365dinnertime

Day 58

2012-02-27T01:38:00.001-08:00

Keep it simple stupid

I don't often resort to a BBQ chook but the 2nd day in row that qualifies as memorable for all the wrong reasons meant dinner was out of my hands tonight. Alan made the chook run while mum made the salad and I set the table. Yes corn is back on the menu, despite me banning it a couple of weeks back. Tomorrow life should be a little easier so a bit of effort will need to be made to make up for the past few chaotic nights. Bed time now.

Day 57

2012-02-27T01:32:00.001-08:00

Looks bad, tastes good

Ok I apologies for the photo. I had a day and a half, starting at 5am waiting in a car queue at coburg trash and treasure. Not so fun on the hottest day of the year. As awful as this metal looks it tasted lovely after a hell day. Ratatouille, rice and a BBQd marinated veal roast. Real comfort food. The way my week is going I'm going to need some comfort!

Day 56

2012-02-27T01:24:00.001-08:00

Hot Sauce

What a treat! Because we were going out for the evening we thought we'd have a fancy pants dinner to start it off. But it was hot, really hot. And we were tired, really tired. So we walked to the end of our street with a couple of beers and bought gumbo and a shrimp po boy from the gumbo truck. Absolutely delicious.

Day 55

2012-02-24T01:23:00.001-08:00

Lent

I'm not the best catholic that's for sure. I do try and commit to fish on Friday, and during lent I'm far more rigid about it. I give up several things for lent and I get to mass most weeks leading up to the big day. One thing I give up every year is icecream. Simply because that's what I gave up as child. Of course it's 30 degrees and all I want is a magnum. Dinner was divine by the way. Potato salad with quails eggs and paprika, sautéed asparagus, zucchini and rocket salad, green salad and prosciutto wrapped basa fillets.

Yes prosciutto. Told you I'm not the best catholic.

Day 54

2012-02-24T01:12:00.001-08:00

Take away

Thursdays have become a default takeaway night for us of late. We all love Vietnamese so it's an easy choice. I always forget to take a photo when we buy out. Take my word for it, delicious. Except for the pork. Mum announced she's never having take away again. Sigh.

Day 53

2012-02-24T01:08:00.001-08:00

Phony maceroni

Jamie's Maceroni Cheese was a mild success. I replaced the tub of mascapone cheese with a tablespoon of light sour cream and omitted the fried rosemary (too sharp of my taste). This was listed as a vegetarian main but I decided to celebrate my new oven by roasting a bird coated in garlic butter and stuffed with lemon and fresh bay leaves. Oh Lordy. You really get what you pay for with chook, and this one was gorgeous. Lots for sandwiches tomorrow.

Day 52

2012-02-24T01:01:00.001-08:00

Englishasian

Pork Chow Mein was a disaster, no one enjoyed this one.just not enough flavor, tough meat and no sauce. Maybe this very Anglo version just wasn't to our taste. Next week I'm going to cook Charmaine Solomon's chicken chow Mein to compare the two recipes. Blech.

Day 51

2012-02-20T03:42:00.001-08:00

Four and twenty blackbirds

Oh I really had a bit of a day. Teen meltdown, toddler tantrums, pick ups, drop offs, technology issues, printer problems and a 6pm meeting that stretched to 8pm. Somewhere wedged in the afternoon madness I managed to make Jamie's creamy chicken, leek and ham pie. It took an unreasonable amount of time but I also made mini pies for school lunch tomorrow and an extra couple for my aunt who ribs me a little about this blog (she asked if she can order take away). My sweet family waited until I got home to eat and it was delicious even at 9pm. Hope said we should have pie more than once a quarter, so a bright moment in an otherwise cloudy day.

Day 50

2012-02-19T15:51:00.001-08:00

It's all about the pudding

Hope and I met English philosopher Alain de Botton this evening. He was launching his new book 'Religion for Atheists' . He was very amused to hear that Hope is an atheist and I'm religious. He quipped it must make for some interesting family dinners. And yes, despite our differences, our passion for pudding prevails. This one was made with choc chip brioche. Oh Lordy!

