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

This week in the kitchen

Monday/15-Aug-22: Dinner was a halfish recipe of Warm White Bean Salad with Arugula Pesto and Preserved Lemons (Dinner, p240). Tasty stuff.

Tuesday/16-Aug-22: Dinner was a halfish version of Toulouse Sausage Cassoulet (web), using up my freezer stash of Toulouse sausage. Not really a cassoulet, but on that road. Not bad for being so easy. Then a chocolate-covered madeleine each.

Wednesday/17-Aug-22: In the afternoon, I made up some Rustic Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce (VegHarv, p306); used half and froze the rest. Our main was Cumin-Scented Chickpeas with Roasted Eggplant and Rustic Tomato Sauce (VegHarv, p152). This was easy and tasty. I made more or less a whole recipe; it was a good veggie main. We also thought it would be a good side from a bbq or a pot luck dinner perhaps. Then a chocolate-covered madeleine each.

Thursday/18-Aug-22: This was shopping day, so pooped tonight.

Dinner was Tuna with Wine, Vinegar, Tomato, Chile, and Capers (MedHot2, p109). This was okay. Ed thought the sauce was too strong for the tuna, but it was good with the orzo I served as a side. Served with Grilled Pepper Salad with Feta and Cilantro (MedHot2, p92), a nice little salad. It was easy to make and can be put together in steps as other things are happening. I had a yellow bell pepper needing to be used so that stood in place of one of the three red bell peppers asked, making the dish even more colorful. I made a whole recipe, which was really enough for four as a side. Served on sucrine (baby romaine) leaves. Very tasty and pretty. Then, surprise, a chocolate-covered madeleine each.

Friday/19-Aug-22: Dinner was Anchovy Chicken with Lemon and Capers (Dinner, p46). This was a hit. Easy and extra delicious. Served with trio rice and steamed broccoli. Some store-bought riz au laits for after. 

Saturday/20-Aug-22: Ah well, when it got to be the time, I didn't feel like cooking tonight's dinner. Se we had a snacky dinner instead, sliced hams, some cheese, carrots, cucumber, avocado, cherry tomatoes, etc. That's all, and we were full.

Sunday/21-Aug-22: I've been having a bit of a yen for this, so this afternoon, I made a Pineapple Upside Down Cake (web; GD, notes). This turned out yummy. Our main was Broccoli Soup (Monastery, p116) which was good, if mis-named. The tomato paste pretty much overwhelmed the broccoli flavor. Still, quite edible. Then, a double dose of cake each. 

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/8-Aug-22: Leftover Turkey Phyllo Pot Pie for dinner. Good it was. And a simple salad. Some Far aux Pruneaux (GD; GD) for after. Good stuff that. 

Put beef on to marinate for tomorrow's dinner. 

Tuesday/9-Aug-22: Dinner was a halfish recipe of Vietnamese-Style Skirt Steak with Herb and Noodle Salad (Dinner, p65). This was yummy. (I forgot what kind of beef I bought; maybe I'll find this on the receipt upstairs. Later: the receipt says biftek, which helps not a bit.) Then, oink-oinks that we are, we finished the far.

Wednesday/10-Aug-22: We went to a local marché des producterus tonight. Nothing happened in the kitchen.

Thursday/11-Aug-22: Shopping today.

Dinner was Cajun Salmon with Rosemary Sweet Potato Wedges (web). This was good, but now way sweet potato wedges ever get crispy when baked. Just doesn't happen. A pair of store-bought egg custards with caramel for after.

Friday/12-Aug-22: During the day I made a tomato sauce for pizza that was supposed to be tonight's dinner. This is tasty but very thin. Then I thought, given the heat wave, who wants to turn the oven up to 500F to cook a pizza? Some adjustments in the meal plan were called for.

Instead, dinner was a halfish version of Citrus Caesar Salad with Spicy Shrimp (web). This was pretty good. I grilled the shrimp without skewering them. The hard-boiled egg was a bit of an anomaly. Some almond financiers for after (the same maker as our favorite chocolate-covered madeleines).

Saturday/13-Aug-22: I blended the tomato sauce I made yesterday with some jarred roasted bell peppers, giving a thicker sauce. Into the freezer with that, pizza to be cooked when it gets a bit cooler.

Dinner was Stir-Fried Chicken Breast with Black Pepper and Green Chilies (MJ@Home, p80). This was easy, fairly fast, and yummy. As suggested, served with Tomato Pullao (MJ@Home, p211). Did this with brown basmati on the stovetop rather than in the oven. It needs a bit more water than directed, and I didn't add quite enough extra, but it was tasty. Some almond financiers for after.

Sunday/14-Aug-22: Dinner was Roast Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Apricot Jam (web; CL/apr15). This was easy and delicious. The apricot jam was nice. Finished the packet of almond financiers 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: 8; #8 NEW: 4

This week in the kitchen

Monday/1-Aug-22: For dinner there was Savory Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake (web). This was pretty good, although it was a bit runny in the center (raw zucchini probably, and wet mozzarella), so I cooked it quite a bit longer after adding the grated mozzarella topping. I used one 125g ball of mozzarella for the cheesecake and half of another one to add at the end. Ed thought more browned mozzarella would have been nice. For a starter, I took the extra zuke slices and marinated them like the zucchini carpaccio I've made a few times. Then sliced a tomato and the rest of the mozzarella, and picked some basil leaves to put together a sort of insalata caprese, topped with pistachio oil rather than olive oil. Turned out pretty good. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after. 

Harvested our first zucchini this year.

Tuesday/2-Aug-22: A half dose of Caribbean Rice Salad (MWDaily, p202) for dinner. This was easy, colorful, and tasty. A whole recipe, or even doubled, would be good for a pot luck dinner. I used an orange bell pepper; a yellow one would have been better because the orange blended with the sweet potato. We split a mini HD ice cream cup for after; that was our last one, old enough to be from before the recall.

