Dinner, 31/8/20: Mexican Style Salmon Traybake

This is a nice, easy way to use salmon which is a little different to the usual - the potatoes are cooked in the oven with olive oil and paprika, then the fish added on top just for the last 10 minutes or so.  The topping is a salsa of onion, tomato, avocado, coriander and lime juice. It seems a little unusual but it's very tasty.

Book 65: A Test of Wills, Charles Todd

Read of in this series last summer at my mother's house, and was curious to try the series from the start - I thought this very well constructed and an interesting premise; glad to see there are lots more!

(Abe Books, Sept 2019)

Book 64: Kick, Mitch Johnson

Read this over the summer term at school and finished this summer.

 

Book 63: Big Sky, Kate Atkinson

The latest in the series about Jackson Brodie. I feel I've not read quite all of these, though I'm not sure which I missed out. Doesn't matter too much, really, as the story stands on its own, but it makes me wonder. As usual, well constructed and written, with lots of different strands.

(Watersones Kingston, January 2020)

Dinner, 29/8/20: Roast chicken, parsnips and potatoes; cabbage

By popular request, a roast dinner. Liv is a huge fan of the roast dinner as well (other than the meat), so she has something like vegan sausages or vegan sausage rolls along with the veg & potatoes, and has her own gravy. Gotta love roasting...

Dinner, 28/8/20: Fusili with Cavolo Nero, Chili and Sundried Tomatoes

Dinner, 27/8/20: Mexican Bean and Tortilla Bake

This is an easy one, with the bulk of the meal consisting of beans and tomatoes. The topping is tortilla chips with cheese  sprinkled on the top - I made two separate ones, so Liv could have vegan cheese....

Dinner, 26/8/20: Marinated Aubergine Salad, Sicilian Potato Salad, Roast Veg with Bulgar Wheat

Another three salad meal - won't see so many of those as we head into autumn and winter - more hearty dishes and soups and things will appear, no doubt.

Dinner, 23/8/20: Courgette & Pea "Pasta" with feta and herbs

The courgette here is spiralised, and used raw, with peas, feta, herbs, etc and a nice dressing. This was really tasty.

Dinner, 22/8/20: Lentil Shepherds Pie

Lentils and veg in the bottom, mixed root veg on the top - potato, sweet potato, swede. Yum!

Dinner, 21/8/20: Roasted Aloo Gobi

Technically, I made this with a romanesco rather than a cauliflower, because that's what came in the veggie box, but same basic principle. We had flatbreads from our local shop as well. Yum.

Book 62: The Last, Hanna Jameson

Seen this mentioned in a couple of places, so when I spotted a copy in the charity shop the other day, I couldn't resist. Read it straight away - very unusual for me - and it was very gripping.  Wasn't really sure how it was going to come out in the end, and worried it would be a let down or overly dramatic (like a book about being holed up in a hotel at the end of the world after a nuclear holocaust isn't going to be somewhat dramatic, I know, I know), but it didn't disappoint. 

Dinner, 20/8/20: Smoky Butter Beans and Greens

This was a nice variation for butter beans - not a tomato-based sauce, just the beans and lots of spring greens, garlic, paprika, cumin, etc. Served with wild rice.

Dinner, 19/8/20: Runner Bean Samosas, New Carrots, Salad

Very nice filling in the samosas - runner beans, a bit of potato, spices, etc. Tasty!

Book 61: Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens

This is one of those books which gets hyped everywhere and then you worry it won't live up to the hype, but after a recommendation from someone I know, who I know I have some similar tastes in books to, I decided to go ahead and give it a go and was not disappointed. Read it in literally one sitting.  Very enjoyable and beautifully written. And if I did pretty much anticipate where it was going to go, well, that's ok too.

Dinner, 18/8/20: Sausages, Potatoes, Patty Pan Squash, Sweetcorn

Not sure I've ever cooked patty pan squash before - lots of other kinds of squash, yes.  Here, it was just roasted until tender. It was nice - kind of like a courgette but not quite. We think they'd be great stuffed. The sausages here are veggie ones - the boys had meat ones, but I'm not fussed one way or the other.

Book 60: Rose Cottage, Mary Stewart

Oddly, I don't think I've actually read this one before - I think it's her final one. It was sweet and calm, just what I needed after the SF tour-de-force I'd just finished. Not destined to be among my favourites, but perfectly readable and a good one for just a relaxing afternoon.

