Can you guess what day this is? You are right! It is Meals of the Week Day! The day when I gather together and share with you all the meals that I have cooked or eaten over the past week.
You have all said that you enjoy these posts, and I actually find this very helpful myself, for a few reasons. One if helps me to look back on how I have been eating and perhaps make some changes in future weeks, and two, it helps me to plan my meals for the week ahead.
The temptation when one lives by themselves is to not cook, or to eat out of cans, bottles and boxes. Frozen dinners, ready meals, etc. I don't want to be that person. Already prepared food is quite expensive for one thing, and it is usually filled with salt, fat, sugar and a lot of other things I don't really want to be eating.
When I lived in the UK, eating small was a lot easier actually. The UK is the King of the Ready Meal! They have it down to an art and some of them are really quite good. Marks and Spencer is the best at it. I used to love LOVE shopping there. Their ready meals were fabulous and did I live in the UK, I would probably eat more of them.
I discovered this American couple on YouTube this week. The Magic Geekdom. They had a whole video dedicated to shopping in M&S. Do check it out if you are interested. They were huge fans. they made me feel quite homesick, and they were in the Chester M&S also, the one I used to shop at.
In any case, ready meals here in Canada cannot compare to M&S. I cook for myself all the time. I might cheat every now and then and buy a rotisserie chicken, but who doesn't!
In any case these are the meals that I cooked for myself, or was treated to over the past week. I ate out twice and had dinner at my sister's on my Brother in Law's birthday, so not everything was cooked at home. I have provided recipes for those alternatives in the place of the restaurant food that are equal to or better then most of the restaurant food I had.
SUNDAY May 28th, Grilled BBQ Chicken
Usually on Sundays I go to my sister's for Sunday dinner. This week I had everyone here so that my sister could have the treat of going out golfing with her husband Dan. Because I had church in the morning, I kept it really simple with some Grilled BBQ Chicken.
I also made a Herbed Potato Salad. I had some baby potatoes that we had bought at Costco the other week that I wanted to use up and had everything in house ready to do it. Its a very simple salad I think. Must easier than the mayonnaise type. It has a vinaigrette and herb dressing that you toss the warm potatoes into. They soak up all the lovely flavors. Light and delicious.
We also enjoyed a mixed salad and some garlic bread sticks from the store. (DON'T! Essentially they were hotdog buns coated in garlic butter. Not that great. Very bready.) For dessert my sister had brought over a Sugar Free Apple pie. Yummy!
THURSDAY, June 1st. - True Newf Poutine, copycat
We are coming into BBQ Grilling season now. I don't know about you, but I love food cooked outdoors on the grill. Hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken. I love it all.
A lot of people can a bit afraid to cook chicken on the BBQ. I think the fear of not cooking it through all the way is the biggest fear people face.
- Whether you choose to eat the skin or not, DO leave it on. The skin provides a barrier and a protection against over-cooking and helps to seal the juices inside the chicken where they belong.
- Moderate the heat on your grill. Have a hot area for searing and a cooler spot for cooking the chicken.
- Don't rush it. Patience is the key here. Sear your chicken to begin with and then move it over to the cooler spot on the grill and take your time. Good BBQ Grilled chicken on the bone will take, when done properly, at least an hour and often 2 hours.
- Slow and steady makes for great grilled chicken. Timing is the key to perfection. Don't be in a hurry.
- Cover the grill while the chicken is cooking so that the heat stays in the grill and helps to cook the chicken through.
- Season the chicken only with salt to begin with, and season it all over. You can start to slather on the BBQ sauce when the chicken is closer to being finished. That way it does the job it is supposed to do, seasoning and spicing the chicken rather than burning.
- Legs and thighs are better suited to grilling. But that doesn't mean you can't do breasts. Start the legs and thighs first, and the breasts later, as they will cook much faster. Bone in is best for all of the chicken.
- You can grill a whole chicken, but for that I recommend spatchcocking it. This is a matter of removing the back bone of the whole chicken and then pressing it with the heel of your hand to flatten it out. You can find a great tutorial for doing that here.
