Thursday, October 6, 2016

In The Kitchen

 Well, September flew by.   I hope yours was a good one.
 I've been spending more time in the kitchen than ever, the family meals and the starving after-school teenagers will do that!
I really love cooking and I'm into a routine of getting my work done in the morning so that I can spend the better part of my afternoons toddling around the kitchen range, baking and roasting and stirring.
Kitchen string.
 It's that glorious time of year... APPLES.  There's nothing quite like the smell of them baking, with cinnamon and a bit of honey.
 I decided to try a new apple cake recipe for the Rascals.
 I find I source most of my recipes from the internet these days, but I sort of miss the days of buying a few cookbooks a year.
Any suggestions for a new cookbook are most welcome.

 I've been whipping up very simple meals.  Lots of vegetables with lean sources of protein:
Sautéed spinach, easy.

Salad and faux-fried fish...
I toss the fish fillets around in ground almonds (gluten free).

Simply bake the fish, with some olive oil drizzled on top.
325 until done through.

I used a nice filet of sole.
 I don't eat pasta at all but I sure do cook lots of it, it is the favourite of my Rascals (and their friends).
Basic tomato sauce.
Cooked with olive oil, shallots and herbes de provence.

Lunch prep.

Salad with loads of peppers and grape tomatoes, with eggs for protein.
 The Rascals complain loudly when fish is on the menu, they don't seem to care that it is brain food, kids!  To console them I'll whip up a batch of oven-baked french fries, using white potatoes sliced to thinnish matchsticks.  My new trick is to cover the fries with some roasted chickpeas, vegetables and chunks of feta... getting some protein and veg into those Rascals is sometimes a battle.
Roasted chickpeas and vegetables.
Scatter over a platter of home-made frites, top with chunks of feta.

Polished copper is Mandatory.  
 Hope you're enjoying your time in the kitchen these days.
Love,
Dani