This week in the kitchen

Monday/27-Sep-21: I froze up six 1-cup and two 2-cup jars of chicken stock today.

Dinner was Smoked Salmon, Dill, and Goat Cheese Quiche (web). The filling was delicious. I used a store-bought pie crust, which was a bit like cardboard. Next time I'll make a proper one. Meant to make a salad, but didn't have the oomph. We finished the Plum Torte for after.

Tuesday/28-Sep-21: Did a little inventory of what needs to be used in the fridge, then rearranged the meal plan for the days until we shop and some after. 

Dinner started with artichoke bottoms (didn't use all of the defrosted ones for last week's fish), topped with tapenade (a new one from Maille with black and green olives) and a slice of goat cheese (leftover from last night's dinner), popped under the grill. Then there was a halfish dose of Shredded Chicken and Lemon Grass Soup (Ainsley2, p30; cookbooker). Good stuff. For after we had cornets that I bought at a boulangerie in Montbron.

Wednesday/29-Sep-21: Got the list finished today. Dinner was Casserole of Lamb, Mushrooms, and Bulgur or Barley (Tenth, p278), with barley. I thought this was quite good; Ed thought it lacked something. Followed by a little salad with sliced cucumbers and roast beets tossed with the creamy cilantro sauce from last weekends chicken. Some store-bought vanilla yogurts for after. 

Thursday/30-Sep-21: Dinner was Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup (web). This was pretty darn good. I didn't use anything no-fat, of course. Cheese was comté and something unlabelled that might have been an English cheddar. Or not. Would be better to remove some solid veggies at the end, buzz the soupy part smooth, then add the veggies back. Some dark chocolate "roses" for after (that's chocolate-covered cornflakes).

Yogurt on overnight.

Friday/1-Oct-21: Shopping today. The store is busy on Fridays, but sometimes it's the day.

Dinner was a half recipe of Grilled Swordfish with Pesto. I collected this recipe a long time ago, before I started recording where I collected them. Although it appears to be from a Food Network show, I haven't been able to find it online. Essentially it's swordfish steaks marinated in ginger, garlic, lime juice, ad thyme, then grilled and topped with pesto for serving. It was good. Served with trio rice and steamed snijbonen in chunks.

We had two really ripe small bananas, so I made a half recipe of Best Banana Bread (GD; GD) that I made a whole recipe of recently. This was good; we ate it all for dinner. 

Saturday/2-Oct-21: Dinner was a half recipe of Baked Rice with White Beans, Leeks and Lemon (web) again, this time a variation with chickpeas and harissa and preserved lemon suggested pretty well. Leeks sautéed rather than roasted. Used long-grain brown rice. This was good, although the rice wasn't quite done in 40min. A nice meal. For after we had the éclairs that I got at the boulangerie yesterday.

Sunday/3-Oct-21: Tonight's dinner was a half recipe of Andouillette de Canard au Poivre Vert (web), using the last of the andouillettes de canard that I impulse-bought a while ago. This was yummy. Served with tagliatelle as suggested (have a lot of that leftover) and some gesneden snijbonen. Then some store-bought riz au lit for after.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 5; #2 PHOTO: yes; #3 *DMA: no
This month: #4 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #5 BACKLOG1: yes; #6 BACKLOG2: yes; #7 RECYCLE: 11; #8 NEW: 4

This week in the kitchen

Monday/20-Sep-21: Yogurt on overday. Put a rouelle de porc on to brine for tomorrow's dinner. 

We both had dentist appointments this afternoon, so I planned for a dinner that didn't require lots of chewing. We had Risotto con Spinaci (TuscKitch, p122), which was better than I expected really. The spinach was added at the beginning of cooking and I was afraid it would be mushy and unpleasant tasting, but it was fine. Luongo has you make a risotto by puttig the rice and all liquid in the pan at once. I added the stock bit by bit as I usually do. (Ed threw away the extra stock, which I was going to use for a little lunchtime soup. I'm out of stock in the freezer now, so need to make some more.) For after we had boulangerie-bought chocolate-pear toetjes.

Tuesday/21-Sep-21: Dinner was a Pork Roast (Everlasting, p169), accompanied by smashed sweet potatoes and buttered sweet corn. We're full. 

Wednesday/22-Sep-21: Leftovers tonight. We had the rest of the Clafoutis Courgettes. Then a sort of insalata caprese with our (only!) tomato from the potager this year, a beefsteak. With mozzarella and the last of the basil plant. And a pair of chocolate-covered madeleines for after.

