This week in the kitchen

Monday/7-Feb-22: Dinner was Balsamic Chicken with Mushrooms (MC), all sauce with two kip filets. Served with trio rice and broccoli sprinkled with lemon juice. Nice, fast dinner.

Tuesday/8-Feb-22: Picked up an order from Intermarché Drive today, so it should have been a fish night. But I was chatting on the phone with a friend and it got too late, so tonight we had tomorrow's planned meal. That was Spicy Chicken Livers (QuickWok, p90). This was ok, nothing special. Served this with Tasty Noodles with Broccoli (QuickWok, p137), made with whole wheat spaghetti. (Found some egg noodles in the cabinet, a bit old; they had a decided don't-eat-me look about them, so I tossed them and used spaghetti instead.) A half recipe made a nice side for two; a whole recipe would be an okay main, especially with a bit of tofu included.

Wednesday/9-Feb-22: Dinner was Fish Kebabs (RezaRice, p60). Not bad, these, but they needed a bit of sauce and he didn't recommend anything except raita, which I didn't make. Served with French Bean and Cashew Nut Thoran (RezaRice, p122). This was so-so. Used reconstituted dried coconut rather than fresh. There was also Lemon and Ginger Rice (RezaRice, p148), using brown basmati rice. This was pretty good as rice dishes go. Altogether, nothing special meal-wise, and a bit of work, taking a lot of time. Not happy with some of Reza's vague instructions.

Thursday/10-Feb-22: Baked a loaf of Easy French bread (Electric, p60; GD). Which really wasn't needed since we went to the boulangerie this afternoon on the way to dentist and brico.

Dinner from the crockpot, Bean and Sausage Soup (BestSC, p26). The beans weren't quite done. I think I remember that, in my crockpot, beans need to cook on High to get properly done; these were done on Low. The instructions say to cut the turkey sausages in half lengthwise. If I did that I'd have some ground sausage meat with casings. Soup was ok. 

Friday/11-Feb-22: Using up the other half of the bakje of chicken livers, we had Foies de Volaille à a Sauge (Chicken Livers with Sage) (Franey, p75). This was better than Hom's spicy livers. The cognac evaporated before I could get a match to it, so it never got properly flambéed. The suggested go-with (for the 60-minute "gourmet" dinner) was Nouilles à l'Alsacienne (Noodles with Crumb and Egg Topping) (Franey, p75). This was good; I've never seen hard-boiled egg added to noodles like this. Lots of butter in these dishes. For some veggie matter, I cut up some carrots, boiled them a  bit, and added parsley and lemon juice. 

Saturday/12-Feb-22: Didn't feel much like cooking this evening, so we had leftover soup for dinner. Even though it's been cooking off and on for two days, the beans are still on the crunchy side. Tastes good, though, especially with a good squirt of jalapeño Tabasco.

Sunday/13-Feb-22: Dinner was Pasta-Kwarkschotel met Bauwe Kaas. Can't find this online. (I thought it might be from Allerhande, but I don't think so now—maybe another grocery store magazine or maybe a proper magazine.) I did a little (mostly English-language) searching for a kwark substitute and came up with Greek yogurt, so I ordered that from the Drive. At dinner I was thinking that fromage blanc might be just the thing, and it seems some French sites think that also. But the Greek yogurt was fine. The instructions have you make layers of the pasta/eggs/peas mixture and the kwark/garlic/pepper mixture. This struck me as useless, so I just mixed all together and topped that with crumbled bleu d'Auvergne (which was in the fridge needing to be used), rather than Danish blue. Forty minutes might to be too long in the oven. Served with broccoli; now I see the recipe suggests cauliflower. 

Another week, no picture. Having some trouble getting back to this.

Long ago Blogspot had some trouble with the dating of posts. At the time, it seemed the simplest thing for me was let the date be that of the first entry for the week, rather than the final entry. I think things have changed, and so I'm going to change to the more sensible dating. I'll correct all the posts from this year to the last entry and continue like that. 

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/17-Jan-22: Last night I started an Overnight Boule; this morning I baked it off. Good bread. I also started a batch of Oven-Dried Tomatoes (HandyBook). 

Dinner was an oldie, but goodie, Bulgur, Broccoli, and Feta Cheese Pilaf (MC; modified from VT/jun00). Still good stuff.

Tuesday/18-Jan-22: Dinner was turkey pot pie, really Ryan's Pie (PotPies, p46), or almost. I used turkey instead of chicken, and, since it was pretty bare of veggies, I added some peas with the turkey. Tasty stuff. That was dinner.

Wednesday/19-Jan-22: Made a loaf of English Toasting Bread (Electric, p21) (Basic/Rapid/M/d/-). This is supposed to be baked in the oven, so it can be coated with cornmeal, but I skipped that and just baked in the ABM.

Dinner was delicious, all tried and true stuff. The main was Spicy Shrimp Stir-Fry (MJ@Home, p63). This is easy and really good. Served with the suggested sides Sri Lankan Rice with Cilantro and Lemon Grass (MJ@Home, p210) and Mushroom and Pea Curry (MJ@Home, p161). The mushroom-pea thing was way too liquid; we'll have the rest as soup for lunch one day soon. 

Thursday/20-Jan-22: We managed trips to both Drives today; the second one had been planned for tomorrow, but there were slots in the late afternoon available, so we took advantage of that (and Ed made a trip to the brico).

When it came time cook, I didn't feel like it, so I heated up the two choucroute dinners that I'd bought from a Drive for a quick dinner on another night. These were pretty so-so; the choucroute was tasteless. Too bad. I like me some choucroute every now and again, but not this. 

Friday/21-Jan-22: Made a loaf of Authentic French Bread (Magic, p22) (Basic/Rapid/M/d/-).

Dinner was Walnut-Rosemary Crusted Salmon (web). This was fairly easy (a bit of chop-chop) and very tasty. Served with a small salad and some cèpe-flavored pasta twists. Nice dinner.

Saturday/22-Jan-22: Crockpot dinner tonight was Beef Shanks with Red Wine and Tomatoes (SlowItal, p149). Surprisingly this was not very good. The meat never got falling apart tender. The sauce is okay; I might try to make soup of it. And roast beef sandwiches perhaps from the leftover meat. Served with polenta and snijbonen in 1" chunks. 

Sunday/23-Jan-22: Made a loaf of Easy French Bread (Electric, p62) (Basic/Rapid/M/d/-).

