A Sunday chicken

For my parents. Along with the butter top bread, etc. A mini-Thanksgiving...

The next night: mac & cheese. I do like real food.

One of my many walks while in Michigan took me past a park from childhood: Bookmobile Park, so called, of course, because that's where the bookmobile stopped. Loved that. And I was so happy to see this new addition: a Little Free Library. The only improvement I can think of: a doll library. Borrow a doll. Share a doll. Leave some doll clothing for a doll in need.

So that was last week. This Sunday's bread is wheat & buttermilk to go, soon, with some pumpkin soup.

The dough had a tremendous rise. The only improvement to the recipe might be a touch of honey. Nonetheless, this is good and will be even better with soup and as sandwich bread.

Meat & potatoes, mostly

My favorite kind of food is real food.

Here are two examples.

Year's end

The holidays included lots of cooking and baking. Here are a few highlights.

Pom koek, Belgian honey cake: four little loaves. No doubt I've posted this before, but these coffee cakes are so good they deserve another spotlight.

Scalloped potatoes and, in the background, roasted Brussels sprouts. Christmas dinner, along with beef tenderloin.

... and these rather impressive popovers:

A pleasing presentation

More grilling: lamb chops, "gemstone" potatoes (love that name), tomatoes... with arugula and pecans and feta.

As for the day, it turned itself around. A sunny-ish later afternoon/evening and more pleasant dog walking.

Skipping Spring,

apparently. And heading right into summer. The temps warmed a bit, and all the flowering trees came out on the same day, it seemed. Then the temps warmed some more and now it's like full blown summer. 80s. Humid.

Beautiful evenings for walking. Or, if you're a cat, sitting in the bushes and being in charge of everything.

Here, now, is a go-to salad, no matter the weather. Mixed greens—whatever you want—green beans (steamed, 3 or 4 minutes), toasted walnuts, feta, dates. Vinaigrette.

And plated (below) with a chicken cutlet and a super fast warm potato salad (with a very similar vinaigrette: stone ground mustard, honey, white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper—the salad has red wine vinegar, that's the only difference). The potato salad recipe is, basically, from Mark Bittman. 

One of the nicest things about this dinner: the way it came together: just what was on hand (gotta keep good stuff on hand, of course)... one thing at a time... green salad, potato salad, chicken... just about effortless... while the pussy willow—eye level to the kitchen window—stood along side, keeping company.

Potatoes, for once

I rarely recommend potatoes. Mostly because I just don't make them much. At least not baking potatoes.

But these... are delicious.

Mustard roasted potatoes. Onions too.

I used whole seed mustard from American Spoon Foods. Also highly recommended.

Along with a filet (with the famous schmear) and a simple salad (feta, dates, olive oil & lemon).

*

This afternoon/evening I also made mushroom stock, but the stock and the post will need to wait until tomorrow. Big plans.

Sort of old-fashioned

Or at least my version of old-fashioned. 1970s. Each food in its proper place on the plate. Baked chicken. Oven-browned potatoes. But that spinach salad should probably be corn or carrots or beans.