Cooking for one (Mark Three)

caronc

Ones like these Brambling https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/259805659 stuffed with either tinned creamed mushrooms or chicken and/or some diced ham in white sauce , snipped chives on top for a bit of sophistication were a hot buffet must when I was growing up. Blooming nice they were too:)

Novice_investor101

Well, ended up eating out in a Chinese again tonight - with some friends. The portions are that big I've brought at least another serving of rice & two servings of sweet & sour chicken home too. That'll be tomorrow's lunch & teatime sorted out .it's summed up my first week of dieting - started well, then plummeted.
I'll try again from Monday.

Early night for me - I'm shattered. No staying up late on Friday nights these days. I prefer to be up & about early at weekends.
I'll need to tidy up & start eating stuff out of the freezer - to make way for XCFO party nibbles.

Brambling

caronc wrote: »

Ones like these Brambling https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/259805659 stuffed with either tinned creamed mushrooms or chicken and/or some diced ham in white sauce , snipped chives on top for a bit of sophistication were a hot buffet must when I was growing up. Blooming nice they were too:)

That's them if you were really posh they were stuffed with prawn mayo (those little frozen prawns) but that was one of my sisters showing off :rotfl:

PasturesNew

caronc wrote: »

.... stuffed with either tinned creamed mushrooms or chicken and/or some diced ham in white sauce , snipped chives on top for a bit of sophistication

Brambling wrote: »

.... prawn mayo (those little frozen prawns) ...

This is where it gets tricky, because what you can make/stuff in them becomes limited....

I despise mushrooms ... and ham .... I can't buy a single chive just to snip. I despise prawns.

I'll make a little white sauce ... and I'll have turkey ... I'll have some cocktail sausages, so probably I could check what chutneys I've already got, or buy another if nothing suits. Could easily knock up a quick coronation turkey, I bought raisins today and I've got the rest of the stuff

Can't put chips in them, can't fill them with crisps.

I'd probably do a Welsh rarebit one... just out of desperation to have something different ....

I could fill some with stuffing ... at a push ... with a blob of chutney.

Egg/salad cream's a winner.... you'd think "tuna/sweetcorn/mayo" but then realise you only need 3-4 kernels per VaV so not worth buying a frozen bag or small tin just for that....

Then the reality hits you ... you really only wanted 3-4 vol au vents, prepared by somebody else

They might, yet again, be off the menu, simply for being too hard/faffy to !!!! around with just to scoff.... and I might as well just make some non VaV bigger tarts with a more substantial filling or something...

While I can think of fillings.... they involve expanding the food list. e.g. I could knock up some great crab ones, I LOVE crab ... I could simply buy a tub of crab pate ... but I'd already decided not to buy any this year as I tried twice last year to get it and it was sold out, so it was already relegated to the "lovely, but you don't need it" list.

I think small tartlets might be better... on reflection. Or just bin the whole idea again... I'll mull it. I've 2 weeks mulling time left.

PasturesNew

Having a bad brain morning. It's like trying to juggle while leaping in a river on short rolling logs... my brain and thoughts are all jumbled and I'm mentally "out of synch" and can't do the simplest of things.

But I still went to 4ldi. C0cked it up, but at least I've got a few essentials and more....

Managed to get two packs of beef mince at half price (5% fat & 10% fat). Stocked up on baked beans (12), got butter beans, didn't get cannellini beans as they're disproportionately expensive compared to baked beans, got 3 cans of rice pudding. Also got 2 jars of coffee, 36 loo rolls, 2 kitchen towels and a large bleach.

And ... four bars of essentials chocolate and a chocolate Santa

A simple loaf of bread, malt vinegar and Oxo cubes.

Oh and washing up liquid, a festively coloured orange one

Can't even begin to put things away yet as I'd just get that all wrong, just put the mince in the fridge and left it at that until the brain stops frothing.

Breakfast, when able, will be scrambled eggs and beans on toast probably.

Now I'm back, I realise I omitted the first aisle, where I intended to look at onions and tomatoes, because there was a large staff member with a fully laden trolley faffing about and in my way ... when they're there you can't stand and mull, you can only reach/grab if you already know what you wanted.