Dinner was Falafel-Stuffed Peppers with a Coconut-Dill Sauce (web; notes). After that was in the oven, I made the roasted bell pepper sauce for tomorrow's starter. Then I made the tahini sauce to go with the bell peps. 

Dry rubbed the lamb shoulder for tomorrow's meal. It's outside pretending to be in the fridge (but actually colder than that).

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 4; #2 PHOTO: no; #3
This month: #3 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #4 BACKLOG2: yes; #5 BACKLOG2: no; #6 RECYCLE: 0; #7 NEW: 2

This week in the kitchen

Monday/10-Jan-22: Made a loaf of Easy French Bread (Electric, p62) (Basic/Rapid/M/d/-). 

Dinner from the freezer tonight, some vaguely SE Asian tuna patties. Served with Thai-Style Dipping Sauce (web) as suggested. This was a bit salty and a bit sweet even though I cut back the sugar. Then there was, more or less, Cilantro-Lime Sweet Corn (web) with canned corn. And some whole-grain basmati trio rice. 

Tuesday/11-Jan-22: An old favorite for dinner, Warm Broccoli and Potato Salad (MDSalads, p15). This is my go-to recipe where there are potatoes and broccoli hanging around needing to be eaten. Good stuff.

Wednesday/12-Jan-22: Made a loaf of English Muffin Bread, (BigGerman, p15) (Basic/Rapid/M/d/-) this morning. Picked up an order from Intermarché Drive.

Dinner was Roasted Tilapia with Orange-Parsley Salsa (CL/mar09; web), using cod instead of tilapia, which generally isn't sold here. This was fairly boring, if pretty. Served with the last of some frozen mixed veggies. (What we didn't eat, Buddy was happy to finish.)

Thursday/13-Jan-22: This morning I started a batch of Crockpot Texas Chili from an old printout of chili recipes. This is supposedly from the Texas Beef Council. I haven't been able to find the recipe online. Meanwhile, it had to cook so long, I decided to make something else for tonight's dinner.

So we had Scallops in a Creamy Dill Sauce (RezaRice, p62). This was tasty, with a good sauce, if not as quick as I expected. Served with Gram Flour Coated Zucchini (P&S, p101). This is a recipe I saved from a recycled book. It's pretty good and not too hard. And brown basmati rice. Pretty good dinner.

Friday/14-Jan-22: So, it was Crockpot Texas Chili for dinner. Ed liked it; I didn't. The recipe is very similar to my standard one, except for the dark beer added. I think that's the taste I didn't like. There's lots of leftovers to freeze, sigh. Served with tortillas and guacamole and some English cheddar, which was the wrong cheese.

Saturday/15-Jan-22: Made a loaf of French Bread (Tender) (BMB, p21) (Basic/Rapid/S/d/-). This is apparently the first time I've made this loaf.

Dinner was Chicken Cutlets with Roasted Red Pepper & Arugula Relish (web). This was quite good. The relish/salsa was a nice touch. (I didn't add the extra sugar to that.) Served with some minted carrot coins and whole wheat penne. Good meal.

Sunday/16-Jan-22: Yesterday's French Bread (Tender) was quite good. It's a shame that it's a small loaf, like all the ones from that cookbook.

Inventory fail today. Went to get falafels from the freezer for dinner and there were none to be found. Ed went for pizza, in not the best weather, icy and foggy. It was much colder in Montbron than here. Will have to replan the falafels after our next Driver orders.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 4; #2 PHOTO: no
This month: #3 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #4 BACKLOG2: yes; #5 BACKLOG3: no; #6 RECYCLE: 0; #7 NEW: 2

This week in the kitchen

Monday/13-Dec-21: Dinner was a half dose of Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Olives (Seaver2, p122). This was quite nice. I cooked everything in the tagine/tajine, rather than using a separate pot for getting started with the onions and browning the thighs. There was lots of sauce left. I blended it up and have frozen it, maybe for a sauce with chicken or pork. Served with Moroccan Carrots (1Good, p59); I'm making this so often, I really need to put it in my kitchen Handy Book. And some Moroccan couscous, from a store-bought mix. 

Tuesday/14-Dec-21: Before dinner, I started a loaf of Easy French Bread (Electric, p62).

Dinner was Tortellini with Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce (web). (I got this recipe from foodnetwork.com, but these days Europeans are automatically redirected to foodnetwork.co.uk. Where the recipe is not available. :-( ) It was okay, nothing special. Then a salad. A single madeleine each for after. 

Wednesday/15-Dec-21: Using up lots of veggies, tonight's dinner was what I think of as a hippie dinner, lot of veggie sautéed and served over short-grain brown rice. 

Thursday/16-Dec-21: Shopping today.

Dinner was half of Salmon with Garlic Cream Sauce (web). This was good. Served with trio rice, and that was all. A single madeleine each for after.

Friday/17-Dec-21: Dinner was Tunisian Meatballs* (1Good, p141; web; web; GD). When I first made this, I didn't yet have the cookbook. This would be a good company dish because you could make the sauce and meatballs up ahead and warm them together at serving time. Served with the Israeli couscous recipe included. Followed by a very simple salad. A single madeleine each for after.

Saturday/18-Dec-21: Dinner was Wok-Fried Lamb with Cumin (1Good, p204; cookbooker), which was very good. Served with plain basmati rice and Broccoli and Mixed Mushrooms in Garlic Black Bean Sauce (web). I made a whole recipe, resulting in two adequate servings, not four as advertised. 

Sunday/19-Dec-21: Dinner was Chicken in a Cilantro, Spinach, and Mustard Sauce (Q&E, p50). This is probably my most used cookbook, so I'm always surprised to find something new to make here. This was new, and good. As suggested, served with Indian Mashed Potatoes (Q&E, p90),which is an old favorite, and Simply Grilled Tomatoes (Q&E, p93). A single madeleine each for after.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 3; #2 PHOTO: no; #3 *DMA: yes
This month: #4 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #5 BACKLOG1: 100%; #6 BACKLOG2: no; #7 RECYCLE: 16; #8 NEW: 5

This week in the kitchen

Monday/29-Nov-21: Dinner was Shrimp and Corn Chowder (web). This was pretty good. I did cut the shrimp in half, since whole, they seemed too big for easy eating. I made a whole recipe, which will serve two easily. Not sure if the added flour serves any purpose beyond making the chowder a big on the thick side.

Tuesday/30-Nov-21: Started some turkey stock with the legs bones from out Thanksgiving meal. 

Dinner was Leftover Lamb Tagine (web). This wasn't bad. I was glad I didn't add any honey, since the apricots made it quite sweet enough. Served with whole wheat couscous and Moroccan Carrots (1Good, p59), which has become a favorite.

