This week in the kitchen

Oops, this should have been published on 25-November, before I went to the US.

Monday (16-Nov-09)I used some of Sally's cheddar to make a yummy mac&cheese. Served with a big salad. Comfort food at its best.

Tuesday (17-Nov-09) I made a recipe I collected a while ago, Spaghetti Carbornara with a Poached Egg. Good it was, although I wonder if you can call it "carbonara" when the the egg is poached, rather than mixed into the hot spaghetti. (This was from a book called Cooking for Two, by Jennifer Strand, which might be one to get.) Big salad to go with. Probably high fat, but tasty none the less.

Wednesday (18-Nov-09) I did a use-me-up dinner. Kip filets, smashed, coated with flour and Old Bay Blackening seasoning, and sauteed in butter and olive oil. A little pan sauce with the last bit of chicken stock. Reheated the last of the mac&cheese. Steamed some broc. Simple and satisfying.

Thursday (19-Nov-09) I made Creamy Cajun Shrimp Linguine (MC) again — no linguine, but polenta instead. Used up all my cajun spice so need to make some more

Friday (20-Nov-09) we went to a curry night at a English sort of "pub" in the Dordogne. A fun evening with reasonably good food (instant rice though?).

Saturday (21-Nov-09) I defrosted a varkenshaas/filet mignon du porc. Rubbed it with the Ancho- and Chipotle-Rubbed Pork Loin rub from the freezer. Set it on a bed of sliced onions, with a bit of chicken broth poured over them. In the oven at 350F for close to an hour. Served with mashed sweet potatoes and a huge rocket salad with beets and avocado.

Sunday (22-Nov-09) was a simple dinner of Oriental Spaghetti with Cucumber and Spicy Peanut Sauce (now MC). Pretty good, definitely needs more pepper flakes.

Monday (23-Nov-09) evening was another pre-trip dinner at La Bellone. Maybe this will become a tradition. :-)

Tuesday (24-Nov-09) evening with had pasta with goat cheese and a salad, all the better to sleep well.

This week in the kitchen

Got back from a grueling US trip on Monday. Stopped at the grocery on the way home and picked up some cêpe-filled half-moon pasta, along with other things. Made pasta à la panna and a big salad of rocket, beets, avocado, and cuke for an easy and satisfying dinner.

Tuesday was a late dinner with Grilled Salmon with Avocado Mousse (MC) served over tagliatelle, plus a big salad.

Wednesday was a holiday here. Up late, we made a dash for the grocery in the morning, but it was closed when we arrived. The fridge is getting low on veggies. Made, more or less, Curried Chicken and Broccoli Couscous (MC). Not feeling like cooking at all, wondering if we should do Thanksgiving, since I'll probably be leaving again on the next weekend.

Thursday we managed to get in a big shopping trip. Got a filet of flètan, halibut, and made a recipe from visrecepten.nl. The fish is cooked à la meuniére and served with a cucumber-dill sauce. Served with some steam-sauteed potatoes and peas. A nice dinner.

Friday evening I made Baked Cajun Chicken, a 2BTried recipe in MC, now a Keeper. This turned out to be an easy and tasty way to cook chicken thighs, rubbed with a spicy mix and baked for a while. Served with rice and broccoli. Ed brought some apple tarts from the bakery for dessert.

Saturday dinner we ate in Ste Alvère. Sunday we had an outstanding lunch at Auberge Lou Peyrol.

The holiday season is coming. The shops are full of foie gras and various terrines, pâtés, and other treats. Too bad this is all so delicious and high fat!