Chicken and Asparagus
I guess one of the most fun things about cooking is creating something on the fly from what's in the refrigerator. Dinner last night was a perfect example of just that.
I had done my weekly shopping, taken Victor's mom to the Dr in Bryn Mawr, worked on a website for a friend, and suddenly started getting those hunger pangs... I had eaten my bowl of Shredded Wheat with Bran mixed with Grapenuts and a banana, but had somehow missed lunch. The stomach started rumbling...
Not quite sure what I was making - only that it involved chicken - I put on a pot of TJ's Brown Rice Trilogy. Whatever I made was going to be derved with rice.
I opened the fridge and there was the fresh asparagus I had bought (on sale - $1.99/lb) and some fresh Italian peppers. In the cabinet was a bag of fresh bread crumbs Victor had made a few days ago. A plan was forming...
I breaded the chicken breasts with the crumbs - I added some Italian seasoning, salt and pepper - and lightly sauteed in olive oil to brown, and then popped them into the oven to finish.
In the meantime, I steamed the sparagus, and made a quick ricotta cheese sauce to top everything.
I chopped about 1/4 cup of Italian pepper, 2 scallions, and a clove of garlic and sauteed quickly in a tad of olive oil. I then added about 2/3 cup of part skim ricotta, a few tablespoons of nonfat milk to thin, and a bit of salt and pepper, and heated it all through.
The presentation was simple. A bed of rice, topped with the chicken breast. Asparagus on the side, and sauce on top. It was yummy!
Start to finish was under 30 minutes - not counting the rice that took longer - but required nothing. I did dirty 4 pots and pans, but... sometimes quick dinners require a few utensils!
At any rate, it was a great dinner!
Beef Roulade
I had a nice london broil in the freezer, and no desire to brave the elements by firing up the grill. But that yearn for beef was there nonetheless.
So I decided to try something new - a stuffed london broil. I've made roulades with flank steak, I've made brisiole, and stuffed any number of steaks and chops... And I had plenty of stuff on hand. What the heck. Time to have some fun.
I minced one onion with a few cloves of garlic and about 12 ounces of baby bella mushrooms, sauteed them all with some salt and pepper until almost dry, and then let it cool.
I sliced the beef almost in half, lengthwise, and opened it like a book. I took out my trusty mallet, pounded it a bit to even it all out, and added a liberal dousing of salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
The next step was to cover it all with fresh arugula. I love the peppery flavor of arugula - cooked as a side dish, fresh in a salad... It doesn't matter how it's served, it's good!
Then came the mushrooms... I spread them all over the arugula, rolled it all up and tied it with butcher twine.
I seasoned the top with some fresh black pepper and a sprinkling of San Francisco Bay Sea Salt (just one of about a dozen different salts I have on the shelf right now...) Into the oven for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees and it was done to perfection!
In the meantime, I steamed a bit of broccolini, made some mashed potatoes, and a quick mushroom gravy with the pan drippings.
Dinner was start-to-finish in aout an hour.
There was a goodly amount of leftovers... I see a couple of sandwiches in my future.....
Chunky Andouille BBQ Sauce
"Oh... The weather outside is frightful..." And BBQ sounds so delightful...
I've been on a sausage kick, lately. Well, I've been buying a lot of sausage, but looking in the freezer, it doesn't appear that I've been cooking all that much! Somehow, those visions of cassoulets, jambalaya, and Portuguese stew have not translated from grocery store to reality. It's what I get for rarely shopping with a list, and never making weekly meal plans.
I actually envy people who can decide what they're going to eat every night of the week and shop accordingly. I just can't say on Monday that I'm going to be in the mood for meatloaf on Thursday. I figure out on Thursday what I'm in the mood for on Thursday - and then hope I have enough of the ingredients at home that I don't have to leave the house! (I'm usually pretty lucky!!)
