Cooking for one (Mark Three)

PasturesNew

Today it's nippy.

I decided to make 2 bits of toast at lunch-time, but then remembered I'd opened a tin of spag bol 2-3 days ago, which therefore needed to be eaten, so I decided to have spag bol & toast.

In a bit I'll have one of those Mr T frozen dinners I bought. Not sure which as I don't fancy any of them I could go out to buy food I fancy but it's too nippy and dark now

Maybe I'll cook two of the Bean/Cheese Melts with some chips.

caronc

Good evening everyone,

My first and only visit to a Berni Inn was in 1982 in York, my then bf was a very fussy eater but knew what they offered and was happy to go there. It felt like a real treat but I remember nothing about it apart from the fact I wore a grey velvet pinafore I had bought the day before and spilled sauce of some description on it that was a beggar to remove.:cool:


Christmas always involved a bag of unshelled nuts (cue the annual hunt for the nutcrackers:rotfl:), a box of "Eat Me" dates, candied orange and lemon jellies that looked like fruit segments, marzipan petit fours from the local bakery, Quality Street and After Eights. They weren't allowed to be touched until Christmas day night which made them seem extra special.:) It seemed like a lot but with five of us, plus four Grandparents, a Great Uncle and my Gran's friend they soon disappeared:). Along with the shortbread, mince pies and Christmas cake I'm surprised any of us slept that night from the sugar rush. :eek: Looking back I can see why us kids were only allowed to eat the sugar mouse from our stockings and any other sweet gifts had to be left until Boxing Day.


The weather is to turn really nasty here over the next 24-48 hours with weather warnings for wind, it was very blowy earlier but still now - the calm before the storm I presume. I've had a quick check outdoors and as far as I can see everything that needs secured has been. I've brought more logs in and filled the coal scuttle, if it's going to be wild for a bit at least those are covered.:)



The portioned meat went into the freezer surprisingly easily:). Ragu for cottage pie is made, I just need to pop some mash on top and bake for a bit. I was later getting it on than I intended as I got sidetracked tidying out my wrapping paper/cards/bags stash which took longer than I thought it would though at least I have confirmed that card-wise I'm fine for this year and have enough gift bags and paper for the next decade or so:eek::eek:. This I hasten to add is not due to me over-buying but from my kids' tendency to leave anything of that ilk here plus a load of bits that came from my Dad's. I'm far too [STRIKE]tight[/STRIKE] :money:to see this get ditched but it does seem to breed when I'm not looking:eek:.

unrecordings

My visit (singular I think)to Berni must have been maybe late 70's, no later than 1980 - probably my birthday. Very much remember Eat Me Dates in the oval box in Xmases past. Talking of which, the tree was dressed for a second time today as the first set of lights (bought on Friday) went back to the shop having failed already. Cat decided to get in the carrier bag full of tinsel and stayed there until she thought she'd proved a point, and I tried to figure out how much vintage Spode I could smuggle into the house. Operation Certain Bankruptcy is well under way

Brambling

The chances of anyone coming from Mars was a million to one or so they said .... My sister also had the album Caronc and I can remember Richard Burton talking on it

Your list of Christmas treats was very much like ours Caronc . Minus the marzipan petite fours but we always had a box of New Berry Fruits as well PN. My sister and I would make fudge on Christmas Eve, one year my aunt turn up and distracted us so it caught on the bottom, we added drinking chocolate to hide it and it set so hard you couldn't break it, we broke a wooden spoon when we hit it with one :rotfl: because nothing got thrown away in our house poor unexpected visitors were offered fudge and would get really hard toffee almost breaking their teeth on it :rotfl:

Horrid trip back from town tonight, cold and really foggy, hopefully it will improve by morning or I'll be clearing the car again :cool: at least I remembered the cover on the windscreen tonight.

Lunchtime trip to W8itrose for blueberries got me some Christmas treats a small boned and rolled YS half price welsh lamb joint and a couple of reduced lamb shoulder shanks from their meat counter also half price. It's been squeezed in the freezer with a YS boned sirloin steak and YS smoked salmon .

Lunch was a portion of braised celery soup and a pack of crisps, I made more than I thought so two smaller portions rather than one and a bit. Dinner was a omelette and chips and some LO runner beans

I don't think I ever went to a Berni :think:

pattypan4

I wonder what the weather will bring here, the papers are saying very cold and snow. I decided to be one of the sensible ones staying away from the supermarkets soon, I stocked up and have all but finished getting the bits for christmas. I found small waxed cheeses at waitrose the other day, long dates. Milk is the only thing I need to put by and I think I am going to have to get some long life because my freezer is too full too freeze milk. I`ll get them today



I think I`ll copy brambling and make some celery soup with added cashews. I have a frozen boney mackerel thawing in the sink, big mistake getting the boney ones. I am off out at 10 so will just have time to take the bones out and skin off. I enjoyed the last one on veggies in a microwave pouch, I`ll prep that so I have something to put in the microwave when I get back, or I`ll be tempted by bits

caronc

Good afternoon everyone,

Very wet & windy here today, we have a weather warning for gales until tomorrow and it's definitely in full blow just now.
My very windswept sis popped by for a cuppa on her way home from a dental appointment she was here long but during her visit my door went three times with deliveries only one of which I was expecting. The others were my kids getting stuff delivered here for Christmas. After she left I gave the bathroom a good scrub out rather than the quick swish & swipe it had last week.

The cottage pie last night was delicious the slow cooked shredded beef made a gorgeous filling. There's at least two portions left plus probably enough to have for a light lunch. One portion I have tonight as I have an early evening meeting so now I will cba cooking when I get back and it will be too early for me to want to eat beforehand. Lunch is a portion of pea & ham soup from the freezer nice and rib sticking for a lousy day.

Wednesday2000

We always had satsumas, dates, After Eights and Matchmakers at Christmas. Twiglets too!:D

I haven't prepared at all this year regarding food.

I was going to try the Asda vegan Christmas range so I might see if I can book a slot now.

PasturesNew wrote: »

In the late 60s my mum's employer put on a kids' xmas party and at the end you met Santa and one year he gave out Meltis New Berry Fruits.

They're better than York, they have a liquid middle.... but they're harder to spot/justify buying

Re Berni, I've never been to one. We weren't an "eating out" family, Berni weren't cheap

I can't remember what York Fruits taste like. I might have to buy a box!

Wednesday2000

I'm having a Bird's eye vegan burger with Violife cheese melted on top with lettuce and ketchup. I might cut it in half and have it in two rolls as I'm hungry!

Farway

Very frosty this morning, still lingering even at 10ish, guess it was scrape the car again Brambling?

Usual porridge, then into town, zero YS anywhere so only bought the necessaries mooching around.
Luckily I had to drop off a prescription, so into C0stcutter next door, and found my YS dinner, MFO beef stew & dumplings, just the job for today's weather:j
Lunch was boring cheese & sliced onion sarnie, with hindsight it would've been an ideal toasted sarnie

Berni Inn, I can't remember where I went in but guess I must've, prawn cocktail, gammon with pineapple, Black forest gateau. Living the dream:D

pattypan4

We had our evening wedding meal in a berni inn and it was prawn cocktail, steak and black forest gateau. Lovely too and a real treat those days. The wedding celebration was a buffet at home and then we left for one night in a hotel and off on honeymoon in a hired campavan the next day. Very different to these days


I nipped out and got my last bits today, apart from veg which will arrive next friday and I`ll pop them into the green bags which will keep them nice. Anything else I will walk down to the local shops. I`ll be very glad to be away from the hoardes when they start to panic, it was sainsburys today and the car park was almost full at 9am