This week in the kitchen

Monday/28-Dec-20: Used up some of my frozen turkey leg bits to make Chipotle Turkey and Corn Soup (MC). Good stuff. I do have some good recipes tucked away there in Mastercook. It's a shame I no longer have working version and don't want to bother with one of the new alternatives.

The schedule says I'm supposed to make dolmades tomorrow, for my "short" project for the year, but I really don't feel like another day of cooking.

Tuesday/29-Dec-20: Picked up an order from Leclerc today. 

Narrowed down my main course recipes for Friday to six. A start, sort of. Trying to avoid going to Intermarché until Saturday or Sunday mornning, or may even not at all this week.

Dinner was a halfish version of Riz Frit aux Chipolatas et aux Oeufs Brouillés (Régal; web). This wasn't bad, just a bit weird to have a fried rice with no oriental flavorings. Might have been better to stir the arugula into the fried rice and egg mixture for a brief bit of cooking. 

Yogurt on overnight. Overnight Bread on overnight too.

Wednesday/30-Dec-20: Baked the Overnight Bread this morning.

Dinner was a half dose of Penne with Leeks and Ricotta (Pickford, p52), using casareccia as the past. The ricotta sauce was quite good, but the roasted leeks seemed too sweet. It might have been better if the leeks had been sautéed rather than roasted. Then a small salad. Then the rest of the vanilla ice cream topped with a bit of crème de cacao.

Thursday/31-Dec-20: We exerted ourselves and finished off the meatloaf from tweede kerstdag today. We could had meatloaf sandwiches tomorrow, but we did the job tonight instead. Served with some pasta and peas&carrots. A pair of chocolate-covered madeleines for after.

Friday/1-Jan-21: Our new year's day meal is here.

Yogurt on overnight. Overnight Bread brewing overnight.

Saturday/2-Jan-21: Baked off the Overnight Bread in the morning.

I used up a SE Asian-ish lentil stewy thing from the freezer, added water, shrimp and rice, and called it soup. Not great, but edible. More three king's cake for after.

Sunday/3-Jan-21: Dinner was Quiche Saumon et Brocoli (VPG), using the extra bit of salmon we got last week. Meant to make a salad but didn't have the oomph. A pair of chocolate-covered madeleines for after.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 3; #2 BACKLOG: yes
This month: #3 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #4 SHORT: no; #5 LONG: no
On-going: #6 READ; #7 RECYCLE; #8 NEW

Tweede kerstdag 2020

Mille-feuilles de al Mer Meatloaf Filled with Eggs Wrapped in Bacon Mashed Potatoes Braised Peas with Spring Onions and Lettuce Bûche de Noël au Choco-Marron

We like to invite someone to dinner on this day, and I suppose we could have legally, but we're still acting like we're in full quarantine, minimizing our contact with the outside world.

Our starter was a recipe that attracted me on the web recently, Mille-Feuille de la Mer (web), disks of smoked salmon layered with crab meat and herbs. This was very yummy.

For a main, we had Meatloaf Filled with Eggs Wrapped in Bacon; I think this was from Jamie Magazine, but I can't find on web. À la Alice B. Toklas, I used veal and pork, rather than beef and pork. The sliced green olives were a nice touch, but I think Toklas's meatloaf is still the best. The meatloaf cooked in a bundt pan in a bain marie setup, so the bacon was pretty soggy when I turned it out. I put it back in the oven on high to get the raw look out of it.

Served this with smashed potatoes and, more or less, Braised Peas with Spring Onions and Lettuce (web). The pea dish was especially good.

For dessert I finished the Bûche de Noël Maison au Choco-Marron (web). The chestnut filling and chocolate-chestnut icing were delicious. The cake itself was fiddly (as cakes with separated eggs always are), and broke into bits when I unrolled. it. Mostly hidden by the icing.

Lots of meatloaf and bûche for leftovers.

Christmas dinner 2020

Verrines de Foie Gras & Chutney de Mango Brochettes de Poulet au Magret Fumé et Polenta aux Trois Parfums Bill Hatcher's Amaretto Poached Pears with HomemadeVanilla Ice Cream

Neither of us felt especially hoiday-ish this year, so we were minimally decorative and not very festive. But we ate pretty well. 

