Photo diary: week 44, project 365

 I am still slowly recovering from the cold.

Most of the photos taken this week was of food and books, so if the sight of someone's lunch and dinner bores you to death, my apologies. 

It was Hallowe'en last Sunday. The only token gesture for the celebration on my part was the pumpkin carving. We never do trick or treating, but I've been carving pumpkins for years, each time coming up with a new design. I even did a post on Insta, of evolution of pumpkins in our family, from Meg and Mog to The Gruffalo, Dracula to Merlin's dragon, Baby Yoda to Loki. 

As we are big fans of the MCU and especially Loki, my pumpkin is the homage to the god of mischief. It's not the Tom Hiddelston's Loki, but more of a comics character. 

Unfortunately, the only pumpkin I could find on the day was an oval-shaped variety with a very thick green skin. I managed to break two of my carving tools, and never managed to finish the design as planned.

A few weeks ago I started a Ravensburger 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle Send Off for the Queen, which I bought in the charity shop. I had to abandon the project, as I couldn't find time to finish it. Then with the midterm break I had absolutely no opportunity to sit in peace.

On the first day of school I decided to have a quiet me-time, with a puzzle, cup of coffee and Netflix in the background.

And I finished my puzzle. Do you like it?

On Tuesday I was taking part in the blog tour for The Twelve Even Stranger Days of Christmas by Syd Moore. 

It's a collection of short stories, written in a mix of genres, from mystery to horror, with elements of paranormal and crime alternating. What unites them is not necessarily the concept of Christmastime (as not all stories are set at, or are about this special season), but the word "strange". A quick and easy read. I already passed the book onto my friend who shares my love of ghost stories.

Earlier this month I received a Cold Degustabox (all products are found in the refrigerator section of the supermarkets). 

I've seen a selection of fresh pasta kits from La Famiglia Rana in Waitrose, and meant to buy one of them to try, so I was pleased to see a pack of Rana Tagliatelle Carbonara among the Cold Degustabox selection. 

It is very easy to use, and takes hardly any time at all. 

I don't have a microwave, so cooked the pasta on the hob. I had a bite from Eddie's plate, and it was tasty, but the sauce was too runny.

Still going through the contents of the Cold Degustabox. One of the products in the box was What the Cluck vegan "chicken" from The Vegetarian Butcher. I haven't tried this brand of plant-based meat substitute before, and was rather curious to have a go.

I didn't like the look of the raw product, it looked just like ham chunks which have gone off. But don't scorn it before trying. Once cooked in the frying pan with sweet pepper, plum and carrot with honey, soy and miso sauce it was actually quite good. 

It doesn't take like chicken at all. I suppose if you haven't had chicken for years and forgot what it tastes like, it might resemble chicken, as the texture is wrong. It tastes more like ham.

For plant-based protein I prefer tofu, which I cook at least once a week, in Teriyaki sauce. But it's always good to have a choice, and I'd be curious to try more products from this brand.

Every time my husband attends the high table in his college, I ask him, What did you have for dinner? The answer is usually, I don't remember. Some vegetables. So, I asked him to take a photo of the menu. If you're curious to know just what is served at the high table at one of the Oxford colleges, here is the peek of the menu.

I love mushrooms, and would have been happy with the menu. Alas, I was not invited. :)

It is usually my very enthusiastic Mum who made the bonfires in our garden on the Bonfire Night. I didn't do it last year, and this year I couldn't find any enthusiasm either. 

I wish my Mum could be here. I know how much she would have enjoyed building the fire. She's like a child, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. 

This is a picture of my Mum and Eddie form two years ago, the last time she visited.

On Saturday we usually accompany Sasha and my husband to Cafe Nero or Costa, help them find the table, and buy the drinks and food. 

While Eddie has chosen a mac-n-cheese, I opted for a quick latte with a mince pie. This was my first mince pie of the season.

What else did we do last week? I started watching Shetland on BBC i-player. I completely missed the fact that it was on, until a friend mentioned it. I do love Douglas Henshaw, all windswept among the bleak landscape, in his duffel coat, and sleepy eyes with heavy lids.

I finished reading a couple of books, both for reviewing. I have so far agreed to only one blog tour post in December and plan to read some of the books I bought recently.

How did your week go?

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