Cooking for one (Mark Three)

PasturesNew

I made a big Yorkie. Put mixed veggies and mash in it - and baked beans as I had those to hand.... it went down a treat

While that was cooking, I took the time to make up two rounds of tomato sandwiches. Just bread/marg and red/yellow mini plum tomatoes. They're boxed up and in the fridge in case I fancy a nibble later.

I've probably not got enough tomatoes left over now for the "planned" savoury b/b pudding though, but that doesn't matter.... if I don't eat those sandwiches (unlikely) then I'll use them to knock one up.... but I'll probably scoff them at some point.

Farway

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Late lunch today - doing what is one of my staples whilst on this diet (ie couscous/a selection of fruit and fat-free yogurt). It all counts as "Free Food" on the Slimming World diet and doesn't take much effort.

Better mood re tradespeople now. Mr Unreliable of yesterday has just lost out - his own fault. Mr New Young Guy turned up here instead (earlier than I'd been expecting him - and had the manners to ring first to check if that was okay). He's taken a look at the job I want doing/sounds like he'll be quoting me a reasonable price for it and my first impression was that I liked him.

Looks like I could be sorted for getting this job done then and, if that works out okay, it could be that I've found the suitable handyperson (and roofer) I've been looking for since I moved here. Fingers crossed....

Hope he turns out well Money, you've not had much luck with most of them so far. I had a new young guy fix my doors for me a bit back, did an excellent job. And returned to do another job I'd mentioned in passing
Maybe some of the younger ones have not picked up all the bad traits during their training? Or maybe they are just "nice" to start with

AndyCF

Hello all again! Been away for a while partly health reasons. Thankfully slowly on the mend, its a bit more complex than I want to put here though, but summary is things are going the right way health wise at least other things not so, but health has to remain priority as without that = other things do not seem to matter that much.


I had a bit of a cheaters lunch today, I had a small tin of lovely baby carrots and a tin of peas, simply boiled them up with some mash I made from a few small new potato's. Bit too much for one (oops!) but I managed to scoff it all.

I want to mention the tins I had for a while, I always try to keep a few days worth of 'long term' food in just in case really. I do rotate it reasonably often too so it tends to get 'changed' every other month or so, given the 'use by' dates are usually a year or two in the future it seems quite sensible.


I do fancy as it gets nearer that 'time of year' to try my best to do some Turkey Sausage Rolls as I'm not able to find any ready-made locally, if they exist at all. I've not searched online in detail. I did wonder if I could cheat a bit at this and just get some pastry and a pack of the cooked meat turkey, chop that up and then bake it. Even though that means the pre-cooked meat is being cooked again, I do not see the harm in it. My thought here is "very quick and simple" , quicker than trying to find some turkey mince locally. This may be a bad idea though.

moneyistooshorttomention

Farway wrote: »

Hope he turns out well Money, you've not had much luck with most of them so far. I had a new young guy fix my doors for me a bit back, did an excellent job. And returned to do another job I'd mentioned in passing
Maybe some of the younger ones have not picked up all the bad traits during their training? Or maybe they are just "nice" to start with

Well he strikes me as honest. As you say - I don't think he's had time to pick up bad habits. I suspect he's been brought up by a "liberated" mother too - I recognise the signs of a man who has been trained by a woman that refuses to be a 2nd class citizen (as she spent 18+ years bringing him up). The best boyfriend I ever had had been trained by such a woman (she's my best friend to this day).

Sometimes a firm/solo person just starting out has got the combination of having learnt enough to "know their trade"/but not thinks they know-it-all and is being nice to get their name known and spread around. It's how I chose the estate agent to sell my last house - I was looking for someone that was still trying to "get known". We worked it out between us - and I did notice a positive rash of their signs going up in my last neighbourhood subsequently.

Yesterday's let-down merchant turned up at my door unexpectedly today - and I pretended to be out. I don't want someone who thinks it's okay to disrespect the customer by being unreliable and not even letting them know - unless they are absolutely the only person around/Hobsons Choice.

My mother calls my father a perfectionist - and thinks I'm a lot like him:rotfl:

EDIT; Andy - glad you're getting better. One thing I am thinking is "protein" from the meal you mention. Had you thought of maybe hard-boiling up some eggs and you could just add a couple to any vegetables for a complete meal that had some protein in it?? Just a thought.

Being on a diet as I am at present - I'm eating rather more hard-boiled eggs than normal (as they count as "Free Food" calorie-wise). I find the easiest way to do them is to boil up some water in a kettle, then get it back to boiling point in a saucepan on the cooker. Put a couple of eggs in the saucepan. Cover with a lid. Switch off the hotplate and then set my kitchen timer for 12 minutes. When the timer goes off then they are ready and just run under cold tap or leave to cool down naturally - ready to eat.

PasturesNew

AndyCF wrote: »

I had a small tin of lovely baby carrots and a tin of peas, simply boiled them up with some mash I made from a few small new potato's.

