Monday/15-Aug-16: Had dinner at our Fête Patronale this evening (invited for 19:30, aperitifs served about 21:30).
Yogurt on overnight.
Tuesday/16-Aug-16: Made Easy Peasy French Bread (web) for breakfast and lunch. Not bad. Think the cooking time is a bit short. I did mine for the full 20 minutes plus a bit and it could have used a bit more. Think my yeast may be giving up. Not unlikely since the jar is getting low and I haven't been making much bread lately.
In the process of bread making, I discovered we have a new mouse, or possibly the Polo mint mouse returned (Ed didn't take her very far away). This one's been into Polos and chocolate bars, and has discovered that nibbling packages can be fruitful—bread flour, whole wheat flour, pasta sacks, and, best of all, the popcorn sack. Wish the cats would get more interested in these visitors.
Finally broke down and ordered the recently top-rated Kenwood mixer from Amazon after the price dropped about €50. Yesterday the price went down another €10, thank you, Brexit. It should be delivered today. It's space is waiting, although Stuff has started to accumulate there, so need to put those things away.
Zucchini season has started. So, dinner was Elsie's Zucchini Pancakes with Sour Cream Sauce (CastIron, p124). The whole recipe is a main for two, but I should make only a half dose of the sauce. Altogether good. We finished off the Chocolate Sorbet for afters.
Wednesday/17-Aug-16: Yesterday's mouse was in the trap this morning; Ed took her farther away.
Shopping today.
My new Kenwood mixer arrived today in a huge box. With an Italian recipe book. Will unpack it on Friday probably.
Patrice and Wim came for dinner. Started with artichoke bottoms topped with green tapenade and goat cheese, then broiled. Our main was Garlic Butter Salmon (web), which used up one of our big zucchinis between the four of us, served with orzo. For dessert some Häagen-Dazs ice cream cups.
Thursday/18-Aug-16: Lunch out today. Nothing happened in the kitchen. Except that the door to the freezer was slightly ajar all day (and night?) and there was ice running down the drawers so the door couldn't be closed properly. Turned off the fridge to defrost the freezer part and now the alarm is blinking. What a pain.
Yogurt on overnight.
Friday/19-Aug-16: Off for a haircut today. Longer hair is out. Shorter hair is in.
Dinner was Crème de Courgette Sauce pour Pâtes (web) store-bought spinach&ricotta raviolis. No salad, didn't feel like it. Some Mango-Minr Sherbet for dessert. Good, but the mint is getting a bit strong.
Unpacked the Kenwood mixer. It came with no attachments, but I didn't really expect that. It all seems to assemble easily. The cookbook is Italian, unfortunately, but has some possibly interesting recipes.
Saturday/20-Aug-16: We ate out with Patrice and Wim tonight. Nothing much happened in the kitchen.
Sunday/21-Aug-16: Another mouse, or the same one, has been busy in the kitchen again. Going for the same things, so I think the same little lady has made the trip bad yet again.
For lunch we had apples from one of our trees. Belle de Boskoop they are, and tasty of roses.
Dinner was Wiener Schnitzel with Green Beans Paprika and mashed potatoes.
Yogurt on overnight.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 3
This month: #3 PASTA: no; #4 BREAD: yes; #5 FotW: yes for July/August; no for August/September
Showing posts with label ~CastIron. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ~CastIron. Show all posts
Monday, August 15, 2016
Monday, December 9, 2013
This week in the kitchen
Monday/9-Dec-13: Yogurt on overday.
Tonight's dinner was a more or less half recipe of Cast Iron Chicken (web). This was yummy and really easy to make. Then a salad. And that was all.
Tuesday/10-Dec-13: Dropped a yogurt jar on the floor today ... and it bounced! Thank you, cork floor!
Dinner was Mushroom Curry (Q&E, p79), served over basmati rice, accompanied by Gujerati Carrot Salad (MJ1, p170). Tasty stuff.
Used part of a jar of yogurt for the curry, so there's yogurt on overnight even though it's a bit early for it.
Wednesday/11-Dec-13: Shopping today. Missed a DHL delivery; they used to come about 16.30, but this time they came at 15.00. Boo. But their online method of rescheduling has vastly improved.
Had an email from our long-time US forwarding company, asking for a notarized form authorizing them to act as our mailing agent. A form that has to be returned by the end of the year. I have a strong suspicion that the only way I could get anything notarized before the end of the year would be to fly to the US. Sorry, not going to happen. Well, I'd already been thinking about dropping them and getting magazines mailed directly here (since we're taking many fewer magazines these days). What an annoyance.
Dinner was supposed to be Sweet Potato-Topped Turkey Pot Pie (BH&G/oct13; web), using the rest of last week's chicken. But there were no orange sweet potatoes at the store. I prefer these and the recipe asked specifically for them. Instead I topped the pie with the nice Herbed Dumplings (CastIron, p68) from a similar-ish chicken dish I made a couple of weeks ago. Prefer the one from CastIron, I think.
Thursday/12-Dec-13: Dinner was a broccoli pasta sauce from the freezer, tarted up with some broccoli bits boiled with the pasta for the last minutes and some chopped walnuts. Then a salad. Then line dancing.
Friday/13-Dec-13: Both of us were out (in different directions) for the afternoon, so I put on a crockpot dinner, a half dose of Braised Beef with Anchovies and Rosemary (SlowItal, p147; cookbooker). Easy and pretty good, although 2" cubes of meat must be way too big. I did them smaller and they were still too big. Sauce was good. Served with spaetzle (from MW@Home and HandyBook) and some roasted asparagus. For dessert, two toetjes I bought the the boulanger this afternoon.
Saturday/14-Dec-13: This morning I made some tuna patties for tonight's après-concert dinner. Then we decided that considering how long (i.e., short) yesterday's concert was, we had time to have a pizza and go to a movie after. Today's concert, same program, was significantly longer than yesterday's. And there was a brief choir get-together afterwards, which Ed had neglected to remember. So we did some heavy munching at the gathering (resulting in a sugar buzz since the non-sweet stuff went fast) and went on to the movies. Tuna tomorrow.
Sunday/15-Dec-13: So, tonight we had Thai-Style Tuna Burgers (BH&G/may13; web). These were quite good, although I think serving them as patties, with the burger bun, would be fine. The two of us ate the whole recipe—no leftovers. Served with Mom's Cabbage Salad (MaiPham, p96), more or less. No mint, didn't soak the veggies. This was also good. Mini magnums for after.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 IHCC/COOKBOOKS: yes, #2 VEG/FISH: 3
This month: #3 PASTA: no, #4 BREAD: no
Tonight's dinner was a more or less half recipe of Cast Iron Chicken (web). This was yummy and really easy to make. Then a salad. And that was all.
