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.
When I was growing up, you could tell what night of the week it was just by what we were having for supper.
Saturday night we had comfort food. It would be either stew or baked beans or something like that. On Sunday we had a big dinner . . . probably a roast of one kind or another. Mondays was leftovers from Sunday dinner . . . Tuesdays, spaghetti . . . Wednesdays, porkchops . . . Thursdays, chicken . . . and then the piece de resistance was Friday night . . .
HOT DOG night!
My mom made the best hotdogs in the world!! All the kids in the neighborhood would vie to be invited over for hotdog night. She used to buy the hotdog buns that had soft bread sides. They were buttered and toasted in the sandwich grill, until they were buttery brown all over, just like a grilled cheese sandwich. The weiners were toasted on the grill as well. Sometimes she would even split the weiners down the middle, so that they opened out flat like a book, and the insides got all tasty and crispy too. Grilled onions and all the hot dog accompaniments were on offer of course . . . relish, mustard, ketchup.
She'd wrap each one up in paper kitchen towelling to keep them warm, and we'd each be allowed to have two of them. Let me tell you . . . they were a real treat!
Can you tell that I just love hotdogs????
That was one thing I missed a lot when I first moved over here. I couldn't find them anywhere.
Well, that's not entirely true. I lie . . .
I was able to find these. Tinned hotdogs. UGH . . . there's no other word for them, and yet they sell loads. They also sell them soaked in brine . . . in jars. DOUBLE UGH.
To a hotdog connoiseur, they just didn't cut the mustard!!! (every pun intended, tee hee) They are the 'WURST' (double tee hee)
Anyways, I have since been able to find fresh ones . . . and whilst they are still not as good as the ones back home . . . they are still loads better than the tinned or brined ones.
The best hotdogs of all, of course, are the ones back home that you get at country fairs or at ball games . . . oh and from street vendors of course . . . or the 400 Flea Market just outside of Barrie, Ontario.
Ahh . . . the smell of frying onions . . . it gets you everytime . . .
This is my take on a delicious memory, my own personal tribute to my mother's hotdog nights.
It is Friday after all . . .
*Ball Park Pizza for Two*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe
If you are a fan of hotdogs, you will love this cosy little pizza. It's just the perfect size for two to share.
Dough:
110g self raising flour
25g of butter
4 TBS milk
2 ounces of grated sharp cheddar cheese
Topping:
4 smoked frankfurters, cut into 1/2 inch sliced
2 heaping dessert spoons of barbeque sauce
1/2 of a small onion, peeled and chopped
1 heaping dessertspoon of hotdog relish
1 TBS of American style yellow mustard
4 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Sift the flour into a bowl. Rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the cheese. Mix well, then stir in the milk with a fork, until you have a soft dough.
Butter a large baking tray and press the dough out onto the tray to a 9 inch round, about 1/4 inch thick. (The thinner the dough the crisper your crust will be)
Mix together the sliced frankfurters, onion, barbeque sauce, hotdog relish and mustard. Sprinkle this over top of the dough, leaving a 1 inch border all the way around. Top with the shredded cheese.
Bake in the heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until crispy and brown on the bottom and the cheese is bubbling.
Note - instead of a scone type of dough, you can use regular pizza type dough, and make a larger pizza for the family. Just increase the amounts of the toppings.
2 large free range eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups milk, at room temperature (308ml)
1 cup flour (140g)
a little oil or dripping
Preheat your oven to 230*C/450*F/ gas mark 7.
Place a small amount of oil or dripping into each cup of 2 yorkshire pudding pans, each with 4 holes. (Alternately you can bake it in a large shallow roasting tin as one piece which you cut into squares later). Place the tins 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 hole, 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 5*C/10*F every five minutes.
In my opinion these are even better than Tacos. Probably because they are like little puffy pies and as those who know me well should know by now, if it is in a crust I am all over it.
These almost remind me of the pizza pops my youngest son used to love eating. Oh boy. Did you have a fussy eater when you were bringing your children up?
Cheesy Taco Puffs
Ingredients
- 2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 TBS sugar
- 1/2 cup (110g) white vegetable shortening such as Crisco or Trex (UK)
- 2/3 cup (180ml) milk
- 1 pound (450g)extra lean ground steak
- 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 TBS mild chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cups (245g) grated medium to strong cheddar cheese
- fresh milk to brush on top
- sesame seed to sprinkle
- flour to dust the counter for rolling
Instructions
- Make the filling first so that you can cool it before stuffing the pockets.
- Spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray and heat over medium high heat. Add the ground steak, garlic, and minced onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften. Add all of the herbs and spices along with a few tablespoons of water to moisten.
- Cook, stirring, until the beef is no longer pink and is beginning to brown. Set aside to cool completely while you make the biscuit dough.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Stir in the sugar and salt. Drop in the shortening and cut it in with a pastry blender or two round bladed knives until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.
- Using a fork, stir in enough of the milk to give you a soft dough that isn't overly sticky.
- Dust a flat surface with some flour. Tip the dough onto it and knead a few times. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness. Using a floured cutter, cut into 12 6-inch rounds, gathering any scraps and re-rolling out the dough as required.
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Line a large baking sheet with some baking paper.
- Place six of the dough rounds onto the lined baking sheet. Top each with 1/6 of the meat mixture and then divide the cheese between all six rounds, placing it on top of the meat. Leave a small border all the way around.
- Brush the border of each with a bit of milk. Top with the remaining six rounds (you may have to stretch them a tiny bit)and crimp shut with a fork.
- Brush the tops with a bit of milk and sprinkle with some sesame seeds. Cut a tiny vent into the top of each with a pair of kitchen scissors.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve hot or at room temperature.
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 Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I was recently invited to use some Creamy Leerdammer Toastie & Burger slices on a Pulled Pork Burger! I love Leedammer Cheese. Nobody had to twist my arm!
With thicker slices and a richer, creamier recipe for better melting, LEERDAMMER® Toastie & Burger is the perfect filling for a deliciously melty toasted cheese sandwich or cheese burger.
Carrots with Honey, Lime & Thyme
ingredients:
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into juilienne strips
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 tsp dried
2 TBS water
instructions:
the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots,
stirring well to coat. Saute, stirring often, for about 3 minutes. Add
the thyme, stock, lime juice, zest and honey. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 to 10
minutes until the carrots are nice and tender. Remove with a slotted
spoon and arrange in a serving dish. Delicious!
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