Monday/25-Sep-17: Early meal today, an halfish recipe of Avocado Tuna Salad (web) served on a bed of lettuce. Pretty good stuff. A bit of spicy (cayenne in the dressing?) would be nice, and maybe lime juice instead of lemon.
Tuesday/26Sep-17: My, a yummy meal today, scratching the Indian itch. Made "Hamburger" Kebabs (Q&E, p27; cookbooker). Really simple to make and extra delicious. We wrapped those in store-bought (Lebanese?) flatbreads along with Fresh Red Chutney with Almonds (Q&E, p114; cookbooker). Delicious chutney, especially for something with a raw bell pepper. Served with Green Peas in a Creamy Sauce (Q&E, p87), just so we had some veggie matter.
Yogurt on overnight.
Wednesday/27-Sep-17: Shopping today, and lots of errands, so we were home late so dinner was late too.
Dinner was Kingklip Stroganoff, from an old print-out, which might be in MC 2BTried. Used lieu noir for the fish. Added some chopped parsley and garlic to the mushroom (oesterzwammen). These baked in individual casseroles in the toaster oven while I cooked some pasta (graminge) and Haricots Verts in Walnut Oil (HandyBook; Lunch, p216). At the table we dumped the pasta onto the individual casseroles for eating. Some new store-bought brownies (too sweet) for dessert.
Thursday/28-Sep-17: Busy morning, off to the préfecture to pick up my new driver's license, then to Intermarché for so grocery bits and bread, then to the pharmacy for Ed's prescriptions.
Lunch started with an old favorite, Cold Beetroot with Cream (Pomiane, p180). Then there was Shrimp with Spinach, Garlic and Smoked Paprika (EAT-L; web) served over rice. This was yummy, fast, and easy. I used rucola instead of spinach. Then we ate a bit of a local goat cheese I bought at the shop. Then a small bit of Double-Boiler Bread Pudding (MC; HandyBook) made to finish off a loaf a bread. We were full.
Friday/29-Sep-17: Meant to start a big batch of tomato purée today, but I dillied-dallied too long and most of the tomatoes were not good, also the ones in the potager. In the end, there was only 1-1/2 cups of tomato purée to freeze.
For our main meal today there was fresh pasta, Fettucini alle Erbe e Panna Rosa (ClassPasta, p90). Instead of peeling and seeding plum tomatoes, I used one cups of frozen purée. The herbs were basil, rosemary, and sage from the garden. Pretty good stuff,really. Then a salad using the rest of the dressing from yesterday's beet salad. Then the rest of the goat cheese. Then more of the bread pudding.
Saturday/30-Sep-17: With a late start and other things happening, our early meal today didn't happen till about 6:30p. But it was good. We had a halfish recipe of Chicken Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemons (web) made with four thighs, and a dose of the Moroccan couscous from a storebought mix, and some Carrot and Pistachio Salad (web; cookbooker). Then we finished off the bread pudding. We are happily stuffed.
Started a salad for Ed to take to Cantique tomorrow morning, but cut the s*** out of my finger, so only got the cauliflower cooked. If I don't bleed to death in the night, I'll finish it in the morning.
Put chickpeas on to soak first thing this morning; cooked them this evening. Then into the fridge, since I couldn't deal with them.
Sunday/1-Oct-17: Got up early to finish off La Rinforzata (Neapolitan Cauliflower Salad) (MC). I've made this several times. Didn't record where I got the recipe, but there's an on-line version here. I use the anchovies, cutting them up really fine and adding to the vinaigrette. Also just noticed a note, that I didn't do today, to steep a crushed garlic clove in the oil.
I buzzed up the leftover sauce from last night's dinner and had that over whole wheat couscous for lunch.
Further, nothing happened in the kitchen.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 4
This month: #3 PASTA: yes for September, no for October; #4 BREAD: no for September, no for October
Showing posts with label ~Lunch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ~Lunch. Show all posts
Monday, September 25, 2017
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Christmas dinner 2016
Grilled Filet Mignon de Daim Haricots Verts in Walnut Oil ChantetBlanet St Emilion 2014 Raspberry Bûche de Noël |
Not the cheeriest of holiday seasons, of course, but any excuse for a nice meal. Ed gathered green things from the neighborhood for the flower arrangement. (Look, he found holly berries. When I looked on Wednesday, I went to the bottom of our property and turned right. None to be found. He turned left, and there they were. Oh well.)
Smoked salmon is very much a French tradition for the holiday season. With nothing particular in mind, I found a package of two slices of smoked wild salmon. I lined two little dishes with the salmon, then made a filling of avocado, cream cheese, crème fraîche, dried dill (being too lazy to chop the stuff in the freezer), and frozen chives (potted chives being much past their prime). Chilled those overnight. Served with some avocado slices. Very tasty.
Originally I intended to do a Time-Life Italian dish for our main course, but at the marché de Noël last weekend, we found some filet mignon de daim (fallow deer). This corresponds to the filet mignon de porc (varkenshaas in Dutch, pork loin in English?). I marinated this for a couple of hours in my usual, easy meat marinade, and wrapped the pieces in bacon slices before cooking on a hot cast iron skillet after reading in Larousse that the filet mignon should be larded. Very tender and very tasty. Served with Haricots Verts in Walnut Oil (Lunch, p216), which I've made many times. And then there was, loosely, a half recipe of Mushroom and Pea Orzo Risotto (web), made with shiitakes rather than white button mushroom and chicken stock rather than vegetable broth. Also good.
For dessert there was Raspberry Bûche de Noël (web). This was very tasty, but not the easier jelly-roll sort of thing to make. There seemed to be not quite enough cake batter and it was quite fussy with the spreading. Tasty enough, but not pretty. The filling (fromage blanc and marscapone) was scrumptious. The whole thing was very good, if not very pretty.
Altogether a nice dinner.
Monday, December 15, 2014
This week in the kitchen
Monday/15-Dec-14: On a shopping outing with friends today, I did a bit of shopping at Grand Frais near Limoges. Found some greens, labelled as chard, that looked more like bok choy. So I called it bok choy and made Spaghetti with Bok Choy, Poached, Egg, and Romano Cheese (web; cookbooker). Good stuff, this, and and easy dish to make. We shared a magnum classic (2/3:1/3) for dessert.
Yogurt on overnight.
Tuesday/16-Dec-14: Yesterday I bought a boxful of chanterelles so I could make Tagliatelles aux Girolles (web) for dinner. And pretty good it was too, although the proportions were a bit odd. For two servings, it asked 450g of chanterelles. They come in 250g boxes and that was plenty. Of course more would be nice, but not really needed. Then a big salad. Then some camembert (the house brand, not as good as others). Then some squares of chocolate with nuts and fruits. We're full.
Wednesday/17-Dec-14: Shopping today. Bought a frozen leg of lamb for a good price. Meant to buy a bunch of chicken thighs, but it turned out to be a mixed package with four thighs and three legs.
DInner was Baked Salmon, a recipe I got from EAT-L. Very simple and quite good. I broiled rather than baking, which probably wasn't such a good idea since the garlic and basil in the marinade got a bit crispy. Served with trio rice and Haricots Verts in Walnut Oil (Lunch, p216; HandyBook). Then we finished off the camembert and the chocolate bar with nuts and fruits.
Thursday/18-Dec-14: Eating from the freezer with odd bits today. Pork Paprikash with Spaetzle (MW@Home, p203) and with roasted cauliflower and broccoli. Then a mini magnum.
Yogurt on overnight.
Friday/19-Dec-14: Christmas is coming. Eh. Ordered a rack of lamb for our meal. And we bought a tree, a live one that will end up somewhere in the South Forty.
Dinner was a half dose of Cardamom Chicken with Yoghurt and Almond (web), which turned out quite well. It's not spicy hot, but spicy tasty. As go-withs there were plain basmati rice and Carrot and Onion Salad (MJ1, p171), an old favorite.
For dessert, there was Banana Strudel (H2CEV, p880), easy to make and yummy to eat.
Saturday/20-Dec-14: Got our tree today, a live one, but that was about it.
