I thought it would be fun to share with you all of the meals that I have enjoyed eating over this past week.  When you are a person that lives on their own there can be a tendency to eat out of tins, or to eat frozen meals.  I don't want that to be my life and if I can inspire one person to also want to cook for themselves, then I think that's a great thing.

My late mother lived all on her own from the age of 54 to 81 when my sister and her partner Dan moved in with mom. By that point mom needed someone to take care of her as she had dementia and was no longer to really care for herself. 

While my mother was able to she always cooked for herself.  Every day she had a meal that she prepared and that she enjoyed. The odd time it might have been a tv dinner or something from the freezer. She loved Big Macs and when they put them on offer, she would buy four or five, have one for her tea and then freeze the other four to have as a treat on another occasion.

She did love to shop at M&M meats and would pick up boxes of chicken breasts and fish from there.  She might have a chicken breast for her supper but she always cooked potatoes or rice to go with it and a vegetable. 

I am a little bit more adventurous myself, but them I cooked for a living for years and am quite used to cooking for a larger family.  Food excites me.  I love to cook. Mom ate to live whereas I live to eat!  That does make a difference in what you choose to eat.

Anyways, I thought I would share with you the main meals that I enjoyed over this past week.  Usually on Sundays I have supper at my sisters with the family and every Wednesday night I go out to dinner with my father and his friends at a local eatery.  Other than that, I cook everything myself.  Food doesn't have to be complicated to taste good. I like to eat a wide variety of things, although looking at the photographs for this week, I did have a very "red" week!

Oh well, some weeks are bound to be like that! Wherever possible I have given links to the recipes!

SUNDAY MARCH 19TH - Supper at  my sisters

Cindy had prepared Roasted Spareribs in the Instant Pot, her Stovetop Mac and Cheese, Homemade Baked Beans and oven roasted tender stem broccoli. Everything was fabulously delicious.  I love being included in these Sunday Suppers with my family.

MONDAY, MARCH 20TH - Lamb Chops with Honey, Lemon & Thyme, served with pan fried potatoes and oven roasted tender stem cauliflower.  I had the opportunity to pick up some fresh Nova Scotia lamb and cooked it simply, not wanting to detract from its delicate flavor. This made a beautiful supper for the first day of spring. 

TUESDAY, MARCH 21ST - Small Batch Spaghetti and Meatballs

This gave me enough to enjoy on the day and some to pop into the freezer for another time.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22ND -  On Wednesday nights I always go out to supper with my father and his friends to a local eatery called The Big Scoop.  The food is always hit and miss. I go for the company and to please my father.  This weeks special was a Hot Turkey Poutine. I decided to have that. It was so/so. My own version is a lot tastier. Hot Turkey Poutine.  Hot chips, covered in chunks of cooked turkey, turkey gravy, stuffing and cheese with a side of cranberry sauce. 

THURSDAY MARCH 23RD - Herbed Cod with Crispy Garlic Potatoes

Crispy buttery garlic potatoes are shingled on a sheet pan and cooked alongside  a fillet of breaded herbed cod fish. The cod is transferred to the potatoes at the end and the whole thing is popped under a grill and crisped up. I served it with a grilled half a tomato and some green beans.

FRIDAY MARCH 24TH - Stone Soup

I found it really chilly on Friday and so thought a bowl of soup would go down well. This is one of my favorites because it uses a bit of this and a bit of that. Its a delicious way to make your budget stretch and fill your tummy up with something hearty and warming at the same time.  Chopped cabbage, onions,  tomatoes, rice, stock, and a few seasonings combined together in a most delicious way!  I enjoyed a lovely bowl of this along with some crackers on the side and a sprinkle of cheese on top.

 

And just in case you are wondering, here is my recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.  It is gorgeous in strawberry season, but in the winter time its a great way to use some of those mediocre strawberries they put out at the shops at a decent price that are often disappointing when you eat them raw. Cooking them helps to bring out their flavor. Combine that with rhubarb and you have a dessert made in heaven!

And those were my meals of the week for March 19th to 25th!  Let me know in the comments section below if you enjoyed this post or not. I may make it a regular thing if you do!

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 

Tomorrow is Saint Patrick's Day and I thought I would gather as many of my Irish related recipes in one spot as possible so as to make it easy for you to find them. This is by no means all of them, but I do think that I am giving you a nice variety of them to choose from!

I suppose there are not too many people who cannot claim to have at least a small portion of Irish DNA in themselves, which gives most of us much to celebrate when it comes to Saint Patrick's Day. I had my DNA done several years ago with the end result that I was 27% Irish. 

I would have to say that the Irish are some of the most wonderful and humble people you could ever want to know. Living in the UK, I was blessed to be able to call a few Irish people friends.  You could not ask for a better friend. They are the cream of the crop.