Tuesday/10-Dec-13: Dropped a yogurt jar on the floor today ... and it bounced! Thank you, cork floor!
Dinner was Mushroom Curry (Q&E, p79), served over basmati rice, accompanied by Gujerati Carrot Salad (MJ1, p170). Tasty stuff.
Used part of a jar of yogurt for the curry, so there's yogurt on overnight even though it's a bit early for it.
Wednesday/11-Dec-13: Shopping today. Missed a DHL delivery; they used to come about 16.30, but this time they came at 15.00. Boo. But their online method of rescheduling has vastly improved.
Had an email from our long-time US forwarding company, asking for a notarized form authorizing them to act as our mailing agent. A form that has to be returned by the end of the year. I have a strong suspicion that the only way I could get anything notarized before the end of the year would be to fly to the US. Sorry, not going to happen. Well, I'd already been thinking about dropping them and getting magazines mailed directly here (since we're taking many fewer magazines these days). What an annoyance.
Dinner was supposed to be Sweet Potato-Topped Turkey Pot Pie (BH&G/oct13; web), using the rest of last week's chicken. But there were no orange sweet potatoes at the store. I prefer these and the recipe asked specifically for them. Instead I topped the pie with the nice Herbed Dumplings (CastIron, p68) from a similar-ish chicken dish I made a couple of weeks ago. Prefer the one from CastIron, I think.
Thursday/12-Dec-13: Dinner was a broccoli pasta sauce from the freezer, tarted up with some broccoli bits boiled with the pasta for the last minutes and some chopped walnuts. Then a salad. Then line dancing.
Friday/13-Dec-13: Both of us were out (in different directions) for the afternoon, so I put on a crockpot dinner, a half dose of Braised Beef with Anchovies and Rosemary (SlowItal, p147; cookbooker). Easy and pretty good, although 2" cubes of meat must be way too big. I did them smaller and they were still too big. Sauce was good. Served with spaetzle (from MW@Home and HandyBook) and some roasted asparagus. For dessert, two toetjes I bought the the boulanger this afternoon.
Saturday/14-Dec-13: This morning I made some tuna patties for tonight's après-concert dinner. Then we decided that considering how long (i.e., short) yesterday's concert was, we had time to have a pizza and go to a movie after. Today's concert, same program, was significantly longer than yesterday's. And there was a brief choir get-together afterwards, which Ed had neglected to remember. So we did some heavy munching at the gathering (resulting in a sugar buzz since the non-sweet stuff went fast) and went on to the movies. Tuna tomorrow.
Sunday/15-Dec-13: So, tonight we had Thai-Style Tuna Burgers (BH&G/may13; web). These were quite good, although I think serving them as patties, with the burger bun, would be fine. The two of us ate the whole recipe—no leftovers. Served with Mom's Cabbage Salad (MaiPham, p96), more or less. No mint, didn't soak the veggies. This was also good. Mini magnums for after.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 IHCC/COOKBOOKS: yes, #2 VEG/FISH: 3
This month: #3 PASTA: no, #4 BREAD: no
Monday, November 18, 2013
This week in the kitchen
Monday/18-Nov-13: Yogurt on overday.
Dinner was Grilled Chicken Legs with Pomegranate Molasses (web). Easy-peasy and not at all bad. For the two of us, I used four thighs. The recipe called for six legs, and I was too late reading that it meant whole leg joints rather than just the leg part. So I've got a lot of the marinade in the freezer for another time. Served with Orzo with Tomatoes, Feta, and Olives (HowTo, p238) and some steamed broccoli finished off with garlic and red pepper flakes. Then we finished off the clafoutis for dessert. That was supposed to serve six, but ended up serving four. Oink.
Tuesday/19-Nov-13: I had lunch out with my drawing friends. Ed had leftovers for dinner while I munched carrot sticks and cherry tomatoes. Then we had a bit of cheese and Ed had an ice cream bar. That's all folks.
Wednesday/20-Nov-13: Shopping today. Shitakes, they had! And another odd little mushroom I've never seen before, but resisted buying.
DInner was Fried Fish Steaks (Q&E, p67) using lieu noir (in English, saithe or coley, does that help?) that was today's special. Very easy and quite good. I did a better-than-usual job of frying without getting the food too greasy. To munch while the rest of dinner was getting ready, there were some Spicy Cucumber Wedges (MJ1, p172). With the fish there was Rice with Peas (MJ1, p149); this is a really good recipe but make a *lot*. I made a quarter recipe of what should serve six and we had substantial piles of rice on our plates. And then there were Fried Aubergine Slices (MJ1, p99) that I broiled, using no oil, instead of frying. These were not bad, if a bit dry. For dessert we had two of the vanilla puddings I bought off the sale counter with a close expiry day. These still have four days to go, so I'm not sure why they were there.
Thursday/21-Nov-13: Yogurt on overday.
Worked on the freezer backlog tonight. Cooked a pound of (blue) hominy in the liquid left from cooking carnitas. Saved out 3 cups of the hominy to freeze, then added some cooked pork and three cubes of chiptole-soaking liquid from the freezer. Voila! Pozole!
Some recipes have you soak the hominy before cooking. Others just have you cook it. I soaked this time, the first time I've tried that. Can't say I noticed any difference. This isn't the kind of thing you're cooking with attention; it just simmers away on the back burner till you're ready to deal with it. Think I won't bother with the soak again.
Friday/22-Nov-13: Dinner was Chicken with Herbed Dumplings (CastIron, p68; cookbooker). It's a recipe that serves six, so I made a third of the main recipe and a half of the dumpling recipe. Very tasty, but short on liquid. I made a salad as a go-with, but we thought this was a one-dish meal. Had some mini-magnums for dessert; these seem to have better chocolate than the classic ones these days.
Saturday/23-Nov-13: Picked the chicken carcass and made up some stock with that and other bits from the freezer. And deseeded and cut up the coeur de boeuf tomatoes I got on Wednesday and cooked them down. Tomorrow I'll finish them both up, freezing stock and tomato sauce.
Off plan for dinner. Made Fettuccine with Gorgonzola (30MinPasta, p50; cookbooker), using up the bit of Fourme d'Ambert in the fridge. Good stuff it was, if not low-fat. Then last night's salad.
Looks like we have a mouse in the kitchen again. Seems to have gotten into a packet of semolina. They wouldn't be so bad if they didn't walk around pooping. Poop, poop, poop. Have set the trap, raisin-baited, tonight.
