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This evening, I made Chicken Chimichurri Burgers with Exotic Chips, which at least had the good fortune of being very easy and quick to prepare- assuming you’re following this recipe book in chronological order, and thus have a tub of chimichurri sitting in the fridge. As a quick recap, the chimichurri is an onion/ herb/ vinegar concoction that we had on steak yesterday- and thought was quite vile. So today, it was at least mixed into the ground poultry, where it worked as a variety of seasonings, rather than just crazy strong flavours sitting on top of something that was otherwise quite tasty. Some of it was mixed with shredded cabbage and sliced red pepper, to make a slaw. We both scraped that back off the burgers pretty quickly. We are just not loving the chimichurri. The burgers were assembled with sliced pickles, tomatoes, the slaw and topped with mustard smeared on the bun top. A side dish came courtesy of a bag of Terra exotic vegetable chips; at least they are always good.

This meal was adequate, in a totally average sense. It may have happened that ketchup and cheese were added to the burger, post-tasting, in an attempt to brighten up an otherwise very dull meal. There’s not much more to be said- another day, another burger. This was one of those days were the burger feels very much like it is made of tasteless white meat; where the flavours don’t transcend the ingredients. I think it would be interesting to put graphs on this site, so we can see how much chicken we’ve eaten, and consider the ratio of burgers to curries. I need to look into software to do that- if anyone knows an easy graph-drawing tool, for the Mac, please leave a comment.

Tomorrow, more chicken, tenders I believe, for Spring Chicken with Leeks and Peas Served with Lemon Rice. At least it sounds like something we can feed Baby A without brainwashing her into thinking that we eat burgers and chips every night. The following day is a variation on the recipe I think, with Chicken and Rice Stoup. I’m hoping it’s the exact same recipe but with chicken stock added. That would almost be like a night off.

This evening, after wrestling a stupidly overtired toddler to bed, L and I made Boneless Rib-Eye Steaks with Killa’ Chimichurri and Mushrooms with Smoky Chipotle and Wilted Spinach [recipe]. The steaks were good, the mushrooms and spinach mixture was good, but the chimichurri was just not a hit in this house. It’s supposed to be piled on top of the steak, which was placed on a toasted piece of crusty bread. The flavours in the chimichurri overpowered everything else on the plate. The sage, oregano, thyme, parsley, onion, garlic, lemon zest, red wine vinegar, olive oil and water mixture was extremely pungent, and neither of us got past the first taste. It seemed a little odd, although not unpleasant, to put the steak on the bread; the toast was a bit superfluous but came in handy to mop up the juices. The red onion, mushroom, spinach, chipotle mixture was the highpoint of the meal, one which we’d certainly consider cooking again.

Tomorrow we will be making Chicken Chimichurri Burgers with Exotic Chips. We’re ecstatic that we have a chance to try chimichurri in a different context to see if we like it on chicken burgers. Who knows, maybe it will be a fitting end to the fourth month of the year. This week marks a third of the way through this project; we can’t give up now. We just have to work out how exactly we’re going to keep going through the first few weeks of Baby #2’s life.

This evening, L and I made Peasant Soup which is a hearty vegetable soup with chopped ham steak. It’s ridiculously easy to make; as you chop onion, shallot, ham steak, leek, carrot, garlic and celery, you throw them in a pan with some olive oil. Hefty chunks of cabbage are added, salt and sugar is thrown on top, and a couple of cups of water provide the liquid for the cabbage to be steamed. 15 minutes later, come back to the pan, add chicken stock and white kidney beans, simmer, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

We did have plans for friends to come over this evening, but that was cancelled for various reasons. While this isn’t the worst meal in the world, serving it to guests is almost on a par with serving hot dog salad, except without the novelty value. The institutional aroma has permeated our entire condo. Our next door neighbour is having a party this evening- I hope the smell of long-boiled cabbage which is certainly wafting down the stairwell, doesn’t put anyone off. The soup tastes very much like Eastern European pub-fare. Whilst this is apparently a French recipe, the original is cooked for 4 hours, which must result in a richer, more complex soup. At the very least, the ham must be from a shank rather than a pre-cooked slice in vacuum-sealed packaging. It is advised that this soup is served with a Bordeaux wine, and that the last few slurps of the soup are knocked back with a mouthful of wine. If we’d have had friends we would probably have done this, but L and I are still so wiped out from our trip that even looking at wine would send us to sleep. I’d imagine the wine would help the flavour of the soup considerably. A splash of wine in the soup would also help; the fact that this is herb-free, and only seasoned with salt and pepper, lends an unfortunate school-dinner type quality to the meal.

