Cooking for one (Mark Two)

caronc

Good evening everyone,
Fab looking food Farway - I love roasted veg:D.
I'm frazzled - but at last my wrapping is finished:D. I like "posh-looking" wrapping but my word it takes a while. Gone are the days when the boys were small and you could do it any old way.....
Like N2bT's macaroni cheese, cauliflower cheese has been sidelined a) because my son has disappeared to the pub with my nephew, b) before he went he had a bowl of weetabix and there is not enough milk left to make sauce :mad: and c) yes I could open carton of UHT but I now CBA making it:o.
I'm having a well deserved glass of wine before I no doubt pop something in the oven or open a tin of beans:)

PasturesNew

I can't leave things to cook in the kitchen, I have to remain in there ....and it's such a boring room. There's no telly, no PC, nothing. Not even a chair, although I could take the folding beach chair if I really wanted to sit down.... so the idea of cooking anything for more than 20 minutes is off the radar

I'd be petrified the little oven was about to overheat, explode and burst into flames.... and/or any oil catch fire.... so even for short periods of time I HAVE to stand and watch what's cooking.

Luckily .... I trust the slow cooker, although I don't tend to ever leave the house when it's on still... "just in case".

If I were doing that roasted veg stuff I'd nuke the lot for a par-boil experience... for varying amounts depending on the items (3-5 minutes apiece) .... then shove them in the oven and hope they'd be done in 20-25 minutes, which I'd do using the timer for 10+10+5 minutes and letting the oven "rest" for 1-2 minutes between each session.

caronc

Dinner was certainly no "Masterchef" moment but was tasty - stuffed pasta with a quick sauce of spinach, peas, mushrooms, chive cream cheese, a splodge of the pasta water and a few drops of tabasco sauce, The pasta, spinach & peas were all from the freezer so a win in the "quick, tasty and filled a hungry space" stakes

[Deleted User]

Its definitely a fridge bits day today, whatever I can use, then I will use, wipe the fridge and re-arrange. Soup, pasta, LO tofu and parmesan in a comforting bowl for lunch. Breakfast, spelt flakes and an egg. Proteins this morning, spelt, milk, egg, almonds, tofu, parmesan. The usual in betweeners

Meat box arriving this morning and I have my vac packing stuff ready. Individual packs in small strong bags, keeping out freezer burn and enabling a longer life. I am keeping out half the smoked salmon and one pork steak for tomorrow. I have plenty of veg

Not doing much today, maybe a cycle ride, depends. Was very achy in bed last night, woke me up, need to stretch myself on my inverter again, re-align my spine as aches are coming down from lower back. No aches when cycling, it is from sitting and I need to get my lower back roll out for back support. Best for my back if I use my recliner or zero gravity chair, rather than laptop/tv chair

karcher

caronc wrote: »

Dinner was certainly no "Masterchef" moment but was tasty - stuffed pasta with a quick sauce of spinach, peas, mushrooms, chive cream cheese, a splodge of the pasta water and a few drops of tabasco sauce, The pasta, spinach & peas were all from the freezer so a win in the "quick, tasty and filled a hungry space" stakes

That sounds lovely

PasturesNew

I finished off yesterday with a packet of crisps.

They used to be known as "Xmas crisps", but were relegated to "Regular crisps" when I realised it was daft to hold onto 18 packets as "Xmas crisps" and then have the arduous task of eating them all at Xmas "because it's Xmas"

I can justify anything if I try

Today ... no idea. It's that thing where I need to go shopping/for basics, but don't want to get caught up with too many other people .... and I'd prefer to not buy the Xmas day food until Sunday, but then it just hangs over me so wondering whether to just bite the bullet and pick up the brussels and carrots today, then I've at least got them ....and maybe the turkey as it's a frozen pack anyway (I'd intended to get it Sunday as the freezer's a bit full, but there is space for it).

Then there's the "do I get maris piper potatoes?" because they're Maris, although I already have spuds I bought last week .... which aren't Maris.... and then it'd be spud overload ....and do I really care what sort of spuds I have?

I hate decisions.... I'll probably just have spud overload due to their cheap price.

