Hello everyone and welcome to my regular Sunday Meals of the Week post! Every Sunday I like to share with you, my dear readers, all of the deliciousness that I have enjoyed for my main meals over the past seven days.  This is something which I enjoy doing and that I hope will inspire you as well.  Everyone needs a bit of inspiration every now and then. We can all get into cooking and meal ruts, so it's nice to be able to share!

As an older woman, living on my own for the first time in my life, cooking for myself can sometimes present a bit of a challenge. I have gone from cooking for a large family of seven to cooking for two and now to cooking for one. Not having someone to enjoy my meals with me makes mealtime a bit of an effort.

The temptation can be there to just eat out of a can or from a frozen dinner/takeaway, etc. I do not want to be that person.  Most of those types of things are loaded with fat, sugar and salt.  For as long as I am capable, I want to cook interesting and nutritious meals for myself.  

I try to keep my meals delicious and exciting, and I try to keep them affordably within a fixed food budget. This is not always easy, but it is doable as you will see. 

This is only my main meals.  I usually eat my main meals around midday, unless I am eating out or at someone else's place.  My breakfasts will be, more often than not, a protein shake that I make from a protein powder which I buy. They have some really delicious flavors these days. My favorite is the Orange Creamsicle. Occasionally I will have something else, but not very often.

My suppers are usually something simple, like a salad or a sandwich.  Sometimes a bowl of cereal, or even toast. Some days all I want is some fruit.  I really like making my own granola and will often enjoy some of that in a bowl with some Greek yogurt and berries. Food fit for the Gods.  It is loaded with nuts and high in fiber, and low in fat and sugar. 

I try not to eat anything after 7 pm due to digestive concerns, but occasionally I will succumb to temptation and have a cookie or some such. (Naughty.)

In any case here are the delicious meals that I enjoyed over the past seven days. I hope that you might be inspired to want to cook and enjoy some of them for yourself also!

SUNDAY, March 23rd.- Family Dinner at my sister's

I had Sunday dinner at my sister's place, and she had cooked a lovely pot roast in her Instant Pot.  We enjoyed it with potatoes, vegetables and gravy. I always enjoy having dinner at my sister's place with her, my dad and Dan. My sister is a great cook, but it is more than that. It is nice to feel a part of a family and to be able to sit down and break bread together.

I am sharing my recipe for Instant Pot Pot Roast in it's place. No fuss, no muss, with delicious tender results and a fabulous gravy!

 

MONDAY, March 24th - Dinner out with my Daughter and Son-in-Law

I took my daughter and her husband out for supper on Monday. We had not done it in a while.  We went to the Big Scoop and enjoyed cheeseburgers and chips. Tim had fish and chips.  (He always does, it's his favorite.)  The best part was spending the time together. 

In it's place I am sharing my recipe for Smash Burgers. I guarantee these will be better than the ones we had at the restaurant. It is always hit and miss there.  At least if you prepare them at home you know they are going to be good, and these are fabulously tasty!

I also sprinkled a bit of Parmesan cheese on top prior to baking. This was hearty and filling.  I enjoyed some crisp carrot and celery sticks on the side for a quick and easy supper that was really delicious!  The good thing about these is you can make as many or as few of them as you wish!

I enjoyed one of these with a salad.

THURSDAY, March 27th - Beans on Toast

This is another comfort food kind of a meal which is really very simple to make.  I had spent a good lot of the day out with my sister and so did not have a lot of time to cook.  I always loved the way the British like to serve things on toast.  Beans, or tomatoes, or scrambled eggs, or anything really.  They loved things on toast.  And no small wonder because things on toast are really delicious.

I enjoyed beans on toast with a smattering of grated cheese sprinkled on top. I also enjoyed a cheeky side of some raw kraut and pickled beet, just to keep my gut biome ticking over well.

FRIDAY, March 28th - Chicken Tostadas 

I had some leftover cooked chicken to use up and I had picked up some tostada shells the other week when I was shopping so on this day I whipped myself up a small batch of chicken tostadas.

They were delicious with a base of refried beans, spicy chicken, some salsa, cheese, lettuce, sour cream and spring onion.  With a squeeze of lime juice over top, these were excellent and really enjoyed. I also had some salad on the side. Quick, easy and delicious! 

SATURDAY, March 29th - Four Can Chili

My sister and I took my father out with his friend Maryann on Saturday and did a bit of errand running ourselves. I knew I would not have a lot of time to cook when I got home and so I popped some Four Can Chili into the slow cooker before I left. 

This is a simple store cupboard meal. Four simple cans of ingredients are put together in the slow cooker in the most delicious way. Tomatoes, beans, chili (without beans) and two cans of beans, pinto and kidney.  With some seasonings and a few other bits, you end up with a delicious chili that belies the fact of how very easy it is to put together. It also freezes very well, so for myself I get to enjoy a delicious meal on the day and then some to freeze in single sized portions for the future.

I enjoyed a nice big bowl of this with some crackers on the side. It was fabulous! I enjoyed a bowl of ice cream for dessert, a rare treat.

And there you have it, my meal of the week for the second last week of March, 2025. (How did that happen! Time is going too quickly I think!)  I hope you will agree with me when I say that I had a very tasty week indeed! I hope you will be inspired by what I have cooked and enjoyed over the past seven days!

