Here I am again, another Sunday, another meals of the week post! It is hard to believe that this was the last week of June and we are now into July. Halfway through the year! Summer is here however and we are moving on to eating lighter things, using fresh and local produce wherever possible.
This week was the first real week of Strawberry season here in Nova Scotia and as you will see, I have been enjoying them! I try only to ever eat and use strawberries in season, so when they are in season, I enjoy them as often as possible. They are still a bit on the expensive side at the moment but as the days progress, they will drop in price exponentially!
I started sharing my meals of the week with you in March of this year, as a way to keep a record of what I was eating and to inspire me to eat better. I never want to be that person who eats only frozen dinners, or restaurant meals, or from out of tin cans!
I love to cook and I love to eat. There is a huge temptation when you live all on your own to become somewhat lazy when it comes to eating, or to get into a rut when it comes to meals. I want to keep as exciting and delicious as possible, with a good measure of healthy thrown into the mix!
My motto is "Food doesn't have to be complicated to taste good!" I like food that is delicious and at the same time simple to make and uncomplicated. I had more than my share of complicated cooking when I worked at the Manor. Don't get me wrong. I like fancy sometimes, but generally, as a rule, I like to keep things simple.
And with that in mind, here are the simple meals I cooked for myself for the last week of June. I did eat out once, and I had dinner at my sister's twice. For those occasions I have endeavored to show you something comparable!
If you are a person who lives on their own, or perhaps are a couple of empty nesters, I hope that I can inspire you to want to also cook simple and delicious meals for yourself as well!!
SUNDAY, June 25th - Dinner at my sister's
Most Sundays I have Sunday Dinner at my sisters. This week was no different. My sister cooked her usual pot roast which she served with a variety of vegetables and gravy. The photograph you see above is of my own recipe for Caramelized Onion Pot Roast. I can promise you that it is very good with a rich and bountiful gravy and juicy tender beef.
My father always looks for something sweet at the end of the meal. Most days my sister gives him either a small dish of ice cream or a bowl of sugar free jello with squirty cream on top. Last week in honor of Strawberry Season, we all got to enjoy a dish of Mom's Strawberry Shortcake. There was not a scrap left at the end. Seriously delicious!
I love Strawberry season.
MONDAY, June 26th - Easy Pork Schnitzel
After all of the indulgence of Sunday dinner I decided to have a really light supper on Monday. I made some Easy Pork Schnitzel which I enjoyed with a simple salad. Crispy coated tender and juicy pork, flash fried until golden brown on both sides and served with a lemon wedge for squeezing.
This delicious entrée goes very well with potatoes or rice. Homemade Spaetzle is also very nice with it. Especially if you make a tasty gravy on the side. I enjoyed this dish a few years ago in Austria and they served it with chips and a salad. Delicious!
TUESDAY, June 27th - Grilled Chicken Caesar Sandwich
I kept things light again on Tuesday. The temperatures outside were really warm and I didn't feel like eating a whole awful lot. Salad appealed, but I needed something a it more substantial. I created a delicious open-faced, knife & fork Grilled Chicken Caesar Sandwich. I used an artisanal garlic bread for the base and topped it with crisp streaky bacon, some grilled thinly sliced chicken breast cutlets that I had marinated in a Caesar Dressing, and some Caesar dressed romaine lettuce. A few shavings of Parmesan on top and a few crisp garlic croutons and dinner was ready!
I don't mind saying, this was most delicious!
WEDNESDAY, June 28th - Dinner Out with Dad
Most Wednesday nights I go out to dinner with my father and his friend Hazel. Some weeks my sister joins us. Most of the time we go to a local eatery called The Big Scoop. Most of the time we will have fish and chips, but this week we each chose something different. Hazel chose the special which was a Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry. Dad had a hot dog and chips. I had a turkey dinner. We were all very happy with our meals as we are most of the time.
I can't show you a photo of the stir fry that Hazel had, but she really enjoyed it. This photo I am sharing here is for a Cantonese Chicken Chop Suey that I make for myself from time to time. It boasts plenty of crisp tender vegetables, tender pieces of chicken and a delicious sauce. Everything is natural and nothing comes from a jar.
THURSDAY, June 29th - Spinach, Onion & Feta Oven Omelets
Once again something light. I tend to eat much lighter in the summer months. Eggs are often a supper which I enjoy. Sometimes its as simple as eggs on toast, but I am rather fond of these Oven Omelets. They are a delicious mix of chopped wilted spinach, sauteed onion and crumbled feta cheese. The recipe makes two and you bake them in small casserole/ramekins.