Wednesday/3-Aug-22: Dinner was Turkey Phyllo Pot Pie (web). This was okay, if nothing special. I'm writing this a day later and neither of us can remember if there was a side! But there was a chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Thursday/4-Aug-22: Dinner from the crockpot, Chicken with Vinegar and Garlic (SlowItal, p118). This was okay, but the chicken (thighs) was dry as is often is from the crockpot. Served over polenta, with a quick cucumber salad for a side. And, yes, a chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Friday/5-Aug-22: Dinner was Spanish Bacalao a la Vizcaina (web), I put the cod on a rectangle of polenta left from yesterday and surrounded with the sauce. Quite pretty. Ed didn't much like the sauce, but I thought it was okay. Store-bought riz au laits for after.

Saturday/6-Aug-22: Leftover zucchini cheesecake for dinner. It wasn't as good the second time round. Followed by a big salad. For me, a dish of tapioca pudding for after. Ed prefers it cold, so he passed.

Sunday/7-Aug-22: Dinner was a halfish dose of Thai Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce (web). Actually, this is what I planned for next Wednesday; tonight was supposed to be a Vietnamese skirt steak salad. Will have to freeze the beef till next Wednesday. Tonight's salad was easy and good. We finished the tapioca pudding for after. In the afternoon, forgetting about the tapioca, I made a Far aux Pruneaux, (GD). That will have to wait till tomorrow.

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: 8; #8 NEW: 4

This week in the kitchen

Monday/25-Jul-22: I took an afternoon nap, and then it was too late to cook. So we had a big salad for dinner. And a chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Tuesday/26-Jul-22: Dinner was a halfish dose of Sticky Korean Lamb Skewers (CL/dec13; web; GD, notes). Easy and good stuff. Along with some brown basmati rice and Sigeumchi Namul (Korean Spinach Side Dish) (web). This was so-so, probably because I had to improvise the required gochuang, but went well with the rice. (I've made something similar to this spinach that we liked more; can't remember exactly when or what for it was.) A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Wednesday/27-Jul-22: Dinner was a halfish recipe of Braised Eggplant with Paprika, Coriander, and Yogurt (CI; web; GD, notes) served over polenta. I'm unclear if this is meant as a side dish or as a veggie main, but it made a fine veggie main. 

Thursday/28-Jul-22: Shopping day. Followed by a nap. 

Dinner was a halfish dose of Spanish Baked Cod in a Delicious Tomato Sauce (web). This was good stuff. My cod was done after about ten minutes in the oven; 16-18 would have been way too long. Served with trio rice. For a starter that turned out to be post-main, there was a grated carrot salad on sucrine (baby romaine) leaves. For after, there were store-bought yogurts with chestnut cream. 

Friday/29-Jul-22: Dinner was a halfish recipe of Carbonara Sauce (ClassItal, p202) with whole wheat spaghetti. (I think regular spaghetti would be better.) Awfully good stuff. Then a big salad. And a chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Saturday/30-Jul-22: Dinner was a halfish recipe of Garlic Pork and Green Peppers (CPC, p78). This was easy and very tasty. Served with some linguine and a bit of steamed broccoli. Some store-bought vanilla yogurts for after.

Sunday/31-Jul-22: Didn't have the oomph to make dinner tonight, even after an afternoon nap. So pizza it was.

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: 8; #8 NEW: 4

This week in the kitchen

Monday/18-Jul-22: For a starter tonight, I add smoked trout to the extra (now well-)marinated zucchini strips from yesterday, topped with a sprig of dill on each plate. Worked out very well. Dinner was Rumsteck Mariné Basilic et Citron (VPG; can't find on web). This was only so-so. The lemon-and-oil marinade for the meat was not very interesting or appropriate. The recipe has you cooking the meat 5 minutes on each side, way too much. I cut this back substantially and the meat was still too well-done. Served with the teeny ravioli from the east of France, ravioles de Dauphinés, stuffed with cheeses and parsley. And some steamed snijbonen chunks. 

Tuesday/19-Jul-22: Dinner was Alessia's Favorite Mushroom Sauce (web), wherein dried cèpes amplify the taste of plain old shrooms. I made a whole recipe (3 servings) for two people, and served over polenta rather than pasta. This was pretty good. Then a salad. 

Wednesday/20-Jul-22: For dinner I made a whole recipe of Pasta with Fast Sausage Ragu (Essential, p343). This should serve four and I intended to freeze half for another day, but ended up serving it all over whole wheat spaghetti. Good stuff. 

Thursday/21-Jul-22: Dinner was Chili Garlic Shrimp (web), which was pretty easy and quite tasty. Served over basmati rice. Accompanied by a clean-out-the-fridge salad (cuke, half a red bell pepper, shreds of carrot, radishes) with an Asian-ish dressing which turned out pretty good. Some vanilla ice cream with a slog of crème de cacao. 

Friday/22-Jul-22: Shopping day today, the full complement. Leclerc Drive, Leclerc, and Intermarché Drive.

Dinner was 15-Minute Thai Coconut Curry Salmon (web). This was easy and tasty. Served over brown basmati rice. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Saturday/23-Jul-22: Made up some ground roasted cumin since I'm almost out.

Dinner was Chicken Salad with Mint, Onion and Lemon Grass—Laab Gai (ThaiCC, p68). This was fast and easy and quite tasty. No ground chicken, so I chopped up some aiguillettes, just a bit tedious but works well. Served with leaves of sucrine (mini romaine lettuces). Some store-bought riz au laits for after.

Sunday/24-Jul-22: Lunch out today. Nothing happened in the kitchen.

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: 0; #8 NEW: 3

This week in the kitchen

Monday/11-Jul-22: Tonight we had Tagliatelle with Artichokes and Olive Oil (web). Unfortunately I didn't manage to print all the steps, and by the time this handicapped computer managed to get to the recipe online, it was too late. I didn't go to all the trouble to make the toasted bread crumbs, but used chapelure doré (toasted bread crumbs) instead. And I really don't see the point of cutting the leaves off the mini artichokes; leaving them whole or maybe halving them would have been fine. Still, it was pretty tasty stuff. Served with a plain salad. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

I finished reading Ingredienti last week, and really enjoyed it. It's Hazan's last book, where she talks about, yes, ingredients, how to choose and how to use them. No real recipes, but some

Tuesday/12-Jul-22: Dinner was Mojito Shrimp, a recipe I collected from EAT-L in 2007. This was okay, but nothing fantastic. Served with polenta and a salad loosely based on Grilled Corn Salad (web). A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after. 

