Tuesday, 10/6/20

 Pierogies (from Aldi; nothing special but fine), kielbasa, and baked zucchini-cheddar fritters. I was honestly only there for the zucchini. But I need to remember (this is the third or fourth time I have made them?) that they are actually too cheesy as written (even though that doesn't seem like a thing). Anyway, they were delicious. I ate a very small piece of kielbasa and snuck the rest off my plate. Don't see the appeal.

Monday, 10/5/20

 Quick Monday night dinner of ground pork sauteed with garlic, ginger, scallions and greens. Sauce with hoisin, soy, chili flake and a little sesame oil, all over rice. Easy and delicious and no leftovers.

Sunday, 1/04/20

 Took advantage of being home most of the day to make something I knew Carter would like, popcorn chicken. Brined the chicken in milk for most of the day, and then double-dipped the pieces in flour and pulled out the old fryolator. Of course they were delicious. How bad can little pieces of fried chicken be? I tossed some of them in buffalo sauce and that was my favorite part. Mashed potatoes were only OK; I was in a rush and they could have used more everything. But those purple potatoes from the farm certainly do look pretty. Plus broccoli. Jason also made a batch of fried dough, since we were frying anyway. we all hate to give him credit, but it was delicious. He really nailed it this time.

ps Carter loved the chicken.

Saturday, 10/3/20

 When I saw a recipe in the Times for a pasta inspired by eggplant caponata, I thought it was right up my alley. Unfortunately, it didn't have that sweet/sour taste, plus I always forget that I find eggplant in pasta dished overly heavy and blah. It's too bad, especially since we went to the trouble of making homemade pasta. I tried a new recipe (from 100 Cookbooks, I think) that had the advantage of using only two whole eggs, instead the the 2 eggs and 4 yolks in my usual Serious Eats one. It worked out well, except I would add a bit more flour, as the noodles were quite sticky. But the point is, homemade noodles are so nice, we should eat them with just butter or something. Will I ever learn?

I made a second round of butterscotch pie from TASTE: I doubled the filling, subbed in half brown sugar and dialed back the molasses a tiny bit. The flavors are now great, but it wasn't as creamy and smooth as I might like. Maybe less cornstarch and another egg? I also may have overcooked the filling a little. In any event, we happily ate it.

Friday, 10/2/20

 We just cobbled dinner together out of various leftovers. I wasn't planning on Carter being home, but he had a sniffle and Amherst didn't want him. 

Not exciting.

Thursday, 10/1/20

 Jason made bagels, so I upped the ante and made cream cheese (thanks, SK!). Actually super easy: exactly the same as making fresh ricotta, but you thrown is in the food processor after it is done draining. I added scallions and green olives. I can't honestly say that it is that much better than store bought (unless you are worried about stabilizers and/or preservatives) but it is simple enough, milk is cheap, and you can flavor it however you like. We also had salads and acorn squash. The vegetable drawers are literally overflowing. If I could ever design my own fridge, it would have more room for cheese and vegetables. Maybe I just need a bigger refrigerator?

Wednesday, 9/30/20

 Dinner (pizza) with Jason's parents. I made Smitten Kitchen's peanut butter cookies, because they are always good. They were.