Meals of the Week, October 15th - 21st

 

Well, here it is Sunday and here I am again with another Meals of the Week post!  On Sundays I like to share all of the tastiness that I have enjoyed over the previous week.  All of the main meals and recipes that I have enjoyed and cooked.  

I do share a lot of new recipes with you during the week, sometimes they are for puddings, or baked goods, breads, cakes, etc.  Interspersed with them may be a new main dish that I have cooked.  I do eat a main meal every day however and most of the time the recipes for those are taken from my archives.

I have been blogging here in The English Kitchen since 2009. I had another blog that I used to share my recipes on that I had been writing for years. I also included my every day thoughts about life etc. on that one, but I decided in 2009 that I wanted to have a blog that was only food and cooking related. That is when The English Kitchen was born.   I was still working and cooking at the Manor then!

A lot has changed since this blog began. I am now living on my own and back in Canada.  I am no stranger to change, having dealt with many changes and challenge through the years.  I have gone from cooking for a family of 7 people down to cooking for just 1 person, myself.  

This has probably been one of the greatest challenges. I love to cook and I did not want to end up just eating ready meals and frozen dinners.  So my challenge has been to come up with something tasty, interesting and sized enough so that there is not a lot of waste for my main meals.  I think I do a pretty good job of that!

Having said that,  here are my main meals of the weeks for the past seven days!  I hope that you see something delicious that will inspire you to want to cook it for yourself! All are delicious.  All are fairly economical and all are designed to not have a lot of waste.  Where there is more than one serving involved, the excess can be easily frozen in single serving packages. (Don't forget to label and date them!)

 

 

SUNDAY, October 15th - Family Dinner at my sister's

Most Sunday's we have a family dinner at my sister's place.  There is generally just the four of us. My sister and her husband Dan, Dad and myself. Cindy usually cooks a Roast Beef with the trimmings as she likes to have the meat to slice up for in Dan's sandwiches he takes to work. This week was no different.  She did the same.  I am linking to my Perfectly Cooked Roast Beef (see photo above), and my Yorkshire Puddings as she made them as well!

For dessert I brought over my Dolbury Pudding. This went down a real treat topped with whipped cream!

MONDAY, October 16th - Chicken Enchiladas Verde for One

I had some leftover chicken which needed using up so I made myself Chicken Enchiladas Verde.  This is a small batch recipe which makes only one serving. It is all layered up in  small pie tin. I adore Mexican food and there is no reason why I can't make myself a tasty dish for one with Tex Mex flavors.

This Chicken Enchiladas Verde recipe is a prime example of just what you can do to create something delicious and hearty for one person. With layers of chicken, a rich green enchilada sauce, salsa verde, cheese, etc. I topped the finished casserole with some sour cream and enjoyed with a nice salad on the side.

TUESDAY, October 17th - Shaker Comforts, Vintage Menu Madness 

On Tuesdays I do my Vintage Menu. A whole menu from start to finish with vintage recipes as chosen from one of my vintage cookbooks. This week it was a Shaker Menu from an old Shaker Cookbook.

It was fabulous and included a delicious  Beef Stew with herbs, Alabaster (a potato dish), pickled beets and beans, a whole wheat bread and for dessert, Honey Custard. This was a really delicious meal that I really enjoyed and I had stew to pop into the freezer for a later date!

WEDNESDAY, October 18th - Air Fryer Hot Dogs

Usually on Wednesday nights I go out to dinner with my father and his friend Hazel. Dad had a cold this week so I did not go.  I stayed home and made myself Air Fryer Hot Dogs.  With all of my favorite hot dog fixings, mustard, relish and topped with some cheese and crispy onions.

These went down a real treat. Normally I serve them with macaroni and cheese but this week I just had them with a salad. Salad is one of my favorite things to eat!

THURSDAY, October 19th - Classic Pork Loin with Gravy

I had a pork loin roast in the freezer which needed using before it got freezer burnt. It was not a large one, only 2 pounds.  I found a tasty recipe here for a roast and decided to go with it. 

 

A delicious pork roast, rubbed with a flavor-filled dry rub and then oven seared at a high temperature, before finishing off at a lower temperature. The drippings made a fabulous gravy with a secret ingredient of red currant jelly! This was quite simply delicious served with some mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables on the side.

FRIDAY, October 20th - Cauliflower Cheese Soup

I had had rather a red meat heavy week for the most part and so I decided to keep Friday simple and enjoyed some soup and a salad. This Cauliflower Cheese Soup is one of my favorite soups to make when the temperatures start to drop in the autumn months. Fresh cauliflowers are still available and not too expensive.

I like to use a good cheddar for this. It makes all the difference in the world. I had some whole wheat crackers on the side and a small salad that I had picked up at the Super Store.  I often pick up one of thei small side salads. It is just the right size and has everything I need in it and you get a free pouch of dressing as well. I like the Apple Cider Vinaigrette Dressing.

SATURDAY, October 21st - Kung Pao Chicken

I fancied a cheeky Chinese and so I made myself a small batch of Kung Pao Chicken.  This is a small batch recipe. Adapted from the Bountiful Kitchen Cookbook.  It has authentic oriental flavors and is delicious.

I tone down the spice a bit, but there is a lovely lush sauce, plenty of crisp vegetables and loads of cashew nuts, not to mention chicken.  Perfectly cooked, not dried out.  I served with some steamed Basmati rice. 

When I am just cooking for myself I tend to use a pouch of ready cooked rice that I can just heat up in the microwave. They come in all kinds of flavors and work beautifully, plus I don't end up with a load of rice to get rid of. You can use them for fried rice and all sorts!

And those were my Meals of the week for the past seven days. As you can see I ate very well, and it was not boring in the least, with plenty of variety for me to enjoy!  I wonder what the next week will bring?  More tastiness for sure!

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