Wednesday/13-Jul-22: A yummy dinner of Spicy Beef Salad (RezaSpice, p27). This kind of meal is really good on a hot summer day.  The pieces of rump steak that I got were thick and thin, making the cooking a bit difficult, but I managed to still have some red in thinner one. The success of this makes a bit of a dilemma. I've been thinking I'd recycle my two Reza books when I get to that again. Now I see I've been pretty happy with what I've made from this one, although the instructions often leave a bit to desire, so I may have to reconsider. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after. 

Thursday/14-Jul-22: Dinner was a half recipe of Onion and Chorizo Clafoutis (Master, p340). This was an interesting idea, but didn't quite work. Unlike every other clafoutis I've made, there was no flour or such in the batter to help the custard set up; I added a rounded quarter cup of flour, which was probably a bit too much. I baked in the toaster over, and it seems the temperature was a bit high. And the sweet, soft onions on the bottom seemed to clash with the rest of the dish. Edible, but nothing special. Then a simple salad. A bit of Morbier and a chocolate-covered madeleine each for after. 

Friday/15-Jul-22: Shopping at Leclerc and both Drives today. 

Dinner was Pan-Fried Trout with Rosemary, Lemon, and Capers (web), made with lieu noir instead of trout. This was pretty good. As suggested by one of the comments, I added bruised rosemary with the shallots and removed at the end. Served with trio rice and and old favorite, Baked Eggplant Slices (TooMany, p114). Some store-bought vanilla riz au laits for after.

Saturday/16-Jul-22: A nice dinner tonight. We started with an old favorite Zucchini Carpaccio with Avocado, Lemon Thyme, and Pistachio Oil (VegHarv,  p214). (I have some zuke left, maybe for a lunch treat tomorrow.) Pretty much used up my pistachio oil on this. For our main, there was Gingery Hot Duck Salad (web; GD; notes). Cooked the duck following instructions in VegHarv, p111, which is the best way to do it. Following the lead of the pistachio oil, we had a pistachio madeleine each for after. (These aren't as good as the chocolate-covered ones, but now we know.)

Sunday/17-Jul-22: Tonight I scratched my itch for some stir-fried rice by making stir-fried rice. No real recipe; I just read a few and smerged them. Itch scratched. 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: no; #6 BACKLOG3: no; #7 RECYCLE: 0; #8 NEW: 3

This week in the kitchen

Monday/4-Jul-22: Dinner was Stir-Fried Chettinad Chicken (MJ@Home, p79). This was easy and yummy. As suggested, served with Basmati Rice with Lentils (MJ@Home, p212); used 1/4cup lentils and 1/2cup brown basmati. Definitely didn't soak the lentils 3-5 hours are suggested. Did soak the lentils and rice together for what might have been half an hour. And there was Pan-Grilled Zucchini (MJ@Home, p173). Having larger zukes than asked, I make thick diagonal slices and cooked them on the grill pan that came with the stove. All was good. A pistachio madeleine, on sale last week, each for after.

Tuesday/5-Jul-22: Dinner was a halfish version of One-Pan Shrimp Scampi with Orzo (web). This was interesting. Followed by a simple salad, and then a pistachio madeleine each for after.

Wednesday/6-Jul-22: We had lunch out today. Nothing much happened in the kitchen.

Thursday/7-Jul-22: Shopping today. Dinner was a half dose of Roasted Pistachio-Crusted Salmon with Broccoli (web). The pistachio topping was interesting, but not wonderful. The broccoli didn't really get done. Served with some little whole wheat macaroni. For after there were store-bought riz au lait topped with a slog of crème de cacao. 

Friday/8-Jul-22: Ed asked for a big salad, so that's what we had. And a bit of Morbier after.

Saturday/9-Jul-22: A hurried dinner tonight, before going out to a concert. We had a half recipe of Turkish Lamb Chops with Sumac, Tahini, and Dill (Dinner, p72; cookbooker). It's amazing how well lamb goes with all kinds of spice rubs. Planned to serve with Green Beans with Caper-Vinaigrette (Dinner, p377), but couldn't find any haricots verts, so broccoli it was. This was good, but green beans would be better. With some Moroccan couscous. Ravel and Tchaikovsky for dessert.

Sunday/10-Jul-22: Dinner was Chicken Thighs with Creamy Bacon Mushroom Thyme Sauce (web). I used lardons instead of bacon, cooking those first before adding the sliced mushrooms. Instead of cream, I used crème fraîche. Good stuff. (I see now, that I was supposed to add the baked thighs to the finished shroom sauce for a bit. We both thought the thighs had a nice crispy skin that would have been wasted in the sauce.) For a side there was Rosemary Courgette from the Oven (MC), actually from the toaster oven, which was good; it's a Dutch recipe from either Tip or Allerhande. Another side of whole wheat spaghetti, which was good with the shroom sauce. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Yet another week without a photo. :-(

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 3; #2 PHOTO: yes/no;
This month: #3 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #5 BACKLOG2: yes; #6 BACKLOG3: no; #7 RECYCLE: 0; #8 NEW: 3

This week in the kitchen

Monday/27-Jun-22: Dinner was a half recipe of Indian-Spiced Chicken with Coriander Chutney (BirdHand, p166). The kip filets were marinated in tomatoes and spices, then grilled. Yum! The Coriander Chutney was also good. Leftovers will appear in sandwiches later this week.  Served with two old favorites, Rice with Peas and Dill (Q&E, p103) and Tomato, Onion, and Green Coriander Relish—Cachumber (MJ1, p172). Used mint instead of coriander, as I learned from watching Jaffrey's TV version of this. All very tasty. A bit of leftover chocolate tapioca pudding for after. (Did I write yesterday that I made that?) 

