I find some things take less time, especially when roasting with convection (as in vegetables, etc.), and some but not all baked goods do, presumably because of the smaller volume and closeness of the elements, so I always make sure to start checking early. I don’t lower the heat for baked goods generally, but I do when roasting things that typically call for extra-high heat. My best advice is to just keep an eye on things.
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Very helpful, and goes with my intuition- thank you!
I find that the countertop ones (I have a Breville) preheat much faster. When I’m making something like roasted veggies where time needed to cook can fluctuate in the big oven I stick the pan in when pre-heating
The other thing is to not overcrowd the countertop oven so you get good airflow inside. while I “can” fit a 9x13 in mine, it gets weird hot spots and not good results
Sorry about the big oven but here’s to science!
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Mine is a Breville, also. Very useful to learn of possible issues with a 9” x 13” pan - thank you!
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Agree with Caitlin.
I also suggest an oven thermometer to calibrate — turned out my (new) countertop oven ran 50 degrees lower on regular but to temp on convection. Go figure.
Sometimes I’ll turn a tray around to even out my hot spots.
But in general, it’s fantastic not to have to turn on the big one.
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My conventional oven runs slow - the counter-top is decidedly hotter.
We are now winding up another glorious week in Ottawa. It has been sunny and warm for most of the last couple of weeks although it did rain for a bit on Tuesday morning. The weather has been so nice otherwise, I can’t complain. I’ve been going for long lunchtime walks everyday to take in the sunshine while I can. I went to a jazz concert on Wednesday night to see a new-to-me jazz band and I thoroughly enjoyed it. They played a lot of jazz standards and the lead singer’s voice was as smooth as silk. Definitely worth watching for them again. And last night I went to a double feature with the film society I’m in. The first film was about two girls who are raised in an evangelical Christian commune and they succeed in running away. The culture shock they go through when integrating with society was eye opening. The second film was about Bernadette Chirac (wife of former French president Jacques Chirac) and it took a light hearted view of what life was like for her as First Lady. All I will say is that I like life away from the spotlight 
Onto my menus for this week:
Today: My take out lunch today was a vegetarian curry from a Korean grocery store - a little further walk than the one I usually go to but their lunch menu is more varied. I got my first bad meal from them - it was basically green curry sauce with two little chunks of potatoes and very little heat. At least the rice was good… Oh well I will know what not to get next time. Dinner tonight will be a corn tomato, avocado salad.
Saturday: I will probably stay at home today to do some chores around the house. Dinner will be shrimp in garlic sauce with rice and salad.
Sunday: No firm plans yet but I’m hoping to tie in a gallery visit. I haven’t decided which gallery yet since we are lucky to have a few within walking distance from my apartment. I will probably look up their programming over the weekend to see what’s on then make a decision from there. Dinner tonight will be a vegetarian stuffed squash.
Monday: Aloo gobi that got bumped from last week. It looks like the recipe makes a small portion and I didn’t notice until dinnertime I’m not very quick at thinking on my feet so I had fettucine al pesto and a salad for dinner and try again this week to have the aloo gobi for dinner and accompanied by a dal.
Tuesday: Out for a movie then drinks with one of my meetup groups. We are going to see a film called Eno, about producer/musician Brian Eno then out for drinks after to discuss the movie. I will probably have a quick bite to eat on the way to the movie theatre.
Wednesday: Campanelle pasta with corn, tomato and basil although I will probably use cavatapi as the pasta since that’s what I have.
Thursday: Another film screening, this time seeing an international film (The Promised Land).
Have a nice week everyone.
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My countertop itself runs off-temp at certain settings vs others lol
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Hi, all! Cooking for 2 in Chattanooga, where the sun is out again–what a difference a week makes! I was working at a café today and witnessed the generosity of the community as they gathered donated supplies to take out to Asheville. As I was shopping today, it occurred to me that my theme for the week is “eat your greens”. I’m sure DH will be thrilled, haha.
Breakfast: Pumpkin spice granola, tis the season
Saturday, October 5: Salade Niçoise, crusty bread, pastels de nata. I’m also baking bread for church and making a lot of “Pride Krispie treats”
Sunday: TBD: I’m busy during the day and DH has a candidate dinner. Still hoping to make this bok choy stir-fry; we’ll see.
Monday: Pasta alla vodka with broccoli and peas from Family
Tuesday: Scrounge or Sunday’s stir-fry
Wednesday: The cabbage with kielbasa and croutons from Smitten Kitchen Keepers
Thursday: TBD
Friday: Off to St. Louis for a long weekend with colleagues from many years ago. I’m signed up to make a spinach quiche and a blueberry coffee cake. (Has anyone made this Smitten Kitchen quiche? It doesn’t seem to me as if a quarter sheet pan is enough for a main dish for 12 people; thoughts?)
Hope everyone has a good week. Happy cooking!
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Your life and menus sound wonderful! What was the movie about the evangelical commune girls who escape?
It was a French Canadian movie called “Sur la terre comme au ciel”. (In English that would be “On earth as in heaven”.) The film society that I am a member of has two series: an international series and a French series. I subscribe to both - the international series because I like international films and the French series because I have to be bilingual for my job so I am trying to keep my French up. As far as I know the movie about the evangelical commune girls who escape is only in French but I hope they make a subtitled version since I think it would have a wide reaching audience. As I mentioned, the girls - especially the younger of the two - had a hard time adjusting to the outside world (there are no mirrors at the commune so she had never seen a reflection of herself until she stayed at her aunt’s place which has mirrors), she had never heard of cell phones, etc. We periodically hear about cults and what they do to people so I think it would resonate with a lot of us. Quite a few French Canadian films seem to get dubbed or subtitled eventually since there is a limited audience for French films in North America (unless it gets a lot of exposure in Europe which is not likely).
