This week in the kitchen

Monday/22-Mar-21: Ed had a doctor's appointment at 17.30 this afternoon. We saw the doctor at 19.00; the curfew is 19.00. We didn't get stopped going home, thank goodness. 

Dinner was a repeat of yesterday, the rest of the smoked salmon tart, a big salad, this time with chocolate-covered madeleines for after.

Tuesday/23-Mar-21: Dinner was Flat Roasted Chicken with Sweet Carrots, Prosciutto and Olives (Screamingly, p31). This was pretty darn good. The spatchcocked chickie is roasted first skin-down, and then skin up on at mixture of prosciutto (I used lardons), shallots, cubed carrots, garlic, and green olives. Not sure what was gained by not pitting the olives; this made them annoying to eat. I also made Gratin Dauphinois (Pomiane, p201). Usually I make the version in BEFCC, but thought I'd give Pomiane a try tonight. It was very good and easy as far as these things go. 

Wednesday/24-Mar-21: I made a loaf of Authentic French Bread (Magic, 22) (Basic/Rapid/M/d/-) in the bread machine. Used all T65 (white bread flour). It's good. 

Ed picked up orders from both Drives today.

Dinner was Baked Tilapia with Spinach-Pecan Pesto (web). I totally didn't notice that this was for two, and carefully cut the pesto ingredients back. Then I added more spinach (frozen bits) and processed those till they were "done"; didn't add anything else extra. The pesto was delicious. Served it on cod. The fish adds nothing, it's the pesto that carries the dish. (What will I do with the extra now?) Served with trio rice and a shredded carrot and radish salad.

Some store-bought vanilla yogurts for after.

Thursday/25-Mar-21: Yogurt on overday.

Dinner was Chile-Lime Pork* (web). Last time we bbq'd this; tonight I cooked in it oven at 450F (10min on one side, 15min on the second side, then another 5min on the first side). Delicious and succulent. Served with roasted asparagus (olive oil, lemon juice, and taco seasoning), polenta, and (home-made) guacamole, plus some corn tortillas to wipe things up. We were full, just two little chocolate easter eggs for after.

Mixed up an Overnight Boule in the evening.

Friday/26-Mar-21: Baked the Overnight Boule. 

Didn't get the chicken picked yesterday or this morning, and didn't feel like doing it this evening, so we had a bit of a shuffle on the menu plan. Dinner was Shrimp with Lemon & Capers (web); this was so-so. Good tastes, but the gnocchi didn't really go with the shrimp. Then a bit salad. Two chocolate easter eggs each for after.

Saturday/27-Mar-21: Got that chicken picked today. Dinner was Spicy Cabbage and Chicken Stir-Fry (web). I used sambal oelek, still working on the huge jar that Bill brought us once. For next to no work, this is really good. It might be nice to sauté a sliced onion before adding the cabbage. Some strawberries and cream for after.

Sunday/28-Mar-21: The ABM made some English Toasting Bread (Magic, p21) (Basic/Rapid/M/d/-). Pretty loaf. Last made in December 2002. We'll see tomorrow.

Dinner was Middle Eastern Burgers (web). (Ed bbq'd and we ate outside for the first time this year.) This was supposed to serve seven with tiny burgers. I made eight, intending to have four tonight and four for the freezer. But they were so good, we had one more each and I've saved the last two for lunch one of these days. (I bet these would be even better with ground lamb, all or half of the meat.) Served with a half recipe of Carrot Salad with Cumin, Cinnamon, and Sweet Paprika (Morocco, p78) and store-bought Moroccan couscous. Three chocolate easter eggs 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/13-Jul-20: French lesson today, then on to my ENT for a checkup delayed from March. I was pooped when I got back and took a nap.

For dinner, we had Jaffrey's Lamb with Spinach from the freezer, over plain basmati rice. We ate two servings, plus one I'd put aside for one of Ed's choir practice days. Those aren't going to happen again very soon.

Tuesday/14-Jul-20: Dinner was Thai Peanut Zucchini Noodles (web). It was quick to make and edible, that's all I'll say for it. Can't believe the recipe as written is supposed to serve three. The whole recipe might be skimpy for two. I thought it might be meant as a side, but it clearly says Main.

