Cooking for one (Mark Two)

PasturesNew

Need2bthrifty wrote: »

I have to disagree - there may be many health and/or ethical issues for the food choices that people make ...

What I meant really is that no matter what food you care to name, online, there's always a raft of people leaping from shadows moaning.

e.g. cooking a beef burger.
"What about veggies?"
"What about gluten free?"
"Are they ethically farmed? Organic? Fairtrade?"
"What about the trans fats? oily fats, vitamins?"
"It should only be bought from a local butcher, and wrapped in recyclable materials ... save the planet"
"That's not healthy"
"Blackening it will give you cancer"
"Don't use aluminium pans"
"Think of the food miles!"
"We need to be taxed on this .... stop people eating it"
"We'll run out of food if we all ate this..."

etc etc etc

It's hard these days just to say: "This is food .... do this to it and you can scoff it"

There was a time when you could print what you liked without the unsolicited drum bangers "telling you off" for their pet project.

PasturesNew

Need2bthrifty wrote: »

You mention that you choose to eat "old fashioned, simple fare" but what is that? That could vary depending on which country you are in and what age you are - in 20years time we could well have a generation that thinks good old fashioned food is Chicken nuggets, Macci D's, and Sushi

Well .... mum was brought up by her gran, born 1880.... and they didn't have an oven. Mum had an oven, but wasn't interested in cooking.... or maybe she just gave up as nobody seemed to want/like anything as we were all so different.

So, what I grew up with was based around war-time food, with some 1970s simple convenience foods tossed in (e.g. Vesta curry for a treat).

I love stew/dumplings ... pies .... and spuds.
Egg and chips with beans.
Yorkshire puddings.

So ... 1960s/1970s staples really.

karcher

Finding trades people you can trust is like finding gold dust...unfortunately there are many who will rob you bllnd, including your own family

caron finally getting somewhere with your pension is better than getting nowhere ...good luck

Re: whatever era of food you eat...each to their own and it really isn't worthy of judgement or a falling out over

I have cheese and fresh bread, what more could I want?

poppystar

Need2bthrifty wrote: »

Twas me

I loved it, thought it was one of the most luxurious soups I've ever made - mmmmmmmmmmmmm - liquid velvet :cool:

Thank you:) I used to do lots of homemade soups but fell out of love with them. This is delicious - still homemade but feels and tastes quite grown up:) And it took a lot less time to cook than some soups.

I made some sourdough croutons while it was cooking and they went so well with it too:)

Well, that's lunch for the rest of the week sorted:D (In fact was actually wondering whether to have it for breakfast one day;))

moneyistooshorttomention

Caron - good news re your pension quote at last:j. Fingers crossed it really IS "in the post". Will expect an update on here when you get it - that it's safely arrived and looks about as calculated.

************

Errrr...yep....re different foods and I probably ask every question that could be asked about food these days and the person that can be spotted having a darn close read of food labels in the supermarket these days is probably me. Followed by putting it back on the shelves again if its:
- got sugar in
- got rapeseed oil or soya beans in and doesnt say its organic = it will be genetically modified for sure with the beans and possibly with the oil
- is it from a country I'm boycotting until they change (yep...that would be Israel then currently - used to be South Africa)
- and so on and so on etc etc:rotfl:

Yep...I'm very "picky" about what foods I'll buy...

.....but I do know the vast majority of British people eat somewhere between differently and very differently to me:rotfl:.

Maybe it's down to finances. Maybe it's down to "Don't want to do that much reading about foods". Maybe it's down to "Familiar food can be a 'comfort blanket' thing etc etc etc.

Personally - I tend not to comment on what anyone else eats that's different to my way of eating - and just concern myself with whether I personally am getting the foods that are "my own way of eating" for heading down into my own personal stomach and "leave 'em to it" regarding whatever everyone else eats. I'm not even going to "go there" re trying to change anyone else's way of eating - and my sole concern is that any food they feed me is "my" sort of food (and that I do concern myself a lot with). The most I'll say to others is to request supermarkets at intervals to stock something I think they should be stocking by now. But I just leave individuals to make whatever choices they make for themselves personally.

There's two things I tend to take an "Each to their own" stand about - one is whatever religion (or otherwise) they happen to be and the other is the way they eat. I leave them alone to theirs and I expect them to leave me alone to mine. I'm very "live and let live" on those 2 fronts.

