The Princess is still on school holidays this week, and I seemed to have spent much of my time standing outside changing rooms whilst she stares at herself in the mirror. I have no idea what she is doing as she won't let me in. All I know is that it takes a very long time, and often sees us home late in the afternoon. Meals during school holidays tend to be a bit haphazard as a result.
Mr Grumpy was away until Monday afternoon, leaving The Princess and I on our own for dinner Sunday. This week we have eaten:
Sunday
Tortellini & Bolognaise Bake.
I will confess, I did not cook this. Occasionally I rely on a local Italian pasta maker for a quick meal. They do not use artificial ingredients or preservatives, which fits well with my Real Food philosophy. Back in February, I purchased a large tray of this bake for dinner and froze the leftovers for another day. There was just enough for The Princess and I, and no dishes.
Monday
Shakshuka with Crusty Sourdough.
This is a fabulous, full flavoured dish by David Lebovitz. It is so well balanced and easy that I don't change it in any way; a rarity for me. It is easy to prepare in advance, and freezes well. It also makes great leftovers. I added two eggs and baked the leftovers in a gratin dish for lunch the next day.
Tuesday
Zesty Fish with Crushed Potatoes & Peas.Oh my word this was so good, so quick, and so easy. I used Robinson Bream, as that was what was available at my fishmonger this day, but any fish suitable for pan frying will work well. I was amazed at the flavour the lemony dressing added to the dish.
Wednesday
Shepherd's Pie.This is possibly the best Shepherd's Pie I have ever made. I made a few tweaks to the original recipe, so I think I might have to blog this in the future. I had intended to serve this with wilted spinach, but ran out of time. However there are so many veggies in the pie I didn't feel at all guilty.
Thursday
Thai Red Chicken Curry.
I make this curry with chicken thighs, which take longer to cook than breast fillet. Usually I slowly simmer this on the stove until the thighs are tender, however I arrived home late and had to come up with an alternative if we were to eat on time. Thinking on my feet, I put the curry into the pressure cooker, and we had dinner in a fraction of the time it usually takes.
Freezer Cooking
I have had better success stocking the freezer this week. I doubled the Shakshuka recipe on Monday night, and removed half of the tomato sauce before adding the eggs and feta. The cooled sauce was then frozen. All I have to do is add feta and eggs for an easy Sunday night dinner.
I doubled the Shepherd's Pie recipe on Wednesday night. One pie was demolished for dinner and the other went straight into the freezer. Maybe next time we have this pie I will have time to make the wilted spinach.
I also need to start some back-to-school baking. I did make some leftover Easter chocolate and toasted almond scones for the freezer, but most of these seem to have already been eaten for dessert. Looks like my weekend is now spoken for.
Bon Appetit!
