Dinner, 12/12/20: Sausage and Prawn Jambalaya

 

Dinner, 11/12/20: Mexican Bake

  

This is a layered dish with tortillas in the middle and top, and beans, etc inside, with a cheesy topping. Quick and easy and tasty. Served with salad.

 

Dinner, 10/12/20: Ginger Tofu with Broccoli

 

Dinner, 9/12/20: Pesto Pizza with Artichokes & Prosciutto, Salad

 

Dinner, 8/12/20: Curried Carrot Fritters, Broccoli

We have this fairly often - good way to use carrots.

 

Dinner, 6/12/20: Chicken Traybake with cabbage and multi-coloured carrots

A fairly straightforward chicken and potato traybake, though the carrots are done with spices and pomegranate seeds.

 

Dinner, 5/12/20: Cabbage & Udon Noodle Salad, Salmon

Another way of using cabbage - we have a lot of cabbage at the moment which needs using. This was a nice salad, though.

 

Dinner, 4/12/20: Leek and Blue Cheese Risotto

 

Dinner, 3/12/20: Mafalda & Roasted Butternut in Warm Yogurt Sauce

This was a bit disappointing - the roast vegetables were nice, but the creamy sauce was a lot of effort for something which wasn't that interesting. We did like the slow toasted garlic. Usually we are big fans of Ottolenghi recipes, but this one let us down.

 

Dinner, 2/12/20: Red Lentil, Cumin & Coriander Soup

 

Dinner, 1/12/20: Burritos with Chipotle Rice & Refried Beans

The recipe for the chipotle rice came from a cookbook we recently found in a charity shop called Death by Burritos. We used it as a base for the burritos, with some avocado salsa and refried beans. Nice!

 

Book 87: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, Kim Michelle Richardson (audio)

 

Listened to this on loan from the library on audio and really enjoyed it. Very evocative and an intriguing glimpse into a couple of things I wasn't really aware of - packhorse librarians for the WPA and the "blue" people of Kentucky - both real, and both interesting.

November Roundup

 

WHAT WAS  FOR DINNER, NOVEMBER 2020

• 30th; Fend for yourself Monday
• 29th: Sausages, Roast Squash, Cabbage, Potatoes
• 28th: Lemon Sole, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Potatoes
• 27th: Roast Vegetables with Tahini Mustard Dressing
• 26th: Turkey Meatballs and Cabbage Soup
• 25th: Linguine with creamy Tomato and Rosemary Sauce
• 24th: Spinach, Potato & Feta Pie
• 23rd: Fend for Yourself Monday
• 22nd: Braised Chicken with Chorizo and Butter Beans
• 21st: Paneer Stuffed Pancakes
• 20th: Chestnut Mushroom, Fennel and Bacon Pasta
• 19th: Chinese Takeaway
• 18th: Courgette, Refried bean and Goats Cheese Quesadillas
• 17th: Ras al Hanout Roasted Chickpeas with Broccoli and Halloumi
• 16th: Fend for yourself Monday
• 15th: Black bean tofu
• 14th: Roast Chicken, Savoy Cabbage, Roast potatoes
• 13th: Winter Green Puff Pie
• 12th: Loaded Sweet Potato and Parsnip Fries
• 11th: Vegetables in Cheese Sauce, Salad
• 10th: Penne with olives, rocket, chorizo
• 9th: Fend for yourself Monday
• 8th: Burnt Aubergine Chili
• 7th: Pasta bake, garlic bread
• 6th: Shredded chicken & courgettes with sesame seeds
• 5th: Pork Chops/Sausage Rolls, Greens, Potatoes
• 4th: Spicy Roast Parsnip Soup
• 3rd: Vegetable Biryani
• 2nd: Fend for yourself Monday
• 1st: Pizza Night