They are delicious and filling. Especially when served with some whole wheat toast points and a fresh Tomato Salad vinaigrette. Seriously tasty! That is a salad that I used to make when I worked at a hotel as the Pastry Chef, early on in my cooking career. Wow, that was about 48 years ago now! Time flies when you are having fun!
FRIDAY, June 30th - Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
This was my first time cooking Chicken Parmesan in the Air Fryer. I adapted a recipe I had found on Delish, downsizing it for just two servings. I wasn't sure how it would turn out. I was a bit worried that the coating wouldn't be crispy, or the chicken juicy. All of my fears were unfounded. The coating wasn't dry in the least and it was full of flavor and that chicken was cooked to perfection!
I served it with some spaghetti that I had tossed together with a knob of butter, some seasoning, a bit of grated parmesan cheese and some parsley flakes. I actually used this method this time for cooking my pasta. It actually cooks perfectly and cooks much faster. It flies against everything I have ever been taught about cooking pasta! Who knew!
SATURDAY, July 1st - Canada Day BBQ at my sisters
Yesterday was Canada day and so we had a BBQ at my sister's place. Dan did burgers on the BBQ, my sister made her macaroni salad and we had a special dessert. The photo above is the recipe for my Smash Burgers. They are also a real favorite. It was really nice getting together with family.
I had brought over a Strawberry Pretzel Salad Dessert for afters. An empty dish was brought home! No surprise there!
Here are a few other things I cooked last week!
CHEDDAR CHEESE BREAD - This is easily the nicest loaf of bread I have ever made in my breadmaker. It was light and fluffy and had a beautiful crumb and delicious cheese flavor! I gave half the loaf to my sister. We are both connoisseurs of cheese bread!!
STRAWBERRY SPOON CAKE - Another thing I tried this week was this fabulous Strawberry Spoon Cake. It was really easy to make and tasted beautiful! I did make a bit of a pig of myself with it, I'm afraid. It was so, so, so good! A new favorite!
And there you have it my meals for the past week. I did try to eat a bit lighter and healthier this week, aside from the desserts, but we won't talk about that! haha Everything was delicious and simple with a minimum of waste! Fairly economical as well. I like that.
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
- 1/4 cup your favorite brand of creamy Caesar Salad dressing
- 1 1/2 TBS light olive oil
- 1 1/2 TBS Dijon mustard
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut horizontally into cutlets
- 2 (1/2 inch thick) slices of a good artisanal sour dough bread cut on the diagonal
- 4 slices of streaky bacon, cooked until crisp
- softened butter
- 2 cups of chopped romaine lettuce
- 3 TBS your favorite creamy Caesar salad dressing divided
- shaved parmesan cheese
- crisp garlic croutons (optional)
- lemon wedges to serve
Grilled Chicken Caesar Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup your favorite brand of creamy Caesar Salad dressing
- 1 1/2 TBS light olive oil
- 1 1/2 TBS Dijon mustard
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut horizontally into cutlets
- 2 (1/2 inch thick) slices of a good artisanal sour dough bread cut on the diagonal
- 4 slices of streaky bacon, cooked until crisp
- softened butter
- 2 cups of chopped romaine lettuce
- 3 TBS your favorite creamy Caesar salad dressing divided
- shaved parmesan cheese
- crisp garlic croutons (optional)
- lemon wedges to serve
Instructions
- In a container large enough to hold the chicken, whisk together the Caesar salad dressing, olive oil, Dijon mustard and minced garlic for the chicken marinade. Add the chicken breast cutlets, turning to coat them completely in the marinade. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.
- When you are ready to cook the sandwiches, slice your bread diagonally into 2 1/2 inch thick slabs. Put your lettuce into a bowl. Cook your bacon and keep warm.
- Remove your chicken from the marinade, discarding any marinade left in the dish. Cook your chicken cutlets on a hot grill for about two minutes per side, until golden and cooked through. Keep warm.
- Toast your bread slices, lightly buttering them if desired. (I used a garlic loaf. Alternately you can rub the toasted sides with a clove of garlic to infuse flavor.) Place on two serving plates. Divide 1 TBS of the Caesar salad dressing between the two slices and spread it over top of the bread.
- Top each slice of bread with two slices of crisp bacon. Place two chicken cutlets on top of the bacon on each sandwich.
- Toss your lettuce with the remaining salad dressing and pile lightly on top of the chicken cutlets. Shave some Parmesan over top and serve immediately with lemon wedges for squeezing.
