An easy supper dish, made with frozen spinach and other readily accessible ingredients (chickpeas, cashews, curry paste).
04 May 2021
03 May 2021
02 May 2021
Dinner, 2/5/21: BBQ Chicken, Broccoli, Potatoes
Using up some leftover barbecue sauce from when we had ribs recently... We didn't BBQ the chicken, just cooked it in the oven. But still.
01 May 2021
30 April 2021
April Reading 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 April: new (to me) books read: 8; books re-read: 0
Favourite book in April: The Ninth House, Leigh Bardugo
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
April reading:
- I read a couple of children's books - one which my class might read later in the year, and others just because I like children's books. (A Boy and a Bear in a Boat by Dave Shelton; The Lost Magician by Piers Torday)
- I read a book which someone talked about on a podcast, which sounded interesting (Who Will Run the Frog Hospital by Lorrie Moore)
- I read a couple of SF/F titles, one a young adult book by a new author (The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna) and one a new title by an author I've read before (The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo)
- I read the next in a crime series I'm reading (A Long Shadow by Charles Todd)
- I read a collection of long short stories I picked up in a charity shop a while back (Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro)
- And I read a book by an author I really enjoy, which has been waiting on my shelf for a while (The Lola Quartet by Emily St John Mandel)
Dinner, 30/4/21: Korean Style Prawn and Spring Onion Pancake
We love this (well, Geoff, Alex and I do) - yum.
29 April 2021
Book 27: The Ninth House, Leigh Bardugo
Really enjoyed this slightly more grownup book by Leigh Bardugo (I do like the Grisha books, particularly Six of Crows and its sequel as well) - really interesting idea and lots of original magic. Looking forward to the next.
Dinner, 29/4/21: Gnocchi with wild garlic pesto
Two kinds of gnocchi and wild garlic pesto, both from Seriously Italian via our local farmers market. They have great gnocchi - really light and fluffy, unlike a lot of supermarket gnocchi. Yeah, I know I could make my own. But.
28 April 2021
Dinner, 28/4/21: Frittata with chorizo, peppers and potato
Frittata. We have egg-based meals a lot - easy weeknight suppers, and when you get really nice eggs (we get ours with our veggie box, or sometimes from the farmers' market) they are just lovely. Here, a frittata, with a salad and some nice bread.
27 April 2021
Dinner, 27/4/21: Cabbage and potato cake, Spicy Carrots
Cabbage and potato cake, plus spicy roast carrots and squash. Yum.
25 April 2021
Book 26: The Lost Magician, Piers Torday
This was a sweet take on the Narnia idea (very much a tribute), using (fairly) modern concepts and Reading and the power of books as core ideas. I enjoyed it. Someone who hadn't read Narnia would enjoy it just on its own, as well - I can imagine a child being enchanted by the idea of a magic library...
Dinner, 25/4/21: Burnt Aubergine Chili
Sadly, none of my children like aubergine (eggplant) except in this chili, which we all love. So, with an aubergine in the veggie box, it was an obvious choice.
24 April 2021
23 April 2021
Book 25: A Boy and a Bear in a Boat, Dave Shelton
This is one which we often do in school for Year 4 - not sure if we are doing it yet or not, but as I had a copy at home, I decided to go ahead and read it, just in case. Cute. I hope we do it with the class, as I think they would enjoy it and the subsequent discussions. And the illustrations are fab.
Dinner, 23/4/21: Penne with tapenade, rocket, chorizo
Pasta with tapenade, chorizo, rocket, tomatoes. Easy and tasty. Alex cooked tonight, which was nice. He will be the King of Pasta Dishes when he goes off to uni (though he does cook other things, as well as helping me cook all kinds of things).
22 April 2021
Dinner, 22/4/21: Sausages, Asparagus, Potatoes
There may come a point in asparagus season when we all throw our hands up and think "Not asparagus again" and turn it into soup or something. We have not yet reached this point.
21 April 2021
Dinner, 21/4/21: Squash and Chickpea Stew
This was from the Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall Book River Cottage Veg, which has some great recipes in it. We've found quite a few we really like - this was great. We loved the flavours and texture.
20 April 2021
Book 24: Nocturnes, Kazuo Ishiguro
This was a set of five long short stories based around music, which I enjoyed. It's not my very favourite of Ishiguro's work (I've read most of his books, though not all of them), but he does write well, so it's always a pleasure to read (my favourite would be either The Remains of the Day or Never Let Me Go.
