This Week's Eats

Well, this weekend was a bit on the boring side. But nevermind. There were highlights as well. The godchild is finally back on Swedish turf, mother and father and brother in tow. Such a very good reunion. Life is so much better when my loved ones stay on this continent. Stay put, I tell you! Stay put!

If you'd like to read some more about this week's eats and happen to be fluent in Swedish, I've added a link to my husband's tumblr above to your right. It's a very good place to go, trust me.

Still a little disappointed that noone answered my Big Love question. I guess NieNie doesn't read Leo... But someone out there must know? No?

Wishing you a very good Monday. Hope you'll get to eat something delicious.

Monday
Risotto ai funghi. Mushrooms from Midsomer, rice from Italy, a well traveled and delicious dish. And yes, the children will hate it. Vehemently.

Tuesday
Zuppa ceci. (It does sound better in Italian, you can't hate me for this). But yes, chick pea soup it is. Again. The kids will not enjoy this either. A tough week for the kiddos.

Wednesday
Noodles with salmon, hopefully in some kind of wonderful broth. If this turns out well it will be the essence of comfort food. If not, well, then at least we tried.

Thursday
Kid's night! Mashed potatoes and falukorv i ugnen. You know, that weird Swedish dish that I've mentioned before? It really doesn't translate well. And you won't want to cook it. So I think we'll just leave it at this.

Friday
The last of the venison. The last filet it is. After this it's all stews. Dear filet, how I will treasure thee! Had the second last one Saturday. Best meal I've had this year, except for our visit to Porto Cervo a couple of weeks ago. Goodbye dear deer!

This Week's Eats

Sunday two weeks ago I took the kids grocery shopping at the mega giant ultra big treacherous supermarket where we hardly ever go. A fun family outing! Ha. Jesper's famous last words before we left: "Look, I don't want to sound patronizing or anything, it's just that it's happened to me before, so I just figure I'd tell you, ok? This place is DANGEROUS. You will buy more than you ever dreamed of and quite possibly break the bank. I'm just saying. You know. I've done it. It happens. Real easily too." With this sermon ringing in my ears I entered Babylon, fully determined to buy ONLY what was on the list and ONLY things that we really need. Yeah, that didn't work out. At all. So this week's theme? Budget, baby.

Monday
Chicken dumplings with coconut rice, spicy salad with cucumber, carrots and roasted sun flower seeds. (Turns out that minced chicken is very inexpensive. Let's not think about why. And organic shredded coconut wasn't, so that we had to cut out.)

Tuesday
Courgette soup with mint and garlic, no grilled sandwiches, had forgotten to buy bread.

Wednesday
Bavette di salmone. Found a teeny tiny piece of salmon in the freezer, it will have to do. Lots of pasta, a dollop of cream, who's going to notice the salmon anyway?

Thursday
Omelette! With roasted potatoes (potatoes being the budget's best friend) and maybe a carrot or too, tortilla style. Winter salad (that's a pretty way of saying cabbage and carrots, m'dears).

Friday
A whole free range chicken (to make up for Monday), cooked in the oven with tons of vegetables. Really, who's budget makes it all the way to Friday night?

That's it! Next week we go deeper into the freezer on our quest for The Last Remains. Never know what might turn up. Gaaah! This week actually turned out as tasty as any other. Yay for me. Yay for you. Bye now.

This Weeks Eats

The weekly menus have moved! If you're fluent in Swedish you may enjoy them here: http://thisweekseats.tumblr.com/
If you're not, and feel you miss out on this new deal, let me know. Your wish is my command.
Happy Sunday night, dear all.

This Weeks Eats

Jesper started posting our menus on Facebook last week and is talking about a menu Tumblr, but for now I'll post them here as well. So, my dear eaters, menu no 2 2011 goes like this:

Monday
Spaghetti Melanzane, tomato sauce with aubergine (egg plant?) and mozzarella.
Tuesday
Chick pea and leek soup with pancetta (but I know I'll forget the pancetta).
Wednesday
Falukorv i ugn, sorry this does not translate well. Sausage in oven! Child friendly, to say the least.
Thursday
Salmon in sesame seed and soy sauce, Asian stylee.
Friday
Proper bloke's lasagna (yes, J did the menu this week).
Saturday
Proper bloke's leftovers.
Sunday
The last of the venison. Very sad. But oh, how brilliant it has been!

