This week in the kitchen

Monday/24-Jan-22: Tonight we had more or lesss the dinner I'd planned for new year's day meal. For a starter there was Tzatziki au Coulis de Poivron et Jambon d'Aoste (VPG; web). This was quite nice. I put too much of the tzatziki in the verrine, so the layer of coulis was a bit thin. But, tasty it was and worth a repeat. The main was Slow-Roast Spiced Lamb Shoulder with Sumac Onions (web; web). This was delicious. Tomorrow I'll finish taking the meat off the bones. 

Tuesday/25-Jan-22: Picked up an order from Intermarché Drive this morning (and Ed made another trip to the brico). Then made an order for Leclerc Drive for tomorrow morning.

Dinner was Classic One-Pan Spanish Cod with Potatoes & Peas (web). This wasn't too hard, and was quite good. It's a one-dish meal, so that's all we had.

Wednesday/26-Jan-22: Dinner was Runner Bean & Prosciutto Pasta (web). This was easy and quite yummy. And a one-dish meal.

Made a loaf of Bill Hatcher's Italian Bread (MC) (Basic/Rapid/M/d/-).

Thursday/27-Jan-22: Brought in hamburgers this evening. Disappointing.

Friday/28-Jan-22: Dinner was a half dose of Spice Brit's Pork Chop Chow (Ainsley3, p144), grilled pork chops with a beet chutney with creamed new potatoes. Pretty good. A simple salad for after.

Saturday/29-Jan-22: Dinner was a halfish recipe of Black Bean Tostadas with Slivered Cabbage, Avocado, and Pickled Onion (VegSups, p167), served with avocado-less Salsa Cruda (VegSups, p118) as suggested.

Sunday/30-Jan-22: Dinner was more or less Mushroom Ravioli Divan (365Veg, p84), using whole wheat spinach and cheese ravioli. I've written a recipe for an easy Alfredo sauce in the margin, which is better than store-bought stuff. Pretty good stuff altogether. A salad after would have been nice, but my salad mojo is having a day off.

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

This week in the kitchen

Monday/6-Apr-20: When I ordered rumsteak at Intermarché, I neglected to say that I wanted a thick cut. What arrived was quite thin, so I searched for something else for dinner. I made Savoury Beef with Asparagus (HotWok, p98). I used to use this book a lot, but not so much since we've moved here. This was an untried recipe, perfect since we have a lot of asparagus right now. Pretty good it was. Then we had last night's salad, which I forgot at lunchtime. No dessert so far.

Tuesday/7-Apr-20: Used up the last bit of cabbage and the bird sausages from the freezer to make Sausage and Cabbage Pasta (web). This was easy and pretty good. Some chocolate-covered madeleine for after. We're getting low on these, and no way to replenish the stock.

Wednesday/8-Apr-20: Placed another order with Intermarché Drive, to be picked up Saturday.

Made some English Muffin Bread (MC) for tomorrow.

Dinner was, vaguely, Asparagus and Leeks on Toast (VegSups, p183). I used a (French) ciabatta for the bread. Goat cheese for the Fontina. Frozen spinach for fresh. Forgot the lemon juice at the end. Still it wasn't bad, surprisingly good even. Some chocolate-covered madeleines for after. These are getting scarce. We can't replenish till we can go into Leclerc.

Thursday/9-Apr-20: Made a loaf of Bill Hatcher's Italian Bread (MC) today.

Our first fresco meal today. Dinner was a halfish recipe of Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing (web). This was unusual but good. I served over big lettuce leaves; used frozen parsley because I forgot to order the real stuff last time. It looks like I ordered plain vanilla ice cream, but we got vanilla pecan; we had that for after.

Yogurt on overnight.

Friday/10-Apr-20: This morning, I went off to pick up a package with flour and rice at a package depot place. The first time I've had proper shoes or jeans on in weeks. Five kilos of flour fills up my Tupperware Cake Taker.

Dinner was a half recipe of Linguine with Tuna Fish Sauce (PastaCarlu, p24), which we've had several times and remains good. Then a big salad. Then Nigella's Emergency Brownies (web; GoogleDrive), which were quite good. Ed had his with cream; I didn't.