An improv dinner. Sautéed some shallot, oesterzwammen (oyster mushrooms), and garlic, then added the leftover bit of sauce from yesterday's chicken and tossed in some raviolis with cêpes (from the freezer). And a big salad. And more banana strudel.
Sunday/21-Dec-14: Here is something I love about French cooking: This morning I read through a recent issue of VPG (which, I see, is now styling themselves just Gourmand, dropping the Vie Pratique bit). I read an interesting recipe called Terrine de Chou Frisée (dark green cabbage with crinkled leaves), Asperges Blanches (white asparagus), et Poissson aux Herbes. On one side is a little blurb titled "Don't lose anything!" that tells you "With the rest of the cabbage, you can make a velouté ..." and gives brief instructions for what sounds like a good soup. To which you can add some slices of a sausage to make a complete meal. How nice that they're considering leftovers from the beginning. (Terrine things are nice for parties. They travel well and usually serve quite a few people.)
Also on the magazine side, on the advice of a cooking friend, I recently bought an issue of Cuisine et Vins, which sounds a bit pretentious but seems to be chockful of good recipes. I clipped so many that I signed up for a 2-year offer. Like I really need another food magazine. And there's just not time to make all the interesting recipes that I see.
We went to a marché de noël today. Often I buy something for our xmas day meal, but that's already planned. I did splurge on some figs stuffed with foie gras. We'll have one each on the big day for a pre-starter or maybe between starter and main, and the rest will go in the freezer for treats on another day.
Dinner was Pan-Seared Scallops with Walnuts and Spiced Carrots (web). The seared scallops were nice; the sauce OK. Didn't have any walnuts, so used hazelnuts instead. The spiced carrots were just mashed carrots with cinnamon added; I added a touch of ginger too. Too much sugar added to everything for our tastes, even though I cut back quite a bit. Not sure why the nuts needed to be sugar-coated. For dessert we were little pigs and finished the banana strudel. That was good stuff.
Yogurt on overnight.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 COOKBOOKS: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 5
This month: #3 PASTA: no; #4 FotW: no; #5 BREAD: none
Yogurt on overnight.
Tuesday/16-Dec-14: Yesterday I bought a boxful of chanterelles so I could make Tagliatelles aux Girolles (web) for dinner. And pretty good it was too, although the proportions were a bit odd. For two servings, it asked 450g of chanterelles. They come in 250g boxes and that was plenty. Of course more would be nice, but not really needed. Then a big salad. Then some camembert (the house brand, not as good as others). Then some squares of chocolate with nuts and fruits. We're full.
Wednesday/17-Dec-14: Shopping today. Bought a frozen leg of lamb for a good price. Meant to buy a bunch of chicken thighs, but it turned out to be a mixed package with four thighs and three legs.
DInner was Baked Salmon, a recipe I got from EAT-L. Very simple and quite good. I broiled rather than baking, which probably wasn't such a good idea since the garlic and basil in the marinade got a bit crispy. Served with trio rice and Haricots Verts in Walnut Oil (Lunch, p216; HandyBook). Then we finished off the camembert and the chocolate bar with nuts and fruits.
Thursday/18-Dec-14: Eating from the freezer with odd bits today. Pork Paprikash with Spaetzle (MW@Home, p203) and with roasted cauliflower and broccoli. Then a mini magnum.
Yogurt on overnight.
Friday/19-Dec-14: Christmas is coming. Eh. Ordered a rack of lamb for our meal. And we bought a tree, a live one that will end up somewhere in the South Forty.
Dinner was a half dose of Cardamom Chicken with Yoghurt and Almond (web), which turned out quite well. It's not spicy hot, but spicy tasty. As go-withs there were plain basmati rice and Carrot and Onion Salad (MJ1, p171), an old favorite.
For dessert, there was Banana Strudel (H2CEV, p880), easy to make and yummy to eat.
Saturday/20-Dec-14: Got our tree today, a live one, but that was about it.
An improv dinner. Sautéed some shallot, oesterzwammen (oyster mushrooms), and garlic, then added the leftover bit of sauce from yesterday's chicken and tossed in some raviolis with cêpes (from the freezer). And a big salad. And more banana strudel.
Sunday/21-Dec-14: Here is something I love about French cooking: This morning I read through a recent issue of VPG (which, I see, is now styling themselves just Gourmand, dropping the Vie Pratique bit). I read an interesting recipe called Terrine de Chou Frisée (dark green cabbage with crinkled leaves), Asperges Blanches (white asparagus), et Poissson aux Herbes. On one side is a little blurb titled "Don't lose anything!" that tells you "With the rest of the cabbage, you can make a velouté ..." and gives brief instructions for what sounds like a good soup. To which you can add some slices of a sausage to make a complete meal. How nice that they're considering leftovers from the beginning. (Terrine things are nice for parties. They travel well and usually serve quite a few people.)
Also on the magazine side, on the advice of a cooking friend, I recently bought an issue of Cuisine et Vins, which sounds a bit pretentious but seems to be chockful of good recipes. I clipped so many that I signed up for a 2-year offer. Like I really need another food magazine. And there's just not time to make all the interesting recipes that I see.
We went to a marché de noël today. Often I buy something for our xmas day meal, but that's already planned. I did splurge on some figs stuffed with foie gras. We'll have one each on the big day for a pre-starter or maybe between starter and main, and the rest will go in the freezer for treats on another day.
Dinner was Pan-Seared Scallops with Walnuts and Spiced Carrots (web). The seared scallops were nice; the sauce OK. Didn't have any walnuts, so used hazelnuts instead. The spiced carrots were just mashed carrots with cinnamon added; I added a touch of ginger too. Too much sugar added to everything for our tastes, even though I cut back quite a bit. Not sure why the nuts needed to be sugar-coated. For dessert we were little pigs and finished the banana strudel. That was good stuff.
Yogurt on overnight.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 COOKBOOKS: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 5
This month: #3 PASTA: no; #4 FotW: no; #5 BREAD: none
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Thanksgiving 2014
Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts Arrosto di tacchino con pancetta ed erbe aromatiche (Shane's Roasted Rolled Turkey Breast with Pancetta and Herbs) Thyme-Roasted Sweet Potatoes Haricots Verts in Walnut Oil Cranberry-Port Relish Gravy Buttermilk Bread Cloverleaf Rolls Morgon 2005 Pumpkin Mousse |
Another "light" Thanksgiving and no pictures this year. We had company and there were almost no leftovers.
We started with Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Mustard Vinaigrette (web), a recipe I collected from EAT-L, served with a bit of rucola. I'd been warned that the recipe made way too much vinaigrette, and indeed it would have. Also, I found the acid-to-oil proportion way off. I used equal amounts of lemon juice and olive oil with a bit of mustard. It worked very well with the sprouts and arugla.
At Ed's request, we again had Shane's rolled turkey breast. This is delicious and makes a nice presentation, and it's not hard to make either. Couldn't find enough pancetta at the shop, so used some coppa. Doubt we could tell the difference. (I'm now almost at the end of the first roll of kitchen twine I bought, probably in the late 60s, maybe early 70s. There's maybe one more roast to tie with it.) Made a bit of gravy, thickened with potato starch, from the cooking juices. I love this turkey roll, but I miss the glamor of the whole turkey too.
As go-withs there were Thyme-Roasted Sweet Potatoes (web) and Haricots Verts in Walnut Oil (Lunch, p216; HandyBook). Both were good. I like the haricots verts, but they're not a good dish for this meal really, since they need to be cooked in the interval between courses and take just a bit too long. Might try parboiling them ahead of time to shorten the final cooking time, then just finishing in the oil.
And, of course, there was Cranberry-Port Relish (MC), a recipe that came from VT originally, but I've reduced the sugar. It's a really good and simple-to-make cranberry sauce. So much better than the canned stuff.
I made some cloverleaf rolls, because that nice soft white bread is so good for soppy.
All with our last bottle of Morgon bought direct from the vineyard. Although Beaujolais isn't supposed to be drunk old, this was still very good. Beaujolais seems to go well with turkey.
