Cooking for one (Mark Two)

Farway

PasturesNew wrote: »

Yes, it's always the peasants' smartprice stuff that silently disappears!

That would help explain the sudden lack of cheapo instant mash around here

Ref nut roasts, PN, Lild have a frozen one on offer, but it is over 3 quid. Not looked at it but I guess it is a big family jobbie. I would be tempted but luckily my Christmas dinners are over the veggie kids houses and nut roasts come as standard there. I have to supply my own dead animal body parts to cook and eat at home

Nice and toasty here now, bolier bloke arrived on time, CH back on just in time, it was getting cold and cold kills the old

Nice and sunny but never went out due to boiler repair, thus had time for a nice wintry warmer porridge breakfast, with banana, Greek yogurt & honey

Lunch was another bacon lettuce & tom sarnie

Dinner, I think will be some sort of warming comfort food. I have a Waitrose steak & ale pie [on offer at £1.68 for a bit], perhaps with HM chips and baked beans? I am still wary of using fresh veg since my gippy tum spell last week

[Deleted User]

I CBA with making any sort of soup, I even got the frozen ratatouille out as the ingredients but don`t fancy soup, will be good tomorrow with parmesan. Frozen chunky cod is defrosting and I will pan fry that in butter to have with baked sweet potato and lettuce leaves and apple cider vinegar. All tummy kind and filling. I was going to have some roll mops but think they will be better as a lunch meal, just in case, plenty of time to go down before bed. Not much veg in the fridge, I am scraping the barrel but don`t want to venture out until my cold has gone

PasturesNew

Farway wrote: »

That would help explain the sudden lack of cheapo instant mash around here

I "stocked up" the other week as I was about to run out. L1dl, four foil packets that each contain (for me) four portions apiece, so 16 portions. £1.25 or so I think. I didn't actively restock for fear of shortages, but just because I knew I was down to the last 1/4 of a foil wrap. I probably get through 2 boxes/year.

Farway wrote: »

Ref nut roasts, PN, Lild have a frozen one on offer, but it is over 3 quid. Not looked at it but I guess it is a big family jobbie. I would be tempted but luckily my Christmas dinners are over the veggie kids houses and nut roasts come as standard there. I have to supply my own dead animal body parts to cook and eat at home

I saw those the other week (and snorted....) more middle class takeover of what used to be a "cheap food shop". £3.99 it was then.

Now trying to google its name as there's something "modern/posh/faddy" in the title: Ah, found it. Two flavours, one of which is Cashew, Quinoa & Carrot. The other one sounds "more normal" at Hazlenut, Cashew & Cranberry. £11.40/Kg - that's like eating pure gold!
https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/Offers.htm?articleId=7440

I do kind of begrudge even thinking of spending £4 on something that's well ... just some breadcrumbs, nuts, veggies and a bit of flavourings... I could probably come close to it with a pack of mixed nuts and a 15p box of stuffing, a parsnip and some random sprinklings from my spice/herbs stash. - with a total outlay of under £2.50 with spare nuts to nibble.

Farway wrote: »

Nice and toasty here now, bolier bloke arrived on time, CH back on just in time, it was getting cold and cold kills the old

I decided to treat myself about half an hour ago and turned the heating on for the first time as heating... I turned it on about 10 days ago as a "test to check it still works" and it did.

Farway wrote: »

I have a Waitrose steak & ale pie [on offer at £1.68 for a bit], perhaps with HM chips and baked beans? I am still wary of using fresh veg since my gippy tum spell last week

You can very very rarely lose with a choice of pie.

I don't go to Waitrose as it's either pay to park (£1) or walk a long way - and as I'd only go in "to see what they've got/if there are reductions" it's not worth the time/hassle. The car park is marked out oddly too, with too much confusing signage, so I fear parking in the wrong place and getting some stupid fine.

PasturesNew

kittie wrote: »

I CBA with making any sort of soup

I'm not a lover of making soup. Tried it and realised the flaws... it's better, for me, to just buy some nice sounding cans of soup in the shop and keep one in the cupboard all the time. I get through about 3-4 cans a year.

caronc

Good evening everyone
Meg - your craft work is beautiful. It's a lucky organisation that has you making things for them:A

Elona /Kittie Boozy prunes - these sound lovely

PN - snap re lunch out of the container it was stored and heated up in;)

Kittie - shame you didn't fancy making soup. I'm fond of cod baked in ratatouille. I think that will be getting added to this week's meal plan:D

The chap managed to get a fair bit of the prep done at the front today and hopes if the weather holds to start painting tomorrow. After a lot of deliberation I've gone for a deep burgundy colour which I think will compliment the sandstone and is in keeping with the style/age of the house. I'm so looking forward to seeing it finished.

