Cooking for one

Hollyharvey

SunnyGirl wrote: »

Hollyharvey I menu plan as it helps me cook and keeps me on track and away from eating rubbish. Hope it works out for you too!

It has certainly helped so far this week. It may go a bit awry tomorrow though.


My cousin and his wife are over from Canada and are coming to see me, my brother and his family this weekend. I have got to do some baking tomorrow and I wouldn't be surprised if my meal planning for Friday, Saturday and Sunday goes out of the window. I know that we will all eat out one day, and probably have one day at my brothers. But, just in case that doesn't happen I still need to have food in.

PasturesNew

And we're off.... couldn't face it earlier.... but I just turned the freezer off

Now boiling kettle for some hot water to sit in it.

The frozen food remaining I dumped into the fridge in a padded bag with a "devil may care anyway" attitude.

EDIT 1 (9.35): Using my genius plan, the bottom shelf is already 95% clear of ice. But the top section's the worst - where it's over 1" thick. My method is "hands off/leave it mostly to it, with a bit of poking/interference". I expect it to be completely finished by 10.30 though.

EDIT 2 (10.05): Ah, then it all kicked off .... and I had to be with it for half an hour as the ice was loose, so I was there picking it off, picking it up and wringing out the cloth at the bottom and replacing the bowls of hot water and placing dishes to catch the drips. It's nearly finished now... just that top/roof section to go - quite thick in the middle still as I was concentrating on melting from the back section mainly.

EDIT 3 (11.15): All done. All ice melted, whole thing wiped inside, not a drop of water touched/reached the kitchen floor. Drawers replaced, power turned on.

SunnyGirl

PN I am very excited about your freezer defrosting far more so than when I do mine

Morning all. Warm but cloudy here in Manchester so I am up and ready to start the sweeping and tidying of the front garden. The house will look like it belongs to somebody again as my Mum says. Nothing to do inside today I've already swished the bathroom over when I got out of the shower.

Lunch today will be an egg mayo sandwich and I'm at Mum and Dad's for tea which is going to be a lasagne apparently. Not much in the way of CFO here today. I will make my lunch for work this weekend later and do Saturday and Sunday's while I'm at it to save doing it twice. Easiest way to do it haha.

caronc

Good morning everyone,

PN - oh er missus the day finally arrived, I reckon mine won't be for another couple of years :rotfl::rotfl:
Sunnygirl - re the bean burgers, they are fine to freeze cooked or uncooked but if freezing uncooked cook from frozen.

Fridge clear out/ reorganisation stalled for a bit until the baskets I've ordered with my online shop arrive in a bit. However, all the shelves etc. are now sparkly clean!:D

Breakfast was toast with cottage cheese, a flat peach (so are so lovely just now) and a small glass of tomato juice. Lunch will be a roll and salad.
I've parsley sauce left over from last night so I think dinner will be this with a gammon steak and various veg. I'll pop some mustard in the sauce as it was a bit bland to pep it up a bit. I steamed extra spud last night so will either mash this or griddle slices with the gammon.:)

PasturesNew

I actually enjoyed the defrosting ... and as I was doing it I was wondering if anybody would pay for it to be done. The trouble is, those with the money to have it done already bought frost free (which cost more).... so you have a small pool of potential customers who only bought a cheap appliance as they're broke

It's time-intensive, as an activity... as a lot of the time you're just standing/waiting/watching rather than "actively actually DOING something", because I wasn't "forcing" it with hairdriers or poking it with sticks.... I'd rather have the patience than get it wrong and break something.

caronc

PasturesNew wrote: »

I actually enjoyed the defrosting ... and as I was doing it I was wondering if anybody would pay for it to be done. The trouble is, those with the money to have it done already bought frost free (which cost more).... so you have a small pool of potential customers who only bought a cheap appliance as they're broke

It's time-intensive, as an activity... as a lot of the time you're just standing/waiting/watching rather than "actively actually DOING something", because I wasn't "forcing" it with hairdriers or poking it with sticks.... I'd rather have the patience than get it wrong and break something.

On the rare time I've done mine - I've just popped lots of towels down and left it overnight with the door open. After a very bad experience trying to hurry defrosting along when I burst the seal so we had to get a new one, I been wary of poking at them.:)

meg72

caronc wrote: »

On the rare time I've done mine - I've just popped lots of towels down and left it overnight with the door open. After a very bad experience trying to hurry defrosting along when I burst the seal so we had to get a new one, I been wary of poking at them.:)

This is how I do mine too as its a faff I hate. I have now got the money to replace this and am definetly going for a frost free this time

PasturesNew

The problem I now have is that I'm freed from the daunting task of eating my way through what's available .... and yet I can't think of a single "lovely bit of food" to eat today! So I'm still going to be locked into the "eat what you've got" mentality.

I might do a cheese omelette and chips .... which would then deserve beans.

EDIT: Well, that was the plan, but I'd forgotten I still have 4 crumpets BB today....so I've toasted two of those and .... tossed the other two in the freezer

moneyistooshorttomention

PasturesNew wrote: »

I actually enjoyed the defrosting ... and as I was doing it I was wondering if anybody would pay for it to be done. The trouble is, those with the money to have it done already bought frost free (which cost more).... so you have a small pool of potential customers who only bought a cheap appliance as they're broke

It's time-intensive, as an activity... as a lot of the time you're just standing/waiting/watching rather than "actively actually DOING something", because I wasn't "forcing" it with hairdriers or poking it with sticks.... I'd rather have the patience than get it wrong and break something.

Personally - I think you're right. I doubt very much anyone would pay for it to be done - for exactly the reasons you've quoted.

The standing around etc is a nuisance and I thought "darn it" myself to that eventually and recent freezer I've bought is frost-free.

When it comes to kitchen tasks - I would be prepared to pay for someone to give a cooker a darn good clean (as they simply don't get a darn good clean left to me:rotfl:). However, that was all part of getting my new kitchen recently - ie I note that cookers these days have this thingie re burning off the gunk themselves in operation from their insides. Cue for me thinking "Oh good - and that's another reason to have a new kitchen and junk the very tatty old cooker I had".

I'm of the "Life is too short to stuff a mushroom" school of thought personally and if the task can be avoided altogether = all to the good. If it can't be avoided = these days I'll think "Blow it" and pay someone else to do it if it's that arduous.

Yep....I do do my own housework and have every intention of continuing to do so and I do most of my own gardening (but anything very arduous - then I don't have the physical strength for it anyway and will pay).

Farway

meg72 wrote: »

This is how I do mine too as its a faff I hate. I have now got the money to replace this and am definetly going for a frost free this time

I have frost free, and along with a dishwasher it is one thing I recommend to all who can afford it, although if I were stinking rich I would have servants to do it all anyway so would not care what appliances I had

Before that de frosting was open door and towels on floor method, also washed the floor :j

Warm but dull here, garden still needs watering later on though

Usual non breakfast

Lidl crumpet check, fail, just bog thin/flat ones still, left on the shelf. Did get a pack of 2 cod in crumb fillets, YS of course, plus sliced loaf

Lunch was normal cheese salady sarnie. I opened the new loaf even though there are about 6 slices left of last weeks, fresh springy white bread trumped stale today. May use the old one for toast, or more likely in the freezer for rainy day CBA toast

Dinner is one of those CFO conundrums, lots of food available but just all seems a bit of a pain in the heat. The obvious is one of today's YS fillets & chips, but then I also have the bangers opened yesterday, plus part baked baguettes past BBE day, and now broken in half due to butter fingers

I can see me either with cheese or banger baguette, or s0d it CBA beans on toast