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Last week was wild and very little of the menu plans came to fruition. Here’s to hoping for a smoother week ahead, for all of us!
For two adults in San Diego:
Breakfasts: Chocolate chip scones
S (tonight): Takeout - pizza (pepperoni and spinach for him, bbq chicken for me)
Su: Red sauce with ground beef and spinach, cheesy garlic bread to dip.
M: Cheeseburger soup (potatoes, ground beef, veggies, cheese, stock) - soup
T: TJ’s spinach tortellini, peas, garlic cream sauce, ham or bacon
W: Eggs scrambled with spinach and cheese, hash browns - vegetarian
R: https://joythebaker.com/2022/04/easy-ham-and-cheese-croissants/, with salad
F: Shrimp tacos - seafood
Have a good week!
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Hi everyone! LLD came home from his bike trip (yay!) sick with covid (boo!). We only spent about 10 minutes together the night he got home (Wednesday) and have a complicated but hopefully healthy system worked out, with me dropping meals off outside the bathroom/bedroom that he’s staying in, and both masking anywhere else in the house besides the rooms we are sleeping in. Especially important since I am supposed to be flying out tomorrow morning to meet my oldest girlfriend in Chicago. So far, so good. Here is what I, and then we, ate:
Mon: leftover smoky beans and cauliflower with aioli
Tues: took myself out for sushi
Wed: sardine toasts with tomato and sweet onion
Thurs: ordered in pizza
Fri: SK’s wonton soup with baby bok choy
Sat: chile crisp fettuccine alfredo with spinach and mushrooms
Sun: finishing off the leftover pizza
Hope everyone is well, and has a wonderful week!
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I hope LLD recovers quickly and that you are able to get out tomorrow morning for a wonderful visit in Chicago.
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Settled in but still a bit under the weather and more tired than I’d like to be.
Ate out more than I planned to last week, and then went off-plan due to a Chinatown visit, so I’ll roll forward much of last week’s plan.
Actuals:
— Butter and herb roasted salmon from COTM NYT – easy and delicious, repeated twice.
— Soy sauce chicken and pork char siu I picked up in Flushing
— Mushroom chow fun to use up fresh rice noodles which were a Flushing shopping temptation – tried the NYT COTM version for this too
— Mujadara / lentils & rice with caramelized onions – I had soaked the lentils and rice before I realized I had to use or lose the rice noodles, so this stocked the fridge (and very nicely).
— Dal, rice, potato sabzi from a temple in Queens plus salmon as above
— Disappointing dinner out – twice.
Ideas for the coming week:
— Curry chicken noodle soup with potatoes and fat noodles + sauteed snow pea leaves
— Kheema for Shepherds Pie and Kheema Macaroni
— Japanese salmon & mushroom rice / Takikomi Gohan + snow pea salad
— Fish chowder for DOTQ, maybe this one from COTM NYT using a suggestion from comments to add lemongrass and coconut milk
— Pork and cabbage braised with Naga chillies + rice
Will probably bake something for my first college care package to my nephew – either ccc or brownies. Or maybe no-bake nutella balls if there are dates and hazelnuts in stock at TJs or Costco.
Wish you all a wonderful week!
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Covid is turning into the gift that keeps on giving isn’t it. Yikes! Vaccine clinics are back offering $5 off your next grocery bill. I already got my fall jab and keep a mask handy but haven’t actually used it.
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I still mask everywhere. I haven’t been inside a space other than my home without a mask since Feb.
The current strain causes a lot more sniffles than previous strains.
It also is not being picked up by many rapid tests. My dietician came home very sick after a family trip to Ireland. She tested neg 3 times. When she saw her doctor, she doctor said it sounded like COVID. She has been sick for 2 weeks.
I skipped coffee with a friend yesterday because he has had the sniffles since Friday.
If you or your loved ones become sick, please take it easy. The best way to avoid long COVID seems to be by allowing your body to rest, and not getting back into exercising or running around quickly.
…
Last night, I roasted homegrown kabocha squash, bratwurst that has defrosted on my 3 h drive from Toronto, chicken thighs, and leftover stewed potatoes from Friday. Quick canned pinto beans cooked with Rotel tomatoes, cumin and oregano, which will be a side for 3 days. Boiled corn on the cob for the DCs.
Roasted apples and plums I made Friday, for dessert for one DC.
(I’m trying to cut our sweets in my own diet while keeping them around for the DCs. I did okay until 9 pm then fell off the wagon, eating 4 french sablés and a chocolate, then some marzipan Ritter Sport then oeba)
Tonight, I’m making my first brisket. Probably sweet and sour. Not sure about sides.
Likely Tuna Cakes on Tuesday.
Wed, probably pasta. Maybe a lasagna or baked ziti for a change.
It’s starting to feel like fall here.
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Chile crisp fettuccini Alfredo sounds interesting. Any recipe suggestions or did you just magically throw it together? Happy travels to Chicago!
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Still cogitating a bit but a general outline
Mon: Fish tacos that didn’t get made last week
Tues: Oyakodon & something eggplant
Weds: Mediterranean stuff: falafel, zucchini fritters, hummus, pita, etc.
Thurs: My grandmother’s unearthed German goulash with noodles
Fri: Pizza night
Sat: Depends on what looks good at the farmers market
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LLM posted about it on the NY Times COTM thread; here’s the recipe.
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