This week for my Meals of the Week, I challenged myself to forgo going to the shops and eat entirely from out of my store-cupboard, freezer and refrigerator. I am lucky in that I have a pretty healthy store-cupboard! So much so that if I don't really start to using some of it, then some might not be at its optimum. Hence the challenge for myself.
I can be rather lazy sometimes and I will forget to take some protein out of the freezer to cook and I end up picking up more at the shops. I need to train myself to use what I have before I buy more, especially in these modern times when the cost of food is escalating with every day that Passes.
These meals are just what I had for my suppers and I can promise you that everything I used was things I already had in house! I made good use of frozen vegetables and meats, tinned beans, dried fruit, and even stale bread.
For lunches I had salads or a sandwich and for breakfast toast or granola/cereal. As you can see I ate rather well. I do eat out one night a week with my father and his friends, but for that day I shared a delicious salad that I had for my lunch with a lush blue cheese dressing.
I share these meals because perhaps some of you, like myself, struggle from time to time to find inspiration for your meal times. As a person on my own, the temptation can be to just eat a frozen dinner or to pop open a can. I do not want to be that person.
Instead I want to prepare for myself delicious, well balanced meals that I enjoy, both in the cooking and in the eating! Streamlined for the smaller family for the most part. I hope some of you find this useful as well!
MONDAY, MAY 8th - Cheesy Chili Pork and Rice
I used some of the leftover roast pork and combined it with a few store cupboard ingredients to make a delicious casserole. Cooked rice, canned chopped chilis, sour cream, cheddar cheese.
Simple to make and quite delicious. You can adapt this tasty casserole to any kind of leftover cooked protein. Quick and easy, I served this along with some sliced ripe tomatoes and steamed string beans.
TUESDAY MAY 9th - Teriyaki Steak Stir Fry
I used a piece of steak that I had in the freezer that as not overly large to create a delicious stir fry sized just for two people. You can very easily double it. The steak is marinated in some soy sauce and black pepper while you prepare your vegetables. You can use any vegetables that you have, even frozen.
The star of this dish is that delicious homemade Teriyaki Sauce. Sweet and spicy and salty, this sauce would go with just about any protein or vegetable. This was a delicious meal that I served with some brown rice. A tasty way to use up some of the veggies in the veggie in in my refrigerator.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 10th - Tossed Salad with Martha's Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing
I normally go out for supper on Wednesday nights with my father and a few friends. This week was no different. I made myself a delicious salad for my lunch however as I wanted to use up some of the salad fixings in the veggie drawer.
To go with them I made a lovely Blue Cheese Salad Dressing. I had seen Martha prepping this on YouTube a few weeks ago and mentally bookmarked it to make at a later date. It went down a real treat. I love this simple dressing. Rich and creamy with just the right amount of blue cheese.
THURSDAY, MAY 11th - Amish Chicken & Stuffing
This has to be one of my all time favorite meals. I love stuffing of any kind, but mix it with some cooked chicken and turn it into a main dish and I am in paradise.
This is a simple and easy recipe, that is a great way to use up stale bread or rolls. You can also use leftover cooked chicken in it, but generally I will poach chicken specifically to use in this, which is what I did today, using two chicken breasts from my freezer.
Delicious with some boiled potatoes and cooked frozen broccoli and cauliflower. You can also make a simple gravy to ladle over top. Tastes just like Thanksgiving.
FRIDAY, MAY 12th - Pub Cheese Open Faced Burger
Day six of my store cupboard challenge saw me enjoying a tasty homemade open-faced burger. A ground steak burger, sitting on top of a Parmesan Cheese toasted slice of sour dough bread. Topped with some moreish strong cheddar cheese spread, also known as pub cheese and grilled onions, this went down a real treat!
I enjoyed some lettuce and tomato on the side.
