dinner in: scallops

In a rare instance of lightning striking twice, I made a dinner last night that I wasn't entirely unhappy with. Not bad there, Peter.

We'd originally had plans to dine out, but Conrad was out of town all last week, eating in restaurants, getting tired of it. For my part, I'd not really stretched myself to do much of anything in the kitchen lately. Put those together, and with a bit of shopping done, it was a dinner in.

Some I know might scoff, but it really was a simple, non-fancy dinner. Easy components, some advance prep that took little effort, some last minute cooking that also took little effort. Plate, serve with a bottle of a 2008 Felton Road Pinot Noir, and Bob's your uncle.

The dinner plate components:

• Seared scallops
• Roasted trumpet mushrooms
• Roasted cherry tomatoes
• Steamed green beans
• Corn and leek sauce
• Lightly pickled vegetables (red pepper, yellow zucchini, green bean)

See? Easy!

I wish I had photographed the dessert. I made a quickbread, a loaf of a dried cherry and pecan bread scented with cinnamon. I sliced off a few pieces and toasted them, and served them on a wooden board with a half round of Cana de Cabra cheese, some dried figs and cherries, and some nuts. Frankly, I thought it was just spot on.

I'm a harsh critic of my cooking, I know. I have to be - Conrad relies on it. But for one night, I am glad to say that hey, not too bad at all.