Cooking for one (Mark Three)

PasturesNew

Today I've had a packet of crisps.  I'm hungry, but can't work out what to go out and buy.... if I get flatbreads I have fish fingers; I could just get an Iceland pizza (but they shut at 6); I could get a frozen Mr T lasagne, or a 67p pizza.  I'm stuck at the indecision point. 

For the record... might as well confess, that entire 650g tub of choccies I bought on Saturday are all gone.  The whole lot.  Four days.... what a pig.  
And... do you know what...?  They weren't even that nice tasting..... very disappointed with those.  Won't buy another tub.

Brambling

Hi all 

I got back from Dorset yesterday lunchtime it was a 3.5hours drive back thanks to the usual issues at Dorchester, Chichester and a small town called Storrington which is used by people to avoid Arundel, I'm not complaining as it was a good trip back, Farway any idea how long they will be working on the M27? 50 for 15miles is annoying 🙄. Plenty of walking done according to my Fitbit over 125km in a week it all felt uphill 😁 

Farway I've come back to vouchers from W8itrose  £6 off when I spend £30 I wouldn't use all 6 of them within the 6 weeks they are dated but might pay a visit for the first time since lockdown.  I did receive a 25% off email from Iceland as I had logged in to have a look, it had to be used with 24 hours and the last day I could book a delivery was today, so I thought I would give them a try.  Everything was delivered and a hour early but unfortunately I couldn't tweak it last night as I would have lost the voucher so I had to pop to T Exp for potatoes and milk before taken the car to be washed this morning.  I've also somehow managed to order two tubs of gravy granules which will probably mean the missing one will turn up now 😐

Caronc I was given a book token at Christmas so I've also brought the new JO book 🤓 the cook book addiction is still a issue or me 🙄 I need to undo my sister's not so healthy food and a week of testing scones  although none were with cream 🙂 I need recipes for giant courgette and pattypan, luckily only one giant of each but multiple smaller ones  no runner beans but there are flowers so I may be lucky

my sister came around for lunch as I was expecting my delivery between 12 - 2, we spent the afternoon gossiping catching up.  Comfort food of fish fingers and AF chips (my nephew doesn't like !!!!!!) followed by strawberries and Greek yogurt. Not sure about dinner yet, there was a nice tiger loaf delivered so it will probably be a sandwich of sometime later. I'm not working until Monday so the garden will get it's much needed weeding tomorrow 

PasturesNew

Just did a Mr T dash, without a list.  I'd made a list, there are important things on it, I'll have to go back again first thing in the morning to be honest....  

NOT on the list, but right inside the door - Mr T are flogging matchmakers at just 75p.  They're usually £1 at best everywhere.  Three flavours: mint, orange, pecan/something (light blue box), so if you're partial to a matchmaker, or would put them on somebody's Xmas list, then now's probably as good a time as any to stock up.  I bought a box  

I also bought: loaf, crumpets, flatbreads, frozen cheesecake.

Once home I used a flatbread to knock up a cheeseburger with two of the B/Eye burgers.  It was absolutely gorgeous again.  Only two of those left in the box and I'm loathe to pay full price ever. 

Farway

Brambling said:

Hi all 

I got back from Dorset yesterday lunchtime it was a 3.5hours drive back thanks to the usual issues at Dorchester, Chichester and a small town called Storrington which is used by people to avoid Arundel, I'm not complaining as it was a good trip back, Farway any idea how long they will be working on the M27? 50 for 15miles is annoying 🙄. Plenty of walking done according to my Fitbit over 125km in a week it all felt uphill 😁 

Farway I've come back to vouchers from W8itrose  £6 off when I spend £30 I wouldn't use all 6 of them within the 6 weeks they are dated but might pay a visit for the first time since lockdown.  I did receive a 25% off email from Iceland as I had logged in to have a look, it had to be used with 24 hours and the last day I could book a delivery was today, so I thought I would give them a try.  Everything was delivered and a hour early but unfortunately I couldn't tweak it last night as I would have lost the voucher so I had to pop to T Exp for potatoes and milk before taken the car to be washed this morning.  I've also somehow managed to order two tubs of gravy granules which will probably mean the missing one will turn up now 😐

Welcome back, and weather is set fair for your gardening catch up, and maybe more beans

M27, been going on forever, they're adding fourth lane as far as Southampton I think, but maybe the hard shoulder will be lost?

At least you missed the bridge replacement last weekend at Fareham

Seem W8rose & Iceland know enough about us to target the offers just right to tempt.

Iceland surprised me, and others I've told, they do seem to have it cracked with delivery, shame not as many choices, don't sell flour or porridge oats for instance, and as we have found out the offer vouchers are very time specific with losing it if you amend order.

Luckily there is a "cancel amendments" button so I assume it's a common problem with customers

Sunny day again, the leaves are turning now though and noticeably darker evenings. Time for the annual "winter draws on" joke

I finished up with yet another ham sarnie for dinner yesterday, with cheese & crackers later

Still not quite in cooking mood, but I baked the pears this morning, very juicy but not good raw, as I've said it was mislabelled tree and took years before it fruited, by which time too late.

