Cooking for one (Mark Three)

justkeepswimmimg

So cold here today. Enough snow to cause traffic chaos this morning but quickly turned to slush and then the rain came this afternoon, still freezing though 🥶

It’s my Friday as have finished work until Tuesday 🙃

Last of the Thai butternut squash soup from the freezer with a toasted pitta for lunch. Mediterranean lentils with added spinach, sun dried tomatoes and roasted peppers served with the end of the halloumi (pan fried) tonight.

A few days off CFO for me, have a good weekend everyone!

Brambling

Very wet today but at least that meant no snow and it was a lot warmer than yesterday 🙂 

Thanks to a power outage taking out half the team most of the morning (they live 4 miles apart but it seems it took out 5000 homes ) I was handed a meeting to deal with at the last minute  which was a bit like herding cats, I've told the boss he needs to invest in a power bank 🙂 then this afternoon I lost a hour of my life on a 'town hall?' meeting were we were given a updates 🥱 and then had the joy of being told to turn our cameras on so we could see each other 🤪 at least with 70 on the call they were small boxes 🙄

I popped out this evening to pick up a few bits of fresh stuff and get the petrol I've been putting off.  I added some large YS chicken breasts not on my list but at £3 for 600g worth buying and some large pittas for 15p.  Whilst filling up there was a loud crunch as a new large car hit a bollard coming out of the car park modern cars do crumple so easily and as she limped into the forecourt it sounded like the wheel arch was pushed against the tyre   

lunch was some LO roasted vegetables with chorizo. Prawns and mushrooms in a cream type sauce with pasta for dinner. A freeze rummage unearthed prawns, YS smoked salmon and rump steak so tomorrow will be a luxury day 😁😋

Farway

Quite bright but windy here, snow looks awful further north, we missed that lot at least.

Icy blasts due later today, so maybe it's under heated throw & Amazon Prime later, still not seen eh latest Clarkson Farm series, I keep getting sidetracked as I browse through

Brambling, bent cars seem to be catching, my volunteer place has gate posts using upright steel H girders, painted bright yellow, about chest high.

Someone took the front side off their car on one the other day and need towing away, honestly it's the approach to the car park, so maybe it was just as well they hit the post & not a person

Food today, lunch maybe a sarnie shaped HM beef burger

Dinner, roast chicken, I have some roast in bags, so I'll try one of those out, normally it's wrapped in tin foil

Unsure of what to have with the chicken, CBA at the moment to think about full roast dinner, so maybe nuked baked & fresh salad stuff?

Wednesday2000

I thought it was heavy rain, but when I opened the front door earlier it was snow/sleet, but not settling. Looks like it has switched back to rain now.

I made the houmous/chickpea dip yesterday. Tin of drained chickpeas, some garlic aioli (I think that must have been a substitution for mayo a way back as I don't normally buy it) apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, lemon juice and then whizzed up and then I put sea salt on top. I ate the whole thing with chopped up celery and carrots. Very nice!

I had toast and Marmite and a cup of coffee with almond milk this morning. I was trying to avoid coffee, but I had a craving.

I bought a pair of snow boots from Amazon a few months ago and they are so comfortable and warm. I wear slipper boots around the house, but when the weather is very cold the floors downstairs still feel cold through the slippers. I decided to order myself another pair of snow boots to use in place of slippers. I did get a squeegee to clean the shower doors too. They are arriving today and I need to pop to the shop, but that is about all I have planned. The Met Office app says it will stop raining at midday so that is when I will go out.:)

I might make the chickpea dip again today and make soup too for today and tomorrow. I have some ciabatta rolls to have with the soup.

caronc

Good afternoon everyone,
Hope those in snowy areas are safe and warm.
We had a very light sprinkling of the white stuff over night but it's nearly all gone now, just the odd patch in shady areas. It's a gorgeous day here and a good few degrees warmer than yesterday. Looks as though some sleet and rain are coming in overnight. Tesco driver said there is quite a bit of snow once you get a few miles inland away from the coast.
My "baby" is 30 today, I feel very old... He was supposed to be going to Glasgow with his Dad for a takeaway with DS1 and DIL-to-be but Covid has scuppered that. His Dad is taking him out for dinner instead.
LOs for lunch and usual Friday tbc/freezer rake for dinner. 

