What have you cooked lately?

I've been ridiculously sick, so skipped the family xmas eve dinner in upscale restaurant experience yesterday. This morning, I coached Mr. Jaq through the baking of a cream coffeecake (which turned out perfectly), then drove the cat totally mad by roasting a duck this evening. We really need to catch his grovelling, plaintive meowing, and pitiful "I'm-so-weak-I-must-have-duck" casting himself to the floor theatrics on video.

duck yesterday, stuffed with prunes and apples.

My first gravlax went into the fridge* 90 minutes ago. Hopefully in 2-3 days I'll have good news.

*The extra fridge! We bought a new fridge for Christmas and put the old one out in my old office for drinks, less-often used condiments/marinades, and special projects like this one.

Kiddo goes back to school on Thursday and has requested a meatloaf before she goes. Yes, my meatloaf is that good. So tonight is that plus garlic mashed taters.

I'm about to just make a big messy improvised Italian stewy chicken dish - I usually just combine browned chicken thigh pieces with a mixture of fresh and pureed tomatoes, peppers, onions, basil, garlic, olive oil, maybe some other spices, and whatever I feel like throwing in (perhaps some olives tonight), and just let it simmer. Good with rice or pasta.

For NYE dinner: beef and mushrooms braised in red wine with bay, thyme, celery seed, ginger, garlic, juniper berries, peppercorns. It was the wrong cut of beef (top round, too lean), but tasted and smelled great. Broccoli sauteed in browned butter with a squeeze of lime. Mixed apple/cranberry crisp with heavy cream for dessert.

I want to make that chicken stewy thing! With potatoes, to get all the ingredients into one dish.