Cooking for one (Mark Two)

Hollyharvey

PasturesNew wrote: »

.

...And everybody else will be munching on nice looking food they bought - or sitting in groups with friends ...so it's a bit of a mood-downer when you're plodding about aimlessly on your own, with thoughts only of the cheese sandwich in your trolley....

I know how you feel. Sometimes when I go for a walk and sit in the park I feel like that, seeing all the groups of people and couples it does really pull your mood down when you are on your own most of the time. I was thinking about this earlier and decided not to go for a walk this afternoon because weekends are the worse. It will be better next week when the schools go back. There will mainly be tourists in the park/castle and youngters from the sixth form college at lunchtime.

Hollyharvey

I have just had a banana for breakfast that I found lurking in a cupboard, I had forgotten it was there.

Lunch will probably be a toasted cheese sandwich. It will make a change. I seem to have a bit of a cheese mountain at the moment. I may have to grate some and freeze it.

I have put a Chicken Provencal in the slow cooker. I'm making the most of the y/s veg I got earlier in the week. I'll have that with some new potatoes, they need using up some of them are starting to go a bit soft. There are two portions of chicken so I'll put one in the freezer for a cba day.

caronc

Good afternoon everyone,

Thankfully I'm feeling a bit more steady on my feet today and managed a short walk earlier, I can't manage very far but do like to get over the door step when I can . Picking up on MTSTM's point re exercise, I wonder how many of the folks that don't get 10 minutes a day are restricted due to health issues. I know my levels of excercise (or lack there of) concern me and despite doing lots of gentle physio exercises each day to try and protect my joints and keep my core strength I am woefully unfit and do feel it in my hips, knees and ankles.:(

I've taken a piece of salt brisket out of the freezer to defrost something I've not had for a long time. When I was growing up most butchers sold that or pickled brisket but you hardly see it now. I'll cook it tomorrow and press it overnight so I can slice it easily. I'm not sure what's best the dinner with mash, baby onions, cabbage and white sauce or the sandwiches ::D

Last week I bought some smoked salmon trimmings at the food market and as I've eggs needing used up it's a good excuse to have smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for lunch. I just need to decide if I want toast or a toasted muffing with it. Either way lots of butter will be involved . I'm not sure about dinner tonight will have a rake in the freezer.

moneyistooshorttomention

Caron - in your position you're doing what you can exercise-wise.

I think we're well aware that there are people that don't have health problems preventing them exercising and yet still finding a decent amount of exercise - or even this 10 minutes:eek: level somehow doesnt happen.

I know it was all I could do to walk for 10 minutes on the couple of occasions when I've done my back in - but I don't really have any excuse for not doing the more reasonable amount of exercise the Government formerly laid down as recommended when not feeling too ill.

caronc

Thanks MTSTM

Well my bubble's a bit burst - the brisket joint isn't salted , either there was a mix up when my order was being put together or I mis ordered . It's been in the freezer a while now so too late to query it! I'm tempted to brine it a bit myself though, it's only a wee bit not much waste if it goes wrong.

Farway

It was sunny here, so I did go for a wander about, I try and get out when I can, having had an unexpected spell in hospital some time back I now to take nothing for granted, including walking. I used to walk miles, but can't any more. Glad I did it when I could

My wandering these days is more mooching about, but I tend to finish up in the pub, for coffee only these days, usually a few more old duffers in there to chat to, about load of testes normally

Lunch was fish finger sarnie for a change, soon the packet will be gone, hooray

Dinner, think it is coming back to the cheese on toast option from yesterday, I did get fresh veg but dull & rain forecast for tomorrow so a nice hot meal with fresh veg, at least 3 of the required amount, should do for then

Nuked the last of my windfall apples because there were only half a dozen so quick & easy ready for pud maybe

PasturesNew

I had the burger for lunch.... and then popped out for "favourite choccies". Although I'd been disappointed that the pack had been smaller, I'd decided that it was still worth buying them as that meant I was eating fewer than if the bags were bigger... so I'd go easy on them knowing there were fewer.... but .... I noticed today the pack weight is back up to 225 grams!

Uh-ho.

So I've knocked a few of those back

Not sure about later. So much food one could have .... I struggle at the "choosing what" part. Not at all hungry at the moment though and I did buy 6 packs of crisps in the week... so with crisps and chocolates I won't go without

moneyistooshorttomention

Looks like a liquid lunch - well dinner - tonight.

Not good reports back at the moment from t'other parent (ie the spouse of the one currently ill).

Right now - I wish my mother came from the same place I do and the same generation I do - because there would be "all hell to pay" from a certain direction. But she's a more elderly generation and she doesnt come from the same place I do (ie "Arguers are us and we do know our rights etc" and the level of confidence we have that we will have things done properly). Those of us my generation/from my location etc don't take prisoners and right now there must be some people very grateful a my generation/my location person isnt there (as they'd be being told what for in no uncertain terms).

Tomorrow is another day....and fingers crossed the relevant obstructers (ie NHS personnel) will realise in the interval what they might be in for. They are in my home city - so how come they don't realise how many of us think?:mad:

Sorrees - p'ed off is us right at this moment.

Time for a cup of my industrial strength coffee and I have the feeling it's going to be just toast and not much else for dinner tonight.:cool::cool:

caronc

MTSTM - hugs, hope things improve.

I ended up having a toasted muffin with my scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, it was delicious:D.

I was busy picking yet more brambles and runner beans when my Dad arrived clutching a tray of viola plants for me. They are on multi-buy in Morrison's so he got a tray for himself and I've got the benefit of the "spare". He was happy to take the brambles (and some tomatoes) but declined the beans as he's still got some..... I think the time may have come to start chopping and blanching some for the freezer as despite staggering my sowing the last two lots seem to be coming faster than (much as I love them) can eat them. I prefer them fresh rather than pickled/in a chutney but might try salting some and see how that works:).

Tonight I've decided to have a small steak, mushroom/peppercorn sauce as I've both mushrooms & creme fraiche to use up, runner beans, tomato and maybe a few sauteed potato slices. As it's Saturday I'm for a glass of wine to go with it:D (rubbish excuse I know;))

moneyistooshorttomention

So - I figure you don't need any excuses Caron for that wine:beer:. "Life and other problems" or "It's Saturday night" sound enough to me.:rotfl:

Have come to the conclusion that you're the one on this thread that does nearest-to-gourmet eating we have on here - so its quite apt.:)

Think my meals will feature tomatoes a bit more heavily than normal the next few days. I took Kittie's suggestion of picking a few and putting in a bowl with a lid to ripen them up and that seems to be working and I'm out there every single day picking off the latest leaves with tomato blight and think I'm about managing to keep on top of it so that my tomatoes have the chance to ripen and I'm starting to pick them. Next year I shall try the suggestion I read of putting a short length of copper wire right through their stems at the outset and see if that works as prevention of tomato blight.