Their food is also incredibly humble, what I would call country cooking. Straightforward and without pretense, homey fare based on unsophisticated yet delicious raw ingredients. That is what I love most about it.  It is simple and wholesome food.

Aside from fresh seafood and shellfish, which you can enjoy in abundance in Ireland, dried fruit and potatoes figure massively in Irish cooking.  A goodly portion of their breads, cakes and desserts make fabulous use of this.  You won't see any of the shellfish on here as I am allergic to shellfish and typical Irish seafood is just not easy to come by here in Canada. 

I do hope that you will enjoy the examples of recipes I have shared with you however. I know that I certainly have!

 BREADS & SCONES

WHITE IRISH SODA BREAD (NON-FRUITED) - Quick, easy and very delicious, this is the white bread version of a non-yeasted Irish quick bread.  You will see some versions containing dried fruit and you are certainly welcome to add some. Having said that, it is pretty tasty just on its own.  I enjoy it sliced and spread with butter and jam or with soups, or stews for mopping up all that delicious gravy. 

TRADITIONAL IRISH SODA BREAD - A simple classic bread in Irish households. This yeast free whole meal bread is perfect served with soups and stews, salads, etc. Its also pretty delicious served sliced and spread with butter and jam, marmalade and honey.

SMALL BATCH IRISH SODA BREAD - This is a small batch version of the traditional Irish soda bread, made for the smaller family to enjoy without having a lot of waste or leftovers. Every bit as delicious as the full batch.

BOXTY - This delicious potato bread/potato cakes is also known as Potato Farls. This is a very simple recipe and very authentic in its simplicity. Composed of only three ingredients. Potatoes, flour and salt. These are traditionally cooked on the stove top in a flat surfaced griddle pan. At one time they would have been baked on a grill pan over an open fire.

IRISH SODA BREAD MUFFINS - Small individual soda breads baked in a muffin tin. Loaded with plenty of dried currants and caraway seed.  These are fabulously easy to make a incredibly tasty! Again, quick and easy to make, bake and eat! 

IRISH TEA BRACK - A non yeasted heavily fruity bread. You begin the night before by soaking a quantity of dried fruit in Irish breakfast tea overnight. The next morning you add the remaining ingredients and bake. This is heavy, yet beautifully fruited bread that is fabulous thinly sliced, spread with butter and served up with copious amounts of hot tea.

TRADITIONAL IRISH BARMBRACK - A fruity yeasted bread that is traditionally enjoyed sliced and buttered.  This makes for a fabulous tea time treat, or even a breakfast treat.  Its delicious any time you choose to enjoy it. 

IRISH HONEY SCONES - These lovely scones are filled with the nuttiness of whole wheat and are gently sweetened with honey. They are simple, but don't let that simplicity fool you into thinking these are nothing special.

SOUPS, STEWS & MAIN DISHES 

BALNAMOON SKINK - A delicate Irish version of a delicate soup made with fresh vegetables, enriched and lightly thickened with a mixture of cream and egg.  This makes great use of the early Spring Vegetables and is light enough that although satisfying, it leaves you with room for the main course.

SMALL BATCH IRISH STEW -  A delicious lamb stew for the smaller family.  Cubes of lamb are layered in a casserole with onions, carrots and seasonings, then topped with wedges of potato and covered with stock. Cover tightly, pop into the oven and then let the oven do the work. Quite simply delicious. 

IRISH STEAK AND GUINNESS STEW - A hearty stew made with lean cubes of stewing steak, carrots, parsnips, turnips and onions, cooked in a delicious Guinness gravy until deliciously fork tender.   Plan ahead as this takes a good 2 1/2 to 3 hours to cook, but then again the best things in life are worth waiting for.

IRISH HUNTER'S PIE - Buttery mash lines a pie dish that is filled with chunks of simmered lamb. The juices of the lamb are then made into a gravy which is poured through the top of the pie to moisten the filling, with any excess being served on the side.  Simple vegetables accompany this tasty dish.

BOILED BACON AND CABBAGE - There is nothing out of the ordinary here  . . .  it's just simple imgredients . . .  cured pork, a few vegetables, water  . . .  pepper.  Cabbage.Simple ingredients put together in a simple way with extraordinarily delicious results!  I made a mustard sauce to serve with it, and boiled new potatoes . . .  but a parsley sauce is just as delicious.

CORNED BEEF WITH PARSLEY SAUCE - Tender slices of juicy perfectly cooked corned beef, served thinly sliced with a variety of fresh and tasty vegetables on the side and a deliciously lush and creamy parsley sauce!