Saturday/11-Apr-20: Ed picked up the Intermarché Drive order today. No strawberries, but we've got asparagus again. And fish for two nights.

While dinner was in the making, we munched on some Spicy Cucumber Wedges (MJ1, p172). We have a surplus of cukes for the next week or so. This is a start on using them up.

First of our fish dinners was Grilled Masala Salmon (MJ@Home, p46) cooked on the bbq. We've enjoyed this before; it's still good. Served with Potato Chaat (MJ@Home, p165) and Zucchini and Yellow Summer Squash with Cumin (MJ@Home, p174) (only zucchini). We've had both of these before too, and they were still good. For dessert there was Vermicelli Kheer (MJ@Home, p274). I've made a half recipe of this before, and remarked that it never really thickened. This time it set like glue. I think the store-bought vermicelli are not thin enough. Tastes good, though.

Sunday/12-Apr-20: Made some Authentic French Bread (Magic, p22) for our next bread.

Dinner was Fish Kebabs—Spicy Cod and Salmon Patties (web). This was good, but hard to believe it would serve four. I thought it might serve three; Ed said, No way, it's perfect for two. Served with plain basmati rice and Carrot and Onion Salad (MJ1, p171). For dessert we had some of the Vermicelli Kheer with cream. Good taste, bad texture.

Yogurt on overnight.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: 5; #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/30-Sep-19: Dinner was a half dose of Cauliflower, Cashew, Pea, and Coconut Curry (MadeIndia, p65; cookbooker). Good stuff. Served with basmati rice. Some ice cream for dessert.

Tuesday/1-Oct-19: So, I roasted up my impulse-bought spaghetti squash today, to make "spaghetti" to go with the leftover tomato sauce from Sunday. Spaghetti, no. Short little pieces somewhat. Was okay with the tomato sauce. Then a big salad with blue cheese and walnuts and tomatoes. Some chocolate-covered madeleines for after.

Wednesday/2-Oct-19: Dinner was a halfish recipe of Hunan Beef with Cumin (web). Did not seed the red chiles. Used the lower end of the dried chili flakes. It was hot but yummy. As a side there was a halfish recipe of Spicy Hunan Cauliflower (web). Again, hot but good; the little sweet from the maple syrup was a nice touch to go with the red bell peppers. And some plain basmati rice. Mini ice cream cups for after. We're full.

Thursday/3-Oct-19: Shopping today.

Dinner was Fish Fillets Romertopf (MC/brochure), with lieu noir. Used smoked paprika in the topping, which was probably a bit of a "loud" taste for the fish. The fish was a bit dry, maybe because it was too long in the oven. Served with Clotilde Dusoulier's Perfect Roast Potatoes (web), using up the amandines I had, and broccoli and carrots. Some chocolate-covered cornflakes for dessert.

Yogurt on overnight.

Friday/4-Oct-19: In the morning, I made up a half recipe of Anglo-Indian Sausage Patties (MJ@Home, p132; cookbooker) in preparation for tomorrow night's dinner.

Both of us are feeling a bit tummy-bad today, but dinner went down well. We had Tagliolini with Walnuts and Lemon (web), an Ottolenghi recipe that was really tasty. Then a big salad. No dessert needed.

Saturday/5-Oct-19: Still not feeling good innard-wise. Really didn't feel like eating or making what was on the plan. Instead we had Smooth Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Tart (VegSups, p12), which was good, although I couldn't eat it all. Then a simple salad. No dessert.

Sunday/6-Oct-19: Feeling a bit better today, but not very hungry. Dinner was Anglo-Indian Sausage Curry (MJ@Home, p133; cookbooker), which was yummy. As suggested, served with Corn with Aromatic Seasonings (MJ@Home, p151; cookbooker). And some plain basmati rice. A mini ice cream cup for me and a mini bar for Ed.

