A Long Week of Croak

Well there may perhaps be an end to the croak in sight and I'll be happy, I have to admit. There is something a little bit depressing about waking up late in the morning with no one else here - it's not quite so satisfying as coming downstairs to the chaos of two nutcases running round, play fighting on the floor whilst your youngest is causing havoc in the kitchen. Oh well, I've had a rest, see what happens with the voice tomorrow.

It's also been a little disturbing to have got out of the food routine that keeps us afloat and stops us putting on a stone per week. Well, okay, it hasn't been a great routine since October but it is there in skeleton form and has indeed prevented a stone per week being gained, if not a few pounds. But having been off work, I've not had weetabix for breakfast (eek!) and then haven't been making lunches. The joy of coming down on a (mid-) morning, dreaming of lovely deliciousness - a box of noodles, cheese on toast with HP sauce, a toasted sandwich, a big pile of pasta with sauce, scrambled eggs on toast with ketchup or boiled eggs. The list goes on. But the disappointment was huge when I realised that being such a good shopper on a week by week basis, I now no longer have a pantry full of luxurious snacks just waiting for a day off. Lunches are planned, and if to be made at all, need making for two. Hmph. So, I had three slices of lemon curd on toast (I had no breakfast). It was a choice between that or porridge.

For tea it was vegetable pasta bake, consisting of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots steamed till blendable then mixed into a sauteed leek, garlic and onion blend with a tub or two of ricotta cheese and a little liquid chicken stock for good luck.  I make it to stuff cannelloni with for the girls, but as there was mix left over I mixed with part cooked pasta, topped with tomato sauce and baked with a little Parmesan on top (indeed exactly like the cannelloni, but with penne instead!). It's nice. My eldest nieces like it too, which pleases me. Today, reheated from the freezer, it was a bit of a mash up so I put on lots of black pepper, more Parmesan and a little extra virgin olive oil. Nice. But disappointingly small.

Looking forward to the weekend now, I can see nice things ahead. Husband #1 is cooking for me tomorrow, as I will be late home from work (voice permitting!). Friday, of course there will be a pizza - not sure what kind yet, it may be a retry of the pesto version but I need to think of something to go with that as the usual mozza and tomatoes weren't quite right. But then I may go with mushroom, a treat for husband #1, perhaps. But is it too cold for solely mushrooms? Maybe a ham and mushroom? He doesn't like me messing with his mushrooms, but maybe this once?

Saturday will be cheese. Celery salad, devised by Barefoot and executed by husband #1 to accompany and of course some bread, which I think will be homemade. I'll be making pizza for those monsters anyway so a little more kneading won't hurt. We're putting up the Christmas Tree on Saturday, so it will be a lovely night with decadent food and hopefully episode 1 of NCIS season 9. Yipeeeeeeeeeeee!

There will also, of course, be chocolate.

Courgette fritters with pistou - just felt like a picture!