November 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 November: new (to me) books read: 10 ; books re-read:  
Favourite Book in November:  The Librarian by Salley Vickers

in October: new (to me) books read:  4; books re-read: 1

Favourite Book in October: Overstory by Richard Powers

in September: new (to me) books read: 6 ; books re-read:
Favourite Book in September: The Dutch House, Ann Patchett

in August:  new (to me) books read: 7; books re-read: 2
Favourite Book in August: Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens

in July: new (to me) books read: 5; books re-read: 9
Favourite Book in July: 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 November, I read:

• One children's book for school from a lucky dip (The Secret Island by Enid Blyton)
• One crime novel acquired in a charity shop - mid series, so I might go back and read them all (Sorry for the Dead, Nicola Upson)
• Another couple of books recently acquired in a charity shop, a nice light read (The Library of Lost and Found, Phaedra Patrick) and a less light but still entertaining read (The Girl with All the Gifts, M R Carey)
• And a couple which have been sitting around a bit longer (also charity shop purchases, as are many of my books), one by an author I have read and enjoyed before (The Librarian, Salley Vickers) and one a new-to-me author (The Giant's House by Elizabeth McCracken)
• A couple of teen fiction books passed on by Sarah, who was reading the second of these (Dash and Lily's Book of Dares; The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan)
• And another in a crime series I'm reading (Search the Dark, Charles Todd)
• Plus I did go back and find the first in the Nicola Upson series (An Expert in Murder), which was good.

I noticed that I happened to read quite a few books about librarians in November - The Library of Lost and Found, The Librarian and one I'm listening to but haven't quite finished (The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek) were all coincidental; I admit I chose the Giant's House because it was about a librarian and it seemed topical.  Then the two teen books about Dash & Lily, while not precisely about librarians did feature bookshops and reading heavily, and librarians appeared in the second. Quite a fun coincidence!

Book 86: The Giant's House, Elizabeth McCracken

Picked this up in a charity shop a while back and it was interesting and enjoyable. Chose to read it this month as it was about a librarian, which for some reason seemed to be a theme in my reading this month (this one intentional, though the others accidental).

(Charity shop, New Malden, August 2020)

 

Books 84/85: Dash & Lily series, David Levithan & Rachel Cohn

 

Two teen titles - Sarah was reading the second (which is recent) and recommended them both as fun, light reads.  I enjoyed both of them.

 

Dinner, 29/11/20: Sausages, Roast Squash, New Potatoes

Another meal from the Farmers Market - sausages from the butcher, roast squash and new potatoes from one of the veg stalls. Yum.

 

Dinner, 28/11/20: Lemon Sole, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Oven Potatoes

Went to the Farmers Market today and picked up some fresh fish and veg - purple sprouting broccoli to go with the fish. And oven potatoes.

 

Book 83: An Expert in Murder, Nicola Upson

 

The first in the series - I read a mid-series title recently (acquired from a charity shop) and decided it was worth going back to the beginning and reading the whole series.  They seem enjoyable and well-constructed.

(Bought from ABEbooks, November 2020)

Dinner, 27/11/20: Roasted Vegetables with Potatoes & Sweet Potatoes

A nice roasted vegetable dinner (and potatoes) to use up lots of bits and pieces we had hanging around. With a tahini dressing.

 

Dinner, 26/11/20: Turkey Meatball Cabbage Soup

This was a nice soup - with cabbage (which needed using) and turkey meatballs. We didn't originally intend to have a turkey themed meal on Thanksgiving, but it was a nice coincidence.

 

Dinner, 25/11/20: Linguine with creamy tomato & rosemary sauce

A nice quick weeknight supper dish - tasty, easy, etc. With garlic bread of course.

 

Dinner, 24/11/20: Spinach, Feta and Potato Pie

A slight variation on my usual spanakopita (spinach pie) - this one had some potatoes in the filling. Served with a salad, though not pictured here...

 

Book 82: Search the Dark, Charles Todd

 

The next in the series, which I am enjoying. Luckily, there are lots of them.

(purchased on AbeBooks, November 2020)

Dinner, 22/11/20: Braised Chicken with Chorizo and Butter Beans

Things we all like in this easy traybake - chorizo, butter beans. Also threw in a pepper I had because it seemed like a good way to use it.

