Cooking for one (Mark Two)

moneyistooshorttomention

Yesterday's baked radicchio was "errrm...". I wish I'd made a note the only time I've ever been served cooked radicchio before - because it was so nice that I was tucking in with enthusiasm. I'm pretty sure I'm using the same vegetable - but I've obviously not got it sussed.

Today's experiment - I must have a go at flatbread again. I've not been very successful with that - but I've got a new recipe and a new saucepan (having replaced some saucepans with ones that require virtually zilch oil to saute or the like in them). So let's hope I'll be more successful this time.

Think it's going to be a "resist temptation to drown the irritation" in a drink (or two) day today. Irritation still nipping away a bit - as I'm right about a community issue and I've been able to prove it clearly and quite easily from a bit of googling (as well as my own memories about how things are normally done). But I've got a suspicion t'other person won't accept the proof about what is the normal way of doing things. There have been "words" and there may be more. I prescribe myself another dose of Bach's Rescue Remedy, a couple of drinks of lemon balm tea and some weeding in the garden and positive thinking that the issue has finally been "put to bed" and won't raise its head again.

[Deleted User]

hang in there money, re the irritation and personal consequences. You are more important than any local nonsense

Second breakfast just now, plain boiled agg, half red grapefruit and double nespresso and got one lamb burger out of the overflowing freezer. Freezer is about7 feet high, looks that high to me and I need to sort, again. Have to lift drawers out to do it and they are very heavy. If I leave the door open to stand on steps and sort, then I only have a couple of minutes before it starts beeping at me. I am pretty certain that I won`t be able to release more space, apart from some pints of milk and if I bake then that will make more freezer food, viscious circle

Next year is going to be very different. I`ll be putting winter meat and fish in one drawer and not stockpiling any more than one pint of milk. Got to get the allotment fruit and veg in though as it saves so much over winter, time, effort, money. Heck maybe I will give in and switch my small spare freezer on but I keep thinking of all those journeys to the garage and then the cleaning and extra power. Today will be decisive, after I have washed clothes as it is going to be a good drying day

That didn`t take long, me being decisive. I`m going to power the little freezer up and start transferring much of the veg and fruits I have gathered in and prepared for winter. Just the three items, so I don`t have to rummage. Apple, berries and bean ratatouille. All in boxes and zip locks, that small freezer will be full by the time I finish with apples and raspberries and then I will part roast my parsnips and freeze them too. They were brilliant, pieces in a little olive oil

moneyistooshorttomention

I know you're right Kittie - and I remind myself that I'm in the fortunate position of "I don't actually need people". I dont need a job any longer and I only need whatever services I require. Worst case analysis - I've got a lot of "contact" elsewhere (tv/phone/Internet/radio and Home Visits at intervals). Add a lot of solitary type interests - cooking (though its nice to have friends round for meals)/gardening/walking/reading and "Other people are a want and not a need" iyswim.

Sounds like you might have a similar freezer to me Kittie. Mine is mega-tall and starts beeping if its door is open too long.

One of these fine days I'm going to have to get out the instruction booklet for it - as it's got a digital display up there that obviously shows the number of seconds the door can be open before that warning beep starts up. I've inadvertently changed the display time before now when I first bought it and it reads "19" and I can't have that door open long at all before I have to shut it temporarily and start again. But it will have the instructions somewhere there in accompanying booklet about how to re-set it to be longer - and I really must look it up some time to re-set it. It's on the "to do" list somewhere:rotfl:

PasturesNew

kittie wrote: »

Am making an effort to eat more protein every day, three times a day, includes nuts for a snack

You need beans on toast in your repertoire.

After I'd bought the red grapes on Sunday I'd snipped the stalk into tiny bunches, so I could just grab a small handful without half the pack following the few I'd grabbed .... and I'd eaten some ... but then I'd "tidied the worktop" and so the grapes have been forgotten/overlooked. In plain sight I wasn't aware of them.

Just spotted them, so had a few.

It was a 700 gram punnet, which is a bit of a biggun.

So, lots of grapes need to be eaten.

PasturesNew

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

... I'm right ....

Love to know what it is. Unfortunately, being right doesn't work on some numbskulls. They will be blinkered in an attitude of "I can do what I like" and will have made various assumptions about any situation.

They will also have a raft of stock answers to fall back on, that are "show stoppers" as you're no longer discussing the issue, but have been blocked by an irrelevant way of thinking.

e.g. if you went to your car and there were 3 boys on the roof of your car in your driveway playing a sword fight with REAL swords and if you spoke to the parent and said "Oi, no", their irrelevant stock answers might be "well where are they supposed to play?" "I bet you played outside when you were a child" and "You've not got kids, what do you know", "They're only kids/playing".