Wednesday/1-Dec-21: Dinner was Curried Fried Rice (MW@Home, p226). This is easy and pretty good. Long-grain brown rice. 

Thursday/2-Dec-21: Shopping today. 

Dinner was Apricot Dijon Glazed Salmon* (web; GD). This was good again, also easy and fast. Served with orzo haricots verts. 

Friday/3-Dec-21: Off to have my haircut today, so an easy dinner. We had tongue with a grainy mustard sauce from a can. Served with Spätzle (MW@Home, p203) made with T110 flour ("light" whole wheat); the batter needed a bit of extra milk. These were okay, but white flour is better. Also some steamed snijbonen in chunks. Tasty dinner for little work.

Saturday/4-Dec-21: Dinner was a half dose of Skillet-Toasted Penne with Chicken Sausage (CL/Jan-Feb14; web). This was pretty good. I used poultry sausage that were grilled in the summer. The pasta is toasted in a skillet and cooked rather like a risotto. No idea what a Calabrian chile is, so I chopped up a red (Indonesian?) chile, deseeded. Then a salad. 

Sunday/5-Dec-21: When it got time to make dinner, I didn't really feel like cooking and wasn't very hungry. So I used up some odds and ends from the fridge to make open-faced sandwiches. Sliced onion, lardons, the last half of a red bell pepper, some mushrooms, all topped with a bit of mozzarella and toasted. Not bad. Then we ate half a little Langres cheese. That's all. Somewhere in there the fire/CO detector in the kitchen started going off, we're hoping it was just the batteries being a bit low (even though they were replaced less than a year ago).

A loaf of Easy French Bread (Electric, p62) on overnight. I usually do this bread on Rapid, but Rapid can't be done on the timer. We'll see how it goes.

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

This week in the kitchen

Monday/18-Oct-21: Finished the Spinach and Artichoke Macaroni and Cheese casserole for dinner tonight. On the side we had Moroccan Carrots (1Good, p59). We've had this before; it's indeed One Good Dish. A pair of chocolate-covered madeleines each for after.

Amazon Associates informed me (and all their customers) that I should have a disclosure on the site if I include their links. So I've started a project of removing them from the Cookbooks page. I don't think I'll remove them from individual posts; that's just too much useless and error-prone work. 

I'm adding Ratio and Fast, Fresh & Spicy Vegetarian to the books I'm currently reading. It seems I never finished Ratio, and I'm not sure about FF&S. I'm pretty well done with Ratio this time, and will start on FF&S next. I'm going to mark The Book Lover's Cookbook as done too, and move it to the recycle stack. The only recipe I made from this was a bit of a failure, and the book doesn't appeal all that much.

Tuesday/19-Oct-21: Dinner was Runner Beany Herb Linguine (web; GD). Except for slicing up the snijbonen (oh for a Dutch greengrocer who does this for you!), this is easy to do. And very tasty. I thoughtlessly made this with tagliatelle rather than linguine, but it was fine. Onto the DMA list with this one. 

HD mini cups (chocolate) for after.

Wednesday/20-Oct-21: Shopping today. In the veggie section, there was a sign for a "demi-chou," a half cabbage, which would be nice, but there were none to be seen. I miss our Dutch greengrocer where we could get half a cabbage or cauliflower.

A very nice dinner tonight. Dinner was a half dose of Salmon with Onion Confit, Spanish Style (Seaver2, p95; cookbooker). I cooked in individual dishes, probably not necessary, then plated the contents. Served with long-grain brown rice and a little salad loosely based on this recipe, with nothing measured; some peas, the end of my flat cabbage, and the dilly vinaigrette. Good it was. 

Some store-bought riz au lait nature for after.

Thursday/21-Oct-21: Dinner was a half dose for Ground Meat with Peas (MJ1, p44); I made it with ground beef and all the spices. Served it over brown basmati rice with Onion Relish (MJ1, p174). The meat and the relish were especially good together. (I have to make this relish more often. It's easy and really good. Would be good on a ham sandwich, or with scrambled eggs perhaps.) Some HD mini ice cream cups for after.

Friday/22-Oct-21: Off for haircut today. 

Dinner was pork chops, rubbed with some of the pork rub I made a while ago. And some mashed sweet potatoes (with crème fraîche, orange juice, and ground chipotle).  And Simply Sizzled Cucumber (MC). Really simple, pretty good, made a pretty plate with the pork chop and sweet potato. A pair of chocolate-covered madeleines for after.

Saturday/23-Oct-21: Made a loaf of Easy French Bread, (Electric, p62).

Leftovers for dinner. We had Green Eggs and Ham Soup from the freezer, thinned with chicken stock and tarted up with some Tabasco sauce, and tuna salad sandwiches. That's all.

Sunday/24-Oct-21: Dinner was a half recipe of Aiguillettes de Canard Caramélisées* (web; GD), made with escalopes de canard, rather than aiguillettes. (Aiguillettes are needles, thus the long narrow "filet" off the back of the breast.) Served with orzo and a Raw Beet Salad (web; GD), which was very good and easy. For after there was Sarah Lee's Crumb Cake (MC; GD)

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 3; #2 PHOTO: yes; #3 *DMA: yes
This month: #4 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #5 BACKLOG1: yes; #6 BACKLOG2: yes; #7 RECYCLE: 11; #8 NEW: 4

This week in the kitchen

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This week in the kitchen

Monday/23-Aug-21: Monday again. Dinner was a halfish recipe of Pan-Fried Chili and Garlic Chicken Livers (web). This was pretty good as chicken livers go (not my favorite thing). They went well with the grits. Also served with Kentucky Minted Carrots (TLSouth, p67). I made a half recipe of what should serve four and thought it servings were a bit skimpy, especially because it was good. A pair of chocolate chocolate-covered madelines for after.

Tuesday/24-Aug-21: Started to make dinner, then discovered I'd neglected to ensure there were fresh bread crumbs available. So I make a loaf of Easy French Bread (Electric, p62). 

Tonight's dinner, Mushroom Tortellini Soup (SimpSups, p116), was on the plan for tomorrow. I used the end of one jar of dried cèpes (porcini) and opened a new jar. Yuck, the "dried" cèpes were moldy, and seriously yucky at the bottom of the jar. So we were a bit short on the dried mushrooms. Pretty good stuff, though. The whole recipe should serve four, but the two of us ate it all. (Used my last jar of AH Paddestoelen Fond. When will we be able to get more, I wonder?) Some mini Häagen-Däsz ice cream cups for after.

