two dinners in

One drawback to vacation (yes, there are drawbacks to vacations) is all the dining out. My regular eating habits get a little out of whack, too many snacks sneak in, and I enjoy wine all the more than I do at home. Also, I frankly get a little tired of being waited on. Sometimes I want to eat on my own schedule and not have to tip someone afterward. I swear, I am not cheap. I just like to cook for myself.

Well, for Conrad, too.

I didn't photograph Tuesday's dinner, though I perhaps should have. A tasty green pea and eggplant curry with some brown rice and a bit of a slaw on the side. It made for good lunch leftovers. Yesterday made it two vegan dinners in a row (and two slaws, though last night's was a little less sweet and featured a bit of radish). On an evening when the weather was cooling off and when Conrad was home with something like a cold coming on, a stewlike thing seemed best. Chili, then. Three beans (black, pinto, kidney), a generous amount of garlic, and chipotle (powdered and whole) to add a bit of smoky kick. Nothing too hot, mind you. Bowls of this made for a comforting dinner.


I turned to fowl tonight. Not a bad result, though not as good as I might like. Here's something you won't hear me say often: I liked how the mushrooms turned out. I tossed some halved trumpet mushrooms with olive oil and a few seasonings, then put them in a hot oven long enough that they got a bit crisp on the cut side. They were a nice side for the oven-braised chicken thighs along with some red chard (yes, the chard-love continues!) and some kabocha squash that I let scorch while trying to get some caramelization on it. Bad Peter, bad.



Ah well. We aren't hungry here tonight. Perhaps some fish tomorrow, I'm not sure. The approach of autumn means some other fun vegetables to start working with...