Friday, January 31, 2014

A Week Without



I love and will always love my Neal's Yard Dairy tote.  But I'm confident I will find new ways to remember my trips to old London town, rather than carrying this bag with its stains and thread-bare straps.  This week I upgraded to a new used Dooney and Bourke.  The brand doesn't mean much to me, but it's well made and appears to be a classic of sorts.  I can fit and find my keys, my Rosebud Salve and a diaper all in two shakes of a lamb's tail.  It didn't cost terribly much, but it was definitely a discretionary expense and one that I wanted to disappear.  And so I decided I would eat it for lunch.  There is this great scene in Crossing Delancy, (one of our favorite movies) where Izzy walks into the bookstore where she works with a large shopping bag in her arms and someone asks her, "What's in the bag?", and she answers, "My lunch for the next month."  Really, there is a dress she can't afford in the bag.  And so it went for me.  Starting with beans then lentils, back to beans then lentils, finishing with homemade pizza.    

Monday:  Depression Stew from My Berlin Kitchen.  This has become a mainstay in our home.  I love it and I double it.  It's made with flageolet beans and carrots and potatoes in a tomato base.  

Tuesday:  I tried this recipe from Food52 for red lentil dal.  It was fine and would have been much better had I not elminated the last and perhaps the most interesting part of the recipe.  

Wednesday:  Black Bean and Rice Skillet from Simply in Season.  Another simple favorite and one where I get to use my cast iron skillet from start to finish.  

Thursday:  Lentil Soup which got bumped back from Monday night.  My own version, fairly simply and fairly heavy on the cumin and tumeric.  

Friday:  Pizza.  Smitten Kitchen's crust.  The rest of it was unremarkable, but none of us really cared.  Especially me.  

After a week like that one, I can't wait to read through my new Bon Appetit, paying careful attention to the Chicken and Dumplings on the cover.

The weekend!  


7 comments:

  1. My mom had that Dooney in all brown - I recognized it immediately - lovely!! :)

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  2. I have been stalking vintage Dooneys on Etsy and Ebay - want a backpack for hands free babywrangling. And Crossing Delancey is a favorite - the music is so great and my family has folded so many lines into our personal argot... "One hundred and twenty pounds of pure gold... that's me".

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  3. I found you via Rachael and I was wondering if you can share the lentil soup recipe you make?

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    1. Hi Kelly! Thanks for stopping by. You know, the lentil soup has just become one of those things that I throw together depending on what I have in the kitchen. It starts like any other soup - olive oil, chopped onions, garlic, carrots, celery -saute those until they are soft. add your lentils, brown, french, or green. and some tomato paste if you are in the mood, a tablespoon or two. and then add your broth or water -about 7 cups. Bring to a boil, simmer and then you can add some potatoes -which i usually do -diced potatoes. season with lots of cumin and some tumeric. i start with a couple of teaspoons and season to taste. salt is key, especially if you use water instead of broth. :)

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