Sunday/23-Nov-13: Yogurt on overday.
Froze up the tomato sauce today. Put of the chicken stock till tomorrow.
No mouse in the trap and no new mouse poop found this morning. But this afternoon Oscar seemed to be very interested in something behind the stove ... a mouse? A couple of hours later, Sophie actually caught a mouse in the kitchen when Ed pulled out some logs to light the fire. She played with it for a while before Ed managed to get it from her to take outside. It probably didn't survive.
For dinner there was a very loose interpretation of Chicken and Avocado Enchiladas in Creamy Avocado Sauce (web). This included salsa verde, not. No tomatillos to be found here and the canned ones taste tinny, so I don't buy them. I read a suggestion that you could substitute with green tomatoes and some lime juice. The greenest tomato I could find was kind of yellow-orange, so I used that instead. Actually it wasn't too bad. Ended up making eight enchiladas, so we'll have two dinners of it. Made some Spanish rice, too, using part of the tomato sauce I just made. Then the last of the ice cream and frozen raspberries for dessert.
Hmm... I've used cookbooks this week, but can't really say that any of them are seldom-used. Guess I didn't manage that goal. I almost made pasta this week, but that doesn't count.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 IHCC/COOKBOOKS: no, #2 VEG/FISH: 2
This month: #3 PASTA: no, #4 BREAD: no
Dinner was Grilled Chicken Legs with Pomegranate Molasses (web). Easy-peasy and not at all bad. For the two of us, I used four thighs. The recipe called for six legs, and I was too late reading that it meant whole leg joints rather than just the leg part. So I've got a lot of the marinade in the freezer for another time. Served with Orzo with Tomatoes, Feta, and Olives (HowTo, p238) and some steamed broccoli finished off with garlic and red pepper flakes. Then we finished off the clafoutis for dessert. That was supposed to serve six, but ended up serving four. Oink.
Tuesday/19-Nov-13: I had lunch out with my drawing friends. Ed had leftovers for dinner while I munched carrot sticks and cherry tomatoes. Then we had a bit of cheese and Ed had an ice cream bar. That's all folks.
Wednesday/20-Nov-13: Shopping today. Shitakes, they had! And another odd little mushroom I've never seen before, but resisted buying.
DInner was Fried Fish Steaks (Q&E, p67) using lieu noir (in English, saithe or coley, does that help?) that was today's special. Very easy and quite good. I did a better-than-usual job of frying without getting the food too greasy. To munch while the rest of dinner was getting ready, there were some Spicy Cucumber Wedges (MJ1, p172). With the fish there was Rice with Peas (MJ1, p149); this is a really good recipe but make a *lot*. I made a quarter recipe of what should serve six and we had substantial piles of rice on our plates. And then there were Fried Aubergine Slices (MJ1, p99) that I broiled, using no oil, instead of frying. These were not bad, if a bit dry. For dessert we had two of the vanilla puddings I bought off the sale counter with a close expiry day. These still have four days to go, so I'm not sure why they were there.
Thursday/21-Nov-13: Yogurt on overday.
Worked on the freezer backlog tonight. Cooked a pound of (blue) hominy in the liquid left from cooking carnitas. Saved out 3 cups of the hominy to freeze, then added some cooked pork and three cubes of chiptole-soaking liquid from the freezer. Voila! Pozole!
Some recipes have you soak the hominy before cooking. Others just have you cook it. I soaked this time, the first time I've tried that. Can't say I noticed any difference. This isn't the kind of thing you're cooking with attention; it just simmers away on the back burner till you're ready to deal with it. Think I won't bother with the soak again.
Friday/22-Nov-13: Dinner was Chicken with Herbed Dumplings (CastIron, p68; cookbooker). It's a recipe that serves six, so I made a third of the main recipe and a half of the dumpling recipe. Very tasty, but short on liquid. I made a salad as a go-with, but we thought this was a one-dish meal. Had some mini-magnums for dessert; these seem to have better chocolate than the classic ones these days.
Saturday/23-Nov-13: Picked the chicken carcass and made up some stock with that and other bits from the freezer. And deseeded and cut up the coeur de boeuf tomatoes I got on Wednesday and cooked them down. Tomorrow I'll finish them both up, freezing stock and tomato sauce.
Off plan for dinner. Made Fettuccine with Gorgonzola (30MinPasta, p50; cookbooker), using up the bit of Fourme d'Ambert in the fridge. Good stuff it was, if not low-fat. Then last night's salad.
Looks like we have a mouse in the kitchen again. Seems to have gotten into a packet of semolina. They wouldn't be so bad if they didn't walk around pooping. Poop, poop, poop. Have set the trap, raisin-baited, tonight.
Sunday/23-Nov-13: Yogurt on overday.
Froze up the tomato sauce today. Put of the chicken stock till tomorrow.
No mouse in the trap and no new mouse poop found this morning. But this afternoon Oscar seemed to be very interested in something behind the stove ... a mouse? A couple of hours later, Sophie actually caught a mouse in the kitchen when Ed pulled out some logs to light the fire. She played with it for a while before Ed managed to get it from her to take outside. It probably didn't survive.
For dinner there was a very loose interpretation of Chicken and Avocado Enchiladas in Creamy Avocado Sauce (web). This included salsa verde, not. No tomatillos to be found here and the canned ones taste tinny, so I don't buy them. I read a suggestion that you could substitute with green tomatoes and some lime juice. The greenest tomato I could find was kind of yellow-orange, so I used that instead. Actually it wasn't too bad. Ended up making eight enchiladas, so we'll have two dinners of it. Made some Spanish rice, too, using part of the tomato sauce I just made. Then the last of the ice cream and frozen raspberries for dessert.
Hmm... I've used cookbooks this week, but can't really say that any of them are seldom-used. Guess I didn't manage that goal. I almost made pasta this week, but that doesn't count.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 IHCC/COOKBOOKS: no, #2 VEG/FISH: 2
This month: #3 PASTA: no, #4 BREAD: no
Monday, October 14, 2013
This week in the kitchen
Monday/14-Oct-13: Leftover night. Sliced the remaining pork roast and warmed it with the rest of the broccoli parmentier. For a starter we had a simple salad of mâche and rucola topped with a bit on goat cheese on toast. That's all.
Tuesday/15-Oct-13: Anniversary lunch out today. For dinner there was popcorn, carrot sticks, plums, and cherry tomatoes in front of an old movie.
Wednesday/16-Oct-13: Yogurt on overday.
Shopping today. Found a package of "homemade" croissants, like biscuits. Will try in the next days. The brand is good, but there are a lot of questionable ingredients for something that should be essentially flour and butter.