So, opening the freezer on Saturday, I spied andouille sasage, chorizo, Italian sweet and hot... My own little sausage factory.
Out came the andouille.
I was recalling a recipe I saw in Bon Appetit a while back about an andouille BBQ sauce. Off to the computer and in seconds I had it - from August 2005!
Grilled Pork Chops with Chunky Andouille Barbecue Sauce
- 1 1/2 cups diced andouille sausage (about 7 ounces)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 6 1-inch-thick rib pork chops
- Additional chili powder and ground cumin
Spray grill rack with nonstick spray and prepare barbecue (medium heat). Sauté sausage and onion in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until onion begins to brown, about 8 minutes. Add tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, 2 teaspoons chili powder, and 1 teaspoon cumin. Bring to boil; remove from heat.
Meanwhile, sprinkle chops on both sides with salt, then chili powder and cumin. Grill chops until cooked through but not dry, about 9 minutes per side.
I actually followed the recipe fairly close, except I used about 3/4 pound of andouille, and I pan-seared the pork chops and then popped them into a hot oven to finish cooking.
I cooked up some Brown Rice Trilogy and some spinach, and dinner was served!
The BBQ sauce is served as a topping to the chop as opposed to actually grilling or cooking it on the meat. It was very slightly sweet, smoky and spicy all at once. Just my kind of dish! And since there are just two of us, I have enough left over for another meal. I'm thinking it would be great over a bone-in chicken breast!
Who knows... maybe next Thursday.....
French Country Bread
It's cold outside. in fact, not only is it cold outside, but ice has been falling from the sky since yesterday. Welcome to the mid-Atlantic states. It's a mess out there. Not as bad as upstate New York - or Cleveland - but a mess all the same.
Last night, knowing that today was going to be spent indoors, I decided I needed to warm up the house by baking bread. Searching through recipes, I found one for a French Country Bread. It calls for making a sponge the night before baking, so last night I did just that...
Once upon a time I had a sourdough starter that had to have been older than me. It was an original wild yeast starter. I carried it around for years, feeding it, using it. It was great because I could really make bread whenever I wanted, and back in my youth I did bake a lot more bread than I do today. Part of it was the times, part of it was financial. Baking bread is cheap. I have no idea where it finally ended up, but it really made a great loaf of bread. The one I made last night calls for packaged yeast and would shock the purists, but heck - it's still a homemade loaf of bread, not squishy-white from the grocery store!
This particular bread is made with both whole wheat and white flour and has no oil or fat, so it's basically a use-the-day-you-bake-it bread.
The basic recipe is:
French Country Bread
Sponge:
• 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 1/2 cup bread flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup water
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dark corn syrupCombine the two flours and the yeast in a mixing bowl. Add the water and corn syrup and stir until well blended. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to stand at room temperature overnight.
To prepare the dough:
• 3/4 cup water
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 cup wheat flour
• l-1/2 cups bread flourAdd the water, salt and wheat flour to the sponge. Stir in the bread flour, adding an extra tablespoon or two if the dough seems sticky. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
When the first rise is complete, punch the dough down. Shape into a ball or an oval. Flatten slightly. Place on a greased baking sheet that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover with a kitchen towel and let triple in size - 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Place an empty pie plate on the bottom oven shelf. Preheat the oven and the pan to 425 degrees. Five minutes before adding the bread, carefully pour 1 cup hot water into the pan. Careful here! This causes a big burst of steam!
Sprinkle the loaf with flour, and Using a sharp knife, cut 3 diagonal slashes across the surface of the loaf. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the pan and cool.
The bread is on its first rise right now... More details to follow.....
What a great bread! It has an extremely delicate crumb. Soft and moist, with a great chewy, crusty crust! Perfect for dipping into soup or stew, slathering butter, or making hefty sandwiches. it was incredibly easy to make, too.
I shall be making this, again. And again.