Tuesday/28-Jun-22: Dinner was Spanish Pork Skewers (1Good, p191). I made the whole recipe with a varkenshaas just over 500g. Used ground oregano. Mixed the cumin, coriander, S&P, smoked paprika, and oregano together to rub on the pork slices, then rubbed them with the garlic/salt/oil mixture. These sat around at room temp for a couple of hours. I had some arparagus and haricot verts need to be used. A web search turned up a recipe for Sautéed Beans and Asparagus with Garlic and Chive Butter (web; GD). This is a horrible site that won't let you print a recipe without signing up. No thanks. I copied out the details for the Google Drive file linked above. And then there was polenta. For after, we finished the chocolate tapioca pudding.

Wednesday/29-v-22: Ed barbecued Grilled Chicken with Za'atar (web) for tonight's dinner. This was good and really easy, especially since I used za'atar from a jar in the cupboard rather than mixing it up myself. Served with Moroccan couscous (packet from a health food store) and Moroccan Carrots (1Good, p59), both old favorites. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Thursday/30-Jun-22: Shopped today, in Leclerc and at both Drives.

Dinner was Seared Tuna, Zucchini and Lemon Salad with Green Olive Smash (web). This was interesting, but not entirely successful. Although it's fun to slice zucchini ribbons with your mandolin it would have been nicer to slice them in round, maybe slightly diagonally. Ed didn't like the lemon sections at all; I thought they were best cut into smaller bits. A treat for after: we split of piece of cheesecake, gateau de fromage. Yum.

Friday/1-Jul-22: Crockpot on overnight with Slow Cooker Carnitas with Pickled Red Onions (MC). I've made this several times before; it was originally from a site that's no longer with us. The Pickled Red Onions here are way too sweet; I've split this part off and dinkered with it to make some really tasty pickled onions. The carnitas were good. Served with a throw-together salad of the canned bean that didn't get used last night, canned corn, avocado, tomato, radishes, cilantro, lime juice, a slog of olive oil, and a glop of crème fraîche. Turned out pretty good. Some store-bought chestnut mousse for after. Tastily full, we are.

Saturday/2-Jul-22: Dinner was Mushroom and Pea Lamb Broth Risotto with Gremolata (web). (Yes, that title needs some punctuation or re-writing or something to lose the pea lambs.) A few weeks ago, I made some stock of lamb and goat bone from the freezer. I used that to make the risotto. This was pretty good. Then a salad. Then some camembert. 

Sunday/3-Jul-22: Dinner was Neapolitan Zucchini Soup (Monastery, p111). This was simple and surprisingly taste in spite of that. Smaller zucchini, as asked, would be better, but I didn't really have any of those. (Sh! This cookbook is organized by month and, since April, I've been doing one of each month's soups.) We finished the camembert for after, then had a mini HD ice cream cup.

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: 0; #8 NEW: 3

This week in the kitchen

Monday/20-Jun-22: The chicken that didn't get cooked when it was too hot showed up tonight as Sesame-Crusted Roast Chicken (O&C, p416). Again, I did this in the Römertopf clay cooker. The huge chickie (1.7+kg) barely fit. This is a really nice, moist chicken. For a starter we had Greens Salad with Hard-Cooked Eggs and Fried Garlic (O&C, p268), with spinach at the green. Very nice salad. There were some whole wheat mini macaronis as a side for the chicken, to help sop up the nice sauce.

Tuesday/21-Jun-22: Whew, after two stormy, lightning nights, finally getting caught up here.

Dinner was Gnocchi de Printemps, a recipe I apparently collected online, but haven't been able to find back. This was easy and quite tasty. To make it easy, I used store-bought gnocchi, which weren't bad. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Wednesday/22-Jun-22: Dinner was, sort of, Tequila Fajitas (MC), with shrimp, a recipe I collected from EAT-L. Couldn't find the tortillas in the freezer, so used pita breads instead. We opened those and plopped the shrimp and veggies on top, plus some guacamole. I didn't grill the shrimp and veggies as asked, but wokked them instead. Some HD mini ice cream cups for after.

Thursday/23-Jun-22: Two Drives and a Leclerc visit today. 

Dinner was Haddock Baked in a Yoghurt Sauce (MJ1, p94), with lieu noir. Good stuff. Served with Gujerati-Style Green Beans (MJ1, p102), very good, and Mushroom Pullao (MJ1, p152), also good. For after there were some store-bought riz au laits tarted up with ground cardamon to give an Indian taste.

Friday/24-Jun-22: Dinner was a halfish dose of Southwestern Steak Salad (web; GD). Easy and very tasty. Used two sucrines (baby romaine) for the lettuce. Used some English cheddar and comté for the cheese. 

Saturday/25-Jun-22: Picked the chicken from Monday. Used a good chunk of that to make Chipotle Chicken & Chickpea Skillet with Sweet Potatoes (web). Some good tastes, but not enough to make again.  A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Sunday/26-Jun-22: Dinner was White Wine Cream Sauce for Ravioli (web), with artichoke girsoles. This is kind for like tarted up ravioli alla panna. Good, but the sauce was maybe a trifle too thick. Then a salad. Then some chocolate tapioca pudding.

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: yes; #7 RECYCLE: 0; #8 NEW: 3

This week in the kitchen

Monday/13-Jun-22: Dinner was a half recipe of Vietnamese Ginger Chicken (Dinner, p42). This was easy and yummy. Rather than leaving the skinless, boneless thighs whole, it might be interesting to cut them into big chunks and put these on skewers for broiling. Served with brown basmati rice and Smashed Sichuan Cucumber Salad (Dinner, p379). Some mini HD ice cream cups for after.

Finished reading Dinner last week. Have marked lots of full of promising recipes. There's a big section with tofu recipes. Too bad the the tofu here is not as good as that in NL. 

Tuesday/14-Jun-22: We got two Drive orders today.

Dinner was a third dose of Moroccan-Spiced Salmon and Zucchini. (I collected this in January from parents.com, but the recipe is no longer to be found.) Pretty good stuff. Zuke slices were tossed with oil, ras-el-hanout, and S&P, then skewered and grilled 5 minute a side. Easy and good. The couscous was made with chopped dates and green olives; the Moroccan couscous from the health food store are better. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Wednesday/15-Jun-22: We got home much later than expected from the hospital this evening and neither of us felt like eating a meal. So we had some carrot sticks and called that dinner. 