Wednesday/15-Jul-20: Ed went out and got hamburgers for dinner. Not sure how my tummy feels about that.

Thursday/16-Jul-20: Dinner was Slow Cooker Filipino Chicken (web), which is not just for the slow cooker, since she also gives alternatives for the pressure cooker and for cooking on the stove. I cooked on the stove, in a regular pot rather than a cast iron one. This pretty good stuff, easy to make. I used part of a chineeskool for the greens.

Friday/17-Jul-20: Ed picked up an order from Leclerc Drive today.

Dinner was Seafood and Pork Mu Shu with Hoisin Sauce and Napa Cabbage Wrap (Screamingly, p36). Used cabbage leaves for wraps but ate the end of it over rice. Pretty good stuff.

Saturday/18-Jul-20: Before dinner, I made a loaf of Best Banana Bread (web). Pretty good stuff, although it could have been baked a bit longer. Made it all in the Cuisinart, rather than mixing bits separately.

Dinner was a half dose of Penne with Tomato-Chipotle Sauce and Creamy Cheese (Bishop, p253), with casareccia for the pasta and feta for the cheese. Good stuff.

Sunday/19-Jul-20: Dinner was Creamy Roasted Carrot Dal (web). This was very good for not much work. I served over basmati rice; if I'd thought to start some long-grain brown rice first, that would have been nice.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 3; #2 BACKLOG: no
This month: #3 GUESTS: n/a
This year: #4 SHORT: no; #5 LONG: no
On-going: #6 READ; #7 RECYCLE; #8 NEW

This week in the kitchen

Monday/20-Mar-17: Early meal today. We had a half recipe of Pan-Seared Pork Chops with Red Currant Sauce (web). Used brown rice instead of barley for the accompanying mushroom pilaf. And a salad. Then a Haagen-Dasz ice cream cup for me and a mini magnum for Ed.

Tuesday/21-Mar-17: Pogo sick overnight. Cancel today's events. Plan a dinner using odd bits from the fridge. We ended up having a quarter recipe, more or less, of Pasta with Tuna, Asparagus, Broccoli and Peas (web). Pretty good stuff altogether. I had a mini magnum for dessert.

Wednesday/22-Mar-17: Shopping today.

Dinner was Dilled Salmon Steaks for Two (MC; web). Good, fast, easy. I didn't serve with teh zucchini and tomato stew as suggested, but with Oven-Roasted Asparagus (web) and some trio rice. Some store-bought custards with caramel for dessert.

Pogo still sickly. Getting better we think.

Thursday/23-Mar-17: Earlyish meal today. We had a halfish recipe of Garlicky Chicken with Feta and Oregano (Screamingly, p30; cookbooker). This was easy and pretty darn good. As suggested served with Orzo with Lemon and Herbs (Screamingly, p47; cookbooker) which was good, if too soupy as given. And the rest of the asparagus, roasted.

Friday/24-Mar-17: Dinner was a half recipe of Chilorio, Mexican Pulled Pork (web), more or less. Used cider vinegar instead of white vinegar. Used the pressure cooker, and it ran low on liquid, so the meat was sort of burnt to the bottom. We rescued what we could. What there was, was good. With my last good corn tortillas from the freezer, garnishes of onion, cilantro, and feta. Opened a bottle of what turned out to be pretty good salsa verde. (Have to remember the brand for when I order again.) Made a little avocado salad as a go-with. Good and we're full.

Saturday/25-Mar-17: Pasta day. There was Shrimp Dill Sauce (PastaMach, p135; cookbooker) over Dilly Pasta (PastaMach, p75; cookbooker), followed by a salad.

Sunday/26-Mar-17: Pogo betterish, if still not great.

Early meal today, our first eaten outside this year. We had The Most Delicious Meat Cubes (Q&E, p29), made with lamb. Have made this with pork before and without the pressure cooker. I think I managed to set the cooker for veggies rather than meat, but the meat was fine; maybe it would have been softer if I'd done it right, but this was not a problem. I added extra water and there was just barely enough to cook properly. If it had gone later, it might have been burnt as it was on Friday. Served with Indian Mashed Potatoes (Q&E, p90), which is yummy and I haven't made in a while. And there was Karhai Broccoli (MJ@Home, p148) to use up a bit of broccoli. All tasty.

