This week’s small pleasures #143

It’s time once again for a round up of this week’s small pleasures, and once again, food features. The week just past saw my husband’s birthday, so we went out for dinner on Thursday to TInakori Bistro, a local favourite. We started with a shared charcuterie board, filled with lots of good things (the duck liver pate was especially good). Karl had steak frites, and I had beef cheek with mash, cabbage and a sprinkling of boudain noir (ie good old black pudding). Everything was lovely, and a real ‘meat feast’.

To counteract Thursday’s carnivorous feast, on Saturday, I made Hungry Biker’s version of Jerusalem artichoke soup. It was just so good, and perfect for a winter evening, followed by this banana and chocolate cake to keep the birthday celebrations going. Sunday’s dinner was Madhur Jaffrey‘s black eye bean and mushroom dish (from her original 1980s book Indian Cookery), served with spicy green beans and, of course, rice. No pictures I am afraid as the light fails so fast these days, but I can assure you everything tasted excellent.

Saturday was a lovely, sunny winter day and Sunday was a miserable, grey, wet winter day. However, it was in fact the perfect day to try out this new tea from Sweden that we received as a gift, and sit on the sofa and read a book.

The sun decided to shine again today, and I took a walk at lunch time, down to the shore and past the portrait gallery. A beautiful blue sky always gladdens the heart.

And that’s it for this week. What were your small pleasures of the past week?

Thanks to Mani over at A New Life Wandering for the original idea.

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