And, finally, there was some Pumpkin Mousse (MC; CL86, p88), which is kind of a crustless, "light" version of pumpkin pie, pretty in parfait glasses.
Monday, September 1, 2014
This week in the kitchen
Monday/1-Sep-14: We did our shopping today, a day early, hoping we would find some goat's milk for Harriet, but no luck. Went to the vet, then to stop at a nearby goat farm.
Dinner was Cilantro and Lime Salmon (web; cookbooker). (This the same same site whence the yummy Blueberry Zucchini Bread. Need to pay them some attention.) I made all the sauce for half the salmon and used the extra on steamed broccoli. Broiled the salmon. And some polenta. All good. Aimed for some vanilla yogurt at the shop, but came home with vanilla fromage frais. Nevermind, this is good too.
Tuesday/2-Sep-14: Seeded and chunked the two kilos of coeur de boeuf tomatoes I bought yesterday and simmered them most of afternoon. Buzzed after dinner. Tomorrow I'll heat them up again, then freeze them up in one- and two-cup lumps.
Did the sauce for a roast chicken, but then we ended up being out chasing down goat's milk and vermifuge for Harriet and it was too late to roast. Ended up with Zucchini, Walnut, and Feta Cakes with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce (CL/may14, web, cookbooker), with a bit of mixed lettuces on the side to help with the sauce. Good stuff.
Wednesday/3-Sep-14: Finished off the tomato sauce (purée?) this morning. Boy, did it smell good! Two kilos of tomatoes made just over four cups of sauce. Into the freezer with that.
Dinner was Roasted Split Chicken with Mustard Crust (MoreFast, p99). I made this before and the chickie turned out to be tough and stringy. This one was delicious. Served with Haricots Verts in Walnut Oil (Lunch, p216) and Clothilde Dusoulier's Perfect Roasted Potatoes. For dessert we had another pair of vanilla fromage frais cups.
Thursday/4-Sep-14: Dinner was Pasta and Goat Cheese Casserole with Black Olives (web; cookbooker). It was good. Then we split a magnum classic.
Friday/5-Sep-14: Lunch at a restaurant with friends followed by a tour of Villebois-Lavalette. A nice outing, but nothing happened in our kitchen.
Saturday/6-Sep-14: Dinner was more or less a half recipe I collected from EAT-L: Fesenjan Persian Chicken Stew with Walnut and Pomegranate Sauce. I used bone-in chicken thighs instead of boneless. It was good stuff. Lots of sauce left. I'll make myself a little soup from it tomorrow perhaps. Made a Persian pilaf from the web and found a Persian cucumber salad on the web. Only vaguely followed those recipes. Vanilla fromage frais for dessert.
Sunday/7-Sep-14: Yogurt on overday.
Ed had lunch with his Rochechouart choir. I made myself some soup from the leftover sauce. It was better last night. In the evening we had popcorn and fruit and watched an episode of New Tricks.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 COOKBOOKS: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 3
This month: #3 PASTA: no; #4 FotW: no; #5 BREAD: 0
Dinner was Cilantro and Lime Salmon (web; cookbooker). (This the same same site whence the yummy Blueberry Zucchini Bread. Need to pay them some attention.) I made all the sauce for half the salmon and used the extra on steamed broccoli. Broiled the salmon. And some polenta. All good. Aimed for some vanilla yogurt at the shop, but came home with vanilla fromage frais. Nevermind, this is good too.
Tuesday/2-Sep-14: Seeded and chunked the two kilos of coeur de boeuf tomatoes I bought yesterday and simmered them most of afternoon. Buzzed after dinner. Tomorrow I'll heat them up again, then freeze them up in one- and two-cup lumps.
Did the sauce for a roast chicken, but then we ended up being out chasing down goat's milk and vermifuge for Harriet and it was too late to roast. Ended up with Zucchini, Walnut, and Feta Cakes with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce (CL/may14, web, cookbooker), with a bit of mixed lettuces on the side to help with the sauce. Good stuff.
Wednesday/3-Sep-14: Finished off the tomato sauce (purée?) this morning. Boy, did it smell good! Two kilos of tomatoes made just over four cups of sauce. Into the freezer with that.
Dinner was Roasted Split Chicken with Mustard Crust (MoreFast, p99). I made this before and the chickie turned out to be tough and stringy. This one was delicious. Served with Haricots Verts in Walnut Oil (Lunch, p216) and Clothilde Dusoulier's Perfect Roasted Potatoes. For dessert we had another pair of vanilla fromage frais cups.
Thursday/4-Sep-14: Dinner was Pasta and Goat Cheese Casserole with Black Olives (web; cookbooker). It was good. Then we split a magnum classic.
Friday/5-Sep-14: Lunch at a restaurant with friends followed by a tour of Villebois-Lavalette. A nice outing, but nothing happened in our kitchen.
Saturday/6-Sep-14: Dinner was more or less a half recipe I collected from EAT-L: Fesenjan Persian Chicken Stew with Walnut and Pomegranate Sauce. I used bone-in chicken thighs instead of boneless. It was good stuff. Lots of sauce left. I'll make myself a little soup from it tomorrow perhaps. Made a Persian pilaf from the web and found a Persian cucumber salad on the web. Only vaguely followed those recipes. Vanilla fromage frais for dessert.
Sunday/7-Sep-14: Yogurt on overday.
Ed had lunch with his Rochechouart choir. I made myself some soup from the leftover sauce. It was better last night. In the evening we had popcorn and fruit and watched an episode of New Tricks.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 COOKBOOKS: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 3
This month: #3 PASTA: no; #4 FotW: no; #5 BREAD: 0
Monday, August 25, 2014
This week in the kitchen
Monday/25-Aug-14: Before dinner, I made some Blueberry Zucchini Bread (web).
For this week's pickled theme at IHCC, I made the Pork Chops, Mustard Sauce (Diaries, p51) again, this time with the cornichons included. Unfortunately, I don't feel like posting about it, so I'll just put the picture here and say we liked the cornichons in the sauce.
Served with Harictos Verts in Walnut Oil (Lunch, p216; HandyBook) and some nice garlicky smashed potatoes. Had some of the Blueberry Zucchini Bread for dessert. Very more-ish. Definitely a keeper.
Yogurt on overnight,
Tuesday/26-Aug-14: Shopping today.
Dinner was a half recipe of Fish Tacos (web) but with six tortillas between the two of us, since that's what was in the fridge. (These are French corn tortillas, which are not as good as the ones I get from the Netherlands; still one more dozen to use up before I can order again from the right place.) Made a Fresh Tomato Salsa as a go-with, but don't know where the recipe came from. Had a big salad as a go-with. We split a classic Magnum for dessert.
Wednesday/27-Aug-14: Dinner was Chicken with Mushroom and Lemon Grass (Diaries, p107), using up all the lemon grass I got recently. This was easy and tasty. For a side there was (sort of) Hot & Sour Stir-Fried Vegetables (Delightful, p55). I didn't have any cabbage or even another brassica, so just left that out. Pretty good anyhow. And some basmati rice. For dessert, a vanilla yogurt each. And a dog walk.
Thursday/28-Aug-14: Made some bread maker bread from the pain au levain mix.
Made a double batch of pâte brisée aka Tart Dough (Tenth, p256), one for dinner, one for the freezer. Dinner was Lemony Ricotta Summer Squash Galette (web), which was really nice. I used only zucchini, since yellow squash are only very rarely available here; the combination would be especially pretty. Finished the Basil Tabbouleh, which held up well, but didn't really go with the galette.
Friday/29-Aug-14: Yogurt on overday.
An easy dinner tonight. There was Curried Zucchini Soup from the freezer, needing only some salt, and grilled cheese sandwiches with bleu d'Aurillac and sliced tomatoes. Good stuff.
Beans on to soak overnight.
Saturday/30-Aug-14: Made some Cayenne Cornbread (BigGerman, p182) in the bread machine.
