It was four years ago today we lost our mother unexpectedly.   At the time I was living way over in England and had no way of getting home.  She had been in hospital, but was doing well.  We had no reason to believe that she wouldn't fully recover.

I miss her every day. We were always very close. It still pains me that I was unable to say goodbye properly.

I decided to make myself a picky-bits Teatime Supper today to help distract myself from the nasty weather we are having outside and to cheer me up. Just because I now live alone, that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a nice teatime supper ever now and then. 

This was something I often did when I was in the UK.  You don't always feel like making a bit meal do you?  Sometimes picky bits are just the ticket for filling that gap!  Supper in the UK was always something quite different than dinner. 

Supper is meant to be something much more casual than dinner.  Supper can be an evening meal but normally when one is invited to supper the invitation is quite different than when one is invited to dinner, which is usually more formal. Supper can also mean a hot or cold snack before bedtime.  

It is not meant to be meat, potatoes and veg, but rather a rather informal gathering of picky bits and cakes. Not as formal as a high tea, but meant to be enjoyed on a small plate, next to a fire and, if you are so lucky, enjoyed with some bright conversation and company.

It is a delicious opportunity to gather together some picky bits that you have in house into a simple repast of tasty delights that will please everyone, all washed down with hot cups of tea of course! 

 

 

Some things to bear in mind when making Cheese and Tomato Sandwiches.  One, make sure you use a really nicely flavored cheddar cheese. I used some cheese that I had leftover from Christmas. It had not gotten used.  A two year aged cheddar that was nice and sharp and well flavored.  

Grate your cheese by hand on the large holes of a box grater.

Use a serrated knife to cut your slices of ripe tomato thinly, and then leave them to drain on some paper towels for about 10 minutes. This helps to prevent them from making the bread soggy.

Butter both slices of bread. This not only helps the cheese to adhere, but it also keeps the bread from drying out and getting soggy as well.  

I add the grated cheese to the buttered side of one slice of bread, top with the sliced tomato, add a grinding of black pepper, and then place the other slice of bread on top, butter side down.  Slice as you wish.

Something crunchy is also very nice to add to the table.  Today I added some sweet mixed pickles and slices of sweet eating apples. Oh, how I miss the pickled onions you get in the UK. They are rather larger than our pickled onions and not so sweet, having been pickled in malt vinegar.

You could do crisp raw vegetable sticks such as carrots and celery, or thick slices of cucumber. Potato Chips/Crisps also go down very nicely if you are so inclined.

Of course, one of the highlights of any supper/tea table is something sweet to end the meal.  This can take the form of cakes or cookies, just whatever tickles your fancy really. Today I had a few cakes leftover from Christmas and some small dainties (Queen Anne Slices, date squares, etc.)

 

It is beautiful cut into thick slices and enjoyed with a hot cup of tea, or coffee for that matter. It's also very nice served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. 

Rich and fudgy with a beautiful chocolate flavor. Simply put, it's delicious and something I think you and your family will really enjoy! 

Yield: 8 - 10

Author: Marie Rayner

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Sour Cream Chocolate Loaf

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 H & 10 MInactive time: 24 HourTotal time: 25 H & 25 M

Rich, moist and very chocolatey. A real longtime favorite of mine.

Ingredients

• 6 TBS Dutch cocoa powder, sifted
• 2 tsp instant coffee powder
• 3/4 cup (180ml) boiling water
• 1/2 cup (120g) of butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (300g) of soft light brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 medium free-range eggs
• 2 cups (280g) all-purpose plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (60g) of full fat sour cream

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 160*C/325*F. gas mark 3. Butter a 9 by 5 by 3 inch loaf pan and line with baking paper.
2. Combine the water and coffee powder. Allow to cool. Stir in the sour cream. Whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, soda and salt.
3. Beat the butter together with the brown sugar. Beat in the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet, beginning and ending with dry. Mix well together. Pour into the prepared baking pan.
4. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes until risen and the top springs back when lightly touched. Cool ten minutes in the pan before tipping out to cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap tightly once cooled and let stand overnight before cutting.

Notes

You can also fold in up to 3/4 cup (170g) of semi sweet chocolate chips.

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So as you can see a Saturday Teatime supper can be a lot of fun and something that everyone in the family will enjoy. You can make it as complicated or as simple as you wish. The most important thing is to have fun with it! Why not make this simple meal a tradition in your home? Why not indeed!

Here I am with another Meals of the Week post, this one for this the second week of August, 2023. I really enjoy doing this posts and they seem to be something you, my readers, enjoy also.  This is the post where I share with you everything I have eaten over the past week for my main meals, either at home, or out and about, along with recipes so that you can also make them for yourself.

I am determined that I will feed myself properly, even though I now live on my own. I don't want to get lazy and just eat out of cans, jars and frozen dinner packages.  Most of what I cook is pretty simple, admittedly, but its all from scratch.

I do eat at my sister's once a week, but I have provided a "like" recipe for what we had there that you might also enjoy. I eat out once a week with my father as well. A "like" recipe is also provided for that day!

I try to keep my meals balanced and healthy, and economical wherever possible as well. Like many people, I am feeling the pinch in my food budget.  But feeling the pinch doesn't mean that I can't still eat delicious meals or healthy meals.

This is a great time of year when we can take advantage of local fresh produce and I am doing just that!  We are getting great beans and corn from the local farm markets, lovely fresh tomatoes, carrots, peas, beets, etc. and of course loads of fresh local berries!

So without further adieu come with me on the delicious journey that was my meals of the week for the past 7 days!

