Monday 27 May 2019

What Are We Eating Tonight?

For most of my adult life, I have made careful menu plans for the week. In the early days of marriage, when we were saving hard for college, then living on a very low income, this was as much about budgets as diets. 
When the girls came along and we were fitting in their after school activities and part-time jobs, evening meetings at church, and other stuff, it was really useful to have the list of meals pinned up in the kitchen. I am so grateful that everyone helped - either by setting the table, switching on the oven, getting things out of the freezer, preparing veg etc. [even as very young children, the girls prepared their school packed lunches each evening, and made a note when we were running low on anything] Thank you Bob, Liz, Steph for that help.
But I confess that in the last few years I have been much more relaxed about meal planning. I may buy a chicken, intending to have a roast on Sunday - and then to strip the carcase to get meat for other meals, and a batch of stock . But I won't be quite as specific as I used to about deciding the 'Dish of the Day' beforehand. Often I prepare and freeze meals so there is always something ready to thaw, or deliberately double portions and we have the same 'main' two days running, but with different accompaniments.
But to be honest, at the moment I just want to get a meal on the table which is easy to prepare, tasty to eat, and kind to the budget. 
I recently borrowed two library books for inspiration.
Rachel Allen's Easy Meals was great. I like RA's style of writing [and her TV shows] although she is developing a Nigella-type-grin when she is cooking! This book has 6 sections
Store Cupboard, DFast and Fabulous, 5 Ingredients or Less, One Pot, No Cook,Fuss Free Extras and Sides. These really are easy to produce, nourishing family meals. 99% of the time I am just cooking for two - but these are great dishes for couples, families, and guests.
I like the way she suggests variations on a theme, and whilst there is nothing particularly new, the instructions and accompanying photographs are an incentive to make something a little more exciting with the sausages and potatoes than just quotidian bangers and mash. *****
I plan to try her Quick Pepper & Pesto Focaccia  sometime soon. It is a cross between Italian olive oil bread and Irish Soda bread!
The 5 O'Clock Apron, by Claire Thomson is a very different kettle of fish. This is the first book by a chef from Bristol who is also a mum of 3 daughters.  This is aimed at busy Mums with hungry children - but definitely comes in the "World Cuisine" section. Claire grew up in Africa, has a Chinese stepmother, Scottish grandparents and a Kiwi husband - and has travelled all over the place. Lots of recipes with names I have never heard of - Kushari Rice from Egypt, Turlu Turlu from Turkey [it means hotchpotch and is similar to ratatouille] Spaetzle [a sort of pasta pushed through a potato ricer into boiling water] and Lahmacun [Turkish Pizza]
I have already tried one of her recipes- Pangrattato  aka Poor Man's Parmesan - which is a [non cheesy] way of using up breadcrumbs. 
This book is subtitled "Proper Food for Modern Families" - It is a fun read, but I am not sure it is a book I would use a lot. Maybe if it had been around 30 years ago... ****                            
Finally I must mention a blog I have been dipping into a lot recently.  Everyday Cooks by Susie Collings. I must thank my good friend Peter for telling me about this blog. Lots of everyday recipes which don't require complicated skills or obscure ingredients. Bright and cheerful, with a section on everyday tips and techniques.
****
Have you read any good cookbooks recently?


12 comments:

  1. Weird coincidence of cookery book blogs today!
    I'll look for the RA one on library website

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  2. Great post, I really need help with meal planning as I don’t do it well at all! Having a picky hubby doesn’t help at all!

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    Replies
    1. I like books which give you a good basic meal (eg roast chicken) then ideas for the leftovers

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  3. The last cookbook was:

    Cooking for Jeffrey: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
    Cooking for Jeffrey: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
    by Ina Garten | Oct 25 2016

    Ina Garten is very popular in NA and Jeffrey is her husband of what must be close to 50 years now. Her TV show "The Barefoot Contessa" is also very popular. She si very friendly, loves to entertain but keeps it simple.
    Thank you for the blog link.

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    1. We enjoy watching Ina's programme too. We think Jeffrey must be a very patient guy - just occasionally Ina seems a little patronising towards him, when in fact he is a very shrewd (and rich!) businessman/finance expert. I've used some of her recipes but usually reduce the sugar. I'll look out for the book you mentioned at our library, thank you

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    2. Not sure if you realize this but here are some of her credentials - plus, I;d venture to say the she is probably now worth a great deal more than he is:

      In Washington, Garten worked in the White House while earning an MBA[2] at George Washington University; Jeffrey worked in the State Department, completing his graduate studies. Garten was originally employed as a low-level government aide, and climbed the political ladder to the Office of Management and Budget. Eventually she was assigned the position of budget analyst, which entailed writing the nuclear energy budget and policy papers on nuclear centrifuge plants for Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.[10][11]

      Strained by the pressures of her work, Garten again turned to entertaining while also flipping homes for profit in the Dupont Circle and Kalorama neighborhoods.[10] The profits from these sales gave Garten the means to make her next purchase, the Barefoot Contessa specialty food store.

      Barefoot Contessa store[edit]
      Garten left her government job in 1978 after spotting an ad for a 400-square-foot (37 m2) specialty food store called Barefoot Contessa in Westhampton Beach, New York. "My job in Washington was intellectually exciting and stimulating but it wasn't me at all," she explained four years later.[2]

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    3. Wow! I never knew any of this. Thank you for filling in all the background. Ina certainly is a high achiever, isn't she?

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  4. I like watching cooking shows on TV. But, I tend to make the same old dishes, all the time! The last cookbook I looked through was my copy of Martha Stewart's Healthy Quick Cook, trying to decide whether to keep it or donate it. It is still on the shelf, so, I guess I'm keeping it! It has good recipes, but, to be quite honest, I haven't tried a single recipe from that book in all the years I've had it!

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    1. I've completely gone off Martha's recipes!

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    2. Martha's recipes always turn out great and taste wonderful - but I do tend to find them a lot of work with a lot of ingredients.

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    3. I think that is a good summary of MSrecipes - you need time and a big pantry to get the best results. The opposite of Jamie Oliver’s "5 ingredients, hot pan, bish-bash-bosh" approach

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  5. Have just spent a happy half hour on that website - thank you

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