 

Dinner, 21/11/20: Paneer and Chickpea Stuffed Pancakes

A family favourite - easy and tasty. 

 

Book 81: The Girl with All The Gifts, M R Carey

Another post-apocalyptic tale ( a genre I really enjoy) with a slightly different take on the whole scenario. I thought this was very readable and an interesting way to approach the issue.  No spoilers!

 

(bought in a charity shop, August 2020)

Dinner, 18/11/20: Courgette, Refried Bean & Goat Cheese Quesadillas

We like quesadillas in almost any form - this one is a great way to use courgettes, which we often seem to find in the veggie box and which can get a bit boring after a while...

 

Dinner, 17/11/20: Ras Al Hanout Roasted Chickpeas, Broccoli and Halloumi

This one is a fun mixture of textures and flavours - the crunch of the pomegranate seeds and pumpkin seeds is a particularly nice touch.

 

Dinner, 15/11/20: Tofu with Black Bean Sauce

Yum.  Love a bit of tofu in our house.  

 

Book 80: The Librarian, Salley Vickers

 

I've read a number of novels by Salley Vickers before and am always happy to read another as she writes well. I enjoyed this tale of a young librarian wrapped in scandal in a small village in the fifties, even though I did find some of the characters a bit frustrating (probably fairly realistic, though, given the provincialness of the time and the location). 

(Bought in a charity shop in Wimbledon, 21.2.20)

Dinner, 14/11/20: Roast Chicken, Savoy Cabbage, Potatoes

 

Dinner, 13/11/20: Winter Greens Puff Pie, Potatoes

This was a nice way to use a big batch of kale (plus the outside leaves of some savoy cabbage) - the greens were very tender once in the pie, and there's some left to have for lunch in the week.

 

Dinner, 12/11/20: Loaded Sweet Potato & Parsnip Fries

This was a new one for us, but I reckon we'll see it again as I really enjoyed it - sweet potatoes, parsnips and some regular potatoes, loaded up with various salsa type toppings, cheese and jalapenos, plus tortilla chips on the side. Yum. 

 

Dinner, 11/11/20: Vegetables in Cheese Sauce

A nice wintery dish - vegetables in cheese sauce. Here, it's a little bit of leftover cauliflower from the biryani, a small romanesco and a handful of sprouts from last week's veggie box. Breadcrumbs and some walnuts on top for texture.

 

Dinner, 10/11/20: Penne with olives, rocket & chorizo

A quick pasta dish - penne with olives (and tapenade), rocket, bits of chorizo, cherry tomatoes.

 

Dinner, 8/11/20: Burnt Aubergine Chili

My favourite chili, including meat ones, is this burnt aubergine chili - we love the smokiness of the taste (which is from the charring the aubergine) and I love the texture of the beans and lentils together.  Yum.

 

Dinner 6/11/20: Shredded Chicken with sesame seeds and courgette

Chicken, sesame seeds, courgette, various spices. It's a stir fry.

 

Dinner, 5/11/20: Pork chops, cime de rapa, oven potatoes

The greens here are new to us - "cime de rapa". Our veggie box is a wonderous assortment of vegetables known and unknown.  These are also called broccolini greens, I think. They were very nice. But then, we like most greens.

 

Dinner, 4/11/20: Spicy Roast Parsnip Soup

Parsnip (and carrot, hence the colour) soup. With various Indian spices. And homemade biscuits.

 

Dinner, 3/11/20: Vegetable Biryani

Vegetable biryani, with beans, sweet potato, cashews, etc. Yum. 

 

Book 79: The Library of Lost and Found, Phaedra Patrick

Another recent charity shop purchase; enjoyable - good for sitting down with a cup of tea on my last day of holiday...

 

Book 78: Sorry for the Dead, Nicola Upson

Picked this up in a charity shop the other day, featuring the real-life crime writing Josephine Tey as the protagonist. It's a mid-series book, but I really enjoyed it, so I'll be going back to follow the series from the beginning.

