Monday/15-Oct-18: Lunch out for our anniversary today. Nothing happened in the kitchen.
Yesterday we took a load of books up to the Hope charity shop. I came home with not one, but two new cookbooks. One is Soups from the Good Food series; I have several of these now, picked up here and there, and they look quite good. The other is called Flavours of the Sun, which looks promising.
Tuesday/16-Oct-18: Another winner dinner from Ainsley Herriott. I made Crusted Roast Rump Steak with Crispy Speckled Onions Rings (Ainsley2, p80; cookbooker). One what I thought was a biggish onion served the two of us for onion rings. The first time I've made onion rings actually. Didn't expect the rings would be soaked in milk. Messy cooking, but delicious. I made all the topping for my two steaks, that was fine. As go-withs I boiled, then sautéed some potatoes (need to use them up) and a little salad of broccoli stems. Some St Félicien for after. We ate well.
Yogurt on overnight.
Wednesday/17-Oct-18: Shopping today.
Dinner was Spicy Fried Fillets of Fish (Floyd, p118). Tuna was the best looking fish of the day, so that's what we had. This was pretty good, although the recipe was screwy, calling for a huge amount of green chiles. I used two and a bit for my half recipe; it was nicely hot. I used leftover potatoes from yesterday to make Yellow Rice with Potato and Cumin (SpiceKitch, p64), one third of the rice with half the spices. The other side was Green Peas in a Creamy Sauce (Q&E, p87). These are both tried-and-true recipes. There was faux-kheer for dessert, riz au lait with a sprinkle of cardamom.
Have to say this was probably my favorite thing I've made from Floyd. There recipe is iffy, but it made up quite nicely. I'm pretty well committed to recycling this book (the first one I've found to recycle on my cookbook-a-month quest), but think I'll save this recipe, with modifications.
Thursday/18-Oct-18: Packing related activities all day today.
Made some cilantro pesto to use up supply in fridge. Froze it.
Washed and dried most of lemons (instructions) and froze them. We'll see how that works.
Dinner was Artichoke Spaghetti (Art, p59), made with canned tuna, a really old favorite. Then a big salad. Then a pair of chocolate-covered madeleines each.
Friday/19-Oct-18 - Sunday/21-Oct-18: Off to The Netherlands for a visit. We did nothing in the kitchen.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 2; #3 COOKBOOK: yes
Cookbooks of the month: Floyd's India
This month: #4 PASTA: no; #5 BREAD: no; #6 GUESTS: no
Showing posts with label ~Floyd. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ~Floyd. Show all posts
Monday, October 15, 2018
Monday, October 8, 2018
This week in the kitchen
Monday/8-Oct-18: Tonight was supposed to be a beef with coconut from Floyd, but we left the coconut out of the fridge and it turned yucky pink. Instead there was a halfish recipe of Goan Beef Vindaloo (Floyd, p135). We thought it was pretty so-so. There's a bit left, which Ed insists I put in the freezer, rather than tossing. And plain basmati rice. And a halfish recipe of Spicy Sweetcorn—Makai tamatar nu shak (Floyd, p169). This is pretty good, but not wonderful. We finished a bottle of Larou with the meal, which went quite well, although it may have been we couldn't really taste it. Mini ice cream bars for after.
Tuesday/9-Oct-18: Dinner was Thai Black Pepper Chicken (MC), with Broccoli in Oyster Sauce (Delightful, p58) and Cucumber Salad (Delightful, p51), all tried-and-true recipes. I forgot to take the mango ice cream out as we sat to eat, so we had chocolate-covered madeleines instead.
Wednesday/10-Oct-18: Shopping today. No fish for dinner, but leftover Cabbage and Leek Gratin, which gratedGruyère on top. Still good. Such a simple thing. Mango Ice Cream with fresh mango chunks for dessert.
Thursday/11-Oct-18: My day for the ENT today, which means shopping at Grand Frais and Biocoop (health food). Decided I couldn't face another Floyd recipe this week, so we bought some veal scallops (on sale) and some corn on the cob (not on sale, but looked good). Ed saw someone with a jar of jalapeños and thought he'd like some nachos, so I ran to get some English cheddar. Later I discovered tomorrow was Floyd night, but I moved tonight's meal to tomorrow. After the nachos, neither of us were very hungry so we just had the corns on the cob. Then some chocolate-covered madeleines for dessert. (These were a summer sale thing, made locally, and really delicious and chemical free. We've only got one more sack left. :-( )
Yogurt on overnight.
The kitchen mouse seems to have ceased its activities. Can't really explain. Thinking of refilling the cabinets. Did see a mouse running along the house as we returned from doctor/shopping trip.
Friday/12-Oct-18: Early meal today, a half dose of Garlicky Chicken with Lemon-Anchovy Sauce (web). Cut my chicken into bits and didn't bother with the oven bit. Very yummy. With "short spaghetti" that looks like graminge and steamed broccoli topped with lemon juice. (Went to put this on my DoMeAgain list and discovered that it was already there. We had this in March. Liked it then too.) We've eaten well.
