Cooking for one (Mark Three)

PasturesNew

Brambling wrote: »

. We have a L1dl due to open the end of this year or the beginning of next :j

I'm more disillusioned with them in recent years. They used to be a "shop for good quality food at cheap prices". Basic ranges. But then the middle classes "discovered" them and it all got "trendy to say you shop there" - and, increasingly, they've filled the shop with "more special buys/goods" and much posher food ranges. Say, before, they might've had four basic quiches for sale, now it's a box of two flavours and three stacks of "much posher ingredients" at double the price.

They gentrified, so it's harder to find "good honest, cheap food".

They've stopped doing my fizzy pop! Pepsi's occupying the space.

They added a hot bakery.

Every time they put something "posher" in the store it has to displace cheaper ranges.

PasturesNew

Farway wrote: »

PN, would a "tarpaulin" cover do as temp fix? I appreciate you may not be tall enough, especially in this wind, but once it gets calmer maybe chuck over & tie down?


My neighbour had this temp fix for years and he only knocked down the shed last month

I've managed it now. I hammered the tacks about 3/4 of the way in; I've retrieved the bit that ripped off and fitted that. I think it'll hold.

A tarp's no good. I don't have one, it'd be hard to source one in the next 3-4 hours, there's only little me - and it'd need securing/anchoring. The shed's in a corner of the garden, so only two sides accessible, which makes things harder.

I think it'll hold as it is.... and I've still two fistfuls of tacks I can hammer in if it looks like I've not done a good enough job.

On close inspection I can see a couple of small bits of chipboard still, but, in the main, it's 99% water tight.... with a bucket on the inside in case If somebody walked into the garden and stood chatting for some minutes they'd probably not even notice anything's wrong up there.

It's also still blowing a blustery hooley too, so being up a ladder, in any case, wasn't the smartest of moves Current wind gusts are 44-45 MPH, with a 30mph base wind. It was 50+mph gusts when it originally started flapping about.

I'll file this one under: "Looks like I got away with that for now then"

Fire_Fox

My ex/ friend came by late last night: went home with sausages, ham, cheddar (all YS from the freezer), hardboiled eggs, canned tuna, canned mince, brown sauce, multipack of biscuits ... and a metal tape measure. :rotfl:

Yesterday's carrot and beetroot salad was very tasty.

Debating making a curry from scratch today because I need to cook and eat the YS peri-peri chicken legs. However someone trashed my kitchen whilst I was inebriated so I have to sort that out first.

Brambling

Fire_Fox wrote: »

My ex/ friend came by late last night: went home with sausages, ham, cheddar (all YS from the freezer), hardboiled eggs, canned tuna, canned mince, brown sauce, multipack of biscuits ... and a metal tape measure. :rotfl:

However someone trashed my kitchen whilst I was inebriated so I have to sort that out first.

The evils of alcohol :rotfl:

This sounds like when my nephews were students they would visit and leave well stocked up they knew I had YS items in the freezer they were allow to take although one of them thought my best YS deal was a bottle of vodka, my sister didn't agree :rotfl: I was paying it forward, when I was a poor student one of my older sisters would do the same for me

I was going to go into town today for a mooch but decided I didn't need anything and the walk back uphill in the wind would make me wheeze also the farmers market was cancelled. So I've just pottered indoors tidied the fridge and done the boring stuff.

For lunch I used up some quorn pieces and made a simple stir fry with just veg, no rice or noodles. Not sure re dinner I've steak so will just need to think what to have with it

Fire_Fox

Brambling wrote: »

The evils of alcohol :rotfl:

This sounds like when my nephews were students they would visit and leave well stocked up they knew I had YS items in the freezer they were allow to take although one of them thought my best YS deal was a bottle of vodka, my sister didn't agree :rotfl: I was paying it forward, when I was a poor student one of my older sisters would do the same for me

My ex/ friend was in hospital for two months recently. He is still quite unwell, yet is not looking after himself. All he had in was baked beans and canned spaghetti. Most of what he took was bought with him in mind anyway.

I am hoping he will eventually 'return the favour' by doing the many odd jobs in the flat I cannot do myself, as we have long talked about.

Fire_Fox wrote: »

I dislike the soft texture/ sweet flavour of most cooked root vegetables and the squash family. Learning that many can be eaten raw was a revelation.

There has been a can of roasted aubergine puree in the cupboard for at least a year; it narrowly avoided being binned recently. On the side of the can is a (vegan) curry recipe ... So a chicken madras-baingan bharta hybrid (tomatoes/ aubergine/ red onion/ ginger/ garlic/ spices) is now bubbling in the cauldron! If it doesn't work out I will shove some Skyr in.