Yogurt on overnight.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 5; #3 COOKBOOK: n/a
Cookbooks of the month: none
This month: #4 PASTA: no for September, no for October; #5 BREAD: no for September, no for October; #6 GUESTS: yes for September, no for October
This year: #7 PROJECT: no for September, no for October

This week in the kitchen

Monday/31-Dec-18: Saucisses Lentilles au Chou Romanesco (VPG) was on the menu tonight, but yesterday I cooked too much broccoli, so I decided to substitute that for the romanesco. Then, forgetting about the lentils, I started cooking brown rice. So, no lentils. We grated some gruyère onto the dish at table, and also added some green tabasco. Pretty good it was. We finished the Chocolate-Chestnut bûche for after.

Started some lamb stock with the lamb bone from tweede kerstdag.

I made up some guacamole for our new year's eve treat.

Tuesday/1-Jan-18: Finished off the lamb stock and froze it. Made some Oven-Dried Tomatoes (HandyBook) and froze them.

Our meal for new year's day has its own post here.

Wednesday/2-Jan-18: Shopping today. The store wasn't the madhouse that it was last two weeks. We purposely didn't shop on Mondays before the Tuesday holidays. Apparently it was really bad those days. We shopped on the Fridays and it was still overfull. A relatively small shopping today. Trying not to set another record this year for our monthly average on grocery shopping.

Dinner was Fish Pie with Salmon, Smoked Salmon and Savoy Cabbage (web). We ate just over half of this. I froze the rest to serve over rice or pasta. Then a salad. Then some store-bought riz au laits. Then a pair of chocolate-covered madeleines each. Yes, we were piggies.

Thursday/3-Jan-18: Oscar got his stitches out today. Got home to find Sophie limping severely. Called the vet, hoping to go back directly, but they just said to give her painkiller for two or three days and let them know. She's been very inactive all afternoon. Worrying.

Dinner was a half dose of Fragrant Red Lentils with Basmati Rice and Broccoli Romanesco (VegSups, p156). This was pretty good in spite of the fact that I forgot to add the coconut milk to the lentils. No wonder they were a bit dry. Pretty presentation, though.

Mini ice cream bars for dessert.

Haven't really decided if I'm going to continue with my kitchen goals. Haven't chosen a book for this month, and have planned only books that have already been explored.

Also I haven't been keeping up with the cookbooks I'm currently reading section on the blog, so I guess I should remove that. Have just finished looking through Soups from Time-Life's The Good Cook series, recently bought at a charity shop. I wasn't very impressed with this one, compared with my other soup cookbooks. Not sure if I'll keep it or not. Other books in the series have been more interesting on a quick look.

Friday/4-Jan-18: Lunch out today before we went to a small art exhibit at an Orthodox monastery not too far away. Nothing further happened in the kitchen.

Saturday/5-Jan-18: Dinner was Yam and Chick-Pea Masala (BoldVeg, p145; cookbooker). This was supposed to be a side dish, but the variation with chickpeas make it a main. Served over brown rice, with a topping of Cachumber (MJ1, p172). Mini ice cream cups for dessert.

Sunday/6-Jan-18: Dinner was a half dose of Mushroom- & Cranberry-Stuffed Turkey Cutlets (EW/nov-dec14; web*). The turkey scallops I expected to find in the freezer weren't there, so I used chicken scallops instead. A bit time-consuming, but not especially hard to do. Having no poultry seasoning in the cabinet, I found a recipe online and made up a bit to use. Served with Dusoulier's Perfect Roasted Potatoes (HandyBook; web). I had a few potatoes to use up and a bit of duck fat from the Magret Wellington. There were really yummy. And some steamed snijbonen which weren't quite done. Chocolate bonbons for dessert.

* I notice the web verison includes branded ingredients. Is this a new feature? I don't recall seeing it before and it's not in the magazine. Maybe this is the future?

Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 4; #3 COOKBOOK: ???
Cookbooks of the month: ???
This month: #4 PASTA: no for December, no for January; #5 BREAD: no for December, no for January; #6 GUESTS: yes for December, no for January

This week in the kitchen

Monday/1-Oct-18: I'm enjoying my project of cooking from unused cookbooks. So far, I haven't really found any books I'd like to get rid of, only ones that need to be used more. I think this will be an Indian month. Floyd's India, by Keith Floyd, comes highly recommended, but I've never really gotten into it. Will try this month.

Dinner was Hunter-Style Pasta Sauce from the freezer, over pasta. Followed by a big salad. Followed by two mini ice cream bars.

