Menu

I have a new reader - My Grandma! My Mum showed her my blog and she mentioned that she liked seeing my menu's so I am going to begin posting them again for her along with the stacks of pictures that I take of my food. I know it's not very vintage but a lot of my crockery and recipe books are so it does fit in - sort of!

All of the meat mentioned will be cooked separately for my husband. He does shift work so if he is not home for dinner I just don't bother with it.

Also mu husband is learning to cook so he cooks dinner all on his own once a fortnight. He is very good a roasting veggies but not so good at the more involved things yet.

4.4.11

B - Pear and Ginger muffin
L - Mac and cheese with leftover veggies
D - Carrot fritters from Nigel Slater Tender I (page 174) and baked Moroccan chicken breast

5.4.11

B - Cheese, tomato, dried fruit and nuts
L - Indian ready meal - there are some really good long life ones at the supermarket now which are quite authentic
D - Vegetable pasties

6.4.11

B - Peanut butter toast
L - Leftover pastie
D - Ceaser Salad with smoked chicken breast

7.4.11

B - Oatmeal with yogurt and blueberries
L - Leftover carrot fitters
D - Broccoli and cheese sauce with steak - husband to cook

8.4.11

B - Fruit with soy yogurt and some nuts
L - leftovers
D - Spanikopita with lamb chops

9.4.11

B - Bagels with smoked trout and cream cheese
L - Breakfast is late on Saturday so no lunch
D - Vegetable Korma from Nigel Slater Tender I (page 394)

10.4.11

B - Hot Cross Buns with stacks of butter
L - leftovers
D - Roast veggies with haloumi and pork belly


Here are some pictures of what I have been cooking lately and a few other things:

These are of the planter boxes on our balcony. In one is basil and wormwood and in the other chili's (Birdseye, Habanero and Serrano). I read that if you cut up a chili and wormwood and mix it in a spray bottle with water it makes a great bug spray. I haven't tried it yet - but that's the plan.

Creme Caramel from Bill Granger's new book. It has coconut cream in it which I found too overpowering so will not make it again. He also stipulated to cook the caramel for awhile until it is butterscotch - which I cannot manage to do without it burning. Also that eggs curdled a bit. Not a success though it looks pretty.

This is a recipe from Annabel Langbien. Zucchini and Prawn Bruschetta. It was delicious and you don't have to cook the zucchini. It also has feta cheese in it. The top picture also has steak and ranch dressing.

Obligatory picture of Coco.

This a recipe from Giada De Lauretnis. It is a pasta bake that used a prohibitive amount of cheese. I did not think that it had a lot of flavour despite all the cheese. There are better bakes in her earlier books.

Nigel Slater Tender Volume I. Addictive - especially as bedtime reading.

Bread and Butter pudding with custard made from scratch. My favourite desert.

A Donna Hay reciepe. Pumpkin and feta salad. It was good but I had Greek feta and I think the creamy Danish feta would have worked better here. The grain at the bottom is quiona.

Flambeing Crepe Suzette. This was delicious. I had no idea how much butter and sugar was in them. I have since made this twice and each time I manage to get the crepes thinner but they still are not perfect. Excuse the un-made up Sunday morning face.

Menu Planning - But no photos - again!!!!!

Ok so I still cannot find the battery recharger and may just have to face facts this week and use the Beau's much harder to use older camera.

Last week I went so over budget that I only had half this weeks budget to do a shop - and I really felt it because we signed our mortgage documents this week and I saw how much bah blah blah.  I know everyone is in the same boat.

There does seem to be quite a few vintage people looking into kitchen design etc because they are moving or are doing up their kitchen's.  Our new kitchen has NO storage space or pantry, or dishwasher so I will have to come up with some clever ideas on how to make everything fit once we move. I love the ingenious hidey holes in the kitchen posts over at 50s Gal.

Last week's highlights were Giada's gnocchi (be sure to really mash up the potatoes into the finest mush possible) and the Food Safari Spanakopita which was delicious with the unexpected taste of fresh dill.  I also made a Dahl from the Food Safari book which was amazing and made of things I had in the store cupboard.  I think it even tasted better than the one I have from the Indian restaurant.

This picture is from Food Network and is Giada's Gnocchi with Thyme Butter Sauce

This week I am not really using any cookbooks as I am trying just to use what we have to keep costs down, however some of the recipes I have made before.