For dinner I grilled swordfish and served with Thomas's Green Sauce for Poached or Grilled Fish (MrLatte, p178). I liked this OK, but Ed not at all. Have tons of the sauce left. Maybe will freeze it up to use by the drab in salad dressing or some such. Accompanied by some trio rice and some Perfect Pan-Roasted Green Beans (HandyBook) and a little salad made of grated broccoli stems, suggested by Dusolier in a box on the Broccoli Parmentier page—grated (peeled) stems with raisins, sunflower seeds, and a yogurt dressing. Used walnuts instead of sunflower seeds. Successful salad. Two squares of hazelnut-filled chocolate for dessert.
Thursday/17-Oct-13: Finally got some pasta made for dinner. Tagliatelle, to go with Porcini-Style Shiitake Mushroom Pasta Sauce (MarCuc, p152). Tonight's mushrooms were oesterzwamen (or pleurotes or oyster mushrooms) with cremini. Nicer with porcini and shiitakes, but those aren't to be found. Strange that it's the season for cêpes, but they are not to be found in our grocery. As a starter we had Smoked Salmon Salad with Dill (BEFCC, p35), a nice little salad, quick to make. Neither of us are fennel fans, but fennel and cucumbers are a good combination.
Friday/18-Oct-13: For dinner tonight, there was Tom's Brick Chicken (CastIron, p63). I've done this before; a nice way to cook a bird. I actually started out to make a half recipe of Twin Roasted Chickens with Garlicky Bulgur Dressing (GreeneGrains, p90), but decided I didn't want to stuff a bird. Instead I just made the stuffing on the side. Good it was. And, using up the kumquats I bought last week, there was Broccoli and Kumquat Salad with Olives (Uncommon, p271). We finished off by sharing a classic Magnum. The chocolate on these just isn't as good as it used to me. Too bad.
Saturday/19-Oct-13: Yogurt on overday.
An unexpected dinner tonight, since we originally planned on going to the Fête du Vin at St Sornin tonight, but decided against it. So, we had a more or less half recipe of Shocking Pink Pasta (Dusoulier2, p115). Shocking pink, it was, too, beets and cream. I took the lazy way and used the staff mixer, but probably should have used the blender, since it was the sauce was a bit grainy. This is one of those things I'm glad I tried, but maybe don't need to make again. Although, it might make a nice starter or side dish if you needed a bit of color or a talking point at dinner.
Followed by a salad, topped with some blue goat cheese. For afters, a bit of Morbier. Both bought today at the Marché du Goût at La Rochefoucauld.
I have used quite a few seldom used cookbooks this week, but I haven't done separate posts for them. Sorry, just seems like too much trouble.
Sunday/20-Oct-13: Lunch at 4pm meant we didn't get to dinner till really late. I didn't really plan anything for today, since I thought we'd be eating out. Wrong. So it was a last minute, what-can-I-do-to-use-up-stuff-in-the-fridge sort of meal. I more or less made Spicy Eggplant Stew with Potatoes, Mushroom, and Chickpeas (WorldVeg, p196). A really tasty recipe. We split a Magnum classic for dessert.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 IHCC/COOKBOOKS: yes, #2 VEG/FISH: 4
This month: #3 PASTA: yes, #4 BREAD: no
Tuesday/15-Oct-13: Anniversary lunch out today. For dinner there was popcorn, carrot sticks, plums, and cherry tomatoes in front of an old movie.
Wednesday/16-Oct-13: Yogurt on overday.
Shopping today. Found a package of "homemade" croissants, like biscuits. Will try in the next days. The brand is good, but there are a lot of questionable ingredients for something that should be essentially flour and butter.
For dinner I grilled swordfish and served with Thomas's Green Sauce for Poached or Grilled Fish (MrLatte, p178). I liked this OK, but Ed not at all. Have tons of the sauce left. Maybe will freeze it up to use by the drab in salad dressing or some such. Accompanied by some trio rice and some Perfect Pan-Roasted Green Beans (HandyBook) and a little salad made of grated broccoli stems, suggested by Dusolier in a box on the Broccoli Parmentier page—grated (peeled) stems with raisins, sunflower seeds, and a yogurt dressing. Used walnuts instead of sunflower seeds. Successful salad. Two squares of hazelnut-filled chocolate for dessert.
Thursday/17-Oct-13: Finally got some pasta made for dinner. Tagliatelle, to go with Porcini-Style Shiitake Mushroom Pasta Sauce (MarCuc, p152). Tonight's mushrooms were oesterzwamen (or pleurotes or oyster mushrooms) with cremini. Nicer with porcini and shiitakes, but those aren't to be found. Strange that it's the season for cêpes, but they are not to be found in our grocery. As a starter we had Smoked Salmon Salad with Dill (BEFCC, p35), a nice little salad, quick to make. Neither of us are fennel fans, but fennel and cucumbers are a good combination.
Friday/18-Oct-13: For dinner tonight, there was Tom's Brick Chicken (CastIron, p63). I've done this before; a nice way to cook a bird. I actually started out to make a half recipe of Twin Roasted Chickens with Garlicky Bulgur Dressing (GreeneGrains, p90), but decided I didn't want to stuff a bird. Instead I just made the stuffing on the side. Good it was. And, using up the kumquats I bought last week, there was Broccoli and Kumquat Salad with Olives (Uncommon, p271). We finished off by sharing a classic Magnum. The chocolate on these just isn't as good as it used to me. Too bad.
Saturday/19-Oct-13: Yogurt on overday.
An unexpected dinner tonight, since we originally planned on going to the Fête du Vin at St Sornin tonight, but decided against it. So, we had a more or less half recipe of Shocking Pink Pasta (Dusoulier2, p115). Shocking pink, it was, too, beets and cream. I took the lazy way and used the staff mixer, but probably should have used the blender, since it was the sauce was a bit grainy. This is one of those things I'm glad I tried, but maybe don't need to make again. Although, it might make a nice starter or side dish if you needed a bit of color or a talking point at dinner.
Followed by a salad, topped with some blue goat cheese. For afters, a bit of Morbier. Both bought today at the Marché du Goût at La Rochefoucauld.
I have used quite a few seldom used cookbooks this week, but I haven't done separate posts for them. Sorry, just seems like too much trouble.
