March Book Update

Once again, I've set a reading goal of 100 books for the year - I didn't quite make it last year (95), but it's close enough to set that as a goal again (and I like a nice round number). I'll track which books I read in a month and which I liked best. Mostly for myself more than anything, but of course I'm always glad to have others follow along.

So...  in March: new (to me) books read: 8; books re-read: 1
Favourite book in March:  Spring, Ali Smith

 in February: new (to me) books read: 4; books re-read: 
Favourite book in February:  A Single Thread, Tracy Chevalier

in January:  new (to me) books read: 6; books re-read: 
Favourite book in January:  An American Marriage, Tayari Jones

March reading: 

• I read one of my Christmas present books (Petra's Ghost by C S O'Cinneide)
• I listened to a fantasy title on audio from the library (The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card)
• I read the book which my class is reading this half term (The Girl Who Stole an Elephant by Nizrana Farouk)
• And another children's book I picked up from school (A House without Walls, Elizabeth Laird)
• I read a book from my TBR shelf (Spring by Ali Smith)
• I read a few  crime novels in series which I am following (Through a Glass Darkly by Donna Leon, Two for Sorrow, Nicola Upson and A Cold Treachery by Charles Todd)
• And I re-read a YA title I particularly like (The Rest of Us Just Live Here, Patrick Ness)

Dinner, 31/3/21: Spicy Schechuan Noodles

Pork mince with various spices and egg noodles. With purple sprouting broc on the side.

 

Dinner, 30/3/21: Spring Salad

Nice spring day - calls for a salad.  Lots of salad items, plus marinated beans. Yum.

 

Dinner, 28/3/21: Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry

 

Book 18: The Rest of Us Just Live Here, Patrick Ness (re-read)

I've read this before and thought it brilliant, for some reason it kept coming into my mind, so I thought I'd revisit it.  Still great.

 

Dinner, 27/3/21: Marinated Courgettes with Mozzarella, Sausages, Crusty Bread

This was a lovely way to use courgettes - thinly sliced and griddled, then marinated and served with mozzarella. Very nice. We had sausages on the side as an accompaniment, and crusty bread.

 

Book 17: Two for Sorrow, Nicola Upson

Another series which I am reading - I've felt quite into crime fiction lately, perhaps because it's easy to fall into without deep thought, but still quite rewarding.

 

Dinner, 25/3/21: Pasta with Broccoli, Chili and Garlic

Always looking for interesting ways to use broccoli when it lands in our box - this was unfortunately, rather boring.  It was a variation on a recipe using greens, and I can't but help think it would have been better with greens.

 

Dinner, 23/3/21: Thai Green Chicken Curry

With mushrooms and hearts of palm.

 

Book 16: A Cold Treachery, Charles Todd

The next in the series, which I am reading my way through. I think there's about 20 of them, and this is only number 6 or 7.  Which is great, if they don't fall into the  trap that many long running series do, and get a bit samey.  So far, so good, though.

 

Dinner, 21/3/21: Stuffed Courgettes and Peppers

Stuffed peppers with couscous and stuffed courgettes with feta, capers, olives, sundried tomatoes, etc

 

Dinner, 20/3/21: German Sausages, etc

German sausages, celeriac & potato mash, sauerkraut; braised fennel

 

Book 15: A House without Walls, Elizabeth Laird

 

A children's book about Syrian refugees - not set in a refugee camp, but rather fleeing to relatives in Jordan.  I enjoy Elizabeth Laird - she's good at presenting tough issues in a way that's not too sad but still gives kids room to think about others with very different lives. 

Dinner, 19/3/21: Pasta with fennel, rocket & lemon

The fennel here was sliced very thin and cooked with butter and garlic - very nice.

 

Dinner, 18/3/21: Tacos

The first two, I had as a taco; this one was beginning to fall apart, so I deconstructed it intentionally...

 

Dinner, 17/3/21: Braised Lentils with Roasted Beetroot and Feta

Braised lentils, with roasted beetroot and carrots and a feta sprinkle (easily vegan by using vegan cheese or no cheese). 

 

Dinner, 16/3/21: Pasta with peas, broad beans and chorizo

Yummy

 

Dinner, 14/3/21: Spiced pork balls in hot fragrant broth

This was delicious  - the pork balls had a Thai flavour, as did the broth, and it was just incredibly yummy. Definitely one to have again!

 

Dinner, 13/3/21: Roasted Aloo Gobi

Potato and cauliflower curry (with a tomato base) - yum.

 

Dinner, 12/3/21: Baked Gnocchi with Broccoli and Blue Cheese

Very nice. Forgot to sprinkle with walnuts, but will eat this again, so definitely will try with added walnuts next time...