- 4 pounds (scant 2 kg) bone in, skin on, chicken pieces (I tend to buy a while chicken and cut it up.)
- fine sea salt
- light olive oil or canola oil
- BBQ sauce, store bought or homemade
Grilled BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 pounds (scant 2 kg) bone in, skin on, chicken pieces (I tend to buy a while chicken and cut it up.)
- fine sea salt
- light olive oil or canola oil
- BBQ sauce, store bought or homemade
Instructions
- Rub your chicken pieces with some oil and salt them all over. Set aside.
- Prepare your grill by preparing one side of the grill for high heat and the other side for a lower heat.
- Once the grill is heated or the coals are ready, place your chicken pieces skin side down on the hottest part of the grill. Sear well, without burning. Turn over and then move to the cooler side of the grill.
- For a gas grill, maintain the flame on one side of the grill only. Move the chicken to the other side, not directly over the gas flame.
- Cover and cook the chicken, without disturbing, for 20 to 30 minutes. Uncover and baste the chicken with some BBQ sauce, flip over and baste again. Cover and allow to cook for a further 20 minutes.
- Repeat this process, cooking for a further 20 to 30 minutes. The timing all depends on the size of your chicken pieces.
- The chicken is done when the internal temperature at the thickest part reaches 160*F/71 (breasts) and 170*F/77*C.
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
Here I am with another Sunday Meals of the Week post. This is the day I generally share with you all of the main meals that I have cooked for myself in the previous week. A delicious recap of how I have been feeding myself.
I determined when I moved into my own place that I as not going to become one of those people who ate out of cans and boxes, not while I had the ability to cook for myself that is. I am a person who loves to cook and I think I would be rather bored eating ready-meals and frozen dinners. So as long as I can cook, I WILL cook!
I also hate waste so I always try to use up everything that I have as much as possible. Its very hard sometimes, so I tend to shop for myself every few days now rather than once a week. I find that the fresh ingredients like salad, etc. just don't last any longer than a few days. I would rather go a bit more often and throw out less.
If, along the way, I can inspire some of you with some of your menu planning, then that makes me very happy.
Here are my meals for the past week. If I have eaten out, I have endeavored in most cases to provide you with a recipe that you can make at home. I hope you enjoy reading this post as much as I enjoyed eating the meals and writing it up!
SUNDAY, May 21st - Most Sunday's I have Sunday Dinner at my sister's place. I love these Sunday dinners. It is something I missed when I was living over in the UK. There were no family dinners. I had no family there and my then husband's family lived far too far away from us to entertain such an idea. Needless to say I really appreciate these family times.
This week it was Air Fryer Roast Chicken with all the fixings.
For dessert she had a made a homemade Banana Cake with whipped cream. It was a simple and easy cake, no frosting, but it was really moist and delicious.
MONDAY, May 22nd - Amish Country Casserole
On Monday I made a half batch of this delicious Amish Country Casserole. The recipe posted is a small batch version, which makes four servings, but I cut it in half yet again as there is just me, which gave me some to enjoy on the day and some to pop into a freezer container for another time.
This is a fabulously tasty casserole. Those Amish really no how to cook. Cheap, cheerful and delicious. I enjoyed this with a salad on the side and some Easy Stuffed Cheesy Bread. It was a great meal!
TUESDAY, May 23rd - Macaroni and Cheese Meatloaf Casserole
I wanted to take something delicious over to my sister's for their supper. I knew she would not mind me removing a small serving for myself. This is a wonderful casserole that I got from a blog called Full Bellies Happy Kids.
This was simply wonderful! What you have is a base composed of BBQ glazed meatloaf. On top is a rich layer of macaroni and cheese. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed this. I had a nice salad on the side.
WEDNESDAY, May 24th - Dinner out with Dad
On Wednesday nights I always have dinner out with my father and his friends. We go to a local eatery. I had the Hot Turkey Sandwich with potatoes and coleslaw. It was really delicious.
Slices of turkey meat in between two slices of bread slathered with gravy. Carrots (not peas) on the side. This week I did not have any dessert. The best part is having dinner with my dad.
