Cooking for one (Mark Three)

Farway

I ended up with ham sarnie for dinner last night, using my fresh loaf, just CBA to even sort out a salad, but in my defence I was suffering from doughnutitis having picked at the mini doughnuts until there were no more:o

Porridge breakfast, later a quick zoom around the garden checking "things" I noted more manky plums, never having had fresh plums picked from own tree before I need to judge between "that'll be ready soon" and "pick it now" stage of purpleness

I've picked a couple to see if they ripen to softness on the window. Of course this variety, not Victoria but forgotten what it is, may not go soft when ripe, never had them either

Lunch, I think I'll go for a cheese & salady sarnie today, and keep the last of the ham for dinner tonight, with salad + frozen chips

PasturesNew wrote: »

They're not full sized. Both Ald1 & L1dl sell them. These ones were 6 bars in a long packet, but they sell smaller/snack ones in bags.

They're not as "dense" as a proper Mars, nor is the top chocolate the same thickness (from my memory of the last Mars bar I bought over 10 years ago) ... but they're a mousse base, topped with a layer of caramel, completely covered in chocolate.

e.g. http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/lidl-price-comparison/Chocolate_Bags_Bars_And_Multipacks/Dairyfine_Titan_Bars_6x38g.html

Thanks PN, I've no A*di near so it's L's version for me on Friday, and by coincidence a 1kg bag of own porridge, it's my go to brand, although once I would have said porridge oats are porridge oats wherever you buy them I have found it does vary, guessing it must be in the milling process

[Deleted User]

Have been trying to use freezer foods, no shopping, produce from garden. All was going well but dd is coming today and although I got a pizza and garlic bread from freezer (not planned) we may go out for lunch. Dgs will be staying over so the pizza will do tonight with garden salad. Asian neighbour tells me there is a religious week so she is planning on bringing me some sort of lentil meal for the freezer, usually enough to make 3 or 4 meals, still not used up all the curry she gave me but very pleased all the same.

Wednesday2000

I have slept so badly the past few days.:( I woke up around 3 and was lying there for ages and about 6 had to get up to feed the dogs. My husband forgot to take his veggie sausage rolls for his lunch out of the fridge so they got eaten!:rotfl:

I'm about to have the last of the lentil chilli sauce/gluten free spaghetti for lunch.:)

I'm going to make another batch of that this week as it is was very nice. Not today though I am too tired!

I think I might have something from the freezer for dinner. I have a Tesco pie or some Linda Mc sausages so I will just have that with some frozen veg and gravy tonight. Maybe mash or a jacket potato if i can be bothered.

dekaspace

Have been craving take out last few days, think because of miserable weather luckily my regular was closed Monday so I just cooked some fish I had instead, and last night had more fish. Tonight may be fish again!.

pattypan4

Steve Allen on LBC was raving about iceland instant mashed potato, says it is lovely and you only need to take out whatever you need on your plate


I`ve been busy for a few days, hard garden stuff and have ended up with aches and stiff hands. Some quick meals lately, best has been salad but also ready meal cod in a cheese sauce, granola with berries and yoghurt etc. Pot of soup made a couple of days ago but not fancying that today, just nits apple crackers and ice cream


I am waking every day around 2, have to swith the radio on low on lbc and am always glad when I wake up to Steve Allen who is on from 4-6. Don`t know how he does it, his one-man spot but he is entertaining, says it as it is

nicki_2

Hi all.

Newbie to this thread but a long time poster/lurker in this forum.

I'm not strictly a single person, but my teen is 18, will be at uni from September and hardly eats at home now (they'd much rather do to McD0nalds with their friends...then wonders why they keep putting on weight!) and as a result I seem to have lost my cooking mojo. When they're not here I tend to just have a sandwich or graze other things. My income is about to take a serious hit so I need to book my ideas up. I'm hoping I can glean some inspiration from you lot and refrain from relying on readymeals (which never fill me), or sandwiches :rotfl: I'm posting this now so I can kind of bookmark where I am "starting" from and then I'm going to go back and read through the thread over a few nights and make some notes



I'm off to do the weekly shop tonight for basics (fruit, sandwich stuff, bin bags and the like) and hope that by next week I'll have a better idea of some things I can make which I can incorporate into my list :wave:

PasturesNew

pattypan4 wrote: »

... iceland instant mashed potato...

I'll add that to my list to watch out for, although I'm never in Iceland as it's not been near to where I've lived - and, as it's predominantly a freezer shop one'd need freezer space to plan an expedition.