Yogurt on overnight.
Saturday/13-Oct-18: Dinner was a half dose of Pasta with Sausage & Sun-Dried Tomatoes (web). My tomatoes were oven-dried and frozen, so I warmed a bit of olive oil with some finely sliced garlic and red pepper flakes. Used casareccia for the pasta. Then a big salad. We were full.
Sunday/14-Oct-18: Made a Tarte Poire Chocolat (VPG). This was okay, but nothing special. Used a store-brought graham cracker crust rather than a pâte sablée.
For dinner there was Very Spicy, Delicious Chickpeas (WoE, p86; cookbooker). Very delicious, yes. Served over round-grain brown rice.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 2; #3 COOKBOOK: yes
Cookbooks of the month: Floyd's India
This month: #4 PASTA: no; #5 BREAD: no; #6 GUESTS: no
Tuesday/9-Oct-18: Dinner was Thai Black Pepper Chicken (MC), with Broccoli in Oyster Sauce (Delightful, p58) and Cucumber Salad (Delightful, p51), all tried-and-true recipes. I forgot to take the mango ice cream out as we sat to eat, so we had chocolate-covered madeleines instead.
Wednesday/10-Oct-18: Shopping today. No fish for dinner, but leftover Cabbage and Leek Gratin, which gratedGruyère on top. Still good. Such a simple thing. Mango Ice Cream with fresh mango chunks for dessert.
Thursday/11-Oct-18: My day for the ENT today, which means shopping at Grand Frais and Biocoop (health food). Decided I couldn't face another Floyd recipe this week, so we bought some veal scallops (on sale) and some corn on the cob (not on sale, but looked good). Ed saw someone with a jar of jalapeños and thought he'd like some nachos, so I ran to get some English cheddar. Later I discovered tomorrow was Floyd night, but I moved tonight's meal to tomorrow. After the nachos, neither of us were very hungry so we just had the corns on the cob. Then some chocolate-covered madeleines for dessert. (These were a summer sale thing, made locally, and really delicious and chemical free. We've only got one more sack left. :-( )
Yogurt on overnight.
The kitchen mouse seems to have ceased its activities. Can't really explain. Thinking of refilling the cabinets. Did see a mouse running along the house as we returned from doctor/shopping trip.
Friday/12-Oct-18: Early meal today, a half dose of Garlicky Chicken with Lemon-Anchovy Sauce (web). Cut my chicken into bits and didn't bother with the oven bit. Very yummy. With "short spaghetti" that looks like graminge and steamed broccoli topped with lemon juice. (Went to put this on my DoMeAgain list and discovered that it was already there. We had this in March. Liked it then too.) We've eaten well.
Yogurt on overnight.
Saturday/13-Oct-18: Dinner was a half dose of Pasta with Sausage & Sun-Dried Tomatoes (web). My tomatoes were oven-dried and frozen, so I warmed a bit of olive oil with some finely sliced garlic and red pepper flakes. Used casareccia for the pasta. Then a big salad. We were full.
Sunday/14-Oct-18: Made a Tarte Poire Chocolat (VPG). This was okay, but nothing special. Used a store-brought graham cracker crust rather than a pâte sablée.
For dinner there was Very Spicy, Delicious Chickpeas (WoE, p86; cookbooker). Very delicious, yes. Served over round-grain brown rice.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 2; #3 COOKBOOK: yes
Cookbooks of the month: Floyd's India
This month: #4 PASTA: no; #5 BREAD: no; #6 GUESTS: no
Monday, October 1, 2018
This week in the kitchen
Monday/1-Oct-18: I'm enjoying my project of cooking from unused cookbooks. So far, I haven't really found any books I'd like to get rid of, only ones that need to be used more. I think this will be an Indian month. Floyd's India, by Keith Floyd, comes highly recommended, but I've never really gotten into it. Will try this month.
Dinner was Hunter-Style Pasta Sauce from the freezer, over pasta. Followed by a big salad. Followed by two mini ice cream bars.
Put chicken thighs to marinate for Thai Barbecued Chicken (MC) tomorrow.
Yogurt on overnight.
Tuesday/2-Oct-18: Ed barbecued the chicken, an old recipe but still delicious, while I made, sort of, Hot & Sour Stir-Fried Vegetables (Delightful, p55). We both like veggies done like this, and I like that the recipe can be varied with whatever you have at hand. And there was plain basmati rice. For dessert, I made Tarte Amandine aux Figues, from a recent VPG. I didn't have enough figs, according to the recipe, so I used (frozen) cherries for one half. Something was very wrong with this recipe. I added an extra egg, but the batter was still stiff. I probably could have used only the figues, a bit more sparsely distributed. Not as intended, no doubt, but the result is quite tasty.
Wednesday/3-Oct-18: Shopping today.