THURSDAY, May 25th - Lunch out at Jonny's Cookhouse
My sister and I had to take my father into Kentville on Thursday morning to see his heart specialist. We decided to stop at Jonny's Cookhouse on the way back and treat us all to some fish and chips. Sorry I had already broken into my fish before I remembered to take a photograph! The pieces of fish were huge. We could not eat it all. There was also coleslaw and tartar sauce.
This is a photograph I took of my father enjoying his fish and chips. Everyone in my family enjoys fish and chips. Most of the time when we go out it is what we all order. Jonny's fish and chips was really good. All of their food is really good. Usually my sister and I order the True Newf Poutine when we are there, but this time we fancied a change. You can find my Copy Cat recipe for the True Newf here. Its fabulous!
FRIDAY, May 26th - Sausage, Beans and Boursin Stuffed Jacket Potatoes
After eating out for two days in a row, it was nice to enjoy a meal at home. I had some chipolata (breakfast) sausages which I cooked, along with some tinned beans and baked these delicious stuffed jacket potatoes to enjoy on the side. Home cooked meals are always the best.
There was one time back in the late 1970's that my ex husband and I were moving with our family from Northern Alberta to Southern Alberta. While we were waiting for our furniture to arrive, believe it or not, I spend 21 days living in a motel room with two toddlers, a new born baby and a cat. I was never so happy to move into my own place and eat anything but restaurant food in my life! You do get tired of it!
SATURDAY, May 27th - Crispy Chicken Salad
After all of the heavy eating and eating out this week, I fancied something light and so I made myself one of my favorite Chicken salads. It was also a lovely and warm summery day, so a tasty salad was more than welcome.
This one boasts a lovely mixed leaf base with some carrots, cucumber and tomatoes. The chicken itself is lightly coated in a Parmesan Bread crumb, and briefly fried until crispy, finishing it off in the oven A delicious creamy Parmesan and Lemon dressing is drizzled over top. Yep, tis salad season for sure!
And there you have it, my meals of the week for the past week. I wonder what the next week will bring??? Its exciting to think about! (Or is that just me!)
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.
- 2 large russet baking potatoes
- olive oil
- 3 ounces (85g) Boursin, garlic and herb cheese, softened
- 2 TBS butter
- 1 large free range egg yolk
- 3 TBS heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- paprika to sprinkle
- chopped fresh chives to garnish
Some other baked potato recipes that you might enjoy from my kitchen are:
CHICKEN AND PANCETTA STUFFED JACKET POTATOES - Baked jacket potatoes stuffed with a bit of chicken and pancetta, with a rich and creamy spinach and cheese sauce ladled over top. More, More, Moreish! A full meal in and of itself. All you need on the side perhaps is a salad.
CHEESE AND BROCCOLI STUFFED JACKET POTATOES - This is one of my favorite ways to stuff a jacket potato. The flesh is mixed together with chopped cooked broccoli and plenty of cheese as well as a few other bits before stuffing back into the potato skins. More cheese is sprinkled on top and they are baked until the filling is ooey gooey and the cheese all melty. Yummilicious!
Boursin Stuffed Jacket Potatoes (small batch)
Ingredients
- 2 large russet baking potatoes
- olive oil
- 3 ounces (85g) Boursin, garlic and herb cheese, softened
- 2 TBS butter
- 1 large free range egg yolk
- 3 TBS heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- paprika to sprinkle
- chopped fresh chives to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/20*C/ gas mark 6. Rub the skins of your potatoes with some oil and season a bit of salt. Prick all over with a fork. Place onto a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
- Turn the oven temperature down to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5.
- Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh into a bowl, leaving a 1/4 inch rim of flesh and skin around the outer edges of the potato. Mash the potatoes with a fork.
- While the potato flesh is still hot add the butter and boursin cheese, mashing everything well together. Stir in the cream and the egg yolk. Season with the salt and some black pepper.
- Spoon this mixture back into the potato shells, piling it up a bit. Sprinkle the tops with a bit of paprika and place into a baking dish.
- Pop them back into the oven and bake for a further 30 minutes until golden brown and puffed. Garnish with some fresh chives and serve immediately.
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