This week in the kitchen

Monday/5-Apr-21: Made a 1-1/2# loaf of Basic Whole Wheat Bread (Magic, p33) (WW/Rapid/M/-/-).

Used up lots of odds and ends to make a halfish recipe of Cabbage Wedges with Meat Sauce (TooMany, p54). This is kind of an old-timey dish, something my grandmother might have served, but was pretty good. Cabbage, not overcooked, topped with a tomato sauce with ground pork. There was supposed to be some green bell pepper involved, but I didn't have one, so I used up the rest of last week's asparagus. Wasn't bad at all, but some red pepper flakes in the sauce might have been good. Strawberries and cream for after. 

Tuesday/6-Apr-21: Ed picked up groceries from two Drives today.

Dinner was Moroccan Fish Tajine (web), served over whole wheat couscous. This was okay, nothing that needs to be done again. Some store-bought vanilla yogurts for after.

Wednesday/7-Apr-21: Yogurt on overday.

Dinner was a half recipe of Pasta with Asparagus-Lemon Sauce* (web). This was pretty good. As suggested by a comment, I added lots of lemon zest and a bit of juice to the sauce and roasted the asparagus tips. This was delicious but a bit skimpy as a dinner; I was too lazy to make a salad. Strawberries and cream for after. Then a pair of chocolate-covered madeleines as a snack while ironing/watching a video.

Thursday/8-Apr-21: Dinner was Lemon Chicken (web), a recipe from an old Bon Appetit that I got from EAT-L. This was easy and very tasty, although there was too much sauce. Served with sautéed zoodles; these sat in a drainer for three hours or more before cooking and hardly needed squeezing. Then a salad. Then more store-bought vanilla yogurts with the rest of the strawberries. 

Friday/9-Apr-21: There was a mouse caught in the Ivar shelving this morning. Ed let him (juvenile male, I think) when he took Buddy for a walk.

We got our first vaccinations today—yay!

Made some Authentic French Bread (Magic, p22) (Basic/Rapid/M/d/-). I used half bread flour and half T110 ("light" whole wheat flour). The dough seemed a bit dry so I added another bit (1tbl maybe) of water. A bit more even might have been nice. Pretty good though.

Dinner was Garlicky Tortellini, Spinach & Tomato Soup (web). Easy to make and delicious. Some HD ice cream cups for after. 

Saturday/10-Apr-21: Oops, didn't think to start our crockpot dinner till too late, so we had tomorrow's dinner instead. That was a half recipe of Curried Fried Rice (MW@Home, p226), using cooked basmati rice that's been leftover in the last week or so. This is always good and feels like a healthy dinner. A pair of chocolate-covered madeleines for after.

Sunday/11-Apr-21: Yogurt on overday. 

Late in the morning, but earlier than yesterday, I started Simple Beef Curry* (Hériteau, p36) in the crockpot. It was done too late for dinner, so I've jarred it up and put it in the fridge. We liked this a lot last time, but it seems relatively tasteless to me, even though I doubled the amount of curry powder. Off the DoMeAgain list, with this one. We'll have it one day next week.

Before I started dinner, having a surplus of pears, I made a Pear Bundt Cake (MC). This is an old favorite recipe. It's still good.

Dinner was another DMA recipe, Orecchiette Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Broccoli* (web; GD). This is easy and fast and very tasty. A pinch of red pepper flakes with the garlic wouldn't hurt at all, but it's fine without. Pear Bundt Cake for after, of course. I forgot to take a picture of dinner, so there's no photo this week.

Started a batch of Overnight Boule.

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

This week in the kitchen

Monday/2-May-16: Sophie ended up spending the night at the vet, since there were no other emergencies in the afternoon. The hole that we saw when we took her in was only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. The actual wound is about three times as long. She is home, cone-headed, and complaining because she has to stay in. Painkiller and antibiotic every day for a bit.

Used up the last bit of some small cooked shrimp from the freezer to make up a partial recipe of Potted Shrimp (TLBrit, p45) this afternoon to try in the next days.