It's still perishing here tonight, I don't think it got into double figures all day and the wind was really icey. I ended up giving in and putting the heating on around 5pm by which time it was nearly dark .

The beef I made yesterday sliced thinly really well and the piece I try was nice and tender. It was only a small joint (around 500g) but because it was so lean it didn't shrink much so if I can resist nibbling I should get a least 2 main meals and 2 or 3 generous sandwiches out of it which I'm happy with. I'm going to freeze some in gravy for a future quick meal, have some tonight and use it for lunch for the next couple of days. I do love a crusty roll with beef, tomato and mustard:). After that I'll see what if any is left and freeze that do for future lunches. I'm fed up buying cooked sliced meat so need to build a wee freezer stash of this.

The birds have had a bit of a peck at the Yorkshire Puddings (I probably should have chopped them up but was lazy and put them out whole (and frozen ) , but so far they have mainly been scoffed by next door's cat :eek:. I saw him sitting on my picnic table happily tucking in to one he had nicked and when he had finished it he nabbed another before he saw me and fled with it.

[Deleted User]

I am going to convert the single portion of ratatouille into a single portion of soup today and it will be a starter, followed by lamb burger and un-sweet roasted parsnips. That is lunch. Breakfast was spelt flakes dried raspberries and almond milk. Am just about to get a bowl of berries out of the freezer, will add a few pecans and yoghurt, snack. Also baked apple and soya cream, snack. Last meal, spelt toast and square of hard goats cheese and lettuce leaves. Not forgetting my essential very dark chocolate in the morning

I am feeling well enough to venture out later today, probably pottering in the garden for fresh air

wort

Same brekkie and taking same lunch as yesterday, that will finish the Spanish omelette, and rice pot with apple to stay warm at work.
Should be out for tea to escape the hoards of halloweeners, but dgson was kept in hospital last night for tests, so if he's not discharged will e going there instead. X

Wednesday2000

Oh yum, now I fancy a nut roast. I used to make the Rose Elliot one almost every Sunday.

I had cereal with banana and almond milk again for breakfast.

I'm not sure about the rest of the day yet, I have to go out at lunchtime so I will see how I feel when I get back. I will probably have an Alpro Go yoghurt before I leave.

PasturesNew

Wednesday2000 wrote: »

Oh yum, now I fancy a nut roast. I used to make the Rose Elliot one almost every Sunday.

Ours was the Cranks, vegetarian restaurant in London, from their recipe book. We had it just about every Xmas day for 15-20 years... and there was no "halving the recipe" ... it was a full/stuffed 2lb loaf tin of it - and it was a winner from everybody. Only one veggie, who made it .... but it was gorgeous.

Their website says "down for maintenance" at the moment.

I had a link to the recipe years ago, but they changed their website and it disappeared, but I found it on archive.org - it's here: https://web.archive.org/web/20141010235634/http://www.cranks.co.uk/recipes/view/brazil-cashew-nut-roast/print (print view) - nobody much liked the red wine sauce bit.

The High Street alternative deemed "as close to it as has been found available ready made" is this Holland & Barrett one - and it's only £2.69. I might just buy one of those ... cheaper than buying all the ingredients.
http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/artisan-country-vegetable-cashew-nut-roast-60013824
It's a dry mix you combine with water, so possible to "pack split" for singles

£13.50/Kg though ... so more "eating pure gold".

Let's face it ... a packet of stuffing mix + some mashed parsnip/similar, some mixed nuts from a bag ... and you're almost there.... "it's all a con" isn't it

Ingredients say: Cashews, peanuts, oat flour, breadcrumbs, potato, carrot, onion, green beans, green & white cabbage, green & white leek, rusk, red peppers, dried mushrooms, mixed herbs, black pepper, baking powder, salt.

I think I will just make my own variation up to be honest... although a bag of mixed nuts can be £1.60 on their own!

caronc

Good afternoon,
Apologies for the short post initially - I've been getting bumped off the site:mad:
Wet weather has thwarted the outside painting, but the door has had it's first coat and thankfully I love the colour:D. Going on the forecast it will be Thursday before it can continue as there have been weather warnings posted for tommorrow.
Crumpets for breakfast earlier and lunch will be a crusty roll with beef, coleslaw and tomatoes. Tonight inspired by kittie mentioning both I'm having cod and ratatouille with rice. I have all these in the freezer so an easy meal:)