Thursday/16-Jun-22: Used the ends of two bottles of roasted red peppers to make up some pizza sauce to freeze. Now we're ready for a pizza.

For last night's dinner that didn't happen, I had defrosted some pavés de magret in the freezer. Tonight we had our après-operation meal. I made Magret au Poivre, sort of following the recipe for Pepper Steak—Steak au Poivre (BEFCC, p153). Only two minute per side needed to get lovely rosé meat. Served with orzo and steamed broccoli. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Friday/17-Jun-22: Have a chicken ready to roast, but the weather is so hot, I couldn't see doing that. Instead there was Tarte Poireau, Gorgonzola et Pignons de Pin, a recipe from a box of pâte brisée (here it is on the web). This was pretty good. I expect the pieces of leeks were supposed to be set on end in the crust, but they were too soggy for that after being cooked the recommended time. Worth doing again perhaps, with a home-made piecrust and leeks not cooked so long. Vooraf, we had an insalata caprese. 

Saturday/18-Jun-22: Dinner was Anchovy Lamb Chops (Dinner, p76; cookbooker). These were really tasty. Some problems with the recipe itself, though. For four people, the recipe asks for four lamb chops. Don't you usually have three or four per person? And my chops would have been happier cooked 2.5 minutes per side, rather than 3 and 5. It would be better to finely chop the anchovy fillets to help them dissolve into the sauce. Altogether very nice. The lemon juice was not something I would expect with lamb, but the sauce was good. As suggested, served with Pan-Fried Asparagus with Lemon Zest (Dinner, p376). Served with a bit of whole-wheat linguine to sop up the juices. Some mini HD ice cream cups for after.

Sunday/19-Jun-22: Didn't feel much like cooking tonight, so we had the rest of the Tarte Poireau for dinner, along with a big salad.  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:  no; #6 BACKLOG3:  no; #7 RECYCLE: 0; #8 NEW: 3

This week in the kitchen

Monday/6-Jun-22: Using the other half of last night's roast chicken, tonight's dinner was a half recipe Sicilian Chicken Salad (SFAH, p342), served on ciabattas with leaves of lettuce. Very good stuff. I tarted up the end of a jar of mayo to make the aïoli. The half recipe generously served us two for dinner. We're stuffed. 

Tuesday/7-Jun-22: Ed picked up two Drive orders today; don't know if we'll make shopping in-store on Thursday.

Dinner was Piquillos Rellenos (MC), an old favorite I haven't made in a long time. Small portions would be nice as a starter; bigger ones make a nice dinner, with a bit of salad on the side. Some chopped peaches and cream for after.

Wednesday/8-Jun-22: Soup for dinner, Solyanka (Monastery, p91). Sort of Solyanka, I guess. Most other recipes I've seen online have tomatoes; this was didn't. It was okay, we finished it, but nothing special. Served with some cheese and onion sandwiches. And a chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.
 
Thursday/9-Jun-22: Dinner was Slow-Roasted Crispy Pork Belly (web). I've cooked this bit of meat before (it's cheap and often on sale), but never with much success. Never could understand what the big deal about cracklings was. Made right, cracklings are great. This recipe is right. Takes a long time, cooking the meat slow, then zapping it on high to crisp up the skin. High fat, but delicious. Served with a halfish recipe of Garlic Parmesan Roasted Sweet Potatoes (web). The dish I cooked the sweet pots in was too big, but it still worked. These are very good. And then there was Zucchini and Feta Salad (WorldVeg, p640), which is an old favorite. And a chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Friday/10-Jun-22: Put up some stock made from some lamb and goat bones that have been hanging around the freezer for age. Now to find something to use it up.

Dinner was Barbara's Greek Onion-Leek Pie (MC).This is quite yummy. Playing with filo is fun. This bit was a bit fragile from its extended stay in the freezer, but it makes such a pretty finished product no matter what. Then a salad made from half the huge sack of lettuce we got from the Drive earlier in the week. And some strawberries and cream for after.

Saturday/11-Jun-22: We were out late in the afternoon and decided to stop for pizza on the way home. Not much happened in the kitchen.

Sunday/12-Jun-22: Dinner was Craig Claiborne's Ultimate Hamburger (Tabasco, p88), which is quite a good hamburger. Ed barbecued them, rather than cooking on the grill. Then we finished the ice cream I made a while ago with the last of the store-bought strawberries and some freshly picked blueberries. 

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: 0; #8 NEW: 3

This week in the kitchen

Monday/30-May-22: Dinner was Omelette with Cheese, Leeks, and Cauliflower (MC). Okay, but a bit boring. The recipe makes way too much filling. We might have the rest with lardons in scrambled eggs. We ate late, so I didn't make a go-with salad, which would have been nice. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Tuesday/31-May-22: Dinner was Salmon with Lemon-Herb Orzo & Broccoli (EW/sep21; web). This was a one-dish meal, easy and tasty. In the afternoon I picked most of the ripe raspberries from our bushes. I made some plain vanilla ice cream to eat them with. 

Wednesday/1-Jun-22: Dinner was Rookworst met Prei (MC; Tip). This is an old favorite; haven't be able to find a copy online. Served over whole wheat linguine, although I'm sure it should have been potatoes. 

Thursday/2-Jun-22: We shopped in the store at Leclerc today, for the first time since before xmas. No mustard to be had, except for the grainy kind, which is good, but not always what you want.

Dinner was a half recipe of Tuna with Onion Confit and Roasted Peppers (GD). Don't remember where I got this recipe, and can't find it on the web. The whole thing was a good combination combination. Served with a bit of trio rice. Followed by store-bought riz au lait. 