Day 49

2012-02-19T15:45:00.001-08:00

Jamie Week

So this blog has indicated to me that I'm in a bit of a cooking rut. So I thought I'd actually make use of some of my iPad cooking apps to plan a different weeks menu for the family. Starting with these salmon fish fingers, pea and potato creamy mash and home made tartare sauce. As you can see, apart from the addition of the ubiquitous salad, it turned out pretty much exactly as Jamie Oliver instructed. He gets the whole week to challenge me. Next week it's Nigella, then Mario Batali. It will be interesting to see how I go. The family loved this one, of course because it was crumbed. Sigh.

Day 48

2012-02-19T15:37:00.001-08:00

Take out

I'm hoping the 365 gods will forgive me for not taking a photo of my pho. Today was pretty dire and we all needed a break. Our local Vietnamese place has a master stock that can cure almost any ailment. We all felt better for it.

Day 47

2012-02-16T01:00:00.001-08:00

Sweet beet

I was pretty sure dinner tonight was going to be drab. We had a stressful ride home from the school pick up trying to beat the rain to get the four loads of washing off the line. We had planned a trip to the pool but with dark skies above we all just wanted to get home. Turns out Alan had grabbed the washing in before the worst of the rain. So fortified with coffee I did manage to summon energy to make two beautiful salads. One with baby beets, grilled haloumi and fresh mint, the other with baby tomatoes, cucumber, olives and crispy proscuitto. The potato gems reappeared on the menu as we have a brand new oven to crisp things up in. The gigantic tbone steaks were grilled. Jelly for dessert, which thrilled Thom no end.

Day 46

2012-02-15T00:35:00.001-08:00

Hump day

The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurous believed that happiness could be found in life's simple pleasures: working hard,surrounding yourself with family and friends and eating well. I know this because contemporary philosopher Alain de Botton told me so. Today I won tickets to meet him so perhaps we can chat about all matters epicurean. salad tonight was great - homemade garlic croutons, bocconcini, homegrown cherry tomatoes, avocado, cucumber and some leaves. The schnitzel was a disaster, so over it. No more crumbling for me for at least three weeks - you heard it here first.

Day 45

2012-02-14T18:33:00.001-08:00

Fancy pants

I absolutely love eating in fancy restaurants. There is nothing better than great food created by a professional chef. Sadly our budget only allows for special occasion dining of that nature. Last night being Valentines Day Alan and I went to the über cool 'Huxtable' on Smith Street and spent a days wages on dinner! It was designed around share plates, which we love but it did mean that we ate way too much food. Everything you see on the small bites menu above we ate - one of everything with relish. Of course exhaustion set in halfway through and it became a bit of an endurance test, dessert was a bridge too far I suspect. But it was lovely to spend the evening together, and it was lovely not to cook!

Ps my valentines gift was a new Heston Blumenthal cook book called 'at home' ... I would love to look at it but I'm too busy crumbing schnitzels.

Day 44

2012-02-13T04:02:00.001-08:00

Meat Monday

I had a bit of a day today. Backwards and forwards with meetings, drop offs, shopping, pick ups. I couldn't summon the energy for a vegetarian feast tonight so (as is the cooks prerogative) swapped days. Tonight was my fortnightly takeaway at home meal. Hoisin pork, udon noodles and stir fry vegetables with garlic and ginger. really I could have left off the pork and doubled the vegetables to have it be no meat Monday but I wasn't confident enough. we ate on the couch, as you do with takeaway and then settled in to watch the BAFTAs. Bed beckons.

