petit cochon

I haven't lived in the Marylebone area since 2008, so my tips may be a bit out of date... However, there used to be a fantastic delivery-only pizza spot - 752 degrees pizza - on Dorset Street. It seemed to operate out of the basement below another restaurant - Hardy's - which was certainly still there as of a few months back, though I didn't notice the pizza delivery bikes. Phoenix Palace - as mentioned above - really is a solid Chinese delivery option: http://www.phoenixpalace.co.uk/ Will try to think of others, but those are the two that stand out in my memory... We recently visited London with our then-8-month-old and did manage dinners at both St. John (couldn't resist!) and Cafe Caldesi (downstairs, which is more casual). Both restaurants had high chairs, in both cases we inquired about this and whether it would be ok to bring the baby. At St. John we managed to time things so that she slept on the way there and up until the first course was served - she then ate a bit and played with toys for a bit, by which point we were able to make a fairly graceful exit, take-out brownies from the bakery in tow for dessert back at our hotel. At Cafe Caldesi we ordered the bread plate straight away so that we had something to offer the baby and kept things relatively short. Either spot may be worth a try, as they both seemed relatively baby-friendly - though I certainly realize that a large degree of timing - and luck - is also involved!

I need to do further experimenting, but had good initial results using the 'brown sugar bear'. Added the bear to tupperware along with leftover scones and their texture didn't seem to deteriorate nearly as much as I've previously experienced with other baked goods - still very enjoyable and fresh-tasting (to me) after several days. Of course I've never made scones before, so could just be that they are more forgiving. Anyhow, will try again with muffins (which prompted my original question) and report back!

Kim - thank you! That's clotted cream and strawberry jam on the scones. Very decadent, but sooo delicious!

Meant to add these a few days ago when I made them, but better late then never! Leftover braised shortribs, roasted veggies, and cauliflower puree became pot pies. Pre-crust: Finished product: Looking forward to experimenting with more leftover-inspired pot pies this winter!

Technically this was my SECOND breakfast of the day, but at 30 weeks pregnant I hear I'm allowed to do that! Wanted to make a practice batch of scones since they will be my contribution to my baby shower tea in a couple of weeks. So yummy!

I just did braised short ribs tonight, actually! Rainy day here, so felt like something warm that I could serve over leftover roast cauliflower (repurposed as a mash). My braise wasn't a recipe so much as just what I had on hand, but it seemed very seasonal so I went with the 'see what happens' approach. Braising seems to be fairly forgiving because the result was very flavorful! I'm encouraged to experiment again! This round what I used was essentially: couple of onions, carrots, celery, and garlic cloves; a pumpkin beer plus a beer bottle-full of water; half a can of pumpkin puree (leftover) and about as much tomato puree (also leftover); a few sprigs of each thyme and rosemary.

Plum Tart, I'm sad to hear that future batches may be freezer bound - was hoping there was some way to stretch the 'shelf-stable' window a bit - but am thankful to learn from your experience! I'll try the freezer approach next time. How do you recommend defrosting for optimal texture? How long do you find that muffins keep in the freezer? One other last-ditch idea just occurred to me too - I may try to find one of those clay (I think?) things that I've seen marketed as brown sugar 'savers' and seal in a bag w/ a muffin. Or, easier still, maybe rice (have heard of that being done w/ salt)? Anyone tried that? Will do a little experimenting w/ all of the above once I finish this existing batch and am ready for more!

Thanks for the thoughts! Hmm... No sugar on top. I did use foil muffin liners - the bottoms didn't seem moist, just the tops that were exposed to air (inside tinfoil). Even in tupperware (in the past) moisture seems to be an issue... do the muffins (etc.) give off some sort of moisture that gets trapped in the surrounding air when I wrap them? Would I be better off not wrapping them at all or just wrapping in kitchen towels or some other breathable material? I don't really know what the issue is here!

We like omelets and salad on nights when we need an "instant" dinner.