On a cold winter day (rather than our far-too-hot-already-and it’s-only-April day), this would warm the cockles of your heart. I’m not sure that I would actively seek out the recipe for this soup to cook it again, as there are so many soups which smell delicious as they cook, but this wouldn’t be disappointing, particularly if you cooked it outside. Tomorrow we are making Boneless Rib-Eye Steaks with Killa’ Chimichurri and Mushrooms with Smoky Chipotle and Wilted Spinach, which sounds like considerably more work than this evening’s meal. Let’s hope it smells better.

After a long day travelling back from DC, running on about four hours sleep, L and I made Big Beef Burger Stack-Ups with Mushroom, Peppers, and Onions. After eating I crashed out on the sofa. L just woke me up, ostensibly to remind me to write this entry, but realistically to stop me snoring while he watches TV. Welcome home, and welcome back to the project. The burgers are good tasty fare; minced beef mixed with onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, sage, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and olive oil. Served on a garlicked bun, the beef is topped with a slice of gouda and fried mushrooms, peppers and onions. Chips and salad made up the meal.

L really enjoyed the meal, I enjoyed what I ate of it. After an unwelcome resurgence of my morning sickness today (great timing, what with the taxi ride and the two plane trips) I didn’t feel too much like a big burger. But if you wanted a burger, this one is good. It tastes much more “meaty” than the previous turkey version, which is no great surprise, but they are equally satisfying. Different, but good. This burger tastes reasonably traditional, with a little kick provided by the crushed red pepper flakes and an unusual note provided by the sage. The toppings are tasty and worth the effort.

Tomorrow night is the Peasant Soup, which sounds good if seasonably inappropriate. It is made with a ham steak, which is the first time that we have ever bought one. It’ll be interesting to see how it tastes; it’s a variation on a restaurant recipe from Bordeaux, where the soup cooks for 3 hours or so; it’s a 30 minute challenge.

On Wednesday afternoon, I cooked up Cacciatore Burgers for me, myself and I. If I lived by myself I’d probably never cook anything more elaborate than beans on toast, jacket potatoes or pasta pesto. I honestly don’t think that I have ever cooked something that took 45 minutes, just for me. With the obvious exception of baked goods. I have certainly slaved over cakes and muffins and the like.

Anyway, this burger is called a Cacciatore burger which, the internet tells me, implies that there should be mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, various herbs and perhaps wine included, in the ‘hunter-style’. What this burger is, is a tasty turkey burger (chicken could also have been used) with onion, garlic, basil, parsley, parmigianno, red pepper flakes and Worcestershire sauce mixed in. It is topped with a slice of Provolone, with sliced onions, peppers, portobello mushrooms and hot peppers piled on top. The bread bun is supposed to be toasted under the broiler, and topped with garlic butter. The burger is served alongside a salad of baby greens, and some “fancy chips” of your choice. I chose pita chips, which was decided on the scientific basis of what we had kicking around the cupboard.

This burger is extremely tasty, and quite classy for a burger. It certainly transcends the fact that it is made from ground turkey. I actually thoroughly enjoyed it, despite being only half interested in eating it. This is the master recipe; on Friday when we get back from Washington DC, we will be cooking the variation, Big Beef Burger Stack-Ups with Mushroom, Peppers, and Onions. Given that this was so good made with turkey, it’ll be interesting to see how it compares when made with beef.