DUBLIN CODDLE - A Coddle is a traditional Irish dish usually associated with the city of Dublin. Hearty and delicious it is a stew-type of dish created with good pork sausages, salty bacon, pearl barley, onions, potatoes and herbs.

POTATOES 

CRUSHED NEW POTATO COLCANNON - There is something pretty wonderful that happens when you combine cabbage and potatoes and Ireland. Humble ingredients put together in a most delicious way, this is considered haute cuisine in many multiple Michelin star restaurants. In short this is a beautiful side dish well deserving to be served on any table!

TRADITIONAL IRISH CHAMP - Mashed potatoes with warm milk, spring onions and butter beaten into them.  It's so tasty.   The Irish know how to do potatoes and do them well!

PUDDINGS AND CAKES

IRISH WHISKEY AND GINGER CAKE - A dense and moist cake chock full of lovely ginger flavor! With the consistency of a pound cake, this cake is studded with plenty of candied ginger and loads of ginger flavor that really shines through.

IRISH MARMALADE CAKE - A sweet and moist marmalade flavored loaf studded throughout with sticky sweet sultanas.  A delight when sliced, buttered and enjoyed with a nice refreshing hot drink. 

IRISH BOILED FRUITCAKE -  A plain cake, beautifully moist and stuffed with loads of fruit. Dried Currants and sultana raisins are boiled in a mixture of golden syrup and tea. A few other simple ingredients are added prior to baking in the oven to create a delicious moist and fruity cake that is a great keeper, and quite simply delicious. 

IRISH BLAEBERRY PUDDING -  A sweet blueberry/blaeberry/billberry fruity filling is topped with a light and delicious cake batter then baked to perfection. Delicious served warm and spooned out into bowls with a topping of cream, custard or ice cream.

IRISH APPLE CAKE - A delicious apple cake with a cake/scone base, topped with plenty of sliced apples. A topping of crumble is sprinkled on top prior to baking to perfection. Delicious served warm and sliced in wedges, along with lashings of warm custard.

BERRY BUTTERMILK COBBLER - Frozen fruit baked into a buttermilk batter, served up warm,  with a simple custard flavored with Irish Cream.  Not only is this simple to make, but also very quick.  You can have everything ready to mix together ahead of time and just do the final mixing at the last minute so that it can bake while you are enjoying your main course. 

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH A BAILEY'S CHOCOLATE SAUCE - You will want to make the cake for this the day before.  It needs several hours in the refrigerator to set up properly for cutting. (I like to leave it overnight.)  It's rich and delicious.  Top with a scoop of really good Vanilla ice cream and a spoonful of Bailey's Chocolate sauce for the perfect finish.

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I apologize for my mitts, the toaster and the embroidery pattern in the background.  The toaster is going to the local charity shop as I just got a new one which looks very vintage that I love, and my mitts I had not put away yet. The pattern is something I am getting ready to embroider! 

I thought I had done very well with my shopping today. I didn't buy any extras, but was still surprised when I got the total bill at the end. I do not know how families are coping these days with the costs of things. I really don't.

I did all of my shopping at the Independent Grocery shop here in town. Its where I go most of the time as their produce always seems to be a lot fresher than the produce at the other grocery store in town, and they do carry a lot of the President's Choice items and No Name Brands that I like to buy.

In no order of preference here we go! 

 

 

 

 

There are a dozen Brussels Sprouts in the bag and I paid $4.90 for them. They are quite large, about the size of ping pong balls. I prefer smaller ones, but these will be great for roasting.

Spring onions at $1.99 a bunch. They come in handy for all sorts.

One medium cauliflower for $5.99. I will probably get about 4 meals from that. Its fresh looking and unspotted. It can sometimes be difficult to find one without manky spots on it. I like that it is sold as an individual and not by the pound. By the time you trim off all the leaves, etc. your cauliflower is usually half the size of what you thought you were buying! haha

 

I got a pre-packaged chopped salad. This one cost $6.99. I will probably be good for three to four meals for me.  You can buy a small bucket of a premixed salad for $6 and it will only last one meal, so this is actually worth it for me.

Some sliced Stone Roasted Ham. $7.88. This is good for sandwiches, in omelets, salads, etc. 

A package of the PC Free From Bangers, Honey Garlic. I will freeze these individually so that I can use them over a period of several weeks.  They are a good size and there are five in the package for $7.99, which for me works out to $1.60 per meal as I will get five meals from them.

These are the best sausages and about the only store brand sausage that I have found here in Canada that compares to the British sausages.  They also come in four flavors, hot or sweet Italian, regular bangers, and honey garlic.

I usually buy the regular or the sweet Italian. Today I fancied a change.

