comfort cooking

what not to love in a simple dinner of fish and stir-fried vegetables? this is my favorite dinner to make because it's quick and easy, healthy and light on the stomach. i make this by stir-frying in olive oil my garlic (cut in slivers; i love the smell of frying garlic!), onions, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots and bell peppers. later, i would sprinkle a bit of sesame oil for an oriental hint, and i would season it with freshly ground black peppers and a pinch of paprika. no salt, but a few drops of kikkoman soy sauce should do the trick. about five minutes before they're ready, i'd dump in my warm, just-cooked rice (leftovers would be perfect too) and stir until they're all mixed together. while busy with my stir fry, my salmon would be frying slowly on olive oil over a low fire. they usually finish at the same time. serve with oyster sauce. i have always been in love with oyster sauce by the way.

last month, we discovered Pinotage, the red wine from South Africa. it has smoky, earthy flavour with notes of bananas and tropical fruits (as the label says) and we love it. half a glass after dinner makes us sleep tightly every night. i don't really know if there's a direct relationship between our wine and our sleeping pattern, however we're stocking two bottles at the moment.

this bread which doesn't look very impressive, tasted good actually. i did nothing special, because i made it straight out from the box! ^-^ baking bread in the oven smells lovely in the kitchen, so i'm definitely making more of it. it's perfect to eat while still warm with a spread of butter and a cup of tea, while watching the rain fall outside the window. it makes rain in the middle of summer don't sound so bad after all.


happy thursday!