Yogurt on overnight.

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

This week in the kitchen

Monday/30-May-16: Embroidered some chili today, more or less following my old tried-and-true recipe. Accompanied by Cayenne Cornbread (BigGerman, p182) and guacamole.

Yogurt on overnight.

Tuesday/31-May-16: Used an overripe banana to make Banana Mousse (MC) from an old recipe. Not very mousse-like (my homemade yogurt is not very thick right now), but still tasty.

Dinner was Thai Peanut Curry Noodles (web), which is supposed to serve four. Maybe as a side. We ate all of it as a main course. Used fresh peas instead of edamame, which isn't available, and I don't like all that much anyhow. Cleared out my backlog of broccoli stems. It could have used even more of the pasta water, but it might be that my organic peanut butter is a bit drier than what they used. Tasty enough, and probably healthy. Even followed by the Banana Mousse.

Wednesday/1-Jun-16: I woke up this morning thinking it was Thursday and wondering why I hadn't done some of my usual Wednesday things. Been in a muddle all day.

We had our main meal early, since Ed went off to an evening choir practice. We had Chicken with Bacon Mustard Sauce (web), easy, tasty, and a definite Keeper. Used lardons instead of bacon; probably better for that. Served with trio rice and steamed broccoli topped with a bit of garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice.

Thursday/2-Jun-16: Ed's choir didn't meet this afternoon, so had our main meal early, then took the opportunity to head for a movie in the early evening.

Our meal was Fettuccine with Zucchini (BeardPasta, p81; cookbooker). Had intended to make fresh pasta for this, but am glad I didn't since the sauce would have been too much. It was quite good and would be better in the summer when you're getting the veggies (zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes) straight from the garden. Served over dried tagliatelle. Made a salad but it seemed like too much. Plus we were out of time.

Off to the movie. At a theatre we haven't been to before. And haven't been to yet, since we didn't find it. Turns out it's not really in the commune where it's advertised to be. Came home, watched a DVD, and ironed. We lead such an exciting life.

Friday/3-Jun-16: Off plan today. We had our main meal, all leftovers, before we went shopping. That was the rest of the pasta salad with artichokes and shrimp, followed by the salad we didn't eat yesterday. We were full.

Late at the store, which was jam-packed with people. Note to self: Late Friday afternoon is not a good time to shop. Last week there was lots of rhubarb; this week none. What happened? It surely can't be out of season already.

Saturday/4-Jun-16: Early meal today so we could go to a play in the evening. We had Visburgertjes (web), more or less. I used cod and lieu noir for the fish, and cilantro instead of parsley. And I inadvertently used ketjap manis instead of vissaus. Oops. They were good anyhow. Served with rice and Hong Kong-Style Broccoli and Baby Corn (HotWok, p158), which was pretty good.

Sunday/5-Jun-16: It's stopped raining for a while, so we bbq'd some lamb merguez from the freezer for dinner. As sides there were steamed asparagus with lemon-butter and Lemon Roasted Sweet Potatoes (Screamingly, p140), which I've made before and is a really good (and easy) way to do sweet potatoes. For dessert there was, more or less, Feuilleté à la Mangue et aux Pommes (web; VPG), using up some apples and some frozen mango slices. Funny propotions—I used only part of the apples and mangos required. Used some squares of pâte feuilleté, since the whole piece I get is usually circular, not to be cut into squares. Pretty good, and two let for tomorrow night.

Corn stickers. When Ed and I got together, we each brought a set (6 or 8?) of the regular sort of yellow plastic handles for corn on the cob. We moved with eight; not sure if we gave some away as we moved. We're now down to six, since two have split at the metal pegs in the last few months. I'm wondering if we should get more or not. Six is fine for the two of us, and maybe some company. Is six enough to have or not?

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

This week in the kitchen

Monday/7-Sep-15: Deseeded a whole mess of tomatoes today. Put some back outside because there were too many for the pot.

There are 3-1/2 winter squash in-house (with at least two more on the vine). The biggest is pushing 4#, the smallest 2#. Tonight we've eaten three times off the partial squash, with about a quarter to go.

