Cooking for one (Mark Three)

Brambling

I've reached the stage where I've no intention of going into town before Christmas so I stayed indoors in the dry today.  I did make a large beef massaman curry in my pressure cooker using a beef cheek and some shin from the freezer.  The beef is local and was brought at the garden centre butcher, all their meat is local and if asked they could tell you the farm. I forgot how tough beef cheeks are to cut and have lost my kitchen scissors, but it was worth the swearing! It wasn't for today, but I did have a small sample 😋 and it's very nice 🙂 maybe another chilli next time or I should have left the seeds and membrane when I blitz the sauce ingredients but I'm sure it will mature.  Some for the next couple of days and the rest frozen. 

Cheese, crackers and pickles for lunch.  

My sister came around for dinner, I had two very cheap YS sea bass in the freezer which I oven baked with green beans, tenderstem broccoli and new potatoes.  I made salsa/sauce with basil, sun dried tomatoes, capers, anchovies, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil having tried a small taster my sister had a large spoonful and asked for the recipe and didn't appreciate my a little bit of this and a little bit of that reply. I had no recipe it was just what was in the cupboard that I thought would work, she's lucky I left out the olives 😁

Wednesday2000

I just had mashed avocado on sourdough toast. I'm going to have a couple of clementines in a minute. I think I will go back and buy some more tomorrow. The fruit from the greengrocer tastes so much better than a supermarket.

I'm having pizza, garlic bread and salad tonight. I'm going to make a batch of soup for lunch as I have odds and ends of veg in the fridge to use up.

Farway

Brightening up, with a bit of blue sky poking out

You & me both Brambling, avoiding town & the Christmas crowds. 

I have my Asda delivery tomorrow, including more cheap veg and half price beef joint. Normally it's so expensive these days i just don't buy beef anymore, hence going daft right now with the offer

The joint I roasted yesterday turned out tender & lean. I was a bit dubious given the low price, but Morries have played fair & it was a decent joint, let's hope Asda do likewise

I've also ordered half a salmon on offer, to portion up & freeze

Lunch roast beef + lettuce sarnie

Dinner, cold roast beef, pickle, AF frozen chips & salad bits

Need2bthrifty

Wet and dark again but I'm hoping it will dry up soon as I need to go to town this afternoon for a dentist appointment and pick up a couple of gifts.

Using up more freezer stock today
L - Curried butternut squash soup
D - Gammon & leek pie, carrots and brussel sprouts.

caronc

Good morning everyone, 
Dry now after a wet start though it's still pretty grey. 
I do need to venture out but only to go to physio at lunch time. Tesco are due later with pretty much the last of what we need for Christmas and a load of the cheap Christmas root veg which I plan to prep, bag and freeze for soup at the weekend. DS2 does have to head to a local town later as Hector has the groomers, while pooch is getting pampered DS2 will brave Lidl to hopefully pick up some bits we like from there though apart from  macarons these are not specifically for Christmas. 
Lunch yesterday was well received, there was some chicken drumsticks and soup LO. I've frozen the chicken and the soup will get used for lunches. Omelette, salad and AF chips for dinner. 

justkeepswimmimg

Seem to have been MIA for a couple of days, combination of being out to eat at times and the fact I’m battling more lurgy (I blame a day in the office 🙄).

A day of no meetings and very few interruptions. I managed to do a Lidl shop in my lunch break so that’s me sorted for basics for the next few days, need to get some Christmas food bits at Waitrose 🤞 tomorrow (or it’ll be M&S on Wednesday).

Spinach and ricotta tortellini with tuna, sweetcorn and sun dried tomatoes for lunch. Used up some very sad mushrooms in an orzo risotto tonight, with tenderstem broccoli.

Brambling

I hope you shake the lurgy by Thursday JKS. You're a braver person than me if you tackle M&S on Wednesday 🫣

It was a busy day at Petworth I almost regretted volunteering today when I arrived at 10 and the car park was half filled. I'm told the weather was really nice in the grounds, I never went outside.

cheese and carrot wrap for lunch, I was too disorganised after my sisters left last night to get anything out of the freezer.

Beef massaman curry for dinner with some LO veg and rice.  It's maturing very well 😋 I'll freeze most of what is left tomorrow 

Wednesday2000

I just read about Chris Rea. I have heard that Christmas song so much over the past month in shops etc...

I had toasted crumpets with Flora and a banana. I have my 44th class of the year today!

Need2bthrifty

I heard the announcement yesterday on the radio Wednesday, it made me think about dusting off my vinyl collection again. One of my favourites is “Gonna buy a hat”  

I’m getting ready to head off for a few days, parcels wrapped and suitcase packed and I’ll have a quick bowl of soup before I go for the bus.

There’s time to pick up some goodies at m&s when I change buses in the City, then I’ll be on sous chef duties for a few days.

Wishing you all the best of the Season's Greetings and I’ll see you on the other side of the celebrations.

caronc

Good morning everyone, 
Another Chris Rea fan, though I'm not so keen on "Driving home for Christmas".
Grey and cold here but dry, It's forecast to drop to freezing tonight so looks as though it will be a chilly Christmas. 
Physio was extremely painful yesterday, my back hadn't been great for the past week so not a surprise consequently I'm very tender today so will need to be canny in my movements. Hopefully it will settle before Thursday.  DS2 will do the heavy domestics today and I'll tackle the lighter jobs and then it's food prep time this evening and tomorrow before DS1 and DIL arrive tomorrow evening. They've had a hectic time recently and life is going to get even more hectic in a few weeks so I want to pamper them a bit.
Carrot and coriander soup for lunch. Tonight DS2 is cooking a Chinese chicken, mushroom and celery dish that we used to have quite often but I can't remember that last time we did so looking forward to it.