Sunday Roundup and an outline meal plan

 After other came back with my keyboard this  morning and new mouse, as a thank you I set too and cooked a full breakfast for him.  I cooked, black pudding, red pepper, fresh halved tomato, bacon, eggs and fried Sourdough bread for him.  I had half a pepper left over from yesterday and so I bunged it in to his breakfast as well.  I also tend to do this with courgette and it seems to freshen the breakfast up quite a bit visually and with flavour; cuts through the fat.  I tend to cook both until they have caramelised a little but not overdone.  No photos he whipped the plate out of the way before I could even take a photo.

Meanwhile, yesterday I had picked up a couple of loaves of reduced Sourdough bread for 75p a loaf.  I love Sourdough or proper Artisan bread and I make bread myself although still struggling with Sourdough.  Going to have another bash at making as it is something I really need to get to grips with.  I had that toasted with butter and homemade Strawberry and Rhubarb jam and that has gone down very nicely for me too.  It is the simple things that are the best.

I did not get around to doing what I had planned today.  I did say earlier in the week that I was not going to do much on Sunday afternoon and that has been very much the case.  I have taken time out as it were. Although not got to any crafting.  Still no magnifier. Despite the Sun being out and about, it has been a chilly day here.  I understand that overnight people further up the country had their first frost, not that we are aware of here.  Although I have been cold  (I have a medium weight sweatshirt on), I have ended up having to sling one of my wool type wraps on over my shoulders and my arms.  Serves a purpose and leaves me room to move around and still potter as well as keeping me warm. Fortunately we are having a nice hot tea, roasted lamb chops, mashed potatoes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower.

Just musing with outline plans for the week on the meal front whilst I am relaxing, but never can quite totally relax as I always need to be doing something.  Fidget pants me! I do need to go and get some Parsnips, Swede, more carrots, fennel, sweet potatoes.  I have a few more projects I want to deal with in the long list of items to process.  However in the winter months I do like to keep particularly well stocked up on root veggies as they can go into so many comforting meals.  I am mainly concentrating on the simple comforting things at the moment where a hot meal is always a priority.  We do not do too badly on the food front but that comes down to priorities and being practical with what I do buy in at the end of the day.  Self cooking and making items, and trying to get at least two meals out of most things.  Budget is very limited to what I used to do before.  I am lucky and not complaining; I am grateful. I realise that my everyday is someone else's Utopia. I am focusing in a more simplistic manner on the food front and what comes our way is leading to more creativity in the kitchen and a matter of  using what I have available in different ways as well. Fortunately I do have an excellent fridge for storing stuff in without that I would be slightly scuppered.

Whilst I was cooking tea for tonight, I set about making some yogurt for having with breakfast during the week, or in some instances with some fruit for a light pudding. The one I have made is a plain one which I intend to add some desiccated coconut to it for eating. I may make a further batch of plain later in the week as you can use that in baking and cooking. The Broccoli and Blue cheese soup (Stilton in our case) will be made up tomorrow and then popped in the fridge. We can have that either during the next couple of days as a warm me up mid-day or as a starter.  Following that will either be French Onion, Squash, Coconut and chilli soup, or Leek and potato soup using what I have to hand in the fridge.  Maybe also a veggie one. I did manage to pick up a couple of heads of broccoli which had been reduced yesterday which designated for the broccoli and Stilton soup. I am quite happy with a bowl of soup and a chunk of bread.  Peasant food at its best but very good for you.  It is that time of the week where I look at what I have to hand and try and plan out a couple of meals at least or have an outline idea.

Thinking about things laterally I have the bottle of tomato passata open so may well make a soup out of that to have tomorrow night as a starter or if he does not fancy that will get some mince and make a Lasagna to be had another night. We have good food and so I am keen to make the most of it and get the most out of it that I can.  I know that there is a lot of soup on the agenda, but it is filling and relatively cheap to make with those items around you and you still need your veggies.

We were supposed to be having a pack of the Italian sausages tomorrow, with roasted mixed veggies using a smoked bacon base.  If he fancies the tomato soup, then that will be served as a starter.  Together with a hot pudding of some sort.  However in reality, that is being moved forward to Tuesday night.  When I opened the Lamb chops for tonight's tea, the chops were unusually quite thick; there were six chops in all so we have had three tonight and there will now be another three for tomorrow evening.  I had already prepped the veg up before looking at the chops and got it on cooking.  Tea was delicious.  I therefore, apart from mashed potato and gravy will just have to cook some fresh veg for tomorrow.  So a bonus meal as it were.

I do have all the ingredients for making another pizza but I think that will be later in the week, maybe Saturday night again as it is relatively easy to make.

I also have a Gammon in the fridge that needs cooking. That can be served in sandwiches, as part of a hot meal with some Parsley sauce and veggies, with egg and chips, with leeks and cheese sauce.  I will get the stock from that processed as well and put on the Pantry shelf.  I have a couple of sessions of stock making to do one for chicken stock and the other for the ham stock.  All good stuff that if you prepare it  yourself works wonders with your foods whether in soups, casseroles, gravies, stews.  It is so expensive to buy and yet doesn't cost much to make yourself from things more often than not you have to hand in the kitchen and a little time and effort.  On the meat front this week I am at the moment only looking to buy in some mince and a chicken and the veggies. 

Overall though, compared to our predecessors we really do have it easy on the cooking front in so many respects.  So  many more convenience items.

Will see what this new week brings.  Hope it treats you with love, light and care.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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