Cooking for one (Mark Three)

Novice_investor101

I've never had Advocaat, but always wanted to try it....

Today's brunch was 3 slices of toast & coffee. 2 slices with butter & 1 with some seriously strong spreadable. I need to finish that tub off & only really have toast to put it on. I'm not buying crackers for a quarter of a tub. It'll do for tomorrow's toast & coffee brunch.

Seems to switch between sunny, rainy, windy here today - I'm staying in & doing house chores. Trip to T tomorrow for work pack up food. I've a £20 left from my food kitty cash - gonna try & make that last two weeks til pay day. Store cupboards/freezer etc is full & I don't really need anything in.

PasturesNew

caronc wrote: »

Stove's lit :D:D

Hurrah...

So nerve wracking.... I couldn't do it, to be honest. I couldn't have one in the house for starters... and it'd petrify me every time I lit it, ESPECIALLY first time!!

Seeing one in house adverts puts me off as I know I've been "charged for that" as they thought it was a real feature and draw for buyers .... all I see is "D4mn, one of those; it's in the price.... and I'd have to pay money to have it all removed and the ceiling etc made good".

PasturesNew

Novice_investor101 wrote: »

I've never had Advocaat, but always wanted to try it....

It's one of those things that you need to try with somebody else so they can tell you if it's good/not and if you've "done it right" or not... by tasting it and chatting about it.

I first had it when I was aged about 18 and in Sheffield, staying with a bf's grandparents. There was a "grubby 1970s style" pub at the end of the road and we'd go in there for a drink of an evening. I have no idea what made me choose one! At the time I think small Snowball bottles were advertised on the telly regularly.

Anyway .... a bottle of Snowball is actually quite tiny and unsatisfying taste wise in the main. I avoid them.

But, the man at the pub made them - he started by getting a full half pint "wine glass" and made it up ... complete with a cherry or two on a stick on top. And I was hooked

It's half pints for me!

It's "all in the ratios" really.... you actually use very little advocaat, more of a measure... although I'm sure there are some people who are quite happy to drink it 50/50!

Half measure lime, measure advocaat, top up a half pint glass with lemonade.... although I've never actually measured it, so saying "a measure" is pretty meaningless, I do it by eye and it's just "a small splash of lime", "a bigger splash of advocaat".

Then it's a question of tasting it and seeing if it's tasty enough - if not ... take a sip and add more advocaat until you work out how you like it.

Cherries on sticks optional ... but they are fun to see, but that's something else to remember/source

The lime is lime cordial (not fizzy pop stuff). Either Rose's, or Sainsbobs do a good imitation one at about 70p/litre.

I had the whole snowball discussion with somebody a couple of years back at Xmas, then, they decided to buy some - and I made them one to show my mix/ratio .... and that was it for them! To "cut down on alcohol" last year they swapped out their usual Baileys for a bottle of advocaat. The L1dl version's 14% proof.

If my maths is spot on, that means a whole bottle is 10.5 units.... but you'd not drink a whole bottle... just saying I expect my bottle to still be lurking next Xmas. Drink/driving limit is 1.6 units or so .. which is one alcopop.

PasturesNew

Had another "not got the ingredients" moment.... swede looked/smelt/tasted gorgeous .... so I thought I'd make a beef stew tomorrow in the SC.... but then I remembered, I have the beef in the freezer.... but no onions or carrots.

I'm going to have to go out later ... and get some, which is annoying as I was really waiting for onions to be on some weekly offer price first

Tomorrow will be some posh meat/cut (can't remember what sort it was, but it was a bit of a posh brand, could be Aberdeen Angus) .... in a stew .... served with mash (from the freezer) and the swede I cooked today.... and maybe a few more carrots on the side too...

If I get the beef out of the freezer that'll motivate me to going out to get the carrots/onions .... otherwise I'll just forget it as I've plenty of other food in the house already .... but it is stew weather isn't it ... and it does remove two packs from the freezer and means I freeze less of the swede.

Umming and aahing a bit first.... dumplings will also be compulsory ... they're easy, always got those ingredients!

EDIT: Weather decided it for me... it turned vile again. No beef stew tomorrow

Novice_investor101

caronc, I bet that stove is looking & feeling marvellous??

I'd love to have one, but I can't justify the expense in a tiny mid terrace. At most I'd spend about £500 getting a new gas fire in the lounge. The current one doesn't work & is only about 50% efficient - ie most of the heat goes up the chimney.

