Cooking for one (Mark Three)

candygirl

Wednesday2000 wrote: »

I've had a horrible Christmas. I fell and twisted my back and had a painful muscle spasm. I spent most of x-mas eve and x-mas day lying in bed.:mad::eek:

Lucky I didn't go to any effort this year or it would have been wasted.

My husband ordered pizza on x-mas eve so I ate a large pizza over the past two days! That is all I could eat as I was taking painkillers.

I feel better now and so I'm making pasta with baked tofu, cherry tomatoes and olives with the last of the red pesto.

Oh no hun I hope it starts to get better asap xx
The pizza sounds fab.I'm tempted to get a takeaway tonight

moneyistooshorttomention

So that's my sets of glass food prepping containers coming in very handy already.

Had stored the vegan homemade butter substitute to spread on my bread in the freezer - after I promptly realised it was pretty tasteless/wasn't going to work for that. Decided that it basically amounted to polenta and there are baked polenta recipes around. Hoicked one of my containers out of the freezer - sprinkled with onion salt, garlic salt and soya sauce and baked it. It wasn't bad actually - I shall use up the other 2 containers worth of it I made in that sort of way I think or, possibly, I might try baking one of them sprinkled with spices and have with some baked fruit - this time as a pudding type version of it. Waste not want not and all that.

So tonight's dinner was that sorta baked polenta with sauce of leeks from garden/tomatoes/a pepper/aubergine with it and served with courgetti.

More use for one of those storage containers - citrus fruit (oranges/grapefruit) that I don't think would have lasted much longer. So peeled/segmented/shoved into the fridge for having with porridge and/or baking.

Errrr...I've been buying another book ("Veg in one bed") - ahem....there's this young guy called Huw that lives in this area of the country and grows food and is very oriented towards raised beds and food forests for doing so. I won't get to see the book for a couple of months - as he's only 19 and it's his first book and not yet published. But I've been watching him on his YouTube channel (HuwsNursery) and thought - "I know I've got books on both those things - but none written by anyone doing everything as cheaply/practically as possible and having to cope with West Wales clay soil/heavy rain/strong winds like I have to now". So it'll be en route at some point. It's food-related - as it's extra food I'll be growing...

Novice_investor101

Just ate my steak... Decided I don't really like steak.
Or, to be precise, never liked it & forgot I didn't cos it's been so long since I last ate it, cos I didn't like it......

I tried to do it "properly" and made it medium, I think. It was still pink all the way through, definitely wasn't rare. But even that was too raw for me. I did have some English mustard on the side & lots of pepper, but couldn't get over the raw look of it. I'm better off with it charred to a crisp & well done.

Baffles me a bit as I'll happy cook a brisket in the slow cooker for 8 hours that comes out a little pink in the middle & love that cold in sandwiches - the pink bit is the tastiest bit!
Think I'll stick to the stewing beef & briskets that are cooked for hours in future.

Brambling

I love my family but I'm glad to be home I did sneak back for a while this morning to feed the cat and stayed for nearly two hours until I got a 'where are you text' :cool: my sister invites her ex for the day so a couple of slightly tense moments, my nephews are in their early / mid twenties so a grown up Christmas.

My sister and I went walking in the forest this morning it was obviously a popular choice especially with the dog walkers we did 5 miles so felt virtuous enough to sit and watch Mama Mia this afternoon and pick at the chocolate with no one to comment on our really bad singling :rotfl:

Hope your back is better Wednesday

Sorry you didn't enjoy the steak Novice I do cook mine medium rare and then rest it so it's pink but not bloody

wort

Sorry to hear about your back Wednesday, and hope you're much improved.
Xmas dinner was fab ate everything cos I hadn't cooked it!!:j
We had prawns and smoked salmon, Turkey with roast potatoes, sprouts ,carrots ,parsnips and gravy. Then huge pavlova with cream kiwi and blueberries, plus a piece of sherry trifle,and lots of asti!
later went to my brothers had a cracker and cheese but couldn't manage anything else.
Yesterday I did nothing , I had beef sandwich for lunch,finished off the black pepper crisp. with pear and yogurt after.
Then a latte with mince pie and cream about 3pm. Tea ended up being jacket spud with cheese and a bit of salad.
I'm off to work today so in half an hour I will eat brunch of cheese salad roll .