Beans were cooking most of the day and they still aren't done; wonder how old that package was? In the end I opened a can to make a soup for dinner to go with the cayenne cornbread. Both were good. Some double-chocolate mini-magnums for after. And then a walk looking for Sophie, out after dark again and all keyed up when we found her.
Sunday/31-Aug-14: The beans were improved by an overnight sit. Simmered them some more, then picked the meat off the ham bone and froze it all together for another day.
In the potager. we picked more cayenne (for the freezer), two spiny, fat cucumbers, and two eggplants. Time for some cucumber salad.
Dinner was pasta with Eggplant Sauce with Bell Pepper, Tomato, and Basil (MarCuc, p144; cookbooker). It was good. Two squares each of hazelnut chocolate for after.
I've not touched my Foods of the World cookbook for August, so I sort of arbitrarily declared August as a vacation month and shifted the rest out.
Sophie in late again.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 COOKBOOKS: yes; #2 VEG/FISH: 4,
This month: #3 PASTA: yes; #4 FotW:; #5 BREAD: 0
For this week's pickled theme at IHCC, I made the Pork Chops, Mustard Sauce (Diaries, p51) again, this time with the cornichons included. Unfortunately, I don't feel like posting about it, so I'll just put the picture here and say we liked the cornichons in the sauce.
Served with Harictos Verts in Walnut Oil (Lunch, p216; HandyBook) and some nice garlicky smashed potatoes. Had some of the Blueberry Zucchini Bread for dessert. Very more-ish. Definitely a keeper.
Yogurt on overnight,
Tuesday/26-Aug-14: Shopping today.
Dinner was a half recipe of Fish Tacos (web) but with six tortillas between the two of us, since that's what was in the fridge. (These are French corn tortillas, which are not as good as the ones I get from the Netherlands; still one more dozen to use up before I can order again from the right place.) Made a Fresh Tomato Salsa as a go-with, but don't know where the recipe came from. Had a big salad as a go-with. We split a classic Magnum for dessert.
Wednesday/27-Aug-14: Dinner was Chicken with Mushroom and Lemon Grass (Diaries, p107), using up all the lemon grass I got recently. This was easy and tasty. For a side there was (sort of) Hot & Sour Stir-Fried Vegetables (Delightful, p55). I didn't have any cabbage or even another brassica, so just left that out. Pretty good anyhow. And some basmati rice. For dessert, a vanilla yogurt each. And a dog walk.
Thursday/28-Aug-14: Made some bread maker bread from the pain au levain mix.
Made a double batch of pâte brisée aka Tart Dough (Tenth, p256), one for dinner, one for the freezer. Dinner was Lemony Ricotta Summer Squash Galette (web), which was really nice. I used only zucchini, since yellow squash are only very rarely available here; the combination would be especially pretty. Finished the Basil Tabbouleh, which held up well, but didn't really go with the galette.
Friday/29-Aug-14: Yogurt on overday.
An easy dinner tonight. There was Curried Zucchini Soup from the freezer, needing only some salt, and grilled cheese sandwiches with bleu d'Aurillac and sliced tomatoes. Good stuff.
Beans on to soak overnight.
Saturday/30-Aug-14: Made some Cayenne Cornbread (BigGerman, p182) in the bread machine.
Beans were cooking most of the day and they still aren't done; wonder how old that package was? In the end I opened a can to make a soup for dinner to go with the cayenne cornbread. Both were good. Some double-chocolate mini-magnums for after. And then a walk looking for Sophie, out after dark again and all keyed up when we found her.
Sunday/31-Aug-14: The beans were improved by an overnight sit. Simmered them some more, then picked the meat off the ham bone and froze it all together for another day.
In the potager. we picked more cayenne (for the freezer), two spiny, fat cucumbers, and two eggplants. Time for some cucumber salad.
Dinner was pasta with Eggplant Sauce with Bell Pepper, Tomato, and Basil (MarCuc, p144; cookbooker). It was good. Two squares each of hazelnut chocolate for after.
I've not touched my Foods of the World cookbook for August, so I sort of arbitrarily declared August as a vacation month and shifted the rest out.
Sophie in late again.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 COOKBOOKS: yes; #2 VEG/FISH: 4,
This month: #3 PASTA: yes; #4 FotW:
Monday, February 11, 2013
This week in the kitchen
Monday/11-Feb-13: Had the rest of the cauliflower tart for dinner. Then a salad. Then some double-chocolate mini-magnums.
Tuesday/12-Feb-13: Yogurt on overday. Made Coconut Pistachio Sweetmeat (MJFlavs, p88) for for this week's IHCC.
We intended to go to a concert this evening, but didn't feel like it in the end. Had our pizza leftovers for lunch and fruit for dinner. (My tummy feeling unhappy, drinking fizzy water.)
Wednesday/13-Feb-13: Shopping today.
Dinner was Yucatan Red Snapper FIllets (Art, p102), using panga and chipotle flakes instead of regular chili flakes. Hadn't made this in a while. Good stuff. Served with trio rice and Haricots Verts in Walnut Oil (Lunch, p216). Used up the last of last year's walnut oil for this, which is a good thing because this year's bottle should be arriving soon. Ed thought this plate needed a picture:
Thursday/14-Feb-13: Had a nice Valentine's Day lunch at a restaurant, only some apples this evening.
Yesterday we bought a sack of (too many) munchies for tomorrow night's choir party. Tonight I made Sharon Frye's Herb-Marinated Feta and Olives (MC) and Peppered Pecans (Tabasco, p14 ; MC). Will probably make some guacamole tomorrow.
Yogurt on overday.
Friday/15-Feb-13: Nothing happenin' in the kitchen today. Went to make guacamole and discovered there was no cilantro in the fridge. Now have two nice avocados for something or other. Choir dinner tonight after the "performance." Both the pecans and the olives were hits.
Saturday/16-Feb-13: Used the rest of the can of condensed milk to make a scaled down version of Chocolate Oat Bars (web), using up the condensed milk left from the coconut-pistachio roll. Forgot the chopped walnuts, which was a shame because then they really would have been super-duper; instead they were just super. Didn't use any of the same branded stuff, of course, and had to make self-rising flour.
Otherwise we were feeling so full of sweets and other junk left from last night that we just had a salad for dinner.
Sunday/17-Feb-13: Second day of lovely weather and clothes drying on the line. Gave away lots of the Chocolate Oat Bars because there's just too much for us to eat.
Went to make a butternut squash recipe for dinner and found that my slice of pumpkin substitute had gone bad. Replan. Made a halfish recipe of Pasta with Broccoli and Blue Cheese (web); used mini lasagnes instead of fettucine, and only 6 oz. More broccoli. Probably more cheese, but didn't really measure. Good stuff. Some chopped walnuts might have been a nice addition.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 IHCC/COOKBOOKS: yes, #2 VEG/FISH: 5
This month: #3 PASTA: no, #4 BREAD: no
Tuesday/12-Feb-13: Yogurt on overday. Made Coconut Pistachio Sweetmeat (MJFlavs, p88) for for this week's IHCC.
We intended to go to a concert this evening, but didn't feel like it in the end. Had our pizza leftovers for lunch and fruit for dinner. (My tummy feeling unhappy, drinking fizzy water.)
Wednesday/13-Feb-13: Shopping today.
Dinner was Yucatan Red Snapper FIllets (Art, p102), using panga and chipotle flakes instead of regular chili flakes. Hadn't made this in a while. Good stuff. Served with trio rice and Haricots Verts in Walnut Oil (Lunch, p216). Used up the last of last year's walnut oil for this, which is a good thing because this year's bottle should be arriving soon. Ed thought this plate needed a picture:
Thursday/14-Feb-13: Had a nice Valentine's Day lunch at a restaurant, only some apples this evening.
Yesterday we bought a sack of (too many) munchies for tomorrow night's choir party. Tonight I made Sharon Frye's Herb-Marinated Feta and Olives (MC) and Peppered Pecans (Tabasco, p14 ; MC). Will probably make some guacamole tomorrow.
Yogurt on overday.