Day 43

2012-02-12T13:41:00.001-08:00

The bleh bleh blehs

This is what happens when you start a craft project too late in the day and you have no interest in cooking dinner. I think that's it for the corn, we are officially over it and it will now be relegated to Thoms plate exclusively for a while. Hope genuinely hates sour cream with potato and the steak was overcooked. So really it looks nicer in the photo than it did in real life. Was excited to put dishes in my brand new dishwasher and clear the table and get back to my project. Extra scoops of icecream for dessert for everyone.

Day 42

2012-02-11T00:58:00.001-08:00

I'd like to be under the sea

I wrote a fan letter to food writer and chef Rick Stein once. I dropped it in to a restaurant he was hosting a dinner at. I was too shy and poor to front up myself. I wasn't sure they had given it to him or even remembered what it said. Three months later I received a postcard from Padstow on the Cornish coast of England. He thanked me for my kind letter and was pleased that I had stains and scribbles on my cookbooks. I use his postcard as a bookmark now. This is Rick Steins hearty seafood stew. White fish, scallops, prawns, mussels with tomato, white wine, fresh dill, pepper and lemon. Saturday night's alright.

Day 41

2012-02-10T01:14:00.001-08:00

BBQ rescue

Well I did buy the fish, my intentions were good...aren't they always? But we hadn't eaten the lamb chops from yesterday and I couldn't see bad food go to waste. I'm sure God feels the same and doesn't give a hoot about fish on friday. Alan set about fixing the BBQ up after the fire, what a drab job that was. Mum suggested the risoni with fresh oregano and I made the crazy 'use everything up' Friday night salad. It was all easy and all delicious. Please note the new placemats from ikea, I think everyone has them! I noticed them in my lovely neighbors house today too. They don't have a tv and there is always room in their bin. I'm pretty sure they are better than we are.

Day 40

2012-02-09T03:02:00.001-08:00

Spicy nuts

I made the fatal error of going to Ikea at 330 in the afternoon without having done any prep for dinner apart from getting unappetizing lamb forequarter chops out of the freezer. This error was compounded by taking both my kids with me. Hope was exhausted from a day of dealing with fools and charlatans and Thom was beside himself with excitement pretending we actually live at Ikea by testing out every bed. I was a frazzled headachy mess by the time we got home. Alan had finished a 12 hour a day that included his truck sitting by the side of the road for three hours waiting for a repair guy. So the suggestion of thai takeaway was met with weary cheers all round. Fish cakes, calamari salad, pud puk with beef and pud se ew with prawns, coconut rice and roti bread washed down by gigantic glasses of coke and three episodes of Parks and Recreation. Done.

Day 39

2012-02-08T01:28:00.001-08:00

A study in Brown

Yeah there it is. The crumbed chicken tenderloins strike again. This week I coated them with panko breadcrumbs mixed with dried oregano and parmesan. The maple carrots reappeared due to popular demand, the corn ditto. The potatoes were cubed and cooked in butter and bacon until crispy and rested on bitter greens to soak up the sauciness. I snuck in chermoula just to spice them up a bit. Everyone is so weary today, we've all had our individual burdens to bear and dinner was quiet as we all processed our experiences. We will all retire to the couch now to share a packet of tim tams and cups of tea.

Day 38

2012-02-07T03:19:00.001-08:00

Mexicano

After their disastrous Mexican takeaway the other night, Alan and Hope were not super keen to have Mexican again so soon. With mum out this evening it is my policy to have a spicy meal and we miraculously had all we needed for a taco feast. Everything except a working oven to heat up the shells. I opted for soft tortillas and organic corn chips instead. We all made our own version of nachos with a good dash of lime. Lovely evening.

Day 37

2012-02-06T00:16:00.001-08:00

One pot wonder

I have to admit I'm no longer fond of pasta. I think I ate far too much of it in my 20's and 30's and you really can have too much of a good thing. of course no meat Mondays is proving quite the challenge for me but pasta is a much easier solution than the four different dishes I often juggle on a Monday. So I have relented and added it to the menu. The success of last weeks ratatouille inspired this weeks sauce. I replaced the red wine vinegar with actual wine and went a little easier on the onion. Eggplant, which has never been a friend of mine, was absolutely beautiful and very filling. I need to find a great vegetarian cookbook I think.