First outing with Keith Floyd was not especially successful. The main was a half dose of Fish Curry Bengal-Style—Doi Macchi (Floyd, p124) and it was not very good at all. I suspect something is wrong with the recipe. The whole recipe (I made half) asks for 25g of turmeric; that's 8-1/3 teaspoons! My half recipe would be more than 4 teaspoons. Turmeric gives a nice edge is small doses, but the 1 teaspoon I added made it way to bitter, overwhelming any other tastes that were present. Not a nice main course. For a side there was Spiced Beetroot—Subzi Poriyal (Floyd, p153) which was pretty good. But, the recipe says it serves 4-6; I made a short half and it would have served 3-4 without a problem.
Thursday/4-Oct-18: Dinner was Cabbage and Leek Gratin (VegSups, p18). This seems like a simple dish, but it was delicious. Then we had some peaches getting close to their end with the end of the fromage blanc from last week.
Yogurt on overnight.
Friday/5-Oct-18: Dinner at Cath's tonight. Nothing happened in the kitchen.
Saturday/6-Oct-18: Another disappointing meal with Keith Floyd. Our main was a halfish dose of Spicy Prawns with Mango—Jhinga Thokku (Floyd, p118; cookbooker). For a side there was Runner or Green Beans Foogath (Floyd, p158; cookbooker). Maybe this was meant to be a main dish. It calls for 1kg of beans (I used runner beans) for 4. At 200g, I thought the pile was more than enough for two. (I usually get 150-200g of green beans as a side for two, but this was a side including potatoes.) The measurement of cumin seeds was way off; I used 1/2 teaspoon for my 200g of beans. Per the instructions, the potatoes will cook al dente with just a few drops of water. Not at my house. Three dried chiles (half of what was asked) made the pretty attention-getting. In the end, it was pretty good, but we couldn't eat all I made. And some plain basmati rice. Mini ice creams for dessert.
Sunday/7-Oct-18: Big lunch out today. Nothing happened in the kitchen.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 3; #3 COOKBOOK: yes
Cookbooks of the month: Floyd's India
This month: #4 PASTA: no; #5 BREAD: no; #6 GUESTS: no
Dinner was Hunter-Style Pasta Sauce from the freezer, over pasta. Followed by a big salad. Followed by two mini ice cream bars.
Put chicken thighs to marinate for Thai Barbecued Chicken (MC) tomorrow.
Yogurt on overnight.
Tuesday/2-Oct-18: Ed barbecued the chicken, an old recipe but still delicious, while I made, sort of, Hot & Sour Stir-Fried Vegetables (Delightful, p55). We both like veggies done like this, and I like that the recipe can be varied with whatever you have at hand. And there was plain basmati rice. For dessert, I made Tarte Amandine aux Figues, from a recent VPG. I didn't have enough figs, according to the recipe, so I used (frozen) cherries for one half. Something was very wrong with this recipe. I added an extra egg, but the batter was still stiff. I probably could have used only the figues, a bit more sparsely distributed. Not as intended, no doubt, but the result is quite tasty.
Wednesday/3-Oct-18: Shopping today.
First outing with Keith Floyd was not especially successful. The main was a half dose of Fish Curry Bengal-Style—Doi Macchi (Floyd, p124) and it was not very good at all. I suspect something is wrong with the recipe. The whole recipe (I made half) asks for 25g of turmeric; that's 8-1/3 teaspoons! My half recipe would be more than 4 teaspoons. Turmeric gives a nice edge is small doses, but the 1 teaspoon I added made it way to bitter, overwhelming any other tastes that were present. Not a nice main course. For a side there was Spiced Beetroot—Subzi Poriyal (Floyd, p153) which was pretty good. But, the recipe says it serves 4-6; I made a short half and it would have served 3-4 without a problem.
Thursday/4-Oct-18: Dinner was Cabbage and Leek Gratin (VegSups, p18). This seems like a simple dish, but it was delicious. Then we had some peaches getting close to their end with the end of the fromage blanc from last week.
Yogurt on overnight.
Friday/5-Oct-18: Dinner at Cath's tonight. Nothing happened in the kitchen.
Saturday/6-Oct-18: Another disappointing meal with Keith Floyd. Our main was a halfish dose of Spicy Prawns with Mango—Jhinga Thokku (Floyd, p118; cookbooker). For a side there was Runner or Green Beans Foogath (Floyd, p158; cookbooker). Maybe this was meant to be a main dish. It calls for 1kg of beans (I used runner beans) for 4. At 200g, I thought the pile was more than enough for two. (I usually get 150-200g of green beans as a side for two, but this was a side including potatoes.) The measurement of cumin seeds was way off; I used 1/2 teaspoon for my 200g of beans. Per the instructions, the potatoes will cook al dente with just a few drops of water. Not at my house. Three dried chiles (half of what was asked) made the pretty attention-getting. In the end, it was pretty good, but we couldn't eat all I made. And some plain basmati rice. Mini ice creams for dessert.
Sunday/7-Oct-18: Big lunch out today. Nothing happened in the kitchen.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 3; #3 COOKBOOK: yes
Cookbooks of the month: Floyd's India
This month: #4 PASTA: no; #5 BREAD: no; #6 GUESTS: no
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