If you tip in a tin of peas and a tin of carrots, then just add an Oxo or two - produces gravy at the same time You might prefer to drain off some of the surplus water when doing that for one though, to save having to add a lot of instant gravy mix just because of the quantity.

AndyCF wrote: »

I always try to keep a few days worth of 'long term' food in just in case really. I do rotate it reasonably often too so it tends to get 'changed' every other month or so, given the 'use by' dates are usually a year or two in the future it seems quite sensible.

I've always got plenty of things I know I'll use ... and then I have my "meal in a tin" choices, which can be rice pudding, or spag bol (which is great on toast).... an occasional tin of chunky soup's in there too.... but, simple tins I can grab and get a quick meal from.

AndyCF wrote: »

I do fancy as it gets nearer that 'time of year' to try my best to do some Turkey Sausage Rolls as I'm not able to find any ready-made locally, if they exist at all. I've not searched online in detail. I did wonder if I could cheat a bit at this and just get some pastry and a pack of the cooked meat turkey, chop that up and then bake it. Even though that means the pre-cooked meat is being cooked again, I do not see the harm in it. My thought here is "very quick and simple" , quicker than trying to find some turkey mince locally. This may be a bad idea though.

It depends what you're trying to achieve as an end result... you can just buy turkey mince and add flavourings/breadcrumbs, or even a seasonal stuffing packet mix, to create your (raw) filling.
Or, just get a turkey breast and finely cut it by hand ... I'd bake it raw to be honest, they're not big things and the cooking time will be enough to cook the turkey from raw.

PasturesNew

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

.... hard-boiled eggs .... I find the easiest way to do them is to boil up some water in a kettle, then get it back to boiling point in a saucepan on the cooker. Put a couple of eggs in the saucepan. Cover with a lid. Switch off the hotplate and then set my kitchen timer for 12 minutes. When the timer goes off then they are ready and just run under cold tap or leave to cool down naturally - ready to eat.

Blimey .... I'd never eat eggs if they were that hard

1 egg, 1 egg maker. Unscrew lid, pour in 2-3 tablespoons of water, pop egg holder in, pop egg in, screw lid on. Into nuker on half power for 5 minutes soft, 7 minutes hard.

I would say though that I bought a back up egg cooker - and was disappointed to read it said to pri.ck the egg.... I specifically like the one I've got as I don't have to try to fathom out how to pri.ck an egg without it splitting in my hand... so the "don't pri.ck" variety are out there.

I've got two types. One does a single egg. Another does 4 eggs at a time.

flubberyzing

Out of idle curiosity, I stepped on the scales this morning (which I only do about every 4-6 weeks when I happen to think of it), and it told me I'm a stone lighter than I was 6 weeks ago. I really don't believe it. My scales are about 10 years old, so I think perhaps they're bust.
I'm actually feeling a bit of a porker at the moment, and certainly not the lightest I've been in 10 years! Something suss going on there!! Tomorrow I'm going to try on a pair of jeans that were borderline too small 6 weeks ago, and see if they fit. That'll be the test.

In other news, I finished my week with the class from hell.
Shortly after arriving home, my agency phoned me up to ask if I'd do 2 more days with them after the holiday, and I had to say no. Normally I'd say yes to anything for the money, but that class just aren't worth it. They then told me they'd had a really experienced retired teacher spend a day with them about a fortnight ago, who then refused to go back! The agency didn't tell me that! Bit naughty. But apparently I got good feedback from the school, so that's good!

I've just had some croquettes and a ham and cheese bake thing for tea. And am about to head off to tutor the autistic laddie. I got very little out of him last week. We'll see if this time is more successful.

PasturesNew

flubberyzing wrote: »

....apparently I got good feedback from the school...

Maybe their bar to measure by is "didn't quit half way through the session and hastily run to the car park and do a wheelie on the way out in their haste to escape"

Novice_investor101

First time posting on this thread, but I read it often as I live alone.

I managed to buy a £1 meal deal at the works canteen for lunch (had a £2.25 meal voucher to use) & got a whoopsie hot counter large chicken from Mr T for £3 on my way home, so it's chicken & stuffing sandwiches for tea tonight & I'll have LO chicken to cook up some curry at the weekend.
I've some homemade chicken stock in the freezer so I might Google chicken soup recipes & see if I can make some up to freeze, to use up the rest of the chicken LO's.

PasturesNew

Novice_investor101 wrote: »

First time posting on this thread, but I read it often as I live alone.

Welcome ... you already know then that "half of us are good and healthy" - and the other half are "a little wanting, but don't care".
I'm all about the pies, it must be said

Novice_investor101 wrote: »

I managed to buy a £1 meal deal at the works canteen for lunch

If I had a good/cheap canteen at work I'd really milk that for all its worth I'd not bother "cooking proper meals" at home at all.
Works' canteens are something that've sadly disappeared over the years... shame really as the company benefit from happy staff who don't leave the site at lunchtime.