Day 36

2012-02-05T12:48:00.001-08:00

Jazz hands

I have a confession to make. That is not a a photo of my dinner. Because mum and I were making a pilgrimage to musical theatre land, Alan and Hope took a chance on the new Mexican takeaway at the end of the street (there is A LOT at the end of our street). Apparently it was pretty awful which is disappointing. Mum and I had Japanese in the city pre show. I was way too excited to take a photo. This probably breaks the 365 rules but cest la vie!

Day 35

2012-02-04T04:06:00.001-08:00

Fire and the food truck

So I've got the corn on the BBQ. Alan and Hope have gone to the video store and mum is sautéing potatoes in the kitchen. All of a sudden I notice the BBQ is engulfed in flames and the thermostat is on 600. Thom of course was thrilled by the drama and refused to go inside. I had to hose the BBQ down rendering the corn inedible and then hose mum down (metaphorically) who was so worried Thom and I were going to go up in smoke like the corn.
After the drama Alan decided he'd skip the home cooked dinner and go up to the gumbo truck he's been obsessing about. It's the new big thing here, food trucks parked in weird places with a sea of hipsters following them on facebook waiting for locations. Tonight it just happened to be at the end of our street. That gumbo, despite looking hideous, was damn tasty. We couldn't waste the steaks so we fried them up in the safety of our kitchen,
Our meal was beyond ordinary but for some reason we were so cheery it was fun around the table tonight. Maybe the stamped napkins helped - sometimes my family think I'm mad!

Day 34

2012-02-03T15:40:00.001-08:00

Madman at the ovens

Al Albero is a hole in the wall pizza joint down the road. It's wedged in between Danny's burgers, Nth Fitzroy Fish and Chippery and Cristos Charcoal Chooks. It's one crazy bald guy and a giant pizza oven. Online reviews vary wildly from 'I would drive from Sydney to get this pizza' to 'this man is a psycho, beware!' he's been known to throw people out for ordering extra cheese. Last night the joint was jammed with hipsters enjoying his Jagger impersonation while the Stones blared at full volume. The only assistance he has is from a gormless hippy girl with a thousand yard stare. His marinara pizza, laden with scallops, fish and prawns, is simply the very best I have had outside of Italy. His slow cooked lamb with feta is award worthy and his margherita made with fresh tomato, oregano and buffalo mozzarella is worth the wait. This is fast food but slow food. He's a tool. He's a genius. 5 stars.

Day 33

2012-02-02T00:33:00.001-08:00

Hello schnitzel my old friend...

In some ways a broken oven is helpful in that If I don't eat and oven baked chip for the next 20 years it will be too soon. In an attempt to stave off kidney disease Alan has reduced his carbohydrate intake significantly anyway so other veges have come forward on the menu. Less potato has meant I lost two KGs without doing anything. The colorful medley of veges tonight was delicious. The broccoli, beans, and asparagus were tossed with sautéed bacon and spring onion and seasoned with chermoula (a north African spice mix). The baby carrots were maple glazed and the corn keeps everyone happy. A winner of a meal and the vege drawer in the fridge is empty.

Day 32

2012-02-01T02:51:00.001-08:00

Baa

I made ratatouille for the first time in ages. It's the only eggplant friendly recipe I know, everything else renders the submerging indelible to my clan. The lamb chump chops were cheap but cheerful after a long day marinating in garlic and lemon and then bbq'd to perfection. The salad was leftover from last night and the rice was to mop up the sauce. It was all delicious but so retro I was a little embarrassed to put it on the blog! Somedays you just have to get the people fed.

Day 31

2012-01-31T02:24:00.001-08:00

Disaster day

So the dishwasher is broken, the computer is broken, the lock on the front door is broken, and to top it all off halfway through cooking chicken I realised the oven wasn't hot. So the oven is broken too. Lucky we kept the trusty frypan up in the cupboard. The chicken was rescued and was ok, not great but ok. Not a good day I'll admit.