Friday/15-Feb-13: Nothing happenin' in the kitchen today. Went to make guacamole and discovered there was no cilantro in the fridge. Now have two nice avocados for something or other. Choir dinner tonight after the "performance." Both the pecans and the olives were hits.
Saturday/16-Feb-13: Used the rest of the can of condensed milk to make a scaled down version of Chocolate Oat Bars (web), using up the condensed milk left from the coconut-pistachio roll. Forgot the chopped walnuts, which was a shame because then they really would have been super-duper; instead they were just super. Didn't use any of the same branded stuff, of course, and had to make self-rising flour.
Otherwise we were feeling so full of sweets and other junk left from last night that we just had a salad for dinner.
Sunday/17-Feb-13: Second day of lovely weather and clothes drying on the line. Gave away lots of the Chocolate Oat Bars because there's just too much for us to eat.
Went to make a butternut squash recipe for dinner and found that my slice of pumpkin substitute had gone bad. Replan. Made a halfish recipe of Pasta with Broccoli and Blue Cheese (web); used mini lasagnes instead of fettucine, and only 6 oz. More broccoli. Probably more cheese, but didn't really measure. Good stuff. Some chopped walnuts might have been a nice addition.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 IHCC/COOKBOOKS: yes, #2 VEG/FISH: 5
This month: #3 PASTA: no, #4 BREAD: no
Monday, December 3, 2012
This week in the kitchen
Monday/3-Dec-12: What a gray and gloomy day! Simple dinner, a half dose of Conchiglie Salmone e Piselli e Formaggi Caprini (web) and a salad. Used orecchetti because there isn't any conchiglie in the house. Oh well.
Tuesday/4-Dec-12: Warmed up the roast chicken; served with (yet again) Haricots Verts in Walnut Oil (Lunch, p216, MC, now HandyBook) and mushroom pasta. For dessert with did a taste-testing of four fair trade chocolate bars (one square each). Our favorite was the 70% one from Nicaragua.
Wednesday/5-Dec-12: Shopping today. Had an Asian itch, so dinner was Spicy Fish Cakes (MC), a vaguely Thai dish. Accompanied by Fragrant Jasmine Rice (MWLowFat, p189) and Zucchini with Cilantro Sauce (MWLowfat, p335). For dessert there was a bit of Pineapple Buttermilk Sherbert (MWLowFat, p394), that I made late last summer when I opened a can of what turned out to be crushed pineapple. All stuff we've had before, but good.
Thursday/6-Dec-12: Tonight's dinner was for IHCC's potluck theme. There was Chickpea Flour Stew with Dumplings (TasteIndia, p42) over plain basmati rice, served with Tangy Green Beans with Ajwain and Ginger (SpiceKitch, p38). Yum.
Friday/7-Dec-12: Today's lunch date fell through so we had an unplanned dinner, but one I'd already been thinking it was time for—our annual Dutch zuurkool stamppot. That's sauerkraut mashed with potatoes and topped with a smoked sausage. Comfort food. Another chocolate taste-testing for afters.
Saturday/8-Dec-12: Oops, neglected to notice that dinner wanted two and a half hours in the oven. Replan on order. So it was a half dose version of Poor-Cousin Paella (Secrets, p249). This recipe is good for using up odd bits of things. (That's why it's in the leftovers chapter, "The Squirrel Complex.") There were some small frozen cooked shrimp, the last frozen squid body, some store-bought chorizo (a good brand this time), with peas and artichoke bottoms, and jazzed up with some chipotle powder. Good stuff. Then a salad. Have enough paella left for lunch or a side dish perhaps.
Sunday/9-Dec-12: Dinner was Fall-Apart Lamb Braised with Mustard and Mint (web), with three of the four lamb shanks asked. The meat from the third one will show up in dinner in a couple of days. Good stuff it was. There was no mint in the store and certainly none in the garden, so I sprinkled on some dried spearmint, but can't say I noticed the flavor. Served with smashed potatoes and peas-and-carrots. Double-chocolate mini Magnums for afters, although it wasn't really needed.
Yogurt on overnight.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 COOKBOOKS: no, #2 BREAD: no, #3 SOUP: yes, #4 MIDDAY: no, #5 VEG/FISH: 3
This month: #6 PASTA: no
Tuesday/4-Dec-12: Warmed up the roast chicken; served with (yet again) Haricots Verts in Walnut Oil (Lunch, p216, MC, now HandyBook) and mushroom pasta. For dessert with did a taste-testing of four fair trade chocolate bars (one square each). Our favorite was the 70% one from Nicaragua.
Wednesday/5-Dec-12: Shopping today. Had an Asian itch, so dinner was Spicy Fish Cakes (MC), a vaguely Thai dish. Accompanied by Fragrant Jasmine Rice (MWLowFat, p189) and Zucchini with Cilantro Sauce (MWLowfat, p335). For dessert there was a bit of Pineapple Buttermilk Sherbert (MWLowFat, p394), that I made late last summer when I opened a can of what turned out to be crushed pineapple. All stuff we've had before, but good.
Thursday/6-Dec-12: Tonight's dinner was for IHCC's potluck theme. There was Chickpea Flour Stew with Dumplings (TasteIndia, p42) over plain basmati rice, served with Tangy Green Beans with Ajwain and Ginger (SpiceKitch, p38). Yum.
Friday/7-Dec-12: Today's lunch date fell through so we had an unplanned dinner, but one I'd already been thinking it was time for—our annual Dutch zuurkool stamppot. That's sauerkraut mashed with potatoes and topped with a smoked sausage. Comfort food. Another chocolate taste-testing for afters.
Saturday/8-Dec-12: Oops, neglected to notice that dinner wanted two and a half hours in the oven. Replan on order. So it was a half dose version of Poor-Cousin Paella (Secrets, p249). This recipe is good for using up odd bits of things. (That's why it's in the leftovers chapter, "The Squirrel Complex.") There were some small frozen cooked shrimp, the last frozen squid body, some store-bought chorizo (a good brand this time), with peas and artichoke bottoms, and jazzed up with some chipotle powder. Good stuff. Then a salad. Have enough paella left for lunch or a side dish perhaps.
Sunday/9-Dec-12: Dinner was Fall-Apart Lamb Braised with Mustard and Mint (web), with three of the four lamb shanks asked. The meat from the third one will show up in dinner in a couple of days. Good stuff it was. There was no mint in the store and certainly none in the garden, so I sprinkled on some dried spearmint, but can't say I noticed the flavor. Served with smashed potatoes and peas-and-carrots. Double-chocolate mini Magnums for afters, although it wasn't really needed.
Yogurt on overnight.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 COOKBOOKS: no, #2 BREAD: no, #3 SOUP: yes, #4 MIDDAY: no, #5 VEG/FISH: 3
This month: #6 PASTA: no
Monday, November 5, 2012
This week in the kitchen
Monday/5-Nov-12: Geen zin in het koken vandag, i.e., I didn't feel like cooking. Dinner was Omelette Soufflée aux Courgettes (VPG), which was good enough, but nothing special. Served with Haricots Verts in Walnut Oil (Lunch, p216, MC, now HandyBook). Very good, as always. We didn't eat all of them, so they will appear elsewhere in the next days. Then a big salad, including some of the roasted cauliflower.
Tuesday/6-Nov-12: Started up Lime Pickle (Shoba Ramji's Alimucha Oorga) (MJFlavs, p211) today. Licking the spoon leads me to believe this is better than the green chili pickle.
Dinner was Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa (web). This is meant as four side servings, but I thought it would do perfectly well as a main. And it did. Tasty, but a bit plain. Then an Easy Berry Cobbler (MC, HandyBook) with frozen blueberries. Served with vanilla ice cream. Yum. Blueberries aren't very pretty, but sure taste good.
Wednesday/7-Nov-12: Did the shopping today after my ophthalmologist appointment, while Ed took advantage of our little sunny spell to work on the new woodshed. Not much impulse buying.
