• Cooking everyday meals for the family, fancy dinnerparties for friends, and everything in-between, trying not to break the bank and making the most of what's in season.

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Risotto therapy

Slowly stirring rice, adding hot stock every so often, breathing in the scent of developing flavours, can make you forget about life’s worries and help de-stress you for a while.

Risotto may not be the most photogenic of dishes, but it sure makes up for that in taste

Risotto may not be the most photogenic of dishes, but it sure makes up for that in taste

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Not salmon this time

Baked crispy basa with garlic

Baked crispy basa with garlic

Fish is good — and good for you — and while we love our salmon, it’s always fun to experiment with others. This time it was basa filets, dipped in panko, salt and pepper, sprinkled with chopped garlic and a knob of butter and baked in a hot oven. Chopped shallots sweetened the asparagus, also baked in the oven. Mashed carrots and cauliflower on the side.

As long as there are eggs in the fridge…

…there’s a meal to be had. Frittatas are great any time of day and with any kind of ingredients. Cauliflower abound in the markets these days, quickly boiled then sautéed with a bit of garlic brings out their sweetness and with some leftover bits of cheese and a salad on the side, dinner’s served!

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Warm winter soup

Spices like turmeric and cumin warm up a dish in more ways than just taste. And they’re good for you too. Simmering soup makes the house smell inviting, perfect for a rainy day.

Looks like cheddar cheese

Looks like cheddar cheese

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Pizza party

Pizza dough with oregano

Pizza dough with oregano

The best pizza is usually the one made at home, with everyone’s pick of their favourite toppings. Made the dough at lunch time (a luxury!) and let it sit covered in a cold oven for hours which made it light and fluffy and easy to roll out. Maxed out the oven temperature and baked quickly. Perfect weekend meal.

Half an half: pepperoni/mushrooms and pesto/sausage

Half and half: pepperoni/mushrooms and pesto/sausage

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Salmon, let me count the ways

Good thing the whole family loves salmon as it seems to be an almost-weekly staple. This time marinated in mustard sauce and quickly fried in a hot pan. Garlic steamed broccoli and sautéed brussels sprouts with lemon on the side.

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Good and good for you

Good and good for you

Two meals at once

Butter-marinated salmon with grilled fennel and potatoes

Butter-marinated salmon with grilled fennel and potatoes

While the potatoes were boiling, fennel grilling and salmon marinating the other night, there was time to chop and prep the next evening’s meal.

We all know soup tastes better the next day! A pile of leeks sautéed slowly with some garlic, potatoes, chicken stock, salt and white pepper. Didn’t have the dill I usually use, but added crème fraîche at the end and some leftover Gruyère which worked like a charm.

Puréed leek and potato soup

Puréed leek and potato soup

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Everyone’s favourite cheese — and soup

We did end up with some leftovers following the New Year’s Day bash, most of it cheese (that’s what happens when buying in bulk). I picked up a baguette on my way home, needed to stop for milk anyway, and went hunting in the freezer for dinner options.

Found a couple of pieces of haddock and a few of salmon. Fresh fennel in the fridge: fish stew! Onion simmered in butter, flour and milk made a roux, a pinch of curry, then the fennel and some chopped potatoes. Added some sliced tomatoes for colour and finished off with a bit of dill, salt and pepper after 20ish minutes of simmering.

Son #1 had Friulano, #2 Asiago, hubby blue cheese…and I had three slices of baguette so I could sample one of each. The only drawback: nothing left for my lunch the next day!

Fish “soup”

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In-between celebrations

Butter bath

Butter bath

After the Christmas weekend and before New Year’s, lighter fare is both required and desired. Simple sautéed spinach with grated citrus, red potatoes and…sole meunière, the not-so-light portion of the meal, as the fish is fried in clarified Butter.

Simply spinach

Simply spinach

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Holiday traditions

Traditional Norwegian “kransekake”

Norwegian kransekake. A few days in a cool dark place, then we’ll decorate with flags and Christmas crackers and finally be ready for the holidays. GOD JUL!

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