Hominy and Chipotle Stew
It's frikkin' freezing outside. This west coast boy just can't seem to get warm this week. Granted, It's January 31st and it's supposed to be cold 3 miles from Valley Forge, PA, but that doesn't make it any easier. Hot food does, though!
On one of my many treks to the store a while back, I picked up a bag of hominy. I can definitely be an impulse buyer when it comes to groceries, at times. I do the weekly shopping on Wednesday, and can either do the in-and-out because I have other things to do, or I can meander the aisles and see what jumps off the shelf and into the cart.
The hominy jumped off the shelf during one of my meanderings but it's been sitting on OUR shelf for a few months, now... I like hominy, but I had no plan for it - I just wanted it in the cabinet just in case... I figured I would find something to do with it, eventually.
Last night, I decided to soak a cup or so of it, and do something with it today. I was looking to make something hot and spicy. Stew-like, definitely. Boy, am I glad I did! As I said, it's cold outside. A quick look through the cabinets and the chipotles caught my eye. The rest, as they say, is history...
Tim's Hominy and Chipotle Stew
- 1 pound beef cubes
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp cumin
- 4 tomatillos, chopped
- 1 can diced tomatoes in juice
- 2 quarts beef broth
- about 3 cups hominy (1 1/2 cups before soaking)
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 2 chipotle chilies in adobo, chopped
- 2 tbsp adobo sauce
I started off by browning the beef and onions in a bit of oil. Added the cumin, then the chipotles and adobo. Added the tomatoes, tomatillos, and broth, and let simmer for a couple of hours. (I was in no hurry...)
I then added the hominy and simmered for another hour or so. Added the carrots, simmered about another 30 minutes, and it was dinner time!
The stew got just thick enough from simmering and the hominy. It was definitely spicy.
I have found that there can be vast differences in canned chipotles - even from the same brand. Some are hotter than hell, others merely smoky. They're just like their fresh counterparts - some are hot, some are not.
We each had a huge bowl, topped with oyster crackers. There's creamy rice pudding in the 'fridge from last nigh, and tomorrow morning we get to fly to San Francisco.
Life is good.
Pumpkin and Bean Soup
It's 24 degrees outside. Time for soup. Now, soup is one of those things that I rarely even think about a recipe. I just make it with whatever happens to be in the house. Today, though, I was lacking inspiration, so I went over to Epicurious.
I typed in "Bean Soup" just for grins and giggles, and up came 267 recipes. After a few pages of browsing, my eyes hit upon Caribbean Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup. It sounded intriguing... But slightly boring...
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
- 1 14-ounce can light unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 cup canned vegetable broth
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 3/4 teaspoon grated lime peel
Stir cumin in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat 30 seconds. Add pumpkin, beans, coconut milk, broth and 3 tablespoons cilantro. Bring soup to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 3 minutes to blend flavors. Mix in lime juice and lime peel. Season soup with salt and pepper.
Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon cilantro. Makes 2 servings; can be doubled.
So... with that in mind, I made
Tim's Pumpkin and White Bean Soup
- 2 boneless pork chops, diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper with seeds, minced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 4 carrots, diced
- 2 leeks, cut into rings
- 2 cans pumpkin
- 1 qt chicken broth
- 1 can coconut milk
- 2 cans white beans
- 1/2 cup brown rice
- 1/2 cup barley
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp jerk paste
- a few splashes Tabasco
- Salt and pepper
Pre-cook the rice and barley. Brown the vegetables and pork in a bit of oil. Add broth, pumpkin, and coconut milk and simmer until vegetables are tender. Add beans, rice, barley and a few splashes of tabasco, salt and pepper.
Heat through. Enjoy.
It was really good - juuuuust spicy enough - and perfect for this freezing weather!
And there's Strawberry Bread Pudding for dessert!
Chorizo and Pork Paella
Yesterday was shopping day. I usually shop on Wednesdays because it's my day off, the farmer's market is open, and I get my senior discount at Super Fresh. yeah... senior discount...
