Here I am again! Another Sunday, another Meals of the Week Post. This is the day that I like to share with you all of the delicious meals that I have enjoyed at home or out and about over the past week! It seems to be something which you also enjoy seeing and if I can inspire even one of you to cook something delicious then its worth it to me!
All of my life I have been cooking for families. My mother went to work when I was 11 years old and it wasn't long before I was cooking for my parent's, sister and brother. At first it was just reheating things which my mother had already prepared, but eventually as I grew more confident I branched out and began actually cooking things myself.
From there I graduated to cooking for a family of my own. I raised five children and managed to put a delicious and nutritious meal on the table for them every night. I also loved to entertain and we often had guests for supper as well, so I had plenty of training when it came to cooking for crowds!
I had worked as a pastry chef in my younger years and once my nest emptied I went back to college and trained as a proper chef. I then spend a number of years as a personal chef cooking for a family once more. Oh how I enjoyed those years Cooking at the Manor. Living in a beautiful spot in the southwest corner of England, and stretching my cooking capacity to levels I had never thought I would.
I never thought that I would one day be living all on my own, but here I am. I am determined that I will not eat out of cans and boxes. As long as I am capable I want to cook delicious meals for myself My mother lived on her own for many years prior to the last years of her life, and she cooked meals for herself every single night. She is my muse and inspiration.
If I can inspire you who find yourselves as empty nesters or as one who is living on their own, then I am happy to do so. Here are my meals from the past week.
SUNDAY, August 13th - Birthday at Cindy's
Usually on Sundays I have a family dinner with my sister, her husband and my father. Sunday was my birthday so my sister cooked me a slap up meal of Oven BBQ'd Ribs and Roasted vegetables (brussels sprouts, potatoes, sweet potatoes) along with fresh beans from her garden.
My sister makes the best Oven BBQ'd Ribs. I have made them for you on here before and you can find the recipe for them here. They are tender and juicy and succulent.
For my Birthday Cake she made me the most amazing Lemon Cake. It was a triple layer beautifully flavored lemon caked, filled with homemade lemon curd and frosted with a fabulously delicious lemon butter cream frosting. She had decorated it with cute lemon marshmallows. You can find the recipe for this wonderful cake here. It was one of the nicest lemon cakes I have ever eaten! I felt very loved. Thank you sis!
MONDAY, August 14th - Chicken & Bacon Caesar Melt
I had some leftover chicken which needed using up. I felt like having a sandwich for my supper, and had not made one of these in a very long time. This is a simple and yet delicious sandwich that everyone loves. It is very easy to make, as is surprisingly hearty. You can make one or you can make a dozen.
A garlic butter toasted hoagie bun is loaded up with Caesar dressing, thinly sliced red onion and shredded lettuce, hot shredded chicken which has had plenty of cheese melted on top. Onto this goes crisp rashers of smoky streaked bacon and slices of ripe fresh tomato.
Now that is what I call a very tasty sandwich. I enjoyed it all on its own, but you could add some potato chips on the side for the very hearty eater, or a cup of soup.
TUESDAY, August 15th - Cold Plate
I had some cold cuts which needed using up in the refrigerator and so I made myself up a cold plate. Cold plates are something which I love in the summer months. They can be as fancy or as simple as you want to make them. On this day I chose simply to have some sliced ham and yes, cold leftover chicken (to use it all up) with some sliced tomatoes, cucumber, a sliced boiled egg, some tossed salad and some sliced cheese. I also had a baked biscuit with the plate.
Have you ever made 7-Up Biscuits? They are really easy to make. Light and fluffy on the insides and golden brown and crisp on the outsides. I love them with things like salads, cold plates and soups, and I have been known to enjoy a cheeky one or two for my breakfast with jam and butter!
WEDNESDAY, August 16th - Dinner Out with Dad
On Wednesday nights I always go out to dinner with my father and his friend Hazel. We go to a place called the Big Scoop. The food is not the greatest but its not the worse either. Dad wasn't feeling very good this week. He had Haddie Bits and Chips, but could not finish it. Hazel had Fish and Chips. I had a BLT. It was not too bad. Not quite as good as my World's Best BLT, but quite passable.
Its hard to measure up to my World's Best BLT. Seriously. With a Basil Pesto Mayonnaise, crisp bacon, fresh ripe tomatoes, house dressing and lots of lively fresh rocket leaves . . . and a crusty baguette base . . . this is a simple sandwich that is anything but simple. This is bound to become a firm favorite and much requested sandwich.
THURSDAY, August 17th - Honey Mustard Pork Chops
On Thursday I felt like having a hot dinner and so I made myself a quick and easy Honey Mustard Pork Chop which I enjoyed along with a baked potato and some green beans. The pork chop for this is rubbed with some spices and then flash fried on top of the stove, ready to finish off in the oven with a delicious honey mustard glaze.
Perfectly cooked, tender and juicy with beautiful flavors, this really went down a real treat. I only baked one, but the recipe is for two people. You can also easily double it to feed more.
FRIDAY, August 18th - Cheesy Rigatoni with Tuna & Broccoli
I fancied some fish on Friday and so I baked a small batch of my Cheesy Rigatoni with Tuna & Broccoli. The basic recipe is for a Baked Rigatoni with four cheeses. It is rich and indulgent. Tender pieces of rigatoni pasta in a delicious cheese sauce composed of four different cheeses. A recipe from James McNair.
I added some flaked albacore tuna and tender pieces of broccoli. More cheese is scattered over top prior to baking to golden perfection. I froze half to have another time and enjoyed this days portion with a tossed salad and a crusty roll.
