Cooking for one (Mark Two)

PasturesNew

I took a trip out to 4ldi ... short list of things. They are still out of stock of the special mince pies I'd tried last year and wanted this year - maybe I need to do an 8am run.

Checked out their veg, didn't seem any different to the L1dl stuff, but they had no sprouts, so I got none of it (wasn't really planning to unless theirs looked super fresh as it's a few days to go yet).

Managed to pick up a pack of four of the bread rolls I like... 30% off ... so I got those; they had a 2nd pack, but that was split, so I didn't want that one. I've now 10 bread rolls in the freezer, so that's plenty to last until mid January!

Picked up a pack of four Yorkies, going the frozen route just as it's quicker/easier "on the day" than making my vast quantity or making my own then freezing them to get just one medium one on the day.

Bought coffee, already got enough to last me until 7 January, so this jar will take me through to 22nd (200g = 15 days).

Paracetamol ... just in case/why not.

And a pack of their Xmas stuffing - they still didn't have a price on it. L1dls is £1.19 so I bought it expecting it to be that, but the receipt tells me it was 99p.

I bought the biscuits from L1dl earlier that I tried/loved last year - but I noticed 4ldi do a similar box.... I'd have probably tried those if I'd seen them first, but I know I like the L1dl ones so happy to "miss out" and maybe next year I might try them.

Lots of food one could grab in there....but I am not easily enticed.

For tea I've baked the 2nd of the pack-of-two part-baked baguettes I opened some days ago.... it'd not gone off at all. Eating that now with a bit of cheese and marg.

[Deleted User]

MrAPJI wrote: »

Recently widowed and I've popped in for a little bit of inspiration

I've never been a great cook and am finding the motivation to prepare and cook meals for one person, really difficult. I'm now on first name terms with the guys at the fish and chip shop and Indian takeaway Any tips gratefully received.

I am sorry for your loss, I am widowed too, almost three years now. My husband would have been hopeless at cooking if he had been the one left behind. Am I right in assuming that you are not really up to thinking about what to eat, buying it and then cooking it?

You said widowed recently, so you will be all over the place at the moment, so really it is a question of surviving as healthily and as easily as you can, there is a lot to do when a spouse passes and cooking is the least of it. Think of all in one pan meals, like rice and carrots, then add peas and tuna 5 minutes before the end. Turn it out and put sauce on it so it tastes ok. Get fish or meat that you can easily put in a frying pan or in foil in the oven, if the oven is small. Seems a waste of space with a big oven but you could get a frozen apple pie to bake in a big oven at the same time as the meat/fish and a baked potato, chop some veg and cook in a small pan, 8-10 minutes for soft veg like cabbage

When you have time, have a good look in the freezer and make a list to share with us

caronc

MrAPJI wrote: »

Recently widowed and I've popped in for a little bit of inspiration

I've never been a great cook and am finding the motivation to prepare and cook meals for one person, really difficult. I'm now on first name terms with the guys at the fish and chip shop and Indian takeaway Any tips gratefully received.

Welcome to the thread MrAPJI, sorry to hear you have been recently widowed.
Best tip for "cooking for one" (CFO) from me is to do what suits you rather than what others/wider society think you ought to be do. There is a vast breadth of CFO approaches on this thread so if you have any questions just ask and I'm sure someone will be able to help:).

Today has been busy but I'm not CFO tonight as my son has returned and is making dinner.:D We are having "Asian spiced" salmon with stir fry veg and noodles:).
I'm still no further forward with the wrapping but did bottle the bramble vodka and sort out my tax code as well as have three seperate lots of visitors:cool::eek:.

My house is smelling beautifully of "winter" thanks to two beautiful bouquets of flowers, one has a fair bit of pine in it and the smell is wafting:D

karcher

caronc wrote: »

as well as have three seperate lots of visitors:cool::eek:.

My house is smelling beautifully of "winter" thanks to two beautiful bouquets of flowers, one has a fair bit of pine in it and the smell is wafting:D

How lovely

I confess to being jealous

caronc

karcher wrote: »

How lovely

I confess to being jealous

Thank you - shame though the place at the moment is in complete chaos:o

PasturesNew

Welcome.

MrAPJI wrote: »

.... finding the motivation to prepare and cook meals for one person, really difficult. ...

Embrace the reality of CFO. This aspect might not change, so don't feel bad if it doesn't

Some people love cooking .... some of us just like to see a plate with some food on it in front of us, as quickly/painlessly as possible ...even if that does turn out to be a crisp sandwich for Sunday lunch

AndyCF

PasturesNew wrote: »

Some people love cooking .... some of us just like to see a plate with some food on it in front of us, as quickly/painlessly as possible ...even if that does turn out to be a crisp sandwich for Sunday lunch

Nothing wrong with that at all.

I tend to drop a couple of cream crackers when I have some to hand into a bowl of the thick (it does need to be thick really, not a great fan of thin soup usually) "chunky veg" soup and enjoy them in there, despite them breaking apart quickly it did add a nice little "extra" somehow to it.

Obviously I dropped them into the soup when it was hot/ready in its bowl not before warming it.

My soup choices are limited due to not liking a high tomato content for various reasons, so it does mean I tend to look to see how high up on the ingredient list the tomato / pur!e is, if its too high or got a percentage then I have to look elsewhere.

It was suggested to me that half a dozen hula hoops might work quite well but I think even with the plain ones the "saltedness" of them may spoil it somehow.

I've not tried the salt/pepper crackers I grab occasionally from Morr's in a soup yet either, the regular cheap 'cream crackers' work quite well enough.

Quickly mentioning the soups again I have found that adding a tiny bit of a beef stock cube to a beef/veg soup does do wonders but experimentation has shown that at most (for me at least) any more than about a third of the cube is too much. Using a 400g 'tin's worth of soup.

karcher

caronc wrote: »

Thank you - shame though the place at the moment is in complete chaos:o

Why?

Homely and lived in with visitors with flowers

Caron...enjoy it x

caronc

Good morning everyone,
After a busy day yesterday come 9.30pm I was shattered so headed to my bed, consequently I've been awake since 5am! I decided I had "busy brain" and got up and wrote a list of things I need to get done over the next few days. I'm now enjoying a second cuppa before I get showered and dressed and decide what from the list I'll tackle first. I'm not sure about lunch plans but tonight we are having cauli cheese.

[Deleted User]

I am going to make a real effort to increase my protein, important at the first two meals ie breakfast and lunchtime. 120g of first class protein is needed each time and I don`t take anywhere near that at times. Its so important for my hair for starters plus more protein is needed as we age

Porridge is cooking now and I`ll also have an egg, break will be a slice of jarlsberg on the last small piece of toast. Lunch, a portion of cabbage soup and fish, nicely fried, plus peas and tomatoes. Last meal might be soup again as it tasted nice

snacks and in betweeners, de-frosted soaked peeled almonds, fruit plate, parkin, dark chocolate