WHAT DID WE HAVE FOR TEA?

[Stanley]

I was given a small white loaf that was almost out of date and so yesterday was small butties. I have to admit that I OD'd last night on Cream cheese and brown sauce butties. (But they were only small!)

[Stanley]

A day of butties and pies. Haslet butty for dinner, same for tea plus a small prize-winning pork pie. Banana and an apple for pudding!

[Thomo]

Actually, this was yesterday, Saturday. Beef Cobbler a la Thomo, the beef bit was mine, the cobbles a la Memsahib. Three large pieces of lean braising steak, trimmed and cut into squares of a generous size, placed into a heavy pan containing half an inch of water to which has been added a generous splosh of dark Soy Sauce, a less generous splosh of Worcester Sauce, one crumbled OXO cube and a sprinkle of black pepper, and a quarter of a pint of good French Red Wine, two long thin carrots sliced into medallions and half an onion, medium chopped, the liquid level topped up with cold water to just cover the solid contents. Bring to boil and simmer for two hours or until steak tender but not falling apart. At the appointed hour, the solid ingredients are transferred to a suitable ovenproof dish and two dozen button mushrooms are added. Then put a glass of red wine into a measuring jug, add three teaspoons of Bisto and stir, top up the jug with cold water until you have three quarters of a pint of liquid, add to this a packet of Colmans Beef Bourguignon sauce mix, and stir. Add this mixture to the meat and veg, cover and place into oven at 220 degrees C, 200 for fan oven. The Cobbles are a scone mix with added grated Cheddar Cheese. When the main item in the oven is bubbling, remove from oven and add the cobbles to the surface, brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with the aforementioned cheese, replace in oven until cheese topping is golden brown, serve with crispy roast potatoes and garden peas, indulge yourself and have the Gaviscon handy. The surplus liquid from the pan can be used as thinners if required, otherwise it is useful the following day for making the gravy to go with the roast beef dinner! Burp!!

[hartley353]

Today for sunday dinner I had a cheese and tomato baguette, the better half went shopping and forgot to get the meat out of the freezer, I did offer to go to the chippy but this would have broken her diet.

[Stanley]

It was a bit chilly in Barlick yesterday and the CH kicked in so I lit the stove. Seeing as it was lit I did some cooking. Boiled a Piece of brisket and also some dried peas simmered down to a mush and reinforced with some goodies. Nice bowl full of pease pudding. When the beef was done I took it out, froze the gravy to get the fat off and gave the beef a quick blast in the electric oven to colour the meat. The gravy, less fat went back on the stove with the usual flavourings, a bag of mixed veg out of the freezer and some oatmeal to thicken it up. So, I have pease pudding in the fridge and a nice piece of brisket for slicing and a big pan of thick veggie soup. I'll freeze most of the soup and so a day of cheap cooking.

[Stanley]

Froze most of the new soup and put the pease pudding in with the remainder. The result is some very tasty and filling thick soup. No cooking today!

[Stanley]

Stew/Pease pudding X 2. Not everyone's cup of tea I know but lovely grub that sticks to your backbone! Enough left for 2 meals today.....

[Stanley]

Stew for dinner and a mackerel butty for tea.

[Marilyn]

I have taken chicken breasts from the freezer and they are almost thawed. Can't tell you how many times I have walked past them this morning, but no inspiration yet as to what to cook!

What is our Moh up to?
She seems to have done a runner from the site. ( hope she isn't sick)

[Moh]

Nope - I'm here, been away for a couple of weeks to Middleton, Nr. Morecambe (it has better weather there!). We have bought a static caravan so will be spending a lot of time there.
Steak, chips & beans tonight.

[Tripps]

Is that where Middleton Towers Holiday camp used to be? Had a good holiday there in the 1950's .

[PanBiker]

We used to go to Ocean Edge at Heysham.

[Moh]

The holiday camp is now housing for over 55s - flats & bungalows. Ocean Edge is near the power station. We are on Shorefields which is right at the end of Carr Lane, up to the sea. You can drive on to the sands there when the tide is out (which it is most of the time!!)

[PanBiker]

No nukes when I was a lad Moh. Back on topic I'm having a chippy tea.

[Stanley]

I can remember the first time I was taken to Southport when I was very young. I was bitterly disappointed because I never saw the sea. Couldn't understand what the point was going to a sea-less seaside!
Had a poached egg and soft cheese butty for dinner. I had the stove lit so I took advantage of it and built another stew. Started with five small lamb chops and gradually grew as cabbage, carrots, leeks, peas, onions and garlic were added. By teatime it was showing signs of being OK so I had a bowl. It will of course be better today! Silly really because today is butcher's day and I like my treats! I shall have to freeze some of the stew....

[Moh]

Roast chicken, roast potatoes, peas & battered courgette slices.

[PanBiker]

Beef stew and dumplings, nearly ready.

[Big Kev]

Home made smoked bacon and parsnip soup with a ham sandwich, lovely.

[Stanley]

That sounds good Kev. I love anything that's smoked even though they tell me the flavour is a carcinogen.
Froze five bowls of stew and enjoyed me pressed beef butties on an out of date brown loaf Kath gave me. One small pressed beef butty today for dinner today and stew for tea.

[Stanley]

A bowl of stew for dinner and the last of the pressed beef on a butty with cheese and Branston Pickle for tea. Enough stew left for today so no cooking!

[Marilyn]

Potato topped mined beef pie, with carrots, baby peas, green beans and sprouts.
( a bit full now)

...and may I officially register my profound disappointment that I got NO help with the dishes!...( don't think I didn't notice guys)

[Moh]

How deep down the mine did you have to go for the beef Maz?
Lamb chops with mashed potatoes & carrot & swede tonight.

[Stanley]

You have to be careful Maz. She's as sharp as a needle!
Stew for dinner but not enough for tea so baked beans on toast with a couple of poached eggs on top. I have my eye on a black pudding for today.....

[Marilyn]

Minced.
My spelling mistakes are due to me being relegated to the darkest chair in the lounge room. Son and his dog have moved back in with us for a few weeks which means all the comfy spots are taken by the time I get to park myself of an evening. I might have to rearrange the lamps to suit me better. Feel as though I have been sent to Coventry or put in the naughty corner.

Tonight was Soup. Tomorrow night is Soup too, but son has made arrangements to go out for a Curry with his Dad ( which they do often).

[Stanley]

Put low wattage bulbs in their lamps Maz....
Started yesterday's cooking with a tin of baked beans and a black pudding seething on the stove. Got some tomatoes and built some relish but got carried away and introduced onions, a tin of chopped tomatoes and the usual olive oil, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, sugar and vinegar. I hit the nail on the head, by the time I had cooked it and blitzed down to a sauce it really hit the taste buds. I put a bowl full in the fridge and the remainder in with the beans and black pudding. Dinner was that mixture on toast and tea was the same but as I warmed it up I dropped a couple of eggs in and let them poach in the sauce. This meant that there is enough left over for dinner today. I love building something like the sauce and just going where it takes me. It doesn't always work out but this one is superb! I've got a loaf baking and dinner will be a butty with what is left over. Tea could be as simple as another butty with just sauce on it.
One thing I learned from the Omega Diet and it turns out it is right, is that olive oil enhances the advantages of eating cooked tomatoes and in addition subtly modifies the flavour. They were made for each other!