(Purchased in a charity shop, October, 2020)
18 April 2021
Dinner, 18/4/21: Burrito Bowls (or Wraps)
Sarah and I had our burritos deconstructed, in bowls. The boys had wraps. There were many ingredients, though not avocado as the avocados had been ripening for a week and were still rock hard. Next time I may just buy guacamole...
17 April 2021
Dinner, 17/4/21: Courgette Lasagne
Had this before, forgot how nice a way it was of using up courgettes. Yum.
16 April 2021
Dinner, 16/4/21: Leek & Blue Cheese Risotto
Lots of leeks in the veggie box lately, so lots of leek inspired meals. Not a vegetable that I really enjoy just on its own, though Geoff is happy to eat them that way - I find them a bit tough like that.
15 April 2021
Dinner, 15/4/21: Ribs, Sweet Potatoes, Veg
Ribs done in ginger beer, new season asparagus, broccoli, sweet potato (some had regular potatoes): if it can't be summery weather, you can still pretend.
13 April 2021
Dinner, 13/4/21: Greek(ish) Salad
We had a lot of salady ingredients in the house (tons of lettuce for some reason), so it was time for a dinner salad - lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and anything else in the fridge which could make a salad. Some cooked chicken breast, a little leftover ham, some feta cheese, olives, and so on. Yum.
11 April 2021
Book 22: Who Will Run the Frog Hospital, Lorrie Moore
One of the podcasts I've been listening to lately is But That's Another Story, where people discuss books that were seminal in their lives. This one was mentioned and sounded like my kind of thing, which it was. Not an author I know well, but one I will seek out again, for sure.
Dinner, 11/4/21: Chicken Korma with Courgettes
Chicken korma with courgettes added near the end. Nice!
10 April 2021
08 April 2021
Book 21: The Lola Quartet, Emily St John Mandel
I discovered Emily St John Mandel through Station Eleven, which might still be my favourite, but I thought this was a close second (better than both Last Night in Montreal and The Singer's Gun) - the way she weaves different strands together from past and present and different characters is very skillful and this one just edged the others out (I thought) in the success of that method. Haven't read her newest yet (The Glass Hotel), but it's on my watch list.
(book purchased from Abe Books, July 2020)
Dinner, 8/4/21: Leek, Pea & Spinach Soup
Always nice to have some homemade soup - this one uses leeks, peas and spinach. With some toasted mixed seeds on top, which made a nice texture contrast.
07 April 2021
Dinner, 7/4/21: Scrambled Eggs, Asparagus, Oven Potatoes
First of the new season asparagus cropped up in our veggie box this week, so I wanted something to show it off. Goes nicely with eggs, so this was an easy option.
06 April 2021
Dinner, 6/4/21: Indian Masala Roast Carrots with Coconut Lentils
This was fantastic - it's a Riverford recipe - which I saw in an email and kept in mind for using up a carrot glut, which we sometimes get. Will definitely have it again - we love a good dhal anyway, and the carrots and onions on top were super.
05 April 2021
Book 20: The Gilded Ones, Namina Forna
Enjoyed this young adult fantasy novel - looking forward to the next in the series. A creative idea, not entirely unpredictable, but not in a bad way. Very compelling.
(Mothers Day present, March 2021)
Dinner, 5/4/21: Pasta with Chard, Bacon and Rosemary
Alex cooked this - it was a Riverford recipe about how to use chard and was very nice.
04 April 2021
Dinner, 4/4/21: Roast Veggies with Couscous and Hummous
Always a good way to use up a glut of veggies in the house...
03 April 2021
02 April 2021
Dinner, 2/4/21: Fish with Balsamic Glaze, Greens, Potatoes
A pretty basic meal - but sometimes just having good ingredients is enough.
01 April 2021
Dinner, 1/4/21: Broccoli and Cheese Frittata
This was very nice - I used Port Salut cheese which worked well. The recipe used Taleggio, but Ocado never seems to have that... Anyway, I'm sure any similar cheese would work.
Book 19: Spring, Ali Smith
I've enjoyed Ali Smith for a long time, and this series of seasonal novels lives up to expectations. She's a lovely writer, and I liked the idea of this series, themed around a year of seasons. I'm behind, of course, but I've now read three of them, so I'm getting there.
(purchased at Waterstones, Wimbledon. 12.8.20)
31 March 2021
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.
30 March 2021
Dinner, 30/3/21: Spring Salad
Nice spring day - calls for a salad. Lots of salad items, plus marinated beans. Yum.
28 March 2021
27 March 2021
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.
25 March 2021
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.
23 March 2021
21 March 2021
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
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