Cooking for one (Mark Three)

caronc

Good evening everyone,

<<hugs>> SG one of those days that just need to be got through <<hugs>>


My Mum/Gran's fruit loaf has the same quantities of ingredients as the one Farway posted though uses 1/2 tsp mixed spice or ginger with vanilla extract noted as "optional". I know it was one of my Gran's from when she was in the local Women's Rural Institute during the war and is called a "basic fruit loaf" so I reckon the ingredients were fairly common place as it wasn't a quite isolated and far from affulent community. The spice could be replaced with some grated root ginger if you have any of that from making curry. I've also a recipe for a "tea bread" which uses no fat, dairy or spice. It's very good but doesn't keep quite so long: 12oz mixed fruit, 10 fluid oz hot, strong tea, 10 oz SR flour, 8oz sugar(dark brown is best but any will do), 1 egg beaten. Soak fruit in tea overnight, add egg and mix well then add flour and stir until mixed. Grease & line a 2lb loaf tin and bake at 180c for 60-70 mins. Allow to cool for 15 mins in tin then remove and cool on a wire rack before slicing. Best eaten within 2-3 days or else it might need toasted. It actually really good toasted and if you like fruit & cheese together is gorgeous as a base for toasted cheese.:)

I like green peppers but really only in salads and chinese food, consequently I was finding with the mixed bags they weren't getting used up or getting left to lurk unused in the freezer. Tesco do a bag of three red.yellow and orange which is a bit more expensive than the value mixed bag but much less costly than buying them separately so I tend to get those unless I specifically want green ones as I realised I wasn't saving any cash by buying the cheaper one and then wasting some of them.



Another quiet day pottering, frost/ice didn't really lift so didn't venture out. It's freezing hard again now but hopefully after tonight it will get a bit milder.


Southern fried chicken, baked spud, mini corn cob and HM coleslaw (or whatever it is if you don't add cabbage;):rotfl:)

Brambling

I'm another one who doesn't really like green peppers especially raw so I usually pick up the cheaper T*sco or S*insb three pack usually red, orange, yellow I find the others a false economy. If I do pick up green ones I either stuff or roast them, I do like roasted peppers with feta or hide in soup

I've a very similar tea loaf recipe Caronc a friend gave it to me about 25 years ago I think her kids got it from Blue Peter but it's in cups I once forgot the egg and it was forgiving I'm trying to be good and these cake recipes aren't helping as I have ingredients for both in the house :think:

I avoided going out this morning but my sister and I went for a five mile forest walk this afternoon we stayed on the path so not too muddy but very cold. Lots of dog walkers and occasional horse and rider I'm.lucky as it's only about a mile walk from me although we did drive up there today, cold wind plus steep hill would have had me wheezing before we got to the forest :rotfl:

Lunch was the last of my soft blue cheese and pears with some crackers. For dinner I marinated some salmon in Asian favours, lemon grass, garlic, ginger, chilli, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey and sesame oil and had it with stir fry veg and noodles :drool:

:grouphug: Sunny

caronc

Brambling wrote: »

I've a very similar tea loaf recipe Caronc a friend gave it to me about 25 years ago I think her kids got it from Blue Peter but it's in cups I once forgot the egg and it was forgiving I'm trying to be good and these cake recipes aren't helping as I have ingredients for both in the house :think:

I suspect my original recipe was probably in tea cups but got "converted" somewhere along the way and as you say very forgiving in quantities/ingredients a real "what do I have that will fill hungry folk" recipe and if you are going to indulge it's dairy & fat free;) - though slathering it with butter and/or jam defeats that :cool: (and I won't mention frying a slice as part of a "cooked breakfast" if it's gone a bit stale :rotfl::rotfl:)

Looking at cups I think 2 cups fruit, 1 cup tea, 2 cups SR flour, 1 cup sugar and an egg would probably work:)

Brambling

caronc wrote: »

