What's everyone eating this week?

[Wic Profile]

An occasional Full English for supper is brilliant, isn’t it. I can’t cope with it for breakfast any more, though. Anything more than fruit and yoghurt, or, on Sundays, two pieces of toast, finishes me for the day.

I’m sure that’s weird, I don’t know how it has worked out like that!

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

As we eat our main meal in the early evening, I still wake up feeling I've eaten.
So breakfast is small here too. Croissant, or yoghurt n fruit, or rolled oats n yoghurt. 3 or 4 coffees.

However, I could kick myself. I've booked and prepaid a Premier Inn. Luckily one night.
And paid £9.50ea for the breakfast. Where a continental one is £7.50.

My being on a pathetic economy drive, it's rankled.

Bread is rising now. Ready to bake in a couple of hours. Nice slow rise.

[Renee Profile]

Yes, the slower the rise, the better the bread, I once read many years ago Gill!

I still have my smoothies for breakfast. Yogurt, satsuma, few grapes, banana, oat bran, scoop of protein powder, peanut butter powder and small amount of water. I hope that it's doing me some good!

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Should be, Renee.
I have the smoothie before I'm training. Can't jiggle about on anything more.

In general I have one at lunchtime.

[Alexandria Profile]

Saturday 27th ..

Today we took our two grandsons ( 7 and 8 years old ) to see a Matinée Performance of The Universal Musical from Broadway called The Adams Family ..

It was wonderfully entertaining .. And the boys truly enjoyed it tremendously.

Before that we had gone to the 1st early morning showing at The Museo de Chocolate (www.museoxocolata.cat), which featured a special exhibition on the medicinal properties of chocolate and its grand value on nutrition and its health benefits. Incredibly amazing and highly fascinating ..

Lunch was in between the two at a fave Vietnamese Restaurant located very close to the Sagrada Family Cathedral ..

Have a lovely weekend.

[jeral Profile]

karadekoolaid, sorry to hear how tough things have become lately. Can you stock up with a tin or three when money does come in eventually? Does it affect your catering gigs, i.e. no money to lay out in advance for ingredients for them? A saving grace perhaps is that you must be one of the most inventive of cooks.

Renée, re your smoothie, do you know what sort of calorie count it has for a serving of say a third or half a pint pls? It sounds very substantial.
"Yogurt, satsuma, few grapes, banana, oat bran, scoop of protein powder, peanut butter powder and small amount of water."

Petronius, Wot no fried bread in your fry up! Hang your head my good fellow. My being no butter, I often make fried bread grilled toast (painted both sides with EVOO & sea salt; optional rub of garlic) for baked beans or fried egg, or anything else that sits on or next to toast. I'm still trying to make a decent hash brown (spud & onion), or I'm not, lol, as not sure what texture they're supposed to be, so make soft patties with dried sage and rosemary instead.

I've planned a shrimp and blackbean, sesame'd egg noodles, and maybe egg fried rice compilation for tomorrow. If I plan it right, I could make some brik spring rolls first - otherwise cooking clutter has already bunged up available space

[Renee Profile]

I've often wondered what the calorie count might be jeral. I'll try to work some of it out tomorrow.

[karadekoolaid Profile]

Jeral - thanks for the concern. Yes, it has become far more difficult to find the right ingredients at the right time; but that simply makes the creativity kick in!

Today´s lunch was Mutthries (basically, shortbread with spices) and a spicy ricotta topping. Lentil soup with cumin and a ginger/tomato/cumin /yoghurt topping. Chicken Korma, Kerala Fish with coconut milk, basmati , aubergine masala and aviyal ( five veg with toasted coconut and mustard seeds) and gulab jamun.
I got to taste it all - but didn´t actually eat it, because it was a pop-up lunch for a local restaurant.
Everyone loved it and said " Do it again!" - so I shall!!

