Cooking for one (Mark Three)

moneyistooshorttomention

Further Southern Softie here and I checked the house thermostat when I got up - to see what it had sunk to overnight. 18.5C isn't bad for some hours of no heating on.

Though still seems to recall the lowest temperature the house has been since I got it "sorted" is 16C - and that was when I'd gone away for a week and had the heating off throughout.

No snow here - but temperature has shot down and I'm feeling distinctly cold when out of doors. Good job I tidied the garden up last week - rather than postponing to this week.

Dinner tonight - finally having that leftover "sorta bolognaise" - and guess it'll be with baked potatoes and I think some peas might be an idea too.

Farway

Just a few snow flurries here so far. Only outside venture was emptying the leaves out of the teapot onto the garden, blooming cold

Lunch was as scheduled, spud duly blinded and now baking in t'oven
Salad yet to be prepped

Only other "work" so far was moving leccy supplier, my council have a group switching scheme, for once the result was not daft so moving over, and it will give me bragging rights with my kids, all green supplier

caronc

PN- I used to feel my house was a "utility house" when the boys were at home. It's better now it's just me thankfully

The spicy lentil and tomato soup was really good especially since it was mainly made from LOs:cool:. I reckon it's made 3 portions so one for today, one for tomorrow and one for the freezer.
I've had a rake through the fridge and between it and the frrezer/HM ready meals done a menu plan as follows:

• Piri piri chicken thighs with mushrooms, courgette and potato
• Liver & bacon casserole with cheesey mash & cabbage
• Pasta with salmon, broccoli & leeks
• Tandoori lamb chops with ratatouille and Greek pita bread
• Haddock, broccoli, peas and oven chip
• Steak, mushrooms, onions, tomato and spuds
• Belly pork with cabbage, leeks and root veg mash
• LO pork stiry fry
• Spinach & ricotta lasagne
• Spiced chicken & lentils with Greek pita
• Corned beef hash

I will need a shop this Friday for basics and fruit & veg but apart from some haddock I have all the other main elements in so hopefully a cheapish shop. I will need to shop again on the 8th or 9th as I'm catering for my son & Dad's birthdays on the 10th but after that I'm hoping to only need 1 largeish or 2 small shops to see me through March:).


It's just started to sleet here

moneyistooshorttomention

Still blue skies/looks decent etc here - but cold....cold...cold......
Activities here are starting to "rev up" that little bit more - so I think everyone else is looking a bit more to "get on with it - ie Life". So fingers crossed the cold doesn't last much longer - particularly with just how "seasonal" many things seem to be here...

Caron - your food always sounds like the nicest on the thread (though I'd have to eat in a different way to the way I do personally). If I ate more conventionally = I'd be inviting myself around...:rotfl:

Timer just gone off - my baked potatoes must be about ready now I hope. Not that I've had a glass (or two) of wine whilst waiting. My excuse being that I've done some more (odd job sorta stuff) work on the house today and it deserves a bit of "commemorating"....ahem. I've gotten into the idea of "Do everything - during the worst weather. So one can forget about it and Get Out There as much as possible during better weather time-of-year" which seems to be more the mindset round here (rather than the "Just DO it - as and when" mindset I'm used to...)

caronc

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Still blue skies/looks decent etc here - but cold....cold...cold......
Activities here are starting to "rev up" that little bit more - so I think everyone else is looking a bit more to "get on with it - ie Life". So fingers crossed the cold doesn't last much longer - particularly with just how "seasonal" many things seem to be here...

Caron - your food always sounds like the nicest on the thread (though I'd have to eat in a different way to the way I do personally). If I ate more conventionally = I'd be inviting myself around...:rotfl:

Timer just gone off - my baked potatoes must be about ready now I hope. Not that I've had a glass (or two) of wine whilst waiting. My excuse being that I've done some more (odd job sorta stuff) work on the house today and it deserves a bit of "commemorating"....ahem. I've gotten into the idea of "Do everything - during the worst weather. So one can forget about it and Get Out There as much as possible during better weather time-of-year" which seems to be more the mindset round here (rather than the "Just DO it - as and when" mindset I'm used to...)

Why thank you:) - as you can tell I like cooking (& eating:()...... I was determined when I became CFO & less mobile that it was one thing I wasn't going to change. I am finding going back to meal planning really helpful in stopping me eating variations of the same thing aka turn on oven bung meat/fish + veg + spud on a tray and bake:)

It's attempting though very half-heartedly to snow here. Maybe the weather is a CFO and CBA tonight:rotfl::rotfl:

pineapple

Evening all.
Tonight is stew mk 2. But I do prefer to have different textures in a meal so last night it was with crispy suet crust pastry and tonight it is with fried up penne pasta which I cooked earlier today. I've added cumin seeds to the crispy pasta for flavouring and may yet stir some peanut butter into the stew. Tonight will soak some butter beans to make a soup tomorrow with left over leeks, celery and onions.
Weather still ok tonight. It seems the East of the country will be worse hit but I still feel a bit embarrassed for our ability to cope. I've driven up to the Arctic Circle in early Spring when it was bitterly cold and snowy but the roads were fine. Heaven knows what they think of us in countries where the snowfall is measured in feet not centimetres.

caronc

pineapple wrote: »

Evening all.
Tonight is stew mk 2. But I do prefer to have different textures in a meal so last night it was with crispy suet crust pastry and tonight it is with fried up penne pasta which I cooked earlier today. I've added cumin seeds to the crispy pasta for flavouring and may yet stir some peanut butter into the stew. Tonight will soak some butter beans to make a soup tomorrow with left over leeks, celery and onions.
Weather still ok tonight. It seems the East of the country will be worse hit but I still feel a bit embarrassed for our ability to cope. I've driven up to the Arctic Circle in early Spring when it was bitterly cold and snowy but the roads were fine. Heaven knows what they think of us in countries where the snowfall is measured in feet not centimetres.

Stew mk 2 sounds really good as does the soup - proper "winter-warmers"

moneyistooshorttomention

Now wondering how well cake does in the freezer?

I've been given a homemade cake - and I'm not a cake sorta person - but I figured "It'll allus come in handy some time somewhere" - so planning on putting it in the freezer and hoping it "comes out the other end" the same as it went in if I find a use for it....

PasturesNew

pineapple wrote: »

... suet crust pastry ...

I thought earlier that I'd make that and pop it on top of a portion of my turkey mince stuff... but then I realised it was easier to grab a bit of chocolate and head for the blanket and lie under it in the warm

caronc

Good morning everyone,
I'm sure your cake will be fine in the freezer MTSTM.
No snow here apart from odd flakes but it is bitterly cold. I braved the elements to empty the bin and feed the birds and that was enough! I did put the heating off so I could open the windows, but they are now shut and the heating back on;).
Breakfast was my usual toast & fruit and lunch will be some of the soup I made yesterday with some of the piri piri chicken I cooked last night in either a sandwich or with some salady bits. I've liver & bacon casserole defrosting for tonight which I'll have with steamed cabbage and some of Sunday's cheesy mash
My "chores" for today cleaning-wise are to tidy/clean my bedroom and sweep & wash the kitchen floor:)