Cooking for one (Mark Three)

caronc

Good evening everyone,
Big hugs to all the poorlies -it's definitely that time of year
flubbery - I'm sorry for your loss but good to hear you are taking care of yourself
Karcher - glad you are on the mend but don't over do it. My ex took it over Christmas, hauled himself back to work as soon as he was on his feet and ended up becoming pretty poorly with a relapse/secondary infection and is only now beginning to be marginally back on his feet so not worth pushing it.
wort - thanks for the good wishes for my Dad:)

My Dad did come for lunch and enjoyed his "haggis, neeps and tatties" and managed a large plateful (about twice what I had :eek:) so I think it hit the spot:D.
It's turned stormy again and the wind is coming from the West so despite being nearly two miles away I can hear the masts on the yachts in the marina "singing" -it's a very eerie but quite beautiful sound!

I just had a small portion at lunchtime as I didn't feel overly hungry (I usually just have a light meal then) so consequently I'm getting hungry now but CBA cooking much and don't know what I fancy. I've a sort of notion for a "tandoori mixed grill" from the local takeaway but a) they're huge so would have lots of LOs, b) they are not always at their best on Saturday nights (I think because the restaurant side gets very busy) and c) I don't want the spend as I have lots of food in! I could defrost a curry from the freezer but it wouldn't be the same so probably won't. My other semi-notion is for a "pie and something" and despite my freezers being full it's the one thing I don't have. Again I could make one but it's puff pastry I want and I don't have any. I could have some of the soup I made but just don't fancy it tonight. I'm off to look at my freezers/fridge and see what I come with......

On a plus I've a semi meal plan for the next few days:-

• Turkey & gravy (Christmas LOs), mash (made a batch yesterday), green beans & cabbage
• beef & mushroom stew (using the last of the surplus cooked stewing steak from New Year) with dumplings
• spicy chicken & lentils, pepper stew and pitta (all from the freezer)
• mushrooms and spinach in tomato sauce with stuffed pasta (all bar the mushrooms are in the freezer)
• pork chop, cabbage & onions, spuds

That should take me to Thursday and use a fair bit of stuff up, I'm not sure if my son is up next weekend so will take from there when I know.

ETA - after all the indecision ended up having soup and toast and :o really enjoyed it :rotfl::rotfl:

PasturesNew

Re pies... it's the pastry that's always the problem.
For those with a handy food processor that's just sitting out - and a dishwasher they can drop it into ... they just have to lift the lid, toss in the ingredients, press the button and wait 40 seconds.

To have to weigh it all out and then mix it by hand, then faff about before hand washing everything .... it's just too much

caronc

PasturesNew wrote: »

Re pies... it's the pastry that's always the problem.
For those with a handy food processor that's just sitting out - and a dishwasher they can drop it into ... they just have to lift the lid, toss in the ingredients, press the button and wait 40 seconds.

To have to weigh it all out and then mix it by hand, then faff about before hand washing everything .... it's just too much

Especially if it's puff pastry you fancy, I'll happily make shortcrust etc. and ruff-puff at a push but puff pastry/filo/strudel I buy - life is too short to contemplate that

Farway

PasturesNew wrote: »

Re pies... it's the pastry that's always the problem.
For those with a handy food processor that's just sitting out - and a dishwasher they can drop it into ... they just have to lift the lid, toss in the ingredients, press the button and wait 40 seconds.

To have to weigh it all out and then mix it by hand, then faff about before hand washing everything .... it's just too much

I've got all of the above, you missed out sploshing flour everywhere and looking like a snowman plus un sticking the rolling pin roller. Which is why I mostly CBA

Up just clocking in prior to going off with the grandchildren day out. Change of plan, now going to see the butterflies in the RHS greenhouse at Wisley, camera in hand

Last of the Greek yoghurt for breakfast
Lunch, eat out
Dinner ????

Last night's meal for one frozen roast beef dinner fell into the OK slot. Had better so will not be buying that one again

[Deleted User]

oh I do love going to a butterfly house, so fragile and so beautiful and a warm place to be

Not much idea for today but I do know that I have to make that veg soup, my next veg delivery is on wednesday

Today I will be making chocolate cake in the bm, I used half the amount of sugar last time and it was good. This one will be sliced for the freezer. I made a spelt loaf in the bm yesterday, very gorgeous with a nice crusty crust. I don`t want to freeze any of it, so will be aiming for sandwiches with soup for one meal each day

It was a busy, sorting day yesterday and I have done what I can. I brought all my home grown garlic in, into the glazed pot that keeps them nice in the kitchen but they will be sprouting soon. I have decided to make a very nice garlic soup, it uses 40 cloves. A job for next weekend, the cloves will be fine in a week. I need onions and they arrive on wednesday. All about co-ordination, around visitors

PasturesNew

caronc wrote: »

but puff pastry/filo/strudel I buy

The trouble with buying it comes back to pack size. Any typical pack would have enough to serve four, whether it's a pie, slices, or pizza.
A single only needs 1/4 of a pack. So what to do with the rest? Cut it/freeze it and clutter up the freezer for months until you want the next 1/4? Make it all and freeze 3 leftover portions of something bigger?

It's one of those moments of:
"a family buys X, uses it" -v-
"a single buys X and still has most of it cluttering up the freezer for up to a year until they fancy it again".

moneyistooshorttomention

PasturesNew wrote: »

The trouble with buying it comes back to pack size. Any typical pack would have enough to serve four, whether it's a pie, slices, or pizza.
A single only needs 1/4 of a pack. So what to do with the rest? Cut it/freeze it and clutter up the freezer for months until you want the next 1/4? Make it all and freeze 3 leftover portions of something bigger?

It's one of those moments of:
"a family buys X, uses it" -v-
"a single buys X and still has most of it cluttering up the freezer for up to a year until they fancy it again".

Yep...just put another half tin of chickpeas in the freezer yesterday (to add to the several half tins in there already....) - as I decided to make that lemony hummus with crudites item from my sorta mealplan.

Shoulda thought to amend his new-to-me recipe for it to start with. Have now changed it to - twice as much garlic, some salt, a lot more lemon juice.

[Deleted User]

too right. I wish we still had shops where you could get one slice of something but that would take someone to serve behind the counter

I`m back on the straight and narrow and only have one grapefruit and 2 lemons left in the veg drawers. Choc cake is cooking and smelling lovely and soup is cooking, the veg were overflowing the big pan. Nothing odd added and did the 15 minutes cooking in olive oil first. I can add when I re-heat portions. One nice pork steak is defrosting in the metal sink, I`ll be on a bike ride before lunch anyway

moneyistooshorttomention

checking post.........

moneyistooshorttomention

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

checking post.........

Apologies for above post - I was checking summat a poster said on another thread - ie about no longer being able to edit posts on MSE. Seems one can no longer delete posts either - well that might save some of the things that get said on other threads...