EDIT: Did a run up to 4ldi, expecting to "just grab" a pack of Brussels, carrots and the spuds .... but got none. The brussels were already manky/going black in the packets, the carrots didn't look much healthier and the spuds were dated 26 December (and I'm already ploughing through a bag dated 18 Dec) ... so I left it.

Picked up two packs of fluffy crumpets (30% off sticker) - I did have small concerns that I had zero crumpets in the house, so they were on the list. Now in the freezer (which is full!). There was also a pack of 6 lemon/raisin scotch pancakes with the 30% off sticker on, so I got those too (in the freezer).

I didn't intend to buy my turkey today at all, but when I got there they were mostly the stuffed breasts and I wanted a plain/unstuffed breast .... so I decided to get one, then it was at least "job done".

Xmas dinner is just short of brussels and carrots .... either/both of which I've still got two days to buy, so not bothered. It's either a trip to L1dl (likely) ... or wait until tomorrow then Sunday for 4ldi's bigger brussels ... I do wish I'd bought the ones I saw yesterday as they were large and pristine.

Freezer's stuffed, due to its small size to start with. If I really had to clear space I'd say I could squeeze in the equivalent of a 1Kg frozen bag of food.

Bread half drawer's already heaving, with 10 big bread baps and 4 cheese topped rolls... the crumpets/pancakes should go into that drawer, but they won't as they wouldn't fit.

It's brunch today .... two hot sausage rolls! All out of sausage rolls now.... will buy more before Xmas

wort

Mr AP - I lost my hubby at the end of June, similar thing perfectly well and working, went on holiday , and got headaches, in bed not eating or drinking at all.cut short hol, went to a and e within a couple of weeks he'd died of secondary metastases in the meninges of his brain. I still feel in shock, it's a difficult time, and at least you're looking for ways to improve your wellbeing.
Maybe if you mention to the sil how you would like to cook something different maybe she could share a recipe with you.

Soup is really easy to make, use one of the know stock pots, I usually use chicken, thy are little pots with a jelly stock in rather than a cube. They make about a pint. Just fry an onion,till translucent, then you can add things like celery, and garlic but even without its good. Then I cut up a potato add a blob of butter.put the lid on the pan and sweat for 5 mins. Then add stock and whatever veg you like. Broccoli with or without Stilton is my favourite, I add the Stilton before eating. A full head of broccoli is about right.cook till veg is thoroughly cooked 20 to 30 min. I then mash before eating, but that's not necessary.

Still feeling sh!te. The cough kept me up last night but I've just to get through this last day at work. I've had my toast and cheese spread, made a ham salad thin for lunch, with apple rice for pud.
Yesterday I had a jacket spud with cheese and salad for lunch as I was doing late night at work, then had a couple of gf currant toasts when I got home around 9 PM.

PasturesNew

wort wrote: »

Soup ....I usually ..... 20 to 30 min. I then mash before eating, but that's not necessary.

I'd nuke that
8-10 minutes tops.

caronc

Good morning everyone,
I've no idea what my son was doing when he came back from the pub but as the washing machine is pulled out and there is a torch and a pair of rubber gloves next to it I assume there may have been another mouse. All will no doubt be revealed when he gets up:eek:

Said son is getting dispatched to Morrisons with a list today and apart from the buther's order we are collecting tomorrow that should cover us for Christmas:D.

Today I need to write the remaining few cards, vac pack salmon and turn the house chaos into a tidy place;)

Hollyharvey

I've decided to have an easy cooking day. So I had Greek yoghurt for breakfast with some berries I defrosted overnight to free up a bit of freezer space.

Lunch is likely to be a cheese and salad or pickle sandwich.

I made some beef and chicken goulash for the freezer yesterday and kept back a portion of the beef goulash for today, so I just need to heat that and I think I'll have some rice with it.

PN My neighbour has been out to the shops. She left home at 6.45 this morning, and when she got to Tesco the queues at the tills all had 6 or 7 people in front of her with loaded trolleys and they were queuing to use the self service tills. She said that Sainsbury was just as bad and that there was a really long queue outside Aldi at 7.30 waiting for them to open at 8.00am so she didn't bother!