For dinner, I marinated some lamb steaks in my usual marindade (olive oil, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, with lots of black pepper and garlic powder or smashed cloves), then grilled them. Served with Christophe au Gratin (TLCarib, p85), using a zucchini instead since there were no chayotes at the shop last week. This was a pretty bland version of stuffed squash, but not a bad side dish. And some trio rice.

Tuesday/3-May-16: We went to a concert in Angoulême this evening, so had our meal a bit earlier than usual. I made a half dose of Shrimp and Corn Chowder (CL/sep14; web) followed by a salad. Then the end of Mama's vanilla pudding with some fresh strawberries. The soup was quite good and easy to make. Used dried thyme, rather than fresh. Used one small can of corn (no frozen and canned is better imho). Served the soup with Irish Soda Bread (TLBrit, p18); posted about this here. (Well, yes, somewhere I did say that I wouldn't join another cookalong again for a while, but here I am again. Since this one actually matches an idea I'd already thought about for next year, I'm joining in early with my Time-Life books.)

Yogurt on overnight.

Wednesday/4-May-16: Shopping today at Intermarché. Tuna was on sale, but they didn't have any. Very annoying store.

Potted Shrimp munchies before dinner.

Started a crockpot this morning with Simple Beef Curry (Hériteau, p56; cookbooker). Too much liquid, but otherwise pretty tasty considering that it was indeed simple. Served with plain basmati rice, and Green Peas in a Creamy Sauce (Q&E, p87), an old favorite that went very well with the beef. Some store-bought crème brulées for dessert.

Thursday/5-May-16: Working on Ed's hemoglobin level again (although it's pointless right now since he went for his follow-up blood test on Tuesday). Dinner was Boudin Noir Poêlé aux Pommes (web). This was with boudin noir à l'oignon (with onions) and was quite good. Served with a side of
taglitelle and a dish of steamed haricots verts (done to Ed's taste!) with a bit of shallot sautéed in olive oil. For dessert some crêpes with Grand Marnier, an impulse buy from yesterday.

While we were eating outside this evening, we enjoyed watching a pair of blue tits carrying bits of food to the next box in the lime tree.

Friday/6-May-16: A busy day today. On the way back from my haircut, I stopped for a bit more shopping (including four chairs for outside dining). Then home to put it up in time to take Sophie to the vet to have her bandage changed. Actually it was removed. So now we see the bare, green stitches closing a gash about as long as my index finger. Another week till they're removed.

Dinner was Cabillaud au Citron Vert et Baies Roses (web); that's cod with lime and red peppercorns for those whose menu French isn't up to snuff. This was supposed to be cooked in close dishes in the microwave. I did it in foil-covered dishes in the oven. Pretty good. Served with trio rice and Baked Eggplant Slices (TooMany, p114), an old favorite. For dessert we had more Grand Marnier crêpes with the rest of the strawberries.

Yogurt on overnight. Chickpeas soaking overnight

Saturday/7-May-16: Went to a pottery fair today, the one we visited two years ago. Before we left, I put the chickpeas on to cook in the slow cooker.

Dinner was a half dose of Chickpeas Cooked in a Moghlai-Stye (WorldVeg, p32). This is actually pretty easy to make if you have all the ingredients, ground roast cumin seeds (I used up my stash and topped it up with regular cumin), garam masala, puréed tomatoes ( made some and froze the leftover bit). Quite tasty. Served with Cabbage Salad with Mustard Seeds (WorldVeg, p617), Carrot and Cilantro Salad (WorldVeg, p618), and Potato Chaat (MJ@Home, p165). All quite tasty. MiniMags for dessert. We ate well.

Sunday/8-May-16: Early dinner tonight before we went to a movie. We had Swartzuur—Lamb Stew with Tamarind and Dumplings (TLAfrica, p33). Pretty good. Takes some clock time, but not especially hard to make. The meat is not browned, just plopped in the pot with onions and chicken stock, then simmered. After a while tamarind water gets added in. Then some dumplings, the oddest I've ever made. Flour is dumped into boiling stock (rescued from lamb pot before the tamarind was added) and stirred into submission; after that cools a bit, you stir in an egg. Or stir,stir,stir as my mother used to instruct. Tasty sweet-sour result.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 3
This month: #3 PASTA: no; #4 BREAD: no; #5 FotW: yes for April/May