This week in the kitchen

Monday/3-Oct-22: Dinner was Cambodian Hot and Sour Beef Salad (How2Eat, p429). This was easy and pretty tasty. Lots of protein for Ed. 

Tuesday/4-Oct-22: More meat tonight. Dinner was Steak & Asparagus Stir-Fry with Black Bean-Garlic Sauce (web; EW/apr21). This was good although the sauce was a bit salty. Served over trio rice. More protein for Ed. (Our doctor has told him to eat more protein.) A chocolate-covered madeleine for after.

Wednesday/5-Oct-22: More protein for Ed tonight. We had Omelette au Boudin de Nancy (DavidFrPro, p232). We each had an omelette filled with slices of sautéed boudin noir. Surprisingly good. Served with some sautéed apples. A chocolate-covered madeleine for after.

Thursday/6-Oct-22: Don't know when we're going to get to shopping this week. I'm not even started on plan or list. 

Dinner was Very Spicy, Delicious Chickpeas (WofE, p86), an easy and tasty recipe I apparently haven't made since 2018. I used half the chickpeas with all the spices. Quite filling. A chocolate-covered madeleine for after.

Friday/7-Oct-22: Scrounging around for dinners now, since I'm completely without a meal plan. Dinner was Easy Sheet Pan Sausage and Veggies* (web; GDnotes). This is easy and tasty. A chocolate-covered madeleine for after. 

Saturday/8-Oct-22: Sam arrived today. Tonight's dinner was a repeat of yesterday's, but with merguez de volaille as the sausage. No bell peppers in house. Added some mushrooms. Served over polenta. It was good. A chocolate-covered madeleine for after. 

Sunday/9-Oct-22: Ed had choir practice today, so no time for a Drive run. 

Last minute dinner, using stuff from the freezer and cabinets: Sicilian Olive Chicken (web). I used turkey scallops, each cut into two bits, instead of kip filets. Served over whole wheat fusilli. Some cheese (fourme d'Ambert and Beaufort) for after. 

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 1; #2 PHOTO: no;
This month: #3 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #5 BACKLOG2: no; #6 BACKLOG3: no; #7 RECYCLE: 10; #8 NEW: 4

This week in the kitchen

Monday/26-Sep-22: There was quite a bit of sauce left from Friday's dinner. It reappeared tonight in almost the same meal, sautéed kip filets, some pasta, and some steamed broccoli. Still good.

Tuesday/27-Sep-22: Indian-ish meal tonight, a bit scaled back from what was planned. I used three kip filets to make, sort of, Tandoori-Style Chicken (MJ1, p67). I wasn't organized to get the meat marinating last night, which was too bad. The meat was a bit dry, I'm sure the marinating would have helped that. The "tandoori-style" is create by baking the chickie bits in a hot oven. I was wondering if it might work better to put a cast iron Dutch oven in the hot oven and then put the chicken bits on skewer in the covered pot. Next time perhaps. (No surprise, I didn't use the food color.) Served with Rice with Peas (MJ1, p149), which was fine even without soaking the rice. And some Spicy Cucumber Wedges (MJ1, p172). No time for raita (p162) or cachumber (p172) or onion relish (p174), all of which would have been nice with the meal.

Wednesday/28-Sep-22: We'd planned to have a pizza while watching the Jan6 hearings this evening, but the hearing was cancelled. Ed went for pizzas later, only to find they're closed on Wed. (I didn't remember that.) And the hamburger place is also closed on Wed. So I rustled up a quick pasta dish, based on Fusilli with Olives and Cauliflower (Lorenza, p99) while Ed returned. Because Ed had mentioned he wanted some meat, I got some merguez de volaille from the freezer, broiled those, and added to the dish. Used whole wheat fusilli. It was pretty good overall.

Thursday/29-Sep-22: Feeling a bit better today, thank you naproxen. 

Dinner was Sheet-Pan Balsamic Parmesan Chicken (web). Last week I impulse-bought some grenailles, little new potatoes, so I added some of those to the veggies (broc, cauli, and shallots). Pretty easy to assemble and tasty.

Friday/30-Sep-22: Shopping today. No dinner thought. When it came time to cook, I really wasn't feeling like it.

