Hi everyone. Welcome to my Meals of the Week post. This will be the last one for 2024 (hard to believe). My next one will be including the last few days of this year and the first few days of next year! This year sure has flown by. It's been a really delicious year, once again! At least I think it has been.
Every Sunday this year I have shared with you my Meals of the Week. Everything delicious that I have cooked, eaten and enjoyed over the previous seven days for my main meals. This is something which I have really enjoyed sharing with you and you seem to also enjoy reading.
As a Senior Citizen, living on a fixed income, and living all by myself, cooking and eating nutritious meals can be somewhat of a challenge at times. I find that keeping a record of what I have eaten helps to keep me on track, and being able to share it with you inspires me to keep cooking and sharing. I see it as a win/win situation.
For breakfast most days I will have a protein smoothie or some cereal or fruit. I do like to make my own granola which I will often enjoy with some plain yogurt and date syrup.
My main meal is usually enjoyed around mid-day/early afternoon so that I don't have anything heavy or spicy laying in my stomach later in the day. I will have some toast or a salad, sometimes cereal as my last meal of the day and I try to have that before 7 P.M.
This week I was really naughty and enjoyed far too much in the way of mince tarts, Christmas Cake and cookies, not to mention chocolate! NO more snacking or treats for a while!
Here are my Main Meals of the Week for this week. I hope that you will be inspired to cook a few of them at least. Budget friendly for the most part. Simple and delicious as well!
SUNDAY, December 21st - Sunday dinner with the family
Usually on Sundays I enjoy a family dinner with my sister, brother-in-law and father. This week was no different. My sister usually cooks but I thought I would give her this week off and so I treated us all to Mary Browns Fried Chicken. We all really like their chicken. We had a bucket of chicken with the taters, gravy and biscuits. It was delicious as always.
In its place I am sharing my recipe for Oven Fried Chicken with Chive & Buttermilk Mash. (See photo above.) It is a simple and delicious way to make fried chicken in the oven with a delicious, crisp and flavor-filled coating, served with a fabulous buttermilk mash, flavored with chives. The two together are perfection.
MONDAY, December 22nd. - Scottish Tattie Soup
It was a cold and wet day and I decided to make myself some soup for my supper. Not just any soup though a Scottish Tattie Soup. Tattie is what the Scots call their potatoes and this soup is fantastic. With only a few simple ingredients. Leeks, onions, potatoes, carrots and some good stock. It is gluten free and dairy free and if you use veggie stock it is vegan and vegetarian friendly.
I accompanied it with some Buttermilk Biscuit Muffins. Always a favorite. I shared some of the soup with my next door neighbor as well as some of the muffins. This is a meal I always enjoy.
TUESDAY, December 23rd. - Meatloaf Subs
I thawed out a bit of ground beef and made myself a Meatloaf Sub. I had not made this for a very long time. I will guarantee this is a sandwich your family will love!
WEDNESDAY, December 24th - Curried Beef Fried Rice
I spent the day doing some last-minute Christmas Baking and then made myself a quick and easy Curried Beef Fried Rice for my supper using the cooked beef that I had reserved from the other day. I adore fried rice of any kind. This is such a simple dish to make. You can use whatever bits of veggies you have in the refrigerator.
You can make the curry as spicy or as mild as you wish. Fried Rice always makes for a quick and easy supper for those nights when you have a lot on. I love it! I had a cheeky spring roll on the side with some plum sauce. Okay. I had two. 😁
THURSDAY, December 25th - Christmas Dinner
Thursday was Christmas Day. I went over to my sister's for gifts and Christmas Dinner. It was a really snowy day this year. The white Christmas I had been dreaming of for a very long time.
We did not do a turkey this year for Christmas. Instead, we did a Roast Chicken. We had a really large one that we had bought up the mountain at Pelton's. It was free range and almost as big as a small turkey. We of course enjoyed it with all of our favorite sides. Stuffing, mashed potatoes, roasted carrots and brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes and gravy. Plus, there was plenty of goodies for dessert. Mince pies. Christmas Cake. Shortbreads. Date Squares, etc. Nobody left the table hungry! It was a fabulous meal.
