Menu plan? What menu plan?

Well, we DID make a menu plan - then it all went to worms as we shoved all the planned meals to one side and went for takeaway.

Firstly, on Tuesday, son & heir was invited to stay at his friend's for tea so there didn't seem to be a lot of point in making what was a three person meal (I'd bought the fish already, you see) for the two of us.  So hubby had a kebab and I had some chicken.

Canton Restaurant, Poole

Then, on Wednesday, I was driving back from a local shopping trip when I found myself yearning for a Chinese takeaway.  So intense was this yearning (they happen often, but I can ordinarily ignore it) that it wasn't going to be ignored.  I mentioned it to the family and everyone seemed keen - so that was what happened.  I shared some Spare Ribs with son & heir, a Canton Special Fried Rice and a Hot & Spicy Special Chow Mein with hubby and had a Duck with bamboo shoots, water chestnuts & cashews all for myself.  It was totally lush.  I've got the leftovers for lunch today, too.  ~glee~

So, as a result, we'll ignore Tuesday and Wednesday and - where the menu plan is concerned - pretend they never happened.

Here's what's on the plan for the rest of the week :

Thurs : Smoked mackerel, mediterranean potato salad and a tomato salad

Fri : Roast vegetable & bacon pasta

Sat : BBQ Pork chops with roast vegetable giant couscous

Sun : Stromboli and rice salad

Mon : Sausage & mozzarella bake with garlic bread.

The two meals that have been swerved this week were to have been Chilli Dogs with hash browns & coleslaw, plus a Beef Curry.  I'll just move them on to next week as we hadn't shopped for them yet anyway.

The two roast vegetable meals were, initially, separated by a day.  Because of having to swap the meals around a bit, they've come together which isn't the best plan - but hopefully they'll be sufficiently different in character that we don't feel over-roast vegetabled!

Oy! Put that out!

Looking at the way the rain is currently falling semi-horizontally from the sky, I think we might have been able to just reach outside the front door and catch a couple of mackerel!  As it is, we've already bought our mackerel and dinner tonight is a simple matter of putting together the Mediterranean potato salad.  It is a warm salad, involving tinned cherry tomatoes, roasted red peppers, black olives and new potatoes which sounded a pleasant change from the mayonnaise type of potato salad.

We've gone particularly Mediterranean this week.  Maybe it's because we know it's the closest we'll get to the Mediterranean, as there's no chance of affording a holiday there and even if we could, if I could get there (which is unlikely) I wouldn't be able to do anything as I can't walk around.  I don't qualify for a wheelchair from the NHS and can't afford to buy one, so we'll just have to eat holiday-style instead.

The roast vegetable and bacon pasta is really a simple matter of roasting some aubergine, red onion, courgette and tomato with garlic, grilling some bacon and combining the whole lot with some pasta, basil leaves and parmesan.

Son & heir has a friend coming over for the day that day, so it seemed a good dish to put before teenagers - having bacon and cheese - so long as they don't object too strongly to the aubergine and courgette!

I've been aware of giant couscous (Moghrabieh) for a while - since I bought my two Ottolenghi cook books which feature it in a couple of recipes.  I found some in our local Asda (amazingly) some while ago and have had a lttle play with it, but this is really the first  "proper" go with it.

Moghrabieh served with mixed veggies

This instalment of roast vegetables won't include the aubergine, but will include red pepper and will have a dressing of lemon, olive oil and fresh chopped mint.  I think it will be fresh and a lovely pairing with the BBQ (Mic's Chilli "El Loco" BBQ Sauce again!) pork chops.  You never know, if the weather has improved by then we might even be able to cook the chops on our new barbecue!  Not likely, but you can hope!

Hubby is making a Stromboli for Sunday's dinner - after the style of the Hairy Bakers' Stromboli as featured on their recent European Bakeation tour.  It will be along the lines of a pizza filling, with a rich tomato sauce, pepperoni, onion, ham & mozzarella.  We're currently thinking we'll have some rice salad to accompany it.

Photo c/o Vintage Victuals

I thought I'd have a go at an American style Peach Cobbler for dessert on Sunday.  It's a bit like the Strawberry & Rhubarb Pie, in that I hear so many people talking about "their Mom's Peach Cobbler" as being the best, etc. etc. that I just have to find out what's so good about it.  Hooray for t'internet, because without that I'd be lost for a recipe.  As it is, I'm spoiled for choice and will most probably do what I often do and take what seems to be the best points from a number of different recipes and make my own!

Our local Asda has some really gorgeous, intensely flavoured little peaches in at the moment - it's the beginning of the season here - that I can't help but think would be just perfect for a Peach Cobbler.

Monday's Sausage & Mozzarella Bake is a request from son & heir, who has liked this one ever since the first time I made it.  It's a Jamie Oliver recipe and is so easy to make, it is perfect for a Monday.

As for extra bakes and makes, well, I'm expecting all sorts of things to come in over the next few weeks, where various people have asked me to try various products.  I look forward to receiving these challenges, as the devising of new recipes is an opportunity for hubby and I to put our collective mighty brains together in something other than a family matter.  Yes, occasionally we have a difference of opinion and yes, occasionally I'll offend hubby mightily by stamping all over his good ideas because I like my own good idea better - but eventually they all get an airing and the best ones reach the blog.  So, it's all good.

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