How can it already be Sunday again!  This week has just flown past, and here I am once again sharing a Meals of the Week Post with you!

This is something I decided to start doing about a month or so ago now.  Not only does it help me to keep track of everything I have eaten over the past week, but it helps me to plan my meals for the next week, so that I don't end up repeating myself too much!

I had a pretty busy week, but it was a very rainy week off and on, so a bit of comfort food still figured here and there.  I also took a meal over to my daughter and her husband as a bit of a treat for them. My daughter has had an earache this week so was not feeling too well.

Even on a day when I was not feeling entirely well myself (rain and arthritis = a very bad combo) I managed to make myself something pretty decent to eat for my tea. Simple but filling and delicious.

Having found myself living on my own after having cooked for a whole crew and others for over 50 years, I am determined I am not going to be that person who eats out of tins or who fills up on ready meals.  That is okay every now and then, but so long as I am capable of doing so, I want to cook proper meals for myself.

I hope you don't mind me taking you along. Perhaps I can inspire you as well and give you a few ideas on what you can cook as well. I promise you nothing is extremely complicated and it is all delicious! I did eat a lot of chicken this week, so must take care to get in a bit more variety next week!

SUNDAY June 11th - Chicken Cordon Bleu

I had my usual Sunday Dinner at my sisters.  This week instead of a roast dinner she did Chicken Cordon Bleu which we enjoyed with  wild and white steamed rice, roasted asparagus and roasted  broccoli. It was those frozen cordon bleu things that you can buy ready made from Prime, but I found a really lovely looking recipe that you could use to make your own on Carlsbad Cravings. I am going to give that a try sometime and downsize it for two people. The photo above is one I made on The English Kitchen about  7 years ago now. Also very good and linked above next to the date.

MONDAY, June 12th - Croissant Turkey Club Sandwich

My arthritis was playing up really bad on Monday so I took the simple route.  Supper was a cup of soup and a Croissant Turkey Club Sandwich.  I love club sandwiches, with thinly sliced deli turkey, crisp smoky bacon, sliced tomato and crunchy shredded lettuce.  You could also add a slice of cheese if you wanted to. Harvarti is awfully nice with this.  I loved the Harvarti we used to get in Germany. 

This sandwich reminded me of the cold meats, cheeses, fresh  brochen, etc. that we used to get at the breakfast buffet in Germany when we travelled there. Yes, I am a sandwich for breakfast kind of a girl. 

On this night I enjoyed this sandwich with a few cheeky potato chips, a rare treat.  I buy my potato chips in these large bundles of small single serve bags. That way I don't have to worry about them going stale before I can finish eating them, plus it keeps me in check and I eat a more reasonable amount!

TUESDAY,  June 13th - Mini Quiche for Two

I had not had quiche for dinner for a very long time. Mostly because I don't want to have to deal with a whole quiche. I downsized my favorite recipe and made a small six inch deep mini one, and then took half over to my next door neighbor Sheila who declared it totally delicious when she returned my container the next day.  I used my Butter/Lard pastry recipe for the crust.  I think homemade pastry is so much nicer than anything you can buy ready made.  

Now that I am living on my own, I still make the full recipe for a two crust pie, but I divide it into four small flat discs, wrapping each one really well and then I freeze the discs in an airtight container.  Homemade ready made pastry at my fingertips. It only takes about half an hour to thaw, and will keep in the freezer properly wrapped for up to six  months.  And it is enough for four mini single crust pies, or two mini double crust pies.

WEDNESDAY, June 14th - Dinner out with Dad

On Wednesday nights I always have dinner out with my dad and his friend Hazel. Sometimes my sister comes with us. This week was no different.  I enjoy these meals out with dad. It was something I could only dream about doing when I was living in the UK.  This week I had my usual small eaters Turkey dinner  with coleslaw instead of a roll. Hazel had a one piece fish and chips.  I was treating dad for Father's Day so he had a burger and chips.  He couldn't finish it. 

He would have been better off with this Pub Cheese Open Faced Burger! Not too much bread, lovely grilled and caramelized onions, melted cheddar spread and a tomato and lettuce on the side.  This with a few oven chips would make a really great midweek supper!

THURSDAY, June 15th - No Fuss Chicken Dinner

On Thursday I cooked something to take over to my daughter. I did enjoy one serving of it myself.  This No fuss Chicken Dinner cooks nicely in the crock pot all day. It is a perfect midweek dinner, especially for those days when you know you are not going to have a lot of time to cook. It tastes a lot like a chicken pot pie without the crust. Pop everything into the crock pot in the morning and just get on with your day.

I sprinkled some crispy fried onions on top for a bit of crunch when I served it. It had potatoes, carrots and a flavorful gravy along with the tender and juicy chicken. I cooked some peas and corn on the side for Eileen and Tim.

FRIDAY - June 16th - TikTok Feta Baked Pasta for two

I had been intrigued with this viral TikTok recipe for a while. I am not one to go with trends, but it really did look good and sounded dead simple. I decided to try it, but downsized it for just two servings. This was AMAZING!  I couldn't believe how simple and easy it was to make. I channeled two separate recipes and created one by using bits of both.

I thought it would be ultra salty with the feta cheese, but it wasn't salty at all. The sauce was rich and creamy with lots of bits of tomato.  I actually am still thinking about how delicious it really was!!  You really need to try this.  I enjoyed it with some crusty bread and a bit of salad on the side.

SATURDAY, June 17th - Cast Iron Roasted Butterflied Chicken & Potatoes

I was inspired by a new cookery book I had just gotten and adapted this Roast Chicken recipe for a father's day celebration. The cookbook was called The Prairie Kitchen Cookbook, by Kayla Lobermeier of Under a Tin Roof. I switched out the flavors a bit. Hers was a Buffalo Roasted Chicken. I am not overly fond of the spice of Buffalo chicken so I created a delicious BBQ rub to use on mine in it's place.

