Cooking for one (Mark Three)

Brambling

Is this where I confess that I may be a cake maker but I've never made a Christmas cake as I told my mum that's what M &S are for 😁 for years she made me a small one as she couldn't bear the thought of me eating a brought ones. She made a good Christmas cake, you just needed a chisel to break in to the icing.  It was the only time there was brandy in the house when we were kids a quarter bottle to feed the cakes 

Horrid day here dark and heavy rain,  I think we were lucky just to get the edge of Barra 

Like you JKS I'm on count down, my head really wasn't at work today, so luckily no meeting.  I need to be more with it tomorrow as it's my meeting 😐

lunch was a mug of broccoli soup, rather than cheese I fried a small amount of chopped chorizo from the freezer until crispy and stirred it in 😋

Dinner LO prawn risotto with added pan fried shiitake mushrooms 

Farway

Storm has gone now, it was torrential rain & wind but no damage around here, there was some coastal flooding as it arrived at high tide with overtopping, but I’m not affected, not even a wheelie bin out of place

Finished off all the on line shopping, and now find I’ve ordered what I already had in the freezer, curses, means I’ll have to go back & change that before delivery or fill my freezer with needless duplicates, changing will no doubt will mean something I do want has become out of stock.Like blooming Christams Cake. Actually since then I've been checking recipes and there are some easy ones which sound just perfect as CFO

I changed lunch plan yesterday, it was still eggs & bread but went for longed for fried bread [in bacon fat] with fried eggs, plus brown sauce

Today’s lunch is cheeses, own grown apple & some crackers

Dinner, continuing with freezer clearances, last of the hash browns, last of Harry Ramsden’s chips, last of the eggs, maybe with a few rashers of Mark’s posh back bacon?

caronc

Good morning everyone, 
I miss the "Christmas countdown" feeling I used to have when I was working. Now despite having the all the time in the world I'm far less organised than I used to be. Feeling Christmassy probably won't happen for me until DS2 returns and we sort out the decorations. Must get cards written this weekend.
Farway, I've used a simple boiled fruitcake like this one Boiled fruit cake recipe | BBC Good Food in lieu of a proper Christmas cake a few times. It is lovely as is and keeps well but takes feeding with some booze really well. I usually just use a bag of mixed fruit and some extra peel and bake it in a round tin (7 or 8 inch). If you like that sort of thing a slice of it fried in bacon fat or butter is gorgeous. Will see if DS2 fancies one this year.
Much calmer here today but still wet and cold. I've been awake since silly o'clock so have managed to have a reasonably productive morning. I took some smoked mackerel out to defrost last night so just about to make some pate for lunch as I have crème fraiche needing used up. I'll have some with oatcakes and salad. Cauliflower cheese for dinner tonight probably with a baked spud or HM wedges. 

Brambling

Hope you got the delivery redone Farway?

I've bookmarked the cake Caronc I don't need to make for this Christmas as I have a very slice from M&S hiding upstairs. Not for Christmas but mum use to make a boiled fruit cake so I may try next year perhaps Easter

my freezer now contains, the turkey crown, stuffing and sausages for pigs in blankets as my sister had no room, I've got some stuff due nearer to Christmas so may have to do some rejigging as I dumped it in when I got in earlier, maybe eat the chicken next week

lunch was broccoli soup (I froze the last portion) with cheese and crackers.  I was out later than I expected tonight  and didn't get in until 8.30ish so dinner ended up as a bacon and sausage roll using farm shop sausage and bacon from the freezer with a dollop of brown sauce

Farway

Dull day outside with rain on it's way again, not going anywhere so it doesn't matter to me.

Thanks for cake link Caron, oddly enough it's one I'd copied and had on my "maybe" list, now it moves up to top spot but I'll skip the fry in bacon fat if you don't mind , butter perhaps maybe, calories don't count at Christmas do they?

Brambling, shopping not yet rejigged, I have until late tomorow to do it and may find I'm something short before then, low on ketchup is one item just spotted yesterday

The Mark's back bacon turned out to be very salty, shame as I was hoping I could use that as my Posh bacon.

I have another hospital appointment next Thursday so Farm Shop + cafe could be on iteneray post that, in which case I can get some nice bacon in for Christmas, and cast my eye over the meat while there, I keep thinking fillet steak would be a nice treat and probably cost as much as a cheap turkey , not that I fancy turkey anyway

Today's food is lunch of [salty] back bacon sarnie + brown sauce

Dinner, continuing freezer clearance, I found a £1 MFO frozen veggie lasagne, so it's that or frozen pizza, which ever I fancy at the time

caronc

Good morning everyone, 
As far as I'm aware Farway calories don't count until after Twelfth night! 
Rinse and repeat food wise for me today with the rest of the smoked mackerel pate for lunch and cauli cheese for dinner. I think I'll defrost a couple of sausages to have with it. 
ETA - change of plans for lunch didn't like the smell of the pate so scrambled eggs instead. Also remembered I baked an extra spud to have tonight so no need for bangers.

justkeepswimmimg

8 days to go…hysteria set in today and wine has been taken tonight 😜

Had one of those where I didn’t stop but not sure what I actually achieved, lots of firefighting I suppose.

Lunch was more of the spicy parsnip soup with pitta. A nice easy, after a long day standard of salmon with broccoli and pesto pasta tonight.

Cuppa with Masterchef now and then I will be off to bed. Tomorrow’s to do list (written whilst I cooked and ate dinner) is at 22 items…

Brambling

JKS the gods are conspiring against you because you're trying to clear your desk 😐 I hate the days when you seem to be so busy but have accomplished nothing from a to do list.  Today the boss announced at 4pm that whilst the emails were quiet we could go at 4.30pm makes a change from working until after 6pm.  We are between bimonthly system upgrades at the moment with a deployment on Saturday so all signed off (I'm not working 😁 ) and the next one isn't until February, so no testing until after Christmas. 

Lunch was scrambled egg with smoked salmon and wilted spinach. Dinner was a filo wrapped salmon and wild garlic pesto parcel (freezer dive) with the last of the wilted spinach, broccoli and new potatoes 

Cuppa and masterchef here as well 🙂

Farway

Sunny with a cutting wind, I think I’ll stick to looking out and not going out

My Asda delivery I’ve decide to leave well alone, just had e mail saying some items are in short supply and I know if I go in there to fiddle those items will just vanish instead of the possibility of getting a decent sub for them, plus my delivery pass expires tomorrow, on delivery day, but the credit card has been cancelled due to a fraud attempt & the site will not allow me to update it, which means I’m going to have to phone them later, What a carry on!

Actually I think I’ll be in line for a refund e voucher on delivery pass as the annual cost exceeds the number of times I’ve used it, at least that’s handy

Today’s food is last of the salty Mark’s back bacon in a sarnie

Dinner, decided on bangers & mash, bangers defrosting & mash I’ll make a large pot now I have more spuds on the way for tomorrow. Maybe with baked beans or just thick gravy? I wonder if I have some frozen Yorkies lurking. must check that out

caronc

Good morning everyone, 
It was a cuppa and Masterchef for me to last night. 
Hope your "to do" list is smaller by the end of the day JKS.
Glad you got an early finish Brambling.
I'm thinking possibly bangers tonight too Farway, though there's some cauli cheese left though might have that for lunch.
Tesco are due soon and once I've got the shopping put away I plan to do another stint of deep cleaning the conservatory.
Wild & wet here again today so far though it's supposed to dry up this afternoon. If it does I might wash the back windows, after all the wild weather they're thick with grit and salt.