Cooking for one (Mark Three)

Brambling

Caronc thanks for your recent tip on frozen cream portions I picked up some YS cream today, now whipped and freezing in small portions. I can't believe I didn't think of that myself.

caronc

Brambling wrote: »

Caronc thanks for your recent tip on frozen cream portions I picked up some YS cream today, now whipped and freezing in small portions. I can't believe I didn't think of that myself.

Glad it helped, have to say it was a tip I picked up from my son (ex-chef) as they used to do it with cream to add to sauces etc.

caronc

I thoroughly enjoyed the moussaka, think using home grown chopped tomatoes frozen from last year's crop made all the difference flavour-wise:D. Three portions remaiing for the freezer:D:D.

wort

Had problems logging in yesterday,thought I was going to be locked out forever!
It was a beautiful day I had a cuppa in the garden before work couldn't sit long though as the cat wanted to sit on my knee, and I had a black dress on (work uniform) and he's moulting.
I had the lo beans on toast for breakfast and took a yogurt and 2 satsumas to eat when I landed at work.
Sat out when I got home for an hour to get my vitamin d fix. Then had hm gf pizza with smoked salmon and veg. Finished the last of the cream with a warm blueberry muffin.
Sat in the warm conservatory all night and finished my book.
I went to bed really tired and got off all right for a change ,but then woke multiple times with flushes, opened windows went to toilet drank a bottle of water, and ended on top of bed with the throw over me to wake up cold at 7 am. Got back under the covers and managed till 8.45.

Today is dull ! But I've got bedding and towels in. I've the cats raw food to prepare for the freezer now, and will probably prep dome more pizza for the freezer.

[Deleted User]

ooh I nearly forgot my chicken pie, put the hm sweet potato shepherds pie back in the freezer, only been out in the fridge for 30 minutes. I found a recipe to make purple sprouting a bit different, garlic/balsamic/olive oil mix, tossed and roasted. I have been wondering what to do with it otherwise it can be boring time after time. I will have that and sweet salad leaves with the pie and the rest tomorrow. I am not growing it next year, would rather have a green manure crop on the patch and then cover the soil over winter. I get gluts and it can put me off.

Breakfast was wholemeal bread, hot from the toaster with an emmental slice on each piece. Melts enough so no butter is needed, then nice fresh tomato on top. Later will have the hemp drink which I enjoyed a lot yesterday, having got rid of all whole seeds and hulls, hemp/water/vanilla/cacao/frozen blackcurrants. A lovely drink on a warm day and lots of goodies in it

So that is me sorted, with granola and milk last, love it made with jumbo oats. I have 4 egg yolks, been in the fridge for 2 days so they have to be chucked now, I was cba re making gold cake yesterday and they are too rich for me to be putting into any other bits of food

caronc, I am not growing any tomatoes this year, gone from 19 plants in 2014, down to 4 last year but wasn`t worth the effort outdoors. I would definitely grow them again if I had a normal greenhouse, used to many moons ago. Hence me wanting a biggish garden, so I have room for a greenhouse again. I am still using sungold from the freezer but don`t want too much freezing this year, just in case I find a house

Now to be patient, waiting for more paint, I have wall to finish but will definitely wait to do the second coat next week, heavy showers are possible tomorrow evening. I am hoping to finish the first coat today, even if paint comes at 4. Ladders are up and I am completely ready, even dressed in painting clothes, I want to get cracking asap. I once saw a whole house coated, then it rained heavily in the night and the ground all around was white

PasturesNew

I won't go into the history of the spot, but there's always been a "nasty, ignored, overgrown, horrible to look at" spot right by my front door. It's where I'd lug the bins to, it's where weeds and thistles would grow, it was rough and nasty and overgrown... but I've recently started to use that corner ... so decided to have a go at it - and I discovered (I think I'm right) that to put down a membrane you can just toss it down! If asked I'd have assumed you'd need to cut it right back, dig any roots out, give it a good going over, spray something, then do the membrane.

So, with this new idea in mind, as soon as it was "reasonable" to get the lawnmower out (about 9am I figured) I took a lawnmower to the area and gave it a shave. Off down to the shops to get some bags of bark - first one had none, so had to go to a 2nd shop. I'd already bought the membrane for another part of the garden, so had that in the hallway ... measured and cut the membrane, laid it down, overlapping by a good bit, four 1m wide strips as the area's about 3metres square.

Opened the bags, tossed it out... gave it a shovelling over... and by GOD it stinks like manure!

Then I spotted that in my eagerness to get it right, I'd managed to mis-lay the end strip by 2", which'd mean shovelling all the bark off, pulling it down 2" and then shovelling it back. So, instead, I had a coffee and half a bread roll and some chocolate biscuits.

But then I felt like it, so went out there and shovelled the bark off, adjusted that end strip and shovelled the bark back. By GOD it still stinks like manure

I'm sure the smell will go. The area's looking decent and tidy and respectable .... if somewhat bare. I figure I can "build up the contents" of that corner bit by bit over time.

[Deleted User]

Great solution pn, worth the effort and got to do these things when the mood is on us

caronc

Good morning everyone,
Membrane & bark is a fab solution PN so worth the effort:).
kittie before I had the greengouse I used to only grow a few baskets of tomatoes. I'd miss the taste of homegrown ones too much not to grow any at all. Would a dwarf cherry in a pot or basket be a solution for you?
It was really misty when I got up but it's lovely and sunny now so I definitely want to spend some time outside in the garden today. It's not hugely warm though so I think a cardi or fleece will definitely be needed.

Breakfast was the usual toast & fruit. I've a roll defrosting for lunch - not sure what it will be filled with yet. Tonight I'm making spaghetti & clams:D, the clams are Spanish tinned from a deli in Glasgow as impossible to get clams fresh/frozen or tinned around here. :mad:

moneyistooshorttomention

caron - one quick peek later and Amazon sells them in their Groceries section.

Choice is canned, bottled or even fresh.

Though I don't know how the price compares to buying them over the counter.

By now I've just come round to thinking "If I think it's reasonable to expect to buy x/y/z food or drink here and I can't - then ...darn it...I will just buy it off Amazon and grit my teeth at any extra cost for doing so". I regard it as one of those "additional costs" from living here, rather than in my home city:cool:

Though, I'm guessing you are in your home area anyway and so maybe don't feel quite as "determined/prepared to splash the cash if I must" about getting hold of stuff I'd normally expect to just buy in person.

caronc

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

caron - one quick peek later and Amazon sells them in their Groceries section.

Choice is canned, bottled or even fresh.

Though I don't know how the price compares to buying them over the counter.

By now I've just come round to thinking "If I think it's reasonable to expect to buy x/y/z food or drink here and I can't - then ...darn it...I will just buy it off Amazon and grit my teeth at any extra cost for doing so". I regard it as one of those "additional costs" from living here, rather than in my home city:cool:

Though, I'm guessing you are in your home area anyway and so maybe don't feel quite as "determined/prepared to splash the cash if I must" about getting hold of stuff I'd normally expect to just buy in person.

Thanks MTSTM, I'd seen them on there but pricey for what they are but a last resort if I really can't get a hold of any and I [STRIKE]need[/STRIKE] want my clam fix

This a good site for random things https://www.melburyandappleton.co.uk/ , unless you are only wanting one thing tends to be much cheaper than Amazon.