what we ate

After last week's debacle involving two food posts in a row, I decided to institute a weekly kitchen round-up.  The only problem is, giving myself permission to take pictures of my dinner has unleashed the food-photo-taking-mad-lady within.  See for yourself...

lemon slice
not exactly what i had planned to make
but delicious anyway
recipe here

the biggest happy hour margaritas ever
(i am addicted after the island bar experience)
they looked much bigger
in real life?

homemade breakfast burrito
scrambled egg, cherry tomatoes
avocado, red onion, leftover bean stew
cnn had coriander, i had leftover tabbouleh

Bean stew - onion, garlic, tin of tomatoes, carrot, potato, balsamic vinegar, sweetcorn, green pepper, leftovers from a tin of beetroot, tin of mixed beans, basil, parsley, black pepper.  It was so good, I didn't even add salt or bouillon powder.  I put the leftovers in the burrito as I thought it would be a good stand-in for refried beans.

garlic-roasted mushroom and feta quiche
it was better with the addition of spinach
i did that the first time i made this
but burnt the top so it was not photo-worthy

This quiche has the best pastry ever.  A word of warning though, this recipe is quite time-consuming.  You don't have to spend hours at the stove or anything, but you are meant to make the pastry, roll it out, rest it, roll it out, rest it and then roll it out a third time before baking.  I attempted to make this recipe slightly healthier by using wholewheat flour and going for half cream, half milk in the filling.

If you are making this quiche, might I suggest garlic-roasted mushrooms?  Chopped garlic, mushrooms and a drizzle of olive oil - roast while you're blind baking the pastry.  Absolutely scrummy.

it was pancake day yesterday
i meant to remind you
but i forgot
(it was also international women's day - oops)

We hardly ever eat crepes - breakfast pancakes in our household tend to be the thick American style hotcakes.  Even though I have known about Pancake Day since my early teens, I never properly celebrated until I lived with my friend Catriona whom I met during teacher training.  It's become a much loved adopted tradition which never fails to remind me of a fantastic friend

Here is my Pancake Day history:

• 2007 - Cat makes pancakes for the house, we gorge ourselves on pancakes with lemon and sugar
• 2008 - Cat gives me her pancake making secrets, more restrained consumption this year
• 2009 - I am now living with CNN but I do ring Cat up to get the recipe.  I cook savory pancakes filled with broccoli in a cheese sauce and sweet pancakes for CNN and my sister who is having dinner with us between travelling to med school interviews
• 2010 - for some reason, CNN cannot make it home for dinner this year.  My friend Isi comes over and we make a meal similar to that in 2009.  I forget that a very hot pan is needed to succeed but Isi saves the day

 And the recipe?  (I hope you have a good English Imperial measure on your scale, because this one's in ounces):

 - 4 oz flour (half white, half wholewheat if you're making savory pancakes)
- 2 eggs
- 7 oz milk and 3 oz water
- 1 tablespoon melted butter

Cat's pancake secrets are: you need a hot pan, the first one is always a failure so don't worry, swirl the batter after you've ladled it in in order to get the thinnest pancake possible, break any air bubbles with a spatula, loosen the edges of the pancake and slide it over onto the rim of the pan before flipping.  I personally  lack the courage and coordination to flip them in the air - can you do it?  And if yes, please do share tips!

cnn's lunch for today
i was just very proud of it
when i made it last night

it's grey today so
even though
it's hot and humid
i decided it was soup weather

Lentil soup - garlic, onion, carrot, (white wine only because there was a splash of that New Year's champagne left), red lentils, celery, bay leaf, thyme, basil, parsley, bouillon, black pepper.

I'm not sure how interesting this is to you (especially since my photography skills are rubbish) but I hope that you liked it and maybe even feel a little inspired to cook something new.