Sunday/20-Oct-13: Lunch at 4pm meant we didn't get to dinner till really late. I didn't really plan anything for today, since I thought we'd be eating out. Wrong. So it was a last minute, what-can-I-do-to-use-up-stuff-in-the-fridge sort of meal. I more or less made Spicy Eggplant Stew with Potatoes, Mushroom, and Chickpeas (WorldVeg, p196). A really tasty recipe. We split a Magnum classic for dessert.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 IHCC/COOKBOOKS: yes, #2 VEG/FISH: 4
This month: #3 PASTA: yes, #4 BREAD: no
Monday, September 9, 2013
This week in the kitchen
Monday/9-Sep-13: Roasted a lamb shoulder (rather than a gigot, which was an option) today for Gigot d'Agneau Saint-George au Citron et au Yaourt (VPG). Started way too late for it to get done in time (also recipe wasn't very accurate about the time), so ended up throwing together a quick pasta dish with broccoli and the end of the blah blue cheese.
Yogurt on overnight.
Tuesday/10-Sep-13: The sink arrived hooray!
Dinner was the roast lamb, which was pretty good in spite of being reheated. Also Dusolier's Perfect Roast Potatoes, which were especially good because I followed the instructions about putting the roasting tray with oil and salt in the one when the potatoes start boiling. Also some roasted veggies, the end of the broc, a couple of carrots, and a little eggplant from the garden.
Wednesday/11-Sep-13: Shopping today. Got back to find a sack with 1.5kg of haricots verts and haricots jaunes hanging on the front-doorknob. Have to deal with those tomorrow. Might parboil and freeze a lot of them.
Had a bit of a Chinese itch. Tonight's dinner was Stir-Fried with Black Bean Sauce (HotWok, p74) with Stir-Fried Courgettes with Fresh Chilli (HotWok, p165) and rice. Both are old favorites, but it's been a while since I've made them. Makes me think I want to spend some time making some proper Chinese-ish food, as best I can considering difficulty getting a lot of ingredients. Restaurant Chinese food around here tends to be pretty low quality, served buffet-style.
Thursday/12-Sep-13: It was Elsie's Zucchini Pancakes with Sour Cream Sauce (CastIron, p124) again for dinner tonight. Good stuff too. Then a simple salad. That's all folks.
Friday/13-Sep-13: Time to start working on the leftover lamb. Tonight it was sort of a half recipe of Moussaka I (Secrets, p217) along with some Perfect Roasted Green Beans (now HandyBook) like I made last week. The leftovers section on Seaver's book is really useful. Then some ice cream and defrosted frozen raspberries.
Saturday/14-Sep-13: Scratched the Indian itch tonight. Dinner was Mushroom and Pea Curry (MJ@Home, p161) served with rice. Good enough, but not the best Jaffrey meal I've made. For afters we had a bit of ice cream with a slog of chocolate liqueur over.
Sunday/15-Sep-13: Lunch out today for my birthday, so nothing happening in the kitchen. Internet down in the evening till well past bedtime.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 IHCC/COOKBOOKS: no, #2 VEG/FISH: 4
This month: #3 PASTA: no, #4 BREAD: no
Yogurt on overnight.
Tuesday/10-Sep-13: The sink arrived hooray!
Dinner was the roast lamb, which was pretty good in spite of being reheated. Also Dusolier's Perfect Roast Potatoes, which were especially good because I followed the instructions about putting the roasting tray with oil and salt in the one when the potatoes start boiling. Also some roasted veggies, the end of the broc, a couple of carrots, and a little eggplant from the garden.
Wednesday/11-Sep-13: Shopping today. Got back to find a sack with 1.5kg of haricots verts and haricots jaunes hanging on the front-doorknob. Have to deal with those tomorrow. Might parboil and freeze a lot of them.
Had a bit of a Chinese itch. Tonight's dinner was Stir-Fried with Black Bean Sauce (HotWok, p74) with Stir-Fried Courgettes with Fresh Chilli (HotWok, p165) and rice. Both are old favorites, but it's been a while since I've made them. Makes me think I want to spend some time making some proper Chinese-ish food, as best I can considering difficulty getting a lot of ingredients. Restaurant Chinese food around here tends to be pretty low quality, served buffet-style.
Thursday/12-Sep-13: It was Elsie's Zucchini Pancakes with Sour Cream Sauce (CastIron, p124) again for dinner tonight. Good stuff too. Then a simple salad. That's all folks.
Friday/13-Sep-13: Time to start working on the leftover lamb. Tonight it was sort of a half recipe of Moussaka I (Secrets, p217) along with some Perfect Roasted Green Beans (now HandyBook) like I made last week. The leftovers section on Seaver's book is really useful. Then some ice cream and defrosted frozen raspberries.
Saturday/14-Sep-13: Scratched the Indian itch tonight. Dinner was Mushroom and Pea Curry (MJ@Home, p161) served with rice. Good enough, but not the best Jaffrey meal I've made. For afters we had a bit of ice cream with a slog of chocolate liqueur over.
Sunday/15-Sep-13: Lunch out today for my birthday, so nothing happening in the kitchen. Internet down in the evening till well past bedtime.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 IHCC/COOKBOOKS: no, #2 VEG/FISH: 4
This month: #3 PASTA: no, #4 BREAD: no
Monday, September 2, 2013
This week in the kitchen
Monday/2-Sep-13: Computer order largely restored by the end of the day. Breathed a sigh of relief, then made the tart I didn't get to post for last week on IHCC, Ottolenghi's Caramelised Garlic Tart (web). Definitely a keeper. Ed ate half instead of a quarter. I see it's supposed to serve 8; that must be as a first course. Takes longer than advertised also. But not hard, and worth it. Served with a salad. For the dressing, I chopped up a seeded tomato and added to the leftover tzatziki. Good it was.
Laying of the floor was finished today! Still to be done are the baseboards, the join between the hard tiles and the cork tiles, and some other miscellaneous things. The sink and its counter will be installed on the 10th. Yay!
Tuesday/3-Sep-13: Looks like the next IHCC chef will be Donna Hay, whom I know next to nothing about. Have none of her cookbooks, none of them catch my eye, and I really don't need yet another cookbook anyhow. (Although, I do hope Santa will bring me one from Tessa Kiros, one of the early IHCC chefs.)
For dinner, I grilled some barely defrosted kip filets with vaguely Greek spices. And some steamed broccoli with garlic and a but if red pepper flakes steeped in olive oil. And some Lemon-Dill Orzo Pasta Salad with Cucumbers, Olives, & Feta (web). This salad was a hit; would be great at a picnic sort of thing.
Wednesday/4-Sep-13: Yogurt on overday. Shopping today.
