That is real nice that you got friends to exchange meals with.

I made a big pan of lasagna, plus green salad, garlic bread, and broccoli.

A platter of Christmas cookies that I froze was dessert. We have minestrone for later if anyone gets hungry.

Comfort food I guess.

gravy and boneless pork chops.

I made a meatloaf and a baked potato. Hit the spot, and leftovers for a day or 2.

Simple regular noodles with tomato basil sauce.

Green salad with mushrooms and red onion rings. Garlic bread. Chianti.

Ms K wants leftover chicken parm with spaghetti but there isn't enough for two, so I'll probably cook myself some dumplings from the freezer. I think there's tonkatsu sauce in the fridge too, otherwise I'll just make some shoyu and vinegar dip.

and Cara Cara, Cara Cara, Cara!!!

on egg noodles, one of our favorites. Green beans with butter, white wine vinegar and savory.

so, a redo of the tomato bisque soup for me. I will be glad when it heals.

security obsessed, patient hating fuckwits) and snagged a bunch of my weird veggies on the way out.

Tonight it's a huge pot of potage Parmentier, Julia Child's hot potato soup. Every time I make it, I'm surprised by how good it is.

Sorry, Julia, I like mine lumpy. I think Julia would have killed for a stick blender. I know what a PIA it was to blend this soup in small batches in a blender. I usually just shoved it through a food mill, instead.

I do this from memory so

1 bunch leeks, can be 3 small ones or one big baseball bat. Chop white and pale green parts and swish around in a bowl of water. Scoop out the leeks (they float) into a big strainer, then dry in a kitchen towel. This should get rid of all the hidden sand. Sweat the dried, chopped leeks in a mixture of oil and butter in a large pot, a little salt added to encourage them to release moisture. While that's going,

Peel and chop 3-4 large russet potatoes. Can sub. Yukon gold but waxy potatoes like red potatoes don't work as well. When the leeks are a brighter color and glistening and the kitchen smells like a slice of heaven, add the potatoes, stir to mix. Add water to cover, barely, add a large pinch of thyme and some black pepper and cook until the potatoes practically fall apart. Blend, add a cup of heavy cream and blend again. This is not a soup for the carb or fat phobic, but it's worth the cheat.

I just noticed my onions are starting to sprout so next week it will be onion soup. I just hope I can find a decent bread. American cheese has been classified by the French as a Gruyere and is a damn sight cheaper, so that part is sorted.

I only make duck once a year due to the amount of work involved. I'm saving the carcass and the bones for duck stock. https://www.food.com/recipe/duck-stock-save-that-carcass-333068

And collecting duck fat, of course.

I'm tired, but happy.

defrosted a package of turkey from Thanksgiving, it's slowly stewing with onions, Anaheim and serano chiles, and tomatillos.

Feta cheese, Kalamata olives, Sesame crackers. It got the job done