Neely

I am in Sydney at one of my son’s home for a few days visit. We had take out from a Fish and Chip shop. Very good shop for as well as grilled or battered fish or crumbed various fish, they cook this Thai salmon and sell various salads of which we had a pumpkin salad and a beetroot salad. Also on the plate is a potato cake ( large slice of battered potato ) and a battered sea scallop. Chips of course.

Typical for us…roast lamb for dinner on Sunday evening. Roasted only to quite pink and do you know, I like the meat better a little more cooked not grey and dry of course but just a bit more than that top piece shows. Peas, carrots and roast potatoes with mince sauce and gravy.

Hi @Shelby your Moms pickled baby green tomatoes sound like a very good idea. I usually have lots of little baby green tomatoes at the end of season and other than make green tomato pickles I hadn’t done anything with them except throw them out after they had worn out their welcome. Pickled is ideal.

Dinner last night husband cooked a beef curry which we had with the ubiquitous green beans, a version of raita and pappadoms. We do the pappadoms in the microwave 3 of them for 60 seconds works out quite good and crispy and not oily like fried.

@liuzhou You mentioned the below some time ago and I was wondering if you had any luck growing these stalks to rosemary plants? “”迷迭香 (mí dié xiāng) or rosemary arrived for the first time yesterday. I have grown it myself in the past and will be attempting to get some of these stalks to root, but in the meantime will be cooking with one of my favourite herbs! Still looking out for the rest of the quartet.””

We had Thai green chicken curry for dinner… not too spicy but just enough.

Our iconic dinner again… lamb chops, peas and mashed potato with mint sauce.

I do understand people like to sous vide and I have had pork done this way… very melt in the mouth, ( slightly mushy though I thought ) BUT I HAVE to say … that is an awful lot of trouble to cook a piece of pork when you could slow roast in the oven straight from the shopping basket. I truely don’t know why you would do all that to a beautiful piece of meat. Apologies for critical speak out, but couldn’t hold it in.

After having BBQ sausages last night, the left overs were rolled up in zucchini pancakes which made quite a good lunch. There’s a dollop of tomato chutney as well.

@rotuts Thanks, it was tasty and turned out well. My husband usually makes the gravy and did so today, I use a similar method. The dish the ham was roasted in had drippings from the fat ( I think he poured some off ) so he made a roux with a little flour, then added some box mix gravy powder with water from the carrots. He’s English and this was the way his mother taught him. However, in UK he used Bisto to add flavour from a box and here in Australia, we use Gravox. I would like to say we made it from scratch and roasted bones and boiled up vegetables and strained it all a la Jamie Oliver, but the truth is… we didn’t. With a 7 month old baby grandson as part of the family get together, there was quite enough to do.

Early dinner with some of the family for a Sunday roast. I made a baked ham for a change (hardly ever do this ) with all the trimmings including a spoonful of Lingonberry jam which we all like in place of cranberry. Scalloped potatoes instead of roasties.

Nice tomatoes are back, not homegrown yet but still if you look in certain shops you can find tasty tomatoes. Breakfast

I asked husband if he wanted the same breakfast as I was making for myself… his answer was ‘never in a million’. What’s wrong with liverwurst on toast with gravy and a boiled egg??

Dinner tonight was chicken fillet in a white wine tarragon sauce with small potatoes and silver beet. Thyme sprig in there as well.

Made a large beef pot pie… no bottom. Plenty of Worcestershire sauce in the mince. v In

Dinner tonight was lamb chops on the BBQ, Smokey but still pink inside. I used the forgotten gremolata from yesterday’s meal to sprinkle on and flavour the chops. Lots of veg because you know “eat your vegetables”

Early dinner with guests, I cooked osso bucco with , mashed potato and green beans. I made the gremolata to sprinkle on top and of course forgot it waiting in a container in the fridge. Dessert was fruit salad with a shortbread biscuit.

Breakfast of left over fish and lemon sauce on toast. I love left over cold fish and particularly for breakfast.

Lunch today was the remains of a chicken pie, salad and some ash Brie.

Made a small quiche with onion and Romano cheese, added a few pecans for crunch.

Tuna roll… canned tuna with mayo and salad in a bakery fresh white roll.

A few dinners we’ve had, the fish last night and the sausages over a couple of nights. The fish was fresh flake (shark) which I served with a lemon beurre blanc sauce, orzo and vegetables on the side… mini asparagus Sausage with mashed sweet potato, broccolini and corn. Sausage with mash and salad.

Avocado on toast with a poached egg that slipped off.

@TicTac I do like the creaminess of your ‘deconstructed marg pizza risotto’. I always try for that creaminess but sometimes it doesn’t work out.

Another pork chop but not a thick one. Served with a sauce with leek and Dijon, orzo and silver beet from the garden which has once again survived the winter.