SUNDAY, August 6th - Dinner at Cindy's

Most Sunday's I have dinner with the family at my sister's.  Occasionally they will come here.  Last Sunday she cooked a lovely Roast Chicken dinner.   This recipe I am showing is for Grandmother's Roast Chicken and Gravy.    You just can't beat a delicious roast chicken dinner with stuffing and the works.

We love to have it with roasted potatoes and vegetables and some weeks my sister will make Newfoundland Stuffing, which we all love. (Also called dressing.)  Mom always made her stuffing with potatoes, but we love this Newfie style stuffing even more than mom's!   I could eat a whole plate of that and nothing else!

For dessert we had sugar free jello and squirty cream. Everyone was happy!

MONDAY, August 7th - Meatza Pie

This was really lovely. I took some over to a neighbor and shared some with my daughter.  You make a simple base of ground meat, cooked rice and an egg. This gets patted into a pie dish and baked for about 20 minutes.

At the end of that time you take it out, spread the top with pizza sauce, cheese and your favorite pizza toppings.  Its meatloaf, but not as you know it!  This is really delicious and freezes well. I enjoyed it with a nice side salad.

TUESDAY, August 8th - Spaghetti Frittata

Spaghetti Frittata is a simple meal which uses up leftover pasta and some pasta sauce in the most delicious way. Very easy to make you start it on top of the stove and then finish it up briefly in the oven. I added some black and green olives to mine and two kinds of cheese.  This is good hot and equally as delicious at room temperature. It also freezes well.

I enjoyed this, once again, with a side salad, and a bit of crusty bread.  Delicious!

WEDNESDAY, August 9th - Dinner with Dad at the Big Scoop

On Wednesday nights I always meet with my father and his friend Hazel for dinner at a local diner. Sometimes my sister will join us. This week my friend Jacquie joined us.  The special was a Honey Garlic Chicken Stir Fry.  

I can't give you a recipe for that, but I can give you a recipe for this delicious Garlic Butter Pineapple Chicken, which is super delicious! If you are looking for a chicken dish which is bursting with flavor and a tasty way to cook chicken breasts which will keep them moist and flavorful and full on delicious, then this is the recipe for you!  Its fabulous with some steamed rice and broccoli on the side.

THURSDAY, August 10th - Garlic Steak Bites & Potatoes

Can you ever have too much garlic?  I think not, especially when you are using fresh local garlic. Its so good this time of year.  This tasty skillet meal is the perfect way to showcase it. The steak is sliced and marinated in a soy/srirachi marinade while you cook the potatoes.  Once the potatoes are done, you quickly flash fry the steak and then throw the two together.

The end result is tender juicy pieces of beautifully flavored steak and crispy potatoes.  With a salad or a vegetable on the side, dinner is served!  Delicious!

FRIDAY, August 11th - Tuna Patties for Two

On Friday I cooked myself some delicious Tuna Patties. These are quick and easy and made from ingredients I always have in my house. Some good Albacore tuna, chopped spring onion, lemon juice, bread crumbs, mustard, herbs, egg and a bit of hot sauce. 

One of my favorite things to have with them is Macaroni and Cheese. On this day I cooked my Ultimate Macaroni & Cheese for one.  Still eating up my salad.

SATURDAY, August 12th - Air Fryer Reuben Sandwich

I spent most of the day out shopping with my sister and I picked up a really nice loaf of Winnipeg Rye Bread. I also got some pastrami.  I had a hankering for a Reuben Sandwich!  I love a good Reuben Sandwich every now and then. It is a real treat for me.  I just had this with a pickle on the side because I had a delicious dessert to finish off from the other day.

Easy Lime Refrigerator Dessert.  There was no way I was letting any of that go to waste!  So delicious and creamy.  With fresh berries, this was more than an ample supper altogether.

I find that I cannot eat as much as I used to when I was much younger. I have my oats with some fruit for breakfast. Generally speaking I eat my main meal at noon and then I will have something picky for my supper.  A handful of nuts and some fruit, other days maybe a piece of cheese and some crackers, and sometimes I just feel downright lazy and have a bowl of cheerios!

And those were my meals of the week for the past week. I think you will agree, it was, once again, a most delicious week! 

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@aol.com 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

  

Fillet of Sole with Crispy Fresh Bread Crumbs

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Yield: 4

Author: Marie Rayner

Delicately flavoured and perfectly cooked fillet of sole, topped with crisp buttery fresh bread crumbs.  I served with wedges of lemon. Perfection.

ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds of sole or other mild flavoured fish, skinned
• 70g plain flour (1/2 cup)
• fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 3 TBS butter
• 2 large slice of stale bread, made into coarse crumbs
• 2 lemons quartered

instructions:

How to cook Fillet of Sole with Crispy Fresh Bread Crumbs

1. I like to make the bread crumbs first as the fish cooks quite quickly.  Its nice to have the bread crumbs all ready to go.  Melt 2 TBS of butter in a large skillet. Once it begins to foam, tip in the bread crumbs. Cook stirring and tossing together in the butter until golden brown. Tip out onto a place lined with paper towels.  Set aside and keep warm. Wipe out the skillet.
2. Season the fish fillets with salt and black pepper.  Dust with flour lightly, shaking off any excess. If the fillets are very thin, you can sandwich two together into one fat fillet prior to seasoning and dusting. 
3. Heat the olive oil along with 1 TBS of butter in the skillet over medium high heat until the butter begins to foam, swirling them to mix together.  Add the fish fillets, presentation side down.  Cook quickly, browning on both sides and allowing no more than 2 minutes per side.  Place onto a heated serving platter, scatter the crispy bread crumbs over top and garnish with lemon wedges.  Serve immediately.

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