Day 30

2012-01-30T00:31:00.001-08:00

Quinoa face off

No Meat Monday, urgh. Ok so people have been banging on about quinoa for a while now and I thought I better get on board the grain train for Monday nights. Black quinoa, roasted pumpkin, feta and mint salad, super green salad (broccoli, zucchini, beans, asparagus, lettuce, olives and an orange vinaigrette), grilled haloumi and mini quiches. It was a fantastic meal, full of flavor and variety and all were satisfied. The quinoa was ok but I wasn't crazy about the the texture and mum steered clear of its all together. The whole meal was a lot of work. Do vegetarians have to work this hard every night for dinner? Thom went the extra step and had a raw vegan meal - at his request (carrot sticks, cucumber rings, olives, capsicum, crackers and a banana). So many different things were eaten tonight. So many dishes to wash up now.

Day 29

2012-01-29T03:13:00.001-08:00

Ola!

Paella is a funny one. It's risotto essentially, only of course it's not. For starters I always cook it in summer. A traditional paella pan heaving with prawns,chicken, capsicum, peas, onion and lots of chorizo sausage is the ultimate dish to serve with crisp cold beer. Alan made the most sumptuous strawberry swirl icecream which was really just heavenly. A lovely end to a steamy summer Sunday.

Day 28

2012-01-28T02:58:00.001-08:00

Salad Days

Having done a round trip to Geelong today to see a model train show I was not in the mood for fancy cooking. I did however go to a little effort on the salad front. A lovely orzo and zucchini salad with fresh basil and parmesan, and a lovely warm salad of pumpkin, prosciutto, bitter greens and garden tomatoes. We could have just had the salads really but a slab of porterhouse was needed, tasty but tough as old boot leather. Everyone is cranky tonight. We ate in front of the tv to avoid any more squabbles. We're watching Irish film The Guard (using subtitles so we don't miss anything).

Day 27

2012-01-27T02:48:00.001-08:00

Bad catholic

Weather this warm means BBQ! I had planned on prawns but we had defrosted a marinated piece of veal yesterday and I couldn't bear to waste it. The corn was the last thing left in the crisper before market day tomorrow. It bbq'd up perfectly. Dinner was delicious. It's a shame Thom decided to have a major meltdown just as i was serving. Tantrums by definition are LOUD and not conducive to fine dinner table conversation. I think we all have indigestion. We are watching the Peter Weir classic film 'Gallipoli' tonight, so despite the stresses of the day we are counting our blessings.

Day 26

2012-01-26T12:55:00.001-08:00

Takeaway

I got lucky last night, no cooking! I forgot to take a photo of course. On the left you can see my mothers handwriting. With great care she writes down what we all want and the corresponding number in the menu. I had a warm calamari salad with mint. Alan had a similar dish with prawns. Mum went for a lovely prawn curry and Hope had rice noodles with beef and vegetables. Can you imagine the amount of prep and then washing up it would take to recreate these meals? We did share our dishes a little and all enjoyed it. Perfect for watching Australian Open tennis.

Day 25

2012-01-25T12:30:00.001-08:00

Dinner and a Show

For the past few years instead of gifts I've been buying my mother tickets to see things. It was a hell day today and we didn't feel like going to the theatre but I'd shelled out some hefty cash to see the MTC production of Summer of the Seventeenth Doll. So to summon our last ounce of energy we carbed up with spag bol. This is a meal from my own childhood and tastes pretty much the same as it did in 1978. It's not my favourite meal but I can get it bubbling away in the afternoon so dinner is a 20 minute job from beginning to end. It got us through a three hour play set in 1950's Australia.

