What's for tea?...

[leashedForLife]

I'm a foodie from way-back, my 1st real job [after years of babysitting] was as a prep cook in a 4-star restaurant, when i was 15-YO.  I love to cook, which is good, as i also like to eat, LOL, & i can't afford to buy restaurant meals daily, so i'd better like my own cooking - i've had plenty of practice.    I was 3 of 4 kids, & my mum was past the "let's make U a lovely breakfast..." stage by the time i was born, 12-years after my elder sis & 8-years after my elder bro; as soon as i could see over the stovetop, she said i was old-enuf to make my own. 

I like messing with food & finding new recipes - i thought sharing some ideas might stir creative juices, or at least start the saliva flowing.

on Tuesday, i had the most-scrumptious meal -
an Iggy's bagel coated heavily with sesame seeds, which i split & laid thin slices of Jarlsberg Swiss cheese on, then put it into the toaster oven to get nice & melty. Meanwhile, i mixed blackberries & raspberries 1/2 & 1/2, then alternated a spoon of fresh fruit with warm crispy-tender bagel... & had decaf coffee with organic grass-fed unhomogenized 2% milk.
Yum!

My 2nd cup of coffee kept a slice of chocolate Babka company, alternating with the last of the berries. Ah... delicious.

What good things have U had recently?
 - terry
 

 

[leashedForLife]

If only i could figure out why my new mobile-phone isn't sending my pix to my laptop! -  I have some great photos of meals i've made for my clients, at both homes [Lex & Boston], & i can't seem to get them to my e-mail, which is step-1 to save them to my hard-drive & post them here.
I even tried using Bluetooth - pairing my devices went fine, but my phone won't or can't send the files / photos to my laptop. // It's very frustrating.

Meanwhile, i went shopping last night & bought fresh fruit - brown figs, ox-heart cherries, bananas - & 2 lovely Asiago-cheese bagels from OMG. Everything's organic, & i had a fantastic brekkie of toasted bagel with Neufchatel [30% reduced fat], topped with fig slices, cherries & grapes on the side, & decaf.

This week's BnB is a lovely house, the hubby is a builder & the kitchen is not fancy, but perfect - granite counter, well-designed cupboards, a tap that switches from spray to stream which is handy, & so on. // I hope to stay here again soon - it's just 30-mins from my downtown clients, which is handy.

They have a [fat!...] Yorkie, it took a bit of time to get on his good side; he's timid & reactive - barks automatically & flees from strangers if they approach him, but stands & barks sharply as long as U don't move, trying to see U off, LOL. For an old fella, not as tall as the calf of my leg, he puts on a brave show.  His right eye is blind & he has a cataract in his left - i'm sure that is part of his reactivity, he can't SEE U.

 

[leashedForLife]

Been a while since i was last here - my elderly client is now terminal, so a lot more hands-on care in my 36-hr-plus, 3 day shift. 

Yesterday i treated myself to a scrumptious brekkie - 2 ripe bananas, 4-oz blueberries, a cup of red grapes, & whipped cream, LOL. Mmm...
Today, i had brunch at 11-am: mashed with 2 eggs, saute'ed crimini 'shrooms, 2 slices of whole grain toast, decaf with 2% milk.

Tonite i'll have a monster salad with dried cranberries & Ranch dressing. // We'll play Trivial Pursuit after dinner, Fs vs Ms.  :cheers:

 - Terry

 

[fluffy]

Oh tonight I am making sheperds pie xx 

 

[leashedForLife]

.

I made paprika-coated chicken breast for my new client, & served it with pastina pesto, sauteed spinach with garlic, & a small salad. // I love smoked paprika, it's so rich & rounded - a little goes a long way.

- terry

.
plantanos pan-sauteed & caramelized -

 

[Violet Turner]

Hunters Chicken with a bed of bacon fried rice and BBQ sauce and a chocolate sponge all homemade by me even the BBQ sauce, Olive really wanted some

 

[leashedForLife]

.

I must admit, even when i ate meat, i wasn't keen on bacon.
[in Oct-1984, i was in a nasty car-accident, & 2 Drs each prescribed 2 diff antibiotics w/i a 30-day period... the meds killed all my friendly flora, & for the next 2-yrs, i ate probiotics with every single meal, in order to digest it!
My gut still can't handle meat-fats - even "too much" olive-oil or other veg fats or dairy fats, will cause, ummm, unpleasant problems for 2 to 3 days.]

I was appalled when choc-covered bacon became "a thing", ick. What a way to ruin some lovely chocolate!
- t

.

 

[JudyN]

Chocolate-covered bacon? Yuck!!

Bean chilli with rice & lentils, and grated cheese this evening. Followed by a bought Victoria sponge as it's DS1's birthday. Or really because we fancied it and his birthday was a good excuse.