Today's meal started with Verrines de Foie Gras & Chutney de Mango (web). I found a tin of foie gras i the the back of a cabinet needing to be used up. This recipe, which is titled as a papaya chutney, appealed because I knew Intermarché had had papayas recently. But not in the last two weeks. I decided mango would have to do instead. Upon reading the recipe closer, I saw that while the title and ingredient list included papaya, the instructions had you chopping mango. So that was that. Served this with baguette slices. We still have some of the tasty chutney to use up. 

For our main, we had Brochettes de Poulet au Magret Fumé et Polenta aux Trois Parfums (web). Of course I used regular polenta rather than the instant that was asked.  Ed wasn't especially fond of the flavored polentas (parmesan, basil, and sun-dried tomatoes), but I thought they were fun. Have lots of odd bits of these left, in the freezer now, for use in other dishes.

This morning I started to make a bûche for tonight's dinner, but when I got to making the filling, I discovered that only frozen butter was available, a long way to room-temperature butter. Oops. Maybe this worked out okay in the end, because I was getting pretty tired by this point. Plan B was an old favorite Bill Hatcher's Amaretto Poached Pears (MC) with homemade vanilla ice cream. This is easy and alway good, although not too much to look at.

We ate well, but not so much we were over-full.

This week in the kitchen

Monday/21-Dec-20: Picked up an order from Leclerc today.

Made three labels for the Chipotle-Fig Jam yesterday, but only two arrived downstairs. A mystery. The jam is more than set now, so the extra sugar with pectin wasn't needed. Oh well.

Dinner was a half recipe of Roasted Cauliflower Gigli with Pine Nuts and Currants (web), using cockscombs (galetti, I think) instead of gigli. This was interesting, with the currants. I wasn't sure, but it left a pleasant taste in the mouth. Then a salad. Then we finished the bread pudding.

Tuesday/22-Dec-20: Before dinner, I started a loaf of English Muffin Bread (BMB, p17). This loaf sank a lot again even though I reduced the amount of water. I've read before that sunken loave often have too much liquid, but I'll need to investigate that again. 

Leftover cornbread stuffing for dinner, with more gravy. HD mini ice cream cups for after. That's all.

Yogurt on overnight.

Wednesday/23-Dec-20: Using up my last skinless, boneless chicken thighs (not easily found here), dinner was a half recipes of Ginger Chicken (30MinInd, p42; cookbooker). Served with plain basmati rice and Karhai Broccoli (MJ@Home, p148). Some mini HD ice cream cups for after.

Overnight Bread on overnight.

Thursday/24-Dec-20: Baked off the Overnight Bread. So easy, so good.

Picked up an order from Intermarché Drive today. Ordered 200g of salmon; asked for 300-350g in the comment. (Next lump to order was 400g, too much for two.) We got 440g. Needed only 125g for dinner, so I froze the larger piece.

Dinner was a halfish recipe of Tagliatelles au Saumon et Poireau; (VPG); can find it on the web although the clipping says the recipe can be found on their site. Not. Still, it was easy and good. I used way more curry powder than asked for the full recipe. Then a salad. Some chocolate-covered madeleines for after.

Didn't have the oomph to make the bûche for tomorrow. Hope I manage to get everything done on the day.

Friday/25-Dec-20: Started a bûche this morning, then discovered that Ed had neglected to get the next block of butter out of the freezer when he refilled the butter dish. Oops. Replan. This was our meal. 

Yogurt on overnight.

Saturday/26-Dec-20: 

I was busy all day cooking and pooped by the time we sat down to eat. This was our meal.

Should start bread to bake in the morning, but really have no energy.

Sunday/27-Dec-20: Made some 100% Whole Wheat Bread (BigGerman, p81) (WW/Rapid/M/-/-). Used the end of the jar of honey, about 3tbl rather than the 1/4cup asked. This was an improvement. The best whole wheat bread. 

For lunch we had meatloaf sandwiches and a slice of bûche.

Dinner was Chipotle-Lime Cauliflower Tacos (web). Sounds a bit weird but it was good. Served with some of my refried black bean mix, a quickie sort of guacamole, jalapeño strips, feta, cilantro, and corn tortillas. And another slice of bûche.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 4; #2 BACKLOG: yes
This month: #3 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #4 SHORT: no; #5 LONG: no
On-going: #6 READ; #7 RECYCLE; #8 NEW

This week in the kitchen

Monday/14-Dec-20: Made up some turkey stock today. Still on the way to a dinner of cornbread stuffing. Didn't get the cornbread made, so it might be another day yet.