Wednesday/25-Aug-21: Dinner was Moroccan Carrot and Chickpea Salad (web). (I collected this from my EAT-L list.) This was a salad to serve eight, but it was a fine dinner for two. A pair of chocolate chocolate-covered madelines for after.

Thursday/26-Aug-21: Shopping today. Our favorite boulangerie is still closed for vacation and I forgot to buy bread at Leclerc, so I guess I'll be making more bread this week. Ed really likes the one I just make, but it's almost gone now.

Used up the last of my chicken livers to make Chicken-Liver Casserole with Mushrooms and Eggplant (TLSouth, p45). This wasn't bad at all. I did expect the eggs and cream to make a kind of custard around the livers, shrooms, and eggplant, but it was pretty watery. Still, tasted okay. Make a little salad as a go-with. Store-bought custard with caramel for after. It's late, but we're well-fed.

Friday/27-Aug-21: Made a loaf of German-Style Whole Wheat Bread (Rustic, p150). This is about the best tasting and textured whole wheat bread I've made.

Dinner was Crispy Fried Catfish (Delightful, p73). The fish was cod rather than catfish. The cod, as cod does, flaked after being steamed. So I fried the flakes. Only a bit of crispiness appeared. The green mango I bought for the go-with salad in the recipe was rotten at the core; I used a can of mango slices instead. Served with plain basmati rice and a half dose of Cabbage Salad (Delightful, p50), which was good again. A pair of chocolate-covered madeleines each for after.

Saturday/28-Aug-21: Dinner was a half dose of Turkey Tenderloins and Apricot Sauce (EAT-L; web). I used turkey scallops, from the freezer, rather than tenderloins; the cooking time was a bit less, I think. Served with orzo and broccoli. For after we had Peach Clafoutis (web). This was very easy and very yummy. Used my oval Wedgwood casserole, oval being the traditional shape for clafoutis.

Sunday/29-Aug-21: Dinner was, more or less, a half recipe of Tonnarelli al Granachio e Rucola—Tonarelli with Crab and Rocket* (ClassPasta, p107), made with linguine. 

More Peach Clafoutis for after.

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

This week in the kitchen

Monday/28-Jun-21: Dinner was Sheet-Pan Spicy Roasted Broccoli Pasta* (web; GD). Used galletti for the pasta. Pretty good stuff. Then we finished yesterday's salad. For dessert, I made up some ice cream "broth", with the rest of the tiramisu dipping sauce (which wasn't at all sweet), some cream, and some buttermilk. This was pretty good, served with the leftover ladyfingers.

Tuesday/29-Jun-21: Yogurt on overday.

Made a loaf of Easy French bread (Electric, p62). My this is good stuff.

Dinner was Chicken Pozole Salad* (web; GD). Good stuff, quick and easy to assemble. Ed cut up some fruit for after, but we didn't feel like eating much of it.

Wednesday/30-Jun-21: Shopping today, a Drive order and Leclerc. Where there were no snijbonen,  Which were twice on the menu this week. Some replanning necessary there.

Dinner was a half dose of Spicy South Asian Roasted Fish* (web; GD) with lieu noir. Ed thought this was good again, but I thought my fish tasted off. Served with Glazed Carrots Asian Style (web); these were good, but the thicker bits were not as done as they could have been. And some plain basmati rice. Some store-bought riz au lait for after.

Thursday/1-Jul-21: Dinner was, sort of, Eggplant and Zucchini Pasta with Feta and Dill (web). The copy I printed has a cooking note that suggest roasting the veggies, so I did that, and served over short-grain brown rice. Kind of like a hippie meal,  except I don't think I knew about roasting veggies or dill or feta at that time. Still, it was good. For after, some of the tiramisu dipping sauce ice cream, with crème de framboise (me) or cassis (Ed).

Friday/2-Jul-21: Dinner was Grilled Buffalo Chicken Tacos (web; CL/may16). Ok, but forgettable. I had half the chicken but all the sauce. We made soft tacos with the first tortilla and tore up the rest into the salad. Needed another veg, maybe an avocado?, instead of the celery, which didn't fit at all. Oh well. Store-bought riz au lait for after.

Saturday/3-Jul-21: Out for dinner (hamburgers), then an outdoor concert. Nothing happened in the kitchen. 

Sunday/4-Jul-21: For dinner, I vaguely followed Lemon and Broccoli Pasta with Shrimp (web). Can't say I followed this recipe closely. I asks for "high fiber" pasta; I used whole wheat. The picture shows linguine, but given the ingredients a chunkier past would be better. Which is what I used. Scallops in the freezer were older than the shrimp, so I used those. Added some red pepper flakes with the garlic. Made more or less the whole sauce. With 6oz of pasta. Have just a small bit, no scallops, for leftovers. Pretty tasty.

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

This week in the kitchen

Monday/14-Jun-21: Dinner was Banh Mi Burgers (web). Pretty tasty, if no kind of authentic. Finished off the orange pound cake for after.

Tuesday/15-Jun-21: Being a bit tired of bread from the freezer, I made a loaf of Easy French bread (Electric, p62) this afternoon. 

Dinner was a half dose of Thai-Style Scallop-in-a-Packet (MWClass, p366). This is easy and delicious. Served over basmati rice. A pair of chocolate-covered madeleines each for after. 

Wednesday/16-Jun-21: A stop at Leclerc Drive, and a shopping at Leclerc itself. 

Dinner was Baked Honey Sriracha Lime Salmon* (web, GD). Served with trio rice and Asian Green Bean Salad* (web, GD) made with chunks of snijbonen rather than green beans and a chopped tomato rather than cherry tomatoes. Some store-bought custards for after.

Thursday/17-Jun-21: We came away from shopping with a surplus of kiwis. So I made Kiwi Jam (web), of course. Put two jars in the freezer and have a bit to try tomorrow. Put chicken on to marinate for tonight's dinner. 

After last night's storm, Someone opened both the skylights to let in the fresh, cooler air, neglecting the forecast rain for the day.  In the early afternoon, I started prepared to Eufy the lower part of the living room, and discovered water falling onto the coffee table. Yikes! The office was wet and the  craft area was flooded, as was the entry. 

Dinner was Shish Taouk—Lebanese Chicken Skewers* (web; GD). Used aiguillettes rather than chunking bits of kip filet. For a side, there was Grilled Zucchini with Zaatar, Garlic, and Labneh (web), but without the labneh or any toppings. Pretty good. As was the Moroccan couscous. For after, a pair of dark chocolate-covered madeleines.