 

This was my take from the Dairy Aisle.  2 liters of full fat milk. This stuff is microfiltered and it seems to always last me well beyond the sell by date.  As a single person on their own, I was very tired of always having to pour milk down the sink. $5.99  It really does stay fresh longer.

Whipping cream $4.79  I would much rather use real cream if I can rather than the artificial stuff or the stuff in the can. Real cream holds up much better.

Extra old cheese, a large block for $6.49. It was on offer.  I always prefer to grate my own cheese if I can and old cheese gives you a lot more flavor for your money spent so you don't need to use quite as much of it when you are cooking with it.

The sugar free jellies were on offer at four packages for $5.00  They are normally $1.79 each. As  a diabetic I like the sugar free jellies. They make for a nice treat that isn't going to cause me too much trouble when it comes to my illness.  My blood sugars stay pretty even most of the time and it is because of treats like this.

I also like to have them on hand for when I know my father is coming for supper or lunch. He always looks for something sweet afterwards and as he is a diabetic as well, I know that these won't do much harm.

White kidney beans. I saw a recipe that I want to try using white kidney beans. These cost $1.79.  I think for things like canned beans, tomatoes etc. No Name Brand are quite alright, and they are always cheaper.  Quite often they are packed in the same factories that pack all the name brands.

Some squeeze paste treats for my snoopervisors. They really like these. $3.49.  There is four in the pack and I divide one at a time between the two of them. They are not an every day treat but an extra special treat.

I also needed a new toothbrush. $2.29  By the way, never throw out your old toothbrushes, once they are finished being used to clean your teeth, you can use them as great cleaning tools in the home. They are great for getting into smaller spaces and I find they do a great job of cleaning around taps, etc.

 

I got some fresh fruit.  The Mango ($4.99) was on offer and was a real treat. I had it for my lunch as it was quite ripe and I wasn't sure how long it would last.  It was so delicious. If I go out with my sister tomorrow I will pick up another one. It has been a long time since I have had a mango. I love LOVE them!

Two honey crisp apples ($4.27)  Remember when you could get a whole bag of apples for that price?

Three fresh bananas ($1.02)  Not too bad.  Now I just have to remember to use them up.  But even if I don't they are always great for baking.

Some red grapes ($5.35)  It has been quite a while since I have had grapes. I just fancied some and they are great in chicken salad, as are chopped apples for that matter.

Two fresh limes (1.98).  I plan on doing some Tex Mex cooking this week and limes are a must!

 

A jug of fresh orange juice. $2.99  It was on offer. I always like to have a small glass of juice with my breakfast and I am getting tired of prune juice.

Some Mayonnaise. $7.99  Pricey when you have to buy it when its not on offer.  But I only like Hellman's.

Plum Sauce $7.29 for the club pack, which will last me quite a while. I like it with the chicken strips and I thought it might also go nicely with the pot stickers?  I could be wrong. It always comes in handy however.

Tomato Ketchup $4.99  Again it was on offer and I was out of ketchup. This is an ingredient I use quite often.  It is great in sauces, soups, stews, etc. and you just have to have it on your chips! Heinz is the one I like best of all.

Not shown:

• A bag of dry cat food $15.99 (I buy the grain free, white fish)
• Two packs of Diet Coke 2/$11.00 plus deposit of $1.20  I save all of my refundables (you get half of your deposit back) and give them to a learning disabled man who is friends of my daughter who collects them.  He gives the money he gets to charity and it gives him something to do. Its like his job.
• Three bottles of sparkling water 3/$3.00 plus deposit of .30 cents.
• A large pack of toilet tissue which was on offer. 20 double rolls for $11.99  This was $8 off the regular price of $19.99 for non-members.

I wasn't thinking because if I had gone shopping tomorrow I would have gotten the 10% Senior's discount. Darn!  I just remembered it now! Oh well. Next time.

With taxes and everything my bill came to $215.86 and I almost died of shock.  Aside from the toilet paper, diet cokes, water and bag of cat food, everything fit into three grocery bags.   Again as I said, I do not know how families are making ends meet. 

Were it not for my habit of squirreling away food/nonperishables when I get a good deal on things and maintaining a good store cupboard I don't know how I would manage either.  We do live in interesting times.

Hmm . . . looks like one of my snoopervisors is all tired out from all of that work! Bless his heart.  This is Nutmeg.  The other one is Cinnamon.

Do let me know if you enjoyed this post in the comments below. If this is something you would like to see more often then I can certainly oblige. Its been a nice exercise for me to be able to write it all down like this and take note of exactly where my money went.

Tomorrow when I am out with my sister I will pick up some ground beef at the farm market. Its about $6 a pound and is organic and free range, locally produced.  I  like that it is the same color inside as it is outside!  I will also get me another mango. Yum yum!

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 

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