I am sharing my recipe for Roast Chicken with Lemon & Herb Stuffing in its place. It is delicious and what you see in the photograph above. Tender and juicy chicken, with a delicious stuffing that you might want to double, it's so good!
FRIDAY, December 26th - Boxing Day Dinner
I had my daughter, her husband and an elderly friend of mine over for Boxing Day Lunch. I cooked a roasted ham and we enjoyed it along with Scalloped Potatoes, Baked Beans, Squash, Mashed Turnips, and Carrots and Peas. For dessert we just enjoyed some Christmas baking. Date Squares. Mince Pies. Etc. I cooked chicken for Tim and my friend as neither one does ham.
I am sharing my recipe for an Orange Glazed Dinner Ham with you. It always comes out nice and tender, not too sweet. Perfect for eating on the day and then for using as leftovers in the days afterwards.
SATURDAY, December 27th - Proper Ham and Eggs
Breakfast for dinner and a way to use up some of the leftover ham from Boxing Day. Ham and Eggs. I am a breakfast for supper kind of a girl. This was simple and delicious after a week filled with extravagance and lots of rich food. Not that this wasn't also rich, but it was a lot simpler to execute!
Just some pan grilled leftover ham, some perfectly fried eggs with lacy edges and some toast fingers for dipping. Simple and delicious!
And there you have it, my meals of the week for this, the Christmas week of December. A few simple things and a few celebratory things! I hope you will be inspired to want to cook a few of these things for yourself! And that you enjoy them!
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.
There’s something magical about a loaf of banana bread cooling on the counter — that warm, sweet aroma that instantly makes a house feel like home. This Buttermilk Banana Bread is a great recipe for when you want something simple, nostalgic, and impossibly tender. The buttermilk gives it a soft crumb and a rich flavor that tastes like it came straight from a bakery, but with all the comfort of a homemade classic.
Whether you’ve got a few overripe bananas on the counter or you’re craving a cozy bake for the weekend, this loaf really delivers. It’s perfect for breakfast, teatime, or those moments when you just need a slice of something warm and familiar. And the best part? It comes together with pantry staples and zero fuss!!
- 1 3/4 cups (218g) plain all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) light olive oil
- 1/4 cup + 1TBS (75ml) buttermilk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (116g) chopped toasted walnuts
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter a 9 by 5-inch loaf tin and line it with baking paper leaving an overhang for lifting out. (I make the overhang on the long sides of the loaf pan.)
- Whisk the flour, soda and salt together in a large bowl. (You want a bowl large enough to hold everything combined.)
- Mash the bananas and whisk in the sugar, eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla until well combined. (I put everything into the container which came with my stick blender and then just blitz it all together until smooth. This works very well.)
- Fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients just to combine. It is okay if there are a few lumps. There should be no dry streaks. (Don't overmix it or your loaf will come out tough.)
- Spread this batter in the prepared loaf tin, smoothing over the top. (Cutting a knife down through the top will created a crack down the middle which often looks nice.)
- Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hour, or until the top springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Don't overbake.)
- Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then lift out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
- Cut into slices to serve with or without softened butter for spreading. (I love to eat mine spread with butter, or sometimes even cream cheese.)
Buttermilk Banana Bread
A deliciously moist banana bread to bake with your overripe bananas!
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups (218g) plain all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) light olive oil
- 1/4 cup + 1TBS (75ml) buttermilk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (116g) chopped toasted walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter a 9 by 5-inch loaf tin and line it with baking paper leaving an overhang for lifting out.
- Whisk the flour, soda and salt together in a large bowl.
- Mash the bananas and whisk in the sugar, eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla until well combined.
- Fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients just to combine. It is okay if there are a few lumps. There should be no dry streaks.
- Spread this batter in the prepared loaf tin, smoothing over the top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hour, or until the top springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then lift out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
- Cut into slices to serve with or without softened butter for spreading.
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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