What I'm eating this week, II

I'm having a visitor arrive on Wednesday, so I don't need to plan meals for the entire week. I'm also particularly busy. The end result of all these things is a simple menu for the next few days. For those interested, I've also added a few extra bits this week, including breakfast and snacks.

Breakfast - slow cooked oatmeal (it only take five minutes, folks. Make the effort!) in a mix of milk and cream, topped with great lashings of local honey (thank you Farmer's market!) and a toasted walnut or two.

4 p.m Snack - Chocolate quick bread, from Rose Levy Beranbaum's magisterial "The Bread Bible" - I always have a slice of cake, a bit of quick bread, or a muffin at around 4 pm, sometimes with coffee. All of those are fast and delicious, and this decadent 13 tablespoons of butter disaster is one of the best.

Beet and Goat Cheese "Terrine" - No, it's not really a terrine. But I love beets, and this open sandwich of rough brown bread topped with thick slices of the earthy root and strong goat cheese, broiled just a minute or two in the oven, makes for a tasty dinner.

Spaghetti carbonara - I don't trust American eggs enough to make my carbonara the way Italians do (that is to say, by tipping a golden, fresh, egg into my plate at the last moment), but I do have some pancetta and great parmesan. Solution? An eggy, cheesy, bacon tinged feast.