Friday/18-Jun-21: Went to the butcher today and got a jarret de porc, demi-sel (ham hock) and some rumpsteak for dinner while Bill is here. Put the jarret on to cook. Left it overnight to sit in its salty juice.

Dinner was Orecchiette with Peas, Shrimp and Buttermik-Herb Dressing* (web, GD)  For after, a pair of dark chocolate-covered madeleines.

Put the chicken to marinate for Ping Gai Chicken* (web; GD; GD). Started the broth for Lemon-Buttermilk Sherbet (Scoop, p117).

Saturday/19-Jun-21: Reheated the jarret, then pulled the meat into shreds. Froze some of the broth and Kept the rest for risotto.

Finished the broth for the Lemon-Buttermilk Sherbet this morning. Spent most of the day cleaning and clearing up. It seems like for Covid-time I've not put much away, so all flat surfaces were busy with Stuff. 

Late in the afternoon, I assembled the salad and the sauce for Thai Cucumber Salad with Peanuts (web; HandyBook).

Bill arrived this evening, a bit later than expected. Ed barbecued the chicken, while I made rice and assembled the salad. The rain stopped, so we sat outside to eat and enjoy the cooler temp.

Dinner wast Ping Gai Chicken, Thai cucumber salad, and rice, with Lemon-Buttermilk Sherbet and strawberries for after.

Sunday/20-Jun-21: We had lunch out today, a delicious Father's Day lunch, although none of us are fathers. 

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

This week in the kitchen

Monday/31-May-21: I had an itch for duck not too long ago, so tonight we had Peppery Duck Steaks with Parsley Salad (1Good, p185). This was quite good. The "fluffy" parsley salad was surprisingly good. Served with steamed new potatoes from the potager (offspring of some sprouted red potatoes that got thrust into the ground) and Herbed Fava Beans (web, but the favas are overcooked then drowned in vinaigrette; MC; GD). The vinaigrette really blends nicely with the favas. 

The rest of the tapioca pudding for after.

Tuesday/1-Jun-21: Yogurt on overday. Baked a loaf of Easy French bread again. (It's good, have I said?)

Dinner was Stir-Fried Prawns with Fresh Asparagus (HotWok, p92). The asparagus I got this week were purple. As far as I can tell they taste the same. Good. Over plain basmati rice. For after, some chopped fruit (apple, peach, kiwi) with cream. 

Wednesday/2-Jun-21: Lots of veggies to use up, so I deviated from the plan (that's what it's for, isn't it?) to make something else. First I found this recipe for Blistered Runner Beans with Bagna Cauda (web). I had more veggies total than the 400g of snijbonen this recipe asks, but made half the sauce and that was sufficient. I "blistered" the snijbonen as instructed; I roasted (under the grill) a red bell pepper; I roasted (in the oven) some broccoli. Arranged these on a platter and poured the sauce over them.  Served over brown rice. Very satisfying dinner. Some chopped fruit with cream for after.

Thursday/3-Jun-21: Shopping in the store again. 

No asparagus this week; season over, I guess. Dinner was, sort of, Salmon with Fennel, Bell Pepper, Olives (web). Except I forgot to put a navel orange on the list, so used a lemon instead. This was pretty good, in spite of me. The fennel and bell pepper was an odd combination, but worked really well. Served with a shaped whole wheat pasta. For after, some store-bought riz au laits wtih chopped fruit, which was a good idea, but the crunchy fruit and the cream riz au lait didn't work well.

Friday/4-Jun-21: Tonight we had the leftovers from the chicken with onion-almond sauce. Served with Yellow Basmati Rice with Sesame Seeds (MJ@Home, p208) again; no soaking the rice this time. And South Indian-Style Green Beans (MJ@Home, p147) made with snijbonen. All was delicious. Some chocolate-covered madeleines for after. 

Saturday/5-Jun-21: Dinner was a half dose of Broccoli and Feta Frittata (web). This was pretty good even if some of the broccoli was a tad crunchy. Then a big salad. And some chocolate-covered madeleines for after.

Sunday/6-Jun-21: Dinner was Chicken in a Creamy Parmesan and Sundried Tomato Sauce* (web; GD). This was good again. Served with some tagliatelle and a half recipe of Easy Roasted Asparagus and Carrots (web). This was okay, nothing special. Before starting dinner, I made Chenango Valley Chocolate Cake (EAT-L; GD). This was simple, easy to get into the oven before serious cooking started. Also delicious, light and fluffy. I didn't bother to frost it. Ed had it with some cream.

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

This week in the kitchen

Monday/17-May-21: Another loaf of Easy French bread (Electric, p62) (Basic/Rapid/M/d/-) today. Yes, we like this delicious bread.

Dinner was Creamy Garlic Pasta with Shrimp & Vegetables* (web; GD). Very tasty sauce; it just needs the shrimp put in after the veggies so they don't get overcooked. For dessert there was Box of Dreams Cake (BigBites, p252). This a pudding cake. Quite yummy. 

Tuesday/18-May-21: Dinner was Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Chili Sauce* (web; web; GD). Seriously yummy, not to mention easy. I use some pork rub I made a while ago, rather than the chili powder and other spices. As a go-with there was Green Bean, Feta, and Black Olive Salad* (web; CL/nov10; GD), using up the last of my bulgur. This delicious salad could be a veggie main. It would also be good for a potluck meal. And, guess what, some pudding cake for after.

Wednesday/19-May-21: Ed off to the doctor for a test today. When we got back I placed what I hope will be our last Drive orders for a while. Next week we'll brave the grocery store.

Dinner was Chiles Rellenos Casserole (CL90, p147). I've made this a bunch of times, lately adding a bit of chile powder to the cornmeal mixture. It's pretty good even though the poblanos are canned. Served with a batch of my take on my mother's Spanish Rice. And a nice little salad/salsa of tomatoes, avocado, shallots, cilantro, olive oil, and lime juice, with some chili powder. Neither of us felt like pudding cake tonight, but I did have a square of chocolate.

Thursday/20-May-21: Ed picked up orders from both Drives today. Next week our vaccinated selves hope to get back to grocery store-ing. However the covid numbers took a little rise, apparently with the Ascension Day weekend. No telling what will happen with déconfinement and this holiday weekend.

Make another loaf of Easy French bread (Electric, p62) (Rapid/Basic/M/d/-), this time with 1 cup of T110, light whole wheat. Loaf looks nice, but we won't cut it till tomorrow. 