This evening we made Jambalaya Burgers and Cajun Corn and Red Beans, which was a bit convoluted, but well worth it. The burger was made with ground turkey, celery, onion, garlic, hot sauce, green peppers and thyme. Fried in olive oil for around 5 minutes per side, we ended up zapping it in the microwave for good measure. The burgers in this recipe book are absolutely enormous and I have yet to master the art of cooking them through before they burn. Topping the burger was lettuce, tomato, and a butterflied shrimp cooked in Old Bay Seasoning. The shrimp is the only part of this meal that seems superfluous. I took mine out to eat it separately, as it is one expensive little piece of protein; it seemed a shame for it to be lost in the general burger-ness. We made a chilli sauce- mustard- mayonnaise- celery concoction to spread on the buns, which I initially thought sounded pretty grim, but actually worked reasonably well as a tangy crunchy sauce.

The burger was served with the corn and red bean side dish. This is about as easy as they come; garlic, onion and frozen corn were stir-fried for a while, then scallions and red beans were added. I inadvertently added the chopped celery intended for the mayonnaise, which was not a bad addition, but was uncalled for. Some chilli sauce was stirred in to the pot, and the dish was done. Easy peasy. Tasty and nutritious. Beans, beans, are good for your heart, the more you eat, the more you

Anyway, moving on, this was a little higher on the effort scale than called for this evening, as we have buckets of packing and sorting and clearing to do before our trip tomorrow. I have an epic essay of instructions to write for our friend who is looking after Baby A for the night. For an 18 month old, Baby A talks alot, and has reasonably sophisticated language skills, or so we’re told. But she used to say “raisins”, when she wanted her favourite snack, but they are now called “ninnies” for whatever reason. I’ve just stuck a post-it note to the tub of raisins which says “ninnies” for informational purposes; how weird it is to have a kid.

Tomorrow’s meal is another featuring ground turkey, Cacciatore Burgers, followed by a beef variation, Big Beef Burger Stack-Ups with Mushroom, Peppers, and Onions. We’ll be all burgered out by the time the weekend rolls round. On Saturday, temperatures are supposed to hit the eighties, and we’ll be settling down to a nice hot bowl of Peasant Soup.

This evening, L and I ate Thai Chicken, Pork, or Shrimp with Basil, well we specifically ate Thai Shrimp with Basil. This is a variation on the meal we ate yesterday, substituting the chicken for shrimp, and adding red peppers and basil. Again, it is super easy, simple and quick and yields a tasty meal. I added more red pepper flakes today so that there was a wee bit more of a kick to the dish. The peppers added a welcome blast of colour, and the torn basil leaves, added just as the skillet was taken off the heat, contributed an unusual and substantial flavour. It’s refreshing to use basil in a stir fry, rather than purely as a complement to tomato. This dish was highly successful, with the exception of one thing; lettuce. Served on a bed of lettuce, we again felt starved of rice or noodles. It looked great, but I could certainly eat again only an hour later.

Tomorrow we will be having Jambalaya Burgers and Cajun Corn and Red Beans, and also cooking Thursday’s dish in advance; Cacciatore Burgers. Two different turkey burgers in one day. Good thing we’re going to have a day off.

Yesterday when we served our Indian vegetables over a pile of salad, we had a lengthy-ish discussion about the practice of serving a main dish over cold greens. We agreed that it was visually appealing in a Chinese restaurant, for example, for the main course to be served on a pile of lettuce. It looks good, you might pick at the lettuce a bit for some light refreshment, but you would normally actually eat the dish over rice or noodles. This evening we made Ginger-Soy Chicken on Shredded Lettuce which Rachael Ray describes as a “low-carb-lover’s delight”; a meal so healthy you should have two servings. And you probably would, because otherwise you’d be starving. I have an issue with the idea of “low-carb-lover’s”, is there such a thing? People who really love to abstain from bread and pasta and rice and all things good? The few times I have tried to cut down on carbs, for vanity reasons obviously, I have gone insane thinking about solid foodstuffs, while nibbling on meat and cheese and some carrot sticks. Where are the crackers? The potatoes? The bananas? It’s conceivable that other people may find high protein diets easier than this possibly, but surely nobody loves them, do they?