Saturday/1-Oct-22: Dinner was Pavés de Truite en Croûte d'Amande et d'Herbes (web; VPG). (I got the recipe from a magazine, but the web site has the same photo.) Salmon trout, a bit bony, was what I got. We had something with a similar crust at a restaurant that was quite good, but this didn't match that. After baking, the topping was still a bit gooey, rather than crispy. Served with trio rice and steamed asparagus (impulse buy this week). A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Sunday/2-Oct-22: How is it Sunday already? Just caught a mouse in a (live) trap in the open shelving. Looks like young one.Very active for a while, but has settled down now. I'm always puzzled why our cats haven't been very interested in trapped mice. 

Dinner was Tagine of Kofta and Eggs (Roden, p245). (Roden is one of. my rubber-band books; the spine has split, so the book is in several pieces.) I forgot to get my tagine down to make this; it would have been good. This is tasty little lamb meatballs (kofta) with poached eggs. Served over whole-wheat couscous. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 2; #2 PHOTO: no;
This month: #3 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #5 BACKLOG2: no; #6 BACKLOG3: no; #7 RECYCLE: 10; #8 NEW: 4

This week in the kitchen

Monday/19-Sep-22: We finished the leftover tamale pie for dinner, with some pretty tasty guacamole, for dinner. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Tuesday/20-Sep-22: Shopping is off track this week, and so is the meal plan. Dinner was something.

Wednesday/21-Sep-22: Realized today that our Intermarché Drive order was missing some critical bits for the next days' meals. 

Thursday/22-Sep-22: Dinner was Spicy Chicken Burgers (RezaSpice, p22). This made eight patties (to serve four). We ate seven of them. I didn't make the go-with Tomato and Ginger Chutney, so I served with sliced tomatoes and red onion on some hamburger bun-ish things I found at Leclerc on our last visit. And some Rice with Peas (MJ1, p149). 

Friday/23-Sep-22: A moldy-oldy for dinner, Sautéed Chicken in Lemon Cream Sauce (web). Served with Spaetzle (MW@Home, p203; HandyBook), which was great with the cream sauce. A chocolate-covered madeleine for after.

Saturday/24-Sep-22: Dinner was Lentils with Spinach (WofE, p93), served over "trio" Thai rice. Very tasty, comforting stuff. I don't think I ever had lentils as a child, but I sure do like them. Some mini ice cream cups for after.

Sunday/25-Sep-22: Dinner was chili from the freezer. I remember I didn't like this much when first made. Somewhat better tonight. I stirred into my serving a bit of crème fraîche topped with a bit of jalapeño tabasco. Also made some Vaqueros Jalapeno Beer Bread from a mix that Chris and Jacky brought us from Fredericksburg. This was surprisingly so-so. Not enough beer in-house, so used some stout that had been sitting around a while. I think Ed threw the rest of the bread away, while I was thinking of toasted cheese-and-onion sandwiches.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 3; #2 PHOTO: no;
This month: #3 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #5 BACKLOG2: no; #6 BACKLOG3: no; #7 RECYCLE: 10; #8 NEW: 4

This week in the kitchen

Monday/12-Sep-22: Had an itch for tamale pie, so I turned to our old favorite Tamale Pie (OldLaurel, p299). Used canned black beans for the filling. Good stuff. Served with a bit for guacamole, which turned out especially good tonight. And some Ben&Jerry's mini ice cream cups for after.

Tonight's kitchen visitor was a saucer-sized spider on the wall above Buddy's dish.

Tuesday/13-Sep-22: Another choir funeral today. This is getting to be too frequent.

Dinner was Caribbean Shrimp & Vegetable Soup (MWDaily, p165). This was pretty darn good, if not wonderful. Should have cut my sweet potatoes is smaller (about the size of the shrimp). My yellow bell pepper wasn't a very good color contrast; red might be better. Also better to sauté the bits with the onion. I used frozen cooked shrimp, which got way too cooked by the end. 

Whew, I've been binge-watching Chef John and Trevor Noah videos at night, getting to bed way too late. But at least I've had a laugh.

Wednesday/14-Sep-22: It being an odd week, there was nothing on the menu plan for tonight. So we had chipolatas (which don't work too well under the broiler, where I cooked them to avoid grease spatters all over the stovetop). As an accompaniment there was a salad made with brown rice, clean-out-the-fridge veggies (red bell pepper, cuke, defrosted peas -- forgot carrots and onions). That turned out pretty good. And a chocolate-covered madeleine for after. 