SATURDAY, May 13th - Frankly Chili
I had my father over for supper on Saturday night. My father likes really simple food. Two of his favorites are hot dogs and beans. I decided to combine the two and serve him a hearty bowl of my Frankly Chili. He loves chili too, so I thought I would kill three birds with one stone by serving him this delicious bowl of red. He loved it.
This is an old prize winning recipe from a contest put out by Maple Leaf Weiners back in the 1970's. Its simple and its delicious. I baked some cheddar corn muffins to go along side and for dessert he had a piece of banana cake with some squirty cream on top.
He was one very happy camper!
So there you have it. My meals for this past week. As you can see I was not deprived in the least and ate very well indeed!!! Hopefully you will be inspired to want to do the same!
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 .
Rainbow Wraps
ingredients:
- 4 Deli Kitchen Skinni Wraps
- 2 handfuls of fresh baby rocket (baby arugula)
- 1 Avocado, pitted, peeled and mashed with the juice of 1/2 lime
- 1/2 each red and yellow peppers, trimmed and sliced
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into matchstick pieces
- 1/2 of a small courgette (zucchini) washed and cut into matchstick pieces
- 1 small piece of a red cabbage shredded (about 1/2 cup)
- 8 TBS your favourite hummus (I used lemon, pepper & coriander)
- salt and black pepper to taste
instructions:
How to cook Rainbow Wraps
- Lay your wraps out flat. Spread each with 2 TBS of the hummus, covering them totally. Lay out the veggies in a rainbow order. I like to put the avocado in the centre. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Roll up tightly. Cut as desired.
(Yes, this IS my kitchen.)
I posted a question on my Facebook Page a few days ago asking people what they wanted to see here on the blog. I was really pleased with the answers I got and happily I had already cooked some of the things you wanted to see so I have created a bit of a round up of those ones here today. The rest I will have to cook one at a time as my budget and time fits!
Also if you didn't particpate in that survey on my Facebook Page, feel free to post your requests in the comments section at the bottom of this post. I will endeavor to fulfil them at some point!
Someone asked for a good risotto recipe. This is a recipe for a really delicious oven baked Chicken and Broccoli Risotto. Not traditional, but very good. The recipe for that is HERE.
Then there is my recipe for a dessert type of risotto . . . Vanilla Risotto with Oven Roasted Pears. You can find that recipe HERE. It's really good. You will want to have small firm pears for this.
This is my recipe for a Traditional Victorian Sponge or Victorian Sandwich cake as it is sometimes called. You can choose to use all butter in it if you wish, or half butter and half margarine. All butter will yield a slightly heavier cake. Both versions are good. It all depends on whether you are a purist or not. The cake you see here was made with half and half. You can find my recipe HERE.
Rice Pudding comes in several different kinds. This one is one which is cooked on top of the stove and is simply rice and a bit of sweetener and milk. You can find that recipe HERE. It is quite simple to make and is really very good, if I don't say so myself.
Then there is this version, which is a Danish recipe which I clipped out of a newspaper yonks ago and is my absolute favourite rice pudding. It, too, is cooked on top of the stove, but includes a delicious cherry sauce and is flavoured with almond, cinnamon and cardamon. You can find that recipe HERE.
Then there is this absolutely delicious version of rice pudding which is baked in the oven. This is Todd's favourite one. It too is simple and very creamy. You can find that recipe HERE.
Someone asked for a good recipe for Yorkshire Puddings. Over here you can buy them ready made and compared to homemade they are not quite as good. Homemade ones are infinitely better. This is my FIL's recipe. He was a career cook in the Canadian Military and these are THE best. Seriously. But you have to follow the directions exactly.
*Yorkshire Puddings*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe
I wonder who it was that discovered that with just a little flour, milk and eggs you could create something that is so crispy, light and delicious! Sunday lunch just wouldn't be Sunday lunch without a couple of these on the plate. These turn out perfect every time, as long as you follow the directions to a "T." Not hard to do really as they are very simple.