Put chicken thighs to marinate for Thai Barbecued Chicken (MC) tomorrow.

Yogurt on overnight.

Tuesday/2-Oct-18: Ed barbecued the chicken, an old recipe but still delicious, while I made, sort of, Hot & Sour Stir-Fried Vegetables (Delightful, p55). We both like veggies done like this, and I like that the recipe can be varied with whatever you have at hand. And there was plain basmati rice. For dessert, I made Tarte Amandine aux Figues, from a recent VPG. I didn't have enough figs, according to the recipe, so I used (frozen) cherries for one half. Something was very wrong with this recipe. I added an extra egg, but the batter was still stiff. I probably could have used only the figues, a bit more sparsely distributed. Not as intended, no doubt, but the result is quite tasty.

Wednesday/3-Oct-18: Shopping today.

First outing with Keith Floyd was not especially successful. The main was a half dose of Fish Curry Bengal-Style—Doi Macchi (Floyd, p124) and it was not very good at all. I suspect something is wrong with the recipe. The whole recipe (I made half) asks for 25g of turmeric; that's 8-1/3 teaspoons! My half recipe would be more than 4 teaspoons. Turmeric gives a nice edge is small doses, but the 1 teaspoon I added made it way to bitter, overwhelming any other tastes that were present. Not a nice main course. For a side there was Spiced Beetroot—Subzi Poriyal (Floyd, p153) which was pretty good. But, the recipe says it serves 4-6; I made a short half and it would have served 3-4 without a problem.

Thursday/4-Oct-18: Dinner was Cabbage and Leek Gratin (VegSups, p18). This seems like a simple dish, but it was delicious. Then we had some peaches getting close to their end with the end of the fromage blanc from last week.

Yogurt on overnight.

Friday/5-Oct-18: Dinner at Cath's tonight. Nothing happened in the kitchen.

Saturday/6-Oct-18: Another disappointing meal with Keith Floyd. Our main was a halfish dose of Spicy Prawns with Mango—Jhinga Thokku (Floyd, p118; cookbooker). For a side there was Runner or Green Beans Foogath (Floyd, p158; cookbooker). Maybe this was meant to be a main dish. It calls for 1kg of beans (I used runner beans) for 4. At 200g, I thought the pile was more than enough for two. (I usually get 150-200g of green beans as a side for two, but this was a side including potatoes.) The measurement of cumin seeds was way off; I used 1/2 teaspoon for my 200g of beans. Per the instructions, the potatoes will cook al dente with just a few drops of water. Not at my house. Three dried chiles (half of what was asked) made the pretty attention-getting. In the end, it was pretty good, but we couldn't eat all I made. And some plain basmati rice. Mini ice creams for dessert.

Sunday/7-Oct-18: Big lunch out today. Nothing happened in the kitchen.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 3; #3 COOKBOOK: yes
Cookbooks of the month: Floyd's India
This month: #4 PASTA: no; #5 BREAD: no; #6 GUESTS: no

This week in the kitchen

Monday/24-Sep-18: For dinner there was Pasta Sauce with Peas, Ham, and Cream (p164 , MarCuc). The sauce is simple, but good. Hazan says the original pasta for this sauce is garganelli, a hand-made pasta. I found the instructions for this in (p110, Geometry). A weaver's comb, which is probably where we get Afro picks, is traditionally used to make the grooves on the rolled squares of pasta. Can't say I have any skill at this, but I do have an Afro pick now.

The sauce was good, but the pasta was a bit heavy, maybe because I only rolled to 5 rather than 6.

Then we had the rest of yesterday's salad mixed with the rest of yesterday's beans, all of which make a nice salad. No dessert since we were full.

Tuesday/25-Sep-18: We're still having problems with a mouse in the pantry. Chocolate chips and pasta are its current favorites. Three live traps are set with no results so far.

Recombobbled the meal plan today after we learned yesterday that Cath's friend is coming a week later than expected. Made the list too.

Used some very ripe bananas and some from the freezer to make up a loaf of Best Banana Bread (HandyBook).