I feel like I am missing something obvious here. I'm never sure how to store homemade baked goods - muffins, cookies, cakes, etc. seem to change texture overnight. My pumpkin muffins were so good out of the oven yesterday afternoon; this morning they have a slightly sticky surface after having spent the night in a tinfoil parcel. I've tried tupperware too - doesn't seem to yield better results in my experience. Am I missing a trick here? How do you store your baked goods?

I recommend taking a browse through the Mario Batali cookbooks - some of our favorite non-tomato pasta dishes are adaptations thereof. Some that have made recurring appearances in our kitchen include a goat cheese/fennel pollen/orange zest sauce (I think that was adapted from a ravioli recipe?) and a roast cauliflower/mint/red chili flakes/bread crumbs pasta (w/ olive oil & garlic). I'm not sure which book specifically either of those are from... We improvised a really yummy summer pasta the other night: mushroom tortellini tossed with grilled corn (cut off of the cob), grilled zucchini (chopped), and sage-butter. Another somewhat unusual favorite is a combo my husband discovered: pasta w/ beets, sauteed onion, goat cheese, and beet greens. I also *love* the sausage/broccoli rabe/red pepper flake/parm combo. We do carbonara occasionally, usually for brunch, and cacio e pepe is a comfort food / nothing-in-the-house-to-eat stand-in. The one preparation I really want to try but have not actually made (yet) is some sort of Sicilian inspired sardine/fennel/orange/raisin/breadcrumb type of concoction... Wow, it really sounds like we eat nothing but pasta! Not so... I'm actually currently on a pasta hiatus in order to 'save myself' for an upcoming trip to Italy!

Am I too late? Nothing like a bit of kitchen clean-out to start a new year - although I didn't exactly plan the timing in advance, just couldn't motivate to shop this morning, created 'odds and ends' breakfast burritos then remembered this topic... I don't have much of a stockpile, especially since I was away for Christmas, but I'm pretty sure I can go for a week. This morning, aforementioned burritos: leftover chinese take-out rice sauteed w/ minced onion, cherry tomatoes, & a spoonful of salsa; black beans; diced kielbasa mixed with scrambled eggs; grated cheddar. Rather mediocre - but saved us having to get dressed, brush snow off the car, drive to the store, etc. on a rather groggy New Year's morning! Dinner: I had a whole chicken in the fridge so tonight was easy. Roast chicken, added some diced potato and onion to the roasting pan. We also had a large package of arugula, so had salad w/ walnuts & dried cranberries. I feel like I got off easy tonight, but the days to come should take more creativity! Minced the leftover potatoes and onions w/ a bit of the leftover chicken - will have hash & eggs for breakfast tomorrow. Making chicken stock as we speak and have a decent amount of chicken leftover too. Wont get to use those tomorrow as we're having dinner at the in-laws' (and maybe breakfast the next day) but I'll report back thereafter!

I saw these brewing kits at Brooklyn Flea's holiday market and thought they looked like a really fun gift - esp b/c they have fun holiday flavors (I'm clearly not a beer purist!): http://brooklynbrewshop.com/store/

My supermarket cookie staples: Walkers Shortbread Highlanders Jules Destrooper Chocolate Thins Pepperidge Farm Milanos In terms of candy, I find Haribo's gummy/marshmallow -hybrid frogs strangely compelling, even though I would be hard pressed to describe them as, well, GOOD. Also, Star Mix (thankfully NOT a temptation now that I'm back in the States!). And candy #3... I look forward to Cadbury Creme Eggs every spring - though 1 per year is generally more than sufficient!

Was first introduced to dukka in Cape Town during my honeymoon this past August. Our hotel served it w/ soft-boiled eggs and toast soldiers for breakfast - we loved the combo so much that we have been replicating it at home (w/ dukka we brought back from South Africa). I've also been meaning to try this as a topping for home-baked pita served w/ hummus... actually, maybe tomorrow as part of my Halloween spread!