Cooking for one (Mark Three)

Farway

back to sun again, last of the rain in the early hours and now set fair it seems
Mooched in L's this morning, needed eggs mainly. They'd run out of 6 packs, had to get a dozen or do without, decided a dozen will be fine at the moment.
Surprised to find buying 12 is much cheaper than 6. I only buy large free range, 6 is 90, 12 is 1.67, and only a week back I paid 1.99 fro 6 posh ones, which I found no different in taste to my normal L ones

I also bought shower shine, never seems to be any in there when I look, bought 2 for luck. However like a fool I never checked the caps, one leaked into my bag, now I have nice smelling but wet bag drying out:( I always check tops, but the once I don't this happens. Not the end of life, just kicking myself for not checking

Lunch, back to part baked baguette, today with Black Forest ham & salad bits inside

I'm out to pick the scrumptious blackberries later, then stew with the windfalls apples ready for a crumble

Dinner is looking very CBA, nothing to tempt in L's, so could well be a 57 variety tin of spag & sausages, on use up stale bread toast, with a couple of the new eggs sunny side up
I could have fish from freezer but I'll have fins if I keep on, need a change

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

One certainly pretty openly admitted they deliberately misfiled papers "just for a laugh". I tried telling them off about it - but they just laughed in my face at that - and certainly management didnt do anything to stop that colleague mucking around like that.
.

Like you I always went in a did a my best, and assumed everyone else was doing the same, on assumption no one goes to work to do a bad job
It came as big surprise to me to find a colleague was deliberately wiring items incorrectly, knowing they would fail test and he hoped to swing some overtime out of "correcting it"

I also knew a bloke who put faults on equipment, so he could be the knight in armour to find the fault & correct it, no overtime involved, just brown noses

As said on another forum, it is life's experiences that help us decide about things and be a bit suspicious & wary of what we are told

moneyistooshorttomention

Farway - imo one of the things one realises on getting older is just how many assumptions we all have about How Life Is. These assumptions have a tendency to fall one by one - as realisation dawns that many other people have a totally different set of assumptions about How Life Is.:cool:

caronc

Good afternoon everyone,

The warp in some folks minds re how to get attention completely mystifies me (thank goodness). During my working career across the UK I had colleagues who subsequently turned out to be an armed robber (held up a post office), a drug dealer, a people smuggler, a murderer (two of those!) , an art & rare book forger, various fraudsters and a chap who actually for most of his adult life had been living as his dead brother (for no apparent gain:eek:) and that's just the one's that I know about. I suppose though over the years I worked with 1000s of folk so proportinately I doubt the civil service was anymore prone to attracting "crinimals" than anywhere else. :cool:

It's turned a wild & very wet afternoon, not exactly cold but not warm either. I've had to pop a cardi on:(. I hope it eases for a least a few minutes soon so I can nip out & shut the greenhouse door which opened this morning and didn't get a chance to shut before it started pouring.
The butternut squash & black bean chilli has all been prepped and is simmering away:), I hope it tastes good as it's just the night for a warming bowlful.
My Dad was supposed to be coming for lunch tomorrow but he's [STRIKE]had a better offer[/STRIKE]:rotfl:had to postpone until next week. Looking at the forecast it doesn't look as though it will be weather for the Salad Nicoise he had requested anyway:cool:.

PasturesNew

Farway wrote: »

I also knew a bloke who put faults on equipment, so he could be the knight in armour to find the fault & correct it, no overtime involved, just brown noses

Brilliant idea. I'll see if I ever get the chance to do that.

I once met a "top photocopier salesman" - he sold more than others because he'd deliberately put a scratch on them - and sell them as seconds....

caronc

As it's a miserable evening, I'm pretty skint this month and I've nothing better to do:rotfl:I costed out how much it cost me to make my BNS squash & black bean chilli in case it helps anyone
1/2 a butternut squash 45p
green chilli 12p
dried chilli flakes 5p
chipotle chilli paste 35p (optional or add paprika)
3 onions 45p
carrot 15p

celery 2 stalks 10p
garlic 10p
1.5 peppers 50p
black beans (cooked from dried) 30p
jarred roast pepper 25p (optional)
tomatoes (from last years crop) 0p (equivalent to 3 tins £1)
mushrooms 55p
courgette (homegrown) 0p (from SM 40p)
herbs & spices 5p
oil 5p
tomato puree 10p



This has made a generous 5 portions for £3.60, had I bought the toms & courgettes it would have been £5 with lots of wiggle room to bring cost down if wished. Works out for me today @ 72 p per portion or £1 if I hadn't had some homegrown veg which I reckon is still pretty decent.
My toppings (sour cream, grated cheese & tortilla chips) add another 54p per portion could easily be changed for just rice. At £1.26 - £1.54 for a decent sized meal which has more than all 5 portions of your "five a day" per serving I'm happy with that. More importantly it tastes pretty decent as well:D.

Brambling

Well it seems 'new' guy will be leaving us mid Sept not sure if he was pushed or jumped I know he is still on trial period. I'll wait for the correct moment to ask for more details. I know it will hit us at a busy time but at least we can manage peoples expectations, and I'm prepared to work extra if I know it's not because I'm covering for someone when they go sick again on a Friday or are spending hours on the phone. I don't understand the way he was acting when he was still on trial :huh:

The other person whose a bit of a PITA is due back from mat leave about the same time and we will be expected to work round her as she likes her own way and 'knows her rights' she threatens to leave regularly but won't as no one else will let her get away with what she does and she knows it. In the 5 years (minus 2 mat leaves) I have worked with her I don't think she has ever worked her full hours, always some 'major' crisis to deal with, I have said it makes me glad of my boring life :rotfl:

Anyway back to food

Good trip to W*itrose lunch time with chicken breasts, stuffed thighs, duck breasts and mince all less than half price YS at this rate the freezer is never going to go down :cool: I did get some chicken breasts for my sister

Lunch was repeat of yesterday, tandoori chicken and rice salad, I used the last of some mango chutney to moisten the rice salad. Dinner was going to be some bream fillets but I haven't been hungry so I'm going to pop the chicken to my sister and come back to crumpets

Looks like a recipe to try Caronc but only once the heat goes it's one to cook when my sister comes to stay as she loves food like that but my BIL doesn't do veggie meals, or chilli. Something for my meat free days

caronc

How I wish Brambling it had been too warm here today to cook chilli:).
Sounds as though one PITA is leaving to be replaced by another..... Just remember your rights too:cool:

PasturesNew

I've never had butternut squash ... I don't like courgettes or mushrooms. Most of the other ingredients I've never had so don't know if I'd like them

Today I've eaten two of the bread rolls I prepped this morning, then I had two hot sausage rolls for tea.

An assortment of sweeties were variously consumed.... and the final little cheesecake.

caronc

Can't please "all of the people, all of the time" PN;):)

PasturesNew

caronc wrote: »

Can't please "all of the people, all of the time" PN;):)

You can if you add chips. Who doesn't like a good chip?