Didn't have the oomph to make what was on the plan; really too tired to deal with peeling a winter squash. Instead made Vegan Eggplant and Tomato Gratin (VegSups, p24), which I made non-vegan by dolloping on the rest of some fresh goat cheese that needed to be used up. Pretty good. Followed by a salad. And some quite-tasty banana bread.

Wednesday/26-Sep-18: Shopping today.

Dinner was Grilled Salmon with Chile-Honey Glaze and Ginger-Red Onion Relish (BigFlav, p87). Ed bbq'd the fish. The glaze is good, but the relish is super-yummy. As suggested, served with New Potato Hash Browns with Caramelized Onions (BigFlav, p236). These were good, but I thought the onions were too sweet. We also had Fried Eggplant with Feta and Basil (O&C, p276), which Ed didn't like as well as the last time I made this. We were full, but managed a pair of chocolate-topped madeleines for after.

Yogurt on overnight.

Thursday/27-Sep-18: Lunch out with Sue and Andy.

Made up broth for Mango Ice Cream (ThaiCC, p91) using canned mango, since the fresh ones were hard at the store this week and there were no frozen ones.

Friday/28-Sep-18: For dinner, Ed bbq'd a half dose of Grilled Sirloin and Apricot Skewers with Pomegranate Vinaigrette (License, p126). Since apricots are way out of season, I used peaches instead as suggested. Good this was. As suggested, served with Grilled Potatoes with Yogurt-Parsley Sauce (License, p283), which Ed liked a lot. Also a half recipe of Zucchini and Feta Cheese Salad (WorldVeg, p640). And then there was Mango Ice Cream, which was pretty good.

Yogurt on overnight.

Saturday/29-Sep-18: We ate half of an Onion and Rosemary Tart with Fromage Blanc (VegSups, p9; cookbooker). Then a big salad. Then some mini ice cream bars.

Sunday/30-Sep-18: Ed was wanting pork chops. So tonight he barbecued a pair, rubbed with a Cajun spice run. Served with Moroccan Green Pepper Salad—Felfla Mechouia (WorldVeg, p634; cookbooker), a delicious salad, roasted green bell peppers with a bit of preserved lemon. And Oven Fried Potatoes with Oregano and Lemon (O&C, p280). We finished off a nice bottle of Fronton Flingueurs negrette, along with some slightly aged Morbiers. Then a spoonful of Mango Ice Cream each. And later a pair of chocolate-covered madeleines each.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 3; #3 COOKBOOK: yes
Cookbooks of the month: Vegetarian Suppers
This month: #4 PASTA: yes; #5 BREAD: no; #6 GUESTS: no

This week in the kitchen

Monday/17-Sep-18: Still away. Nothing happened in the kitchen.

Tuesday/18-Sep-18: Home from Île de Ré today. Oscar not well.

Made the shopping list for tomorrow.

More evidence of a mouse in the pantry shelves, but three emtpy traps.

We had barbecued chipolatas for dinner, accompanied by assorted veggies: smash sweet pots, steamed broccoli, and Baked Eggplant Slices (TooMany, p114), which is an old favorite.

Wednesday/19-Sep-18: Shopping today.

Our starter was Figues Fraîches Facies au Chèvre et au Jambon Serrano (VPG); unfortunately VPG doesn't put its recipes online and I haven't been able to find a similar one. This very easy and very nice. The recipes has three figs per person, but I think one or two would be fine. To make: quarter each fig, not quite all the way. Add a bit of serrano ham (one slice divided into three parts), tucked into the splits to make a sort of basket. Fill that with a tablespoonful of soft goat cheese. Then add a little drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of piment d'Espelette, and put under the grill for five minutes or so. There should have been a sprinkle of basil leaves, but I forgot. Nevertheless, it was good.

Our main was Quick-Braised Cod with Herbed Yogurt (web), made with lieu noir, which is cheaper than cod, and, Ed thinks, tastier. With a side of tagliatlle. This was nice and easy, and fairly quick. Then a salad. I bought some chocolate puddings for dessert, but we were too full.

Thursday/20-Sep-18: Our meal today was a half-recipe of Cold Noodles with Sesame Sauce, Chicken and Cucumbers (web). Easy and pretty good. Then some store-bought dark chocolate pudding.