I was shopping in the store last year sometime - on a Wednesday - and the cashier looked up at me, looked at my card, and added a little gold stamp on the back. I wasn't sure whether to be insulted or pleased. I decided to be pleased.
But I digress...
We had a pretty full freezer from my last shopping trek, so I wasn't looking for a lot of meats, but as I was walking by the meat area, I did spy some chorizo and some andouille sausage. I do like my spicy sausage, and the D'Artagnan sausages are the best. With no clear idea in mind, I added both to my cart. I would work out the details, later...
Later was this afternoon.
Going through some recipes, I found a Chicken and Chorizo Paella that sounded pretty good. I was missing a couple of ingredients, but as that has never stopped me before, I decided Paella was definitely going to be dinner tonight. Besides, it was another 20 minute meal. (And for all you folks out there who eat nothing but prepared, overprocessed food because you think you don't have time to make dinner... well... this was less than 30 minutes, start-to-finish!) My stomach is smiling as I type this!
I substituted a couple of small pork chops for the chicken the recipe called for, and just left out the bell peppers. (I forgot to pick any up, yesterday!) I added a can of beans because, well... I like beans... and added a few generous shots of Tabasco, because i like Tabasco, too.
Here's my recipe. I highly recommend it!
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 small chorizo links, sliced
- 2 boneless pork chops, sliced
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 1 pinch saffron threads
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 can sm red beans, drained
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- A few generous splashes of tabasco sauce
- S & P to taste
Heat oven to 400°. Heat oil in a paella pan (or skillet). Add chorizo and pork and cook until browned. Add onion, and garlic. Cook about 3 minutes.
Add rice, paprika, saffron, and bay leaves. Stir to combine and coat the rice, about 1 minute. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add beans and tomatoes; stir to combine.
Transfer pan to oven. Cook uncovered until rice is tender and no liquid remains, about 20 minutes.
Cooking Magazines
I finally did it. I let every cooking magazine lapse. No more Bon Appetit's or Vegetarian Times or any other food-related mags cluttering up the house. This past September, we even donated close to 200 cookbooks to the Tredyffrin Library. Dust collectors, all.
I haven't stopped cooking, and I haven't stopped looking for new recipes, but it seems like the same stuff is being rehashed in these magazines, or they're redoing recipes using "convenience" foods. Not my cup of tea.
So, in picking up the mail this afternoon, I find an unsolicited copy of Cuisine At Home Magazine. My first instinct is to toss it into the recycle bin. I don't want another magazine. But I notice on the bottom that there are recipes from Mary Ann Esposito - The Ciao italia cook! I lik Mary Ann, because she uses simple foods and lets flavors speak for themselves.
She had a recipe for Pappardelle with Chicken, Mushrooms, and Wine that sounded really good, and since I was actually planning to do something with chicken and mushrooms for dinner tonight, anyway, I thought I'd give it a go.
The recipe:
Saute in 2 tbsp butter:
1 lb mushrooms, quarteredStir in:
1/2 cuup dry red wineCombine/Dredge:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 chicken or rabbit (4lb) cut up, washed, and driedBrown Chicken in:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oilSaute/Stir in:
4 oz pancetta or bacon, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
1/2 lb fennel, bulb only, cut into strips
3 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine
1 tbsp minced fresh sage
Cooked mushrooms with liquidReturn chicken and bake at 325 about 40 min; Stir in:
2 tbsp balsamic vinegarPrepare according to directions:
1 lb dry pappardelle or egg noodles
Easy enough! I thought I had some pappardelle, but I had used it a while back, so my first substitution was 24" long spaghetti.
I had presliced mushrooms, so I used those. No red wine, but lots of white, so I used that, instead. I didn't have any fennel, but I had 2 Belgian Endives in the fridge, so I used them. Oh - and no red onion. I used yellow.
It came out great! And the possibilities are endless.