I guess I have been sharing my Meals of the Week posts with you for a month or so now. I hope that you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy putting them together. I do like to review the things that I have eaten over the past week. It helps to keep my meals from becoming boring and helps me to plan out my meals for the week to come.
I am determined not to be that person who lives on their own that eats nothing but highly processed ready meals, frozen dinners, takeaways or toast. I also don't like waste, so I have been downsizing as many recipes as I can to make only one or two servings.
Wherever possible I do give the links most of the time for full sized recipes for those of you with larger families. I do see a need however for smaller sized options for people who find themselves to be empty nesters or someone who is living all on their own for the first time in their lives.
If I can inspire you to want to cook for yourself, then I would consider that a job well done. I hope that I will and that you will continue to enjoy these curated posts. Also if you have any ideas of things you might like for me to cook or try or downsize in the future please do leave a comment below!
SUNDAY, June 18th - Father's Day
On Father's day we decided to treat my father to some Kentucky Fried Chicken. (This photo is not of that but of my Oven Fried Chicken, which is infinitely better!) I don't know why we do it, but we get it every year and every year we are disappointed. It just is not as delicious as it used to be.
I think that the KFC in the UK was tastier, or at least much tastier than the stuff we get at our local KFC here where I live. The chips are always disappointing, and the gravy was blah. They even got the coleslaw wrong. What happened to the good old KFC coleslaw that was delicious? This was nothing but chopped cabbage in a dressing with thawed cubed frozen carrots? The texture was all off.
In any case if you are wanting some delicious chicken do try my recipe for Oven Fried Chicken. It is coated with potato chips. You can use any flavor of chips that you like. Always crisp. Always delicious, no faffing about with frying.
We all enjoyed the TikTok Cinnamon rolls my sister made for dessert.
MONDAY, June 19th - Greek Chicken & Cucumber Salad
After the disappointment of the chicken from the day before I made my favorite grilled chicken, Greek Chicken & Cucumber Salad. It is a delicious recipe I adapted from the NYTimes for a chicken supper that is keto, low carb and diabetic friendly.
Downsized for two people, you have incredibly tasty marinated and flavor filled chicken thighs that I grill on my indoor grill, accompanied with a fresh and delicious cucumber, tomato and feta cheese salad. The two things served together are an amazing combination of flavors and textures.
TUESDAY, June 20th - Big Mac Tacos (Smash Burger Tacos)
I wanted to try something new so I downsized a tasty taco recipe that I had seen online. Big Mac Tacos. They were quick and very easy to make, and surprisingly filling! I used ground turkey instead of ground beef.
I created my own special sauce and topped the taco burgers with some process cheese, shredded lettuce and chopped dill pickles. I forgot the onions. Delicious anyways! I highly recommend!
WEDNESDAY, June 21st - Dinner out with Dad
On Wednesday nights I always go out for dinner to a local place with my father and his friend Hazel. This week my sister joined us. I ordered the one piece fish and chips, as did Cindy and Hazel. My dad broke with tradition and ordered the Chicken Crunch strips with sweet and sour sauce. He likes that every now and then. We all had ice cream for dessert.
I am sharing this recipe for Crisp Chicken Strips with a Honey Mustard Dip with you for this day. Nicely flavored and spiced, they are made from cut strips of chicken breast which has been coated in a delicious breading. I bread them early in the day to give them plenty of time to set up.
They are simply pan fried in a mixture of oil and butter. The sauce is a simple one, made from American mustard and clover honey. It makes a really delicious dip!
You can also find my recipe for a Beer Battered Cod and Twice Fried Chips here. It is a recipe of mine that was once featured in the Canadian version of Hello Magazine in an article they did promoting British food! I was quite proud of that!
THURSDAY, June 22nd - Grilled Chicken & Sauteed Potatoes with Broccoli Rabe
I had some grilled chicken leftover from Monday that I wanted to eat and so I created myself a delicious side dish using a vegetable that I had never tried before. Broccoli Rabe, or Rapini as it is also known. It was a delicious combination with fresh new flavors. You could substitute Kale or Mustard Greens for the Broccoli Rabe if you are unable to get it.
Broccoli Rabe is a type of broccoli that cooks and eats like a green. With an earthy, nutty, somewhat bitter taste, it went very well with the sweetness of the sauteed potato. I add some fried onion, garlic, and hot chili flakes as well, dusting the finished dish with some grated Parmesan cheese.