Just taken the pears out of the oven, looking good & smelling better.

Cinnamon & Demerara sugar only extra ingredients, sample at lunchtime once they've cooled

Lunch, rediscovered my toastie maker during SC shuffle, all being well it'll be HM cheese "N" ham toastie

Dinner, if any gammon left after lunch use It'll be use up gammon, eggs & chips.

Quite honestly as nice as the gammon is I'll be glad to see the back of it

caronc

Good morning everyone, 
Glad you enjoyed your break Brambling, good call on the JO cookbook- we can have a cook-a-long lol . The next two recipes we are trying are the pork loin schnitzel and the filo chicken "kiev" . I'd suggest stuffing for the large veg. Greek style would work very well I think. 
I've still not done anything with my bag of refusing to soften pears Farway, baking them could be an answer then popping them in the freezer or I might just slice and open freeze then bag them. 
I spotted the Matchmakers PN and will get some, though I doubt they'll see Christmas unless I can sneak them past my boy!
I think I'm CFO tonight as my son is provisionally going to see his Dad, if so I swithering between a bacon hash/hotpot type thing or quick freezer rake. Regardless runner beans will feature as there's another lot needing picked before they go tough and stringy. Soup for the freezr I think though a toastie sounds appealing now Farway's mentioned them.

PasturesNew

I made a rookie error with the matchmakers.... I opened one end, inside they're in two joined trays... I was munching through them and thought "there's a lot in this half, how many more?", looked and spotted the divider's not as large as it was and they'd all slid to one end... so I only had four left.  Oh well. 

Today's food is dictated by what I've got.  Breakfast was 3x scrambled eggs and 2x toast. Later on I've the second half of beans/sausages I opened two days ago to use up, so it'll be beans/sausages on 2x toast and possibly a bit of cheese on top. 

Only got enough coffee now for two more, so I'll have to pop out to Mr T soon to stock up (two 100g jars = stock up).  

Wednesday2000

I had toast and Marmite for breakfast and I made roasted vegetable pasta for lunch. I have two bowls of leftovers for the next couple of lunches.

PN - I had a dream about you last night. I took melatonin last night and it makes me get weird dreams. We were in a shopping centre and talking about moving house when we were on the escalator.

Farway

Enjoyed lunch, I can recommend toasties, back to the 60s.

My neighbour offered to try for an Iceberg lettuce for me as she is going to Lidl. Maybe salad tomorrow?

Caron, I sampled the baked pears, lovely, dare I say taste just like tinned More 60s food, where's the evap milk?

I'll add open a tin of beans to go with the ham,eggs & chips, keep the 60s theme running

PasturesNew

Unexpected bagging in the hot food section....

I only popped into Mr T to get coffee.... but just inside the door there's a slim hot food cabinet.  It's where I bought my hot pasty from last week.  My eyes scanned it, no pasties.... but then spotted a white sticker "Hey, look" said the voice inside my head ... and I looked.  They had cheese/onion pasties reduced from £1.60 to 40p.  I thought it'd be rude not to have one.  I only had the one (there were two) - BUT - there was also a hot sausage roll, also reduced.  It was quite a biggun (8-9" or so) and I peered closer (trying to not look like the lady who lives on pies) .. only 21p instead of 85p.  Now, that'd be very rude to ignore that wouldn't it!  So I got the pasty and the sausage roll.... and the plan was to eat them both.  I then decided to turn it into a proper treat and drove a mile up the road to an elevated water view spot.... and sat and ate the sausage roll.  I then decided that the cheese/onion pasty could wait until later, so I brought it home and will nuke it in a bit.  I also picked up a cucumber, so I can have sandwiches with the bread I bought yesterday. 

I never did get the coffee, they didn't have any of the sort I was in there to get (instant, 70p/100g).  So I popped to L1dl to get their 200g/£1.39 jar instead and also managed to pick up 10 large eggs (legitimate purchase) and a bag of fizzy sweets (wasn't on the list, but that's life, eh). 

I took a drive by two places that have appeared on the market, I didn't think I was overkeen, but a drive by is handy. 

1/ bungalow, it came on at £290k on 1st and was reduced to £285k today.  The drive by proved it wasn't for me.  In a RISING/fast market I might've been tempted, just to stop the pain of looking... but nothing about it was on the wish list in reality.
2/ bungalow, fresh to market today, £320k, so can't afford it in any case.  Peculiar little road.  Nothing special about it.  It'd have to drop a LOT before it came in budget in any case, but the drive by's been done now.

caronc

Good evening everyone, 
Do you think you are going to have to significantly widen your search area to get something that even halfway meets your needs PN? The thought of another winter in shared accommodation must be soul destroying or are you quite happy to hunker down where you are until the right place in your area(s) comes up?
Farway, I'm blaming you for the somewhat unhealthy salami and cheddar toastie I succumbed to for lunch. It was delicious though
It's blooming baltic here this evening, more than just a hint of Autumn..... My son has headed to his Dad's and I'm CFO and opting for a freezer rake for either a nuke or AF  option. I picked a big bowl of beans this afternoon so a mound of them will be the veg with whatever I decide.