I did like putting it on on Xmas day or really snowy winter days for the feel good factor (it's one of those pretend coal effect ones). Cheaper to run the CH at other times.

Today has flown by. Done no jobs whatsoever. Looking forward to sweet & sour chicken from last night's Chinese doggy bag. Diet starts again on Monday....

wort

I've had a lazy day, weather is dreadful, so I'm glad I'm not going out.
I'm out for Xmas lunch with 2 friends whom I worked with before my current job, over 20 years ago!
I can't decide what to have for tea tonight. My dd1 called with gfree orange drizzle cake, of which I've eaten a bit with cream . So tea is been put back as I'm not hungry yet.
I've beans open ,and was thinking jacket spud with cheese and beans. Also have the other tart left from Thursday.
I ate lots of crisp last night to soak up the wine, as we chatted, so it was a late one. Might need an early night tonight to make up for it.
Caronc, perfect weather for lighting a fire!

caronc

PasturesNew wrote: »

Hurrah...

So nerve wracking.... I couldn't do it, to be honest. I couldn't have one in the house for starters... and it'd petrify me every time I lit it, ESPECIALLY first time!!

Seeing one in house adverts puts me off as I know I've been "charged for that" as they thought it was a real feature and draw for buyers .... all I see is "D4mn, one of those; it's in the price.... and I'd have to pay money to have it all removed and the ceiling etc made good".

They are very much a love or hate thing. I'm fine with prepping and lighting fires, got the stove going with only 1 match- though it was a long one:)

Novice_investor101 wrote: »

caronc, I bet that stove is looking & feeling marvellous??

I'd love to have one, but I can't justify the expense in a tiny mid terrace. At most I'd spend about £500 getting a new gas fire in the lounge. The current one doesn't work & is only about 50% efficient - ie most of the heat goes up the chimney.

I did like putting it on on Xmas day or really snowy winter days for the feel good factor (it's one of those pretend coal effect ones). Cheaper to run the CH at other times.

Today has flown by. Done no jobs whatsoever. Looking forward to sweet & sour chicken from last night's Chinese doggy bag. Diet starts again on Monday....

Tbh if I could have worked the gas fire in the room I probably wouldn't have thought to replace it. But it was a basket type and you had to lean down as the ignition was underneath it which just wasn't doable for me. Yes it has been a real treat getting this but as I have no intention of moving in the foreseeable future I'll hopefully get my use out of it.:)

wort wrote: »

Caronc, perfect weather for lighting a fire!

It is indeed -I spoke too soon re it being dry it's been pelting it down all afternoon.
I have definitely lost my oomph (think it has eloped with my balance:rotfl::rotfl:). I think my exertions over the last few days have caught up with me. I've had a very lazy afternoon on the sofa with my book trying not to be completely mesmerised by the flames:D. My it makes the room toasty. I've only just popped the CH on at it's lowest setting to heat the rest to the house, it's definitely much colder today and dropping this evening. I don't think we'll get a frost unless the cloud clears but it's certainly chilly outside.
Lunch ended up being oatcakes and pate with a small mug of split pea soup I discovered in the freezer. I haven't fully decided on dinner- spaghetti and "something" I think.:)

PasturesNew

I'm starving... had a tot up of what I've eaten today and it was:

2 bits of toast
2 sausage rolls
8 squares of chocolate.

So I'm now making a cheese/egg sandwich, just waiting for that egg to finish .... then it'll be sliced and added to the cheese/salad cream ... another 3-4 minutes to go...

caronc

Cheese/Egg/Salad Cream is something I like on a baked spud (or a sandwich). It was my favourite, many moons ago, from the baked potato van that was in the centre of York. Ideally placed for a post-pub visit;).
Dinner has ended up being macaroni mixed with a portion of tomato/pepper/chilli soup from the freezer with some grated parmesan. Very tasty indeed:)

In an unheard of "winter" post from me - I'm too warm:eek:, CH is off and I've shed a layer......:cool: My feet and hands are "just right" - makes a change from the chilly to baltic range I'm normally [STRIKE]complaining about[/STRIKE] reporting .

Novice_investor101

My heating didn't really fire up much this evening. It must be mild out. I'm currently laying on the couch watching TV under my fave blanket. Toasty warm.

Off to bed fairly early again. Since I've do e nothing all day, I'll need to be up early tomorrow to do it all....
Also need batteries for my tiny Xmas tree lights. It's not the same with an unlit tree....