Cooking for one (Mark Three)

caronc

Thanks CG it's been a long, hard slog for her, harder I think because she wasn't studying in her first language and being so many 1000s of miles from her family, she's a real trouper and I'm so glad my son and her met :happyhear

Brambling

Great news for your future DIL Caronc. . What's her doctorate? Hopefully your sisters' problems will resolve quickly, teething problems of her new flat

Thanks for the soup tips candy/Caronc . I just have a mental block about leek and potato soup I'll give it a go

I'll look out for the rhubarb crowns at the weekend Farway as there's no Wilkos in mywork town

I still think I'm brewing the lurgy but not sure what :cool: I woke with a bad headache and needed my inhaler after walking up the hill into town lunch time :cool: hopefully it wouldn't develop any further.

Lunch was a repeat of yesterday's stuffed vegetables, today it was portobello mushroom and beef tomato and a slice of carrot cake from my colleagues birthday she can be a bit hit and miss when she bakes I tried a tiny bit of her brownie and wasn't so keen but the carrot cake was delicious lovely and spicy with cream cheese icing

Lunch was late so dinner was some of the cauliflower croquettes from the freezer with some green veg

caronc

Brambling wrote: »

Great news for your future DIL Caronc. . What's her doctorate? Hopefully your sisters' problems will resolve quickly, teething problems of her new flat

It's Immunology Brambling mainly cancer-related but involving some cross-over with gene typing and therapy. Well out of my sphere of understanding but lots of interest in her thesis paper which can't be a bad thing. She wants to work in the policy rather than academic side of things for a bit to expand her career path options in the future.
My lurgy sounds pretty similar, headache first thing and a bit congested but not really came to very much but still lurking.
Here traditional tattie and leek soup was a soup made with not very much apart from lots of spuds, usually left chunky(ish) and often with a couple of tablespoons of oats added to make it creamy. The stock was usually from boiling beef removed to serve separately (think very fatty short rib) or ham as chicken wasn't as common and if folk had one it was usually a boiling fowl and used for broth or !!!!-a-leekie soup. I do love leek & tattie soup in any guise:).

Brambling

Wow a very intelligent person Caronc and such a important field to be involved in

PasturesNew

I take aaaaaaaages to get round to doing things, the whole "getting my head into the zone", the initial research, sitting back and doing nothing for months, then more research. What tends to happen is I either never do/buy it, or I buy in haste as some crisis occurred.

So ... air fryers.

I'm thinking if I do get one it'll be late 2021 before I finally get all that pre-amble sorted out and I'll have pontificated and faffed and missed chances and ummed and aahed ... don't hold me to that though, it might be 2022

In the meantime, I've started poking about with "so, if you got one, what'd you cook in it that you believe would be quicker than doing it in a little toaster oven".

My little list of foods is growing... I have a few items collected.

In the main I'd use it for "the usual", so chips, fish fingers, fish cakes, battered fish portions, chicken nuggets/goujons/similar, fried onions, quiche, pizza maybe (basket size depending as mine won't be a biggun).... mostly breaded/battered stuff and stuff that's usually fried.

My items that I think it might be better/quicker are: sausages, toasted sandwiches, part-baked bread rolls/baguettes (empty or filled), onion bhajis, cheese topped rolls, jacket spuds, roast spuds, roast parsnips (these last two mostly for Xmas dinner).

I wouldn't want to buy one to just cook what the mini oven does, it'd have to be that it does things either better (some things are 'better' fried rather than baked) or faster.

Although I'm happy doing my Xmas turkey breast in a SC, I could try one in the AF, although it might need to be cut in half due to the fact the drawer will most likely be significantly smaller than the same sized SC volume.

They're not cheap are they, so I must ensure if I buy one and give up valuable kitchen space that it really is worth the spend. I can't afford to make a mistake (which is pretty much inevitable as I have great ideas, followed by very poor choices/decisions).

One issue with modern/cheap shopping is you either order online, or go into a shop where there's a stack of them..... but not any on display where you can feel them, open them, touch them, poke a beady eye in and around them. I will spend some time finding shops that do allow me to poke around them a bit.

PasturesNew

Don't quote, will delete



Skin of my teeth and all that. I do appear to be home alone.
And now Brit Airways have suspended all flights to there..... so LL was on almost the last flight out of London yesterday!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-7941645/British-Airways-suspends-flights-mainland-China-amid-growing-coronavirus-crisis.html

"suspended all bookings on its website for direct flights from London to Beijing and Shanghai until March" - it was one of those LL was on.

The DM also says BA aren't sure how they will return those who are already there, who have flights booked back in the coming weeks.... so I might be home alone a little longer, but won't bank on it. Return date is booked for 3 weeks' time.

Farway

OH, PN, I heard on the news this morning, UK Government has advised no travel to China having just evacuated the Brits already there, fingers crossed for you

Sun's out this morning, looking very Springlike ATM

Porridge for a late breakfast
Made a fresh brew of yoghurt
Dishwasher chuntering away:j
This afternoon is Volunteer's thank you buffet, triangular posh sarnies & cakes, all HM as one of the volunteers used to run a catering business and that sort of thing is all in day's work

As a consequence I'll not need a lunch, and if I come home with a doggy bag I'll not need to think about dinner either. Fingers crossed

PN, air fryers, quite a comprehensive list there, I've not had mine long enough to judge any of it but so far oven chips I find are better in the air fryer, possibly due to air circulation.
Should I fail to get a doggy bag I may try !!!!!! in the air fryer tonight. Normally I gas grill or gas oven cook them

Brambling, if you do find a Wilko rhubarb crown have a good pick over, some are carp having been super heated in the shop for days

Wednesday2000

It's a lovely day here and it feels much warmer than it has done. I've been sitting with a blanket over my knees at night as it's been so cold, I feel like an old woman.:rotfl:

I just had wholemeal toast with mashed avocado, hemp seeds and salt and black pepper. Cup of tea too. The hemp seeds aren't that bad in taste and are meant to be very good for you.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323037.php#nutritional-benefits

They don't get you high, though, unfortunately.:D:p

Brambling wrote: »

I still think I'm brewing the lurgy but not sure what :cool: I woke with a bad headache and needed my inhaler after walking up the hill into town lunch time :cool: hopefully it wouldn't develop any further.

Lunch was a repeat of yesterday's stuffed vegetables, today it was portobello mushroom and beef tomato and a slice of carrot cake from my colleagues birthday she can be a bit hit and miss when she bakes I tried a tiny bit of her brownie and wasn't so keen but the carrot cake was delicious lovely and spicy with cream cheese icing

I love carrot cake, hope you feel a bit better now.

caronc

Good afternoon everyone,
Back to stormy here and still bitterly cold, I had to pop to the post box and despite wearing thick gloves and only being outdoors for about 10 mins my hands were painfully cold when I got back home! It's absolutely tipping it down now so I'm glad I went when I did!
PN I was talking to my son at the weekend about getting an air fryer - Farway & Brambling what brand to you have? I don't want one with a paddle just a tray. Thanks.
Last of the cheese pudding for lunch and dinner will be a freezer rake, I've admin to do this afternoon so will want something quick to prep later.

PasturesNew

Driving past the chippy the other day I saw a sign outside that said Lunchtime fish/chips £4.50... so I went and got one of those today

Splashed vinegar on them in the shop, brought a wooden fork home with me.... ate them out of the box at home.

Really nice. Fresh and cooked to order. Chips were fresh out and fish was cooked in front of me.

Same chippy as the other night, when I spent £6 in the evening. I think there were fewer chips in my lunchtime portion, but can't say whether the fish was a little smaller or not.