As you will know if you are one of my regular readers, I baked my very first Brioche Bread the other day.  I was ever so pleased with how it turned out. It was light and delicious.  

I did end up with quite a bit leftover.  Lots to use in another way.  I thought I would make a bread pudding or French toast, both of which are excellent ways to use up stale bread.  I was surprised that I didn't already have a Brioche Bread Pudding on the page actually.  I have many other kinds, but not a Brioche version.

I found a delicious and simple version for a Brioche Bread Pudding on The Spruce Eats which had good reviews, so I decided to adapt their recipe for my own uses.

 

 

 

I used some dried sour cherries that were needing using up. They worked out beautifully with just the right amount of tartness.  If you wanted to you could soak them ahead of time, or the raisins as well, in a bit of brandy.  

 

HOW TO MAKE BRIOCHE BREAD PUDDING small batch)

Bread pudding is really one of the easiest pudding/desserts to make. Whenever I make it I wonder why I don't make it more often. Not only does it help to get rid of stale bread, but it is also very delicious! The taste belies the fact that you are feeding your loved ones something stale that they would not otherwise want to eat!

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter a baking dish that is 9 by 5-inches in size. Set aside.

Scald the milk. Heat it just until bubbles appear around the edges without boiling. (I do this in the microwave. About 1 minute 30 seconds.)

Whisk in the sugar to dissolve along with the cubed butter. Leave to cool for a few minutes.

Toss the bread cubes together in a bowl with the ground cinnamon and the nutmeg.

Whisk the beaten egg, vanilla and brandy into the milk mixture. Pour this over the bread cubes, tossing to coat all of the bread. Stir in the chopped cherries or raisins.

Pout this mixture into the prepared pan evenly.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown and a knife inserted 1-inch from the sides of the dish comes out clean.

Serve warm with your favorite accompaniment.

  

HINTS AND TIPS TO MAKE THE BEST BREAD PUDDING EVER

If you follow these simple steps, you can be assured of a really tasty dessert with a beautiful texture.

1. Don't be tempted to use fresh bread. It will not soak up the egg custard mixture properly.  You want to use bread that is at least a day old.  Store market bagged bread is not ideal. If you must resort to that, leave it out cubed, uncovered and in the air for a few hours before proceeding with the recipe.

2.  The ideal bread to use for a bread pudding is an enriched bread like a brioche or a challah.  Stale croissants also make a great bread pudding.

3. You can leave it plain and unadulterated of course, but never underestimate the deliciousness of adding some dried fruit, chocolate chips (white or dark), nuts or all three to your bread pudding.  You can also experiment with different spices.  The warm baking spices are the best. Spices like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, etc.

4.  Do not over bake your bread pudding. You want to bake it only until a metal knife inserted near the center comes out clean. The center should still have a slight wobble. Start testing about 10 minutes before you think it should be done.

 

I so, so, so love bread pudding. This was quite simply fabulous. It was rich and tasty without being overly heavy. I was well pleased that I had used the dried sour cherries in this. They added a lovely tartness which was most enjoyable.

I served mine with some custard sauce which went down a real treat, but pouring cream, thick cream or even ice cream would be just as tasty!

You can find my custard recipe here.  Proper Custard. It's really yummy!  It is shown on the link with some delicious roasted rhubarb. Tis almost the season for that treat as well!

 

Is bread pudding a favorite dessert of yours? You might also enjoy the following!

CHOCOLATE BOX BREAD PUDDING FOR TWO - A couple of stale croissants and some leftover chocolates from Christmas. That's all you basically need to create this delicious smaller sized bread pudding, aside from some eggs, butter, cream and milk. I used the caramel barrel shaped chocolates, but you can use any kind you wish.  Delicious any which way!

BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING (small batch) - Sized just for two this is a traditional bread and butter pudding, using buttered bread, raisins, milk, eggs, etc. Its simple and delicious.  I do believe it is these simple old fashioned desserts which bring us the most pleasure in life.

Yield: 3 - 4 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

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Brioche Bread Pudding (small batch)

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 45 Min

A delicious way to repurpose stale bread. Simple, quick and easy to throw together. Serve warm with ice cream, custard sauce or cream for a delicious and comforting dessert everyone will enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, scalded
• 2 TBS butter, cubed
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 1 tsp brandy (optional)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
• 2 1/2 cups (150g) stale day old brioche bread, cubed
• 1/4 cup (38g) raisins (I used chopped sweetened sour cherries)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter a baking dish that is 9 by 5-inches in size. Set aside.
2. Scald the milk. Heat it just until bubbles appear around the edges without boiling. (I do this in the microwave. About 1 minute 30 seconds.)
3. Whisk in the sugar to dissolve along with the cubed butter. Leave to cool for a few minutes.
4. Toss the bread cubes together in a bowl with the ground cinnamon and the nutmeg.
5. Whisk the beaten egg, vanilla and brandy into the milk mixture. Pour this over the bread cubes, tossing to coat all of the bread. Stir in the chopped cherries or raisins.
6. Pout this mixture into the prepared pan evenly.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown and a knife inserted 1-inch from the sides of the dish comes out clean.
8. Serve warm with your favorite accompaniment.

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