Thursday/15-Sep-22: Lovely lunch out today. Nothing happened in the kitchen. 

Friday/16-Sep-22: Brought in pizza for dinner tonight. Nothing happened in the kitchen. 

Saturday/17-Sep-22: Whew, a mess of a week, no shopping done, so struggling to find meals in-house.

Tonight's dinner was a half recipe of Cowboy Corn Casserole (web), made with one medium-sized can of corn, 75g of lardons instead of bacon. Easy and pretty good. Ed harvested tomatoes this afternoon and dropped a big one, smashing it. He cleaned it up and seeded it. I chopped, added a chopped ball of mozzarella, a shallot, some chives and basil, S&P, and called it all a salad. Pretty good. Some HD mini ice cream cups for after.

Sunday/18-Sep-22: Dinner was a halfish recipe of Spicy South Asian Roasted Fish (web; GD; DMA). The recipe no longer can be found at the URL I saved, which is why I keep a PDF copy on Google Drive. Anyhow, this is easy and good. I'm out of coconut milk (inventory fail), so used coconut cream, thinned with a bit of water, instead. Served with Thai trio rice and our favorite SE Asian salad, Thai Cucumber Salad with Peanuts (web; GD). Nice food.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 4; #2 PHOTO: yes;
This month: #3 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #5 BACKLOG2: no; #6 BACKLOG3: no; #7 RECYCLE: 10; #8 NEW: 4

This week in the kitchen

Monday/5-Sep-22: Dinner was Provençal Rainbow Soup (Monastery, p136), kind of minestrone soup perhaps with lots of veggies. Very tasty. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Tuesday/6-Sep-22: Easy dinner tonight. We each had six canned tamales. And I made a batch of guacamole. Lots of avocados in-house, but only one was good, so there wasn't very much of it. Added a chopped up tomato for volume. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Wednesday/7-Sep-22: Dinner was Za'atar Chicken with Lemon Yogurt (Dinner, p57). Lazy me used garlic powder instead of microplaning eight cloves. Seemed to work, though. Very tasty chickie bits (sb thighs). Served with Moroccan Carrots (1Good, p59), which has become my standard Moroccan side dish.  And some Moroccan couscous, a mix from the bio store. 

Thursday/8-Sep-22: We finished the Rainbow Soup for dinner, followed by, yes, a chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Friday/9-Sep-22: Shopping today. No dinner tonight.

Saturday/10-Sep-22: Dinner was Easy Salmon with Avocado & Basil (web). This was a nice, fast dinner. Served with whole wheat orzo. Some store-bought dark chocolate mousse for after.

Sunday/11-Sep-22: When it came time to make dinner, I didn't have the oomph to make what was on the plan, so I rummaged around and found Kadhai Chicken (Stir-fried Chicken with Peppers) (web), using the chicken aiguillettes that were scheduled for later this week. Served with Rice with Peas and Dill (Q&E, p103), made with brown basmati rice. Some store-bought riz aux laits for after.

A praying mantis joined is in the kitchen for clean-up.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 1; #2 PHOTO: no;
This month: #3 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #5 BACKLOG2: no; #6 BACKLOG3: no; #7 RECYCLE: 10; #8 NEW: 4

This week in the kitchen

Monday/29-Aug-22: Dinner was a half recipe of Spaghetti with Green Olives, Garlic, and Fresh Mint (VegHarv, p139). This is easy and tasty, over whole wheat spaghetti. Followed by a simple salad, just mixed lettuces and vinaigrette. A Ben&Jerry mini ice cream cup for after.