Farway

Cold, sunny & windy, ideal morning for my usual porridge breakfast

Yesterday's SC beef stew was fine, I've got two portions left in my new plastic containers, glass was too eye watering for my needs, I'm not avoiding plastic at all costs:)
Undecided if to freeze or maybe eat soon, bit of mulling to be done:)

I did have a bowl of L's muesli later, plus some HM marmalade on toast:o

I've made a new batch of yoghurt this morning, this one is supposed to be rose flavoured "with added oil extract from the famous Bulgarian rose damascena" It does not smell over powering, I'm hoping it tastes lightly of roses and not horribly pink & artificial

I'm in doing "office stuff", then I've got to do some Christmas cards, only a couple will need stamps for distant rellies so not an expensive time, especially as I'm MSE and buy cards reduced in January:money:

I just fancy a mug of hot chocolate, but fancying is as far as I'll get because I've not got any and I only drink a mug every few years if out and someone else is making it, on same level as VoV's

Lunch will be last ten penn'orth of the YS pork pie, with piccalilli

Dinner? no idea, lots of choices & options but TBD with smidgen of CBA

caronc

Good morning everyone,
Still blowing a hooley here but thankfully it has dried up.
I'm going to have to have a non-bendy day as my balance is protesting, washing my hair earlier just about finished it off! The cleaning will still need done in a few days though thankfully most of the dust seems to have settled now.:)
I'm going to light the stove soon and this afternoon I plan to lounge on the couch and if I cba write Christmas cards.
Food remains undecided, a sarnie of some description for lunch and possibly pasta for dinner.

Wednesday2000

I ate a leftover Quorn breaded fillet thing with a Tenzing drink for breakfast. Not very healthy.:p I was hungry and I couldn't be bothered to make anything.

PasturesNew wrote: »

Spotted advocaat and, having thought about buying a bottle for 8-10 years I just grabbed one £5.49. Then it was nut roast... I've got one on my list as being a good one you can just walk into a shop and buy, usually H&Barrett... £2.39. L1dl had them there at £1.99, so I grabbed one.

I added a bottle of Bailey's to my Ocado order and vegan Ben & Jerry's ice cream and God knows what else!:rotfl:

candygirl wrote: »

I'll be stocking up on the cheap veg, to make loads of lovely soups. Also on carrots for the Furnutters , who have one each every day :rotfl:

My dogs love raw carrots too.

Brambling wrote: »

I remember when no buffet was complete without vol au vents

Yes, I remember that too, in the 80s.:D

PasturesNew

I have a new "mantra" I'm sticking to since tidying up the house and putting it up for sale... "one hour". I keep my house "one hour ready", so that if I were to receive a call with immediate viewers ... I can always say yes as I can get out of the house in one hour to accommodate it.

Most of that "one hour" I'd have would be taken up in the immediate organising towels, loo rolls, putting away toiletries, wiping sinks, wiping worktops, doing/drying/clearing away any washing up ... wiping the floor, arranging the throws on the sofa, fluffing the duvet cover, hiding the dirty washing, "presenting" the house how it was in the photos.... everyday things out of sight, toaster in the cupboard... the works.

So, in order to achieve it in one hour, I have to keep on top of the "things I'd normally let slide".... but I now perpetually look around thinking "one hour" - which means "what little things can I do/put away that I'd have to do if I got the call and I'd have wished I'd kept on top of".

And that's why I'm cooking the 39p swede I bought 4-5 days ago that's been lurking in the kitchen. It needed to be cooked... but easily overlooked. So, under the "one hour" rule I did it as I'd be thinking "this could've been done at any time and now I have to find a hiding place for a whole swede and then not forget it".

Once the swede's cooked, I'll just mash it and freeze it. No real and specific plans on how to use it to be honest.... it was a whim purchase. I thought I might want it for Xmas dinner, but I've since changed my mind, but I could change my mind back, so I'll deliberately freeze one tiny portion of 2 spoons for Xmas Day just in case.

I had toast for breakfast, CBA spending 3 minutes doing scrambled egg and beans ... and all that washing up (2 mugs and a bowl).

caronc

Stove's lit :D:D