Dinner with a halfish recipe of Scamp with Lemon-Zucchini Sauce (CL88, p122). Ok, I used cod instead of scamp. This was dredged in cornmeal paprika-spiked cornmeal and baked; good, but a bit of chili powder might be nice instead of, or in addition to, the paprika. The sauce, I read now, was supposed to be cooked, but I made it as a relish. And very good it was. A bit like tartar sauce with a really good flavor. Then some trio rice and some Perfect Roasted Green Beans (web), which is indeed a very good way to do green beans. Especially nice because they came from our own garden. Mini magnums for dessert.
Thursday/5-Sep-13: A forgettable crockpot dinner tonight, Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloins with Cherry Tomato Salad (web). I cut the sugar in half and it was still too sweet. So, sweet but boring. The same sauce for the pork was used as the dressing for the salad (tomatoes, red onion, parsley, basil). Ho hum.
Friday/6-Sep-13: Made some Authentic French Bread in the ABM, out of my head, and using one third whole wheat flour.
Dinner was Elsie's Zucchini Pancakes with Sour Cream Sauce (CastIron, p124; cookbooker). Using one big zucchini (with one cup for the freezer), I made a whole recipe with half the sour cream sauce. What was supposed to serve 6 (as side servings, I suppose) served 2 as a main. Very good zuke pancakes. I didn't heat the sauce, just let it sit at room temp. Very good it all was. Ed said I could make the again in a week. For dessert, there was Peach, Almond, and Cardamom Clafoutis (Dusoulier2, p93; cookbooker), with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, which was quite tasty although it didn't seem to get done enough even with ten extra minutes. Nevertheless it was very good and Ed had seconds.
Saturday/7-Sep-13: Yogurt on overday.
Defrosted the fridge again, since I seem not to have done it thoroughly last time. (I.e., if not completely done, water seems to end up under the crisper instead of draining away. Moved it back into position, so things are closer to normal in the kitchen now.
For dinner I defrosted the end of a turkey roll, cut it in slices and browned those, then made a bit of pan sauce with green peppercorns to go over it. And some sautéed zucchini (suprise!) and a slim slice of the caramelized garlic tart. Made a salad, but we didn't feel like eating it.
Sunday/8-Sep-13: Dinner was a halfish version of Creamy Butternut, Blue Cheese, and Walnut Cavatappi (web), a dish with possibilities. I forgot to buy a blue cheese last week, so went to our small local grocery this morning to get some. They had only roquefort, which both of us find a bit strong, and a bleu de Bresse, which turned out to be seriously wimpy. The winter squash we've got growing were, I though, supposed to have orange flesh, but they're kind of pale green, so the dish was not as colorful as it could have been. And we're out of eggs (none to be found at local grocery) so the sauce wasn't as rich as it should have been. The recipe calls for 8 oz cavatappi for four, which seems a bit light, so I used 6 oz for the two of us. Which was a bit much for the sauce. The walnuts were a good touch. Might do again with a proper cheese and a prettier squash. Also had a salad. And some double chocolate mini magnums for a dog walk.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 IHCC/COOKBOOKS: yes, #2 VEG/FISH: 4
This month: #3 PASTA: no, #4 BREAD: no
Laying of the floor was finished today! Still to be done are the baseboards, the join between the hard tiles and the cork tiles, and some other miscellaneous things. The sink and its counter will be installed on the 10th. Yay!
Tuesday/3-Sep-13: Looks like the next IHCC chef will be Donna Hay, whom I know next to nothing about. Have none of her cookbooks, none of them catch my eye, and I really don't need yet another cookbook anyhow. (Although, I do hope Santa will bring me one from Tessa Kiros, one of the early IHCC chefs.)
For dinner, I grilled some barely defrosted kip filets with vaguely Greek spices. And some steamed broccoli with garlic and a but if red pepper flakes steeped in olive oil. And some Lemon-Dill Orzo Pasta Salad with Cucumbers, Olives, & Feta (web). This salad was a hit; would be great at a picnic sort of thing.
Wednesday/4-Sep-13: Yogurt on overday. Shopping today.
Dinner with a halfish recipe of Scamp with Lemon-Zucchini Sauce (CL88, p122). Ok, I used cod instead of scamp. This was dredged in cornmeal paprika-spiked cornmeal and baked; good, but a bit of chili powder might be nice instead of, or in addition to, the paprika. The sauce, I read now, was supposed to be cooked, but I made it as a relish. And very good it was. A bit like tartar sauce with a really good flavor. Then some trio rice and some Perfect Roasted Green Beans (web), which is indeed a very good way to do green beans. Especially nice because they came from our own garden. Mini magnums for dessert.
Thursday/5-Sep-13: A forgettable crockpot dinner tonight, Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloins with Cherry Tomato Salad (web). I cut the sugar in half and it was still too sweet. So, sweet but boring. The same sauce for the pork was used as the dressing for the salad (tomatoes, red onion, parsley, basil). Ho hum.
Friday/6-Sep-13: Made some Authentic French Bread in the ABM, out of my head, and using one third whole wheat flour.
Dinner was Elsie's Zucchini Pancakes with Sour Cream Sauce (CastIron, p124; cookbooker). Using one big zucchini (with one cup for the freezer), I made a whole recipe with half the sour cream sauce. What was supposed to serve 6 (as side servings, I suppose) served 2 as a main. Very good zuke pancakes. I didn't heat the sauce, just let it sit at room temp. Very good it all was. Ed said I could make the again in a week. For dessert, there was Peach, Almond, and Cardamom Clafoutis (Dusoulier2, p93; cookbooker), with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, which was quite tasty although it didn't seem to get done enough even with ten extra minutes. Nevertheless it was very good and Ed had seconds.
Saturday/7-Sep-13: Yogurt on overday.
Defrosted the fridge again, since I seem not to have done it thoroughly last time. (I.e., if not completely done, water seems to end up under the crisper instead of draining away. Moved it back into position, so things are closer to normal in the kitchen now.
For dinner I defrosted the end of a turkey roll, cut it in slices and browned those, then made a bit of pan sauce with green peppercorns to go over it. And some sautéed zucchini (suprise!) and a slim slice of the caramelized garlic tart. Made a salad, but we didn't feel like eating it.
