Made instant spinach dhokla / a savory steamed cake to start – cream of wheat, spinach, various flavorings (ginger, garlic, green chilli, spices), yogurt. Experiment turned out very nicely: tangy, spicy, soft.
Finished yesterday’s pot roast with potatoes cut into steak fries, and ate it for dinner with a flour tortilla charred stovetop. Comfort is the ticket right now.
And the rest of the double dark chocolate gelato later.
Swooning over that tart. What a great way to use delicata squash.
Last time I cooked was Sunday’s pork loin. I’ve been eating down the loin since then, because I’ve not been much interested in eating for these past couple of days (although I do get mildly hungry by dinnertime) much less spending any diminishing brain power trying to think of something to cook.
So I’ve made sandwiches of thin slices of cold pork loin on very lightly toasted Pepperidge Farm (soft) Sourdough bread, the toast smeared with fig preserves Tuesday night, honey-mustard last night, with thin slices of Piave cheese because I have to use it up, and curly leaf lettuce. Nothing amazing; no pictures. Just something to feed me.
I have about a 2" thick piece of the pork loin left; if I’m in a mood tonight, I’ll make a stir-fry with carrots and red bell peppers and put it over rice.
But that’s a big IF.
About a week ago, I’d made a rez at a cute lil BYOB for last night — thinking it might either be a celebratory or a consolatory meal. Having spent the better part of the day brushing the cat, weeping, and staring at the wall, I wasn’t sure whether it might not be best to cancel.
My PIC insisted we get out of the house just to ‘air out,’ and I’m so grateful that he did.
The place is tiny, with just a few bar seats and maybe 6-8 tables. We brought a Falanghina to start with
and a bottle of Zoe rosé, a lovely Greek blend of Moschofilero and Agiorgitiko.
We shared the endive salad with anchovy, buttermilk & comté — a luscious riff on a Caesar with frisée, radicchio and endive,
the tortellini with eggplant and tomato, which came — unexpectedly, I might add, en brodo (a lovely, clear tomato broth) — and which were perfect: silky pasta with a wonderfully flavorful filling,
the potato, leek & ricotta salata that was so much more than the sum of its parts
(the pic does not do the dish justice), and finally, the strip steak with Jimmy Nardello peppers and cipollini onion. The peppers were sweet and the perfect foil for the steak.
We might’ve enjoyed the steak more if it had been closer to MR than medium, but it was tender and juicy. We also ordered the perfect amount of food, even though the server had recommended 5-6 dishes. Uh, nope.
My PIC decided to bring dessert home, a lovely light chocolate cake with caramel and peanuts.
Cheese course was a few chonks of Stilton.
A brief respite from the madness.
Finally purchased skillet gnocchi from the supermarket after seeing other folks mention it over time. Satisfying with spigarello greens from our CSA share, slivers of prosciutto and hot pepper, garlic, and finished with a pan sauce of olive oil, butter, and water. A squeeze of lemon and Parmesan on top.
Skillet gnocchi has now been added to our rotation.
They’re tasty, aren’t they? 
Surprisingly so. I had purchased supermarket as well as handmade gnocchi in the past, and mostly found them to be overly heavy, gluey in texture, or both.
Also I had the chance to prepare gnocchi from scratch for the first time recently in a cooking class. I must admit the skillet gnocchi product (Rana brand) compared favorably.
I think it’s easier to make light ricotta gnudi, than light potato gnocchi. Potato gnocchi are an art, for sure.
Interesting. Hmmm, might be a good project for the colder days ahead.
Quick Question… Can I put green bell peppers in a stew??
I’m planning on making a potato, onion, tomato and bratwurst stew on Friday. Today, I found three nice green bell peppers on clearance at my local grocery store. Sunshine LOVES bell peppers. I was just wondering if I could chop them up and add them to this stew or will that make it a hot mess.
I don’t see how it would? If you like the flavor (and I find peppers work well with brats), go for it. Dice or slice. Sunshine will be ecstatic 
Agree. I do not love green bell peppers but I often put poblanos in soups. Bell peppers will hold up well though.
Hold them for the last 30 minutes of cook time so that they do not turn into slimy mush.
Agree. I made the ricotta ones this summer at a cooking class for the first time and then several times since. Easy and delicious.
I think it would be a great addition. Agree with Christina to add them towards the last half of the cooking time (depending on the length of time).
I’m using my slow cooker, so maybe the last hour or so??
Depends on how low it runs (I have no experience with a slow-cooker, as I don’t own one), and what kind of texture you prefer with your peppers. Some folks like them very soft & tender, others like a hint of crispness.
It really comes down to yours and sunshine’s personal preferences.
Yup, that would do it for me. I like them to have a slight bit of a bite, but not raw. It depends on how you and Sunshine prefer them and how you think it’ll work with the stew. Stewed things are often softer, so maybe a bit more time? But again - depends on your preferences.
Can we try this again, but now in harmony?
Ummm, girl? I do NOT have a singing voice - even the boyz look at me askance when I belt out a tune in the privacy of my home. Can you do both melody and harmony, and I’ll clap my hands in time to the beat? 
