Cozy Cottage Meal Plan Week 3

October 28 - November 3, 2018

It's hard to believe it's November already. This fall has really seemed to fly by. I do find it a bit funny that so many trees still have their leaves. I suspect that's just me, though. I think I'm noticing it more because there are so many brilliant yellow trees and they really stand out. Yesterday I was driving back from the lake and the sun was behind us, lighting up all of these gorgeous gold leaves. The sky ahead was this deep steely blue. It was stunning. Fall is truly one of my favourite seasons.

And tomorrow is one of my favourite days, when we get to turn the clocks back. I am not looking forward to it being dark at 5 pm, but I do love gaining that extra hour of sleep!

Meal Plan

This kind of weather not only makes me want to stay hunkered down under a blanket on the couch, it cries out for comfort food. Last week's meal plan included a chicken and sausage soup, two slow cooker meals and a delicate fish dish.

Last week's meal plan (October 28 – November 3):

Sunday: Italian Peasant Soup with fresh rolls

Since the sausage from last week was such a hit, I decided to try it again this week, but used Italian rather than Honey Garlic.

I am a big fan of Hayter Farms Italian Sausage which is made with turkey and is very lean and flavourful. Not too spicy, either. This soup makes a big pot so there will be leftovers for lunches. Gotta love that! My son, especially, loves to top this with grated Parmesan cheese.

Monday: Leftover lasagne from Sunday, Caesar salad and buns

Tuesday: Hawaiian Pork Stew from "300 Slow Cooker Favorites" by Anna Marie Pye

Sidebar: "300 Slow Cooker Favorites" is one of my favourite slow cooker cookbooks of all time. I don’t think I have made a single recipe from it yet that we haven’t loved. I highly recommend it! You can find it here on Amazon.

This was a really nice change from any of the usual ways I cook pork. A pork shoulder butt roast is not a cut I use often and slicing it up was a bit of extra work, but it turned out so moist and “melt-in-your-mouth” that the extra time was well spent. It was also a very budget-friendly cut (more than two pounds cost just over $11.00). I imagine you could use pork tenderloin as well, although 8-10 hours might be a bit long to cook it.

I stuck to the recipe as written, but I did add an extra sweet potato (the recipe called for just one).

Less adventurous eaters may not enjoy this combination of tomatoes, sweet potatoes, pineapple, green pepper and sliced green olives, but I thought it was delicious. Honestly, the flavour was slightly reminiscent of Hawaiian pizza but with the addition of green olives and no cheese. I may have cut my sweet potato a bit small since it kind of disintegrated, but at least I knew it was well-cooked!

Dad (who has been finding many foods flavourless lately) texted me to say, “That has real flavour” and that’s exactly what I was hoping for.

If you can’t get your hands on a copy of "300 Slow Cooker Favorites", this recipe is similar, minus the raisins and cilantro, Pork Sweet Potato Pineapple Stew

Wednesday: Leftovers / eat out / takeout

Thursday: Easy Sole Meuniere with broccoli, mashed potatoes and homemade Coleslaw

Although the recipe calls for frying the fish in a pan on the stove top, I often skip coating it in flour and just bake it in the oven with butter, lemon juice and some lemon pepper. If I have fresh dill, I like to sprinkle some on top of the fish before baking as well. This time I used "fresh" dill from a tube... Not as attractive, but tasty and "dill-y". Cooked that way (and maybe with a little too much butter!), this fish was almost poached. We love sole because it's so mild and cooks up so tenderly. Dad finds it easy to eat.

I usually serve this with homemade tartar sauce. If you’ve never made your own, it’s easy peasy - just mix mayonnaise, green pickle relish and a squeeze of lemon juice.

I also adapt the coleslaw recipe. I do not care for the fruit in it (although apple on its own can be good!), but the dressing is amazing. I usually just use a bag of coleslaw mix and add in some cucumber. Since coleslaw isn’t that great leftover, I often use just half the recipe and save the other half for another day.

This plate may not be the prettiest, but everything was really tasty.

Since today was my Mom's birthday, we splurged on a few extra calories and treated ourselves to Raspberry Mousse Brownies. If I'm going to have dessert, I want it to be amazing, so I feel like all of those calories were totally justified. In my opinion, this recipe fits the bill. I usually double it, just because it's so good, and one little loaf pan doesn't go very far. I wasn't organized enough on Thursday for the mousse to really set up by the time we ate it, and frankly, that is not unusual! This dessert is worth the wait, but still hard to wait for...

Friday: Chicken and Fall Vegetables

Saturday: Potato Boats with corn and coleslaw

For those of you who eat clean (or are trying to avoid/minimize carbs), this supper will not impress you, but it's a childhood favourite for me and my son. This is something my Mom has made for her family since I was a little kid, and my grandmother, Margaret, made it for hers before that.

It's quick, simple and a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. (Please feel free to share your favourite ways!)

Cook 2-3 wieners per person. I usually boil them for 5 minutes. Split them partway open down the middle and spread with regular mustard. Top with mashed potatoes followed by sliced cheddar cheese. Bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes at 350 F.

Verdict

I love having leftovers for lunches, and the soup was a good choice for that. Knowing Dad enjoyed the Hawaiian Pork Stew so much this week thrilled me, and I hope that I can continue to find things that whet his appetite. The sole never fails to please and the rest of the week was good, too, even if it ended on a less than clean note... lol

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