Day 24

2012-01-24T00:53:00.001-08:00

Repeat offender

I got lucky today! Mum cooked the crumbed chicken tenderloins and I made the salad and orange gelato for dessert. It was blisteringly hot today and I didn't function too well I have to admit. The ladies went to the cinema while Thom and I flaked out on the couch. Alan worked a 13 hour day and looks like the walking dead. I realize when it's this hot it's hard to summon the energy to cook creatively. I'm hoping a cool change will usher in more interesting dinners. I was so grateful to not have cooking duty tonight.

Day 23

2012-01-23T00:38:00.001-08:00

Home bistrot

Despite it being Monday I couldn't subject my mum to vegetarian cooking her first night home. we went for her favourite meal: steak, salad, potato with sour cream and chives. Crazy jelly for dessert (lime, custard, whipped cream and shaved chocolate). Thom caught a glimpse of the jelly before dinner but was told in no uncertain terms that he must clean his plate before dessert would be served. He at his entire dinner in under 3 minutes and then yelled 'Jelly!'

Day 22

2012-01-22T02:26:00.001-08:00

Kind of takeaway

Boy it was hot today. My beloved roasted a pork belly portion on the bbq and we ordered a salad and coconut rice around the corner from our local Thai restaurant (100 metres from our house). The Thai salad is great as it comes with egg, tofu and peanut sauce which makes it very substantial. The rice is cheap and no clean up is a bonus I'm full a good food and after a lovely Sunday crafting (not cooking!) ready for a cuppa tea. Mum is home tomorrow so I'll need to shift gears a little in the kitchen.

Day 21

2012-01-21T03:17:00.001-08:00

Rogan Josh

While the eldest member is interstate it's a good opportunity for us to eat spicier food. Two Christmases ago I got a lovely tagine and have found its perfect for slow cooking a curry. I still keep it mild for the teenager and the toddler has a separate meal altogether. The turmeric potato was a little hotter, tempered by the sticky coconut rice, cucumber and pappadums. Only problem with this meal is there is way too much washing up. Lucky I wasn't the one doing it...

Day 20

2012-01-20T02:08:00.001-08:00

Homemade takeaway

Three different homemade pizzas. #1 bocconcini, prosciutto and basil #2 mushroom, olive and cheese #3 mexican meat lovers (with the leftover taco meat and tasty cheese). I didn't make the bases I just couldn't face it. I know Jamie would chastise me for that but really at least the pizzas weren't from dominoes. They were delicious too.

DAY 19

2012-01-19T03:44:00.001-08:00

M's Birthday

Two dinners tonight. For a whole decade I've taken my friend m out to dinner and a movie on his birthday. So tonight it was 'tinker tailor soldier spy' and seafood ramen, both highly recommended. I made the family mexican, all they had to do was heat up the taco shells. I'd say it was a relief to eat a meal I hadn't cooked but to be honest with you because I'd done all the prep I still felt harried by dinner.

Day 18

2012-01-18T03:29:00.001-08:00

Flightplan

My family joked that this dinner was so dull that I should lie and tell you that it's actually a Heston Blumenthal dessert that just looks like a boring family meal. Boring for a reason. Mum is off to Sydney in the morning and I think it's important to have an easy meal before the flight. With our eldest family member away well probably go for richer, crazier food over the next few days.

Day 17

2012-01-17T00:54:00.001-08:00

Schnizelicious

Pork schnitzel is easier than the dreaded chicken tenderloins as it comes in bigger portions so not so much frying. Two salads #1 apple walnut pecorino #2 pasta salad (inspired by librarygirl) with celery and quails eggs, mayo and parsley. Now the quails eggs sound fancy but really you can pick up a tub at the market for $3.50 and they take 6 minutes to cook. They make the pasta salad very substantial which is good if there is only one schnitzel each. I took a photo of the knives and forks tonight as they were a Christmas present -beautiful Laguiole cutlery from France. Absolute objects of desire for any foodie! Im hoping for the spoon set for Valentines Day. Our dishwasher broke down so if we have to hand wash why not use the good china and cutlery? Desert was orange gelato which didn't come together to well but still tasted goooooood.