12/02/10

B: Soft Polenta

L: Leftover's

D: Pumpkin risotto with lamb chops (boys)

13/02/10

B: Porridge with soy milk and agave 

L: Miso soup and rice

D: Polenta crusted pie with salad

14/02/10

B: Fried polenta with tamari

L: Rice Paper Wraps (vietnamese style)

D: Seafood Paella (as my Valentines present) with mussels, calamari, bugs and prawns

15/02/10

B: Porridge and miso soup

L: Caesar salad

D: Mexcian Monday

16/02/10

B: Soy milk smoothie

L: Leftovers

D: Mum's

17/02/10

B: Fried polenta

L: Empanadas made with leftover mexican and puff pastry

D: Grandma's

18/02/10

B: Tea and Toast

L: Grandma's leftovers (always roast vegetables) in frittatas

D: Prawn toasts and asian style broth

PS.  I promise a vintage related post this week - I have found dome great handbags!

Menu Planning - But no photos

But I have a good excuse - while trying to be all environmentally friendly we purchased rechargeable batteries and now I cannot find the charger anywhere so until then....  sorry.

Last week's highlight was definitely the Welsh Rarebit from my Good Housekeeping book.  It was so easy but very delicious - made ten thousand times easier if you have an easily cleanable double boiler.

Here is a picture of someone else's - it looked the most like mine.  Unfortunately however, I did not make that much.

The books that I'm using this week are Everyday Pasta by Giada De Laurentiis; 

and Food Safari Cookbook which is the result of a TV show that I love.

  

There is a link to Giada's site on the left.  If you click here you will be taken to the SBS website and a lot of the Food Safari recipes are there.  I'm in love with the Crepe Suzette from the French episodes.  We even got a crepe pan for our engagement so I will have to give that one a go.   Actually I will do a link for all of Food Safari under Feast on the left so if you like it you don't have to hunt around for this post in the future.

5/02/10

B: Miso soup and fried polenta with breakfast mushrooms (Grandma's recipe)

L: Spanakopita and Greek Salad (Food Safari p 70 and 73 respectively)

D: Pork chops with apple sauce (the boys) and roast veggies for all

6/02/10

B: Porridge

L: Leftovers

D: Gnocchi with a tomato sauce (Gnocchi is from Everyday Pasta p 109)

7/02/10

B: Rice with gomashio and miso soup

L: Leftovers or go and get sushi

D: Baked fore quarter lamb chops (for the boys) - the same marinade on tofu for me and mash (will be interesting to try tofu and mash together)

8/02/10

B: Fried polenta

L: Roast vegetable and lentil salad

D: Mexican Monday

9/02/10

B: Tea and toast

L: Tomato Jelly with verjuice (based on a Maggie Beer idea - but going to use agar agar for the first time.  Fingers crossed) and avocado

D: Mum's

10/02/10

B: Boiled egg and toast fingers

L: Leftover's

D: Grandma's

11/02/10

B: Porridge

L: Cannelini Bean Soup with toast and a side salad

D: Baked penne with roasted veggies (Everyday Pasta p 89)

Menu Plan Monday

For some reason I cannot find where my menu plan when for last week but I know that I only followed it on Thursday and Sunday.

Highlights from the week are: 

• potato cakes (Laura Calder- French Food at Home)
  
• Leek and Potato Creme Soup (book from last week).

I also forgot to take photo which I'm working on.  At least one photo this week.  Promise.

This week the focus is not having to buy so much.  I am looking in the fridge/pantry and building meals around what I have rather than adding things I have to go and buy.  

Monday - Brown Rice Pilaf with pumpkin curry (prawns added for Beau)

Tuesday - Mum's

Wednesday - Grandma's

Thursday - Tomato Soup (Giada's again) and garlic bread

Friday - Veggie quiche (moved from last week)

Saturday - Pad Thai (to hopefully use up lots of stuff in fridge)

Sunday - Lamb chops and baked veggies (with tofu for me).

Menu Plan Monday

Last week not all went as planned!

Quick review:

Nigella Lawson's Penne Alla Vodka was divine.  My beau didn't even realise he was eating a vegetarian meal!  Perfect.  And.. I didn't make anythong else listed on the menu! Ha!  

However can carry over to this week which is using two Giada de Laurentis books: Giada's Kitchen and Everyday Italian.

Monday - Zatar Chicken (and Tofu), Greek Salad and Macaroons

Tuesday - Mum's

Wednesday - Grandma's

Thursday - Tomato soup with lemon and rosemary

Friday - Chicken Scallopini with Saffron cream Sauce (I will have the sauce over polenta) and Rockmelon (Cantaloupe), Red Onion and Walnuts

Saturday - Baked lamb chops and Swiss Chard and Sweet Pea Manacotti

Sunday - Steak (Tofu) and Potato and Zucchini baked with a parmesan crust.

I am attempting to add a bake item to my week like so many others do on their so mine will be Giada's Garlic and Corn Muffins.

In the interest of tracking my spending and wasted food etc but at the expense of being vulgur my shopping this week came to $154.  Is this similar to other people (for 2 adults and 1 cat for the week food and groceries).