2 large free range eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups milk, at room temperature (315ml)
1 cup flour (140g)
a little oil or dripping
Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before beginning. Beat your eggs together in a large measuring jug until very light. Whisk in the milk. Sift the flour into a bowl along with the salt. Make a well in the middle and add the wet ingredients all at once, pouring them into the well, and then whisk them in, slowly incorporating the dry mixture from the sides until you have a smooth batter. Now, this is the important bit . . . COVER IT AND LET IT SIT ON THE SIDEBOARD FOR ONE HOUR.
Preheat your oven to 230*C/450*F. . Place a small amount of oil or dripping into each cup of a 12 cup muffin tin. Place the tin into the hot oven to heat up until the fat is hot and sizzling. remove from the oven and quickly divide the batter amongst each muffin cup, filling them about 2/3 full. Return to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until well risen, browned and crispy, reducing the oven temperature by 10 degrees every five minutes. Serve hot with plenty of gravy!!
Toad in the Hole was a recipe which I posted in the very early days of this blog, hence the picture which is not so good. I've learned a LOT since then, but that doesn't mean that this recipe isn't delicious. You can find my recipe for it HERE. You can't beat a tasty Toad in the Hole with Mash for a super supper, with plenty of bisto gravy. Stodgy, delicious and comforting!
Then there was Sausage and Bacon Toad in the Hole. A delicious version made in individual casserole dishes, with sausages wrapped in bacon, wedges of onion and of course that crispy batter pudding base. Fabulous with mash and gravy. You can find the recipe HERE.
A delicious invention of mine called Pundit Pudding, which is a mixed grill served in a plate sized Yorkshire pudding. There is a piece of tasty rump steak, a grilled sausage, some gammon and a small chop served in each yorkshire pudding, along with grilled mushrooms and tomatoes, with plenty of gravy, greens and potatoes on the side. Not for the faint of heart. Find that recipe HERE.
Beer Battered Fish. You can't beat a tasty Friday night supper of fish and chips. This is a lovely batter for on fish. Light and crisp with beautifully flakey and moist fish inside. Find that recipe HERE.
And to go with it the tastiest Tartar Sauce you could ever want to eat. Right HERE. Rich and creamy and filled with herbs, capers, gerkins and just a touch of horseradish sauce for a bit of a spark! We love this. Once you have tried it, nothing else will do!
a frying thermometer
That's it for this time, but stay tuned as I will be cooking up all of your other requests soon!
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After you have done that you can sprinkle on the cheese. Today I used a cheddar blend, but to be honest I prefer it with a much stronger cheddar. Pile on as little or as much cheese as you wish.
I, myself, am a bit of a glutton and I like to add a fair amount of cheese.
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Did your mother make you bacon and cheese on toast when you were growing up?? Mind did and what a treat that was. She would use process cheese slices and cooked bacon. My how delicious it was.
Today I remembered that I had some already cooked bacon in my freezer and I added some to half of my cheese on toast slices! Cheese and bacon are also perfect partners!
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I really hope that you will be inspired to bake this loaf of bread. It is truly a lovely loaf. You can let it bake totally in your bread machine, or use the dough cycle and finish the bread in a traditional oven, baking it in a traditional bread pan.
That way you don't have the paddle hole in the center of the loaf. This never bothers me actually, but I do know some people are put off by it! In any case, if bread be the staff of life, bake on! You won't be sorry!!
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Milk Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/8 cups (9 fluid ounces) whole full fat milk
- 1 TBS butter, cut into bits
- 3 cups (420g) bread flour
- 1 TBS sugar
- 1 TBS vital wheat gluten
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to your bread machine according to the manufacturer's instructions for your particular model. (In mine you start with the yeast, then flour, butter, then wet, then salt.)
- Choose basic/white program setting, based on the options of your particular machine. Select the loaf size, color, and press start.
- When loaf is done, remove it from the baking pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least half an hour prior to slicing it. (I know its hard to wait!!)
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