Bought some salmon for Baked Fish with Kumquats and Ginger (Uncommon, p273), using the kumquats I found shopping with BIll. Love this easy recipe, one of the few I've made from this book, but this one repeatedly. Some trio rice and some steamed broccoli. Then we finished off the blueberry cobbler with some vanilla ice cream.
Thursday/8-Nov-12: The latest issue of Vie Practique Gourmand (which is now, I see, calling itself just Gourmand) has an article with 30 best recipes for hamburgers, many of which can't be picked up to be eaten. Quite a few use what look like soft American-style hamburger buns, which I've never seen in the shops. There are burgers that are French (including foie gras), British (cod instead of hamburger), island (shrimp and pineapple), provençale (eggplant, fennel, olives), Greek (vegetarian, in pitas with feta and dried tomatoes), Indian (chicken and Madras curry powder), Thai (lamb, lemongrass, and tomato sauce), etc. The American version is a double cheeseburger with bacon, including what looks whole lot like Kraft American cheese; the ingredients just say slices of cheese, without even suggesting what kind of cheese to use. The "country burger" (in English, just like that) has a sunny-side-up egg on it. The oddest must be the tomato burger, where the bun is replaced by a large tomato, sliced in half at the equator, with a fat hamburger patty and more of the unspecified cheese slices.
There was Creamy Fettuccine with Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms (web) for dinner. Used my mushroom-flavored chantarelle-shaped pasta instead of fettuccine. Nothing special. Roasted Brussels sprouts work, sautéed don't. Then a salad. Then small slices of store-bought hazelnut cake with a dab of vanilla ice cream.
Yogurt on overnight, with a new starter, since the last batch had some green bits in it, probably parsley bits that didn't get rinsed from the whisk. Or something.
Friday/9-Nov-12: Dinner was a half dose of Rabbit in Mustard Sauce (Essential, p466; cookbooker), quite good. Served with a whole dose of Spaetzle (MW@Home, p203) which was really too much, but was nice anyhow. Then a salad. No room for dessert.
Saturday/10-Nov-12: It was a half dose of Leek & Porcini Pappardelle (JamieMag) for dinner, and, yes, with fresh pasta, tagliatelle instead of pappardelle. Then a salad. No dessert. Especially since I ate a package of corn chips while I was making pasta.
Sunday/11-Nov-12: Remembrance Day or Veterans' Day, we went to the memorial service at our commune, then to a remembrance day lunch at our local ferme-auberge. Not even thinking of looking at food this evening.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 COOKBOOKS: yes, #2 BREAD: no, #3 SOUP: no, #4 MIDDAY: yes, #5 VEG/FISH: 5
This month: #6 PASTA: yes
Tuesday/6-Nov-12: Started up Lime Pickle (Shoba Ramji's Alimucha Oorga) (MJFlavs, p211) today. Licking the spoon leads me to believe this is better than the green chili pickle.
Dinner was Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa (web). This is meant as four side servings, but I thought it would do perfectly well as a main. And it did. Tasty, but a bit plain. Then an Easy Berry Cobbler (MC, HandyBook) with frozen blueberries. Served with vanilla ice cream. Yum. Blueberries aren't very pretty, but sure taste good.
Wednesday/7-Nov-12: Did the shopping today after my ophthalmologist appointment, while Ed took advantage of our little sunny spell to work on the new woodshed. Not much impulse buying.
Bought some salmon for Baked Fish with Kumquats and Ginger (Uncommon, p273), using the kumquats I found shopping with BIll. Love this easy recipe, one of the few I've made from this book, but this one repeatedly. Some trio rice and some steamed broccoli. Then we finished off the blueberry cobbler with some vanilla ice cream.
Thursday/8-Nov-12: The latest issue of Vie Practique Gourmand (which is now, I see, calling itself just Gourmand) has an article with 30 best recipes for hamburgers, many of which can't be picked up to be eaten. Quite a few use what look like soft American-style hamburger buns, which I've never seen in the shops. There are burgers that are French (including foie gras), British (cod instead of hamburger), island (shrimp and pineapple), provençale (eggplant, fennel, olives), Greek (vegetarian, in pitas with feta and dried tomatoes), Indian (chicken and Madras curry powder), Thai (lamb, lemongrass, and tomato sauce), etc. The American version is a double cheeseburger with bacon, including what looks whole lot like Kraft American cheese; the ingredients just say slices of cheese, without even suggesting what kind of cheese to use. The "country burger" (in English, just like that) has a sunny-side-up egg on it. The oddest must be the tomato burger, where the bun is replaced by a large tomato, sliced in half at the equator, with a fat hamburger patty and more of the unspecified cheese slices.
There was Creamy Fettuccine with Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms (web) for dinner. Used my mushroom-flavored chantarelle-shaped pasta instead of fettuccine. Nothing special. Roasted Brussels sprouts work, sautéed don't. Then a salad. Then small slices of store-bought hazelnut cake with a dab of vanilla ice cream.
Yogurt on overnight, with a new starter, since the last batch had some green bits in it, probably parsley bits that didn't get rinsed from the whisk. Or something.
Friday/9-Nov-12: Dinner was a half dose of Rabbit in Mustard Sauce (Essential, p466; cookbooker), quite good. Served with a whole dose of Spaetzle (MW@Home, p203) which was really too much, but was nice anyhow. Then a salad. No room for dessert.
Saturday/10-Nov-12: It was a half dose of Leek & Porcini Pappardelle (JamieMag) for dinner, and, yes, with fresh pasta, tagliatelle instead of pappardelle. Then a salad. No dessert. Especially since I ate a package of corn chips while I was making pasta.
Sunday/11-Nov-12: Remembrance Day or Veterans' Day, we went to the memorial service at our commune, then to a remembrance day lunch at our local ferme-auberge. Not even thinking of looking at food this evening.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 COOKBOOKS: yes, #2 BREAD: no, #3 SOUP: no, #4 MIDDAY: yes, #5 VEG/FISH: 5
This month: #6 PASTA: yes
Monday, August 6, 2012
This week in the kitchen
Monday/6-Aug-12: Made up the broth for Zucchini-Lemon Sorbet (web). It's a pretty green color (not yellow like the pic on the site). I used one globe squash, 350g after it was seeded. Reduced sugar to 1/2 cup (sucre de canne). The lickin's tasted pretty good. We'll see.
Finished off the Zucchini and Feta Salad and the Herbal Potato Salad for lunch.
Off piste already for dinner—just didn't feel like making or eating a filo tarte/pie, no matter how tasty. So I cooked some rice and defrosted a smoked sausage to make a stuffing for a pair of globe zucchinis We started with Lamb's Lettuce and Beetroot (Salade de Mâche aux Betteraves) (BEFCC, p32), which is one of our favorite salads. Then we had our stuffed zucchinis, surrounded by a bit of tagliatelle tossed with cilantro pesto. Most everything from the freezer. Didn't feel like dessert.
Tuesday/7-Aug-12: Froze up the Zucchini-Lemon Sorbet—sample tasted pretty darn good!
A mishmash of a dinner, although it was pretty, quite colorful. Ed grilled some saucisses de volaille, poultry sausages, along with some slices off an enormous zucchini (one that hid out during a rainy spell and ended up bigger than Ed's forearm). I sliced up the last roasted beet and topped it with a bit of yesterday's dressing. Used some of the neighbor's giveaway beans to make Haricots Verts in Walnut Oil (Lunch, p216), but with yellow beans rather than green ... haricots jaunes, perhaps? Thought it would be pretty to combine the yellow and green, but the green ones seemed mostly thicker, so didn't think the cooking times would work right. Tarted up the bit of rice leftover from yesterday with some onion, radishes, cuke, green bell pepper, and some of the leftover dressing from the potato salad. For afters we had a bit of the hard goat cheese crottin Ed got at the marché de producteurs. Then a bit of the Zucchini Ice Cream.
Wednesday/8-Aug-12: Yogurt on overday. We didn't get shopping today, waiting for a DHL delivery, which really was early enough to go afterwards, but we weren't organized. So dinner plans went awry and I really didn't feel like making anything at all. We ended up with a variation on Meat and Chickpea Curry, which is one of those recipes that gets pulled out when nothing else appeals. Used the penultimate bit of last Thanksgiving's turkey from the freezer.
