Meals of the Week, January 12th - 18th, 2025

Hello everyone and welcome to my Sunday Meals of the Week post!  On Sundays I like to share with you, my dear readers, all of the deliciousness that I have enjoyed as my main meals over the past seven days.  That’s a whole lot of tasty to be getting on with!

This week was a bit different than my usual weeks. I actually ate at my sister’s place twice this week, Sunday dinner and then my father’s birthday. I also happened to eat out twice this week as well, which is not a very usual occurrence!  In those instances, I have shared similar or like-recipes for you to enjoy in the place of the meals eaten out.

I normally do not eat out that much. I do eat dinner at my sister’s every Sunday or they will come here, and I do have a meal out with my father at least once a week, but for the most part I cook and eat for myself right here at home. 

As a Senior who lives on their own, cooking for yourself can be somewhat of a challenge.  I do like to cook and I like to try to eat as healthy as I can.  The temptation is there to want to eat restaurant food, or frozen dinners, for sure, but generally speaking I try to keep that kind of eating at a minimum.

Those frozen dinners are usually loaded with salt, fat and sugar so it is much better to cook something at home for yourself and it doesn’t have to be complicated either as I am able to show you most weeks.

For breakfast I will have a protein smoothie and sometimes homemade granola or oatmeal.  I will eat my main meal around noon most days, early afternoon in any case and for my supper I will usually have toast, or a salad, sometimes a bowl of cereal or some fruit.  I try not to eat in the evenings at all.  This is what works for me and because I live on my own I have nobody to please but myself!

And without waffling on any further, here are the delicious meals that I enjoyed over the past seven days.  I can promise you it was/is all delicious!

SUNDAY, January 12th – Chicken Cacciatore

On Sunday I had my usual dinner at my sister’s place with the family.  Cindy, Dan and Dad.  She had made Chicken Cacciatore.  I love Chicken Cacciatore. We both use the same recipe which you will see linked above. 

Tender and juicy chicken thighs with plenty of peppers, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes. Very delicious. This week she served it with mashed potatoes and green beans on the side. What a fabulously tasty supper and a change from the traditional roast!

MONDAY,  January 13th – Cabbage Soup with Cheese 

It was a cold, cold day here so a hearty soup was in order.  That’s one of the things I love most about winter.  We can enjoy soup to our heart’s content. This is a real favorite with me. I love anything with cabbage.

Not only is it delicious but it’s really quick to make as well.  Once you have all of the vegetables chopped, it goes together lickety split.   There’s nothing too out of the ordinary here  . . .  bacon, cabbage, onions . . .  Gruyere and Cheddar cheeses . . .  dried herbs, and some chicken stock and that’s basically it!  Quick, easy and delicious. I enjoyed with some buttered crackers.

Who else enjoys butter on their crackers?

TUESDAY, January 14th – Baked Corn Dogs

This quick and easy bake tastes very much like corn dogs.  It’s not a corn dog really, but frankfurters/wieners baked in a corn muffin mix to perfection. Ready to cut into single serving sized rectangles. A rather tasty way of presenting a hot dog.  Quick, simple and delicious.

I enjoyed mine with some Dijon mustard on top, chopped onions and some tasty baked beans on the side. It was rare treat that I really enjoyed. I also give you instructions/ingredients on how to make your own homemade corn muffin mix.

WEDNESDAY, January 15th - Pork Chops and Applesauce

It was a cold and snowy day on Wednesday. I had no intentions of going anywhere, but my father was determined to go out to supper regardless and so I met him at the restaurant, braving the snowy weather. I was not going to let him sit in there and eat alone no matter what. 

I had their grilled Pork Chop which was served with applesauce, potato and vegetables.  Oh, and coleslaw. It was very good. We go to a place called the Big Scoop and they do a lovely pork chop. Dan had their pan fried Haddock. We were both very happy with our meals.

 I am sharing my recipe for Pork Chops and Applesauce in its place. This is a crumb coated baked chop which always turns out beautiful.  The applesauce is also homemade. The pair are a beautiful combination.

THURSDAY, January 16th – Beer Battered Fish 

On Thursday I went out for lunch with the ladies from church. We went to a place just around the corner from where I live called Angies. Its only about a five-minute drive.  They also have very good food.  There was about12 of us and we had a really good time.  I had the one-piece fish and chips which came with battered fish and chips of course, as well as coleslaw.  I ate all of my fish which was beautifully cooked.  I ate a few of the chips. I could take or leave the chips that we get around here locally. They are just frozen chips which have been deep fried. Oh how I miss the lovely hand cut chips that we used to get at the chippy in the U.K.  So tasty!

In its place I am sharing my recipe for Beer Battered Fish and Chips.  The batter on this fish is lovely and light. It comes out crisp and the fish is perfectly cooked every time. You could have oven chips with it, or make your own from scratch.  I also have a lovely recipe for tartar sauce, which you can find here. I have been making it for years. I always used to make it for the family I cooked for at the Manor. They enjoyed it with my homemade fish cakes which you will also see on that link.

FRIDAY, January 17th – Dad’s Birthday

On Friday it was my father’s 91st birthday so we had a family celebration together with my sister, brother-in-law and father at my sister’s place. My father loves tourtiere, and in particular the Lac Saint Jean Tourtiere from his birth place.  We love to keep our father happy. 

It is quite different than the normal tourtiere which my father calls meat pie. That is basically just a pork filling.  This Lac Saint Jean version has cubed potato, pork, chicken and beef, along with onions, baked long and slow in a flaky crust.  It is delicious and very filling.

We so had some vegetables and Birthday Cake for dessert! Afterwards Dan and Dad played a game of electronic Battleships. It was a good day.  Dad was very pleased with it all.

SATURDAY, January 18th – Ina Garten’s Omelet

After all of the excess of eating elsewhere over the past 7 days it was good to just stay at home and have something simple. I chose to make myself Ina Garten’s Omelet. Simple and yet incredibly delicious. I used cheddar cheese this time instead of gruyere cheese.  It was what I had and it was good.  I did not have it with bacon or sausage. I had it with a mixed salad with a simple homemade vinaigrette dressing. I was quite happy with that.  I did have a piece of whole grain toast with it.  It felt good to just be at home in my wee little place and relax with something simple.

And there you have it my meals of the week for the past seven days. I did eat out far more than I usually do, especially when you consider I ate at my sister’s twice this week as well as in the restaurant.  Back on track next week!  I promise!

Debunking the myths of English Cookery, one recipe at a time.
The English Kitchen
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Source: https://www.theenglishkitchen.co/2025/01/meals-of-week-january-12th-18th-2025.html