Menu plan – 19 October 2021

Good morning from wet and grey Copenhagen where I’ve been down at the sea for my usual skinnydip seaswim (sea temperature has now fallen to 10c/50f). Keep warm out there! Tuesday is “Plan and Play” in Flyland Land and I’m doing a spot of planning (deskwork) and have been in touch with a friend to organise some “play” for next week. We all need something to look forward to! Tuesday is also the time I plan our weekly menu. Here’s what we’ll be eating this week at Casa Copenhagen!

  • Instant Pot Risotto – easier than standing stirring risotto on the stove! I fry up an onion and some garlic, add about 300 grammes of Arborio rice and 850 mls of hot stock. (Sometimes I add a half cup of white wine and 750 mls of stock.) Cook on high pressure for 6 minutes, allow to stand for a couple of minutes and then do a quick pressure release. At that point I stir in fresh herbs and any ingredients which just need to be warmed through: spinach, sliced sugar snap peas, asparagus, fresh/frozen peas, leftover cooked chicken or ham, fried bacon. Serve with plenty of parmesan cheese! This week we’ll be having a wild mushroom risotto (we can buy bags of frozen mixed wild mushrooms at the supermarket, which are great to have on hand)
  • we’re going to the cinema this week (probably to see “The Royal Game”, hubby and daughter enjoyed reading the novella by Stefan Zweig) and might grab a bite to eat in the city beforehand or afterwards
  • an old favourite – Murgh Makhani – Indian butter chicken with rice which is so soothing on these dark, grey days! We use this recipe, easy and fast and eat with basmati rice and hot naan bread
  • small steaks with homemade French fries (sweet potato ones for me), béarnaise sauce, fried onions and mushrooms
  • Vitello Tonnato (a “takeaway” from the delicatessen at our supermarket: cold sliced veal topped with a creamy tuna sauce and capers, sounds weird but works well) with fries and salad
Vitello tonnato
  • I made Australian meat pie a couple of weeks ago (recipe is here, just be warned that it is rather salty so I would reduce the number of stock cubes next time) and hubby and I ate half of it. I froze the other half – so we will be having that reheated with potatoes, broccoli and pickled beetroot
  • dining at our daughter’s flat for the very first time – woo hoo! She has invited us over for homemade lasagne and homemade brownies
  • as was the case before both of our kids moved out into their own flats, one day of the week for us is usually leftovers, a frittata/quiche made with any veggies which need using up, risotto or Danish smørrebrød (rye bread open sandwiches with various toppings) or the very occasional takeaway
  • we still have cooking apples on the tree in our garden and I feel a cake coming on! Here’s a simple and tasty one which I’ve been making for over 10 years…

Remember to K.I.S.S. – Keep it simple, Sweetie! And don’t leave the kitchen until you’re Evening Routine is done. Perhaps you can add a little seasonal hygge to keep you motivated”

Hope you have a wonderful day and remember to plan a bit of fun for yourself!

LLAP! Hugs! Diane

Need more menu planning inspiration? See my recipes and crafts playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxIYCyTLBED8ZP5_UDGRXUAvbPiuxOh95