Thursday/23-Sep-21: Shopping today. I really do have to stop buying meat from the anti-gaspi bin. The freezer is getting full of this stuff. Plus varkenshaas were on sale (who can pass those up) and merguez too. 

Dinner was Fish with Artichokes & Capers (MWClass, p365). This was okay. Served with lots of little buttered potatoes. Some store-bought dark chocolate mousses for after.

Friday/24-Sep-21: Time to catch up on some of the cookbooks I've been reading.

I finished Salt Fat Acid Heat, by Samin Nosrat, a while ago. This is a very good good book, more how to think about cooking and the use of the titled ingredients than recipes. 

Finished My New Mediterranean Cookbook, by Jeannette Seaver, not too long ago. Seaver wrote one of my favorite French cookbooks, Jeannette's Secrets of Everyday Good Cooking. Haven't cooked from this one yet, but it looks promising.

In between, I read a borrowed quickie, Pepys at Table, with recipes from the 17C adapted to the modern kitchen. A fun read, if nothing that attracted me to cook.

Recently, needing a cookbook to read on the way to grocery shopping, I grabbed The Book Lover's Cookbook, by Shaunda Kennedy Wenger and Janet Kay Jensen. Turns out I've already read this, but forgot to take the dot off the spine. A mildly interesting book, but I doubt I'll finish it again. Need to think more carefully about my next read.

Dinner was Linguine al Cavolfiore (MC; an old mag clipping). Haven't made this in a long time, a shame since it's good stuff. Then a salad. Then a pair of chocolate-covered madeleines each.

Saturday/25-Sep-21: Busy day. I've got a pot of chicken stock going. Meant to freeze it up today, but didn't get that done. Made some Oven-Roasted Tomatoes; these are now in the freezer on a plate. 

Made Original Plum Torte (web) aka Purple Plum Torte (Essential, p763). Not quite following the more recently published version from the web, I reduced the sugar even further, to 2/3cup. This was fine. This is easy to make and delicious. 

Our main was a half version of Moroccan-Spiced Roast Chicken with Creamy Cilantro Sauce* (web), using 4 thighs rather than a whole chicken. Cooked in a skillet in the oven. Very tasty, the skin was crispy and tasty. We couldn't eat a whole pound of potatoes. Served with little violet artichokes (web), a recipe from a friend. Still a bit fiddly to do (lots of trimming), but the whole thing is edible which is nice. Plum Torte for dessert, of course.

Sunday/26-Sep-21: Didn't get the chicken stock put up yet again. But Ed's gotten the kitchen hot water heater replaced, so tomorrow this might get done. (Unfortunately the water heater isn't a geyser, like we had in NL, but a small 35-liter water heater that serves the kitchen and the Tardis in our bedroom.)

Dinner was a half-dose of Evan's Lamb Curry (Tenth, p232). This is in the using-up-leftover-lamb category. It was ok, nothing special. Served over brown basmati rice. Beforehand we munched on some Spicy Cucumber Wedges (MJ1, p172), an old favorite. And Plum Torte for dessert.

Another week without a photo. :-(

Yogurt on overnight.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 4; #2 PHOTO: no; #3 *DMA: yes
This month: #4 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #5 BACKLOG1: yes; #6 BACKLOG2: yes!; #7 RECYCLE: 11; #8 NEW: 4

This week in the kitchen

Monday/13-Sep-21: Someone was really tired this evening and didn't feel like cooking. Pizza truck!

Tuesday/14-Sep-21: Dinner was a half recipe of Baked Rice with White Beans, Leeks and Lemon (web). The amount of white beans seemed a bit lower than I'd have like. The half recipe could have taken a whole can. This was quite good; would have been better with brown rice, I think, but I was short on time. There's a suggested variation using harissa, preserved lemons, and chickpeas; I'll try this in the near future. Then a really plain salad. And a pair of chocolate-covered madeleines each for after.

Wednesday/15-Sep-21: Lunch out for my birthday today. Nothing happened in the kitchen.

Thursday/16-Sep-21: Shopping today. Found a pair of coquelets in the anti-gaspi bin and couldn't pass them up. 

Dinner was a halfish dose of Italian Broccoli & Salmon Bake (web; GD). I used casareccia as the pasta and comté as the cheese; used capers and anchovy fillets, minced. There was an unusual (to me) technique for a making a bechamel: the milk, butter, and flour were stirred together in the pan and then heated till thickened. Worked pretty well. No dessert, we were full.

Friday/17-Sep-21: Dinner was Clafoutis Courgettes, Chèvre et Basilic (web). Pretty good stuff. Some store-bought vanilla riz au laits for after.

