Cooking for one (Mark Three)

Brambling

Snap on the dinner Caronc 🙂 I air fried a couple of boned chicken thighs which I crumbled and had with jersey royal, runner beans, French beans and tenderstem broccoli.

Farway I try to pick up bacon at the farm shop when I go as it is miles ahead of the SM stuff although they also do proper bacon at the meat counter in W8itrose 

I dropped my old old sewing machine around to a friend today, all carefully handed over on the doorstep and then sat in my sister's garden catching up with a cuppa it was fun trying to keep 2m apart fighting over the shade as it was very hot in her front garden, the back would have been cooler but would have meant going through the house.  I also caught up with my youngest nephew when he got back from a ten mile walk, he said the local forest was quieter than it has been he assumed people had gone further afield today.  

I gather your part of the world is busy with idiots PN.  My family in Dorset have rightly been complaining about the busy roads and manic beaches which they are all avoiding, there was a large scale rescue due to idiots jumping 200 foot into the sea, looking at the crowds definitely no social distancing there even before they were all crowded together to allow two helicopters to land on the beach and watching the news it's not much better there today

candygirl

It's not often I post this early, but the sun has got it's hat on again, so want to make the most of it .
We celebrated Mum's birthday yesterday, each sitting well apart in the garden, chatting , and having a laugh.She loves her air fryer , so will no doubt be helping her get used to it 
I quite fancy a pasta salad later , with crunchy bread 😋

Farway

This forum name will need updating to CFO [AF]

Good find with the snack van PN, when part of my job involved driving around I found I could rely on vans, taxis, bikers etc outside a cafe or roadside stop as indicating decent no frills food at reasonable prices.

Sadly a lot morphed into Little Chef type places and us bacon butty & a mug of builders oiks were no longer catered for

During my mammoth watering session yesterday I realised the rhubarb had shot up, somewhere on today's menu is stewed rhubarb or maybe a crumble if CBA

The frozen Gregg's sausage rolls were ideal yesterday, dabbed in brown sauce of course

Lunch, back to BLT, quick & easy

Dinner, still hot so the maybe rinse & repeat Ploughman's with more of the Gregg's SRs

By then I'll have the rhubarb cooked in some form for pud later

My peas are rocketing on, they are mange tout stage right now, but I need to get hold of some new spuds sharpish if I am to take advantage with FR lamb etc

I'm watering [social distancing] my volunteer border tomorrow, there's a Co Op opposite, dare I peek in for some new spuds?

I'll case the joint first of course, otherwise it's pot luck with ND & T*sco

Brambling, bacon, it's a bit of a bummer with me isolating so browsing even W8rose in person is out at the moment [maybe spud run in the Co Op tomorrow?] so I'm still finding my way round on line stuff, with my "normal" good meat suppliers with little or no stock, it's an inconvenience but a least it's not plagues of locusts, typhoons or riots for which I'm grateful

My PC is about to update Windows 10, so just in case I'm AWOL you know what happened

Wednesday2000

I had a toasted sandwich for breakfast and leftover cold pasta and salad for lunch.

We finally tidied up the "garden" yesterday. It is such a small area that I don't know why we are so lazy about it!

So warm again.

Farway

Back again, update worked, took ages so god job I triggered it over lunch

Rhubarb picked & stewed, not enough to make a good gutsy crumble so I'll just have it bare bones

I never buy ice cream but this would be a good time to have some to plop in the rhubarb

Dinner decided, rinse & repeat Ploughman's

I'm now on shopping plan E. Signed up with Asd@.

I know exactly where the click & collects are and there are slots readily available, minimum spend £25 or £3 extra if under, expect I can get to £25 fairly easily

Something to try out over next few days

caronc

Good afternoon everyone, 
Another scorcher here today, this morning I melted in the greenhouse prepping tubs for my toms and cues. My it was like being in a sauna but I got most of it done. I'll plant the toms later when the sun has gone over a bit. Making the most of the weather and still having some bait left my son is heading back to the sand pits this evening for a couple of hours. If I cba I'll make veggie pasta for dinner when he returns and if not it will be something quick like egg and AF oven chips. I've pig cheeks defrosting to marinade in soy, ginger, garlic and honey before I pop them in the SC tomorrow. 

caronc

Gee whizz PN that's expensive for a one bedroom even factoring in parking. You'd be able to rent a well appointed 3 bed house in a half decent area round here for that!!
A lovely breeze has developed making it much more comfortable outdoors. I'm enjoying a glass of iced tea in the garden before heading back to swelter in the greenhouse. 

Brambling

Unfortunately high rents are the joy of living down south Caronc, it's definitely cheaper to pay a mortgage rather than rent at the moment 😐 I love the sound of your pig cheeks  I haven't had them for a while I may try the butcher to see if they have them I used to stock up when they were reduced on the SM meat counter  🤔

Farway even if you could get to W8itrose I think their meat counter is still closed.  I've not been to one since lock down I rarely visit the one here as there is a large one next door to the office which in a normal world I cut through on the way back from my lunchtime walk. I also like being able to buying just enough rashers for one meal 🙂

I have been given some pea seeds which I have planted tonight and if the pigeons don't get them I hope I will have late peas or mange tout I'll give my sister some of the seeds. I only have some short canes and no pea sticks and not a lot of spare room so I've squashed in a couple of small wigwams amongst my courgettes and squash plants and one in a large pot if they don't grow it will cost me some compost and water 🙂

A last minute call with IT meant a quick late lunch before the next call so lunch was scrambled eggs on toast.  Dinner was stir fried rice with loads of chopped veg, pan fried salmon and LO green veg from yesterday 

PasturesNew

caronc said:

Gee whizz PN that's expensive for a one bedroom even factoring in parking. You'd be able to rent a well appointed 3 bed house in a half decent area round here for that!!
A lovely breeze has developed making it much more comfortable outdoors. I'm enjoying a glass of iced tea in the garden before heading back to swelter in the greenhouse. 

The difference between a 1 bed and a 3 bed isn't vast.... the trouble is, 1 beds are always poor value by comparison.  Ditto with buying.... the market has always been skewed like that.  You see it in reverse when people want to "downsize" - and expect to get "half what we've got now for half the price" as it doesn't work like that. 

Market's on the move. Regular places coming up for sale + some reductions.  Nothing I want, but close enough to what I want for me to be hugely confident "the one" will crop up soon.... 

Farway

Good hunting PN, does the student  / university closures impact down your way?

Thinking all the students now not going could see more digs, but student digs are not always good are they? Maybe not quite in the drug dealer category though

Another hotty today, after breakfast I was up watering the volunteer border again, it's startng to come out of lock down drought now, but we do need rain desperately

Took longer on the border than anticipated, plus stopped for a social distance chat & coffee after so lunch was delayed and became a fried egg sarnie

Dinner, could be another ploughman's salad combo, or MFO stab & ping

Managed to sort out an Asd@ click & collect, just over the £25 spend min.

Plenty of slots but I chose this Sunday morning, it gives me time to add or subtract should I need to.

I may need to, my washing up bowl, cheapo plastic jobby, has cracked with plastic fatigue.

I know Asd@ sell those but no idea if online, I failed to find their 2L cheapo sparkling water on line but I know they sell it in store, or did last year anyway