And the magazine?!? Into the recycle bin. I really didn't care for the way the recipes were written, and while I did get one good recipe, I just don't need another magazine coming into the house.
But thanks for a great dinner, Mary Ann!
Happy 104th Birthday, Little Grandma!
Mary Ferrante (nee Taormina) was born this day one hundred and four years ago. A hundred and four...
Little Grandma is still active, still cooks, still cleans house. She's still sharp as a tack and still speaks her mind. She's great. And a great cook!
Here is one of her recipes we make all the time:
Little Grandma's Eggplant Appetizer
- 1 Med. eggplant
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup chopped green olives (black optional)
- 1 1/2 cups thin spaghetti sauce
- 3 TBS. Vinegar
- 1 1/2 TBS. Sugar (less ok)
- Chunks of Locatelli - to taste
Cut eggplant the size of French Fries. Place in colander salting each layer. Cover and weigh down to press out water.
Sauce:
Boil celery about 10 minutes. Add olives and boil 5 min. more. Set aside.
In sauce pan add 1 cup Spaghetti Sauce - thin with water from celery. Make 1 1/2 cups all together.
Add vinegar, Sugar and boil 4 min. Add cheese.
Dry eggplant on paper towel. Fry in very hot deep olive oil. To keep oil hot put a few eggplant in then after that put 1 piece in as you take each browned piece out. When all are fried, put in sauce. When sauce comes to a boil remove from heat. When cool, garnish with basil and mint.
(We made this at Easter and the first thing out of her mouth was "I usually add a little mint to this." We hadn't added it that time...)
Happy Birthday, Little Grandma. We're having eggplant tonight in your honor!
Scallops with Lentils
Now THIS was a fun dinner! I had some scallops in the freezer just waiting for an interesting recipe, and boy, did I find one. I was perusing my final issue of Bon Appetit (no more magazines - I've had enough of them!) and came across "Pan-Seared Sea Scallops with Lentils, Bacon, and Cider Reduction." The recipe comes from the Blue Heron Restaurant in Massachusetts.
Surprisingly (or, not surprisingly, I guess...) I had everything I needed for the recipe in the house. (It helps to have a well-stocked pantry.) Anyway... Today was Victor's last day at his old job (he starts a new one on Monday) so a bit of a gastronomic celebration was in order. And, I had all of the ingredients...
Lightly seared scallops on a bed of French lentils mixed with bacon, a sauce of apple cider drizzld over, and another sauce of cream and mascarpone cheese drizzled over that. Can we say absolutely fabulous, boys and girls?!?
While the recipe took 4 pots and pans, it was actually really easy to do. Mostly, it's making reductions - and ya can't get much easier than that. Thyme and a couple of bay leaves are the only seasonings, shallots the only thing that needs chopping... Super easy. And super good!
Every flavor stands out on its own, yet compliments everything else. And while the scallops were perfect in the dish, it could easily be made with just about anything, from chicken to pork loin to any fish or seafood imaginable.
This is one I shall definitely be making again.
Here's the recipe direct from Bon Appetit:
PAN-SEARED SEA SCALLOPS WITH LENTILS, BACON, AND CIDER REDUCTION
Lentilles du Puy are lighter than other lentils and hold their shape especially well during cooking.
Mascarpone Cream
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
- 1/4 cup whipping cream
- 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
Cider reduction
- 2 cups apple cider
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup chopped shallots
Lentils
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 medium onion, peeled
- 6 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups French green lentils (lentilles du Puy; about 12 ounces)
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 slices thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon, cut crosswise ÿ inch thick
- 1/4 cup chopped shallots
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Scallops
- 6 tablespoons butter, divided
- 18 sea scallops, patted dry
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For mascarpone cream:
Place wine and shallots in heavy small saucepan. Boil until almost dry, about 6 minutes. Add cream. Boil until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Stir in mascarpone, lemon peel, and chives. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to small bowl; cover and chill. Rewarm before serving.For cider reduction:
Place cider, vinegar, and shallots in heavy medium saucepan. Boil until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 15 minutes. Strain; discard solids in strainer. Return cider mixture to pan. DO AHEAD: Cider reduction can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.For lentils: Press thin end of cloves into peeled onion. Place onion in heavy large saucepan. Add 6 cups water, lentils, and bay leaves. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. Pour all but 3 tablespoons fat from skillet. Add shallots to skillet and sauté over medium heat until golden, about 2 minutes.