Dinner was Sheet-Pan Salmon and Broccoli with Sesame and Ginger (web), easy and fast, Oriental-ish flavors. Served with some udon noodles (wheat and rice). We finished the pudding cake for after. 

Friday/21-May-21: Dinner was a half dose of Scallops & Spring Vegetables with Olive-Caper Pan Sauce (web). This was pretty good, but there was no way the veggies could get done in two minutes of sautéing. Served with some spaghettis courts, which was good for sopping up the sauce. Some store-bought vanilla yogurts for after.

Saturday/22-May-21: Yogurt on overday.

For dinner we had leftover Chiles Rellenos Casserole. I cooked up a bit more rice, with some chili powder, to add to the Spanish rice. I beefed up the rest of the salad salsa with another avocado, more cilantro, lime juice, and chili powder. 

Meanwhile, in preparation for tomorrow's meal, I made Marinated Carrot Sticks (ClassicItal, p56) and Fresh Ricotta Cheese and Limoncello Cake (web). This looks promising; we'll see tomorrow. (The recipe doesn't specify how big the bundt pan should be. I used my larger one, the smaller would proabably have been better. I cut back sugar to 1 cup. Probably half the glaze would have been sufficient.)

Sunday/23-May-21: We bought our plat only, vaguely Italian, from a local ferme-auberge. We started with a plate with Hard-Boiled Eggs with Green Sauce (ClassicItal, p52), that I made this morning, and Marinated Carrot Sticks, that I made yesterday. Both were good. 

Then with had saltimbocca, made of chicken breast, lined with ham, mozzarella, and basil leaves. Served with what might have been home-made tagliatelle with pesto. 

And Fresh Ricotta Cheese and Limoncello Cake, very yummy.

Made another loaf of Easy French bread (Electric, p62) (Basic/Rapid/M/d/-). All T65 flour. 

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

This week in the kitchen

Monday/10-May-21: Feeling recovered from my vaccination today. Whew, that was two days lost.

Made yet another loaf of Easy French bread (Electric, p62) (Basic/Rapid/M/d/-) today. Yes, we really like this one.

Dinner was Balsamic Chicken with Mushrooms (MC), we've liked before. Served with trio rice which contributed to the overall brownness of the plate; orzo would have been better. And some steamed broccoli and cauliflower, tossed with a bit of lemon juice. Strawberries and cream for after.

Tuesday/11-May-21: I spent all afternoon trying to get our two orders for the Drives done, slow internet driving me nuts. I sent Ed out on a pizza mission for dinner. It was after the curfew time, but the truck was crowded and Ed said a maskless gendarme joined the group. As Ed left the house, I said we'd have a race if I'd get the second order placed before he got back. We tied. This was a new pizza truck for us. They were OK. 

Wednesday/12-May-21: Yogurt on overday.

Yes, made Easy French bread (Electric, p62) (Basic/Rapid/M/d/-) again, this time with my last bit of rye flour (1/4-1/3cup) to use that up.

Dinner was Judy Heuman's Indian Fried Fish (Eat-L; GD), with cod. I'm not good at these breaded things, but it was delicious. Served with Karhai Broccoli (MJ@Home, p148), an old favorite, and Potato and Pea Chaat (MJ@Home, p166), which is a variation on her plain Potato Chaat, which is always good. Ed said is was a 5* meal. A pair of chocolate-covered madeleines for after; boring, but good.

Thursday/13-May-21: Dinner was Sweet Potato and Lentil This Curry (web) served over brown rice. This was tasty but without texture except for the cashews sprinkled on top. It does indeed serve three; we'll split the last serving for lunch one day soon. Some store-bought vanilla yogurts for after.

Friday/14-May-21: Dinner was Eggs with Fresh Green Herbs—Hare masale ka omlate (Q&E, p44).  As a side, there was Carrot and Onion Salad—Gajar aur pyaz ka salad (MJ1, p171), a favorite. 

For after we had strawaberries and cream.

Saturday/15-May-21: Dinner was Apricot-Curry Glazed Chicken with Potatoes & Asparagus (web). This was pretty good, and there's nothing wrong with a one-dish meal. Not enough potatoes in the recipes as given, but that's easy to fix. Some HD mini ice cream cups for after.

Sunday/16-May-21: Dinner was Tuna Cutlets (Tuna Patties)* (web; GD), which were good. Served with plain basmati and Pan-Grilled Zucchini (MJ@Home, p173). We ate while watching Anneleen hosting a (non-)marching band. 

A pair of chocolate-covered madeleines for after.

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

This week in the kitchen

Monday/3-May-21: Made a loaf of ABM bread, Light Rye (Electric, p64) (Basic/Rapid/M/d/-). Ed really liked this last time I made it. We'll see how he feels tomorrow.

It was a Greekish meal tonight. Our main was Greek-Style Roast Leg of Lamb (web). This was extra yummy. I wonder why we don't roast a leg of lamb more often. It's a bit expensive, this 2.2kg leg probably cost 20-ish euros. But we'll have 4 meals for 2 from it. That ends up about €3 per serving. That's not much. 

For one side, I used the rest of my gignate beans (where did I get them? I need more) to make a third recipe  Greek Butter Beans (Gigantes Plaki) (web). (My third recipe will serve four, maybe three would do. They must mean it as a main dish.) The other side was a halfish recipe of Carrot Salad with Fresh Fennel, Dried Figs, and Preserved Lemons (O&C, p199; GD; cookbooker). I liked odd combination, Ed not so much. No dessert needed (we had banana bread for lunch).

Tuesday/4-May-21: Dinner was Oven-Dried Tomato Tart with Goat Cheese and Black Olives* (web; GD). I used tomatoes from the freezer that I'd already oven-dried. The tart was good again. Should have made a salad, but didn't. A pair of chocolate-covered madeleines each for after. 

Wednesday/5-May-21: Leftovers for dinner. We had the lamb and beans, reheated. Plus the carrot, fennel, and dried fig salad, which lasted quite well. I steamed some green beans and made up a little sauce for them, adapted from fancy Greek salad, of mayo, lots of lemon juice, a teeny minced garlic, capers, and dill. Worked pretty well. More fridge clearing for dessert. I had a packet of croissant dough, the kind you spiral open and out pops the dough. I made two squares of the dough, pinching seams together as best I could. The filling was a tub of ricotta, sweetened with a spoonful of honey and tartened up with some lemon juice. Then baked in the oven with the leftovers. Wasn't bad, if a bit too much. Actually the filling was quite good. I won't buy the croissants again.

