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Cooking for one

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  • PasturesNew
    PasturesNew Posts: 70,698 Forumite
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    moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »
    That "Groundhog Day" having to eat the same meal two days running thing for instance....

    TWO? TWO? .... you're spoilt!!!
    :)

    Also, it's not just one item is it - it's a perpetual treadmill of repeats, the Groundhog event.... when you get to the end of one thing, all you've got to look forward to is the NEXT item to eat for a week... and the next...next... in fact, 95% of any food brought into the house is at some stage of needing to be used.

    I was staring at a pack of spaghetti yesterday - it's 5-6 portions depending how big you want a portion to be. A "family" might open/use that in one go - or use half and put it back in the cupboard to be used up in 2 months' time ... for me it's a case of staring at it in the cupboard every day for 1-2 years as I slowly get through it in 6 different meals.
  • PasturesNew
    PasturesNew Posts: 70,698 Forumite
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    This morning I am furious. FURIOUS!!

    FURIOUS I say ....

    Yesterday I trotted home with what I thought would be treats (cheesecake and jam tarts) - but the jam tarts were mere whispers of pastry and a tiny bit of jam (they looked bigger in the packet) - and they didn't actually taste of anything ... and, somehow, I don't know how it happened ... I ate the WHOLE packet of tarts.

    I think, in some way, I decided to eat the whole lot in one evening because I was disappointed with them and I'd have to eat them at some point ....

    But, this morning, I feel "groggy" for having over-eaten sweet stuff.

    So I'm FURIOUS at myself - and will never buy another shop jam tart again.... I've probably only ever bought 4 packets in my whole life and I expected better of them!

    That's 69p I'll never see again!
  • Nelski
    Nelski Posts: 15,197 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary Photogenic
    Food today for me today will be some sandwiches and crisps probably..it would have been the other half of the pizza but I will pass on that and whilst it breaks my heart it will be hitting the bin. Cheers for that Lidl
  • moneyistooshorttomention
    moneyistooshorttomention Posts: 17,940 Forumite
    edited 18 March 2017 at 10:39AM
    PasturesNew wrote: »
    TWO? TWO? .... you're spoilt!!!
    :)

    Also, it's not just one item is it - it's a perpetual treadmill of repeats, the Groundhog event.... when you get to the end of one thing, all you've got to look forward to is the NEXT item to eat for a week... and the next...next... in fact, 95% of any food brought into the house is at some stage of needing to be used.

    I was staring at a pack of spaghetti yesterday - it's 5-6 portions depending how big you want a portion to be. A "family" might open/use that in one go - or use half and put it back in the cupboard to be used up in 2 months' time ... for me it's a case of staring at it in the cupboard every day for 1-2 years as I slowly get through it in 6 different meals.

    :rotfl:I do know what you mean - and was talking about "the exact same dish" happening 2 days running frequently:(.

    But - yes - there are then the "rest of the ingredients".

    If you're an avid experimenter with new foods/etc as I am - then thats even worse. Your shelves get filled with a 500 gram of some exotic grain or other and you've used one helping worth from the packet and have got several more helpings to think of a use for and hope you do so before it goes off. Then there's the packets of several different types of nuts - and you know they'll go rancid if you don't use them up pretty quickly. Then there's the several different types of sweetenings (I don't use sugar per se - but I have in date syrup, maple syrup, honey, etc, etc).

    Any CBA'ness going on for long results in several shelves of "summat new you've tried" waiting to have the rest of it used at some point. That's if you can remember exactly what you bought said "new ingredient" for - but then promptly went off into a CBA phase for long enough to forget that fact.:cool:

    Then there's the married friend I have that can't understand why I actually need a bigger kitchen than she does - ie space for all those part-used packets she won't have. Added to it being the fact I eat much more "widely" and healthily all round than she does - so there are a load of "from scratch" ingredients to have in anyway - instead of her few packets and tins of "ready" stuff.
  • moneyistooshorttomention
    moneyistooshorttomention Posts: 17,940 Forumite
    Deep joy - about to head off for weekly shopping trip to small :( provincial:( supermarket-that-isnt-Waitrose:( and rack brains as to what takes my fancy (as PN would put it).

    Now why has it just occurred to me that:
    a. If they have free piece of fruit per child
    and
    b. Recipe cards for a bigger household

    Then is it too much to ask that they take account of the literally millions of single person households and do something specially for us? - eg large cards with single person recipes/cooking ideas on one side for a week worth of main meals and the other side contains the shopping list for the ingredients for it?

