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 . 

This recipe I am sharing with you today for a Crunchy Topped Banana Cake comes from a recipe book I have on my Kindle, entitled  Everyday Cake, by Polina Chesnakova.  It is a book which contains 45 simple recipes for layer, Bundt, loaf and sheet cakes.

I found myself with some bananas that needed using up pronto, and so I went on a search to find a good recipe for that purpose in my books.  I found this one and decided to go with it. Generally speaking I like to have a cake in for the weekend most weekends!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CRUNCHY TOPPED BANANA CAKE

Simple every day ingredients. Make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature for optimum success!

• 1 1/3 cups (175g) plain all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (225g) mashed ripe banana (about 1 1/2 to 2 bananas)
• 1/3 cup (80g) sour cream
• 2 TBS light olive oil (or canola or safflower oil)
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (115g) butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (75g) firmly packed soft light brown sugar
• 1 large free range egg, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (85g) toasted walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup (55g) milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 TBS demerara sugar for sprinkling

For the optional frosting:

• 1/2 cup (130g) creamy peanut butter (not natural)
• 6 TBS (85g) butter, at room temperature
• 2 TBS honey
• 1/3 cup (40g) icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 TBS chopped roasted peanuts to garnish

 

My bananas were not overly large, and so I used 2 bananas and about 1 one inch piece of another. I blitzed them to a puree with my stick blender, adding the sour cream, oil, and vanilla as well. I don't really like lumps of bananas in my banana cakes.

Demerara sugar is called Turbinado sugar here in North America. It is a raw granulated sugar which is somewhat coarser than regular granulated sugar. Also being highly unprocessed it is a golden brown color. It is perfect for the cake topping.

It is very easy to toast walnuts. I actually do them a whole bag at a time and then keep them in an airtight container in the freezer for baking purposes. Toasting nuts really helps to enhance their flavors.

You can toast walnuts in the oven or on the stove top.  If using the oven method, preheat your oven to 350*F/180*C.  Spread your walnuts out on a baking sheet in a single layer.  Put them into the oven and toast for 12 to 15 minutes until golden colored.

For the stovetop methos you can set a medium skillet n the stove over medium high heat.  Add the nuts once the skillet is hot, spreading them into an even layer.  After one minute, use a spatula to give them a stir every 30 seconds, until they are fragrant and a deeper shade of brown. This will take 6 to 7 minutes.

 

HOW TO MAKE CRUNCHY TOPPED BANANA CAKE

Its a very simple cake to make. Creamed ingredients. Dry ingredients. Wet ingredients.  Both the wet and the dry being added alternately to the creamed.  Simple. 

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter an 8-inch square baking tin really well, and line the bottom and two sides (with an overhang for lifting out) with some baking paper. Set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, soda, nutmeg and cinnamon together into a bowl. Set aside.

Whisk together the mashed banana, oil, sour cream and vanilla, combining well.

Using an electric mixer (hand or stand) beat the butter and both sugars together for about five minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until thoroughly combined.

With the mixer on low add the flour mixture and the banana mixture to the creamed mixture, alternately, making three dry and two wet additions. Scrape the side of the bowl occasionally.

If making the un-frosted version, fold in the nuts and chocolate.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan. If making the un-frosted version, sprinkle the demerara sugar evenly over top.

 

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the cake starts to pull away lightly from the sides of the pan and looks a bit crackled on top. A toothpick inserted in the center should also come out clean.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and leave to cool completely before lifting out of the pan.

To make the frosted version make the cake exactly as above, omitting the nuts, chocolate and sugar on top.

Beat the peanut butter, butter and honey together on medium speed with an electric mixer until light, fluffy and smooth. Sift in the icing sugar and add the vanilla and salt to taste. Beat until light and creamy.  Spread the frosting over the cooled cake and sprinkle with the chopped peanuts.

I would call this an excellent banana cake.  It is moist and delicious with a beautiful tender crumb.  The bits of chocolate and nuts go very well and I really enjoyed the crunch of the sugar on top.

If you are a fan of banana cakes you might also enjoy these recipes:

PEANUT BUTTER AND BANANA CAKE -  This is a deliciously moist and dense banana cake with a light peanut butter flavour . . .  topped with a rich and nutty icing, which I then topped with crushed banana chips, for just a bit of crunch!  It is a great after-school cake served cut into squares along with a glass of cold milk on the side!

Yield: One 8-inch square cake

Author: Marie Rayner

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Banana Cake, two ways

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 55 Min

A light and fluffy banana cake, one version chock full of chocolate chips and toasted nuts with a crisp sugar topping, and the other spread with a creamy peanut butter frosting. Delicious either way.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups (175g) plain all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (225g) mashed ripe banana (about 1 1/2 to 2 bananas)
• 1/3 cup (80g) sour cream
• 2 TBS light olive oil (or canola or safflower oil)
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (115g) butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (75g) firmly packed soft light brown sugar
• 1 large free range egg, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (85g) toasted walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup (55g) milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 TBS demerara sugar for sprinkling

For the optional frosting:

• 1/2 cup (130g) creamy peanut butter (not natural)
• 6 TBS (85g) butter, at room temperature
• 2 TBS honey
• 1/3 cup (40g) icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 TBS chopped roasted peanuts to garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter an 8-inch square baking tin really well, and line the bottom and two sides (with an overhang for lifting out) with some baking paper. Set aside.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, soda, nutmeg and cinnamon together into a bowl. Set aside.
3. Whisk together the mashed banana, oil, sour cream and vanilla, combining well.
4. Using an electric mixer (hand or stand) beat the butter and both sugars together for about five minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until thoroughly combined.
5. With the mixer on low add the flour mixture and the banana mixture to the creamed mixture, alternately, making three dry and two wet additions. Scrape the side of the bowl occasionally.
6. If making the un-frosted version, fold in the nuts and chocolate.
7. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. If making the un-frosted version, sprinkle the demerara sugar evenly over top.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the cake starts to pull away lightly from the sides of the pan and looks a bit crackled on top. A toothpick inserted in the center should also come out clean.
9. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and leave to cool completely before lifting out of the pan.
10. To make the frosted version make the cake exactly as above, omitting the nuts, chocolate and sugar on top.
11. Beat the peanut butter, butter and honey together on medium speed with an electric mixer until light, fluffy and smooth. Sift in the icing sugar and add the vanilla and salt to taste. Beat until light and creamy.
12. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake and sprinkle with the chopped peanuts.

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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. 

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