Cooking for one (Mark Two)

Farway

PasturesNew wrote: »

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.

Sounds a bit like my updragging, Nan excellent cook, born 1890, had a blacklead range, not because they were posh, it was normal then. Mum had no interest in cooking, and with rationing there really was no reason why she should have been. Can't do much with 2 ounces of butter and one egg a week can you? So my tastes I guess are based around that, I love same as PN, but will eat mostly what is in front of me, possibly as result of rationing, eat it, people died bringing it to you

Shopping though, I probably follow Money around the shop, look at label,country of origin etc. Some offers just remain on the shelves, no matter how cheap, because I am boycotting that countries products. I have two countries, not naming them though

Back to CFO

Breakfast was cuppa, with toast & lemon curd. That jar is nearly gone, hope it turns up on offer soon so I can replenish

Lunch, probably bacon / lettuce & tom sarnie. With usual CFO hitch, there are 3 rashers of back bacon left. Only need two for the sarnie, 3 would be too many, which leaves one orphan, not enough for a sarnie, would fit well on a mixed grill, except I have none of the other items.

Dinner, I think will be the YS smoked salmon, but very undecided what should accompany it, I have sald bits so could be a 1950s salad

PasturesNew

Farway wrote: »

... had a blacklead range, not because they were posh, it was normal then. ...

Take one step back from that - my gt-gran was brought up in a tiny village, then moved to a village just outside the town - so they just had a pot over an open fire. To bake anything you had to make it and then take it to the local bakehouse, then pick it up later. There was no electricity either, obviously. Nobody had that!

They got re-housed due to the big house building during the 1930s when slums were being cleared and their old house was demolished. With a new council house, I expect they got an oven in the mid-1930s, but without experience of oven cooking I'd imagine most of it was done stove top still, then the War started.

I know in 1905 my gt-gran cooked in a pot because gt-granddad stole some chickens and it was in the papers how the police had knocked on their door to ask about the chicken and she'd already cooked it and lead them to the back garden where it was buried in the pot. I'm guessing that's how they kept cooked chicken cool (underground?) - or maybe she cooked it in a firepit outside come to think of it! .... gt-granddad was then hauled off to prison - gt-gran's first Xmas with my granny as a new baby ... and gt-granddad in prison

Farway wrote: »

.... usual CFO hitch, there are 3 rashers of back bacon left. Only need two for the sarnie, 3 would be too many, which leaves one orphan, not enough for a sarnie, would fit well on a mixed grill, except I have none of the other items.

LOL... yep. That daily CFO issue.

This morning when I cooked the cocktail sausages there were actually 6 and I only needed 4... so I settled for cooking 5 and eating one cold immediately ... just to empty the container, so I didn't have two forlorn cocktail sausages left, although they're not too bad as they can just be nibbled as is by opening the fridge door when passing.

moneyistooshorttomention

Not even had morning coffee yet....now that is seriously cba territory:rotfl:

Must. Shift. Backside.

You'll know my language has thoroughly updated to 21st century if I start calling some food someone has made "the bomb" (ie deemed to be sign of great approval by the sound of it). "Savage" apparently being another word used to mean similar thing these days. You can tell I've been following some "modern" Facebook pages:rotfl:

Farway - have sent you a PM.

PasturesNew

What I hate about modernisms and food is the annoying and over-used phrase "cooking up a storm". Utter nonsense... and maybe a good phrase when used the FIRST time.... but not by the time you've heard it 10,000 times!

I've just had two hot sausage rolls for lunch. My god they're tasty (L1dl, 6 for £1.05).

moneyistooshorttomention

Very belated lunch - of 2 slices of sourdough bread (didnt even bother toasting them) with nut butter, an orange and a glass of mylk (ie plant milk).

AndyCF

PasturesNew wrote: »

I've just had two hot sausage rolls for lunch. My god they're tasty (L1dl, 6 for £1.05).

I know they (all) are anyway but out of interest do those ones actually list "zapper" instructions ?

I do try on occasion to get a few from my local excellent butchers as they are awesome being made from what I'd call 'real sausage meat' , having said that the Supermarket ones are quite pleasant last time I had them, having tried two 'places'


I had a very 'odd' lunch today as I'd planned on just having a 'veg bowl' but the potato I'd put out to chop into slices rolled off onto the floor. No its not gone to waste.

Call me silly but I took that as some kind of omen to not have one. Looking quickly I had one cup-soup left a veg one so I mixed that in a mug, with about 1/3rd of the usual amount of water to make it a bit thicker, and added some freshly zapped sweetcorn, onto a plate went two slices of wholemeal bread, followed by the 'mix'.

I won't be doing that again :rotfl: the 'cup-soup' mix did not quite work out as you'd expect.

PasturesNew

AndyCF wrote: »

I know they (all) are anyway but out of interest do those ones actually list "zapper" instructions ?

I always do them in the mini grill because, as you know, they're never close to being magnificent when nuked are they. I've just looked at the pack for you and can confirm they state "Not suitable for microwave heating".

Obviously, if I had to, I would chuck them in the nuker - as would you no doubt. But that's what the packet says, which is what you wanted to check.


I've just made a quick sultana flapjack, as it meant I could finish off the previous bag of oats (containing just 12 grams) and open the new bag. I had also hoped to finish off the last of the sugar, but there's still a teaspoon or so in the otherwise empty bag.

Some people actually believe they're healthy! Not sure how when you melt together butter and sugar and G syrup .....

They should be set in the next couple of hours. I've made about 260 grams in total .... or "a little nibble" as I might call it when I scoff the lot

moneyistooshorttomention

Guess that depends entirely on what a flapjack is made of Pastures:rotfl:. Some day soon I'll experiment a bit with making some - as I've got some recipes tucked away somewhere that don't include any of those ingredients - if I can just track them down.

PasturesNew

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Guess that depends entirely on what a flapjack is made of Pastures:rotfl:. Some day soon I'll experiment a bit with making some - as I've got some recipes tucked away somewhere that don't include any of those ingredients - if I can just track them down.

Today mine was oats, super-soft sultanas, butter, sugar, golden syrup - in descending order of weight.
100g oats, 150-160g other stuff.

Farway

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Farway - have sent you a PM.

Answered

Lunch was the bacon, in the end I had two rashers, then later during the budget boring bits, I made a half sarnie with the other rasher:)

Dinner has now settled into a smoked salmon & soft cheese omelette, maybe a bit of salady stuff on the side, with LO sliced boiled spuds, fried in butter

I thought i knew how to make an omelette, but checking online it seems there are fifty hard ways to make one. I will make the easy one of course