Cooking for one (Mark Three)

Farway

Time to prep the crumble, the hot kitchen will be worth it as the juices erupt through the crumble, to be drowned in evaporated milk later


My Gardeners' Delight is ripe at last, the last variety to ripen for me this year. Now I can taste test away


Dinner is kinda CBA, one of the YS mini pizza, with side salad, and lashings of crumble to follow


Update, I found a packet of ready mix crumble, BBE 2017, in the cupboard while looking for the flour. I used the packet mix, it's turned out all golden & looking yummy

moneyistooshorttomention

Today consisted of trip to "Bigger Town" for specific purpose and that was a waste of time:(. Though I had in mind checking out fashion costume jewellery whilst there for some earrings - emerged with two pairs that had been on sale at £3 and £6 respectively. Will last/be fancied by me for about two seconds flat - but £9 for 2 pairs of costume jewellery earrings is cheapo imo.

Anyways - so lunch was a takeaway and having a small Marks & Spencers there (shop I'm now pretty much forgetting about for clothes - as their quality has gone down so much in recent years - £15 for a pair of trousers = you're kidding. I'd rather they charged me £30-£40, even £50 and sold some "normal quality" ones. For £15 I know they're likely to be rubbish).

But managed to find a couple of modern takeaway lunch options and so lunch today was roasted falafel and spinach wrap. I decided to "compensate myself" for wasted journey and also emerged with a bottle of wine for dinner. So - Sumika Sauvignon Blanc - 8.5% proof - less alcohol/less calories mini-range they've recently started doing. Now that was an improvement on the "standard 2010's wine all round" imo - as I don't like finding wine averages 12% proof these days and, with that, can't drink much of it and it's more calorific. I'd rather have "wine as it used to be" and imo this was more like "wine as it used to be". Price halfway between "plonk" and "reasonable" level - at £7.50 per bottle if memory serves aright (ie plonk being £5 and reasonable being £10).

Dinner - I cooked up some brown rice in slowcooker (courtesy of it being hot weather) and made a sorta stovetop rice pudding recipe from one of my new books. Eaten with oat "cream" and chuckleberries from my garden - nice.

Brambling

caronc wrote: »

My big challenge for today is to go to the library as I'm running out of books and I must have something read or I would go (completely) nuts. If it comes to it I'll charge up the kindle but I like to read outdoors and find it hard to see the screen if it's sunny..

Run out of books :eek::eek::eek::eek: that's the thing of nightmares although I think mine are breeding in the spare room :rotfl: I've declutted some recycled to friends and family and a few to charities shop, but the shelves don't look any emptier today :cool: I alternate between a proper book and my kindle but I do prefer paper. Hope you were well enough to make the library

Spent the morning at the coast so a little cooler and a breeze we had a cooked breakfast for brunch at a nice cafe, it was 30 when I got home at 3pm so I'm slowly cooking here, I'm trying the windows shut method but that's not working so when I get back later they will be opened. I managed to slip on sea weed walking back along the beach with a hard landing on pebbles and I'm told undignified bruised knee, hip and ankle but managed to walk back we walked 8 km which wasn't bad in the heat and I'm now watching my bruises develop before going out I'm just off to put trousers on to hide them, hopefully I won't be too stiff tomorrow.

Farway I've got serious crumble envy now and my LO risotto is not looking so attractive

caronc

Farway wrote: »

'morning all


Weird dream, for those who analyse such thing, I was cycling round Portsmouth with a young French couple, looking for the Pickled Onion Factory.:rotfl:

Did you find it? :rotfl:
I wish my brambles were ready, mind you if I was desperate I still have frozen ones from last year:eek:
"Cunning plans" - I have a kitchen full of these:o

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Anyways - so lunch was a takeaway and having a small Marks & Spencers there (shop I'm now pretty much forgetting about for clothes - as their quality has gone down so much in recent years - £15 for a pair of trousers = you're kidding. I'd rather they charged me £30-£40, even £50 and sold some "normal quality" ones. For £15 I know they're likely to be rubbish).

Completely agree MTSTM re M&S clothes these days - definitely over priced for what they are:mad:. I've bought a good few bits from "Tu" over the last few months - great prices and good sales. I was just looking for "cheap & cheerful" summer stuff but I've been very impressed with everything I've got especially the linen trousers, shorts and cropped trousers.