 

[Caro Perry]

Potato and Onion Cake here with cheese and brussels sprouts. I also rustled up teisen Sir Fon but haven't tried it yet. My oven is a bit fierce and even cutting back on both time and temperature it is a bit scorched

 

[Josie]

homemade macaroni cheese with chicken and salad for dinner tonight

 

[leashedForLife]

.

Teisen Sir Fon (Anglesey Cake)

... from reading @Caro Perry 's post.

.

 

[JudyN]

It was going to be halloumi fries, but Ocado didn't deliver my halloumi. I am devastated

Instead, it's what I had planned for tomorrow, which is chick peas fried with chilli, garlic, cumin and tomatoes, served with a salad with pomegranate molasses (never tried that before), Greek yoghurt and flatbreads. The recipe claims it takes 15 mins which for me equates to at least half an hour.

 

[Josie]

sounds amazing @JudyN - I'm on my way!

We get Tesco deliveries and it drives me mad when they replace items! or sometimes I ask for one courgette and I think they send me the smallest one they can possibly find on purpose!

We had a delivery last Christmas and it was pouring with rain. The chap was in quite a rush and I watched him stack all of our boxes up past his head.... well you can guess what happened! next thing you know the whole lot went all over the driveway and all I could see was a stream of milk and cream. Surprisingly this was the only damage (thankfully the alcohol was safe) and Dennis had a nice time cleaning all the packaging!

 

[leashedForLife]

.

i love chick-peas with tomatoes! - i usually do it in a saucepan, & add garlic [minced fresh or from a jar], cumino, caramelized onions, turmeric, & a small amount of (organic) cornstarch-&-water or, preferably, arrowroot starch & water.
The starch thickens it slightly & improves the mouth-feel, making it silkier.

If i'm going whole-hog, i serve it over some sort of rice - jasmine, long-grain brown, whatever - or even BARLEY, which is lovely & chewy. Mmmm.

- terry

.

 

[JoanneF]

We get Tesco deliveries

I stopped after instead of 6 bananas I accidentally ordered 6 kilos. Mr F was too embarrassed to send them back. If anyone is wondering, 42.

 

[Josie]

I stopped after instead of 6 bananas I accidentally ordered 6 kilos. Mr F was too embarrassed to send them back. If anyone is wondering, 42.

That really made me chuckle - sorry! Oh I can imagine your face as they turned up with them all. I can also imagine the face of the driver who delivered them

 

[Caro Perry]

.

Teisen Sir Fon (Anglesey Cake)

... from reading @Caro Perry 's post.

.

Yes - that's the recipe I used this time - it's a word for word lift from a 1950s book of traditional Welsh recipes. I don't recommend it by the way. A decent Anglesey cake is lovely - this one wasn't!

 

[leashedForLife]

Yes - that's the recipe I used this time - it's a word for word lift from a 1950s book of traditional Welsh recipes.
I don't recommend it, by the way. A decent Anglesey cake is lovely - this one wasn't!

.

That's not very surprising. A lot of old recipes are rather awful, & that's especially true in cakes, where physics & chemistry are at least as important as quality ingredients.
Well-regulated ovens, consistent leavening ingredients, time / temp, etc, were hard to achieve 60-years ago.

the 1st American cookbook, Fanny Farmer's, recommended boiling green-beans for 20-minutes. // By that time, U could mash them with a fork, blecch.
Tradition is wonderful - except when it's not, when it's better as theory than practice.

- terry

 

[leashedForLife]

.

I had today off, thank Goddess, & began it with a nice microwaved 'omelette' -
3 eggs & a Tbsp of 2% org-milk, beaten well with a fork, in a Pyrex bowl. I covered it with a saucer to prevent spatters, & cooked it for 90-secs at 50% power. // meanwhile, my whole-grain organic bread was defrosting on a plate - i freeze the loaf, 'cuz with just me, it spoils if i try to keep it in the 'frig, or at room-temp.

I topped the cooked eggs, a fluffy tender pancake-shape, with mild salsa, then melted organic Pepper Jack cheese on my toast, & dug in. Yum! - lovely, & my decaf coffee was delish, too.

I ate no lunch, but bought a gorgeous Caesar salad [no croutons, no dressing - just heaps of crisp-tender Romaine, & fresh-grated Parm-Reggiano] & ate it with a freshly-baked pocketless pita, to wipe-up the last bits of my organic buttermilk ranch dressing & the Parm-Reg. Excellent!
Then i indulged in some pomegranate Brookside chocolate, for dessert.

Tomorrow, i go back to my weekend-client's home, but B4 i depart, i've got ripe banana, raisins, & sunseed butter for an open-faced sandwich. I won't share! neener-neener...
- terry

.

 

[Josie]

Dinner tonight is homemade mango chicken burgers with sweet potato fries and salad. I did homemade prawn burgers last week which were delicious but I had to keep quiet about them being prawn because Oliver isn't a huge fan.....