Cooking for one (Mark Three)

PasturesNew

caronc wrote: »

I think the milk you are thinking of was "St Ivel 5 pints" or SM versions (no doubt made by the same folk as they all disappeared) which sadly they discontinued. It was a handy size to stash. My mum used to sometimes dilute unsweetened evaporated milk if for any reason supplies were disrupted or we ran out of fresh stuff as we always had some of that in the cupboard as it was a frequent topping for tinned fruit etc. as a pud.

5 pints rings an ancient bell. What I was buying was the Mr T own brand. I started buying it because the bread recipe I used a few times asked for it - and I found it in my nearest shop, which happened to be Mr T, so it wasn't until I tried to buy more that I realised I'd been lucky that first time

We used to have evaporated milk, served with a tin of cocktail salad and/or jelly

I bought in a 3-pack of Evap about 2 years ago and got through it. I know I made a quiche with one tin... a crustless quiche with another and to get rid of the 3rd tin I used it in angel delight. I used one tin/month over 3 months to make those.

I've not been motivated to buy more since because ... well ... there's always too much food I've already got that needs using up

My UseUpMilk tag doesn't contain recipes that only need a spoon or two, it's reserved for those using at least 1 cup of milk... I've got 71 recipes tagged for that.

PasturesNew

I'm starving .... no crisps, no choccies, no bread for toast, no crumpets, no biscuits ....

Might have to crack open a 2-pack of naan and just nuke one. I could make up a proper pizza, but it's far too late to start faffing about like that. Just a warm naan will do.

If I do that I'll have to make a pizza tomorrow with the remaining one though

So it's that, or creamed rice... I think I've got jam, although I have been actively trying to eat my way through it to empty the jar.

I'll have a think until I crack from starvation ... and eat what I fancy right that minute.

PasturesNew

Did an 8am run to 4ldi ... main list was: rolls & eggs. There were other ideas on the list too.

Found some YS items and have a pack of four "kebabs on skewers" and a family sized steak pie. Now, I know it's not steak pie weather, but I've not seen a pie reduced for nearly a year So there are two items to be portioned up and frozen. 6 meals there.

I had on my list too: sausages & milk..... so I got those. Sausages are fine for at least a week so it's not critical that they've added to the food overload.

Oh - 4ldi have some ginger beer/2 litres in - got two of those to try. 45p. I love the L1dl one but they discontinued it in January.

Total haul this morning was:
YS: Family Steak Pie; 4-pack of BBQ Beef kebabs
8 sausages, 1 pint milk, 10 eggs, 4 Bread rolls
Punnet of cherry tomatoes, punnet of red grapes
Bar of chocolate, 3-pack of cheesecakes, 4 litres fizzy pop

Lots of meals in there and treats, spent £9.78. 19p of that went to the Govt for VAT. The VAT items were ginger beer and the chocolate bar.

I'm just boiling four of the eggs right now. I'll make up some egg/cucumber rolls in a bit, using up the last of the cucumber I bought a week ago. I might do egg/tomato rolls too, once the cucumber's run out.

Farway

Another sunny day ahead, watered the pots out the front after my breakfast porridge, before the heat gets going

Glory Hole clearance continues, found enough copper pipe fittings to start my own shop, LO from my fit & bendy days when I extended my central heating
Nearly there, but co codomal time time arrived so stopped

Car Tax due arrived in post, mine's only £30, small diesel. Paid online, so much easier than faffing at PO. I used to use PO to keep it local but it shut anyway:( Obvs my £30 a year was insufficient;)

More banking problems, now I need to register mobile 'phone number, seems Visa verification is a dead duck soon.
Of course it now asks for my user name, which long since forgotten assuming I ever had one, I'm sure it only required account number before.

Lunch will be ham & tom rolls, use last of the YS rolls for that. The YS ham is stretching nicely

I'll repeat the ham + salad + frozen chips for dinner tonight

PasturesNew wrote: »

5 pints rings an ancient bell. What I was buying was the Mr T own brand. I started buying it because the bread recipe I used a few times asked for it - and I found it in my nearest shop, which happened to be Mr T, so it wasn't until I tried to buy more that I realised I'd been lucky that first time

We used to have evaporated milk, served with a tin of cocktail salad and/or jelly

Another one here that used the dried stuff. I wonder if it was a by product of the Common Market milk lake? If you recall CM was making tons of milk by products such as butter / cheeses in order to drain the milk lake back in the 70s.

Replaced milk lake with a butter mountain I think, and pensioners all got some free butter just to turn the mountain into a hill

Evap milk + tin fruit cocktail salad. That was my mum's go to pud

PasturesNew

Farway wrote: »

More banking problems, now I need to register mobile 'phone number, seems Visa verification is a dead duck soon.
Of course it now asks for my user name, which long since forgotten assuming I ever had one, I'm sure it only required account number before.

This is the loop I get into.
Eventually you do manage to get through to somebody, if determined, to have everything reset and they'll send you a new card/PIN/whatever, which will arrive separately in the next week... trouble is, when they come, you're not "in the zone" for doing what you want to do now... so you set those aside, then they get tidied away - and the next time you think "I want to sort out this banking" it's all gone dormant again as you've not logged in

[Deleted User]

I bought dried milk to use in bread making and decanted into Tupp... container but I think I will in future decant into a clean 1pt milk bottle as the handle in useful and the shape keeps it in mind to use. Will put some in my emergency box (I know and I do not like to think I need one but you never know). I also keep a box of dried coconut milk powder, add some to curry etc and gives a really nice creamy taste, more convenient than tins or blocks and easier for CFO.
Had cauliflower curry from freezer last and got son to call in chippy on way home from a hosp procedure, but it was closed, mind you it was about 6.00 p.m. so got some chips out of freezer instead. Got a good tip from on here a while back, open bage of oven chips (ditto parsnips) and put a serving in a bag then put bags back into big bag, so much easier to just get a single serving out without having to get big bag out and start pouring and guessing. Thanks who-ever put that idea on here I am pleased every time I use it.

PasturesNew

whmf00001 wrote: »

... decant into a clean 1pt milk bottle as the handle in useful

I used to do this with 2-3 things, but stopped for awhile - and was going to do it again, but as I'm moving it seemed pointless for now.

The 1-pint bottles can be handy for quite a few cupboard dried ingredients that can have a tendency to spill, or be awkward to pour/measure out, such as rice. Whether it's useful is, of course, individual based on what/how you store and use things. e.g. Lentils, I don't buy lentils though; powdered potato when you buy a big floppy bag, but I've been using smaller bags that sit well in their box.

I have tiny hands and some tubs are awkward to hold/open without spilling some. Loose/floppy bags can be troublesome to pour out just the right amount too. I do like things with a handy handle on them

At the moment it's just rice I was going to do it with again, but there's no point before I move... although I might change my mind at any point.

PasturesNew

whmf00001 wrote: »

...open bage of oven chips (ditto parsnips) and put a serving in a bag then put bags back into big bag, so much easier to just get a single serving out without having to get big bag out and start pouring and guessing. Thanks who-ever put that idea on here I am pleased every time I use it.

It was probably me. It stops me being heavy-handed with portions, then ending up with one final/tiny portion A 1.5Kg bag should be 6 portions ... not 4½ unless I am actively and deliberately choosing to increase one portion by taking some from another bag/box, which stops you doing it.

Wednesday2000

Toast as usual for breakfast.

I'm making watermelon salad again for lunch today.:p

Wednesday2000

I've eaten my watermelon in about 2 or 3 days.:rotfl: I find it very easy to eat as it is so light.

It's really muggy and hot outside, horrible.