This Weeks Eats

My mother came to town on a surprise visit. My best kind of surprise. I surprised her right back with making gingerbread cookies as she walked through the door, the children white with flour, jumping up and down and rubbing it off on her coat. Everybody happy. And the house smells like Christmas.

Jesper made us fried cod for dinner. So fresh it fell to pieces, we emptied the plates in minutes. (Jennie, it was supposedly fished where it's not extinct. Yes, I can hear myself, sorry. But oh, how good it was.)

Everything is still covered in snow. It's so pretty and the iPhone really doesn't do it justice. But I will post you a whole bunch of photos tomorrow, anyway, because it's like living in a fairytale right now. Weatherwise, that is.

We decorated the gingerbread skyscraper my father and the children made a week ago. A lion, a camel and a parrot moved in. And we dusted it and ourselves with sugar and made little clouds of snow out of cotton.

And I quit my job.

Monday
Fried cod, dipped in French mustard, eggs and breadcrumbs. Peas and potatoes. Gingerbread.
Tuesday
Ratatouille, rice, sausages: lamb with rosemary, veal with truffles, crunchy winter salad.
Wednesday
Chickpea and leek soup, grilled sandwiches.
Thursday
Swedish potato pancakes with lingonberries, salad as before.
Friday
Homemade burgers (lamb?) with all the trimmings.

This Weeks Eats

Outside my window the world is grey. No more pretty leaves. It rains. It pours. It's so November. Blanka's still sick, watching Timmy Lamb on the couch, I'm in the kitchen trying to get some work done. Jesper's on his way home, I will head for the office once he's here. I wish it was Sunday.

Monday
Pumpkin soup and grilled sandwiches
Tuesday
Spaghetti Carbonara
Wednesday
Meatballs and mashed potatoes, crunchy winter salad
Thursday
Cod in foil packages, cooked in the oven with lemon, rice
Friday
Lamb in some way, probably chops (courtesy of little guy in the freezer)
Saturday
Home made pizza (since we never made it this far last weekend)
Sunday
Couscous, ratatouille, leftovers

Happy eating and have a good week!

This Weeks Eats

We like to cook. And eat. But during the week there never seem to be enough time to stand around the stove waiting for divine intervention. So a couple of years ago we started to plan our meals. Come Sunday, we sit down and talk about what we'd like to eat the following week and make a menu. Some items are always included, for example, in winter there's always a soup, there's always a crowd pleaser (something the kids will love) and usually some sort of pasta. Fish is there, so is meat of some kind. We recently bought a lamb from my parents village, now resting peacefully in our freezer, and are waiting for a deer (we're on the "shooting list" and will get it once it's, you know, killed). We try to limit our shopping to once a week and this seem works for us. Now, when people here this there are two reactions:

1. "Oh, we could never do that, I like to be spontaneous and cook what feels right at the moment." To which I always feel like saying bollocks, but never do. I just smile.
2. "Tell me what you're eating! Please! We're desperate!" To which I smile a whole other kind of smile and say sure thing, mister. So here we go. Mary, this one's for you.

Monday
Whole chicken, grilled the night before, with rice and lemony sauce that Jesper whipped up and a salad of shredded carrots, cabbage and rödkål.
Tuesday
Chick pea and pasta soup, grilled sandwiches with cheese and mustard.
Wednesday
Falukorv i ugn! Swedish sausage, extremely kid friendly. Baked in the oven with mashed potatoes, sauce bechamel and apples.
Thursday
Spaghetti with mushrooms (trattkantarell) and bacon, salad as on Monday.
Friday
Jamie Oliver's fish pudding. Very winter-y, very good.
Saturday
Lamb roast with all the trimmings.
Sunday
Home made pizza. Ah, bliss.

That's it. Will return on Sunday with next weeks menu. Cheerio!