I can't believe that we woke up to snow this morning! It's a shame I have to go out and earn a living because I could quite favour spending the entire day wrapped up in a blanket staring wistfully out of the window. There is something about the extreme quiet that always seems to accompany snow that prompts in my a very enjoyable sense of gentle melancholy. Mind, put me outside in snowy conditions and said gentle melancholy turns to verging-on-blind-panic. I'm not steady on my feet at the best of times and I hate slippery conditions - or conditions which look as though they should be slippery even if they are not.
Meal planning this week - obviously, Tuesday sorted itself, we are going out for supper on Friday (pay day!) and two freezer dive meals, so not a sterling week for cooking but some nice winter warmers on there.
Monday: Pasta alla Genovese - a bump from last week. We continue to build our repertoire of quick and easy store cupboard pasta dishes and I like the sound of this one - albeit, we are going to cheat and use store bought pesto. I know that every telly chef out there rebukes one for using pesto out of a jar but have you ever made pesto? Do you know how much basil you have to buy to make a couple of spoonfuls? And how expensive fresh herbs are if you are forced to buy some in a supermarket? I like Sacla pesto, anyway. Yes, it probably tastes different to freshly made but it has a charm all of its own as far as I am concerned.
Tuesday: Pancake day! As per usual, we will be having pancakes with bacon and maple syrup, courtesy of April Bloomfield's recipe.
Wednesday: First of the two freezer dives - Thai fish curry.
Thursday: Macaroni cheese because it is forecast snow again and one must eat stodgy pasta bakes when it snows.
Saturday: Rice bowls with pepper and lime crusted tuna and mustard dressed cucumber. A slightly different iteration of this dish. There will probably be other garnishes as well, but D hasn't quite decided where else to go with it yet.
Sunday: Second of the two freezer dives - coq au vin. With mash.
Have a good week all - and stay warm!
Monday, 24 February 2020
Monday, 10 February 2020
Meal planning Monday: 10th February 2020
It is Sunday night and a storm is raging outside. It has been raging all day - a proper storm, all howling wind and lashing rain. I have not left the house and am not delighted at the prospect of going out tomorrow if it stays like this. It is weather for curling under blankets and drinking tea.
The cat concurs.
A couple of bumps from last week on this week’s plan. And I’m supposed to think of something romantic to cook on Friday but I’m coming up blank at the moment. I blame the weather.
Monday: Thai curry butternut squash soup
Tuesday: roast aubergine with saffron yoghurt, couscous salad
Wednesday: chicken satay noodles
Thursday: D is out so I’m likely to be on cheese on toast or prick and ping
Friday: Valentine’s Day
Saturday: roast pork belly, langoustines, roast fennel, corn maque choux
Sunday: roast chicken with lemon and herb orzo
Happy Monday and I hope, wherever you are, you are safe, warm and dry.
The cat concurs.
A couple of bumps from last week on this week’s plan. And I’m supposed to think of something romantic to cook on Friday but I’m coming up blank at the moment. I blame the weather.
Monday: Thai curry butternut squash soup
Tuesday: roast aubergine with saffron yoghurt, couscous salad
Wednesday: chicken satay noodles
Thursday: D is out so I’m likely to be on cheese on toast or prick and ping
Friday: Valentine’s Day
Saturday: roast pork belly, langoustines, roast fennel, corn maque choux
Sunday: roast chicken with lemon and herb orzo
Happy Monday and I hope, wherever you are, you are safe, warm and dry.
Monday, 3 February 2020
Meal Planning Monday: 3 February 2020
Last night, I discovered the beautiful thing that is aligot. If you haven’t come across this before, it’s basically a cross between mash and a cheese fondue. It is staggeringly rich and (if you happen to like mash and cheese) staggeringly wonderful. Although you do end up, at the end, wondering exactly how you will ever move off the sofa again.
What with that and a delicious but rich meal out on Friday night (to celebrate pay day) we decided a relatively light, veg heavy week was in order for meal planning purposes, although we’re sneaking some pork belly in on Sunday as we happen to have a couple of ready pressed pieces in the freezer that require attention. And roast potatoes.
Monday: spinach stewed eggs. This is from Rachel Khoo’s Swedish recipe book and I think it is available online - I would urge you to check it out because it is lovely. We’ve had it as a brunch dish but I think it will also make a very satisfying supper. Don’t be tempted to leave off the garnish of lightly pickled onion, chilli and dill which lifts the whole thing to another level.
Tuesday: pasta with rose harissa, black olives and capers. We often favour a simple pasta dish on a Tuesday, and this one from Ottolenghi sounds like an interesting fusion.
Wednesday: a (very) old WW Foodie recipe - gnocchi with butternut squash. We’ve eaten quite a few gnocchi dishes already this year and think both of us are really appreciating the wonderful stodgy, comforting qualities.
Thursday: another Ottolenghi dish: roast aubergine with saffron yoghurt. I’ll serve it with a couscous salad pretty similar to this one here.
Friday: fish on Friday - kedgeree in this case.
Saturday: definitely a curry night, and a chana dal is locked in, but not quite sure what else yet. Possibly a second curry, possible a vada pav (spicy potato cakes squished into a bun).
Sunday: roast pork belly with a couple of seasonal sides.
Hope everyone has a splendid week.
What with that and a delicious but rich meal out on Friday night (to celebrate pay day) we decided a relatively light, veg heavy week was in order for meal planning purposes, although we’re sneaking some pork belly in on Sunday as we happen to have a couple of ready pressed pieces in the freezer that require attention. And roast potatoes.
Monday: spinach stewed eggs. This is from Rachel Khoo’s Swedish recipe book and I think it is available online - I would urge you to check it out because it is lovely. We’ve had it as a brunch dish but I think it will also make a very satisfying supper. Don’t be tempted to leave off the garnish of lightly pickled onion, chilli and dill which lifts the whole thing to another level.
Tuesday: pasta with rose harissa, black olives and capers. We often favour a simple pasta dish on a Tuesday, and this one from Ottolenghi sounds like an interesting fusion.
Wednesday: a (very) old WW Foodie recipe - gnocchi with butternut squash. We’ve eaten quite a few gnocchi dishes already this year and think both of us are really appreciating the wonderful stodgy, comforting qualities.
Thursday: another Ottolenghi dish: roast aubergine with saffron yoghurt. I’ll serve it with a couscous salad pretty similar to this one here.
Friday: fish on Friday - kedgeree in this case.
Saturday: definitely a curry night, and a chana dal is locked in, but not quite sure what else yet. Possibly a second curry, possible a vada pav (spicy potato cakes squished into a bun).
Sunday: roast pork belly with a couple of seasonal sides.
Hope everyone has a splendid week.
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