Friday/3-Jun-22: Dinner was a half recipe of Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops with Red Pepper Grits (MC; web; CL/jan03). Pretty good stuff, especially the grits. Served with some steamed chunks of snijbonen. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Saturday/4-Jun-22: Dinner was a halfish recipe of Zucchini and Dill Pasta (web; GD; notes). I got this off the web in 2020, but haven't been able to find a copy that includes directions. It does seem also to be called Lemony Zucchini and Dill Pasta and Zucchini & Oriechetta [sic] Pasta Salad with Beans. It was good, fast, and easy. Even Ed, who thinks he doesn't like raw zucchini, liked it. I didn't simmer the green beans separately, but added them for the last minute of pasta cooking; it took more than a minute for the beans to be done. For dessert we had another third of the ice cream I made on Tuesday.

Sunday/5-Jun-22: I roasted a chicken tonight, following Melissa Clark's idea (web) for splaying it first. I also rubbed it with some spicy pork rub, certainly not necessary. My oven, or the thermometer, didn't want to get to 500F, so I just roasted at the highest temp it would get to, which was about 450F, maybe a smidge more. Still, it probably needed only 40min to cook, which is fairly fast. The skin was nice and crispy and the meat tasty. Intended to serve this with Skillet-Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan and Black Pepper Topping (web; CI/may-jun20). I think this would be quite good with broccoli, but when I cut mine apart, there was lots of yucky stuff in the head. I tried cutting that out, but it wasn't enough, so I tossed it all and used the rest of my cauliflower instead. Cauliflower doesn't cook as fast as broccoli, so this doesn't work as well. Edible, but not to do again, except with broccoli. A side of polenta. We were full. Had a small square of chocolate 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: 0; #8 NEW: 3

This week in the kitchen

Monday/23-May-22: Dinner was an old favorite, Chicken Diane (MC; GD). With that was Parmesan Carrots with Lemon-Parsley Dressing (web; CL/mar17) and some spaghettis courts. HD mini cups of ice cream for after.

Tuesday/24-May-22: Dinner was a half version of Moroccan Fish Tagine (web; GD). I used my tagine instead of a Dutch oven. Although I doubt this is very authentic, it was quite tasty for minimal work. Served with Moroccan couscous. Strawberries and cream for after.

Wednesday/25-May-22: I had a bit of surgery today to get another set of extra-long T-tubes in my ears. Dinner was simple, Vegetable Soup with Spicy Merguez Sausages from the freezer, and a chocolate-covered madeleine for after. 

Thursday/26-May-22: For lunch we had Clean-the-Fridge Pasta, which turned out pretty good, but more a bit more than intended. Dinner was light, Scrambled Eggs with Cauliflower (WorldVeg, p528), a sort of Indian scrambled eggs that was quick and tasty. Originally I was looking for a frittata sort of thing and found Frittata de Cavolfiore (Artusi, p134), where he recommends boiling the cauliflower first. Since I don't think cauliflower gets done in the two minutes that Jaffrey recommends, I did this and it worked great. Quite tasty it was. 

Friday/27-May-22: Dinner was Turkey-Lentil Curry (GB), made with turkey oysters. Added some frozen peas to give some veggie matter and color. Served over brown basmati rice. A chocolate-covered madeleine for after.

Saturday/28-May-22: Dinner was Spice-Crusted Pork Tenderloins with Banana-Date Chutney (License, p150), which I've made several times before. The chutney was from the freezer, leftovers from the last time I made it. Didn't bbq but started under the broiler and finished in the oven. Served with some canned black beans and some tarted up (grated lime peel, lime juice, a pat of butter, cayenne, and chopped cilantro) canned corn. Followed by some strawberries and cream. (Buddy has discovered that our potted strawberries are bearing. Our crop is reduced.)

Sunday/29-May-22: Dinner was a halfish version of Curried Brussels Sprouts (MC; AH), using up more of my frozen Brussels sprouts. Served over small servings of whole wheat spaghetti. Pretty good stuff, an easy. A chocolate-covered madeleine 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: 0; #8 NEW: 3

This week in the kitchen

Monday/16-May-22: Dinner was about a third recipe of Balsamic Roast Pork Tenderloin (web). (The recipe is now titled Pork Piccata, but it's the same thing.) This was easy with a tasty balsamic sauce. Serve with trio rice and steamed asparagus. For a starter, there was Smoked Salmon Salad with Dill (BEFCC, p35). With smoked salmon, fennel, and cucumber, this is an easy and tasty starter. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Tuesday/17-May-22: Ed picked up orders from both Drives today.

Dinner was Creamy Lemon Salmon  (web).This was easy to put together, with a yummy cream sauce. (I used chicken stock, from my second to last jar of AH gevogelte fond.) Served with Broccoli and Brussels Sprout Delight (web) and some whole wheat spaghetti. I used bsprouts from the freezer, so jiggled the recipe a bit to account for that. This was pretty good. No dessert.

Wednesday/18-May-22: Busy day with ophthalmologist appointments and a lecture in the afternoon. Dinner was easy and nice, Spinach & Artichoke Chicken (web; GD). I lost track of halving the recipe after the spinach, so had too much artichoke hearts (is that possible?), but this wasn't really a problem. Served with a side of wholewheat spaghetti. Strawberries for dessert.

Thursday/19-May-22: Dinner was a halfish recipe of Buttery Scallops with Lemon and Herbs (web). This was good, but the stove ran out of gas in the middle of cooking so the scallops didn't get seared a they ought to have been. Served with polenta and steam broccoli. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Friday/20-May-22: Tonight we had tamales, from a can, with guacamole and refried beans made from the rest of last weekends black beans. 

Saturday/21-May-22: For dinner I made a Leek Tart (Seaver2, p110). (The dough for this is almost the same as My Basic Pie Crust (Secret, p38), made with cream cheese.) After I got this in the overn, I thought it was a bit unsubstantial for a main dish, so I grabbed some veal scallops from the freezer and made Veal Scallopini Piccata (web). This was good and easy. No proper dessert.

Sunday/22-May-22: We had a lovely lunch out today before a concert in the early evening. Later we had a big bowl of popcorn for TV watching.

