Day by Day in the 21st Century Housewife's Kitchen

Last night Alex had to go out for a music lesson and band practice, so I gave him his dinner ahead of time. For a treat I bought him a pasty (meat and vegetable filled pastry) and let him have French fries with it. Of course he always has vegetables. I'm so lucky he likes vegetables - he even pesters me for brussel sprouts!

So Guy and I took the opportunity to have something Alex hates for dinner - salmon! He says it tastes like river water - but it's still one of our favourites! I must admit, I love cooking fish in parcels. By this I mean, just wrapping up the fish fillets with some flavourings in aluminium foil, placing them on a baking sheet and baking at 350 F or 170 C for about 20 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Last night I just laid some onion slices on the aluminium foil, laid the skinned salmon fillet on top, and then put lemon slices and a few dots of butter on top of the fillets. I then just fold the foil over top into parcels and that's it - into the oven. I always check after 20 minutes and they are usually done. Bearing in mind the fish still cooks until the parcel is opened, even if it is out of the oven, 20 minutes is usually more than enough time, but do check carefully as you don't want raw fish. You can always put the parcels back in the oven for a few minutes to be sure. Once I'm ready to serve, I just lift the salmon out of the parcel, and serve with some new potatoes and some vegetables. Last night it was green beans. Delicious!

Tonight it was Alex and I on our own as Guy is in Paris for the day. I decided it would be a good night for my homemade French bread pizzas. All you need is some French bread, sliced in portion size servings. Slice the servings in half and place on a baking sheet. Spread some tomato sauce on top of the bread, and then top with whatever you fancy. Tonight it was red onion, asparagus and tomato slices. (Other ideas include roasted vegetables, artichoke hearts, sweet corn and/or pepperoni slices). Season and sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese. Bake at around 350 F or 170 C for about 10 minutes. If the cheese is now brown enough, just place under the grill or broiler for a few minutes, watching carefully. These are so delicious, and so easy and economical, I don't know why anyone orders take-away pizza anymore!