Thursday/9-Aug-12: Shopping today. Roasted three more beets from the garden.
Dinner was a half recipe of Warm & Spicy Fish Salad (PatSalads, p95). Pretty good stuff, and easy. I thought the rub for the fish was a bit too salty and the salad dressing needed a bit of salt. Ed disagreed, so who's to tell. Served with Marinated Zucchini, which is a recipe I've had forever, probably one of the first things I ever cooked for Ed. The recipe calls for cottage cheese with chives, which is decidedly not to be found here. (In NL, there was some lovely cottage cheese, German, I think, that I still buy when we visit to eat for breakfast. Here I once found some cottage cheese in an "English" section, but it was horrible.) I used Boursin with chives instead. Worked pretty well.
Friday/10-Aug-12: Busy in the kitchen today. Used most of the defrosted filo to make Viennese Fillo Apple Strudel (filo recipe pamphlet), which was pretty tasty. Again made the broth for Zucchini-Lemon Sorbet (web), and froze it in the evening. Made about 50% more than last time, just to use up the big zuke. Had a dab for dessert. Ed thought it was too sour; I thought it was good. Hmm... Also again made up the broth for Zucchini Ice Cream (web), this time puréeing the mixture. Used half the cinnamon; we'll see how that goes.
Dinner was Spinach, Zucchini, Feta, and Walnut Quina with Salmon (web). Interesting collection of tastes. Ed liked it better than I did. We ate the whole thing, but it would have easily served three. As a starter, it would serve something like eight probably.
Saturday/11-Aug-12: Dinner started with a little salad of sliced, roasted beet from the garden, avocado, and red onion, topped with the last of the beet dressing. The main was Cold Zucchini and Corn Soup (Soup4Seas, p90), more or less. For the final step, as I was heating the olive oil to sauté the last of the zucchini slices, I took the lid off the cooled soup and dumped the zuke bits in there rather than into the oil. Oops. Soup with raw squash. Not bad actually, although it would be better with slightly softer squash.
Froze up the Zucchini Ice Cream after the concert. Yogurt on overnight.
Sunday/12-Aug-12: More Cold Zucchini and Corn Soup for lunch. Keeps well.
Dinner was off piste again. Made some chili with some frozen pork and barley I made for something else. Turned out pretty good. For dessert, we finished off the first batch of Zucchini Ice Cream, then (for comparison only, of course) the extra little bit of the second batch that didn't fit in the dish I froze it in. The second batch is much tastier, but not as creamy, maybe because the bucket wasn't cold enough. Just have to try again.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 COOKBOOKS: yes, #2 BREAD: no, #3 SOUP: yes, #4 MIDDAY: no, #5 VEG/FISH: 3
This month: #6 PASTA: no
Finished off the Zucchini and Feta Salad and the Herbal Potato Salad for lunch.
Off piste already for dinner—just didn't feel like making or eating a filo tarte/pie, no matter how tasty. So I cooked some rice and defrosted a smoked sausage to make a stuffing for a pair of globe zucchinis We started with Lamb's Lettuce and Beetroot (Salade de Mâche aux Betteraves) (BEFCC, p32), which is one of our favorite salads. Then we had our stuffed zucchinis, surrounded by a bit of tagliatelle tossed with cilantro pesto. Most everything from the freezer. Didn't feel like dessert.
Tuesday/7-Aug-12: Froze up the Zucchini-Lemon Sorbet—sample tasted pretty darn good!
A mishmash of a dinner, although it was pretty, quite colorful. Ed grilled some saucisses de volaille, poultry sausages, along with some slices off an enormous zucchini (one that hid out during a rainy spell and ended up bigger than Ed's forearm). I sliced up the last roasted beet and topped it with a bit of yesterday's dressing. Used some of the neighbor's giveaway beans to make Haricots Verts in Walnut Oil (Lunch, p216), but with yellow beans rather than green ... haricots jaunes, perhaps? Thought it would be pretty to combine the yellow and green, but the green ones seemed mostly thicker, so didn't think the cooking times would work right. Tarted up the bit of rice leftover from yesterday with some onion, radishes, cuke, green bell pepper, and some of the leftover dressing from the potato salad. For afters we had a bit of the hard goat cheese crottin Ed got at the marché de producteurs. Then a bit of the Zucchini Ice Cream.
Wednesday/8-Aug-12: Yogurt on overday. We didn't get shopping today, waiting for a DHL delivery, which really was early enough to go afterwards, but we weren't organized. So dinner plans went awry and I really didn't feel like making anything at all. We ended up with a variation on Meat and Chickpea Curry, which is one of those recipes that gets pulled out when nothing else appeals. Used the penultimate bit of last Thanksgiving's turkey from the freezer.
Thursday/9-Aug-12: Shopping today. Roasted three more beets from the garden.
Dinner was a half recipe of Warm & Spicy Fish Salad (PatSalads, p95). Pretty good stuff, and easy. I thought the rub for the fish was a bit too salty and the salad dressing needed a bit of salt. Ed disagreed, so who's to tell. Served with Marinated Zucchini, which is a recipe I've had forever, probably one of the first things I ever cooked for Ed. The recipe calls for cottage cheese with chives, which is decidedly not to be found here. (In NL, there was some lovely cottage cheese, German, I think, that I still buy when we visit to eat for breakfast. Here I once found some cottage cheese in an "English" section, but it was horrible.) I used Boursin with chives instead. Worked pretty well.
Friday/10-Aug-12: Busy in the kitchen today. Used most of the defrosted filo to make Viennese Fillo Apple Strudel (filo recipe pamphlet), which was pretty tasty. Again made the broth for Zucchini-Lemon Sorbet (web), and froze it in the evening. Made about 50% more than last time, just to use up the big zuke. Had a dab for dessert. Ed thought it was too sour; I thought it was good. Hmm... Also again made up the broth for Zucchini Ice Cream (web), this time puréeing the mixture. Used half the cinnamon; we'll see how that goes.
Dinner was Spinach, Zucchini, Feta, and Walnut Quina with Salmon (web). Interesting collection of tastes. Ed liked it better than I did. We ate the whole thing, but it would have easily served three. As a starter, it would serve something like eight probably.
Saturday/11-Aug-12: Dinner started with a little salad of sliced, roasted beet from the garden, avocado, and red onion, topped with the last of the beet dressing. The main was Cold Zucchini and Corn Soup (Soup4Seas, p90), more or less. For the final step, as I was heating the olive oil to sauté the last of the zucchini slices, I took the lid off the cooled soup and dumped the zuke bits in there rather than into the oil. Oops. Soup with raw squash. Not bad actually, although it would be better with slightly softer squash.
Froze up the Zucchini Ice Cream after the concert. Yogurt on overnight.
Sunday/12-Aug-12: More Cold Zucchini and Corn Soup for lunch. Keeps well.
Dinner was off piste again. Made some chili with some frozen pork and barley I made for something else. Turned out pretty good. For dessert, we finished off the first batch of Zucchini Ice Cream, then (for comparison only, of course) the extra little bit of the second batch that didn't fit in the dish I froze it in. The second batch is much tastier, but not as creamy, maybe because the bucket wasn't cold enough. Just have to try again.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 COOKBOOKS: yes, #2 BREAD: no, #3 SOUP: yes, #4 MIDDAY: no, #5 VEG/FISH: 3
This month: #6 PASTA: no
Monday, October 3, 2011
This week in the kitchen
Monday/3-Oct-11: Quiet in the kitchen all day. Off to a quiz tonight.
Tuesday/4-Oct-11: Two chicken carcasses (maybe one of them was a guinea hen) and some thigh bones made a whole lot of chicken stock. Which is good, because there's none in the freezer right now.
Attended a birthday dinner tonight, so no cooking here.
Wednesday/5-Oct-11: Boiled the chicken stock a bit this morning, then, froze up it up. Out of tupperwares for storing it. Shopped later.