Sunday/8-Sep-13: Dinner was a halfish version of Creamy Butternut, Blue Cheese, and Walnut Cavatappi (web), a dish with possibilities. I forgot to buy a blue cheese last week, so went to our small local grocery this morning to get some. They had only roquefort, which both of us find a bit strong, and a bleu de Bresse, which turned out to be seriously wimpy. The winter squash we've got growing were, I though, supposed to have orange flesh, but they're kind of pale green, so the dish was not as colorful as it could have been. And we're out of eggs (none to be found at local grocery) so the sauce wasn't as rich as it should have been. The recipe calls for 8 oz cavatappi for four, which seems a bit light, so I used 6 oz for the two of us. Which was a bit much for the sauce. The walnuts were a good touch. Might do again with a proper cheese and a prettier squash. Also had a salad. And some double chocolate mini magnums for a dog walk.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 IHCC/COOKBOOKS: yes, #2 VEG/FISH: 4
This month: #3 PASTA: no, #4 BREAD: no
Monday, May 27, 2013
This week in the kitchen
Monday/27-May-13: Finished off the first loaf of No-Knead Crusty White Bread (web) this morning. Last night I made up a half recipe of what should have made three bigger or four smaller loaves. This morning I made one smaller loaf. Got to use my not-so-new baking stone for the first time. And understand why the peel is useful, since you can't easily move the oven shelf out and in when the stone on it. The loaf was fine, even though I forgot to slash it; it was a bit more rounded on the bottom than you'd expect. The loaf wasn't as crusty as you'd think from the name. I think the Lahey no-knead (puddle) bread that's baked in a casserole has a crustier crust.
Made lots of chicken stock with the carcasses of pintade, last week's Indian chickie, and a sackful of chicken thighs. Also took the meat off the lamb bone. There was lots to freeze, both slices and chunks.
Leftovers for dinner. I beefed up (porked up?) the leftover green pepper sauce with some frozen meat and served over rice. Followed by a big salad.
Yogurt on overnight.
Tuesday/28-May-13: Made the second loaf of bread this morning. The dough was closer to puddle bread. Why would it have had more consistency yesterday? You'd think it would dry out overnight. Slashing didn't make much difference either. Anyhow, I like the "pattern" of this recipe: make it in the evening and keep it in the fridge till you need it. Then baking a chunk takes an hour sitting and half an hour in the oven, so it's pretty quick to the table.
Pattycakes for IHCC tonight. Accompanied by smashed sweet potatoes and broccoli. Some chocolate squares for dessert during Pogo's evening walk.
Wednesday/29-May-13: Shopping today, then Ed off to dentist again. Leftover Indian chicken and rice for dinner, accompanied by Fried Aubergine (Eggplant) Slices (MJ1, p99), tossed with some olive oil and done under the broiler rather than frying, and Onion Relish (MJ1, p174), which went very well with the eggplant. Some store-bought desserts, vanilla and chestnut, nothing too special.
Thursday/30-May-13: Late night tonight, since Ed went to the doctor's walk-in hours and then to Brico Leclerc from some stuff. He brought home some fresh tomatoes (me having forgotten to buy some yesterday) for Hot Penne with Chilled Tomato Sauce and Charred Tuna (Essential, p322; cookbooker), followed by a big salad, and then some chocolate roses while walking Pogo.
Friday/31-May-13: Tonight there was Tuscan Zucchini Pie (WorldVeg, p541). Pretty good stuff, although serving 4 as main is a bit doubtful. Then a big salad. Then a bit of St Marcellin.
Yogurt on overnight.
Saturday/1-Jun-13: Dinner was was Cornish Game Hens with Preserved Lemons and Olives (CastIron, p71; cookbooker). Ok, it was coquelets instead of game hens. Whatever the bird, it was good. The sauce is really yummy. Served with polenta and some steamed broccoli dressed with olive oil/garlic slices/red pepper flakes. Some store-bought grandma's rice pudding for dessert.
Sunday/2-Jun-13: Lunch out today. We ate well, but nothing happened in our kitchen!
Progress on goals
This week: #1 IHCC/COOKBOOKS: yes, #2 VEG/FISH: 2
This month: #3 PASTA: yes for May; no for June, #4 BREAD: yes for May; no for June
Made lots of chicken stock with the carcasses of pintade, last week's Indian chickie, and a sackful of chicken thighs. Also took the meat off the lamb bone. There was lots to freeze, both slices and chunks.
Leftovers for dinner. I beefed up (porked up?) the leftover green pepper sauce with some frozen meat and served over rice. Followed by a big salad.
Yogurt on overnight.
Tuesday/28-May-13: Made the second loaf of bread this morning. The dough was closer to puddle bread. Why would it have had more consistency yesterday? You'd think it would dry out overnight. Slashing didn't make much difference either. Anyhow, I like the "pattern" of this recipe: make it in the evening and keep it in the fridge till you need it. Then baking a chunk takes an hour sitting and half an hour in the oven, so it's pretty quick to the table.
Pattycakes for IHCC tonight. Accompanied by smashed sweet potatoes and broccoli. Some chocolate squares for dessert during Pogo's evening walk.
Wednesday/29-May-13: Shopping today, then Ed off to dentist again. Leftover Indian chicken and rice for dinner, accompanied by Fried Aubergine (Eggplant) Slices (MJ1, p99), tossed with some olive oil and done under the broiler rather than frying, and Onion Relish (MJ1, p174), which went very well with the eggplant. Some store-bought desserts, vanilla and chestnut, nothing too special.
Thursday/30-May-13: Late night tonight, since Ed went to the doctor's walk-in hours and then to Brico Leclerc from some stuff. He brought home some fresh tomatoes (me having forgotten to buy some yesterday) for Hot Penne with Chilled Tomato Sauce and Charred Tuna (Essential, p322; cookbooker), followed by a big salad, and then some chocolate roses while walking Pogo.
Friday/31-May-13: Tonight there was Tuscan Zucchini Pie (WorldVeg, p541). Pretty good stuff, although serving 4 as main is a bit doubtful. Then a big salad. Then a bit of St Marcellin.
Yogurt on overnight.
Saturday/1-Jun-13: Dinner was was Cornish Game Hens with Preserved Lemons and Olives (CastIron, p71; cookbooker). Ok, it was coquelets instead of game hens. Whatever the bird, it was good. The sauce is really yummy. Served with polenta and some steamed broccoli dressed with olive oil/garlic slices/red pepper flakes. Some store-bought grandma's rice pudding for dessert.
Sunday/2-Jun-13: Lunch out today. We ate well, but nothing happened in our kitchen!
Progress on goals
This week: #1 IHCC/COOKBOOKS: yes, #2 VEG/FISH: 2
This month: #3 PASTA: yes for May; no for June, #4 BREAD: yes for May; no for June
Monday, September 10, 2012
This week in the kitchen
Monday/10-Sep-12: A late start to the morning, a visit with neighbors on a Pogo walk, and the day just flew. It got too late to make what was on the plan, so I made, embroidered a little, Black Bean Salad Santa Fe (365Veg, p54).