Tonight was Butternut Squash Pizza (web). Never one to follow a recipe too closely, I spread some pyramid goat cheese on the crust before topping with the roasted veggies. And added arugula/rocket/rucola instead of spinach, which wasn't to be found in the shops. Pretty good. Had the last two of the chocolate puddings I bought last week for dessert.

Tuesday/8-Sep-15: Yogurt on overday. Off to my ENT this a.m. to get a grommet in my left ear. Hope it stays put.

Dinner was Sautéed Chicken with Green Olives & White Wine (web), which is from a Bittman book, but not one I have. Easy, and I thought it was really good. Ed liked it not so much, but didn't say why. Served with Radish and Broad Bean Salad (p16, Otto), which we liked. This recipe was supposed to serve 4, so I though half would do. That would have been 250g of shelled favas (found some frozen at Leclerc last week). I stopped at 100g, which looked more than enough, and jiggled rest of measurements. Forgot to add the cumin; might have been nice. The Green Tahini Sauce (p272, Otto) used as a dressing was good, although I scaled it back so much, it's hard to know how close to the intention I was.

Wednesday/9-Sep-15: We were out all day for a wine-tasting trip that included lunch. Nothing happened in the kitchen.

Thursday/10-Sep-15: Dinner was two Lamb Steaks with Garlic, Cumin and Black Pepper (p33, Screamingly), which were quite yummy. And really easy: moosh up the garlic, cumin, and black pepper with some olive oil and spread it on the steaks. As a side there was Lemon Roasted Sweet Potatoes (p140, Screamingly), which turned out to be a really good way to do sweet potatoes, roasted with some lemon slices and rosemary, topped with a bit of Parmesan when they're done. For dessert with had vanilla ice cream with Shirley and Terry's strawberries.

Friday/11-Sep-15: Shopping today.

Dinner was Catfish Corn with Corn Hash (web) and its go-with Tomato and Zucchini Salad (web). Used eglefin/haddock for the fish, which fell apart as these things do. The fish dish was okay, but nothing fantastic. We used a home-grown tomato for the salad (Beefsteak, I think, although they're not separated). We liked the salad, but I didn't add the sugar to the dressing. Why? Mini magnums for dessert. Then we walked down with Pogo to pick tomatoes and (only) one squash. Pogo wasn't to be found when we went back. He showed up at the front door a while later, just as we were going out to search.

Saturday/12-Sep-15: Starting to work on the birthday tortilla bonanza. Made some Chile Puree (p50, TexMex). Discovered I was completely out of anchos, so made it up with a mulato and pasillas for those (plus guajillos). Wasn't as bitter as it has been, so only a dab of sugar needed. Froze up two long 1-cup jars and saved another for good old cheese enchiladas in a few days.

Tonight's dinner was Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Radish Salad (EAT-L; web), served with some smashed avocado with lime juice and a bit of cilantro. Pretty good altogether. The chicken sat around for a while in some chopped up chipotles in adobo, then got grilled. A pretty good, quick way to do kip filets. The radish salad was nothing special.

Sunday/13-Sep-15: Seeded and cooked up another batch of tomatoes on today. Used some of the purée for dinner. Will freeze the rest tomorrow.

In the spring we had bees in the chimney. Now we've got hornets. Sigh. Started a fire, but now the room is swarming. At the end of the day, they seem to be gone. Fingers crossed for tomorrow.

Used up my stash of big pasta shells to make Ricotta Stuffed Shells (web) for dinner. Froze half for another dinner. Stuffing of ricotta, mozzarella, egg, and chives. For the sauce, I used the tomato purée left from the sack that got smashed by the freezer light last week, plus a bit of extra from today's batch. Quite tasty. Then a simple salad.