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: 0; #8 NEW: 3

This week in the kitchen

Monday/9-May-22: For dinner there was a turkey breast roll left from Thanksgiving. I read that turkey reheats best in its gravy. Having none of that, I made a white gravy (chicken stock, cream, and a splash of white wine) which was pretty good after doctoring. Served with spaghettis courts (which isn't really spaghetti) and some fava beans. We were full, so no dessert.

Tuesday/10-May-22: We picked up orders from two Drives today. Intermarché was out of the fish I ordered, but Ed bought some at the little market near our favorite boulangerie. 

Dinner was Thai Fish Cakes with Sweet Chili-Lime Dipping Sauce (web). These were pretty good. Served with brown basmati, and my standard Asian-ish salad, Thai Cucumber Salad with Peanuts (web). For after we had store-bought yogurt with cream of chestnuts. Tasty dinner.

Wednesday/11-May-22: Barbecue tonight. We had Grilled Chicken with Lemon and Couscous (Diaries, p258), more or less. I used skinless, boneless chicken thighs sprinkled with Penzey's Quebec Beef Spice (also good on chicken). Ed grilled asparagus, eggplant (for the couscous), and the chicken. Tasty dinner. One chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Thursday/12-May-22: Didn't feel like making what was on the plan tonight, so there was an old and easy favorite, Curried Penne with Shrimp (365OneDish, p49), with whole wheat penne. And one chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Friday/13-May-22: Recombobulated the meal plan today when I realized that I'd forgotten to remember than I needed to start tonight's dinner yesterday. Oops.

Tonight we had Easy Mushroom and Black Bean Chilli (web). This was simple and very good. Served with short grain brown rice and a dollop of crème fraîche. We each had a mini Häagen-Dasz ice cream cup for after.

Then I started the sauce for tomorrow night's meal.

Saturday/14-May-22: Dinner was Mushroom, Olive, and Caper Sauce for Pasta (MedHot2, p23) served over casareccia. Then a salad. When we split a strange little sweet that we bought at a market today. The pasta sauce is interesting. It's served cold, or lukewarm by the time it's mixed with pasta, a bit sour from the vinegar, a bit spicy from the peppers, almost a bit too salty from the kalamatas. Still, the effect was nice. Might put some cauliflower in with it for the next round.

Sunday/15-May-22: Dinner was a pot of black beans cooked in two lots of "salty pork-cooking juice" from the freezer. Salty it was. I should have taken just one lot and added that amount of water again. Did discover that a bit of acid (cider vinegar, lime or lemon juice) helps cut the salt). I had a plain yogurt for after to soothe my tastebuds.

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: 0; #8 NEW: 3

This week in the kitchen

Monday/2-May-22: It was a clean-out-the-fridge dinner tonight. The ends of two soups (turkey-wild rice and pea&carrot); three lamb chops; a little salad from the leftover couscous; a salad-salad using more of the dressing from the beets; bits of grillons and terrine; all the small bits of cheese. We're full. 

Tuesday/3-May-22: Dinner was Vegetable Soup with Spicy Merguez Sausages (web; GD; notes). This is a versatile recipe, a tasty way to use up odds and ends of vegetables. I used carrots, leek, zucchini, and potatoes. My celery was dead, so I added some dried celery leaves. Made a whole recipe and have lots to freeze. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Wednesday/4-May-22: Dinner was a half dose of Oven-Baked Salmon with Charred Onions & Old Bay Radishes (web). Except for the charred onions, this was pretty good. I followed the recipe's timing for the onions and they were too black, giving a bitter taste to the "sauce" made from them. Served with orzo, followed by a salad with freshly made Croutons (Art, p173). A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Thursday/5-May-22: Dinner was a half dose of Lemon and Thyme Chicken Caprese (web). This was pretty and good. For a starter there was Zucchini Carpaccio with Avocado, Lemon Thyme, and Pistachio Oil (VegHarv, p214), which I've made several times now. Think my lemon thyme didn't make it through the winter, at least neither plant that's alive has a lemony smell. Too full for an after.

Friday/6-May-22: Dinner was Tagliatelle with Prosciutto and Butter (web). This was easy and yummy, but not for every day because of the fat content. Then a salad. A chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Saturday/7-M May on-22: Really didn't feel like cooking tonight. Pizza it was.

Sunday/8-May-22: The ABM made a loaf of Whole Wheat Bread (Fleischmann's) (MC). Steam-boiled some eggs, thinking to have tuna salad with our soup dinner, but decided against that. 

Dinner was Shaker-Style Soup (Monastery, p72). This was really easy and tasty, kind of a dill-flavored cream of tomato soup. For after we had some store-bought chocolate mousse things.

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: 0; #8 NEW: 2

This week in the kitchen

Monday/25-Apr-22: We ate from the freezer tonight, Creamy Turkey and Wild Rice Soup, along with some cheese and onion sandwiches. A dark chocolate-covered madeleine each for after.

Tuesday/26-Apr-22: Chris, Jacky, and Hitomi arrived today. 

Dinner was Za'atar Lamb Chops (web; GD); these were yummy as usual. Served with Moroccan couscous (store-bought mix) and two little salads that I've made before, Grilled Red Pepper Strips with Pomegranate and Cumin (EastMed, p154) and Grated Cucumber Salad with Oregano (Morocco, p75). For after there was Cheesecake Ice Cream (Scoop, p62), served with some frozen raspberries. This is a really rich and delicious ice cream, a bit lemony, which was tempered by the raspberries. Delicious.

Wednesday/27-Apr-22: Lunch out today. Cheese and charcuterie for our evening repas.

Thursday/28-Apr-22: Lunch out today. Cheese and charcuterie for our evening repas. Pretty boring, eh?

Friday/29-Apr-22: We had lunch in today between a visit to the Victor Hugo market and the Maison Soulat, the reincarnation of our local coop winery that was wiped out in the big hailstorm in 2018.

For a starter we had a sort of insalata caprese with the beautiful yellow tomato Jacky bought at the market, kind of a surinamse salad. 

 

Our second starter was Salade de Mache au Betteraves (BEFCC, p32), an old favorite. For our main, there was Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca (web; GD) with whole wheat spaghetti. No time for dessert before going off to taste wine.