    Several different versions of course. To cater for:
    - "convenience" food eaters

    - conventional eat-from-scratch eaters

    - ones like myself (ie prepare from scratch and wanting genuinely healthy food - so forget the sugar/white flour/white pasta/ and BTW we are possibly vegetarian or vegan). Thus - a meat-eater version and a vegetarian/vegan equivalent card.
  • karcher
    karcher Posts: 2,069 Forumite
    Combo Breaker First Post
    Ames wrote: »
    No, it was a stir fry that mum did, in a wok, with veg bought specially, including water chestnuts and beansprouts, and noodles and soy and oyster sauces.

    I heated the wok up, put in a splash of soy sauce and a splash of mirin, then chucked all the veg from the bag in. My mistake I think was then adding more soy. And in just tipping the whole lot onto the plate, instead of scooping out the veg, so that all the soy sauce pooled on the plate.

    I'll learn for next time!
    Save

    AMES..I would never stir fry veg without oil (I always use Olive oil as it's all I have in: about a tablespoon depending on quantity of veg).

    You need to heat the oil first then when hot, add the veg then you add the splash of soy sauce at the end just before it's ready....Just try this method I think you'll find it works better :)
    'I'm sinking in the quicksand of my thought
    And I ain't got the power anymore'
  • moneyistooshorttomention
    moneyistooshorttomention Posts: 17,940 Forumite
    PS Tesco - if you're listening. I wouldnt mind a little project - and some extra money for doing it of course.

    Ready to discuss financial terms for doing the vegetarian one for you:D:p
  • karcher
    karcher Posts: 2,069 Forumite
    Combo Breaker First Post
    moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

    But...yes...it is a different approach to food that we have in the main I guess. That "Groundhog Day" having to eat the same meal two days running thing for instance....

    Blimey..Only two..

    Currygate a couple of months ago had me at FOUR!!! :eek:

    I haven't wanted a take out Curry since...and to think I'd been pining for one for ages...How foolish of me :p
    'I'm sinking in the quicksand of my thought
    And I ain't got the power anymore'
  • karcher
    karcher Posts: 2,069 Forumite
    Combo Breaker First Post
    Just had a slice of cheese with some branston pickle plonked on the top..just a bit of something to fill a gap as I'm not really very hungry.

    Went to bed and left my music on last night...put my earplugs in and shut the bedroom door. I was knackered so went to sleep. No idea what time the music finished and I don't care but it was definitely loud enough for the bar stewards next door to hear!

    Heard the fella leaving at 6.30am this morning..in fact it was probably what woke me up :(

    Anyways..back to food. I bought some spicy beef burgers in Iceland the other day so thinking of having one or two of them tonight in a bun with a salad tonight..of course that may [STRIKE]is bound to [/STRIKE] change as the day wears on...Probably won't 'fancy' them later but that's the plan so far :D
    'I'm sinking in the quicksand of my thought
    And I ain't got the power anymore'
  • PasturesNew
    PasturesNew Posts: 70,698 Forumite
    Name Dropper Photogenic First Anniversary First Post
    I was minding my own business, looking at photos of food and almost feeling motivated to go out and buy the ingredients I don't have. When you cook for one and buy for one, there are few recipes where you have all the ingredients because you've either used them up, or haven't bought them for ages because you remember you struggled last time ... or, that old bug-bear "one tablespoon of...." which you KNOW you never buy/use.

    But I'd found a recipe - yes it needed adjustment because when you read the small print you realised it'd make enough for 20 people ...and then.....


    KAPOW....nothing. The big shutdown. Power's gone.

    So, you sit there for 2-3 minutes "it'll be back on in a minute, annoying the PC shut down while I was in the middle of something, but that's life".

    Then you stand up and walk about - nothing obviously wrong in the house.

    Then you look out of the window ... see if anybody else is looking out of the window. Then you step outside, then back inside again.

    OK ... it's still not on ... did I pay the bill? haven't had a letter.... house isn't on fire ... nothing's blown up .... check the fuse board, all OK.... is it just me? Trot along and bang on some doors, nobody's in/out of bed ...

    Bit more pacing about and after 10-15 minutes you find a neighbour - ah yes, theirs is off too.

    Great, it's not me then, I can relax and forget it.... but what to do. Can't put the kettle on, can't nuke food.

    1.5 hours it was ....... I was freezing, starving, bored.

    :)

    No idea what's to eat now as I'm all out of sorts.
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