Drain lentils, discarding onion and bay leaves. Add reserved bacon, lentils, and thyme to shallots. DO AHEAD: Lentils can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm over medium heat, stirring often.
For scallops:
Bring cider reduction to simmer. Whisk in 5 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Keep warm.Season scallops with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon butter with oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallops and cook until brown, about 2 minutes per side.
Divide lentils among 6 plates. Arrange 3 scallops atop lentils on each plate. Drizzle cider reduction over scallops and around lentils. Drizzle warm mascarpone cream over.
Makes 6 servings.
Bon Appétit
September 2006
Deborah Snow
Blue Heron Restaurant
Pumpkin Soup
Two weeks ago, when our friend Paige was visiting, I bought a sugar pumpkin. I thought I'd cook it up somehow. I didn't have anything particular in mind, but I thought a fresh pumpkin something would be nice...
We all ate nonstop for two days, and I never cooked the pumpkin. It's been sitting on the kitchen counter ever since. A nice fall decoration for sure, but this is an eating pumpkin, not a carving pumpkin or decoration.
Today, with our glorious 70 degree weather, I decided to make soup!
I sliced and seeded the pumpkin and set in in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, I cut up:
- 3 carrots
- 3 celery stalks
- 1 medium onion
- 1 sweet potato and
- 2 pears
and placed them all in a pot with a bit of olive oil. I cooked everything until it was all mushy and gooey and starting to stick to the bottom of the pan. I added some cinnamon, fresh nutmeg, a pinch of cardamom, and a pinch of sage, salt & pepper and then added 2 quarts of chicken stock. (I'm not a vegetarian. Substitute veg broth, if desired...)
I cooked the vegetables a bit more, and then added the pumpkin and let it all simmer about 30 minutes.
While the soup was simmering, I cooked a large handful of barley in another pot.
I used my immersion blender and pureed the whole pot of soup to a rich, creamy consistency. Then, I added about 2 cups of heavy cream and blended it some more. I did a taste-test and added a bit more of all the spices. I then stirred in the barley, and added a handful of dried cranberries!
It was really good!
Still Cooking
No, I haven't stopped cooking. I haven't stopped eating, either. I just haven't been making the time to write about it. Just busybusybusy.
That's the problem with doing something like this. One starts it when one has alllll the time in the world - and then the world decides to catch up.
Our friend Paige is in town right now - I'm doing a website for her - and we're spending an inordinate amount of time in front of the computer checking, rechecking, editing, tweaking... all of the things that one must do if the site is going to look right. (Just published! http://www.paigerpenland.com) We're all eating well, too! Man (or woman) does not live by website, alone. I do have my priorities slightly in order - at least when it comes to eating...
Wednesday night we started off with a Saga brie baked with Apple/Cranberry chutney and almonds. Yum. I roasted a chicken (picked up at the Lancaster Farmer's Market) stuffed with a fig and walnut dressing. Smashed potatoes, brussel's sprouts, a lovely mixed salad with cranberry stilton and pumpkin dressing - a take on a salad we've been making at work for the past few years...
We also had fresh apple dumplins - but were too full to eat them!
Thursday night was chicken soup. I had that lovely carcass from the night before... Handfuls of everything, from brown rice to wild rice, fresh lima beans, celery, carrots... all the fun stuff! Tres bueno! And those delicious apple dumplings were the perfect dessert!
And nary a leftover.....