FRIDAY, June 23rd - Chicken Fried Steak Sandwich and Potato Chips
I had picked up some cube steak earlier in the week and I wanted to use it up. I decided to make myself a Chicken Fried Steak Sandwich. Chicken Fried Steak is cube steak which has been dipped in egg and a spicy flour mixture and then fried until crisp and golden brown on the outside, but tender and juicy inside.
I served this on a buttery toasted bun, with a tasty garlic pepper aioli mayo that I had made spread on the bottom and topped with some crisp lettuce and a thick slice of ripe tomato. This was fabulously delicious. Sometimes the heart just wants what the heart want.
SATURDAY, June 24th - Crustless Veggie Quiche
I elected to go meatless last evening and made myself a delicious crustless vegetable quiche. Eggs make a great supper every now and then. I love quiche, but I don't always want to eat pastry. (Well, perhaps need is a better word to use than want. I always want pastry, but it should only be a once in a blue moon treat!)
This also makes a quick and easy supper for two. Crispy tender vegetables are popped into the bottom of a buttered dish, and topped with some onion and grated cheddar. A rich egg custard is poured over top and then the casserole is simply baked until nicely puffed and golden brown. Delicious served with some oven chips, or a salad. (I had a salad on this occasion.)
And there you have it. All of the main meals I have enjoyed over the past week. Everything was delicious. Most of it was fairly healthy and none of it broke the bank! I do hope that my chosen options will somehow inspire you to want to create some tasty a healthy meals for yourself! I will be sharing my menus with you again at the end of next week! There is much deliciousness to look forward to!
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
- 4 TBS good quality mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (not salt)
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- pinch salt
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- splash of hot sauce
- 2 slices of beef cube steak ( steak which has been tenderized by machine)
- salt and black pepper to taste (for the steaks)
- 1 large free range egg, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk
- 1/2 cup (70g) plain all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp sweet paprika
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil
- 2 tsp butter
- 2 good quality burger buns, split, buttered and toasted
- lettuce leaves
- sliced fresh tomatoes
If you are a fan of the hot sandwich in the summer months, might I suggest the following:
AIR FRYER REUBEN SANDWICH - These tasty sandwiches are a great excuse to fire up the air fryer! Nice, buttery and crisp on the outsides, and filled with your favorite Reuben sandwich fixings, smoked/corned beef, sauerkraut, cheese and a tangy homemade Russian dressing. Done in the air fryer so you can keep the kitchen nice and cool!
HOT ITALIAN HOAGIES - These hot sandwiches are so easy to put together and everyone loves them. You can make a whole roasting tray full of them for your family and guests. Layers of Italian deli meats, some spicy pickle, and tasty cheese, all layered up in soft toasty buns, buttered with a nice garlicky butter prior to heating. Altogether very delicious!
Chicken Fried Steak Sandwich
Ingredients
- 4 TBS good quality mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (not salt)
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- pinch salt
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- splash of hot sauce
- 2 slices of beef cube steak ( steak which has been tenderized by machine)
- salt and black pepper to taste (for the steaks)
- 1 large free range egg, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk
- 1/2 cup (70g) plain all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp sweet paprika
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil
- 2 tsp butter
- 2 good quality burger buns, split, buttered and toasted
- lettuce leaves
- sliced fresh tomatoes
Instructions
- First make the mayonnaise dressing. Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside and keep covered until you need them.
- Set up a mise en place for the steaks. You will need two shallow bowls, plus a clean plate.
- In the first bowl place the flour, seasoning salt, black pepper, paprika and cayenne. Mix all together well.
- In the second bowl beat together the egg and the milk to combine. Line the clean plate with a sheet of paper towel.
- Season the two steaks all over with some salt and ground black pepper to taste. Working with one at a time, dip it into the flour mixture, turning it to coat it generously on both sides. Dip in the egg to coat and then back in the flour mixture, coating it well. Place onto the clean plate. Repeat with the other steak.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the butter. Once the butter begins to foam, give the pan a swirl to mix the two and then add the steaks. Cook until the edges of the steaks start to turn golden brown and crisp, two to three minutes.
- Flip the steaks over and brown on the other side, another two to three minutes. Place onto the paper towel line plate and keep warm while you toast the bun.
- Place the bottoms of the toasted buns on two heated plates. Spread each with half of the mayonnaise mixture. Top with a steak, some lettuce and a slice of tomato. Place the bun tops over all.
- Serve immediately with some potato chips, French fries, or salad. Delicious!
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