Farway

Sorry to hear about the back problem Wednesday, hope it goes right and does not become a nagging one, like the nice XCFO style though,pizza;)

Novice, I was much the same about steak,very much over rated but last year I began buying decent [AKA expensive] steak, and then marinating it over night in fridge
I then fry, used to grill it but found it dried out too much
I prefer mine nil blood as well, but found by accidentally under cooking that good meat is tender if still red inside

I found this is also true of lamb chops, had one grilled last week, from my super expensive organic ethical etc supplier, bit red inside by accident but still best lamb chop I've had for years

Yesterday meals were a disgrace, mostly came in wrappers with chocolate coating, had a couple slices of the date & walnut cake I bought during hospital check up a bit back, superb, another expensive but lovely choice

Breakfast this morning was usual porridge
I'm going a bit healthier with a fried egg sarnie for lunch

Dinner? No idea, could be back at the cheese board

PS, Money, I like your NY resolution, like the old don't wrestle with pigs in s**t, because they enjoy it

Wednesday2000

Thanks guys.xxx I've never had a muscle spasm before but it's awful.:(

I feel okay now.

I just went for a long walk as I hadn't been out since x-mas eve. So much rubbish piled up in the streets!:eek:

I bought a veggie samosa but I didn't like it so I threw it away. Just had some crisps and a coke.:o I've got shopping coming later so I will have something better then.

Brambling

Farway wrote: »

Novice, I was much the same about steak,very much over rated but last year I began buying decent [AKA expensive] steak, and then marinating it over night in fridge
I then fry, used to grill it but found it dried out too much
I prefer mine nil blood as well, but found by accidentally under cooking that good meat is tender if still red inside

I found this is also true of lamb chops, had one grilled last week, from my super expensive organic ethical etc supplier, bit red inside by accident but still best lamb chop I've had for years

I find the trick is to let all meat rest before eating, so it's pink but not bleeding on to the plate once cooked I tend not to cook lamb so pink as steak but like it a little pink the same with duck

Braved the town today with my sister not a lot to tempt me but I did pick up some jeans for £7 in M&S and a half price long cardigan. They tried to charge me full price for a pair of black trousers because 'they shouldn't have been in the sale' :cool: they were £29.50 full price but had two sale tickets on for £19 and £12 and were on the sale rail. I paid £12 as they agreed to honour the sale price I wouldn't normally have pushed it but I need a pair of dark trousers as unfortunately my neighbour died just before Christmas so I need something other than jeans for the funeral.

Lunch was cheese and biscuit with some gammon at my sister's before coming home and dinner will be something with salmon.

Novice_investor101

I left the steak to get to room temperature & tried the dear it on high both sides, then lower the heat & cook for 5 minutes either side for medium.

I think I just can't cope with the thought of it looking "raw". I cook lamb steaks through fully as well. In future I'll use the GeorgeF grill for any kind of meat steak.

Today's lunch at work was defrosted pasta bake. I have 3 portions left. Bought some Warbies "old English white" bread, 400g. It was reduced to 69p. Full price £1.75!!
Had 4 slices for tea, 4 slices left for 2 days work sandwiches & two crusts that will do for egg soldiers at the weekend.
It was nice bread, but not £1.75 nice! Would only buy again if it was reduced. Tasted a bit like the white Farmhouse they bake.

candygirl

I know you're all prob gonna think I'm weird, but I find cooking very therapeutic. Have just made carrot n coriander , n potato n leek soup, red lentil lasagne , n chick pea, spinach n potato curry.
Will freeze a lot of it, n give some to Mum n my friend.
All my recipes are very experimental, but tasty, n obvs all veggie ❤