PasturesNew

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

..... putting it back on the shelves again if its:
- got sugar in
- got rapeseed oil or soya beans in and doesnt say its organic = it will be genetically modified for sure with the beans and possibly with the oil
- is it from a country I'm boycotting until they change (yep...that would be Israel then currently - used to be South Africa)
- and so on and so on etc etc:rotfl:

LOL... I CBA with all that! I see the thing, check the price, if I'm still interested I might read the label or it might go straight into the basket and come home with me. Job done.

[Deleted User]

I used to be a fabulous cook, started at age 9 and by 11 could cook whole meals for nine. I did all my wedding buffet and made the cake at 22 and did some amazing meals when we, a couple, had to `entertain` business people to dinner. I never did home ec ot school, although I was jealous of all those girls carrying the lovely gondola baskets containing goodies. I went the science route instead

Enough is enough, people used to think I loved cooking, no I didn`t after a lifetime of it. I did it because I had a family to feed as frugally and as well as possible. I am very much CBA these days, I eat to live as well as I can and as easily as I can. I don`t get joy from cooking, I get joy from growing things on my allotment, cycling by the flatlands and marshes, spinning, sewing, maintaining my home etc etc but not cooking, not usually, although sometimes the spark comes back eg if a few simple ingredients turns into a tasty healthy meal as if by magic

Spelt flakes and almond milk first, an egg later, cooked fat free on my griddle and for break, a whole pot of yogurt cacao nibs and mixed berries from my allotment

Second meal, some single something or other from the freezer, could be lamp burger if I can find it and lots of different veg all stirfried in water and yummy aminos

last meal, the last of the soup and two small pieces of sd with soft goats cheese.

snacks: a piece of parkin, dark chocolate, an apple stored from my trees. A small ice cream cone

So today is a yellow wind warning and I will be confined to home and will take advantage ie this time reading or knitting, as I don`t have any urgent housework. I will certainly not be sitting in my snug, easily tempted by the laptop on my knee

PasturesNew

kittie wrote: »

Enough is enough, people used to think I loved cooking, no I didn`t after a lifetime of it. I did it because I had a family to feed as frugally and as well as possible. I am very much CBA these days, I eat to live as well as I can and as easily as I can. I don`t get joy from cooking

I've never had to cook a thing for anybody else. About 40,000 times now I've stood in a cold kitchen, with little in the cupboards, staring at an empty plate and thinking "I have to put something on that". Actually, let's be realistic ... why waste a plate when you can eat from the dish you cooked/reheated food in??

If you're feeding somebody else there's a whole raft of reasons to do it - and they can make the decisions as you're making "XYZ's favourite" ... and they ask for things, so no choosing to be done. There's some joy in the giving, the doing, the people enjoying what you did (or not!).... some spark of "accomplishment and achievement" at the end.

Staring at a long line of 40,000 plates .... you just think ... "ah, toast, that'll do"

PasturesNew

Today .... I don't know. I hate the whole decision of it all. I've got things I could eat - and things I could make .... I even get stuff out of the cupboard some days and think "Do something with that" - right now I have 4-5 items dotted randomly around the kitchen that were pulled from the cupboard in the last week .... I should put them away again now I think.

I am tempted to go out and do the big drive to The Range perchance they have the L&L boxes .... dreaming that if I acquire the magical box then the bag will actually fit in it when I get it home. The simple mathematics says the box is large enough to contain the full bags.

But it's nippy.

Breakfast needs to be the last hash brown in the packet, the last little sausages as I opened the pack 4-5 days ago, the last bit of the baked beans opened 2-3 days ago and the last egg in the box.

I've lined up the ingredients for flapjack .... I wonder if I'll make flapjack later, or if I'll just end up putting it all back in the cupboard.... who knows. Certainly not me!

It'll be hot sausage rolls at some point today, as I bought them yesterday - they might be lunch, or I might "save that treat" for later in the day.

Wednesday2000

I had to get up early this morning and really CBA to even make anything (even toast!) so I had some crackers with marg and a cup of coffee.

I made a nice dinner last night, quorn and veggies with rice and I have leftovers for lunch. I'm really looking forward to that.:)

I will have some fresh fruit when I sit down to watch the budget on TV at 11.30, I'm so sad.:rotfl:I have a persimmon and a clementine. Green or herbal tea too.

Not sure about dinner.