Friday/21-Sep-18: Dinner was a half recipe of Whole Wheat Penne with Masses of Broccoli, Green Olives, and Pine Nuts (VegSups, p56). Good. Chocolate-dipped madeleines for dessert.

Saturday/22-Sep-18: Busy day in the kitchen. Started off making a half dose of Big Beans with Fresh Herbs and Fruit Olive Oil (O&C, p208), the suggested go-with for tonight's planned stew.

Then used most of the sauté de porc that I bought on sale to make Homemade Sausage (30MinPasta, p161) for the freezer. Froze up two small ziplocs of porc for stew or whatnot.

Took a break, then started a half dose of Pork Stew with Olives, Anchovies, Cilantro, and White Beans (O&C, 398). Didn't absorb the fact that this wants to cook for 2 hours before it's ready. Quick change of plans for tonight. Instead we had Zucchini Skillet Cakes with Capers and Pine Nuts (VegSups, p82). Topped with some cherry tomatoes and yogurt-garlic sauce. Not the best-ever zucchini pancakes, but not bad. Some mini ice creams for dessert.

Sunday/23-Sep-18: Finished off yesterday's stew for dinner. Delicious stew (cookbooker) and yummy beans (cookbooker).

Yogurt on overnight.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 3; #3 COOKBOOK: yes
Cookbooks of the month: Vegetarian Suppers
This month: #4 PASTA: no; #5 BREAD: no; #6 GUESTS: no

This week in the kitchen

Monday/10-Sep-18: Disappointing dinner. We had Easy Green Curry with Pork (Rains, p138). Used some of our little white eggplants from the potager, which have a really bitter taste. Don't need to make it again. Over basmati rice. Peaches and cream for dessert.

Tuesday/11-Sep-18: This morning we were sitting at breakfast when I saw a motion out of my eye. Thought is was a cat, come a-begging for a yogurt jar, but it turned out to be a tiny mouse dragging a dust bunny from its tail. It was barely moving. I threw a hand towel over it and we put it in a bucket outside. Unfortunately we left the bucket on the ground. After a bit we found the bucket empty and we suspect one of the cats had itself a little treat. The mouse was fully furred but its eyes were barely open. Don't know if it was sickly or a big baby. Feel a bit sad, except for the damage one (or two?) is doing in the pantry shelves.

Dinner was an oldie, half of Spicy Chicken Strips (CL90, 170). Pretty good stuff, even though it takes way more corn chips than asked to get a nice crispy coating. Served with guacamole, some "Spanish" rice, and some mixed veggies (broccoli, canned corn, canned roast pepper strips). A made-up dessert: I defrosted two squares of pâte feuilletée I found in the freezer. Mixed up the last of the mascarpone (about half of a 500g bakje) with an egg, some ground almonds, some lemon juice, a slog of amaretto. Lined a small casserole with the pastry and covered the bottom with frozen, pitted cherries, then topped with the mascarpone mixture. After baking it a while, I realized that I'd forgotten to add sugar, so I sprinkled some brown sugar on the top. It baked about 20min at 400F and another bit at about 350F. Still a bit runny, but tasty. I'm full.

Yogurt on overnight.

Wednesday/12-Sep-18: Shopping today.

Dinner was a halfish recipe of Roasted Salmon & Butternut Squash Salad (EW/sep-oct15, web), with tuna instead of salmon. And that was barbecued, rather than cooked in the oven with the squash. The salad was excellent and a good foil for the fish. Chocolate-covered madeleines for dessert.

Thursday/13-Sep-18: Dinner was (sort of) Fideos with Pasilla Chiles, Avocado, and Crema (VegSups, p61). My pasillas were moldy, and so were my guajillos, so I used anchos (and now need to get more of them all). The two of us ate the whole recipe, meant of four. Tasty stuff. Forgot to prep the avocado, which I'd saved, and forgot to serve the Pickled Onions (VegSups, p169) that I'd made up as garnish. Oh well. We ate well anyhow.

Friday/14-Sep-18: Just before I came down to cook dinner, an ex-colleague from Uniface days showed up on the doorstep. He and his wife are camping in the area and used our old blog to find the place. They're thinking of moving to the area.

