Cooking for one (Mark Two)

Need2bthrifty

Morning All

The temp has plummeted again but because it rained all day yesterday I need to get out for some fresh air today despite the cold.

There wont be much cfo done today I've just had brie & cranberry sauce on toast for breakfast, I may just nibble on fruit, dates and mince pies then settle down for another turkey dinner later on.

PasturesNew wrote: »

I posted a quick snap I'd taken of my dinner, just before I poured gravy on it. Light was fading by then as it was grey/overcast and raining here today. Might as well stick it here too, as it's a CFO effort.

Before gravy was added: https://s10.postimg.org/3unjqpl49/Xmas_Dinner2017-_Before_Gravy.jpg

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Good to see you got the nut roast done as well, it would have been a shame to miss it out after all the effort you put in. I have all the ingredients I need to do the one I saw on the Sunday brunch programme, I may give that a go tomorrow meantime I have a chunk of turkey to deal with.

I was also wondering if HH did her Moussaka and trifle yesterday, that might be on the meal plan for me next week.

PasturesNew

Need2bthrifty wrote: »

I have all the ingredients I need to do the one I saw on the Sunday brunch programme, I may give that a go tomorrow

I'll sometimes watch that programme, but there's so much increasingly "annoying stuff" in it that I don't bother.

I've always thought the chef used way too many (often unusual) ingredients, with too many steps, in his recipes. I don't like the "drink section" at all, the music's all samey-samey and rubbish.... and so, in the main the programme's only useful for 30 seconds: the 30 second shot of the one dish of food that they made that I'd eat

There are many, many, simpler nut roasts than the one I made.... but I had to give that one a try. I won't do it again as it's too many ingredients really

Today I'll just nuke a second portion of yesterday's dinner - and toss another Yorkshire into the oven from the freezer.

Need2bthrifty

I know what you mean PN - Tim is so me, me, me, and when the pair of them start in with the football, nights out and holiday drivel I switch off, its mainly on as background noise and my ears perk up at the mention of food.

[Deleted User]

I am so glad to have got home safe last night. Lovely, busy noisy day, drive home should have been a piece of cake, dark but I have excellent overspecs. Following satnav sw because dark makes everything look different. Not going too fast, driving within my reaction limits, hence a row of cars behind me going down a pitch black A road, no cats eyes, trees each side, rain was still hammering, torrential, needed fast wipers, big gusts of wind and suddenly there was a large heavy tree in front of me, blocking the full width. No diversions or chainsaws. Me panic!! yes, hadn`t a clue how to get onto an alternative road from there.

Map inside car, good but was dark, where is that interior light switch, oh yes up in the middle. No torch pressed a switch and the sunroof opened, quickly shut it. Turned around and went blindly back, satnav saying `do a u turn`. Parked by a deserted garage, tried various areas, kept saying the same `go back`, no thanks. Ok, calm head on now, go west girl, towards bristol and bath and eventually decided that I had gone far enough west. Satnav on to home, got me back via unknown dark route and very many floods. Unseen without mainbeam but I am a considerate driver and had to turn it off many times, bang into floods

So being home now is such a great pleasure. In dressing gown and watched recorded victoria this morning. Breakfast just 2 small bits of toast, not much fresh milk left, only frozen. Later, plate of fruit, later again,one piece of toast with 2 slices of sliced cheddar

I have washed the whole bag of curly kale in veg wash, rinsed and packed into 2 tall vac jars, they will last 2 weeks. Lunch is a cook ready meal, chick pea tagine with a few sprouts. Dark chocolate and 3 mini mince pies later. Later again, snowball and the 3rd fat rascal. Only had 2 meals yesterday, not too much for lunch but a cooked breakfast here, never felt hungry when I went to bed

Road in general was full of manic drivers with souped up exhausts, must have been many crashes under terrible driving conditions

moneyistooshorttomention

This is one of the times where I see the advantages of not driving rather clearly - watching all those jammed-up roads, etc. There are extra difficulties in driving at night in more country-ish areas - I find it quite unnerving being in a vehicle going along the roads here at night (as they're so dark). Add that I am glad of more trees - but there is the downside that a building at side of road isnt going to tumble down and block a road - but a tree might (particularly in a windy area).

Food today - got as far as thinking that I'll have the last of those sweet potato flatbread, filled with some leftover canned kidney beans/onions/tomatoes. Topped with the last of that cashew/nutritional yeast sauce I bought and I guess a baked potato with it.