Used some of the confiture de myrtilles that came with our gourmet panier (substitute for this year's old folks' dinner) to make Jam Tea Cake (MC). Pretty good stuff.

Dinner was a halfish recipe of Curried Crab (Oriental, #77). This turned out ok, but the recipe is a mess. The picture shows a reddish curry; instead it was yellowish (turmeric). Whole spices are added (fenugreek seeds and peppercorns) that should have been ground. It wants you to make coconut milk from scratch. The total liquid would give you soup rather than a curry. Still, it was edible. Served very basmati rice, with some Karhai Broccoli (MJ@Home, p148). Then some Jam Tea Cake. We're full.

Tuesday/15-Dec-20: Finished off the turkey stock and picked the bone; might made some turkey salad for lunch from these bits. Froze up the turkey bits I sliced off the bone yesterday; at least two meals there.

Didn't get cornbread made and didn't feel like making my alternative, so I made Curried Lamb in Pita Bowls (Desperation, p196) with ground beef. This is easy, fast, and good. Jam Tea Cake for after. We're stuffed.

Wednesday/16-Dec-20: Last night I measured out the dry ingredients for a loaf of bread. This morning I realized that, since it was a whole wheat bread, it wouldn't be ready before I had to leave. Duh. So. Instead I made a 3# loaf Authentic French Bread (Magic, p22) (Basic/Rapid/M/d/-), with the addition of 1/8tsp of baking soda, since that seems to be the difference between this and "English Muffin Bread". I was in a hurry and didn't run my poor old machine empty for a bit at the start. Mistake. Out with the dough; let it run a bit, then start it up again. Good bread in the end.

Off to get a haircut in the afternoon.

Dinner was a halfish version of Easy Smoked Sausage Skillet (web), sort of. Garlic, minced not crushed; fresh broccoli; long-grain brown rice instead of instant. Easy and pretty good. More tomato sauce might be good. A bit of smoked paprika might be good. Some Lindt chocolate squares for after.

Thursday/16-Dec-20: Made a loaf of 100% Whole Wheat Bread (BigGerman, p81) (WW/Rapid/M/-/-). Yesterday's French bread, is just so-so, but this one is delicious. A surprisingly high loaf, given it's 100% whole wheat. 

Worked a lot on the meal plans for our holiday meals. Leclerc Drive's site has been down all afternoon and evening, so that makes things a bit difficult.

Dinner was Easy Falafel Curry (web). This was easy and pretty tasty. It should have served three, but the two of us ate it all. Over long-grain brown rice. A pair of of chocolate-covered madeleines for after.

Friday/18-Dec-20: Picked up an order from Intermarché today. They had lamb legs on a really good sale, so I got one of those even though the freezer is more than full.

Made a pan of cornbread for tomorrow's stuffing dinner.

Dinner was a halfish dose New England Fish Chowder (EAT-L). Pretty good stuff. A pair of of chocolate-covered madeleines for after.

Yogurt on overnight.

Saturday/19-Dec-20: For the last two Thanksgivings, we've missed out on Chef Paul Prudhomme's Cornbread Dressing (MC; web), a holiday favorite. So tonight we had that for dinner. I used the turkey stock I made for the dressing and to make some gravy. (Following Hom's definition in HomVeg, i.e., chicken stock is vegetarian, I'm going to call this a veggie dinner.) Yum. Mini HD ice cream cups for after.

Sunday/20-Dec-20: I used the ends of two breads to make some Double Boiler Bread Pudding (MC; HandyBook) today. Good stuff. But I forgot again to actually make some bread. And my stash in the freezer is getting low. Not wanting to go into the grocery till a couple of weeks after the holiday, so I need to be careful here. 

Also made a recipe of Homemade Chipotle Fig Jam (web). I made about 1.5 recipe since I had a 500g package of fig*. My few licks were pretty tasty, but it didn't seem to set up properly. In the end I added more lemon juice and some sucre pour confiture. We'll see how it turns out. Had a look at Juipter-Saturn while this was going. *I had a failure of arithmetic when I ordered the (bio) figs. After using one package, I still have four more to use.