Brambling

Similar weather here as Farway it was very windy this morning which I think explains the loud tinnitus I've had since I woke at 4am 😐 I couldn't get back to sleep so have been bleary eyed and muzzy headed today. i would say just as well it's Friday but I'm working tomorrow, hopefully only for an hour at 7.30am and then a couple of hours over lunch but we have been known to overrun in some cases by hours 🙄

I received a text saying the local council was querying I lived alone so I shouldn't be claiming my single person discount, I had the standard request to confirm it at the beginning of March. I did click on the link (I know I shouldn't) because it had my name and the correct reference. It listed another person they had proof lived here and listed how many bank accounts, credit cards, utility bills etc in that name, they didn't show the full name just first and last letters and ** in between with the date that person moved in and advised I would be expected to pay back to then (2005  ) the initials and spacing matched my name so yep I was that other person.  I was given a choice of three options to click which I had no intention of doing especially as none said you numpty that's me !! Therefore lunchtime was spent on hold with the council who advised that nothing on my record to say they had any issues  'but don't worry they will tell me if they stop the discount' ☹️ 

Lunch was a quick scrambled egg and smoked salmon. Dinner steak and chips 😋 

Farway

Sort of sunny but can't make its mind up weather, dry at least

Sounds like you just missed a scam there Brambling, not one I've heard of but quite clever.

Number of bank accounts held etc sound a bit odd, council would not have access AFAIK, data protection etc.

Have you checked your credit records with the likes of Experian? Just in case someone has hacked into it as you?

My council send letters out, and we can then confirm online or post back, but the voter one is a do not reply unless it's changed

Today's meals, undecided at the moment so best guesses follow

Lunch, toast + something

Dinner, either LO cold roast chicken or HM beef burger. Both with HM AF chips + nuked LO beans

caronc

Good morning everyone,
Some the scams are so hard to spot Brambling, glad you didn't get sucked in. 
No more snow here (so far) though we had some very lumpy rain overnight. Bitterly cold and quite grey so it's feeling chilly.
DS2 had a nice meal out while I snuggled on the sofa with Hector and watched Call the Midwife while enjoying a glass of wine
DIL-to-be has recovered from COVID and tested negative last night and again this morning, she seems to fortunately only had a very mild dose only feeling grotty for one day, a bit tired the next and then fine so they may well come for dinner tomorrow. If it wasn't for the fact her workplace requires testing for all sniffles she probably would have thought she only had a very mild cold.
More tea required and then I'll strip my bed before doing a bit of food prep for tomorrow. DS2 has requested roast chicken with all the trimmings.
Pick & mix dinner tonight of various buffet bits from the freezer. I bought some coleslaw and will make a salad to go with them. 

Brambling

Farway the council tax has been reply by text using a code for the last couple of years to confirm single occupancy and this text came in on the number normally used by them to confirm receipt 🤨 the council tax has been moved away from the local council office to Milton Keynes which is a completely different county and I have seen complains on FB about issues. Nothing will be done without a letter from them now backed by a phone call 🤔

Early start for work however we finished about 2pm it would have been a hour earlier but my colleague had 'brain fart' moment I'm just happy it was her who called our developers in India for no reason and not me    

late lunch was a small portion of veg chilli from the freezer.  Dinner chicken wings, wedges, coleslaw and sweetcorn with a tomato salad. I was going to have corn on the cob but it didn't smell right when I opened the pack ☹️ So I opened a tin instead 

Wednesday2000

I woke up to a little bit of snow yesterday. We went to see a film and popped into Aldi and Superdrug as well. We didn't eat out at a restaurant as we are trying to save money, but we did get chips on the way home. Only a fiver. We sat in the chip shop and ate the chips there. I hadn't been in there before and didn't realise they had seating. It was dark, cold and raining when we left. We watched our most recent TV show when we got home.

It feels significantly warmer today and it might get up to 14 later. I have just had fresh pineapple and a hot drink so far. I'm going to have a toastie after my bath. I have tidied up a bit downstairs, but I need to vacuum before my dog gets back from the kennel at midday, she hates the sound of the vacuum cleaner!

I did buy a Thai curry pot meal from Aldi as it was new and I hadn't tried it before and I will add some extra steamed veg to it. I'm a little late to discovering Aldi, but it is so cheap! I got some cat food for my two to try and they liked it.:)