Tuesday/30-Aug-22: Dinner was Grilled Pork Skewers with Green Mango (Thrill, p158). Meant to serve with the suggested eggplant dish, but the eggplants I bought last Thursday were both bad. Instead I made, more or less, Cabbage-Radish Slaw With Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette (web), using up my chineeskool. And some white basmati rice, as suggested. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Wednesday/31-Aug-22: Indian tonight, all repeats. The main was "Hamburger" Kebabs (Q&E, p27), quick and easy to make (toss all the ingredients in the cuisinart and buzz) and delicious. As suggested served with Fresh Red Chutney with Almonds (Q&E, p114), also easy and delicious and with pitas for the (non-)Indian bread. For veggie matter, some Green Peas in a Creamy Sauce (Q&E, p87). I slipped a gear and got yogurt rather than cream from the fridge, but it was still tasty. And a chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Thursday/1-Sep-22: Didn't manage to get ready for shopping today, so had to make do with what was in-house for tonight's meal. We had Curried Rice and Peas (Q&EVeg, p202), which is an old favorite, simple, and tasty.  And a chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Friday/2-Sep-22: Shopping today.

Dinner was Spanish Vinegar & Garlic Cod (web), which I rather liked, but Ed wasn't fond of the bit of vinegar taste. Served with Sautéd Zucchini with Paprika & Garlic (web); this was easy and very good. (Both of these are from the site Spain on a Fork, where I'm collected a lot of good recipes.) And there was trio rice. Afterwards some Ben&Jerry mini ice cream cups.

Saturday/3-Sep-22: Dinner was a DMA recipe, Chicken with Fennel, Preserved Lemons, and Olives (Morocco, p302). It's easy, but takes a bit of time, and is delicious. Served with store-bought Moroccan couscous. Store-bought riz au laits for after.

Sunday/4-Sep-22: Dinner was Penne con Zucchine—Penne with Courgettes, Mozzarella and Eggs (Top100Pasta, p44; cookbooker). This was quite nice, and easy. Followed by a simple salad. Some coffee cake we got at Kirsty's charity shop for after.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 4; #2 PHOTO: no;
This month: #3 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #5 BACKLOG2: no; #6 BACKLOG3: no; #7 RECYCLE: 10; #8 NEW: 4

This week in the kitchen

Monday/22-Aug-22: Nice dinner of Nigel Slater's Za'atar Lamb (web), very tasty grill lamb chops with a fun salad of pomegranate seeds, bulgur, parsley, mint, and other good things. Then we finished the upside-down cake. Oink oink.

Tuesday/23-Aug-22: Dinner was Quick Whole Wheat Pizza with Artichokes, Capers, and Fresh Tomatoes (VegHarv, p259). Pretty tasty as food, but not very successful as pizza. This might be the first time I tried to transfer a pizza from my peel to the hot stone in the oven. Made a right mess. I cooked the second one on a cookie sheet on a baking sheet; that worked better. The topping combination was very good (artichokes, capers, mozzarella, chopped tomatoes). Might try the "quick" whole wheat dough another time, in a rectangular pan like I usually use. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after (maybe Ed had two).

Wednesday/24-Aug-22: Dinner was Dahl de Lentilles Jaunes et Chou-Fleur Rôti au Curry (web; SG#3). Not bad, although the half recipe was a bit skimpy. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Thursday/25-Aug-22: Shopping today. 

Dinner was Creamy Garlic Salmon (web). This was okay; cream sauce is always nice. Served with whole wheat linguine and steamed broccoli. Some store-bought dark chocolate mousse for after.

Friday/26-Aug-22: Dinner was Smokey and Spicy Yogurt Marinated Chicken Kebabs (web; GD). Served with trio rice and some Pineapple-Apple Slaw (TooMany, p48), an ancient recipe I've made quite a few times. A bit of cheese from a cheese platter I bought yesterday for after.

Saturday/27-Aug-22: Dinner was Flank Steak Salad with Plums and Blue Cheese (web; GD), a yummy one-dish meal. I made more or less a whole recipe (serving four) and the two of us ate it all. A Ben&Jerry mini ice cream cup for after.

Sunday/28-Aug-22: Dinner was Kathy's Crab Cakes, a recipe I collected from the Mercury News in July 2008; can't find it online these days. It was nice because the crab cakes were baked rather than pan-fried. Served with Mama's Garlic Coleslaw, an old favorite, and Cilantro Lime Sweet Corn (web). I used a small can of corn for this, with a half recipe of the tasty stuff; it's kind tarted up canned corn, very tasty. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 4; #2 PHOTO: no;
This month: #3 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #5 BACKLOG2: yes; #6 BACKLOG3: no; #7 RECYCLE: 8; #8 NEW: 4