'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' is on TV. :j I have seen the second half multiple times but never the first half.

EDIT: Hybrid curry is more of a lightly spiced stew than a decent curry.

[Deleted User]

PasturesNew wrote: »

I've managed it now. I hammered the tacks about 3/4 of the way in; I've retrieved the bit that ripped off and fitted that. I think it'll hold.

A tarp's no good. I don't have one, it'd be hard to source one in the next 3-4 hours, there's only little me - and it'd need securing/anchoring. The shed's in a corner of the garden, so only two sides accessible, which makes things harder.

I think it'll hold as it is.... and I've still two fistfuls of tacks I can hammer in if it looks like I've not done a good enough job.

On close inspection I can see a couple of small bits of chipboard still, but, in the main, it's 99% water tight.... with a bucket on the inside in case If somebody walked into the garden and stood chatting for some minutes they'd probably not even notice anything's wrong up there.

It's also still blowing a blustery hooley too, so being up a ladder, in any case, wasn't the smartest of moves Current wind gusts are 44-45 MPH, with a 30mph base wind. It was 50+mph gusts when it originally started flapping about.

I'll file this one under: "Looks like I got away with that for now then"

Just for info maybe, am I the only person who keeps the spare cushionfloor after new one put down in bathroom? I got son to put on roof of my shed a few years ago and it is still there, just a thought.

[Deleted User]

PasturesNew wrote: »

Didn't eat anything of interest yesterday.

This morning I've sliced the 4 rolls I bought yesterday (I slice them all in one go then reseal the pack else it's a faff to always be making a mess and using a knife to just cut one). One's been filled with tomatoes and wrapped in foil to be grabbed in a bit. Still hungry but CBA to actually pick up that tomato roll and eat it.

My spuds are starting to sprout a little, I've had them a few weeks. I need, in the next 2-3 days, to just turn the lot into mash, so I can hide it in the freezer.

Like the pre cut rolls idea thanaks, will try to remember (did it with bags of frozen chips & parsnips).
I planted my last 3 sprouting potatoes in a tub, did last year and have a few "boilings" out of them.

Farway

PasturesNew wrote: »

Didn't eat anything of interest yesterday.

Snap, my dinner was cheesy beans on toast, with couple of use up fried eggs on top, later I had a bowl of L's cheapo muesli with sliced YS pear + bit of thumb:mad:

Not painful but literally a bl00dy nuisance, near the nail so plaster is useless, wrapped in loo roll to stop the drips & of course every time I use my thumb the slice opens up again:( I need a finger sleeve thingy but don't have one

Dull & a bit chilly, the heating clicked in this morning

Breakfast of porridge, with another sliced YS pear, taking a lot more care than I did last night

I had a 50/50 wholemeal loaf on timer in Panny overnight, that's turned out well this morning

Spot of garden pottering, the wind has broken down some of my goosegog branches, I expect they'll recover, no fruit on them anyway so nothing lost

Lunch will be last of the YS bacon, using the new loaf in a sarnie

I've taken a posh pork chop out to defrost, I thought I had a lamb chop in there but it's vanished
Thinking of roast dinner using the chop but that may change

flubberyzing

Morning all,

Currently being a bit slow to get going... Still in PJs, but did manage to brush my hair, because it annoys me when it's all floppy in my face, which it always is when I wake up! I also managed to take my hayfever medication (which I have to take every day, regardless of whether I plan to go out or not - I have to keep a low dose in my system at all times), and I did a load of washing up that's built up over the past couple of days!

Yesterday I did scrambled eggs, with cheese and some cut up hotdogs for a late breakfast, which actually kept me satisfied until mid-evening. I'll probably do the same in a little while. Then I had a whole meat feast pizza mid-evening, which I slightly regretted. It was a bit too much, and gave me a bit of a belly-ache. Normally I can polish off a whole pizza, no trouble...
I have another pizza for tonight, but this one is a good bit smaller. I think I'll try and have it a bit later as well... Perhaps to eat while I watch Line of Duty. Can't wait to see what happens next!

So far today, I've just had my coffee and a couple of biccies. Coffee on a fairly empty stomach always makes me buzz, even the instant stuff.

Wednesday2000

I was considering putting the heating on too! Chilly again today.

I had a smoothie for breakfast and a salad for lunch.

I need some green tea and am going to put on a cardigan!