Made a Pomegranate Molasses Butter Cake for dessert (web). Mixed all in the food processor. Used only 1/2cup sugar (sucre de canne) in the cake, rather than 3/4cup. For the icing, used only 1/2cup powdered sugar, rather than 1cup, with less cream. Didn't bother with the nuts, although they would have been nice. Also tasty.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: yes; #2 UNUSED: yes; #3 GRAINS: no; #4 VEG/FISH: 3
This month: #5 PASTA: no; #6 BREAD: no; #7 FotW: holiday for August; no for September

This week in the kitchen

Monday/30-Mar-15: For dinner I warmed some Indian-ish stuffed eggplants from the freezer. Served with a quarter recipe of Rice with Mushrooms and Mustard Seeds (Q&E, p102); don't think I've made this before. Also a half recipe of Radish Salad (MC 2BTried), a recipe I collected from the Mercury News in 2006; unfortunately they don't seem to keep their published recipes available; this was quite good. We split a magnum classic for dessert.

Tuesday/31-Mar-15: Shopping today.

Dinner was Yucatán Fish (web), with cod and tin foil, not banana leaves. The onion relish was good and there's a bit more for a sandwich or some such. Served with some riz semi-complet, not quite brown rice, that I got accidentally at a health food store. Guess I'll use it up, and call it a whole grain, even though that seems doubtful. Also some steamed broccoli. For after, we finished the bit of goat cheese from the cheese box, worked on the tomme de savoie, and started the Livarot. Yum.

Yogurt on overnight.

Wednesday/1-Apr-15: On the weekend, we learned from American friends that "plain" yogurt is sweetened in the US. I'm appalled.

Dinner was Barbecue-Rubbed Pork Chops (web; CL apr07). Pretty good, but the rub was way too sweet. I cut the sugar back by about a third, but it should have been even less. Also made the Cheddar Grits which was a go-with in the magazine, but not to be found on-line. No big deal; stir some grated cheese, a dab of butter and S&P into the cooked grits. I used vieux mimelotte instead of cheddar. Made up a little salad of grated broccoli stalks, sliced radishes, and sliced red onion with a vinaigrette of lime juice and avocado oil, plus some (homemade) herb salt and a pinch of piment d'Esplette. Good stuff. Then we had some of the tomme (Ed only), then finished off both the (two-thirds eaten) Livarot and the (untasted) Brillat-Savarin. I'm in love with the last one. Extraordinaraily scrumptious.

Thursday/2-Apr-15: Dinner was Pasta with Sardines à la Bittmann (video), which was easy and pretty good. Followed by a salad. Then we split a cornuelle filled with cream. Ed asked for two cornuelles at the boulangerie, but didn't watch what happened next. Instead of two cookie-like cornuelles (in a paper sack), he came home with two cream-filled ones in individual boxes. Duh. So, for two nights we'll split one. 

Friday/3-Apr-15: Dinner was Whole Spiced Chicken Baked in Parchment Paper (p26, Screamingly; cookbooker). OK, it wasn't baked in parchment paper, but in the Romertopf. (Which reminds me I need to use the Romertopf more often.) It was good enough that the two of us ate the whole chickie, along with a half recipe of Corn and Basmati Rice Pilaf (p97, Screamingly; cookbooker)

Saturday/4-Apr-15: Sophie and Oscar were exposed to cat flu at the cattery last week. Just when we thought the risk was over, Oscar started sneezing yesterday. And Sophie came in with a sore rear end, as in Do.Not.Touch.Me.There. Off to the vet this morning. Same treatment for both, antibios plus steroids. Plus Sophie gets some spray-on antiseptic. She did not like getting her bum shaved, but it revealed two fang marks of a cat bite. She lost that fight.

Dinner out tonight. Nothing happened in the kitchen

Sunday/5-Apr-15: Emptied the freezer to start a pot of stock. Have a little sack of lamb bits in there too that I'd forgotten about.

We had our main meal earlyish today, and outside, where it was sunny for the first time in what feels like forever, but a bit cool and breezy. I made Shrimp Biryani (p214, MJ@Home), half the rice with most of spices, using a package with shrimp and small scallops. Pretty good stuff. Made Seviyan ki Kheer (p102, MJ1). Used a liter of UHT milk (the stuff I use for yogurt), and followed her timing, and it was pretty good. Mostly angel hair, with a bit of spaghettini. Both too thick. The fine little noodles I used to get in NL would have been better, but I'm out of those.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 UNUSED: yes; #3 GRAINS: yes; #4 VEG/FISH: 4
This month: #5 PASTA: no for March; no for April; #6 BREAD: no for March; no for April  #7 FotW: no for March; no for April