12.08.08: Grab bag

It was a nite of separate ways, so He dashed together a pastrami bagel with mature cheddar and grain mustard, while She later roamed the aisles of Waitrose, feeling uncharacteristically uninspired to cook, and settled on the Halloumi Cheese with a Warm Salad of Beans and Lentils in a Tomato and Basil Dressing.

HE SAYS: Tesco's pastrami is not bad and I have finally found a bagel there that is also not bad either. The photo shows it open faced but I squished both sides together in order to gobble it up quick before I dashed out the door.

SHE SAYS: 'Deliciously Different', my derriere. Fortunately this readymade entree tasted slightly better than it smelled - there was a disgusting burnt odour billowing up from the plastic tray. The butterbeans and lentils were tender and quite good; the tomato water - I mean, dressing - was forgivably bland. But they made halloumi cheese taste bad. That takes some doing. The painted-on charcoal stripes tasted like they look: badly burnt. At least there wasn't much cheese to choke down, just a couple of skinny squares. We won't get fooled again.

08.08.08: Ready-roast chicken, snap peas, oniony rice salad and more salad

He pulled together an unexpected feast of coconut-lime rotisserie chicken and a spring onion rice salad (both courtesy of Waitrose); cooked up some snap peas; and mixed in a colour treat of a salad with cherry toms, pomegranate seeds, and leaves. More of last nite's wasabi dressing rallied for an encore performance.

HE SAYS: I didn't really enjoy the taste of the chicken, I think they muddled them up in Waitrose and I got this one instead of the bbq variety. Snap peas were okay but I should have steamed 'em instead of boiling (I like them nice and crunchy, which these were not).The pomegranate added a sweet and sour touch to the salad and the rice was savoury good, wholesome and on sale, what a bargain!

SHE SAYS: Salad was crunchy and tart, just the way I like it, and tho' the oniony rice salad imprinted its scent indelibly upon the tongue for the evening, it was delish - I found myself spooning up the last bits from the carton by way of seconds. That funky chicken, tho' - not so yummy, with an overpowering, very odd artificial coconut flavour. Waitrose chicken is usually moreish, so we'll overlook this little hiccup. Snap peas played the role of virtuous veg rather limply, I'm not sure even finished mine before we headed out to the gig.

24.06.08: Green risotto with broiled portobello mushrooms

She pulled out the stops on a Tuesday nite and tried the really green risotto in the latest Waitrose free mag, subs-ing spelt grains for risotto rice and topping it off with grilled portobello mushrooms instead of the suggested roast chicken. He swabbed the mushies with balsamic, salt'n'pepa, and Her ho-made rose harissa (yep, new variety - comment to ask for exclusive recipe!). Noting pretty food photography in recent Observer Food mag, She left the breakfast radishes whole in the salad, which was also fortified with Sweetfire beetroot.

HE SAYS: Fantastico! this must be a strong contender for risotto of the week. This green pile of delight was minty fresh and packed with flava. The molasses-like consistency of the vegetable stock from M&S seemed to add another depth of yum while the white wine reduction only helped intensify an already tasty plate. The mushrooms were meaty, beaty, big and bouncy, okay maybe not bouncy, but intensely satisfying. After all the soft food, it was nice to put my teeth back in and crunch into my one of my fave vegetables, the humble radish. Oh, and the beetroot was ever so good, to boot.

SHE SAYS: Very fresh-tastingand more-ish, though I don't think the spelt pack's claim of 'great for risotto!' really holds true. As I suspected it might, the spelt cooked up like barley - springy, though soft, but not creamy. It did have far less intrusive flavour than barley. It didn't subtract from my great enjoyment of the risotto, though - it was like a decadent mint pesto thingy. Mushrooms added meaty texture and depth of flavour (with just a hint of rose, lots of garlic, and mischievous chili bite). Liked the whole radishes - don't know why it makes a difference, but biting off as much as you want vs daintily chewing slices is utterly satisfying.

30.03.08: Pork vindaloo

Our favourite sacrilegious curry for Sunday: He lovingly basted and stirred up the pork vindaloo from the latest Waitrose freebie mag. Spinach, sweetfire beetroot, and avo salad put in its cool two cents' worth of nourishment on the side.

SHE SAYS: All praise that Bombay Authentics Vindaloo Luxury Curry Sauce! I don't care if it is a slight cheat, it's deeply tasty, and almost as hot as it promises to be. The rice was oh-so-nice, with plenty of cinammon lilt to offset the heavy (yet heavenly) curry vibe.

HE SAYS: Although I used loin of pork instead of pork fillet, it still turned out pretty good. The meat was a little drier than last time, but I reserved some of the sauce to pour over at the end, which made it a little saucier than the last go-round. I did enjoy the spicy kick.

06.03.08: Roast chicken and salad

A painless pre-flight meal: Readymade fancy roast chicken from Waitrose, pulled off the bone to add substance to a pile of spinach and baby plum tomatoes perked up with some leftover pepper-jelly dressing.

HE SAYS: A quick and easy solution, and a tasty one at that. The rotisserie chickens are a good and cheap option for when you need to add some protein, pronto.

SHE SAYS: The fancy roast chicken is always great value, and I fell on this with a good appetite, though after a while I was chickened out. The spinach was still quite fresh - lately spinach seems to hold up remarkably well, even after a week - and the tomatoes were surprisingly sweet-tart and tasty.