Day 99 and 100

CHALLENGE COMPLETE!

Right down to the wire I have completed my challenge... unfortunately my final 2 recipes were not my favorite and the panacotta turned out too runny so it just splodged on the plate... Sourdough, red mullet turned snapper, panacotta....and I have finished!


Today is the day before America's independence from us in Britain... after 4years of sitting by and watching them celebrate this holiday I decided it was finally time to join in... we are having a dinner party here and I am teaching one of my fellow swimmers Jamie's carbonara, I made hummus and cake...these are my lil american tasties!!
I figured it was time to embrace my Americanisms and join in! Everyone is bringing their own special dish and we might end up having enough food for the rest of the week!!!

I will post a sum-up tomorrow after my dinner party :) 

Day 96 and 97

Theres something fishy going on here...

Dinner after a relatively good practice and a massage yesterday; lasagna with squid and mussels... not really sure I can say I will make this again, I do not like squid or mussels much but hidden in the tomatoes and onions with pasta I didn't hate it...






On the side I had the salmon wrapped in newspaper, this one I loved!! I didn't do a whole salmon...taper time warrants small portions and just for me as a side to the lasagna needed a small piece of salmon.. but this one I will make again, I loved the taste. 




Today however I finally bit the bullet... SARDINES... 

If you see where they started and how they got to where they finished you will see the apprehension I experienced..I am not much of a fish person in the first place and so just sitting in their fishy form in stage one freaked me out... but then to de-head, gut and bone them added to the already vomit worthy process..


However all that being said, I actually didn't hate the final product! I have a whole bunch left in the freezer but I might have to leave it a while to debrief from the experience before I make them again! 


Finally for dinner today I used the Skate Wing recipe only with tilapia... Even if I do say so myself it was to die for!!! We saw the movie Transformers and I needed something quick before I went to a meeting at the crisis center and this was the ideal taper time meal... it was almost fish fingers, only it was 10x better because I had made it!! I made a lime- creme fresc dollop, together with the spinach and fish was perfect for a quick and easy meal.
This only leaves me with one fish dish and the panacotta dessert, together with the baking of the sourdough left and the challenge is complete... WHOOPPIEE!!

Day 95

So very nearly there...


With only 5 days left and a good cracking last few days I feel like even if I don't find the Japanese Mooli or  maybe not try the sardines (they are really testing my mind with a huge blockage right now, I still can't get over the sardine taste thing) I have really accomplished what the premise of this challenge really was...TO LEARN HOW TO COOK!


Yesterday I branched away from Jamie for one of our Monday switch out meals..
Menu:
Spinach and artichoke dip with homemade pita chips
Salad with parma ham, mozzarella, strawberries and Jamie's lemon and honey dressing
Pasta with spinach, cream-cheese and sun-dried tomatoes
Pineapple with mint sugar (Jamie's recipe!)

Another epic Monday night dinner complete and a success!! After the beach on Sunday I am a little bit burned but I did manage to make the salad dressing sunday night-- I am not sure this was one of my favorite dressings but we are nearing the end of Jamie and I guess the left overs were left over for a reason!!


Today I managed the celeriac and chicken in flour for dinner followed by the chocolate cambridge cream custard... 

I didn't have a blow torch so the bubbly sugar on top didn't turn out exactly like I had wanted, however it tasted FABULOUS!!

So my executive decision is to miss the Japanese Mooli Salad until I one day run into them at a store somewhere. I have checked Mother Earth, Publix, Fresh Market, and Wards and none of these markets have them..

 I think either tomorrow or thursday I will have an eclectic fish dinner and finish the last few fish recipes, and I will finish with the Lasagna and roasted rhubarb for the last day...as I said Challenge- possible- I will get it done!! 

Day 92

Dinner w Krystal!!


Chicken in Milk, braised greens and Cannoli...another EPIC dinner with Hall Pass on demand, after practice and a wonderful lunch date with Ashley, over to see Marco as he recovers from his hospital visit and then home to make a rather large dinner...