Dinner, 17/8/20: Thai Mushroom and Noodle Soup

Book 59: Morning Star, Pierce Brown

Whew. What a finish. Now I need to read something calm and delicate. 

Dinner, 16/8/20: Chicken and Vegetable Pie

This is the usual Hairy Bikers' recipe, with a few changes - no ham (it's a "Chicken, Ham & Leek Pie") plus I added mushrooms and celery into the pie and slightly reduced the amount of chicken.  Glorious. Also had some roasted turnips on the side - not pictured.

15/8/20: Gnocchi with Tomato and Cheese Sauces

Gnocchi (two kinds - plain and spinach) from the Farmers' Market, with tomato sauce and cheese sauce. Heaven!

Dinner, 14/8/20: Chili con Carne with padron peppers

With Liv away for the weekend, Geoff took the opportunity to cook this chili, with meat (pork mince, turkey mince and bacon). And some roasted padron peppers which came in the veggie box. And beans of course. Very nice!

Dinner, 13/8/20: Harissa bean salad, zingy carrot salad

Another salady day - too hot still for hot food.  Here there's a zingy carrot salad and a harissa bean salad with avocado. And some fresh bread. Can't wait for cooler weather - I love salads, but might get tired of them pretty soon. And I hate cooking in the heat.

Dinner, 12/8/20: Three salads: Tamarind Potato Salad, Kale & Carrot Salad, Fennel & Runner Bean Slaw

Summery meal for when it's too hot to eat, let alone cook (to be fair, the potatoes are cooked...).

Dinner, 11/8/20: Vietnamese Style Summer Rolls

With a variety of fillings, to sort as you wish - including some prawns this time, for those who eat them... But all the rest of the ingredients are vegan friendly.

Book 58: Golden Son, Pierce Brown

The second in the series (Red Rising) which I started ages ago - finally got around to the second one, and devoured it. He writes suspenseful action very well.  Will probably go straight on to the final one in the trilogy because I want to find out what happens next - can't imagine it will all go well...

Dinner, 9/8/20: Grilled Feta with Saucy Butter Beans

Another butter bean stew variation - this one with chunks of feta on top which get put under a grill at the end - they didn't get crispy, but it was still tasty...

Book 57: This Rough Magic, Mary Stewart (re-read)

As usual, re-reading one Mary Stewart puts me in the mood to read more. Especially in the heat, the Greek ones really appeal. This is one of my favourites (but not my absolute favourite, which - at the moment anyway - is Madam, Will You Talk).

Dinner, 7/8/20: Mixed Veggie Paella

This is a favourite here - I've made it a number of times. It's a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe from the cookbook Plenty. I adjust it a bit (for one thing, it's only for 2 people which is never going to work for us), but essentially, it doesn't need much adjusting as it's pretty awesome as  is.

Dinner, 6/8/20: Sri Lankan Runner Bean Curry

I've made this recipe before, but outside runner bean season, so I used regular green beans, which was nice. But this was even better. Plus I think I used a hotter chili this time, so it was a little spicier. Really lovely. 

Dinner, 5/8/20: Grilled Courgette, Tomato & Bean Salad

This was a really nice salad - the courgettes were griddled and the tomatoes roasted, and there was a nice basil dressing. We had it with a green salad and fresh bread. 

Book 56: Debts of Dishonour, Jill Paton Walsh

The third in the series. I can't quite make up my mind about this series. There are good ideas, with interesting plot twists, and it's well-written, but there's something about the main character that just doesn't quite ring true somehow. I don't quite know how to put my finger on it, but there it is.  I thought the second one was better than the first one in that respect, but this one is a bit wobbly again.  But as there are only four of them I'll probably read the last just to round out the series...

Dinner, 4/8/20: Hotdogs, new potato salad, pickled radishes, sugar snap salad

Here the boys had frankfurter hotdogs - I don't dislike frankfurters, but neither are they my favourite so I had veggie sausages, and of course, so did Liv.  Also had a new potato salad with gherkins and capers, sweet and sour radishes and a soy & sesame sugar snap pea salad. Very summery!

Dinner, 2/8/20: Vegetable Soup

Today's dinner was inspired by what needed using in the house - in this instance, half a cabbage, some purple carrots and a small, sad bit of celery were the main things. So, with some beans and a bit of this and that - soup!  With homemade cheesy (or vegan cheesy) biscuits. 

