I eat, I read, I watch — dining solo #28
Duck tacos and stuffed pepper
I eat, I read, I watch — dining solo #28
Today’s post is the 28th of “I eat, I read, I watch,” my column highlighting a solo dinner and my reading or watching accompaniments. Please treat yourself well at mealtime too. Don’t just eat alone - dine solo! You’re worth it. And it’s not hard to do.
Missed the earlier instalments? Check out the bottom of the post.
I eat: Pulled duck tacos with cauliflower-stuffed red pepper
Ok, I’m proud of this one. Hear me out.
With leftover Big Mountain cauliflower crumble in the fridge and a red pepper, what was to stop me stuffing one into the other? And there was that feta too, crying out to be opened. Maybe a bit of that crumbled on top? I put it into an oven pre-heated to 400 degrees.
I’d had forethought to take the pulled duck from King Cole Ducks out of the freezer in the morning, thinking it’d be good in the three remaining taco shells that were getting a little close to the expiry date. I hadn’t bought pulled duck before so was surprised to find it cooked but not seasoned. I started some diced onion sautéing and then added in a stalk of celery and the last three cremini mushrooms from the crisper. I put in the duck to get it warmed and it seemed dry. Hmmmm. How’s about the last of the Korean noodle sauce? That would surely zhush it up!
I made a little cabbage and yes, red onion, slaw yesterday and it seemed the perfect topping for the tacos along with a few sprigs of cilantro from my garden.
With a third of the pepper, three tacos, and a can of gin seltzer, this was a pretty darned good meal.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Origin: Cdn to the core except for the Korean BBQ sauce. Check out the Big Mountain products from BC.
Cost: 1/3 pack of cauli crumble approx $2.50; 1/3 pack of pulled duck $5; veg $2.5 = $10 for a really good dinner
Got a favourite way to fridge-cleaning meal? In the Comments below please!
I read: Fall-osophy: My Trip through Life with MS
Ardra Sheppard was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 23. This is 20 years of her story of dealing with a progressive disease, told with humour and honesty. I knew I would love Ardra’s book when, in her 2nd paragraph, she was messin’ with the witches opening speech from Macbeth. Double double toil and trouble, release me from the corporate hustle, and so on. As the book sat in the palm of my hand, she had me in the palm of hers, but no chapter more than her very interesting one on medical assistance in dying. It’s a controversial topic for people who live with disabilities and those who advocate for them. But Sheppard understands the issue in a nuanced way, seeing that MAiD is not to blame when the inadequacies in the health care system make people consider MAiD — no, it’s the underfunded health care system that should take the rap for that. I feel certain that if you like my writing style, you’d likely enjoy Sheppard’s straightforward writing too.
What good non-fiction can you recommend? Add it to the Comments below.
I watch: A Very English Scandal
When Hugh Grant appears in anything, I’m likely to watch. Hell, I’m even a sucker for Love Actually, the feel-good Christmas film starring every famous person from the UK, and Grant doesn’t even play a rogue in that one! But then when he plays an actual real-life rogue, I’m in. Totally.
A Very English Scandal was first released in 2018 in the UK and is now on BritBox. It’s the story of the leader of UK’s Liberal Party, Jeremy Thorpe, who went down in a scandal of his own making involving a same-sex relationship with Norman Scott. It’s not the relationship that should have caused his downfall, although in its day, just the fact of Scott being male might have done it. But no, his downfall was caused by the extreme steps Thorpe took to try to suppress Scott, up to and including a plot to murder him.
Grant’s ability to do on-screen sleaze is pretty unmatched. I recommend this one.
Can you recommend a good docudrama? In the Comments below please!
Missed the earlier instalments of this column? Click:
#1 (pork chop & green beans)
#2 (trout & veg)
#3 (shrimp pepper bisque)
#4 (rice & peas with coleslaw)
#5 (ramen)
#6 (burger & fries)
#7 (duck sausage & salad),
#8 (shrimp & veg with pasta)
#9 (Wigilia)
#10 (mushroom shepherds pie)
#11 (roasted veg and sausage)
#12 (leftovers)
#13 (garlic shrimp with rapini on egg noodles)
#14 (beef stew)
#15 (salmon mac and cheese)
#16 (salmon cakes and ragout)
#17 (pork tenderloin, red cabbage, potatoes)
#18 (pulled turkey and salad)
#19 (almond butter chicken korma)
#20 (lobster tacos with asparagus)
#21 (rainbow trout, garlic mashed potatoes, and roasted asparagus)
#22 (pork tenderloin and black-truffle infused egg noodles with fresh asparagus)
#23 (grilled halloumi with roasted asparagus and mushroom salad)
#24 (savoury bread pudding)
#25 (Kung Pao chicken)
#26 (tofu, pepper, and shiitake stir fry on rice)
#27 (stuffed zucchini)
If you like what you’re reading, there is no greater compliment than to become a subscriber. Sign up below with your email address to receive an email with my weekly blog.