I got some beautiful coarse-ground local grits from Montgomery’s. They’re doing a CSA style box where you can order ingredients from their suppliers. Beautiful cornmeal, I’ve bought it twice- you do need to soak it to remove some of the chaff which will float to the surface, and they take some time to cook but very worth it.

All the products and wines they’re selling are wonderful. If you get some grits, get some of their sausages or trout as well! The hot sauce and mustard are delicious, and the Newfoundland salt is my new favourite finishing salt.

ROASTED SCALLION AND CHIVE DIP

I made this as instructed, taking my scallions just a touch farther than I intended but I actually loved the result.

I didn't have any fresh chives to add at the end but I don't think anything suffered for it.

The sherry vinegar adds a lovely tang and the whole thing comes together so quickly. I think this might surpass Ina Gartens onion dip for me as my new go-to chip dip: it is just so much quicker and easier with just as much punch.

Also, the small victory in the head note to use a finger to stabilize the blade in a FP when you're cleaning it out is a game changer. This may be common practice so for some but I have struggled with that stupid blade falling out into whatever I'm scraping into for years. How I never thought of this before is beyond me but it's one of those tips I love this book for!

This book is more and more a go to for me. I love it.

Last week's surprise hit was this fauxtisserie chicken from Bon Appétit. It really did have that unmistakable rotisserie texture, and the potatoes were fantastic. Very different from my typical roast chickens (Either Zuni style or the potato stuffed chicken from Smoke and Pickles) but I will absolutely do this again.

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/herb...

This week has shaped up as such:

Saturday, birthday dinner for my 5-year old niece. She requested my chicken tenders, baby potatoes, salad with avocado and chocolate cake. So that's what she got! Made these chicken tenders, which are so delicious I make them for myself all the time:

http://www.alexandracooks.com/2016/11...

Boiled baby potatoes with dill, salad with avocado, and Happy Wife Happy Life chocolate cake from small victories. Tasty meal.

Sunday, hosted my girls for a super bowl party that was more of a gab fest. Loaded nachos from this NY time recipe, though I add Kenji's cheese sauce and made half vegetarian with Kenji's refried beans.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1...

Monday, banh mi rice bowls: all the fixings on rice with nuoc Cham. I used my favourite meatball recipe, subbing in ground chicken this time and baking in the oven for ease.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

Tonight. This wonderful tomato and egg recipe on rice from Francis Lam. I will miss his NY times articles. This is a definite repeat.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1...

Tomorrow, cromelet which is basically a socca-egg pancake topped with goodies. I'll do avocado, sauteed greens, a scrape of Parmesan and some sort of yogurt garlic sauce.

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/crom...

Thursday, out for sushi. Friday, over to a friends for a birthday celebration.

Hope everyone is having a nice week.

HAPPY WIFE HAPPY LIFE CHOCOLATE CAKE

As I was making this cake, my dad came over and read the recipe. He thought the title was a little sexist and one sided, but I told him not to worry. As the author has a wife and is a wife both, it's actually a bilateral motto to live by. He liked that.

The cake couldn't be easier or more delicious. Whisk together your wets and dries in one bowl, bake for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make a frosting out of sour cream, melted chocolate and maple syrup. This was a wild combination. So delicious and unexpected not to mention easy. I was making this for kids so I sweetened the frosting further with some corn syrup but wouldn't hesitate to make it as-is for a grown up crowd.

I sandwiched this with a delicious seedless raspberry jam from Wilkin and Sons Tiptree jams.

The frosting was a sinch to use and the whole thing came together so quickly. I served it cold as she suggests. Everyone raved.

I would absolutely make this again. The cat was being absolutely terrible and trying to help in the frosting process. She's so cute but so naughty.

I did a sort of knit together of a couple recipes. It was very good though and I will do it again.

I cooked a half pound chickpeas, unsoaked, in a slurry I made of a pint of cherry tomatoes, 6 cloves garlic, 1 shallot whizzed together in the vitamix with some water and a jalapeño. Added a good squirt of Harissa, a glug of olive oil, a couple bay leaves and some thyme sprigs tied together, and added enough broth to cover well. Seasoned and cooked on high for 27 minutes.

While this was going I chopped 2 onions, 2 carrots and 2 stalks celery, and opened a can of petit diced tomatoes

Quick release the IP, add the veg, tomatoes, 1lb Italian sausage and more broth if needed. Reseal and cook on high for 11 minutes.

Quick release, season, chop sausage, and serve with chopped parsley, squeeze of lemon and crumbled feta.

The chickpeas themselves are just fantastic if you cook them on high for 37 minutes. They make a great dinner with garlic rubbed toast, a poached egg, drizzle of olive oil and scrape of Parmesan

For me this week, lots of eating out.

Last night I made a pot of spicy chickpea and sausage stew for lunches in my instant pot. Very tasty.

Tonight, a repeat from last week: garlicky chicken thighs with anchovies and lemon from NY Times with broccoli and steamed rice.

Tomorrow, weeknight mapo tofu from Bon Appétit with more broccoli and steamed rice.

Wednesday, out for Ethiopian with some girlfriends.

Thursday, kimchi fried rice.

Friday, I have a workout and dinner date with some girlfriends. Our typical is to hit a hard workout class then out somewhere delightful. This time we are going for oysters And seafood at Rodney's

Saturday and Sunday I've been invited to dinner parties.

Have a good week everyone.

SMOKY COUSCOUS (Brown rice)

I made this as directed but substituted an equal amount of brown rice for the couscous. This was lovely - I liked the almonds, olives and herbs with the red peppers. I will say I'm not convinced that the smoked almonds were pronounced here, I think you could substitute regular roasted almonds or any nut really without a loss in flavour, or perhaps my almonds just weren't all that smoky. I found the smoked flavour came exclusively from the paprika. Tasty though and made a great grain salad for my weekly lunch prep.

Trying to get back in the swing of menu planning after suffering ther terrible and sudden loss of my dear mom mid-December. It is still unbelievable to me but I'm trying to do things I love, even in the face of not wanting to.

For this week,

Sunday was a toast night.

Monday, garlicky chicken with anchovies and capers from Melissa Clark NY Times. This is the sort of dish that gets me excited for her upcoming cookbook- quick delicious healthy and a keeper for weeknights. I added some shallot and a diced tomato I had lingering in my fridge. Are with rice to soak up the sauce, and sauteed gai lan.

Tonight will be hot honey shrimp, also NY Times, more gai lan and a quick leftover fried rice.

Wednesday, Dan Dan noodles from EGOR or perhaps a new noodle recipe from land of fish and rice if I'm feeling frisky.

Thursday I will be travelling.

Friday, maple brined porkloin roast with apples and onions from All About Roasting. With celery root puree and sauteed Swiss chard for my family at home.

Saturday we will be moving my 88 year old granny. Dinner is up in the air but I'm thinking Pasta al Forno from Nigella's Feast. A delicious crowd pleaser.

Sunday, gochujang chicken thighs with cucumber from COTM. With momofuku steamed buns on the side.