Dinner, 1/8/20: Asian Stir Fry with Spicy Cashews

Rice noodles, pak choi, mushrooms and spicy cashews. Tasty!

July Roundup

WHAT WAS  FOR DINNER, JULY 2020

• 31st: Curried Chickpea and Pine Nut Pasties
• 30th: Tagliatelli and "Meatballs" with Red Sauce
• 29th: Spicy Coconut Lentil Dahl
• 28th: Spiced Pea and Potato Cakes
• 27th: Fend for yourself Monday
• 26th: Moroccan Spiced Roast Vegetables with Cous Cous
• 25th: Fajitas
• 24th: Takeaway
• 23rd: Lentil and Butternut Salad
• 22nd: Vegetable Soup, Biscuits
• 21st: Sausages, Mash, Cabbage
• 20th: Fend for yourself Monday
• 19th: Curry with new potatoes and beans
• 18th: Picnic on Juniper Top
• 17th: Green Pesto Pasta, Garlic Bread
• 16th: Stuffed Courgettes
• 15th: Tacos Two Ways
• 14th: Salad Ingredients: Assemble
• 13th: Fend for yourself Monday
• 12th: Roasted Carrots, Tamarind Shallots, Bean Salad
• 11th: Lentil Shepherd's Pie
• 10th: Takeaway
• 9th: Black Bean Tofu and Broccoli
• 8th: Indian Spiced Sweet Potato Wraps
• 7th: Veggie and Wild Rice Soup
• 6th: Jacket Potatoes with Toppings
• 5th: Roast Vegetables with Bulgar Wheat
• 4th: Linguine with Courgette & Pine Nuts
• 3rd: Thai Style Soup
• 2nd: Tofu, Veggie & Kimchi Stir Fry
• 1st: Sausages, Sweet Potato Fries, Broccoli

July reading update

This year, I'm just going to keep track of books I read as I go through the year - not worrying about how many books I have waiting to be read or anything like that. So each month's roundup will just be a picture collage showing the books I've read, with a running tally for each month. I think I'll break down new (to me) books and re-reading as well. And maybe pick a favourite each month. This could change as the year goes on... Once again, I'll set my goal as 100 books - it's about what I have time for, more or less.

So, in July: new (to me) books read: 5; books re-read: 9
Favourite Book in June: The Singer's Gun, Emily St John Mandel
in June: new (to me) books read: 4; books re-read: 2
Favourite Book in June: Muse of Nightmares, Laini Taylor

 in May: new (to me) books read: 5; books re-read: 1
Favourite Book in May: Toffee by Sarah Crossan

in April: new (to me) books read: 6; books re-read:  0
Favourite Book in April: A Boy and his Dog at the End of the World, C A Fletcher

in March:  new (to me) books read: 5; books re-read:  5
Favourite Book in March: The Wolf and the Watchman by Niklas Natt och Dag

in February:  new (to me) books read: 6; books re-read:  0
Favourite Book in February: Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus

in January:  new (to me) books read: 6; books re-read: 3
Favourite book in January:  Once Upon a River, Diane Setterfield

In July, I read:

• The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield - I picked this up after really enjoying Once Upon a River, back in January
• I needed something that I knew I'd enjoy and Geoff has been re-reading the Harry Potter series, so I was inspired to pick up Garth Nix's Abhorsen series again, and re-read them, except for Clariel, which is good but a backstory to one of the other characters rather than part of the main story arc, and I didn't want to interrupt the flow.  Might read it again later this summer. (Sabriel. Lirael, Abhorsen, Goldenhand)
• I read the second in Jill Paton Walsh's Imogen Quy series (A Piece of Justice)
• I re-read a handful of young adult books, as well as a new book by the author that was the sequel to one of the books (The Start of Me & You, The Map From Here to There, The Names They Gave Us, Open Road Summer by Emery Lord)
• I read a book from my shelf by an author I've read several others by (The Singer's Gun, Emily St John Mandel)
• I re-visited a Mary Stewart I haven't read in a while, as I needed a quick evening read (Stormy Petrel), then another when I had finished this one (My Brother Michael)
• I read a children's book I've had on my kids' book pile for a while - as I'll be in Year 4 next year rather than Year 6, it's not really suitable for my new class - a little too old - but I'll take it into school for the Year 6 bookshelves... (The Boy Who Hit Play, Chloe Dakin)