Menu Planning and a Celebration

This week coming the Beau an I will have settlement on our first home.  I am so excited to have our own place and be able to have privacy and be free to do whatever we like.  At the moment we live in a noisy building in a popular spot.  For example, even though it's 11 am on a Tuesday I can hear building works, cars, people walking past, lifeguards on a megaphone and a garbage truck.  So it's good bye to to all that - though I will miss the view and the spectacular weather changes we get to see coming in from out at sea.

Here are some pictures that we have taken from our time here:

This is the view from the kitchen

This is Dee Why Beach at sunset.

An amazing storm front moving out to sea

This is the crowd we get on a public holiday

This is Beau with the other end of the beach in view - Long Reef

A beautiful rainbow after a quick sun shower.

I am back to menu planning this week so here we go:

18/3/10

B: Brown rice, gomashio and miso soup

L: Lunch out - shopping day - probably sushi

D: Greek salad (from Nigella's Forever Summer p 62), Pumpkin and Red Lentil Soup (Vegetarian Cooking)

19/3/10

B: Porridge with pear 

L: Falafel (from a box mix) with salad on whole-wheat pita bread.

D: Pappardelle with zucchini, sultanas and pine nuts (Nigella's Forever Summer p 32)

20/3/10

B: Toast with peanut butter

L: Leftover soup and bread

D: Grilled eggplant with feta, mint and chilli (Nigella Summer p 7), Cacik (Nigella's Forever Summer p 57) and lamp chops (for the boys)

21/3/10

B: Brown rice, gomashio and miso soup

L: Leftover eggplant and Cacik on pita

D: Prawn Curry (Nigella's Forever Summer p 73) - chickpeas for me and brown rice

22/3/10 - Settlement Day

B: Fruit salad with yoghurt

L: Leftover curry and rice

D: Celebration dinner

Bloody Mary and Oyster shooters Rouille

Avocado and verjuice jellies (Maggie's Kitchen p 83)

Homemade gnocchi with pumpkin, ricotta and spinach

Grilled octopus with (Maggie's Kitchen p 84)

Baked yoghurt tart with figs and hazelnuts (Cooking deserts p 125)

24/3/10

B: Summer Bircher

L: something leftover or a meal from the freezer

D: Mum's

25/3/10

B: Miso soup and fruit

L: Caponata (Nigella's Forever Summer p 152) and Zucchini Fritters (Nigella's Forever Summer p 156)

D: Grandma's

The books this week are some I have used before (click titles for more information):

Nigella's Forever Summer

Maggie's Kitchen by Maggie Beer

Vegetarian Cooking - A Commonsense Guide

Cooking Deserts