I suspect my original recipe was probably in tea cups but got "converted" somewhere along the way and as you say very forgiving in quantities/ingredients a real "what do I have that will fill hungry folk" recipe and if you are going to indulge it's dairy & fat free;) - though slathering it with butter and/or jam defeats that :cool: (and I won't mention frying a slice as part of a "cooked breakfast" if it's gone a bit stale :rotfl::rotfl:)

Looking at cups I think 2 cups fruit, 1 cup tea, 2 cups SR flour, 1 cup sugar and an egg would probably work:)

From memory that sounds about right . You're he1l bent on leading me astray first the talk of using it for cheese on toast and now frying it for breakfast

caronc

Brambling wrote: »

From memory that sounds about right . You're he1l bent on leading me astray first the talk of using it for cheese on toast and now frying it for breakfast

Sorry :o (not:rotfl:) make and pop the slices in the freezer for a wee treat when you fancy one;)

Brambling

caronc wrote: »

Sorry :o (not:rotfl:) make and pop the slices in the freezer for a wee treat when you fancy one;)

First I'll have to make room in the freezer :rotfl::rotfl:

SunnyGirl

Faraway, Caron & Brambling You have all convinced me to try the fruit/tea loaf with ginger as I have both fresh and dried in. The only dried fruit I have is sultanas - no nuts as I scoffed them over two days last week :rotfl: - but I think that'd work and I do like ginger. I may put some lemon peel in too actually then freeze the flesh in slices for alcoholic beverages :T

Just as an aside a handy tip I picked up was to keep fresh ginger and garlic in the freezer and use from frozen. It grates very easily and is defrosted by the you're whacking and and banging the grater around to get it out ::rotfl:

Thank you for your hugs and thoughts for today. It's been ok but I'll be glad when it's tomorrow. You never know how you're going to feel until the day itself in my experience.

I had a lovely hour with my parents and their kitchen smelt amazing as Dad had one pan of leek and potato soup and one pan of carrot, parsnip and ginger soup on the go. Mum was layering up potatoes with butter, onions and stock to go with their evening meal tonight. Is it called Boulangerie Potatoes?? Caron I feel that this is a question for you!

Am in bed with a cup of tea and the radio on now. Pleasant dreams to you all.

Brambling

Hi Sunny yes it's called Boulangere potatoes I like celeriac added to it and fresh thyme

I freeze ginger and grate it including the skin, the easiest way to deal with it and none of the woody bits but I've never frozen garlic not sure why must give it a go

Sunday is cooking day and it's all your fault if I make cake :rotfl:

PasturesNew

I freeze chillies, still in the little packets. I just cut one with a paring knife to use it, they cut through super-easy when still frozen. They can be quite pricey, so I'll get a pack when they're on special price and last time they were 29p at 4ldi (for a pack of 3-4) I even managed to find some with a half price sticker on, so they were just 15p/pack (I bought two packs).

I don't have any tea in the house, else I'd be making the tea loaf

I might be tempted to think about a variation .... but there's the elephant in the room issue ... that I think I've been putting a little bit of extra weight on, so I really need to get that idea out of my head

Still got these same 3 s0ddin' apples in the kitchen that I bought before Xmas. No shortage of things I could do with them, I just lack any motivation or excitement for it whatsoever

EDIT: Breakfast was 2x toast and 2x scrambled eggs, splash of brown sauce. Thought that was best as there's been a frost overnight and I have to get through the loaf I bought ... so a nice hot breakfast seemed best.

Farway

The Tea loaf recipes here are same as I've used, with a variation, also made it with a 2 heaped tablespoons of marmalade stirred in. I'm sure with that and dried mixed fruit must be well on way to 5 a day;)

Porridge etc for breakfast

Salmon fillet out & defrosting for dinner, but I use it "as is" the Brambling Asian style is not for me, but I bet I'd eat & enjoy if if it appeared, maybe with a stir fry using green peppers?:D

Lunch, back to cheese & salady sarnie, complete lack of imagination and plenty of cheese in stock thanks to L's

Last night's roast has supplied me with LO roast veg, those plus planned LOs from tonight mean a Bubble & Squeak day is forecast this week