Cooking for one (Mark Three)

PasturesNew

I knew shops were busy as there were reports from early doors of queues snaking their way endlessly.  However, about 11.30 I thought I'd take a slow amble down to 4ldi to get a loaf of bread and pack of samosas. Just those two, nothing more.  As I approached, I realised there was an outside queue.... of about 40 people, so I kept walking.... and I eventually stumbled across a graveyard.  I had a slow walk round there, reading some of the stones, then out and along the road, then did a U turn as that road goes nowhere visibly interesting, back up to the main road, I could see the queue was still daft-long, so I came home.  I was only out 45 minutes.  Google pedometer says I went 2 miles.  Hard to believe I did 2 miles in 45 minutes as I was shuffling, ambling, then wandering around a graveyard slowly.... 

Lunch was therefore: 1/ A cup a soup.  2/ a bit later on, half a packet of cheap stuffing mix. 3/ a bit later on a cold tin of marrowfat peas. 

I might pop out later to see if there's samosas/bread.  I guess if I don't I'll regret it tomorrow when I've no food.  If I've got a loaf I can use the salmon paste, the beef paste, the plum tomatoes and the jam as sandwiches (separately of course!).

PasturesNew

Somebody went out for a walk, to get just a loaf of bread and a 4-pack of samosas... there was a queue of about 8 at the shop, but I waited as it's not open tomorrow.... and this'd already be 3 miles walked for a loaf... which is a bit too close to old War stories   

.. when in there, I spotted a YS pile... all meat/ham and what looked like a lovely beef mince topped with about six dumplings for half price - it was an extraordinarily large pack with six dumplings.  Couldn't have that mince/dumplings... but there was a 3-pack of strawberry cheesecakes half price so I got those  

Since I got home I've scoffed: 1 cheesecake and 2 samosas.  Feeling utterly stuffed to be honest. 

caronc

Good evening everyone, 
Glad you got some supplies PN even did have a bit of trail for them! I'm also glad you got your shopping via ND Farway. Since she moved back in my sis has being doing the same for her neighbours who are in their 80s. Today she was to get some cooked sliced lamb for them as they planned to have that for a quick roast dinner tomorrow. Instead she's sharing the meal (roast lamb) she's cooking which they are delighted with. In normal times they go out to eat quite a lot so this will be a nice treat for them as I don't think they cba cooking much these days so tend to eat quite simply when at home. Andy I have one of those boxes that I use over Christmas to stash juice, beer etc, in and it's kept on my deck so they are cooled. In the summer I store my garden furniture covers in it so it earns it's keep, I think it was a £5 about 8 or 9 years ago and has proven to be money well spent:) .
The weather perked up a good bit and I had sit in the sunshine with my book and a cuppa this afternoon which was lovely though a cardi was needed. My veg seeds are beginning to pop up though a few of the toms are still to appear but barring mishaps at least it's a start.  
I am CFO tonight, my son has ordered a chippy which I didn't fancy, I'm still debating what to make I think it will be a quick pasta or a HM RM from the freezer. After his catch up with his Dad and brother my son is "meeting up" with his mates for a quiz before they fire up the PS4s to do some gaming! I do wonder how my generation as young, single teens/adults would have coped before all the IT we have now, only three channels to chose from on the TV and your parents policing the use of the landline...…..
ETA - my son just collected his takeaway from the doorstep and in the porch was a lovely hand decorated card and bunch of tulips from my NDs   HM cottage pie is being nuked, I'll have it with peas and mushrooms.

greenbee

How lovely of your sister @caronc - my neighbours are doing something similar and will be dropping off Easter lunch for several of us tomorrow. 

Coffee and HCB after yoga this morning, salad and cheese sourdough roll for lunch, cheat's lasagne and salad followed by strawberries and cream this evening. Strawberry plants potted up and broad beans sown today. Hopefully by the time everything needs planting out I'll have organised somewhere for it to go... 

Brambling

Another warm day here, I left home 8.30 to walk to the chemist with a light cardi on and was carrying it by the time I got there 🌞😁. Unfortunately I wasn't the only one who thought to get there for opening, it's a small chemist so only allowing two people in at once, there are worst ways to spend 15 minutes than standing in the sun shine getting my Vit D    The new inhaler is stronger than the one I used to have (currently unavailable) I'll have to remember half the dosage from my old one.