 

Dinner, 11/3/21: Balsamic Glazed Chicken, Potatoes, Beans

An exercise in using up:  The balsamic glaze for the chicken was one that Sarah brought home from her uni kitchen. It was very nice.  There's still some left, we might try it on salmon next time.

 

Book 14: Through a Glass Darkly, Donna Leon

 

Where I'm up to in reading/re-reading this series (some I've read, some not, so this time, I'm going through in order).  This was one I hadn't read previously.

(book purchased from Abe Books, July2020)

Dinner, 10/3/21: Potato, Carrot & Onion Rosti

Even after this, I have a glut of onions...

 

Dinner, 9/3/21: Courgette Tarts

Courgette tarts with peppers and (in one case) mushrooms. Topped with mozzarella.

 

Book 13: The Girl Who Stole an Elephant

This is the book my class is currently reading for whole-class guided reading; it's a fun story, with what is probably for many of them, quite an exotic setting. I enjoyed it.

 

Dinner, 7/3/21: Roast Chicken, Potatoes, Cabbage

 

Dinner, 6/3/21: Chili con carne (Geoff cooking)

Geoff makes a pretty mean chili con carne - in this instance, using turkey mince.   He plays around with the heat quite a lot, trying to get the balance between spiciness and flavour.  We all agreed that this time, there was a little too much heat - it was perfectly edible, but the heat overwhelmed the flavour, which was very good, but would have been better if it was a little more prominent.

 

Book 12: The Lost Gate, Orson Scott Card

Borrowed this on audiobook from the library and enjoyed it; not sure I'll continue the series, but I might.

 

Dinner, 5/3/21: Spaghetti with olives, broccoli & feta

Sometimes the camera on my phone is a bit of a pain and doesn't actually take a photo - that was the case with this meal, so I've used the photo from the recipe. It actually looked pretty much the same, so it doesn't matter that much - it was incredibly tasty as well.  Broccoli, olives, feta: very simple but a real winner. 

 

Book 11: Petra's Ghost, C S O'Cinneide

This was an intriguing sort of thrillery story - hard to classify.  Although I did have a fairly good idea what was going on with most of the characters from pretty early in the story, it didn't really matter - I still found it compelling to read, and the idea clever and characters interesting.

(Christmas present, 2020)

 

Dinner, 4/3/21: Chickpea & Chorizo Soup

This was really nice - I used pointed spring cabbage instead of the Savoy in the recipe, because that's what I had, but we really liked the result, anyway. I also think it would be good with kale. Non-meat-eaters could make a similar soup with mushrooms in place of the chorizo (adding a bit of paprika) and it would be very good that way. 

 

Dinner, 3/3/21: Frittata, Oven Potatoes

A frittata is always a nice weeknight meal - quick and easy and can use up whatever might be lying around wanting using. Here I used a small packet of bacon lardons from the freezer, a handful of feta, half a jar of sliced black olives and a few of the lovely smoked tomatoes from the farmers market (which wasn't something which needed using up, but still made a nice addition). 

 

Dinner, 2/3/21: Butter Bean Makhani

This was a delicious butter bean curry - very tasty. The courgettes were our own addition partly for something green and partly for texture contrast. We'll definitely have this again.

 

February Round Up

 

WHAT WAS  FOR DINNER, FEBRUARY 2021

• 28th: Blackened Salmon, Squash, Potatoes
• 27th: Korean Takeaway
• 26th: Refried Bean and Chorizo Tacos
• 25th: Broad Bean and Blue Cheese Risotto
• 24th: Beetroot Soup with Cumin Spiced Chickpeas
• 23rd: Filled Pasta with Tomato Sauce
• 22nd: Fend for yourself Monday
• 21st: Toad in the Hole
• 20th: Green Lasagne
• 19th: Jacket Potatoes with Toppings
• 18th: Tofu & Black Bean Fajitas
• 17th: Chicken, Cashew & Greens Stir Fry
• 16th: Carrot Soup
• 15th: Fend for yourself Monday
• 14th: Roast Vegetables, Pasta, Tomato Sauce
• 13th: Pork Chops, Squash, Celeriac & Potato Mash
• 12th: Pizza Night
• 11th: Carrot Tart, Greens
• 10th: Chicken, Potatoes, Broccoli Salad
• 9th: Omelette, Salad, Hash browns
• 8th: Fend for yourself Monday
• 7th: Sausages, Mash, Cabbage
• 6th: Veggie Paella
• 5th: Birthday Takeaway (Sushi)
• 4th: Hearty Mushroom Soup
• 3rd: Tofu Stir Fry
• 2nd: Linguine with Creamy Tomato & Rosemary Sauce
• 1st: Fend for yourself Monday