My Weekend in Pictures

The weather was mostly clouded and overcast with some sunny spells late Saturday afternoon, and some heavy rain on Sunday afternoon.
Saturday was quite a busy day. I was up early and I quite enjoyed doing some little chores and making preparations for lunch.


We went to the market to get some cheese, and a chicken for the chicken fricassee I wanted to make the next day for supper.



I had sorted out some new Weight Watchers recipes and planned our meals for the weekend the previous day, so I didn't have to worry about what to cook and make sure I bought all the right ingredients.



We had Belgian endives with Brie for lunch. ( Click the link to find an interesting site about Belgian endive)


After lunch I did a little photo shoot of our new car. Photos will follow!
We still had a couple more errands to run, and my husband needed to deliver some paperwork in Mechelen, so we wanted to spend some time visiting Mechelen.



I wanted to make photos at the beguinage but that was nothing more than a couple of small streets, not photogenic at all. Instead we visited the Saint Rombouts cathedral and took some pictures there.



When we got back, it was after dark already and I still had to cook! I made salmon with leeks and fresh pasta. Easy to make but it tasted divine!



After supper we did a little wine tasting experiment, because we wanted to find out which cava was the best. The more expensive one turned out to be the best one.



Project 366 # 65



My hubby slept in on Sunday and I enjoyed some me time reading the paper with the cat on my lap.


Sunday breakfast should always be a feast in my home, so this time we had breakfast with bubbles. It was almost noon by then anyway!



In the afternoon, I divided my time between my computer and the kitchen. Some cooking, some blogging, editing some photos ...
I made a chicken fricassee from scratch and a Moroccan turkey tajine for the next day. For dessert I made a chocolate mousse with Maltesers, also a Weight Watcher's recipe.



After supper we watched the Ultimate Dance Battle on television, and that was it ...
The weekend has whizzed by in a jiffy! Should I mention it was too short?

Cutting ... chopping ...

Today I'm going to spend the afternoon cutting, chopping, mixing, braising ... cooking...
My friend Annie and I will cook up a gourmet meal, and our hubby's will be joining us for some real fine dining later in the evening.
Photos will follow.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Project 366 # 56

Weekly Winners, Gourmet Dinner

Weekly Winners is hosted by Lotus AKA Sarcastic Mom. All you need to do is post your favorite photos of the week that has passed. It's a great way to look back at the past week.
Today I'm sharing food photos of the gourmet dinner my friend Annie and I prepared last week.


Appetizer number one, a cold pea soup with mint.

Scampi with roasted egg plant and a Provencal Ratatouille.

As a starter we had a little herb salad with smoked trout, cucumber and sour cream.


Main course is Atlantic cod with courgette, a red pepper sauce, pesto and quinoa.


For dessert we had grilled peaches with a port sauce, pistachio caramel and Greek yogurt, a recipe by Ainsly Harriot.

Scampi Diavolo Fuoco AKA Devil's Fire Shrimps

For four servings you'll need:

24 scampi
2 shallots
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon of curry powder
1/2 a tablespoon of mild paprika
a pinch of cayenne pepper
100 ml ketchup
100 ml white wine
150 ml cream
2 tomatoes
chives
olive oil
a knob of butter
salt and pepper


- Defrost the shrimps, remove the shells and the veins.
- Cut the shallot and the garlic into small cubes, heat some olive oil in a saucepan and cook the garlic and the shallots until transparent.
- Add the curry powder and the mild paprika, stir and let it fry for a short while.
You can also add a little (or a lot) of cayenne pepper, that depends on how spicy you want it.
- Stir the ketchup in and allow the flavors to mingle. Careful not to burn it!
- Pour in the white wine and allow the alcohol to vaporize.
- Add the cream and reduce the sauce while stirring.
- When the sauce has the right creamy texture, set it aside on a low heat.
- Peel, remove the seeds and dice the tomatoes, chop the chives and add to the sauce at the very last minute.
- Serve with tagliatelli pasta.

Weekly Winners, Pastis and Flowers ...

Weekly Winners is hosted by Lotus, AKA Sarcastic Mom. It's all about posting your favorite photos of the week that has past. Well, I took many, even if I didn't leave the house this week!

aperitif time

juicy

piece of cake

bubbly

after the rain

fuzzy

reds and greens

sunshine

Visit I am Lotus to see more Weekly Winners participants or - even better - join in on the fun!

Friday’s Fave Five, Rain, Fog and Good Food

 

Friday’s Fave Five is all about looking back on the week that has passed and share some of the highlights from it. It is hosted by Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

 

 

1. My new fridge, all white and new and shiny! It (finally) got delivered on Saturday, I had been waiting for it for days. It’s a little bit taller than the previous one,  which means more storage space inside.
2. Winter Punch Rooibos tea, with coconut, almond, apple and cinnamon flavors. I love to drink it while I’m watching television at night.  
3. It has been raining all weekend, so we stayed inside and had a nice brunch on Sunday.
4. Fog. The weather was foggy all day last Tuesday, but that makes for the loveliest photos!
5. The blueberry pancakes I made, sweet and delicious!

Macro Monday and a Recipe

 

 

Peel the asparagus and cut off the bottom part.

 

Coat a slice of butter with a mixture of 80/20% sea salt and sugar and place it on top of the asparagus in a sous vide pouch. (I used sea salt with dried rose petals.)

Vacuum seal the bag and steam for 17 minutes.

More Macro Monday pictures at Lisa’s Chaos.

Weekly Winners, Food for Foodies

 

 

What happens when two foodies and their spouses spend a weekend together?

 
They visit the local market…

  looking for the best produce.

 
They queue endless lines

 
… to get the best quality.


They dress a nice table ...

and open up

 

a nice bottle of wine. Maybe two.

   Their food looks pretty…

… and the conversation is good.


Cookies
 

and a little chocolate heaven to add the finishing touch …

 

More Weekly Winners at I am Lotus.