Back to planning to "do what I can" re the garden. I've spent well up into 4 figures on the garden to date and my hair is standing on end at how much it will cost to finish it (ie well up into 5 figures). So goodness knows when that will be - but, for now, think I'll clear as much eyesore stuff as possible out (even if it's my own possessions - and I have to give them away - as there's nowhere to put them out of sight). Have decided to go ahead and start getting the posh pots with posh plants in bit of the garden to go on top of that bit of the garden that is "covered over with grot" and will eventually be "still covered over - but with something attractive/classy" instead. Should make it look a bit "more like"...if not done. Can't do anything ever about seeing neighbouring "concrete block walls" - but will try to hide the view of them as much as I can from myself - with LARGE plants put between myself and my sight of them.

PasturesNew

Utterly stuffed..... just had an early lunch of yesterday's food nuked
Phew ..... groaning plate ... and I struggled to the end.
I originally thought I'd do more/fresh veg to go with it, but didn't in the end (4 carrot lengths and 2 brussels were enough already I figured)....

Full to bursting point!

Yesterday, apart from Xmas lunch, I scoffed a couple of mince pies, some sweeties, nearly a full box of Matchmakers, a pot of chocolate fingers and some crisps.

Wednesday2000

I had a tomato cupasoup and the last WM bread roll with marg for breakfast.

I'm about to have a spinach, banana and apple smoothie.

I'm going to have some vegan LindaMcc sausages with chips and whatever veggies I have left.

I have quite a lot of salad as well so will have to have that with something later.

PasturesNew

I've got leftover nutroast, that could be cut into three fat slices + turkey breast that could be cut into 2-3 large portions. I've a few roast spuds and roast parsnips. I might just freeze that lot.

Fresh veg I've still got about 3.5Kg of potatoes, 400g of brussels and 400g of carrots that will want using up soonish.

Overall, this year, I felt it worked better than last year's menu - where I relied on frozen vegetables that then cluttered up the freezer for 5-6 months as they started off as 1Kg bags apiece.

Farway

Back home safely last night, not me driving. What an awful journey home Kittie, but nice to be safely home

Santa brought me a yoghurt maker, he went to Amaz*n it seems, I guess the Elves were busy elsewhere

Loads of food yesterday but for once I never stuffed myself and felt better for it

Checked the turkey defrosting in the fridge when I got home, it had not defrosted at all, despite having over 12 hours out of freezer:mad: I left it on draining board when I went to bed, for an overnight defrost
It had defrosted by mid morning, now back into fridge and will bung on about 1ish

I slept in, probably due to late night. No matter I had nothing really planned anyway

Breakfast was fried egg sandwich, just fancied one. Job done, it passed but not as tasty as I had anticipated

Quick unwrap and wash of the yoghurt maker. I was toying with cracking on, it seems any UHT milk is fine, in fact recommended, but my UHT is semi skimmed, and I really want to use full fat free range milk for my first brew.

Plus I really want to measure the milk temperature, it says 40c, I guess this is baby bath warm, but guessing for first batch may not do just in case it fails and then I'd be left pondering the cause of failure
Plan for tomorrow, buy a food thermometer and full cream milk

Lunch probably mince pie & stollen:o
Dinner will be some of the turkey, possibly all the trimmings unless CBA kicks in, in which case it is turkey sarnie of some sort

moneyistooshorttomention

PasturesNew wrote: »

Overall, this year, I felt it worked better than last year's menu - where I relied on frozen vegetables that then cluttered up the freezer for 5-6 months as they started off as 1Kg bags apiece.

Now trying to think where I read the idea of dividing up mixed bags of frozen vegetables or fruit into their constituent parts and bagging each different veg. or fruit up separately.

The idea being that one doesnt get repeat after repeat of "mixed", then more "mixed, then yet more "mixed".

I don't tend to like frozen vegetables anyway personally - peas and spinach being basically the only exceptions to that. I did try that a couple of times with mixed berries - and tend to think "It's a bit of faff - when the taste and colour of all the separate ingredients seems to have somewhat melded together in the bag anyway". But I guess one could do that for visual effects (eg those artfully- arranged smoothie bowls or overnight oats bowls and the like). So blackcurrants to the left and raspberries to the right, for instance, would look better.

But I'll admit I'm now grinning at whether Pastures herself would do that - almost certainly not and add a "few choice comments" about being "artistic" with the food:rotfl::rotfl:

But I guess you might concievably consider it - or someone else might...:)

BTW - "A Girl Called Jack" is making entries again on her Facebook page if anyone is interested.