I always read "chuckleberries" as "Chuckle Brothers" :rotfl::rotfl:

Brambling wrote: »

Run out of books :eek::eek::eek::eek: that's the thing of nightmares although I think mine are breeding in the spare room :rotfl: I've declutted some recycled to friends and family and a few to charities shop, but the shelves don't look any emptier today :cool: I alternate between a proper book and my kindle but I do prefer paper. Hope you were well enough to make the library

I know it's unthinkable:eek::eek: I charged up my kindle just in case;), I was ruthless and got rid of loads of books when I decluttered my bedroom so really just have my multitudes of cookery books these days. Thankfully I made it to the library though it was pretty hard going even though it was really empty, I was wiped out afterwards but at least I could put my feet up with a book this afternoon.:)



After all my tax code shennagins last tax year I finally got my tax bill. I knew I owed the money and had it put aside. It was a bit less than I had roughly worked out:D but not so much so that I think it's wrong. Paid it online and hopefully that's another leaving work/moving to pension bump put to bed:).


It turned into a glorious day here, really hot though not as hot as lots of other places in the UK but still very much a case of finding the shady & cooler spots. I really need to tidy up my greenhouse tomatoes and do lots of basket/pot deadheading but it will need to wait until I'm feeling steadier. My big hanging baskets are definitely running out of steam though in fairness they have been fully flowering for the guts of 3 months now. I think I'll soon be hitting a few "gaps" until my autumn flowering pansies are ready. (They only arrive as plugs w/c 06/08)



I picked a good handful of runners but my they are still slow. They'll go nicely with the lamb chop I've defrosted. Apart from the runners it will be an oven baked dinner as I'll pop a spud, flat mushroom & round courgette in with the chop.

caronc

Mean't to say "Ouch re the bruises Brambling- hope you're not too stiff tomorrow!"

caronc

Good morning everyone,
Hot & sunny here today.:)
I'me determined to get some non-bendy stuff done in the garden while there is still some shade - I've invested too much time & effort in getting it looking good to let it go over a wonky spell. Mind over matter and all that.....
I've no thoughts re food for today yet no doubt something salady for lunch and something easy for dinner.

Brambling

Temperature has now reached 31 and due to reach 32 :eek: the cat and I are hiding in the lounge before the sun comes around and I have to close the curtains. He came in really hot about an hour ago stupid cat he didn't understand why I didn't want him on me :rotfl: I'm hoping he'll go up stairs onto the bathroom floor rather than outside but he's more brawn than brain :cool:

I'm a little sore after yesterday tumble mainly shoulder and hip, I'm told i'm lucky I didn't break my waist as I put it out and landed on it (as one does), it didn't bother me yesterday but is just a little achy today. Nothing to worry about, unfortunately it's not the first time, I can fall over my own feet :eek:

Lunch was an egg and rocket roll, I found the roll in the freezer which needed using up, seeing bread makes me ache probably not a good idea :cool: but I fancied it, I think it was PN who was talking egg rolls :rotfl:

I took some mince out of the freezer so I'm braving meatballs for dinner, I forgot to split the pack so will either freeze some or use them to snack on. Just need to think of a sauce for tonight :think: it's pork mince so I'll grate an apple into the mix and maybe some sage

caronc

Glad you are not too sore & stiff today Brambling.
I've had to retreat indoors as it is too hot outside for me just now. I got a couple of baskets pruned before the heat got unbearable. I'll do some more once the sun moves over a bit.
Lunch is a couple of IKEA crispbread/crackers with brie and some of my friend's HM chilli jam, along with tomatoes, cucumber & baby turnips. The toms were a mix of Stupice and first couple of ripe Sungolds:).
Feet up and my book beckon now for a few hours and a snooze may also feature;).

moneyistooshorttomention

:rotfl: at the cat.

Well - if YouTube is to be believed (and I've seen the videos) there are some cats that obviously love sitting in a bowl of cold water.

Have you tried to see if he's one of them? or would that be "more than your life is worth" as he got his claws out to protest?:rotfl:

Brambling

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

:rotfl: at the cat.

Well - if YouTube is to be believed (and I've seen the videos) there are some cats that obviously love sitting in a bowl of cold water.

Have you tried to see if he's one of them? or would that be "more than your life is worth" as he got his claws out to protest?:rotfl:

Seeing how fast he ran this morning when I got water on him when washing my hands I'm not sure I want to try :rotfl:

I believe Turkish Van cats love water and will swim. My last cat would sit on the side of the bath and let her tail dangle in the water but she didn't mind getting really wet in heavy rain and would come in ask to be dried and go back out again, I think it was all the times I sprayed her with water as a kitten when she climbed the curtains and walls etc :rotfl:

Just taken my sister to pick her car up from garage, my car was like an oven, 37 as it was sitting in the sun when I got in could hardly touch the steering wheel and gears. So now feel really horrid :eek: and thinking of changing clothes or shower.