Cooking for one (Mark Three)

Brambling

Some sad family news for me today, a call from my one of my nephew lunchtime to say my BIL had died this morning, it was not unexpected, they managed with nurses to keep him at home which is what he wanted and it was just my sister sitting with him at the end.  My sister who lives near me came around just after i finished talking to my nephew so we spent the afternoon chatting and drinking tea 

lunch was some fruit.  Dinner YS lamb chops from the freezer, I don't usually buy them but they were £1 for 6 (very thin chops) still 3 in the freezer, I wouldn't have been happy if I had paid full price but a tasty change.  I couldn't find the mint sauce, I know I replaced the jar, I'll probably find it tomorrow in plain site when I open the cupboard door 🙄

Farway

Sad news indeed, Brambling, but at least not a surprise. The mint sauce if anything like me will not only be in plain sight, it will fall onto the floor & spread minty goodness everywhere

A bit cold & breezy this morning, but I've had to go back to watering the pots despite last week's rain, the ground is still parched, but grass is greening a bit now

Food today is freezer hunting, lunch is BLT sarnie but dinner I think may be last of the frozen, and not buying again, haddock fillets in crumbs, with HM AF chips and sniff test the LO beans before heating, I've had them in fridge over a week so need a good sniff IMO. If fail or iffy then open tin of mushy peas

Only other thing is sort out & package the stewed apples for the freezer, then I can wash up & have pot ready for the next lot

caronc

Good morning everyone,
Sad news Brambling, good he was able to spend his last few days at home.
Grey, showery and cooler here today, glad I caught up with the laundry yesterday!
Hector has finished his first set of puppy training classes, he'll start the advanced ones in a month or so. Living on a main road we want him well trained. Some things he's doing really well but others are definitely a work in progress!
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for my nephew who has been nominated for an award at the Dram awards https://dramscotland.co.uk/awards/, the announcement will be made tonight and he's very excited to have got so far. 
Sis round for dinner tonight so best have a sweep and tidy before the pooches create chaos again!
Mushroom carbonara was good but a massive portion, far too much pasta. Doubling the recipe (for one) made enough for us both plus a second portion for DS2 plus some LOs so easily enough for a family. I'd make it again though suitably tweaked.
Nigella's chicken and sausage bake tonight with various veg and baby spuds.
Found this beauty in the greenhouse yesterday - a "Mortgage Lifter" they don't often get that big, the other fruits on the vines are smaller. I hope it's tasty.

justkeepswimmimg

Sorry to hear your news, Brambling.

Steady wfh day for me. Today’s excitement was first use of the new whirlygig washing line and checking car tyre pressures 🙃

Lunch was some of the LO chickpea and pomegranate couscous with salad and feta. Just had pre-swim early tea of beans with toast.

Brambling

Fingers crossed for your nephew Caronc 🙂

A bit of a sleepless night for me I laid in bed listening to the owl(s) who were very loud at 2am  🙂 I met my oldest friend in Chichester today something which we have been trying to organise for ages. We've  known each other for 40 years 🙂 when I left the house to walk to the station this morning it was trying to rain so I was the idiot walking around sunny Chichester with a waterproof and umbrella 🙄 it was also very warm here when I got back, the tiredness hit me on the walk home, as well as a sore hip from sitting too long (morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea  ) it took twice as long as the walk down this morning 

I didn't need any dinner when I got back just a mug of tea and a sit down 🙂 I've watched masterchef and I think my bed is calling 

caronc

Good morning
Well my nephew didn't win in his category but him and his Manager were delighted to accept the "Best new venue" award on behalf of their bar.    It was a great night but a shame they had to be in at 8am to stocktake!
Sunny but a chilly breeze this morning.
Much to Hector's delight there's a new pooch next door, not the neighbours who already have pets but the other side. He's going to be living there for a few months while his owners are travelling. He's a Malshipoo and really rather sweet though slightly bewildered. Once he's had a few days to settle we'll do a proper meet and greet rather than fence snuffles.
Pooch sitting overnight for my sister's dog tonight, my life seems very doggy dominated these days but I'm not complaining!
"Meal plan" Wednesday for us so need to do a recce of the fridge/freezer and see what's needing used up/replenished.
After watching the second episode I'm very tempted to buy JO's new book. 
As usual LOs for lunch and tonight it's JO's Bejewelled Pork with rice & beans and tomato salad. 

Farway

Sunny with a cool breeze today, up watering the volunteer pots early on, then Marks for a YS mooch & some salad bits, then heart attack time, filled the tank with diesel on way home, but given my mileage it should last until Christmas

In Marks, I realised just how much food has gone up, silly little pies over £3, MFO roast dinner the size of your palm, lamb hot pot the size of a decent yogurt pot. All left on the shelf today, so just bought lettuce etc at reasonable prices

Well done nephew Caron, even if not a winner at least doing well to get nominated, and sounds like doggy heaven with you now, you have the company etc but not the bills

Meals, last of the bacon in a BLT sarnie for lunch, and lack of YS in Marks meant a freezer rummage, found LO roast chicken lump from Oct 2021, defrosting that and will have chicken salad, with maybe HM AF chips or perhaps boiled baby spuds

justkeepswimmimg

I’m tempted to the new JO book too, caronc, really like some of his “hacks” 😀

Out to an offsite meeting this morning so late lunch of posh fishfinger sandwich. Swimming tonight so easy tea when I got back of mushroom risotto from the freezer with crispy bacon and sugar snap peas.

Just watched Shetland, certainly twisty and turny this series…

Brambling

I'm another one tempted by JOs new book 🙂 even though I don't need any more recipe books  I was interested in his 'bread' recipe, I regularly make his flat bread recipe made with flour and yoghurt 

For the first time in months my M&S Smart card vouchers are for some I may use, maybe the secret is not to shop in there for a while. They do include £10 off a £40 spend which I wouldn't usually spend in there, as it  doesn't include alcohol I've offered to share with my sister.  Better than my Waitrose ones which are 8 £9 off when I spend £90 use all before 25th September, that's £720 in a month 🙄 TBH I would find it difficult to spend £90 in the month off unless I share it or stock upon the gin

i lent my sister the car today so a pottering at home day for me.  Snap on the fish finger sandwich for lunch same as JKS.  Dinner was pasta with a tomato and veg sauce.
 

Farway

Brambling, you're lucky, my Marks card has somehow become disconnected with my Marks account shopping, so no vouchers or discounts, no matter what i try I can't link them up, but TBH for a few coppers I CBA most of the time

I had some W8rose vouchers arrive in the post, the silly spend over sixty quid ones, so far their online ones are sticking to what I buy, except by the time I click "order" it's out of stock so never get used, just can't win it seems, so I carry on with Asda, it works, may not be ideal but so far I've found them fair and OK with no quibble refunds

Caron, I forgot to mention your huge Mortgage Lifter tom, a cracker. I did try them a few years back, but they were nowhere near as large as your one

Feeling a tad under the weather today, nothing particular, just the get-up & go has gone, didn't even fancy my cuppa this morning, settled for instant coffee & toast instead, luckily nothing planned or desperately needing doing, so lolling about & YouTube is very likely

However, I did bung a beef stew type thing into the slow cooker earlier, to plop away while I loll about

Lunch, quick CBA sarnie, seeing the trend for fish F ones I may just join in, but plebby ones, not posh

Dinner, the SC beef stew, maybe pop some dumplings in later today?