So the chicken tonight was fine, it was chicken. The tamari-honey glaze was nice enough, there was some red pepper flakes in there too with some ginger and garlic. Add the scallions and of course the ubiquitous chicken, and you have a very simple, pretty quick, stir fried dinner. And how much easier do side dishes get than chopping up some lettuce and bunging it on a plate? This meal is certainly fast. Unfortunately, what it gains in speed, it loses in satisfaction guarantees. We both ate it and thought, hmm, now what? Now what, indeed. This would have been pretty good with some spicy peanut noodles, and it wouldn’t have taken much longer. Even rice would be ok, although fried rice would probably be best as the chicken is a little on the bland side.

Tomorrow we get to make Thai Chicken, Pork, or Shrimp with Basil which sounds reasonable. Unless that is we are making the Thai-style protein of our choice on a bed of basil. Then we might be a little upset. Please let their be starch involved. L and I work independently, but we also collaborate to work together. On Thursday we have to go to Washington DC on a flying visit (literally- we’ll be there for 16 hours), and we’re leaving Baby A behind overnight for the first time ever. I never thought that we would be the kind of parents who had never had a night away from the baby in over 18 months, but that’s the way it has turned out. As our families are in Europe, we don’t have the option of taking her to the Grandparent’s house and having some adult time. We feel pretty guilty asking a friend to look after the baby overnight, as it’s such an enormous favour to ask, but having a toddler with us just won’t be practical under the circumstances. Although I have to say I miss Baby A already, just thinking about going. The friend is the same person we have lined up to be our guest cook, should we not be able to cook or post for some reason. Asking her to babysit and cook our dinner is too much like giving her some uncalled for life-swap, so we are going to cook Thursday’s meal before we go; for lunch on Wednesday most probably. That means that we will have two different burgers on the same day. We better get the chance to go out for dinner in DC, because when we get back Friday, we’ll be cooking the third burger of the week. Who says variety is the spice of life?

This evening, after a very, very long day (Oh Baby A, why must you wake up at 6am on a Sunday? Why?) we threw together Indian Spiced Vegetables. This is essentially a hearty mix of potato, cauliflower, onion, garlic, chick peas and frozen peas, seasoned with turmeric, cinnamon, curry powder, cumin seeds and ground coriander, with some chicken stock. This dish is easy, quick and remarkably tasty. But it did seem to be more of a side dish than a main course. To counteract that assumption, Rachael Ray specifies that the vegetables should be served over a salad of lettuce, almonds, radishes, parsley and mint, dressed in lemon juice and oil. There are things that work on top of salad- grilled chicken springs to mind, but almost any grilled protein would be good- hot potatoes and peas are not necessarily one of those winning combinations.

Which is not to say that this meal is not good- we actually enjoyed it very much, but there seemed to be a distinct side dish surplus going on. Which is interesting in as much as yesterday we had a side-dish drought. It was, however, extremely refreshing to have a meat-free meal that wasn’t ridiculously cheesey or creamy or just hefty. This is somehow both substantial and light at the same time. Aside from the fact that the vegetables are cooked in butter and vegetable oil, this meal must be reasonably diet-friendly, at least when compared to everything else that we have eaten this year. I would definitely make this again, although I would serve it over rice, or as a side dish for a nice piece of lamb or something.

Looking ahead to tomorrow, we might well be getting through our salad allocation for the week with Ginger-Soy Chicken on Shredded Lettuce. And the following day, wonder of wonders, we get to choose our own protein with Thai Chicken, Pork, or Shrimp with Basil. It’s like one of those Choose Your Own Adventure Books, except presumably option three doesn’t conclude with a gruesome end for the adventurer. Well at least we hope not. After all that excitement it seems fitting that we should have three days of burgers. Also we presumably need to offset the effect of the vegetarian meal of tonight by getting back in the swing of eating our way through the spoils of the meat industry.