Saturday/18-Sep-21: As I started dinner, I made a Blueberry Buckle (web). This was yummy. I reduced the sugar in the cake to 1/2cup and used butter instead of shortening. I see I left out the cinnamon from the topping, but neither of us missed it.

The main course was a halfish dose of Eggplants with Spicy Shallot-Tomato Sauce (WorldVeg, p190). This was pretty good. Served with basmati rice and Tumis Buncis (SriOwen, p195), an Indonesian dish with green beans (maybe should be kousebanden, but green beans are called for).

Sunday/19-Sep-21: Having not been to a boulangerie in the last days, I made a loaf of Easy French Bread (Electric, p62).

Dinner was Zucchini and Eggplant with Pork (MC), served over brown basmati rice. Easy to make and quite tasty. More Blueberry Buckle for after.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 4; #2 PHOTO: no; #3 *DMA: no
This month: #4 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #5 BACKLOG1: no; #6 BACKLOG2: no; #7 RECYCLE: 11; #8 NEW: 4

This week in the kitchen

Monday/6-Sep-21: In the afternoon I made an Oatmeal Cake (an old recipe) to take to BookChatters tomorrow, since our latest venue attempt doesn't do viennoiseries, i.e., croissants and such.

Dinner was, sort of, Smoky and Spicy Yogurt Marinated Chicken Kebabs* (web; GD). I made a half recipe and didn't cut the chicken up for kebabs; just grilled the skinless, boneless chicken thighs. Good stuff. Didn't make kababs, but grilled the chicken bits whole. Made some polenta. (The new stuff I bought is pretty fine; unfortunately I have a lot of it.) Last week, I impulse-bought some golden yellow cauliflower. I roasted some of that while the cake was cooking, mixed some canned corn and canned black beans, sliced an avocado and some red onions,  and made a bit of a sort of Ranch Dressing. A salad composée. Some of the cake for after.

Tuesday/7-Sep-21: Leftovers for dinner. We had a Thai pork-and-crab stuffed zucchini from the freezer. There was only one large serving of this, so I supplemented with Scrambled Eggs with Shrimp (web). (I had lunch out, so didn't need very much. The zucchini was surprisingly good reheated. The scrambled eggs were yummy. More Oatmeal Cake for after.

Wednesday/8-Sep-21: Leftovers for dinner again, this time the rest of the Stacked Enchiladas. They warmed up well. And a salad of sliced tomato, avocado, red onion, and mozzarella. We finished the Oatmeal Cake for after. 

Thursday/9-Sep-21: Leftovers for dinner yet again. Korean Beef from the freezer with some broccoli added for veggie matter. Over rice. A pair of chocolate-covered madeleines for after.

Friday/10-Sep-21: Shopping today, with a stop at our favorite boulangerie.

Dinner was Grilled Fish Steaks (Q&E, p66), with lieu noir. I've recently discovered that the hinged gadget for cooking on the bbq grill works pretty well under the broiler, so I used that. This was really good. Used up the rest of my yellow cauliflower for Cauliflower with Ginger, Garlic, and Green Chiles (Q&E, p83). I had only half a cauliflower and didn't weigh it, but the amount was rather like a full recipe. And then there was New Potatoes with Cumin (web, p91). All recipes I've made before. All good. For after there were store-bought riz au laits with a sprinkle of ground cardamon. Not quite kheer, but tasty.

Saturday/11-Sep-21: Dinner was a half recipe of Arugula Salad with Sausage and White Beans. This is from Cook's Illustrated's The Best 30-Minute Recipe, p35. I've recycled this book, and it appears I never added it to Cookbooks. Shopping yesterday, I bought some chicken sausage from the anti-gaspi cooler. I cooked the last night, intending to use them next week. But I really didn't feel like cooking tonight and let time slide by, so made this which was planned for early next week. It's easy and tasty. A pair of chocolate-covered madeleines for after. 

Sunday/12-Sep-21: Ed was off this afternoon for his first choir practice in a good long while. 

Dinner was Ginger-Lime Chicken (web), easy to assemble, and very tasty. Ed cooked on the bbq. The chicken was accompanied by green beans (steamed, then tossed with olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, and grated parmesan) and Salt and Vinegar Potatoes (web), a tasty addition to my potato repetoire thanks to Nigella. 

Some HD ice cream cups for after.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 2; #2 PHOTO: yes; #3 *DMA: yes
This month: #4 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #5 BACKLOG1: no; #6 BACKLOG2:  no; #7 RECYCLE: 11; #8 NEW: 4