Dinner started with insalata caprese, with one store-bought tomatoes and several small ones from the potager. This year's tomatoes are all small instead of the 500g monsters we've had in the past. Maybe from the dry spell we had while we were away in June. Then we had Lemon Orzo with Avocado and Herbs (web). I think this recipe is meant as a side dish A double recipe was a nice dinner for two. And a pretty bare salad for after.

Yogurt on overnight.

Saturday/15-Sep-18: Off to Île de Ré today. Nothing happened in the kitchen.

Sunday/16-Sep-18: Nothing happened in the kitchen.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 3; #3 COOKBOOK: yes
Cookbooks of the month: Vegetarian Suppers
This month: #4 PASTA: no; #5 BREAD: no; #6 GUESTS: no

This week in the kitchen

Monday/3-Sep-18: A been-there-done-that dinner, but still good. There was Spice-Rubbed Grilled Chicken Breasts with Sweet and Hot Peach Relish (BigFlav, p178). Even though I made half the rub, I still have put some in the freezer for another bbq. And Roast Beet and Carrot Salad with Lemon-Mint Dressing (BigFlav, p204), which I made for the third time, about 12 years apart each time. And Parsley Salad with Bulgur, Mint, and Tomatoes (BigFlav, p216), which I've made several times lately, and years before previously. All good.

Tuesday/4-Sep-18: Dinner was a halfish recipe of Grilled Shrimp Skewers over White Bean Salad (web). Nice, summery meal. Small ice creams for dessert.

Still haven't figured out what cookbook to use for this month.

Wednesday/5-Sep-18: Shopping today.

Decided that my newest Deborah Madison cookbook, Vegetarian Suppers, will be this month's cookbook. An easy choice, but I already had one of those recipes on the plan for this week. Have marked lots of things to make, so it should work out.

I baked the rest of the Beet and Feta Samosas, straight from the freezer, for our starter. Since I again had a half of a red bell pepper to be used up, I made another batch of Fresh Red Chutney with Almonds (Q&E, p114). Our main was Yoghurt Fish (MJFlavs, p152) which was disappointing. Rather blah in spite of all the spices that went in. Served with plain basmati rice and Gujerati-Style Green Beans (MJ1, p102), made with snijbonen. We each had a nectavigne for dessert. What's that? A kind of nectarine with dark flesh and skin. Unusual taste, but good.

Thursday/6-Sep-18: For a starter, there were some figs with goat cheese and a drizzle of honey and some chopped walnuts, all in the oven for a bit at 400F. For a main there was a half recipe of Summer Potatoes Stews with Eggplant, Peppers, and Olives (VegSups, p172). I spiffied this up with some piment d'Espelette and smoked paprika. Served over brown rice, which was really too much. I suspect this might serve six since we didn't manage to finish the half recipe. Good stuff, though. I had a peach for dessert.

Friday/7-Sep-18: Munchies for dinner at The Tempest. I did make up some things like the cherry tartlets that I made a week or so ago, but folded them up like samosas. Oops, the cheese melted out, so we scooped into little tupperwares and called it cherry-mascarpone crunch. The taste was fine. Otherwise nothing happened in the kitchen.

Saturday/8-Sep-18: Dinner out tonight. Nothing happened in the kitchen except ...

Yogurt on overnight.

Sunday/9-Sep-18: Oops, I defrosted the wrong kind of kip thighs for dinner, bone-in instead of bone-out. Replan.

Deseeded a mess of tomatoes from the garden to make up into tomato purée. Much work, only 1-1/2 cups in the end.

Dinner was Jamaican Jerk Chicken (Ainsley2, p74). This was easy and delicious. Served with polenta, corn on the cob (who plans a meal with two corn dishes?), and a made-up cucumber and red onion salad. All good. Served with one of our vacation wines, Les Frontons Flingeurs, which went well with the spicy chicken. Ice cream (bar and cup) for dessert. I'm stuffed.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 3; #3 COOKBOOK: yes
Cookbooks of the month: Vegetarian Suppers
This month: #4 PASTA: no; #5 BREAD: no; #6 GUESTS: no