 

Book 77: The Secret Island, Enid Blyton

Read this one for work - we were asked to choose a potluck book to read and review; it was cute. I can imagine really enjoying it when I was about 8 or so, and wanting to run away and live on a little island myself. Though luckily, I didn't live with a mean aunt and uncle, so it wasn't necessary.

 

Dinner, 1/11/20: Pizza Night

 

Pizza night. Yum.

Book 76: Overstory by Richard Powers

I enjoyed this, mostly, though I did find myself getting bogged down in it from time to time - not, I think, due to any issue with the book, but more just to being tired and unable to focus as much as I'd like. The stories, although interwoven (eventually) aren't complex, and I enjoyed the wide variety of characters and lives.

 

October Round Up

 WHAT WAS  FOR DINNER, OCTOBER 2020

• 31st: Joint birthday meal out
• 30th: Pain de Sucre baked in cheese sauce, potatoes, squash
• 29th: Courgette and Caramelised Red Onion Tart, Salad
• 28th: Burrito Bowl
• 27th: Orichiette with Brussels Sprouts and Pancetta
• 26th: Fend for yourself Monday
• 25th: Toad in the Hole, Cabbage, Carrots
• 24th: Squash & Chard Frittata
• 23rd: Fish and Chips (takeaway)
• 22nd: Pasta with Chorizo and Squash
• 21st: Brussels Sprout and Blue Cheese Pizza
• 20th: Spicy Coconut Noodle Soup
• 19th: Fend for yourself Monday
• 18th: Steak and Mushroom Pie
• 17th: Mexican Salmon Traybake, Purple Carrots
• 16th: Pork Schnitzel, Roast Squash
• 15th: Potato, Leek & Stilton Soup
• 14th: Stuffed Romano Peppers
• 13th: Turmeric and Potato Tacos
• 12th: Fend for yourself Monday
• 11th: Carrot Tart, Artichoke & Olive Salad
• 10th: Sausages, Mash, Peas
• 9th: Teriyaki Salmon Noodles
• 8th: Red Thai Curried Potatoes
• 7th: Minestrone
• 6th: Lemon and Bean Linguine
• 5th: Fend for yourself Monday
• 4th: Roast Pork, Roast Potatoes, Carrots & Parsnips
• 3rd: Winter Vegetable Pie
• 2nd: Swede Laksa
• 1st: Sweet Potato and Lentil Coconut Dahl

October Book 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 October: new (to me) books read:  4; books re-read: 1

Favourite Book in October: Overstory by Richard Powers

in September: new (to me) books read: 6 ; books re-read:
Favourite Book in September: The Dutch House, Ann Patchett

in August:  new (to me) books read: 7; books re-read: 2
Favourite Book in August: Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens

in July: new (to me) books read: 5; books re-read: 9
Favourite Book in July: 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 October, I read:

• Educated by Tara Westover (audiobook), a memoir
• Venetia by Georgette Heyer (re-read, historical romance - was talking about Heyer with a friend which prompted me to re-read)
• finally finished listening to A Tale of Two Cities - it's very long!  I enjoyed it though, it's clever, compelling and quite funny in parts.
• Read Overstory by Richard Powers, which was recommended to me a while back (not quite finished in October, but I'm counting it in anyway)
• Read another in the Charles Todd mystery series about Ian Rutledge (Wings of Fire)

Dinner, Pain de Sucre baked in cheese sauce; potatoes, squash

This was a meal made to use up things which needed using. The main element was a pain de sucre (a bit like a really large chicory/endive, though not quite as bitter as that), which I wilted and then baked in a cheese sauce. Oven potatoes to accompany, and some leftover wedges of Crown Prince squash. Never had the pain de sucre before - very nice, though needs to be treated right to avoid being too bitter. Probably anything that worked for chicory would work here.

 

Dinner, 29/10/20: Caramelised Red Onion & Courgette Tart

A very nice tart with caramelised onions and courgette ribbons, and goat cheese. The onions were fantastic.