fall “Regency type” dinner as English Pot Pie and British Salad Greens.
The main dish, was the English Pot Pie that honestly… looked like a lot of work so I made my own recipe (an easier version) – but hey, it’s fall in Minnesota and this is a great comfort food:
You will need:
- 3 cups Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers™ frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
- 2 cups cut-up cooked chicken
- 1 large can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 2 cups Bisquick® mix
- 1 cup milk
- 2 eggs
Heat oven to 400. In separate bowl mix the vegies, cream of chicken, and the cooked chicken. Pour into ungreased baking pan – I used two smaller class baking containers.
Now mix the Bisquick, milk and egg together. Pour over the vegie/chicken mix evenly. Bake for 30 minutes.
Secondly, the salad. Pretend you are Elizabeth Bennett and you and your sisters have just picked fresh vegies out of the garden. (I cant explain the blue cheese but lets just say one of the cows were sick and they made their own….)
You will need:
- 1 English cucumber (the one in the produce section that is long and wrapped in plastic)
- 3 cups mixed greens
- a chunk of blue cheese
- Blue Cheese salad dressing
- a sprinkle of chopped English walnuts (no worries, these are the common walnuts we mainly use in the U.S.)
- Craisins (ok ok… so Craisins were my addition, but let’s just say I ran into Elizabeth Bennett in the forest near her home and I told her about Craisins and that they rock. She, being of good character, knows an honest person when she sees one and takes me at my word.)
- Black pepper to taste
Slice the cucumber in to 1/4 inch slices and circle around the edge of each salad plate. In the center place the mixed greens. sprinkle the walnuts, craisins, and walnuts on top and then a drizzle of the salad dressing. Serve.
Did it pass the husband test? I would say seconds means yes to that. 😀
This is a part of Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking.
Book Journey 
(I cant explain the blue cheese but lets just say one of the cows were sick and they made their own….)
You are hilarious!!
I picked up this recipe that was suppose to be from the Regency era and I was surprised by the Blue Cheese Vicki… LOL, maybe it was around then… 😛
Oh, at first I thought that was black olives on the salad — and I can’t stand olives, but now that I read they are craisins, hey, I’m in!
The pot pie looks excellent, too. Very Jane Austen-y.
It all looks delish!
The pot pie was delicious… I can not remember the last time I attempted one and forgot how quick and easy they can be! Jane’s recipe of course called for beef… but I went with chicken. 🙂
I may have to give this a try – sounds perfect for a cool fall day.
It was really good… 😀
You crack me up! Your meal sounds like fun!
It was fun to do Kathy and not that time consuming!
I really like this concept. I don’t usually pause too long and think about the food. I really should since food is such a big thing with me. Thanks for sharing this. The pot pie does sound good and comfy.
Heather I think it is fun to try to the food of the era, or the country…. I am not a pot pie kind of gal but I did like this.
Dried cranberries are really good too, or are they the same thing as a craisin? I love the idea of eating food based on your book.
I think they may be the same thing Jill… good question. 😀
When I visited England once, I too ate a pot pie. They are great! That was before I became a vegetarian, so I wonder if you could make vegetarian pot pie?
Here is my weekend cooking 🙂
http://shelikesbento.blogspot.com/2011/10/weekend-cooking-quick-fix-vegan-by.html
Oh I thin you could totally make it vegetarian!
Sounds good Sheila! Now, blue cheeses doesn’t only come from France, there is also Stilton cheese from England. So, obviously a relative or business partner of father Bennett came to visit and brought some delicious Stilton cheese from around where he lives.
I do like the idea of the pot pie (Uniflame, we can use quorn pieces and maybe mushroom soup? Although I’m not sure we can get the condensed version. California Soups used to have them, not sure they even still exist). Unfortunately I have no idea what Bisquick is. At all. Could you explain, Sheila? Maybe I could find/make something similar. ‘Cause I do like that pot pie idea!
LOL – I like your style Judith… of course the cheese was delivered by horse and carriage from a neighboring farm. 😀
I dont mean to laugh… but Bisquick is a pretty household item here… lets see, how to explain it….
Got to love wikipedia:
Bisquick is a pre-mixed baking product sold by General Mills under their Betty Crocker brand, consisting of flour, shortening, salt, and baking powder (a leavening agent).
One cup of Bisquick can be substituted by a mix of one cup of flour, 1½ teaspoons of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon of oil or melted butter.
Ah, wikipedia! I could have done that. 🙂 Thanks for checking. I’m favorit-ing this post, because I could well be making this recipe soon!
So Bisquick is just a flour with some added ingredients. We have things like that, pizza flour, pancake flour, etc. Pretty easy to make one’s own “bisquick” though!
It was good for me to know too Judith! I knew it made like a dough but it was cool to see the substitute for it.
I love your justifications for craisins and bleu cheese! But I was going to mention Stilton too, so I think you’re off the hook. Lizzy would approve!
I love the idea of creating a meal for your book.
And now I’m thinking about how I haven’t read P&P in a couple of years. Maybe time for a re-read.
I do like my craisins on a salad… especially with feta cheese… 😀
This is my first time through P & P… so far.. so good.
Fall and winter are the perfect seasons for comfort food, and I’m a big fan of pot pie! Love it…(and I live around the corner from a Marie Callender’s restaurant that features pot pies!). Guess where I’m going for dinner tonight!
As for the blue cheese…I love it, no matter how it got there!
And side note: Sheila, yesterday you asked how many grandchildren I have, and I gave an answer at the snapshot post. But on second thought, the number of step-grandchildren is larger than I mentioned, since my youngest son’s wife had five kids from a previous marriage. I didn’t count them, since I wasn’t in their lives when they were growing up and have only met some of them. Mostly they live out of state.
But I guess the grand total would be: Seven biological and eight steps.
Which also means I’m a step-great grandmother to three little ones. Now I really feel old. I think I’ll have them call me Gigi when they’re old enough to talk!
Mmmmm…. enjoy your dinner tonight Laurel! 😀
Thanks for grand kid totals too! I see so many pictures in your posts I was curious! 😀
Yes, and the baby you’ve seen in some isn’t even related to me! But his siblings are my grandkids….
Yum! I used to make a Bisquick-based pot pie every now and again, and they do always turn out really well, don’t they? Thanks for reminding me to put it back on the menu sometime!
I think this is the first time I tried it with Bisquick but yes, it was pretty good!
Umm, I may never be able to eat Blue Cheese dressing again! The pot pie does look good and it couldn’t be any easier! Love those English cucumbers.
LOL – it was super easy and a good quick dinner.
Ha! What fun with cows producing blue cheese and meeting Elizabeth Bennett in the woods. You lead an exciting life, Sheila.
I try to get out Joy and embrace the people 😛
Oh, like your husband, I’d be asking for seconds, too.
It was pretty good… I had forgotten about pot pie… have not made it in years!
Love, love, love this salad! Yumm!!