The fact there are three sword fighting ON your car roof with REAL swords becomes irrelevant .... because your "opinion", advice, suggestion or telling off is bounced back from the standpoint of somebody who is strangely ... blind, stupid and lacking in any ability to think coherently and come to a considered and correct understanding and decision.



There needs to be a training course in "Dealing with the terminally stupid" so that being right gets communicated into their thick skulls.

Of course.... you could be wrong you know
Just seeing what you want to see ....

PasturesNew

kittie wrote: »

Freezer is about7 feet high...

Maybe you need a "ridiculous new rule" a bit like mine.

You clearly have specific items you do need the freezer for, as and when (e.g. milk, baking, fruits). So maybe they could have dedicated shelves and when it's full it's full.

Top area entirely free "for emergency overflow area"...

And just ONE basket/shelf for "actual food I am actually eating at the moment".

While "just ONE" doesn't work in practice.... as there are times you need to use the "overflow", it does concentrate your mind that "I am putting things into the overflow.... so I now need to actively STOP finding things to go into the freezer and need to eat what I've got ASAP"

meg72

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Nice to have a good weekend away - and good that your "furry owners" are happy.

I like hearing about cat tales myself - as I tend to feel its too much responsibility to get one of my own - but I do do friendships with cats. I've got a new cat friend living nearby now - so maybe I can "adopt a cat" temporarily sometimes:rotfl:. Cat owner was busily telling me their cat is a bit nervous (ie of other people) and cat concerned promptly headed straight for me and started winding themselves around me begging for attention - to the obvious astonishment of their owner:rotfl:. Think that could be me up for cat-feeding duties if owner goes away...

EDIT; Agh! Don't know how many of my own apples I'm going to get to eat over next few months. The birds have virtually taken the entire crop of one of my trees - darn it. Now I've discovered another one has got problems with its apples - just looked it up and it's called "brown rot". Off to find out what natural method I can use to deal with it. It's moving fast - as I only checked out the tree yesterday and have had to remove 3 more apples from it today.

Oh that sounds nasty hope you manage to sort it. The birds, like snails and slugs are an expected hinderance to growing your own but I hate when soething unexpected and sneaky gets my plants.

Hollyharvey

I've eaten some mixed berries out of my freezer this morning with some Greek yoghurt.

I've also got some cod and parsley sauce out to defrost for dinner tonight. I'll have that with some steamed veg and new potatoes. I fancy mash but have only got salad potatoes and they don't mash well. I'm not going to go and buy more potatoes though .

Lunch will just be a sandwich, probably cheese and salad or pickle, or I could push the boat out and have both .

I'm having a bit of a CBA day so can't summon up any energy to prepare food .

[Deleted User]

PasturesNew wrote: »

Maybe you need a "ridiculous new rule" a bit like mine.
"

yes very good points PN. I do believe that one empty drawer with mobile food is key, otherwise I am just pushing food in wherever there is an inch, then I have to root for it. Ok that is what I am going to do, just waiting to scurry across to the garage and switch my overflow one on and make some space. After getting my washing out

All the drawers have labels at the front but at the end of the day, it is wherever I can squash something. The upside is that I am not freezing empty space but the mobile food drawer is definitely a good idea and one I will follow

moneyistooshorttomention

meg72 wrote: »

Oh that sounds nasty hope you manage to sort it. The birds, like snails and slugs are an expected hinderance to growing your own but I hate when soething unexpected and sneaky gets my plants.

Let's face it Meg.....birds/cats/you name it and they all obviously know a soft touch when they see it as far as I'm concerned:rotfl:. Slugs, ants and caterpillars all "get it" - but birds/cats/etc sighs....

It's people that can be more "challenging" and I know exactly what PN means. Well aware of the human tendency to "see what we want to see" and can instantly think of some instances where it has, quite literally, cost me when I did so.

I was persuaded years ago by a friend that I needed to turn my own way of thinking literally on its head and then I could see what way others might be thinking. It made sense.

Yep...PN - I do try and figure out whether I'm "fair" in what I've decided (loads of googling about "how things are normally done"/loads of googling about laws/loads of googling about normal customs across Britain as a whole/etc). I do try and act as my own "judge and jury" at thinking about whether I'm being "fair" or no. But, if I do decide I'm being fair and have got the evidence that normal countrywide ways/normal laws/etc back me up = I will fight.