I have small foil containers that I freeze things like this in. They have foil lids as well. Easy to take out and just pop into the oven when and as I want a quick and easy meal. Just pop into the oven frozen and covered (350*F/180*C) for about 35 to 40 minutes, until heated through and bubbling. I take the lid of for the last 10 minutes or so of bake time.
SATURDAY, August 19th - Cabbage Rolls
I took some cabbage rolls out of my freezer and enjoyed two for supper along with some rice and a vegetable on the side. Everyone always loves my cabbage rolls. Even me. In the old days I was often asked to bring them to Pot Lucks. They have a beautiful sauce, which has a sweet and sour quality to it.
Now when I make them, I make the full recipe and then freeze them in small containers, each one holding 2 to 3 cabbage rolls. Just pop into a 375*F/190*C oven for about 45 minutes, covered and dinner is served.
I tend to buy my rice these days, already cooked. You can get pouches of ready cooked rice in a variety of flavors. Tilda makes it as does Uncle Ben's. They are the perfect size for two people, or one with leftovers.
And there you have it. My meals of the week for the past week. I think you will agree, it was, once again, a most delicious week! Hopefully you will be inspired to want to cook one or two of the recipes for yourself of your family!
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- 4 slices good quality thin sliced white bread
- 2 ounces (56g) cream cheese, at room temperature (or softened butter)
- 1/2 smallish English cucumber, very thinly sliced
- pinch salt and ground black pepper
- finely chopped mint, chives or dill (optional)
Notes
You can make these ahead of time. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I like to dampen a piece of paper towel, wringing as much water out of it as possible and lay it on top of the sandwiches before sealing the container. This helps to keep them nice and moist.
Cucumber Finger Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 4 slices good quality thin sliced white bread
- 2 ounces (56g) cream cheese, at room temperature (or softened butter)
- 1/2 smallish English cucumber, very thinly sliced
- pinch salt and ground black pepper
- finely chopped mint, chives or dill (optional)
Instructions
- Lay your slices of bread out on a cutting board. Spread each one with cream cheese (or butter), dividing it equally amongst the four slices.
- Lay the cucumber slices out on two of the bread slices on top of the cheese/butter, overlapping each other slightly. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and black pepper and herbs, if using. (I only recommend using one type of herb.)
- Top with the other two slices of bread, cream cheese side down. Press lightly to help them to stick together.
- Trim off all of the edges of each sandwich with a sharp serrated knife, wiping the knife clean with a piece of damp kitchen toweling between cuts. Keep the sandwiches square as much as possible.
- Cut each sandwich either into two fingers or two triangles to serve.
Notes
You can make these ahead of time. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I like to dampen a piece of paper towel, wringing as much water out of it as possible and lay it on top of the sandwiches before sealing the container. This helps to keep them nice and moist.
Remove the sandwiches from the refrigerator about half an hour prior to serving.
Turkey Croque-Monsieur
ingredients:
instructions:
the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for several
minutes. Slowly whisk in the cold milk and cook, stirring constantly,
until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Stir in the mustard and
crumbled Stilton. Whisk to melt the cheeses and then remove from the
heat. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if desired.
four slices of the bread with cranberry sauce and then half of the
Stilton sauce. Place onto the baking sheet. Grate half of the Gruyere
cheese over top. Place the sliced turkey on top of the Gruyere cheese.
Spread the remaining Stilton sauce over the other four slices of bread
and place on top of the turkey. Grate the remaining Gruyere cheese over
all.
they're gorgeous!)
*Poultry Stuffing*
I love sandwiches. I think next to potatoes, chocolate and lemons, sandwiches are one of my absolute favourite things to eat!! Yep, low carb does not work for me. Not at all. Sandwiches can be as simple as you like or as complicated as you like. It all depends on how you are feeling. Some days I am in ecstacy over a simple jam sandwich and others I am wanting an Italian Grinder. It's a mood thing I guess.
I was recently sent some Spam ® in these new pop top plastic containers! Way cool beans! So easy to open and to use! I love them!
The old tin was always a bit fiddly to work with and I was always afraid I would cut myself on it. This is a really nice improvement. Did you know that SPAM have a competition running at the moment to win five weekend theatre breaks plus £100 spending money plus 100 runner up prizes. In order to enter you can simply upload a photo, video, drawing or even just a short sentence at www.spam-uk.com. The contest closes on the 28th February, so you still have enough time to enter if you wish!
Next week is Spam Appreciation week and in honor of that I have created a tasty sandwich for you all. It's a hot sandwich so is perfect for a simple supper. Did you know that Spam is the number one favourite luncheon meat in Hawaii? Hawaiian's just love the stuff. I'm not surprised actually. We are big fans of it in this house too.
I decided to take on a Hawaiian theme with this sandwich because they are such fans and I thought it would be fun. Hot dog buns stuffed with a delicious spam filling created by using chopped spam, cheese, onion, pineapple crush, hot peppers, mayonnaise and spicy barbeque sauce! You just mix it all together and stuff the buns, which are then wrapped tightly in foil and baked until the filling is bubbling and oozingly tasty good!
A man and kid pleaser, this is luau food, without the trouble of pit roasting a whole pig! All joking aside, these are incredibly tasty! The Toddster tucked into two of them all by himself. I love it when that happens! I served these with some oven chips, but potato chips would be great with them, as would some potato salad. I think you'll agree that these are quite simply delicious!
Now that's tasty!
Many thanks to Rachel and the people at SPAM® for sending me these tasty little tubs!
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