The chicken is butterflied open and rubbed with a tasty rub both under and on top of the skin and then placed on a bed of baby new potatoes, onion, and garlic in a cast iron skillet.  Roasted to perfection and basted with butter at 20 minute intervals, the end result is a delicious moist and flavor filled chicken. Those potatoes get all sticky and filled with lovely chicken juice flavors as well.  Altogether very delicious. I served with some baby peas and carrots on the side.

And there you have it, my meals for the past week. I ate something delicious and yet simple every day.  It was a really tasty week!  I also now have some roasted chicken to use in sandwiches, etc. over the coming week and some bones in the freezer to make soup at a later date!

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 

Admittedly I don't always feel like pulling out all the stops when it comes to making myself something for my tea/supper.  Despite living on my own I have incredibly busy days.  Days where I know I am not going to have a lot of time to cook, but it can't be helped.

That is when the simple supper comes in really handy and the simple supper is something that the British really do well. Most of these ideas I had never heard or thought of before moving over to the U.K. 

 

 

 

Sometimes I just added a grating of good cheddar to the top, allowing the heat of the beans to melt the cheddar in a most delicious way.  Looking at this photo I can't help thinking that a sprinkle of crispy onions would go very nicely.

Yes, today I made myself beans on toast in homage and memory to all the delicious times I had enjoyed beans on toast while I was living in the U.K.  This was the first time I have made them since my return to Canada some 2 1/2 years ago now. (Hard to believe. Time really does fly!)

Of course I had to make do with the ingredients that I have available to me here in Canada.  They do have Heinz Beans, but I find they are not quite the same as the ones in the U.K.  There is a difference. I sometimes order foods from Blighty's and the next time I put in an order I will have to order some Heinz Beans in Tomato Sauce.

I used my next favorite kind of beans and that is the Sprague Beans. I used the Maritime version this time. They do have several different varieties.  I like them all. 

There is a farm market not too far from me that has the nicest Brown Bread. Here in the Maritime provinces we all enjoy our baked beans with Brown Bread.

I do have a recipe for my own homemade Brown Batter Bread, but I didn't have time to make any today and to be honest, I wanted simple and quick.  So there were two things that were not entirely traditional in the Beans on Toast Supper there. Brown Bread and Molasses Baked beans.  They do go together very well however so I went with it.

I did have a good English Farmhouse Cheddar in the refrigerator so I could not help grating a smattering of that over top of my hot beans.

There really is naught so comforting as a simple supper of beans on toast, and whilst my version today was not the most traditional one, it was still very, very good. I am not entirely sure that the cheddar cheese went all that well with the sweetness of the molasses baked beans and the brown bread, but it was good enough and I enjoyed it.

A simple supper is a really nice thing to enjoy every now and then, and it always satisfies, no matter what it is.  I am no stranger to the comforts of a simple supper.  Here are some of my favorite ones.

PERFECT EGG AND CHIPS - Every once in a while I would get my husband to pop down to the local chippie and pick up a plain newspaper wrapped bundle of chips. While he was gone I would fry up a couple of eggs in butter and butter some soft bread to enjoy with the egg and chips when he got back. 

Of course you can make your own chips from scratch, and I often did. I tell you how to do just that in this recipe. There is something pretty wonderful about a simple supper of butter fried eggs, crisp golden chips and a slice of simple buttered bread. 

SCRAMBLED EGGS ON TOAST -  Scrambled eggs on toast were always another favorite. You might think it is easy to make scrambled eggs and yes, it is, but there is a special knack to getting them just right . . . rich, moist and creamy . . .  not dry. 

I show you how to do just that in my post. This is an exceptionally tasty supper.  Sometimes you can add some bacon on the side if you want, but to be honest the eggs and the toast will do just fine.

BACON AND CHEESE ON TOAST -  Another delicious, quick and easy supper is Cheese on Toast. This can be as simple as just making some toast, piling it with some good cheese and popping it under the grill. (A layer of grainy mustard is very good on this between the toast and the cheese.)

You can also go whole hog as in this recipe by adding a sweet and tangy layer of mango chutney between the cheese and the toast and a few rashers of smoky bacon to the top! Very tasty indeed!

I also have a type of rarebit cheese on toast here that you might also enjoy. 

SPAGHETTI ON TOAST - To be honest this one is a no-brainer. Heat up a tin of spaghetti and ladle it over hot toast.  Easy peazy lemon squeazy. Melt some cheese on top of the toast and add a grinding of salt and pepper and this truly is one very delicious comfort style supper.

As you can see toast figures very prominently in the Simple Supper Category.

PROPER WELSH RAREBIT -  This delicious coalition does require a bit more effort than the others admittedly, but it is proper delicious  and worth every extra bit.  Rich and delicious, and yes, on toast.  (What else!)  A few sliced tomatoes and some salad leaves on the side and you have one very delicious supper.

Of course there are a few more simple suppers that you can enjoy that are a bit more effort as well, such as Potato Pie. Lovely served with some pickled beets and buttered brown bread.  This Sausage, Potatoes, Onions and Cabbage also looks very good.

I do believe that I cracked the trick to having really crisp toast.  Let your toast cool down just a bit and then butter it. The butter won't melt right into the toast, making it soggy. It kind of lays on top, semi-melted in a delicious buttery layer and that toast is still crisp and warm on the bottom.

What are  your favorite simple suppers?  Enlighten us all. Maybe we can discover something we had not heard of before.  Lets share!

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