Today I finished off the bread I started last night (and forgot to note). This was Jim Lahey's now famous No-Knead Bread. I had the recipe from my friend Sam, but it's also all over the web, starting at the NY Times in November 2006.
Tuesday/11-Sep-12: Shopped this afternoon. No broccoli to be found, but lots of romaine, big and little, that wasn't there last week.
Dinner was a half recipe of Lemon Sole with Chipotle & Ancho Chilli Recado (Jamie, jul11), with panga. It's to be served with a Chunky Avocado & Cherry Tomato Salad (Jamie, jul11). And I added some trio rice to complete the plate. All was good. and easy enough. Double chocolate mini Magnums for after.
Wednesday/12-Sep-12: Dinner was Tom's Brick Chicken (CastIron, p63), a super way to cook a spatchcocked chicken! Very tender and moist. Served with Clotilde Dusolier's Perfect Roast Potatoes and some grilled eggplant from Barbara's garden. Double chocolate mini Magnums for after. (We're getting boring here.)
Thursday/13-Sep-12: Yogurt on overday. Lunch with the Ladies That Lunch; carrot sticks for dinner.
Friday/14-Sep-12: For dinner, there was Tamale Pie (OldLaurel, p299; NewLaurel, p307). Used black beans (rather than pinto or kidney) and tarted it up a bit with some ground oregano and chipotle powder. Pretty tasty stuff, really, if not all that tamale-ish. Then a salad. Then some more of those double chocolate mini Magnums. The dessert chef is really not doing her work around here!
The mobile boulanger is on vacation for a couple of weeks. A mobile epicier (a grocery store on wheels) came around late this afternoon and the neighborhood was out buying bread. Nobody was clear when he would come again. It seems like he may only come only once a week, whereas the regular boulanger comes four times.
Saturday/15-Sep-12: Off to Limoges for a forgettable (Groupon) lunch. Nothing happening in the kitchen.
Sunday/16-Sep-12: Yogurt on overday.
Lots of work in the kitchen today. A bit of stale bread became Croutons (Art, p173). I used olive oil rather than butter. Into the freezer with those.
Cleaning pantry shelves turned up some cans of fruit that ought to be used. Pineapple first, then peaches. Skillet or Upside Down Cake (Joy, p607). The sugar didn't want to melt completely in the skillet, but that didn't matter much in the end. I opened a flat can of pineapple slices; they didn't cover the bottom of the skillet, so I opened another flat can. Oops, that was crushed pineapple. I forgot we found this last time we were in the Netherlands. So I filled the skillet with pineapple chunks from another expired can. This recipe uses lots of bowls (which seems odd for an upside down cake cooked in a skillet). Trying to shortcut this, I made rather a mess of the dough part, but it worked OK in the end.
Then I used the end of my buttermilk, the opened crushed pineapple, and some of the chunks to make the broth for Pineapple Buttermilk Sherbert (MWLowFat, p394).
Dinner was, more or less, Curried Chicken Salad (Rosie, p34), using the remains of the brick chicken. No red cabbage shreds, which I expected, but I forgot to add the defrosted peas. Oh well. They'll turn up in something next week.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 COOKBOOKS: yes, #2 BREAD: yes, #3 SOUP: no, #4 MIDDAY: yes, #5 VEG/FISH: 3
This month: #6 PASTA: no
Today I finished off the bread I started last night (and forgot to note). This was Jim Lahey's now famous No-Knead Bread. I had the recipe from my friend Sam, but it's also all over the web, starting at the NY Times in November 2006.
Tuesday/11-Sep-12: Shopped this afternoon. No broccoli to be found, but lots of romaine, big and little, that wasn't there last week.
Dinner was a half recipe of Lemon Sole with Chipotle & Ancho Chilli Recado (Jamie, jul11), with panga. It's to be served with a Chunky Avocado & Cherry Tomato Salad (Jamie, jul11). And I added some trio rice to complete the plate. All was good. and easy enough. Double chocolate mini Magnums for after.
Wednesday/12-Sep-12: Dinner was Tom's Brick Chicken (CastIron, p63), a super way to cook a spatchcocked chicken! Very tender and moist. Served with Clotilde Dusolier's Perfect Roast Potatoes and some grilled eggplant from Barbara's garden. Double chocolate mini Magnums for after. (We're getting boring here.)
Thursday/13-Sep-12: Yogurt on overday. Lunch with the Ladies That Lunch; carrot sticks for dinner.
Friday/14-Sep-12: For dinner, there was Tamale Pie (OldLaurel, p299; NewLaurel, p307). Used black beans (rather than pinto or kidney) and tarted it up a bit with some ground oregano and chipotle powder. Pretty tasty stuff, really, if not all that tamale-ish. Then a salad. Then some more of those double chocolate mini Magnums. The dessert chef is really not doing her work around here!
The mobile boulanger is on vacation for a couple of weeks. A mobile epicier (a grocery store on wheels) came around late this afternoon and the neighborhood was out buying bread. Nobody was clear when he would come again. It seems like he may only come only once a week, whereas the regular boulanger comes four times.
Saturday/15-Sep-12: Off to Limoges for a forgettable (Groupon) lunch. Nothing happening in the kitchen.
Sunday/16-Sep-12: Yogurt on overday.
Lots of work in the kitchen today. A bit of stale bread became Croutons (Art, p173). I used olive oil rather than butter. Into the freezer with those.
Cleaning pantry shelves turned up some cans of fruit that ought to be used. Pineapple first, then peaches. Skillet or Upside Down Cake (Joy, p607). The sugar didn't want to melt completely in the skillet, but that didn't matter much in the end. I opened a flat can of pineapple slices; they didn't cover the bottom of the skillet, so I opened another flat can. Oops, that was crushed pineapple. I forgot we found this last time we were in the Netherlands. So I filled the skillet with pineapple chunks from another expired can. This recipe uses lots of bowls (which seems odd for an upside down cake cooked in a skillet). Trying to shortcut this, I made rather a mess of the dough part, but it worked OK in the end.
Then I used the end of my buttermilk, the opened crushed pineapple, and some of the chunks to make the broth for Pineapple Buttermilk Sherbert (MWLowFat, p394).
Dinner was, more or less, Curried Chicken Salad (Rosie, p34), using the remains of the brick chicken. No red cabbage shreds, which I expected, but I forgot to add the defrosted peas. Oh well. They'll turn up in something next week.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 COOKBOOKS: yes, #2 BREAD: yes, #3 SOUP: no, #4 MIDDAY: yes, #5 VEG/FISH: 3
This month: #6 PASTA: no
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