In the end, I didn't feel like making what was on the plan for dinner and neither of us felt like going for pizza, so we had the leftover Curried Beef with Pita. And some bread pudding. We're full.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 4; #2 BACKLOG: yes
This month: #3 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #4 SHORT: no; #5 LONG: no
On-going: #6 READ; #7 RECYCLE; #8 NEW

This week in the kitchen

Monday/7-Dec-20: Baked off my Overnight Bread this morning. I left the kitchen and missed the dinger for taking the lid off; wandered back some time later. Took the lid off to find it nicely browned and nicely done. I thought that taking off the lid was for browning and crisping the crust, but now I'm not sure.

Picked up and order from Leclerc Drive today.

Dinner was a two-thirds-ish recipe of Ragoût d'Ignames—Lamb-and-Yam Stew (TLAfrica, p37). This took some time, but it was easy to do. Tasty, and not at all spicy. Served over some whole-wheat couscous, although I don't suppose that was really necessary. Finished the Crème au Chocolate for after.

Yogurt on overnight.

Tuesday/8-Dec-20: Dinner was, more or less, a halfish recipe of Croquettes de Thon aux Olives (VPG). Can't find this on the web. It's not really croquettes, as I know them, but tuna patties, with ricotta, parmesan, black olives, an egg, and flour. These are breaded, in the usual way, flour, beaten egg, and crunchy bit. Instead of chapelure, I used some crunchy stuff I made up recently (but can't remember what for) and didn't use up. These were pretty good. The veg was carrot, cauliflower, and broccoli with lemon juice and home-made herb salt. Some French "short spaghetti" as a go-with. And a pair of chocolate-covered madeleines for after.

Wednesday/9-Dec-20: Dinner was Red Pork Curry—Gaeng Ped Muu (ThaiCC, p45). These was easy and good. Having no bamboo shoots on hand, I used zucchini, as suggested. Served with basmati rice and our favorite Thai Cucumber Salad with Peanuts (HandyBook; web). And a pair of chocolate-covered madeleines for after.

Thursday/10-Dec-20: Forgot to start Overnight Bread last night, so I made some English Muffin Bread (BMB,  p17). Must have measure the 7/8cup water a bit long; the top is pretty caved in. But tasty.

Caught a mouse in the kitchen today.

This afternoon I added labels for all the breads I've baked this year, at least all the ones I've recorded. Since I know I'm making two or three loaves a week, it's clear I've not written all of them down. This is mostly to satisfy my curiosity about what I've been making.

Dinner was a halfish recipe of Sumac Chicken with Cauliflower and Carrots (CL/jan-feb17; web). This was a sheet-pan dinner, easy to do and very tasty. For after we shared a bit of cake we bought at a charity shop this afternoon.

Friday/11-Dec-20: Picked up an order from Intermarché Drive today.

We got our "gourmet panier" today from the commune, in lieu of this year's old folks meal. There were several jars of rillettes from a local shop. We opened one of those and snacked as I was cooking.

Dinner was a half recipe of Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa (web). Since the pieces we got were of different thicknesses, I baked them in the oven. Easy to make and very tasty. Served with trio rice and Zucchini with Cilantro Sauce (MWLowFat, p335; MC); that's an old favorite that well with the rest of the meal.

Made up the batter for Overnight Bread

Saturday/12-Dec-20: Baked the Overnight Bread.

Roasted a turkey leg today, on the way to making some cornbread stuffing for a meal. 

Dinner was Curried Fried Rice (MW@Home, p226), this time with curry powder rather than a Thai curry paste. An easy and comforting dish. Some HD mini ice cream cups for after.

Sunday/13-Dec-20: Picked the turkey leg this afternoon. The drumstick was pretty done, but the thigh was still pretty red. And I thought it was overdone yesterday. Tomorrow I'll measure and freeze it up in packets for later use.

Dinner was Curried Green Pea Soup (TooMany, p155), complete with turkey bits. This is an old favorite. We had some  rillettes on bread and crackers beforehand, so didn't need dessert.

Yogurt on overnight.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 3; #2 BACKLOG: yes
This month: #3 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #4 SHORT: no; #5 LONG: no
On-going: #6 READ; #7 RECYCLE; #8 NEW