In the evening there was cheese and charcuterie yet again, with a charentais melon and pineau, and some canelés. 

Saturday/30-Apr-22: Lunch out today. Left the girls at the train station to return to Paris and thence to Texas. 

Sunday/2-May-22: Dinner was Salade met Falafel en Blauwe Kaas (Tip/aug01; web); Tip Culinair is a now defunct Dutch cooking magazine. Fast to make and tasty, but the recipe for two could easily have served three and maybe four. For a starter we had an little insalata caprese with a Coeur de Boeuf tomato. The tomato was relatively tasteless compared to yesterday's yellow beauty. We finished with melon and pineau.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 1; #2 PHOTO: yes;
This month: #3 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #5 BACKLOG2: yes/no; #6 BACKLOG3: no; #7 RECYCLE: 0; #8 NEW: 2

This week in the kitchen

Monday/18-Apr-22: Dinner was even later than usual, Tunisian Meatballs (1Good, p141; GD). This recipe includes a side of Israeli couscous, which is good. I'd meant to make a carrot salad as a go-with, but lost the oomph. We started our chocolate easter bunnies for after.

Tuesday/19-Apr-22: Two Drive pick-ups today.

Dinner was Cabillaud au Chorizo (web), a one-dish dinner. Rather interesting, sautéed cod with a side of spinach (I had to use frozen; it was ok) and chickpeas and a topping of fried chorizo slices. Sounds odd but worked. More of our chocolate easter bunnies for after.

Wednesday/20-Apr-22: Dinner was a half recipe of Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala (web). This was really easy to put together and was pretty darn tasty. Served over white basmati rice. For a veg (besides the tomatoes in the stew) there were Spicy Cucumber Wedges (MJ1, p172). More chocolate easter bunnies for after.

Thursday/21-Apr-22: After a late doctor's appointment we went looking for a pizza, but it seems that pizza joints are closed on Thursday evenings. Came home and made a gussied up sandwich with fried eggs and sandwich ham. 

Friday/22-Apr-22: Dinner was West Indian Salmon Patties (web; GD). I've made these several times now, and very good they are. Made four patties from a full recipe and froze two for an easy dinner some time before long. For a side, I cooked some long-grain brown rice; near the end I added a can of black beans and a little can of corn. Pretty good stuff. We finished our chocolate bunnies for after.

Saturday/23-Apr-22: Dinner was Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp (web; CL/sep08). This was pretty good, and easy. The quarter teaspoon of red curry paste is way too little; I probably used one teaspoon, although I didn't measure. Even more wouldn't hurt The magazine clipping has snow peas as a go-with. No snow peas here; I used snijbonen in snow-pea lengths. And some brown basmati rice. 

Sunday/24-Apr-22: Dinner was a halfish recipe of Creamy Cajun Chicken Meatball (web; GD). No ground chicken here, so I chopped up some aiguillettes (that's the muscle at the back of a kip filet). Think I might make smaller meatballs next time, more like walnut-sized. Very tasty though. Served over whole wheat linguine, with some steamed chunks of snijbonen. A small ice cream cup 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: 0; #8 NEW: 2

This week in the kitchen

Monday/11-Mon-22: Dinner was Indian Potato Salad with Cilantro Omelet (SimpSups, p106; cookbooker). I made a half recipe of the (very delicious) potato salad and a 3-egg omelet for the two of us. As suggested, I served with Red Lentil Soup with Greens (SimpSups, p121; cookbooker); this was also good, but needed quite a bit more water to make is somewhat soup-like. All was good. (Ed took a picture, but it got lost in iPhoneland.)

Tuesday/12-Mon-22: Dinner was Pinchos Morunos—Moorish Skewered Meat. (This is a printout. I can't find a PDF for the recipe. No idea where it came from.) But it was good. Served with Grilled Red Pepper Strips with Pomegranate and Cumin (EastMed, p154), a nice salad I've made before. This used up half a yellow bell pepper plus a whole and a half red bell pepper. (Still have a lot of red ones in the fridge.) And some store-bought Moroccan couscous.

Wednesday/13-Mon-22: We got shopping from both Drives today. Our favorite boulangerie is closed on Wednesdays, so there's no bread.

Dinner was, more or less, Harissa Salmon (CL/apr07; MC; web). I use store-bought harissa rather than making it. I cook my own brown rice rather than using instant. I squeeze some lemon over the salmon, then spread with harissa from a tube, then bake according to Ackart (10min/inch @ 450F). This was good as usual. Served with Tunisian Zucchini Salad (MedLight, p117). Nice dinner. 

Thursday/14-Mon-22: Oops, forgot to put the liver on to soak overnight for tonight's dinner, so we had tomorrow's dinner tonight. 

That was Sweet Pepper Risotto (MDGrains, p33), working again on my bell pepper surplus. An egg mixed with parmesan cheese was stirred in at the end, so it was really creamy. Not a favorite risotto, though. Somehow didn't satisfy. 

Liver on to soak in milk overnight.

Friday/15-Mon-22: Ed got his liver dinner tonight. I made Liver and Onions, following a recipe I got from a friend on EAT-L, with a bit of support from my old Joy. It wasn't bad, but I'm still not a liver fan. It has an unpleasant texture, but the onions help with that. Served with parslied egg noodles and Creamy Broccoli & Bacon (web), more or less. I didn't really measure anything out here. There was a packet of lardons in the freezer needing to be used; that replaced the bacon. Used frozen broccoli that I bought for something that didn't get made. The sauce seemed a bit runny, so I thickened it with a bit of cornstarch. Was pretty good stuff. We had one chocolate-covered madeleine each for after. 

Saturday/16-Mon-22: I recently picked up HealthyInd again (cookbook reading having stopped with our trips to the grocery store), but am not finding it appealing read. Although I've marked a few recipes, I think I'm going to give this one up.  

Leftovers for dinner, Bulgur Chili. Then a big kitchen-sink salad. Then one chocolate-dipped madeleine each.

Sunday/17-Mon-22: We had a lovely lunch out before we went to a concert in the late afternoon. Nothing happened in the kitchen.

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: 0; #8 NEW: 2