Day 16

2012-01-16T02:15:00.001-08:00

No meat Monday

My weekly challenge was helped this week by a little online research into vegetarian cooking and a some forward planning. I made mini mixed mushroom quiches, grilled haloumi, and a super green salad that included broccoli, zucchini, baby spinach, peas, cucumber, salad greens, spring onion, pine nuts and a very light lemony vinaigrette. I think the trick with cooking vegetarian mains for meat eaters is a combination of texture and colour. They are never going to be happy with a mushy one pot wonder. It was absolutely delicious. My aim is to have 8 great non-pasta vegetarian mains in my repertoire by the end of the year.

Day 15

2012-01-15T02:48:00.001-08:00

Homemade takeway

Sorry about the blurry photo, I had hungry people desperate for food waiting for me to take the picture! Homemade takeaway tonight was beef in black bean sauce, stir fry hoisin vegetables and garlic and Sichuan pepper prawn with jasmine rice. Took an hour to prepare and five minutes to eat. I think next week I'll treat myself to real takeaway, I could do with a night off.

Day 14

2012-01-14T00:46:00.001-08:00

Pork and apples

We are having unseasonably cool weather for this time of year. A pork roast with gravy, crackling and 3 veg is the last thing to be cooking in the height of the Australian summer but with a definite chill in the air I went that extra mile and made apple pie too! My daughter has been making beautiful citrus cordials lately so we bought some mineral water and made our own pop with her fantastic pink grapefruit and lemon concoction. I plan to be in bed by 930 tonight, desperate for a big sleep.

Day 13

2012-01-13T02:42:00.001-08:00

Tv dinner

Friday 13th so we're watching bad horror movies on the couch. No fish on Friday because our fish shop is closed until the fifth of feb. This buttermilk panko crusted chicken is delicious and because it's done in the oven and not fried there is very little mess. The family go crazy for potato salad. No herbs, eggs or nuts in it this week just mayo and paprika - my energy level is very very low. I'm pretty sure the b grade werewolf movie will help.

Day 12

2012-01-12T12:18:00.001-08:00

Night off!

I was in the middle of a craft project so mum offered to cook. She beavered away and made her fantastic fried rice and Alan grilled the pork chops on the BBQ. It doesn't look like much but I relished it. I love not eating my own food. Everything tastes better when you haven't spent the previous hour making it. Dessert was a choc top at the movies. Midweek treats all round.

Day 11

2012-01-11T00:40:00.001-08:00

Oh my lord are we really this boring?

Our dinner table conversation tonight consisted of an in depth discussion of other things we would be prepared to eat other than meat and salad. I said soup was no go because it reminded me of being unwell, vegan food is out because we aren't sure what it is, an antipasto evening was eventually scrapped due to high levels of salt (and expense). So it was decided we'd go with a pasta night, separate from no meat Monday. Anyone for lasagna? Burp. Tonight was butterflied leg o lamb with roasted kipflers and (you guessed it) salad. Of course the real highlight was the brownies made specially for our Wednesday big night of tv.

Day 10

2012-01-10T01:23:00.001-08:00

Food on a stick

We try to have dinner together at the table most nights, sometimes we don't pull it off and we end up on the couch. We have found that the toddler eats more if he can see us all eating too. I thought I'd include a photo of his plate to show how we adapt his meals a little. He enjoyed the kebab (as we all did) and still claims corn as his best vegetable. The garlic bread was the second stick made on Saturday. The avocados finally ripened and made a great summer salad.

Day 9

2012-01-09T02:23:00.001-08:00

No meat Monday

The concept of no meat Monday is not a new one. A campaign promoting healthy choices for families was started up officially in the states in 2003. Paul and Stella Mcartney have had big success in the UK with their own version and I'm trying it out on my clan. We eat meat every day: beef, lamb, chicken, veal, pork, mince and seafood (7 meats, 7 days). Granted it's lean and small portioned but it is meat. I can't promise to not serve meat on a Monday, my vegetarian recipes are fairly limited and my carnivorous clan resistant. Tonight I did a mixed mushroom pasta in white wine and cream sauce. Using fresh oregano from the garden was lovely. No one suggested it would have been better with bacon, so success!

