Cooking for one (Mark Three)

Farway

Another very frosty but sunny morning, with a nice smell of fresh bread wafting from my overnight bread in the Panny

Brambling said:

Farway some where could be on a MSE thread? I read that replace the suet with lard the logic was both were animal fat and freeze then grate the lard into the flour straight from the freezer and that was meant to work- i haven't tried it

Ta, I saw a lard alternative as well, I'll give it a try but the one I saw just cubed it and mixed into the flour, worth a go at 42p a block nothing to lose really.

I have started using lard in my bread lately, and it is amazing how light & soft the bread is, not lardy tasting or anything, and it keeps softer far longer than when I was using butter / marge. That was a tip I read in an old book, sometimes old ways are the best

Lunch, now I have fresh bread, it's sarnie time. May open a tin of salmon that nearly got opened earlier in the week for a filling, maybe with some lettuce or cuc

Dinner, unless something happens, it's nuke LO portion of beef stew & lonely LO dumpling

caronc

Good morning everyone,
Any hard fat should be fine for dumplings Farway.
Damp and drizzling here today. While I'm pleased to see the back of the ice I'd rather it wasn't so dreich. (I know never blooming happy!)
Off to my sister's tonight for a get together for her birthday. She wants to cook which seems a tad unfair but she wanted to.she's coming here on Monday for dinner which is her actual birthday. DIL-to-be is making a Greek orange cake for pud/birthday cake. I'm hosting on Monday for dinner which is her actual birthday - a traditional pub type salad has been requested.
Cooked a bit pan of spicy bean & lentil stew last night - lots of LOs for lunches for a few days.

Wednesday2000

I had to go out as the workmen are making loads of noise doing the roof so I had Gregg's for breakfast. The veggie Southern "chicken" baguette. Not very nice, I think it is the chipotle sauce I don't like. I went around the shops, but I was still back by half 12! I was going to see a film, but it started at 1.20 and I wasn't sure what to do beforehand.

Not sure what to do now as my husband is asleep in the next room as he just came off nights. I might walk down to the beach. Ho hum. At least it isn't cold.

Brambling

Farway said:. 

I have started using lard in my bread lately, and it is amazing how light & soft the bread is, not lardy tasting or anything, and it keeps softer far longer than when I was using butter / marge. That was a tip I read in an old book, sometimes old ways are the best

I've read that they now say lard is no longer a evil bad food 🤔 my mum used it for years and I know added to pastry it makes a nice pastry 

I went into town today for my hair cut, just me and the hair dresser in the salon so we put the world to rights and I sympathise over his relationship breakdown 

I went back to my sister for lunch and baby cuddles  little one is now crawling although she prefers for you to stand her up, she could be like her dad who only crawled for about 10 days and then walked at 10 months. 

After a roast chicken lunch followed by my youngest nephew's  brownies and ice cream dinner was a apple and a little cheese at 9pm 

justkeepswimmimg

Nice day today. Started off watching the tennis with tea, a hwb and a blanket. Shame Andy lost but what a match, he is a force of nature!

Had brunch of scrambled eggs and mushrooms on toast then jumped in the shower as soon as the match was over and went off to have my hair cut. Snap, Brambling - it’s like therapy when I see my hairdresser 😊

Early tea of pork in cider from the freezer, mash and broccoli. Then off to the pictures to see the Whitney Houston biopic, was very good, such a sad story, what a waste 😢

Back in bed with hwb and book now.

Farway

Hard frost and sunshine again this morning, preferable to the gloomy rain we had last week anyway

Off out later, DS is fitting a replacement element in a cooker & would like my "expert eye" there just in case it goes pear shaped, can't do the job myself these days due to everything, so I'm the brain & he is the brawn for this job

No cooking today, food is rinse & repeat from yesterday

Tinned salmon + cuc sarnie for lunch

Nuked LO beef stew & dumpling for dinner

Wednesday2000

I was supposed to go out to the O2 to see a film, but my brother is ill with a cough so I think I will avoid him as I don't want to catch anything!

I might go out locally instead as we have the day free.

All I have had is lemon in hot water so far as we were going out for pizza as well. 

caronc

Good morning everyone,
Ice is but a memory - wet, windy and dreich this morning.
Had a great, if slightly boozy. night at my sister's so a slow start this morning.
Kitchen pottering today and that's about the extent of my plans.
Roast chicken dinner tonight.

justkeepswimmimg

Still cold and icy here although it was sunny in the middle of the day.

Did a pile of ironing this morning and then got myself ready to go out for yummy Sunday lunch 😋

I did some kitchen pottering this afternoon and some voluntary admin but also watched two episodes of The Crown under a blanket with a hwb and tea.

Just had supper of toasted crumpets with cream cheese and smoked salmon, with a glass of white 😉

Brambling

Ironing what's that?   

A stay indoors day for me catching up on the weekend jobs and I made chicken soup from a carcass taking up freezer room. My sister came around this afternoon for a couple of hours of tea and biscuits and chat 

lunch was pear, red chicory and blue cheese salad. Dinner roast cauliflower with a sweet and sour sauce and rice, there are LOs but not a problem as it was very tasty.  I had planned lamb shanks but they weren't fully defrosted so that will be tomorrow