Meals of the Week, September 10th - 16th

 

Here I am with another meals of the week post, this one covering Sunday September 10th to Saturday September 16th. I have to say I am most appreciative of the feedback that I get from these posts. It is clear that you are being inspired from what I am cooking and eating and that makes me very happy!

Whether you are a singleton, or a couple empty nesters, or even a couple who just live on their own, its always nice to have some idea of what other people in the same situation do when it comes to preparing meals.

My mother was on her own for about 30 years prior to my sister and her husband moving in with her. When she was on her own my mother cooked herself a supper every day. They might have been simple things, but they were always nutritious and balanced. She loved a Big Mac and sometimes when they were on offer she would buy a few extras and put them into the freezer to have when it struck her fancy. 

 

She also enjoyed a TV dinner from time to time. She liked the Swanson's Hungry Man Turkey in Stuffing dinner. I admit, every now and then I will pick one up (TV dinner) and when I am eating it I always ask myself what was I thinking of. They are never as tasty as they look on the packaging!

I have not yet resorted to buying Big Macs and freezing them!  I try really hard to cook myself something tasty and delicious every day. I do go out once or twice a week. Sunday dinners at my sister's and Wednesday night at a restaurant with my dad. In those instances I have provided recipe links which are comparable to whatever I have eaten.

In any case here is what I cooked/enjoyed over this past week. This is only a reflection of what I had for my main meals of the day. Lunches (my evening meal) and breakfasts are a lot simpler and usually don't require much effort. I usually eat my main meal (if I am eating at home) at lunch time. 

 

For my breakfast I will sometimes enjoy a muffin, or a bowl of oatmeal, or, on rare occasions, toast.  Usually I like to save my toast for my evening snack and I always have with peanut butter. Occasionally for supper I will enjoy a sandwich, or a salad, or a bowl of soup.  Sometimes another bowl of cereal. It all depends on if I am hungry or not and how hungry I am. I find that as I am aging I just don't have the appetite that I used to have years ago!

And without further adieu, here we go!

SUNDAY, September 10th - Dinner at Cindy's

Most Sundays I have dinner with my family at my sister's or they will come here to have dinner at  mine.  This week we had it at my sisters.  She had made her usual Pot Roast, with vegetables. I am linking to my recipe, Caramelized Onion Pot Roast.  I usually make this with a rolled Brisket if I can get it, but it's not by any means necessary. You can use any pot roast cut of beef.

Caramelized onions make for a delicious gravy to be served with tender slices of the meat. This does cook in the slow cooker, which makes it perfect for an easy Sunday dinner where you can just pop everything into the crock pot and walk away, hands free to do other things or get on with the making of any side dishes you may enjoy along with your beef.  

For dessert we simply had vanilla ice cream with some butterscotch sauce spooned over top. Dad had squirty cream on his as well. We used a good jarred butterscotch sauce, but this one that you can make from scratch is also very delicious!

 

MONDAY, September 11th - The Best Crock Pot Cheese and Broccoli Soup

I used my small, 1 1/2 QT sized crock pot to make myself a delicious pot of Cheese and Broccoli Soup for my dinner.   I wasn't overly hungry and this soup went down a real treat.  I do like to use my crock pot when I know I am going to have a busy day as it leaves me able to get on with other things, and I can be assured that I will still have a tasty and nutritious meal to enjoy at the end of the day despite being busy. 

This is a heart and rich chowder type of Cheese and Broccoli Soup.  Its very easy to make as well. I enjoyed mine along with a couple slices of toasted Swedish rye bread.

 

 

TUESDAY, September 12th - Vintage Menu Madness

On Tuesday I prepared my Vintage Menu Madness meal. This week I prepared a menu from Betty Crocker's 1954 cookbook, entitled The Good and Easy Cookbook.   This one was a very autumnal menu.  I enjoyed a Citrus and Orange Glazed Baked Ham Steak (with horseradish sauce), Candied Sweet Potatoes, Buttered Cauliflower and a delicious Grape, Apple and Celery Salad!

I accompanied this with a small batch of Buttermilk Biscuits and for dessert, a tiny Pumpkin Pie for one or two. This was a lovely meal.   It was just the right amount of food. I sometimes find these vintage menus carry with them an abundance of food.  This one was the perfect balance of hearty and light. The star was that salad!  It was fabulously delicious!

WEDNESDAY, September 13th - Dinner out with Dad

Most Wednesday nights I enjoy dinner out with my father and his friend Hazel. This week my sister also joined us. We went to a new to me place called the Oaken Barrel Pub.   This place has been there in one form or another since I was a teenager, so a very long time. When I was a teen it was simply called the Tavern, and it was a place to go and party, play pool, drink alcohol, etc.  A lot of teens hung out there.  In its newest shape, it is a family type of pub restaurant.

Cindy and I each had English Batter Fish and Chips.  Dad had Chicken Strips and Hazel had a Whiskey Glaze Bacon Burger.  My dinner was okay. The fish was a bit overdone, but the chips were nice and hot and although they were a frozen brand, they had the skins on and were nice.  

If you are keen to make your own Fish and Chips, then you should check my recipe out. It, along with a few other recipes of mine was featured in a British Issue of the Canadian version of Hello Magazine!

 

THURSDAY, September 14th - Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos for Two

I love anything Tex Mex and I really adore Nachos.  They are a great way to use up leftover bits of chicken or beef or other meats.  Chopped veggies. Cheese. A bit of spice.  My sister taught me how to make homemade nachos back in the 1980's.  My children used to love LOVE nacho night!

Just because you are a pair of empty nesters or a singleton on your own, that doesn't mean that you can't still enjoy a meal like this.  Some people might like to enjoy this as a snack or an appetizer, but I find that with sour cream, guacamole, salsa and other bits, it makes a nice and tasty light meal for myself!

A bit of salad on the side and I am one very happy camper!  Quick to make, easy and delicious also, and if you use foil on your baking sheet, very little to clean up afterwards!

FRIDAY, September 15th - Impossibly Easy Tuna Pie

I love making these Impossibly easy pies.  Pies that magically make their own crust. This one is a particularly tasty one with layers of flaked tuna, celery, spring onions and plenty of cheese.   They are as easy to make as layering the specifics in a buttered pie dish and pouring a simple egg custard batter over top.

This was really lovely served cut into wedges along with some frenched green beans on the side, pickled mustard beans, pickled beets and wedges of lemon for squeezing over top. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat quite easily in the microwave oven.

SATURDAY, September 16th - Spaghetti Pizza Pie for Two

We were battling Hurricane Lee and so earlier in the day I threw together a quick and easy meal that I could enjoy hot as well as cold.  Spaghetti Pizza Pie for Two is a very simple meal.  You have a three cheese, egg and spaghetti base, topped with a simple and flavor filled marinara sauce topping. A layer of Pizza cheese goes on top and I like to add some pepperoni to finish it.

You can use whatever pizza toppings you enjoy.  I can't think of anything that would not work!  On the side garlic bread and a salad go very well!  The leftovers also heat well, should you actually have any left, but I predict that you won't!  This is really delicious and makes a change from a bread crust!

And there you have it my Meals for the Week for the past week. Of course there were lunches and breakfast also, mostly cereal, toast and the odd sandwich.  Oh, and I do love to have a tossed salad for lunch now and then also!  In all truth I have salad and cereal more often than I will have a sandwich! I find having a main meal really fills me up and I am not hungry for much else!

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