Day 8

2012-01-08T03:18:00.001-08:00

Baa baa

As many traditional home cooks do, I usually cook a roast on Sunday. Knowing I was going to be driving back from a long day in the country I compromised with BBQ lamb chops, potato gems (disgusting but the teens favourite) and the super green veggie salad. Beans, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, spring onions, cucumber and toasted pine nuts. I can get 6 vegetables into them all without them noticing. My beloved and I skipped the potato weirdness, the toddler ate mine and thought they were 'yumbo tumbo'.
They got a lemon delicious pudding for dessert.
So ends week 1!
We eat too much Salad.

Day 7

2012-01-07T01:51:00.001-08:00

Steak night

Saturday night is steak night. We go to Queen Victoria market in the morning and buy all our provisions for the week. We do this not to be smug but to save an enormous amount of money. It comes with it's own pleasures too of course, chocolate brioche being one! We know we are so lucky to have access to great fresh food all year round. As much as we love it, steak runs at such a premium now that we can only afford it once a week. So I get the very best eye fillet I can afford. I make fresh garlic bread and a big green salad (we eat a lot of salad as you can see!) and we savor every mouthful. Perfectly simple.

Day 6

2012-01-06T01:52:00.001-08:00

Friday night we should be having fish. Fish shop closed til feb so I'm hoping the pope will forgive me- we had hamburgers instead. Bacon lettuce tomato and cheese. - no egg, no onion. All members of the family enjoyed this classic tv dinner. Shame the 3 year old refused to eat in front of anything except Dora the Explorer. Ola!

Day 5

2012-01-05T02:37:00.001-08:00

Not takeaway night

We love takeaway but really for a family this size that means $60 - which is crazy. So I've started making 'takeaway'. This generally means more effort on my part earlier in the day - because good takeaway is alway more than one dish. So tonight we had prawns in black bean sauce and toasted sesame seeds, stir fry vegetables with soy and garlic (using up all the vegetables before market Saturday) udon noodles and, for the seafood hating teen, teriyaki pork. We have Vietnamese mint in the garden, it's pretty pungent, I'm not sure about it.

Day 4

2012-01-04T02:45:00.001-08:00

TV Dinner

Good night on TV so pasta it is. Last of the Christmas ham, some fresh asparagus, cream, Parmesan, lemon zest, parsley. Wish we had nicer pasta. I made lemon gelato for dessert. What is the difference between sherbet and gelato? Delicious with vanilla ice-cream. Everyone ensconced in front of the box watching one great British show after another.

Day 3

2012-01-03T01:15:00.001-08:00

A strange Tuesday

This meal is so boring it makes my head hurt. Crumbed chicken tenderloins, oven chips, green salad and mayo. I hate preparing it, cooking it, cleaning up after it. But my family loves it. It's a rare thing to get them all to agree on a meal and I only cook it once a month so I'll just keep quiet and let someone bring me a cup of tea. They think it's hilarious, taking a photo of dinner. Strange weather.

Day 2

2012-01-02T02:11:00.001-08:00

Public holiday. Very hot.

Lamb leg done on the BBQ. Potato salad and green salad.
Dessert was a treat.
Homemade vanilla apricot swirl ice-cream
Churned in my bright yellow machine
incorporating jam from delicious backyard fruit
from my best friend Beck.
Very hot today and tempers are frayed.

Day 1

2012-01-01T02:54:00.001-08:00

New years day.

Three quiches: mushroom, ham, tomato & olive. Made them early morning to avoid the heat. Big green salad with everything in it. No dessert, just tea and a piece of chocolate.