The chicken and greens were amazing!! I cannot believe it took me so long to make it, although the chicken in milk kinda scared me..a lot... again Jamie knows what he is doing!!! perfect juicy and succulent!! 


The cannoli might look like a dead loin chop covered in blood but that is actually the chocolate that made the ricotta turn brown and the raspberry sauce that looks like blood and although I am not a huge fan of the actual cannoli itself this also turned out very tasty!!!  

Lots of people out of town this weekend so Carter is here to stay again!!! I freaking LOVE this pup!!! so beautiful...beach tomorrow with Ashley and Kori! Super excited and ready for a relaxing day after a long long week!!

Day 91

Trooper...


Today I battled through 5 different things on my list leaving me now with 14 left in 9 days... 


As I said yesterday challenge is still on and except for the Japanese Mooli, I still believe it is possible...if only I had stayed in a couple of those nights I ate out; crunch time might not be so crunchy!


First today I started the sourdough which will take 7 days to complete so right on 2 days before the end of my challenge... the flour and water are collecting yeast from our air as we speak and should start bubbling tomorrow...this process is long but very easy!





Next  I had lunch today taste-testing the final Oyster and then substituting fresh figs with the ones in fresh market for the salad ...needless today the fresh ones would be 100times better than these but for now that will do...the salad itself was good and tasty but as I said fresh would definitely be key for those months when figs are in season!! I will be running to the store as soon as they are!! 


Next on my busy cooking day was the pork cooked in wine with fennel seeds, I roasted this before practice, which I was very grateful for when I got home and it was ready for me to re-heat and eat with some rice and fennel!! YUMMY!!! 




Finally today I finished with one of the desserts...lemon curdy pud...I wasn't sure I would like it as I used to only really eat desserts with chocolate in but surprise surprise Jamie did it again...SPECTACULAR!!! 


14 to go in 9 days: Count Down..


1) Lemon Pickle
2) Japanese Mooli Salad
3) Bashed pine nut and basil dressing
4) Lasagna
5) Salmon in Newspaper
6) Skate wings
7) Sardines
8) Red Mullet
9) Chicken in Flour
10) Chicken in Milk
11) Braised greens
12) Cannoli
13) Chocolate Cambridge Cream
14) Pannacotta w roasted rhubarb

Day 90

YIKES CRUNCH TIME... ten days to go and some serious cooking needs to be done... 19 dishes left with  the sourdough which takes 7days and 4 desserts... 


Today was perhaps one of the longest days I have ever experienced! From practice on Wednesday night to my In-House training shift from 8pm-12midnight, to my phone shift from midnight to 3 (which was off the hook!!), quick nap,  to practice from 7am-930am to the hospital to visit my friend with a ruptured spleen and ruptured kidney til 2.30pm.....I might just say now.... EXHAUSTED!

Needless to say Wednesday was sans cooking but tonight I managed Jamies friend Jethro's tart and the beef and dumpling stew. So here goes the rest of the week...


Saturday dinner with Krystal, Sunday dinner for our True Blood party and tomorrow I am on call so I will get some serious cooking in... 


I am struggling to find figs in season and the Japanese Moli for the salads...I will keep trucking..

Day 88

Sorry I have been so MIA, travelling to Santa Clara this weekend completely took me away from my cooking...


I raced over in California, not anywhere near where I need to be at the end of the season but right on my in-season time for the 100 backstroke. Although I am no where near satisfied with my performances I have come home with a new outlook on training...ITS GO TIME!

Back to the cooking I made the baked peppers today with the steak medallions and shallots, quick and easy meal to start me back into the swing of things...now I only have 12 days left...not only is it crunch time in the pool its crunch time on my challenge!! 


Dinner yesterday with the usual Monday crew and Rodion by Conor and Joyce was perfect pancake breakfast dinner, just what I needed after a long redeye home with pretty much an hour of sleep!! I really need to learn how to sleep better...


I'll be back soon :)