Thursday/6-May-21: Having finished the Light Rye bread (Ed still likes it, and it held up well), I made a loaf of Easy French bread (Electric, p62) (Basic/Rapid/M/d/-). Very good for lunch sandwiches.

Pickups from two Drives today. Dinner was a halfish recipe of Roasted Salmon with Asparagus, Lemon and Brown Butter (web). This was good. Served with spaghettis courts. A pair of chocolate-covered madeleines for after.

Friday/7-May-21: Yogurt on overday. Off for our second vaccinations today. 

Dinner was Lazy Lucious Lamb Biryani (Ainsley3, p133). This wasn't really as fast as you'd expect from this book. It was okay, but nothing special. He calls for no salt at all, which is strange. I started adding when I realized, but didn't get it there. We've lots of leftovers, so an easy meal if the cook isn't feeling well in the next days. Served with Cachumber—Tomato, Onion and Green Coriander Relish (MJ1, p172), an old favorite. Some store-bought vanilla yogurts for after. 

Saturday/8-May-21: So I'm having the sleepy exhaustion response to the vaccination. 

Made a loaf of Easy French bread (Electric, p62) today.

Didn't feel at all like cooking like cooking, so we had the rest of the Oven-Dried Tomato Tart with Goat Cheese and Black Olives for dinner. Along with a small salad. Nothing else needed.

Sunday/9-May-21: And leftover lamb biryani today. With a pair of chocolate-covered madeleines for after.

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

This week in thekitchen

Monday/26-Apr-21: Dinner was Asparagus Egg Salad Wrap (MWClass, p158). The two of us ate two wraps each for dinner, so a whole recipe. The egg salad was good, although the tarragon verged on being too strong. These might be nice to wrap up and take for a picnic. A pair of chocolate-covered madeleines for after.

Tuesday/27-Apr-21: Made ABM bread in the morning, Classic White (Electric, p26) (Basic/Rapid/Large/dark/-). Haven't made this one in a long time. I used 2 cups bread flour (T65) and 1 cup light whole wheat flour (T110). It was good.

Dinner was Shrimp Scampi Fra Diavolo* (web; GD); this is served over bucatini. It was good. Then a big salad. Then the rest of the strawberry ice cream I made last week.

Wednesday/28-Apr-21: Yogurt on overday. 

The not-quite-white Classic White, is pretty good. Crumbles a bit when cut for a sandwich.

Froze up 14cups of chicken stock today from the pot I started on the weekend or whenever.

Tonight we had a halfish version of Black Pepper and Beef and Cabbage Stir-Fry (web). I used the sirloin left from our bbq on Saturday. Used a chineeskool; could have used more of this. But altogether easy and pretty darn good. Over rice. We finished the St Felicien for after.

Thursday/29-Apr-21: Ed picked up our groceries from two Drives today.

Earlier in the week I saw a new recipe for salmon over asparagus and peas; quickly changed the meal plan for that. Then managed to not put asparagus in my basket. So, back to what I originally planned. That was Swiss Salmon Spinach Pie (PotPies, p136), which is pretty far from a pot pie, but was good anyhow. Some store-bought vanilla yogurt thingies for after.

Friday/30-Apr-21: Dinner was Peanut Noodles (web), easy and pretty good. Served with what is now a standard salad with SE Asian food, Thai Cucumber Salad with Peanuts (GD; web). Some mini HD ice cream cups for after. 

Started an Overnight Boule to bake off tomorrow morning. 

Saturday/1-May-21: Yogurt on overday. Baked off the Overnight Boule.

A while ago I finished reading Ready When You Are and have been dithering about what to do with it. I enjoyed the read, especially that she gives tips for early preparation and for things to do with leftovers. And it's Martha Rose Shulman. I use or have great sentimental attachment to many of her books. But this one just doesn't do it for me somehow. To solve the dithering, and keeping in mind my goal of reducing my cookbook collection, I'm going to recycle this one. I think I'll copy a few recipes to put on my list, but the book can find a new home.

Dinner was, loosely, Marvellous Chilli-Cheese Meatballs (Ainsley3, p151). Ainsley meals (from my books, anyhow) are always fast ones. But meatballs really need to sit in the fridge for a while to hold together. So, in the afternoon, I made the meatballs (using my home-made Italian sausage, since there was no ground pork to be had at the Drives) and put them in the cool. And I started the tomato sauce as a separate thing, rather than cooking at the last minute. Unfortunately I absent-mindedly forgot to turn the heat to low, so almost burnt the sauce. But I didn't; I did add another can of tomato pulp and cook it down to a thick sauce. Pretty good for pretty easy. 

Store-bought vanilla yogurts for after.

Sunday/2-May-21: We have  surplus of overripe bananas, so I made a loaf of Best Banana Bread (GD). This isn't really the very best banana bread, but it's not bad, and it's made in the cuisinart, so that's good.

Dinner was Mushroom and Spinach Crepes with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Drizzle (web). I haven't made crèpes in ages, and forgot how long they take to cook. They don't zip along like tortillas. The recipe for Whole Wheat Crèpes (web; GD) is pretty good; I mixed it up in the morning, as one does with these things, even though not instructed to here. This recipe says it serves eight, but uses 1/4 of the batter to make each crèpe. I made six crèpes from the one recipe. (I'll add it to my old standard recipe in Art.) The two of us ate all the mushroom-spinach crèpes; a trifle more spinach  might be nice. 

We had banana bread for after, of course.

Put the lamb leg on to marinate for tomorrow. Beans are soaking overnight. I saw, belatedly, that they should have soaked for 24 hours before cooking; to compensate, I brought them just to a boil then turned them off.

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

This week in the kitchen

Monday/22-Feb-21: Leftover fish pie for dinner, with steamed broccoli and carrots. Some store-bought lait au semoule for after.

Tuesday/23-Feb-21: Yogurt on overday.

Dinner was Soupe de Poulet au Citron à la Grecque (VPG). (I couldn't find this recipe online, but I did find a similar one with the same picture. Odd. We liked this a lot, so I've translated it for later use.) As a go-with, I looked at a couple of Greek salad recipes and made one up. I marinated a small can of chickpeas in a Greek vinaigrette (Greek, because of the oregano, I suppose); I marinated some thinly sliced red onion in red wine vinegar and a bit of sugar (it would have been better without the sugar); thawed and sliced some oven-dried tomatoes; tossed all with some lettuce (arugula or spinach would have been nice, but you use what you have); then topped with crumbled feta. It was all a bit too much like the soup, but who cares? A pair of chocolate-covered madeleines each for after.

