Cooking for one (Mark Two)

caronc

Good morning everyone,

The frost is beginning to lift and rain/sleet is coming in so it's still cold. I've got a thermal vest and thermal socks on so I'm nice and toasty and I put the heating on for a bit longer this morning. Breakfast will be the usual toast & fruit and lunch I think will be the soup I froze yesterday. I need to joint the chicken I have in the fridge (I took a leg off last night) and I'll cook the carcass for sandwich meat and then make stock. Tonight I have some keema mince to use up - I quite fancy trying it in a lasagne, is that what they call fusion food? :rotfl::rotfl:

I've still not meal planned for the week so that can be on my "to do" for today as well as some admin. I might be adventurous and hoover as well.:D

wort

Hollyharvey have a wonderful birthday. :beer:

Oh Kittie please don't think like that !!! Find something fabulous to do, age is but a number.

Enjoyed the steak yesterday, dgson didn't want any pots so I made a few hm wedges for me. We had mince pie and cream afters.

Not sure what to have tonight, was thinking of pasta then I could take lo to work tomorrow, that would be a hot lunch if it's cold.

Karcher--- don't worry about the chicken it's not as scary as you think, most of my protein comes from chicken, and I've never had problems. Don't wash before using. Think what it's likely to be used for, so if you will be putting g it in a curry then chop in cubes, before or after cooking. Put enough in freezer bags for a portion, once cooled. Then pop back in freezer. Same as any meat, check that it's done by slicing open at thickest part, if not pink then it's done. When you use out of freezer, cook till piping hot.

PasturesNew

Gutted. I made a purchasing error. I had bought the loaf from a fresh crate - and I looked at the date but it didn't register... and I couldn't see the date on the crate below as that takes a lot of faffing about to achieve.
The loaf I bought has tomorrow's date. I DESPISE having frozen bread in the freezer.... so, that leaves me no other option.

I have to make a nut roast... so now I need to buy something else ... like, er, nuts! and parsnip ...

Normally my brain would've been in gear and I'd have simply not bought a loaf of bread today with such a short date. I normally wait until I see one that's got a date of at least 4 days hence.

Wednesday2000

Happy Birthday HollyH!:)

Breakfast was cereal and almond milk and a cup of tea.

I have to go out later so I might have a jacket potato with baked beans before I go.

Oven chips and baked beans if I CBA to cook the potato.:rotfl:

Hollyharvey

PasturesNew wrote: »

Happy birthday!

As a lone CFO, orphaned, childless, spinster, hermit of this parish ... mine's invariably spent home alone ... without cake.
Mine's "soon" is all I shall say.

Hope you have a great day. You started it right by getting cake in!

Thanks PN.


You should have cake on your birthday, or a cheesecake as I know you like them.

I provided the cake myself. The only family I have got is my brother, his partner and my niece and nephew, I don't have any children either and both of my parents passed in 2015. If it wasn't for my sister in law taking me out for lunch today I would be spending the day alone as well.

Since I've been ill I have certainly found out who my true friends are/were. Most have disappeared now. This year only two people have sent a card.

I'm getting used to being alone now.

AndyCF

Hollyharvey wrote: »

Since I've been ill I have certainly found out who my true friends are/were. Most have disappeared now. This year only two people have sent a card.

I hear you 100% on this.

On a money saving note, I'm debating on trying to microwave** some 'veg fingers' having heard various methods of going about this, including one that suggested the usual couple min per side then final min with a very very tiny smear of marg to try to 'crisp' them a bit hmm. Mind you not a lot to lose by trying I guess as long as they are 'done enough'

** because I have no oven / hob for a couple of weeks, its micro only. Replacement is arriving about then.

PasturesNew

Hollyharvey wrote: »

The only family I have got is my brother, his partner and my niece and nephew

I've 1½ siblings... both 200 miles in opposite directions. One is also a loner/spinster. There are no children from any of us. We are "the end of the line".

Have you ever done any family history research? You get to find all sorts of relations you never knew existed, if you want to know they exist. I do it, but we've never kept in touch with our known cousins because "they're not our sort of people"

But, my 1st cousin once removed also does it - and she discovered a girl who was an only child and her parents had both died - and she got in touch with her - and she was over the moon as she had no idea about the family at all and just thought of herself as "all alone", so to speak. Her adjoining parent had passed first, severing her connection to our side first, when she was a child ...

It's funny how "I wish I'd known the dead ones in the past" ... but "don't really like the living ones I've got" Although, to be fair, there's distance too - some I might like, but they're abroad, or just too far to travel/visit (300 miles away or so).

PasturesNew

AndyCF wrote: »

I'm debating on trying to microwave** some 'veg fingers' having heard various methods of going about this, including one that suggested the usual couple min per side then final min with a very very tiny smear of marg to try to 'crisp' them a bit hmm. Mind you not a lot to lose by trying I guess as long as they are 'done enough'

** because I have no oven / hob for a couple of weeks, its micro only. Replacement is arriving about then.

It absolutely works.... and they do brown a bit.
Like everything, do it first time to see what you get, then make adjustments next time.

I don't use my oven/hob, never have - they petrify me just by existing in the kitchen

I'd not bother with the marg/crisp up bit. Unless you've a handy spray can ... it's just not worth the bother of that stage.

They will "brown/crisp" a little towards the end. Or, at least, look that way.

For those "posh people" who have a little brulee torch ... that'd crisp them. For people like me, a lighter doesn't do the same job

moneyistooshorttomention

:rotfl:At the thought of getting in touch with relatives in my family - it would be a thoroughly depressing experience imo - as all except one of them are better off than me as far as I can see (not hard:cool:) and some of them very much better off than me. So I see my parents (because they're my parents) and, apart from that........nope.

I think that could be a bit of a downer:rotfl:

Must think about lunch in a minute - as there's been two social things in a row this morning - so havent had that yet. Suspect it will be more toast with "someone else's posh hummus" and tomatoes, followed by fruit. Dinner - errrm....errrm....can't say I've had any thoughts about that yet....

poppystar

Hollyharvey wrote: »

Thanks PN.




Since I've been ill I have certainly found out who my true friends are/were. Most have disappeared now. This year only two people have sent a card.

Ditto on this - and I certainly found it a huge surprise who were the ones who stuck around! I guess adversity brings out truth:(


Ditto on the alone bit too - and I don't have even one sibling:(. I look at others family trees and they are burgeoning triangles, each generation bigger than the previous. Mine is an inverted triangle with me at the bottom! Last (wo)man standing - or rather most of the time sitting or leaning.;)


Hope the whole of this year is really good for you:)


And PNcome on tell us the date so we can send virtual cake;)