Perfect plan b

The weather was glorious over the weekend and I arrived at DD’s on Sunday with high hopes for an ocean swim, but the waves were against me. 

While there was no wind, the sea was wild and choppy. With lifesaver season over and sharks on the prowl, we decided it was foolhardy to venture into the surf. 

In my haste to get to the Northern Beaches for a splash, I’d forgotten to have lunch. But fate decided to provide the perfect plan b. As we drove past Barrenjoey House, there was a miraculous parking spot beside the front door.

DD pulled up and ushered me inside for happy hour cocktails: a margarita for him and an Aperol Spritz for me, accompanied by $3 oysters and a crab sando.

Nom, nom, bulk fun and all that jazz.

However, it meant there wasn’t much room left in our bellies for date night dinner at our local Italian restaurant. But we headed there anyway a few hours later for an entree-sized pasta and glass of wine and had a lovely time.

Monday dawned grey and rainy. I wandered down the road for takeaway coffees and encountered some of DD’s besties at the cafe. We had a chitter chat and they got me to film a video demanding to know where the eff DD was, which they promptly sent to him.

Then I worked at DD’s place for the day before cooking dinner (in the oven this time to avoid setting the kitchen on fire again).

I made an old favourite chicken traybake, but I think I’ve lost my culinary touch after being an empty nester for so long.

It wasn’t the flavour explosion I was hoping for, although it could possibly be improved with more salt. I didn’t slavishly follow the recipe and suspect I under-seasoned it.

Recipe: Roast chicken with pumpkin and goat’s cheese

8 chicken thigh cutlets (skin on)

400g pumpkin, cut into chunks

2 red onions, cut into wedges

1/4 cup of olive oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon sea salt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

2 lemons, cut into wedges

3 zucchinis, cut into chunks

2 x 400g cans butter beans, drained

20 olives

4 chunks of Meredith marinated goat’s cheese

METHOD: Preheat oven to 200C. Put chicken, pumpkin, lemon and onion into a roasting pan. Mix olive oil, salt, sage and garlic. Drizzle over roasting pan and toss to coat. Roast for 40 minutes. Add zucchini, olives and butter beans and gently toss with other ingredients. Roast until chicken golden and zucchini cooked. Top with goat’s cheese. Serve.

I discovered as we ate dinner that DD doesn’t like my favourite food – Meredith marinated goat’s cheese.

Meredith marinated goat’s cheese is the food of the gods. I love spreading it on toast with slices of fresh tomato on top. Sooooo good.

But DD offloaded his goat’s cheese piece onto my plate, which was fabulous and disappointing at the same time.

Anyways, all too soon it was time to pack up the dogs and return to my neck of the woods for a few days in the office.

And I’ll be a bit tired, as last night was full of nightmares for some reason. The last at 5.30am involved Bilbo going missing. I gave up on sleep after that.

Yawn.

Song of the day: The Rembrandts “I’ll be there for you”