Wednesday/24-Feb-21: Ed picked up groceries from both Drives today. We may try to stick to this schedule, semi-normal, which means a meal plan that sort of get follows instead of made up every day or so. Already had first change to meal plan. It's lovely bbq weather today and forecast for tomorrow, so we'll bbq tomorrow. 

Dinner was a half-recipe of Fish Molee* (web) with cod. This is yummy and easy to make. Served over long-grain brown rice, which wasn't strictly necessary but gives us some nice whole grain. No dessert.

Thursday/25-Feb-21: Made a loaf of Light Rye (Electric, p64) (Basic/Rapid/M/d/-). We both really like this for a bread machine bread, it's taste and it's texture.

Well, yesterday it was supposed to be nice weather today, warm and sunny, but it turned out gray and windy. Not terribly cold. Still Ed bbq'd chipolatas. For one go-with I made Red Cabbage and Carrot Slaw (web). I made a half recipe, but accidentally got a half tablespoon measure out for the vinaigrette, so made a quarter of the dressing; the half amount would have been better. And some potato salad (with hard-boiled egg, capers, cornichons, cuke, etc., and a French-ish lemon-based vinaigrette) from my old Joy of Cooking. No dessert needed.

Friday/26-Feb-21: Dinner was Escalopes de Veau à la Crème—Veal with Mushrooms in Cream (Franey, p216). That's a veal scallop topped a piece of prosciutto, then a layer of mushroom cream sauce, topped with slices of Beaufort (one of our favorite swiss-y cheeses), and run under the broiler to melt the cheese. Franey suggests serving with buttered noodles with caraway; I make spaetzle, with butter and caraway seeds. And some roasted asparagus. I didn't need dessert; Ed had a mini HD ice cream cup.

Saturday/27-Feb-21: Went, a bit late, to make tonight's dinner and discovered that the cabbage is supposed to cook for an hour! Oops. Postpone that one. Dinner was a made-up pasta dish, not my best, but not bad. Ravioli with cèpes, onion, prosciutto, shrooms, held together with pyramid goat cheese. A mini HD ice cup for after.

Sunday/28-Feb-21: Made a loaf of Dennis's Blarney-Stone Bread (Magic, p70) (Basic/Rapid/M/d-). Don't seem to have made this one before. It's a very good oatmeal bread.

Beautiful weather, but a blah day. Started dinner a bit late again, and it turned out to take longer than I thought. I made a third recipe of Shrimp-Stuffed Artichokes (EatingTog, p124), this recipe by Peter Feibleman. It was rather poorly written/edited. You chopped parsley but never used it. You saved two cups of the artichoke-cooking water, but never used it. Etc. I followed the cooking time for large artichokes, but they weren't quite done, so when we pulled a leaf, there was nothing attached. A good idea, poorly executed. A pair of chocolate-covered madeleines each for after.

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

This week in the kitchen

Monday/15-Feb-21: Dinner was a half dose of Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs with Potatoes, Fennel, and Mustard-Beer Sauce (web). Good stuff. Ed declared it a 5* recipe. I didn't cook in a sheet-pan but in a cast iron skillet where everything fit. The skin was crispy. The sauce delicious. We saved the rest of the sauce for our lunch sandwiches. 

Then a salad. Some store-bought vanilla riz au laits for after. Should have made bread this afternoon, or at least started an Overnight Boule. but didn't feel like it.

Tuesday/16-Feb-21: We took three boxes of books to a charity shop today. Small reduction in the household supply of books. I keep on working at this. 

Dinner was late, Winter's Warmest Pork Loin (Desperation, p254). Served with polenta and steamed broccoli. Not realizing how little time the cook had for other activities while cooking the pork, I started the broccoli too late, so the meat cooked at bit to long. This was an interesting idea, but neither of us were excited by it. Some mini ice cream cups for after. 

Started an Overnight Boule with Rye.

Wednesday/17-Feb-21: Baked the Overnight Boule with Rye. It's good.

For dinner, I made a fish pie, loosely following this recipe, but using small shrimp, small scallops, some squid rings, and some smoked trout for the fishy bits in the filling. Instead of puff pastry for the topping, I used wadded up disks of brik/brick/brique. It was pretty good, if a bit salty from the trout. A salad after. Then some bits of St. Nectaire.

Thursday/18-Feb-21: Picked up groceries from Intermarché, so it was fish-for-dinner.

We had Spicy Salmon and Couscous Bowls (web), that's with Israeli couscous and turnips. Pretty good stuff. Served with a simple Thai-ish salad, loosely based on Cucumber Salad—Yaam Taeng Kwa (Delightful, p51). This recipe calls for way too much sugar; I wonder if they wrote tablespoon when they meant teaspoon? It was pretty good as I made it. 

Friday/19-Feb-21: Dinner was Risotto with Sausages (ClassItal, p257). (This is for the rice theme on Cooking Marcella Hazan, a Facebook group that's trying to revive itself.) Rather than pork sausages, I used some andouillettes de canard from the freezer (impulse buy), and thus, used chicken stock rather than beef stock. 

Followed by a big salad. No dessert needed. 

Saturday/20-Feb-21: The bread machine made a loaf today after Ed first the gear in the pan again. There was Light Rye (Electric, p64) (Basic/Rapid/M/d/-). Skipped the caraway seeds, but added 1tbl of gluten; 2tbl+1tsp of sucre de canne. Good stuff.

Dinner was Bangkok Shrimp* (web). The recipe is really Bangkok Beef; I use shrimp instead, adding the (cooked, almost unfrozen) shrimp when the veggies were done. Some some store-bought vanilla riz au laits for later.

Sunday/21-Feb-21: Dinner was a halfish recipe of Marinated Lamb Chops (web; CL/apr11). This was easy and good. Served with Eggplant with Pomegranate Sauce (EastMed, p155), sort of. I cut my eggplant ovals into long half-ellipses. Sprayed with olive oil and broiled rather than baking. And some potatoes: I peeled and chunked them, then boiled almost done; drained well; shook in the sieve, then finished in butter and olive oil. Pretty good they were. Some Angel Kisses (cream and crème de cacao) for after.

Overnight Boule with Rye on overnight.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 3; #2 PHOTO: yes; #3 *DMA: yes
This month: #4 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #5 BACKLOG1: yes; #6 BACKLOG2: yes; #7 RECYCLE: 9; #8 NEW: 2