[jeral Profile]

karadekoolaid, glad to hear you're still able to wow diners as that lunch sounds delicious. Hopefully the diner's paid on the way in

I'm a big fan of cumin, which is like umami to me, making many veggie things smell and taste better as well as some meats. Incidentally, is there a standard set of the five veg in the aviyal? Ta.

[karadekoolaid Profile]

Cumin is one of those spices that ( I´ve discovered) people love - or hate. I love it.
Everyone pays before they arrive on these occasions, because otherwise it´s impossible to calculate the quantities.
Aviyal can be any veg, IMHO. I usually use sweet potato, carrots, broccoli( or cauliflower) green beans ( or peas) and red peppers. Yesterday there was no sweet potato in the walk-in, so I used Taro root.There were no green beans, so I used courgette. I think what´s important is to present a variety of flavours, colours AND textures - otherwise the dish is supremely easy to make.

[dennispc Profile]

Jeral, and no baked beans either!

As others of you have found we can't eat the quantities of the past.

[jeral Profile]

Petronius - and no black pudding either
Sorry, you'll have to excuse my musings as I'd love to be able get through a "go large" breakfast with all the frills and a side plate of chips followed by muffins and marmalade Ah well, eh.

Is your friend he formerly known as PaultheBread by any chance? If so, I've often wondered how he's faring.

[Joanbunting Profile]

I used cumin in the pork and quince stew I made yesterday for our guests. The meat has to be rubbed with it and cinnamon and left overnight. The quinces are cooked apart and HM Melba toast first in butter and then with pomegranate juice before adding to the pork after priliminary cooking of same.

It is a bit of a faff but lovely when done. I served it with 3 grain rice (long grain, red Camargue and wild and some stewed baby aubergines.

We started off with chicken liver and brandy parfait with a small mixed leaf salad.

Cheese was English - farmhouse Leictershire and Cheddar (I now have a source) and another favourite of our, the impossible to pronounce Ossau Iraty.

Dessert was Le Poirat. Normandy pear tart made with walnut and cinnamon pastry and with a hole in the lid which is filled with thick Isigny cream when cool.

[dennispc Profile]

Muse on Jeral, always gives me a smile

You're right, he posted some ago under the name Breadandwine asking for ideas for helping refugees to cook in this country.

He fares well, involved in many things. If you want to know more go to his blog, No bread is an island. Considering I'm only a few months older than him, his fitness regime is mind blowing!

[jeral Profile]

Thanks Petronius, good to hear and I will indeed check out said blog. Of course, if the bread referred to is an island in a wine sea, I might think seriously about taking up sea swimming as my own fitness regime. Gulp hic. Or make sure the bread island is comprised in good part by the dense absorbent sort for lazy days

I note booze tax is going up again in today's budget, so I shall be concentrating on building arm muscles to carry a load back before the pre-tax-rise shelves empty instantly. *Goes off to find running shoes*

[Pampy Profile]

Tax is only rising for wine - it's frozen for beer, wine and spirits.
And the rise happened at 6pm today, so not enough time to develop your arm muscles!

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Mash pots in the fridge from the shepherds pie.
So it was fishcakes yesterday. Very spicy kick to them. We had to turn the heating off after eating them.

[dennispc Profile]

We had to turn the heating off after eating them.

Lovely plate of food though.

[Joanbunting Profile]

Looks lovely Gill. I do like a nice fishcake. You have inspired me for later in the week.

I cooked a red label chicken last night - free raange farm birdie who was on special offer. as I was too busy to chop it up into protions I just roasted it whole with a lemon and a handful of fresh herbs up it's bum and it was delicious.

I served it with suateed potatoes - I had some left over ones - steamed,broccoli and roasted fresh beetroot. As the oven was on I popped in a Picard tart tatin and we had half with a dollop of Isigny cream.

My favourite sandwiches for lunch - chicken breast, watercress and Marmite - how long 'til lunch?????

[Suffs Profile]

Love fishcakes Gill ... must make some soon.

We had Omelette Arnold Bennett for supper last night, with steamed and buttered spinach ... very yummy