Dinner was Barley, Broccoli, and Cannellini Bean Soup (MarCuc, p90), a yummy soup. I forgot how long barley takes to cook, so we ate a bit late, but this is definitely a do-again.
Friday/7-Oct-11: Nothing on in the kitchen today. We had a big lunch before boules today, so no need to cook.
Saturday/8-Oct-11: A lazy kitchen day. Went to make rabbit for dinner and discovered it wanted to marinate all day. So it will wait till tomorrow. Instead there was Indian Samosa Casserole (web, soon to be MC, cookbooker), kind of a samosa pot pie. Quite good it was, and will do for another meal. Served with my usual raita, Yogurt with Cucumber and Mint (MJ1, p162) and some mango chutney.
Sunday/9-Oct-11: A busy morning in the kitchen.
I started Harlot's Sauce, the next Cook the Books selection. As far as I can see, there's only one recipe in the book. Do you suppose everyone is going to make spaghetti with salsa puttanesca?
Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: no (or yes if you count eating out), #2 SOUP: yes!, #3 MIDDAY: yes (ate out)
This month: #4 PASTA: no
Tuesday/4-Oct-11: Two chicken carcasses (maybe one of them was a guinea hen) and some thigh bones made a whole lot of chicken stock. Which is good, because there's none in the freezer right now.
Attended a birthday dinner tonight, so no cooking here.
Wednesday/5-Oct-11: Boiled the chicken stock a bit this morning, then, froze up it up. Out of tupperwares for storing it. Shopped later.
Dinner was Barley, Broccoli, and Cannellini Bean Soup (MarCuc, p90), a yummy soup. I forgot how long barley takes to cook, so we ate a bit late, but this is definitely a do-again.
Yogurt on overnight.
Thursday/6-Oct-11: Finished off the cookies from the freezer from last year's CookbooksEtc contest. (CookbooksEtc recently folded completely unexpectedly when the owner shut it down, not wanting to hand it over to someone else.) Edible, but would have been better with chocolate chips.
Thursday/6-Oct-11: Finished off the cookies from the freezer from last year's CookbooksEtc contest. (CookbooksEtc recently folded completely unexpectedly when the owner shut it down, not wanting to hand it over to someone else.) Edible, but would have been better with chocolate chips.
Dinner was leftover chicken. The bread layer was really tasty. That's worth doing any time you roast a chicken. Served with some shredded zucchini (from the freezer!), sautéed then tossed with a bit of (thawed) ricotta pesto.
Friday/7-Oct-11: Nothing on in the kitchen today. We had a big lunch before boules today, so no need to cook.
Saturday/8-Oct-11: A lazy kitchen day. Went to make rabbit for dinner and discovered it wanted to marinate all day. So it will wait till tomorrow. Instead there was Indian Samosa Casserole (web, soon to be MC, cookbooker), kind of a samosa pot pie. Quite good it was, and will do for another meal. Served with my usual raita, Yogurt with Cucumber and Mint (MJ1, p162) and some mango chutney.
Sunday/9-Oct-11: A busy morning in the kitchen.
- Yogurt on overday.
- Rabbit on to marinate for dinner. The package I bought said entier (whole), but it also said pré-découpé (pre-cut). I could see that cuts had been made in the back. (Not all the way through, actually, but a good start, and the cuts allowed the rabbit to fold up nicely in the package.) Entier really means whole, unfortunately. When I removed the wrapping, the head was hiding under the label. Hmm... And it was chock full of innards, no guts, but heart, lungs, kidneys, liver. Not all tidy in a paper sack. The animals may get some of of this bounty. Ed's boiling up the head; not sure why. (The vitreous humor solidified. Pogo and Sophie got the meat.)
- And some of Ninfa's Spicy Pickled Carrots (web) underway. I thought I had some chiles de arbol in my stash, but I didn't; so I used moritas instead. We'll see how that goes. Yipes! I forgot to set the timer (or didn't hear it?) at one point, and it boiled pretty near dry.
I started Harlot's Sauce, the next Cook the Books selection. As far as I can see, there's only one recipe in the book. Do you suppose everyone is going to make spaghetti with salsa puttanesca?
Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: no (or yes if you count eating out), #2 SOUP: yes!, #3 MIDDAY: yes (ate out)
This month: #4 PASTA: no
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Lunch in Paris
Lunch in ParisElizabeth Bard
Little, Brown (2010)
ISBN 031604279X
Yes, Cook the Books has come around again, and although I read this book early in April, what with one thing and the other, I'm just getting around to cooking and posting.
I must say that Lunch in Paris is not especially a book I'd have picked up on my own. In the past I've read a lot in the expat-in-France genre, but now I'm living that dream myself (after 26 years in the Netherlands) and don't feel so much the need to share vicariously in someone else's adventure. In this case, I'm a generation older and moved to France for the countryside, weather, food, prices, and lifestyle (i.e., early retirement) rather than for love. Nevertheless, we share many of the same reactions to our expat experience. I did have to laugh at the importance of having your name on a utility bill. I now keep a copy in my checkbook, in case I need to show it somewhere.
"Pardon me, sir, I couldn't help but notice; the cobblestones outside your door are older than my country." For an American (of the US type) who was once awed by sleeping in a 200-year-old log cabin in New Hampshire, living in Europe has really been an eye opener. I no longer think something 200 years old is very old. My house was built in 1900—it's a youngster. Everywhere you go, you're surrounded by history and tradition that are many, many centuries old. Paleolithic cave paintings, Roman baths, traces of Richard-the-Lionheart. Living as an expat, one soon learns that there are many more views of history than we were taught in school. Even the story of WWII more complex and even rather different from what we learned.
And, oh dear, problems with the language. Struggling with numbers at the market. I try to listen, I really do, but sometimes I just don't get it. The nice lady at our post office now shows me her calculator after she's added the total.
Bard and I even share food experiences. Fear of mayo. I grew up thinking Miracle Whip was mayonnaise, and detested all forms of the white, slimy stuff. Real mayonnaise was a revelation, although I discovered this before we ever moved to Europe. Croissants. When I first visited France at not quite 13, I loved to peel off the flaky layers of my morning croissant. (Reportedly Julia Child's recipe for croissants in Mastering the Art of French Cooking is do-able has has good results, but I haven't gathered my courage in hand for this yet.) Also on this trip I discovered the tiny fraises des bois, wild strawberries, each one an explosion of flavor. Now I have these in my garden.
For our Lunch in Paris meal, we started with Haricots Verts in Walnut Oil (Lunch, p216). I love haricots verts and the walnut oil I used is special. Every January, my commune has a soirée énoissage, an evening of walnut shelling. After several hours of shelling walnuts, we were treated to a simple dinner (onion soup, beans and pork served with dandelion greens, homemade apple tart). We had the option to purchase a liter of the walnut oil produced from our efforts, and this is what I used to make these beans. They were especially good because of our effort, of course.
Next there was Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Roasted Sweet Potatoes (Lunch, p312). Lamb, North African food, slowly cooked meat dishes, all food I love. And I love the combination of traditions in a single dish (fusion cuisine of a different sort).
I wonder about the "serves 8" part; I think 5 or 6 would be more like it. I started with about about 3 pounds of bone-in shoulder. Boning a chunk of meat like this is something the butcher can do in about 5 minutes, but takes me closer to an hour. (Not my favorite kitchen job.) I neglected to weigh the boned amount.
Since it's largely made ahead of time, this tagine would be an ideal party dish. I suspect you could prep everything the day before and just assemble and pop in the oven before you're planning to serve. As suggested, I served this with couscous, topped with raisins and cinnamon. Very yummy it all was.
And for dessert, a very French choice at this season when our tree is over-flowing with cherries, and one of my favorite meal closers (and occasional breakfast), clafoutis de cesises (Petit, p898, with technique and inspiration from other sources). Here it is fresh from the oven.
Altogether, this project was more fun than I initially expected. Now I've got another book with lots of stickies still to cook. And several links to "real" French cookbooks to help me build my collection in that area.
Thanks to Jo at Food Junkie Not Junk Food for hosting this book challenge!
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