All that jollity is, inevitably, followed by exhaustion. Himself had the good sense to take Monday off as well as Friday. I’m an absolutely chronic procrastinator about most things except getting out of bed and just getting the week started. So into work I go.
This week’s menu is fairly standard stuff but includes the midweek treat referred to below as Austrian Hash. This is in fact a delicious dish called gröstl (sp?) that we first acquainted ourselves with while on a ski-ing trip in Zell am See near Salzburg in Austria. While this dish is hardly gourmet, we were generally very surprised and impressed with the food in Austria. The price and quantity, no matter whereabouts on the mountain we were. A refreshing change from the cost of eating at altitude in Andorra and France, in our experience.
Nipper 1.0 turns 21 during the week but he had gone back to his Alps in Switzerland. 21! We celebrated during Himself’s party and then he took off with his friends for the real celebrations! We have agreed to pay for his ski gear hire as a gift so probably that is what got me thinking about gröstl!
I also made Apple and Celeriac soup for the first time. In fact it was the first time a celeriac had come into this house, I’d say. I think I heard a discussion about it on BBC Radio Ulster’s Gardener’s Corner because that’s my life now.
Anyway, I was pure delighted with myself as I had the brainwave of using my frozen stewed apple and this worked very well.
Sunday saw the beginning of the Christmas prep with the baking of the Christmas cakes for Abigail and for us. I actually bake one square cake now and split it between us. It all gets covered in
Meal Plan for Week of 11/11/2024 – 17/11/2024
Monday – 11/11/2024
DINNER
- Oven-baked red pepper risotto
Tuesday – 12/11/2024
- Bolognese from freezer
Wednesday – 13/11/2024
DINNER
- Austrian hash This is a BBC version of a dish called Gröstl (I think!!) We first ate it in the Austrian Alps during our last ski trip. It is delicious but includes the kind of calories you need for a day of skiing. Absolute comfort food!
Thursday – 14/11/2024
DINNER
Friday – 15/11/2024
DINNER
- Pizza as always!
Saturday – 16/11/2024
- Apple & celeriac soup
- 15-Minute Stir-fried Steak Tacos these are grand but quick and fussy eaters can choose what they include or not. Also recommend making your own tortillas or buying kids wraps. Those yellow hard shell ones that a certain company is trying to foist on an unsuspecting Irish nation for years are crap.
Sunday – 17/11/2024
- Lasagne using batch cooked bolognese from freezer. What I love about a lasagne is that you can have all the washing up done before dinner while it’s baking. I need more recipes like this!
- Christmas cake: get the fruit soaking up all the brandy and tea.
- Rachel Allen’s Nutty Granola. We make a batch of this nearly every week with a pause sometimes in the depths of winter when people get porridge for breakfast. It is great fuel for us cyclists!