I think I may have mentioned that as a general rule, we don’t look too far ahead with this project, for fear of being completely overwhelmed and abandoning ship. Usually I make a shopping list on Sunday night while vaguely taking note of what we are going to be eating for the week. I rarely read the recipes in advance, so each day has a bit of a learning curve.

This evening, we started making Pork Chops with Grainy Mustard and Raisin Sauce by soaking the raisins in a simmering mixture of chicken stock and white wine. The 1 1/2″ thick pork chops were seasoned with salt, pepper and paprika, seared on each side for a couple of minutes and then put in the oven to continue the cooking process. This was supposed to take 8-10 minutes at a temperature of 375?F. Meanwhile, we started to make the sauce by sautéing the onions and thyme in olive oil. The raisin-wine-stock mixture was added to the skillet once the onions became translucent, supplemented with some heavy cream and Dijon mustard. At this point we turned our attention to the side dish. What would we be eating with the meat and sauce? Apparently nothing. There is no mention of anything that you should make or acquire to accompany the pork. Normally if there is no recipe included for a side dish, Rachael Ray says to serve with a salad, or vegetables, or bread or whatever, but not today. Previously we had thought that if nothing was specified, then nothing would be exactly what we would make, but this dish seemed to be heading for the insanely rich category, so we broke our old rule.

At this point we had maybe 3 minutes until the pork and sauce were due to be ready, so we threw together some spinach and mini-gnocchi. Ideally, we both thought potatoes would be good- either boiled or roasted or pan fried, and with some asparagus it would be perfect. In the time we had, quick-cook starch was the way to go. We needn’t have been so concerned about time however, as a quick check of the pork revealed that we may aswell have been attempting to cook it in lukewarm water. We ended up nuking it in the microwave for a few minutes rather than eat at midnight. 1 1/2″ thick pork is a pretty hefty slab of meat to cook in a low oven for 10 minutes (and our oven is supremely efficient so that wasn’t the issue). It does make you wonder if anyone actually tried cooking the recipes in this book.

Anyway, eventually we ended up with cooked meat, and the sauce, and even a gratuitous side dish. I sort of opted out on eating it, but L enjoyed it. The pork was very succulent, and the sauce was rich and complex in flavour, with the raisins lending a slightly exotic hint of Christmas past. Overall, a success, but without a side dish this would have been just too much. Too much meat. Too unbalanced. Too low-carb. Just plain wrong.

So, in my ridiculously tired and late posting yesterday, I promised that I would recap the splendour of the hot dog salad. To set it into context I should mention that our friends specifically chose to come round last night to eat this glorious culinary delight. Well originally they chose to come over for balsamic-glazed swordfish, but we cancelled due to my ridiculous level of morning sickness at the time. I’m sure that the hot dog salad sounded just as classy and appealing and restaurant-quality as the swordfish. It was certainly cheaper. Anyway, we all took up residence in the kitchen and I threw together the salad while we chatted and had drinks. The dressing was made with yellow mustard, sugar, vinegar and salt and pepper. The greens consisted of shredded cabbage from a bag, Romaine hearts, red onion, chopped pickles and tomatoes. The hot dogs were chopped into inch long pieces and browned at the ends in the skillet (with some added fat, for good measure). The dogs sat on top of the salad, ta-dah; Chicago Dog Salad. The general reaction was that the food was not half as bad as it sounded, and that in fact it was reasonably good, well ok at least. Everyone ate a plateful, with one exception. That would be me, the only person who was drinking apple juice rather than gin or beer. I think that may be an important distinction- with a few beers this apparently tasted ok; either like a dish at a Midwestern pot luck or something served in a German Bierstube. Sober, this tasted like sweet acrid cabbage with chunks of hot dogs on the top. Och well, at least we had good ice cream to follow. (I abandoned my elaborate plans to have a Rachael Ray dog salad -vs- Nigella Lawson chocolate cake smackdown, shortly after spending the day entertaining Baby A).

Moving on, tomorrow we will be making Indian Spiced Vegetables, a rare vegetarian dish, our first Indian-inspired meal of the year, and a recipient of the extra annoying acronym MYOTO. That would be Make Your Own Take Out, for the uninitiated.