I use the L1dl instant mash, which I always have in the cupboard as it means mash when I want and not restricted to the times I happen to have been able to face another 2.5Kg bag of real spuds

The L1dl one's passable enough.

I keep a document called ShoppingNeeded on my desktop - and I add to it foods I must remember to get as well as a myriad of other items of general purpose etc and even house related that I stumble across and consider.

The list is by shop, so if I'm going to Aldi I'll look at the list to see "what did I think I wanted to get from there then".



Often I'll think of a recipe/meal I'd like - and there's one item I rarely/never have in, so it gets added to the list for "sometime/whenever". It's got things on there that I'll probably not buy in the end, but don't want to forget. e.g. "big/giant elastic bands to aid with packing" is on there at the minute, I might never buy those even if I spot them in £land as I might ultimately decide "nah, forget it", but, in the meantime, it's a list of things I don't want to forget that I might find handy, or want.

caronc

Good evening everyone
Welcome to CFO nicki, you sound in a similiar position to I was when I started the thread.
I used to keep a bag of frozen mash on hand when the kids were at home and I worked long hours. It was so handy if time was tight. Now I tend to cook a batch and freeze in CFO sized portions.

Late on parade, as despite a further weather warning for more thunder/rain it's been a lovely day though there were rumbles in the distance. That said yesterday evening we had more than enough torrential rain to create flooding locally again! I made the most of the good weather and spent most of it in the garden . The forecast is half decent for tomorrow and if it's correct I'll head to my Dad's to work on his garden as it's supposed to get wet again from Friday. I picked a good lot of broad beans & climbing French beans, a few runners and around 1lb of brambles. The brambles will be frozen for gin making in a couple of months and my sis took some of the beans, a cue and some toms. I couldn't talk her into taking a courgette!
Lunch was the rest of the soup safely heated in a pan today with salad and a peach. I had planned to make tofu ramen tonight but between gardening and my sis popping round didn't get organised, instead it's an easy option of chicken kiev, baked spud and steamed garden beans. The tofu has a good few days until it's use by so will use it up over coming days.

Brambling

Welcome to CFO Nicki :wave:

PN is your house sell looking a little doubtful?

Sudden heavy rain here, typically just as I was driving home just before 9pm I got surprisingly wet coming up the path, I was in a tee shirt with no jacket :cool: although it's been warm out the office was cool today although I'm told it's only me :cool: I've had really cold feet and had to pick up cheap socks in Sainsbobs as it caused my joints to ache, unfortunately not a good look with crop trousers :eek: vanity also meant I had to take them off to go to the loo as we share the floor with another company :rotfl:

Following another electric blip his morning I've finally got around to replacing my kettle as the pattern seems to be make tea and trip switch is thrown by something in the kitchen this is the third time, it's only a couple of years old but a poor pourer so I think the water runs down the kettle into the base. Hopefully it will solve the problem if not I'll have to look at the dishwasher as that's on borrowed time,the electrician checked the house electrics

Food wise it's been a gammon day today, it may have been only 750g joint but it has been the gift which keeps on giving, very little shrinkage when roasted. So lunch was gammon salad and dinner gammon, egg and air fried chips. I'm hoping to finish it tomorrow lunchtime if not his lordship will find a treat in his food bowl

PasturesNew

Brambling wrote: »

.... looking a little doubtful? ...

It would appear so.
My buyer's buyer have been having mortgage problems, something I wasn't informed about until mid July. Agent assured me it'd be all right .... all chirpy, as some people are....

Roll on three more weeks and the last I heard was their Plan C had gone adrift too. So, I'm effectively back to the day it was all agreed. 3 months down the line to be starting again, from scratch almost, with no money emerging from that bottom of the chain.

Agent's still all chirpy and says they believe the bottom of the chain can STILL pull a mortgage out of the magician's rabbit hat .... I am a pragmatist and have refused to get excited, or to believe it would happen. I started the whole process in an "emotionally unattached" frame of mind, and it's a good job I did

In short: I'd not be at all surprised if I got a call this Friday, late afternoon to say ... "er .... that's it then, start again".

My total expenses: £0.
My buyer's expenses: £1k and counting I bet. Survey & possibly mortgage fees.
My buyer's buyer's expenses: Probably a lot more with mortgage application fees (multiple in a variety of names/combinations) + a survey.

It is now 15 months since I decided to sell, then I did all the decluttering and had a handyman in and got things serviced and sorted etc..... and nearly a year since I went on the market. Buyer found within 1 month, but had to wait for theirs to sell.... so I then had to go through another 20+ short notice viewings, several of those liked it too but had to sell theirs.

It's a slow market