I looped home via town about 4.5 miles in all.  There were at least 30 people queuing outside of Boots plus a queue inside so I think I got off lightly   I decided to stick with M&S for the few bits I needed as there was only a small queue (10 mins wait) which I understand is good compared to the other SMs and like last week I picked up some good YS bargains .  I didn't get much as I was carrying it home, but picked up some fruit, veg and salad stuff as well as half price YS turkey breast mince and some lovely looking cod loin £3 instead of £6.60 and there's two good  size portions.   I didn't need milk especially this size but they were selling 4 pints containers of milk for 3p and had loads

Lunch was the last of my HM chicken soup with half a small crusty baguette.  Dinner was a small rolled, boned half leg of lamb, it was just as well I wasn't feeding my nephew as it I would have needed sausages to fill up his legs 🙄 it was a 500g joint but there was a lot of shrinkage I was glad it had been only half price when I brought it  . Still it was very nice and enough for a generous helping tonight and one about the same size tomorrow.  To go with it I cooked potato and celeriac boulangere with thyme and some goats cheese melted on top  roast parsnips and root veg mash and reheated a small portion of LO runner beans and broccoli.  Plenty of LO veg as well as a kind of ratatouille (no aubergine) to utilise the oven being on which will go with the cold lamb tomorrow.  All my odds and sods of veg have now been used up (5 different root veg in the mash) and it will be a couple of easy day's food wise as well 🙂 

Nelski

Happy chocolate day everyone.

Weekend has been lovely for weather but seems to be on the way out today. Yesterday I made some mini egg brownies for today far to many for one of course so will have to deliver some to the neighbours that I like For food I had a sloppy giuseppe pizza with extra mozzarella the pizza was a yellow sticker at sainsburys a while ago and the mozzarella 25p reduced at Asda in those heady days when I could shop normally. So today its been left over pizza for brekky then the plan is for a pork joint with crackling with roast pots yorkshire puds cabbage leeks and mushrooms. Its a very small joint for 2 people so not expecting much once its shrunk but thats fine....2 meals out of it will be good. Pud will be brownies and that will be easter done for another year. 

caronc

Happy Easter everyone,
I'm up, showered, dressed and I'm now enjoying a lazy cuppa before starting the food prep for later. I'll do most of the prep and start the cooking off and my son will do the last minute stuff, dishing up etc. which works well for us both. I want to reclaim my kitchen table so we can eat there. At present it has his wee freezer on it and various other bits and bobs. 
It's dull and quite chilly here so I can't see me lazing in the garden today, I'm glad I made the most of it yesterday. It's supposed to dip to 1C this evening and be chilly for a few days. Hopefully this will be the last cold snap though our last frost date isn't until towards the end of May so you never know.

Farway

Nelski said:

Happy chocolate day everyone.
 Pud will be brownies and that will be easter done for another year.

Next Easter we can all reminisce about this one and how we survived despite lack of [insert item here]

One other thing to add to the stolen from cupboard list . My pack of dried marrow fat peas.

With having a FR gammon shank this Easter I realised a pea & ham soup would be ideal use for the shank LO, no peas!!

I remember using them a bit back, obviously never replaced them at the time, and with current circumstances not likely to replace them any time soon.

Which leaves a quandary, bung bones in the freezer to become freezer flotsam awaiting peas in our time [groan]  or just bin bones? Binning is most possible

Sunny morning, after porridge it was photography time, all the blossom in the garden sunshine before the weather changes

Pond has been sorted as well, at least it has water & not gunge in it, plus the replacement window catch has arrived. a job for tomorrow I think, CBA to do it today

Lunch was salad & mayo sarnie, followed by last of the hot X buns with butter

Dinner, last of the FR gammon shank with HM chips & salad

I'll have a root in the freezer later to see if anything inspiring for tomorrow, a cooler day, stew & dumplings maybe? Or another full on roast dinner?

Nelski

Farway ...My fill the blanks would be people, pubs, flour,  pasta and baileys! btw what is FR gammon ? the only thing I could think of free range but then I doubted you'd say that ever time so the other guess was Farways Recipe in which case can we have it Its a confusing place here sometimes

PasturesNew

Today I've had: Pot of beef paste & 4 mini plum tomatoes sandwich; jam sandwich; 2 veg samosas; pack of doritos, chocolate covered biscuit bar. 

I had to eat all three of those cheesecakes yesterday.... which I'd expected.  Having got them home I put them in as cool a place as possible (south facing room) ... but they did get quite soft.  As I was eating the second one, which had almost turned to liquid, I realised I'd have to sink the 3rd one PDQ. 

No point going out today. Nowhere to walk to round here and even the shop's shut.  I could walk 1.5 miles to the Co-Op, but as I don't really want/need anything it'd be pointless.... and entering any shop is a "risk" of sorts.  And, even if I did that, there's no guarantee it'd be open when I got there... I'd expect it to be open (CoOp usually is on Easter Sundays), but you can never tell if they shut for staff shortages or because they're restocking the shelves. 

There's nowhere to walk "to" from here.  Nowhere.  Down one grimey main road .... down another grimey main road... or up a grimey back street.  There's certainly no river, or lake, or water, or somewhere "pleasant" at all.  I'd just be "going there and back" for no reason ... wherever I wandered round to.... and there's no point or joy in that is there. Plod, plod, plod... sigh ... plod, plod, plod .. sigh.  You can keep your "1 hour of exercise a day" matey