Eking out the food

Its the extra people at home here. DH is now working from home - normally he'd buy his lunch, and DS usually has lunch at college. Luckily we are just "social distancing" and have been able to go out and get food although maybe not what we would want - however both dh and I are good and resourceful cooks so we can see what is in the shops and plan round that.

Doing the same here. We had two very thick steaks in the freezer so had half each of one on sat with veg and having the other tonight with chips. It was plenty. Normally we would have had one each! Other dishes will be made to go further.

My husband went to the local farm shop to buy half a (paper) sack of potatoes. They last much longer because they have not been washed and put into plastic.

He also came back with a big bag of onions, chillies and eggs so it was a good trip. It all came to about £7, a bargain I think.

I am high risk so he will be doing the shopping now and says he will come back in through the garage, take his clothes off and go straight to the shower.

I am classified by Sainsbury's as 'vulnerable', so eligible for priority online booking slots available only today. Did my shopping, but can't check out/pay without a booked slot, and there aren't any, nor is there any link to 'priority booking slots', so can do nothing. Anyone else with this problem? It's driving me nuts!

My partner and I are self isolating between our two houses.

Yesterday I made two batches of scones...one sweet and one cheese. I doubled up the recipes and now have a supply in my freezer. So handy to have with soup or in the afternoons with tea. Sadly can't offer these to friends who come and sit in my garden... 6 feet away. They bring their own flask of tea and sandwich etc. Hoping the rain will stay away, so we can still continue to do this..in our warm coats for now..looking forward to Spring and warmer weather.
I've noticed with online shopping that the basic and ordinary brands are no longer available so am forced to buy the luxury things I don't really want plus they are a lot more expensive.Lots of items not available.
I'm so glad everyone I know is well but yesterday, Mothers Day, my daughter and little granddaughter came round and sat far away in the garden. The visit consisted of my daughter constantly reminding my granddaughter not to 'go near Grandma'. So sad! The visit was quite stressful and we cut it short to 10 minutes!
Lots of adjustments to make...flexibily will cause less distress. And I'm just living in the day and finding things to be grateful for and meditating a lot more. Keep safe everyone.

Yesterday I was going to cook steak, onions, mushrooms with chips/ jacket potato, for a Mothering Sunday evening meal.

Then after reading the Eke it out thread, I decided to only use one small steak, and make a Stroganoff. It was so tasty, and I have another small steak to use for another meal for two at a later date.

In the fridge, I have a pack of ham, that I normally would have made Leek and Ham pasta dish, but now I am going to make some pastry and make a couple of small Ham and Egg pies.
So plenty to keep me busy in the meantime.

I've been stretching too with some pleasant surprises, I found a half full bag of frozen casserole veg, which I cooked in the oven, I fried 2 sausages, chopped up some wrinkly mushrooms and opened one of my 2 tiny tins of beans. I added them to the veg with a bit of oxo and had enough sausage casserole for 3 meals. Delicious it was too.

Yes I am stretching what I have. A tin of beans is now four servings rather than three. A courgette is now in four meals rather than three. Oh I have lost a pound in last week...hahaha Just me to cook for. I have a reasonable store cupboard and my little freezer is stocked I am going out once a week to the village coop to buy fresh fruit and veg and nut milk. Oh...online shop is an impossible thing to get where I am as is click and collect.

Great ideas here, thank you

Daisymae thanks for sharing. Its a simple recipe but one DH will eat. He's ultra pernickety with food which drives me to distraction. We met &married later in life so he has ingrained idiosyncracies whereas I was brought up to eat what your given or do without.
He will eat peas but not mushy so your dish is great.
Jamarie yes I have noticed DH is scoffing biscuits & twix bars like there's no tomorrow, bfast used to be toast & marmalade now he HAS to have grapefruit followed by porridge with a giant knob of butter in it and spoonfuls of sugar on top! He precedes this with heavily sugared tea & 3 or 4 biscuits. He's having puddings too something he didn't really bother with previously. He's mow got a pot belly & huffs & puffs if asked to do anything physical. Anyway ive just said you can see how many biscuits etc etc we have so when they're gone they're gone- end of! (But he keeps tootling down to the big supermarket to restock) I should add his favourites are fig biscuits & no one wants them

soups and more soups padded out with pulses,beans etc
ive seriously reduced my meat intake,may even turn me into a non meat eater!

Oh dear. It sounds as if there is a war and we are having emergency rations. If only the people of this country would heed the advice of the experts and not panic buy, we would not have to think this way. Me included. There is not a shortage of food just selfish panicking people.
Good luck to all of you with your inventive recipes. I will certainly get some good tips from you all.❤?

I have been totally caught off guard, I had been running everything down ready to move, now I’m trying to build up again but in at risk group, not panicking yet but may do if we get total lockdown.

I have been online to all delivering supermarkets but no delivery slots for March /April, May dates not up yet.
So I will have to go out to get fresh veg/salad. Stocked up on tins. So much for elderly isolation. Fortunately I’m in good health, gym class every day for last 15 years.

You can soften up brown sugar by putting a slice of bread in it; no need for the coffee grinder!

Our freezer was pretty well stocked before all this happened and, as we’re self isolating, we hope our daughter will be able to help us with shopping in two weeks!
I just know we’re going to get to the last dregs in the freezer and it will be things we don’t like much. But we’ll just have to be a bit innovative and eat them.

Letter in today’s Times about eating vintage tins of Sardines.
I’m sure we’ve got some at the back of the larder!

Sorry, should have said it uses rice flour.

I have a recipe for a Victoria sandwich cake in a Hamlyn gluten free cook book, its delicious. I can't find it on-line but there are other similar recipes on-line, such as the BBC and others.

Missfoodlove, do they deliver that specially shaped pasta in a brown paper bag?

Wish I could say I have a store cupboard full of tins - I would have had in the past - but my present partner eats everything I buy as soon as I put it in the cupboard or the freezer! I made and froze 8 portions of soup, on case we become too ill and can't cook - He said - good we've got some nice easy lunches now., and looked amazed when I said they were NOT to be used - were for of we became ill.
What do I do? - eat him?

We are having a 'proper' meal every other day. On the day we don't, we have egg or beans on toast. Not using much energy as not out and about so input needed is smaller foodwise. Tins of fruit in cupoard for when fresh supply runs out.

Bananas keep for ages if individually wrapped in newspaper and kept in fridge. Works a treat !

I had a brown seeded loaf with really thick slices so I made each sļice into two with the bread knife. A nice change to have thin sliced !!

I’m not a great cook but have bought things (tins, dried stuff etc) I wouldn’t usually due to nothing else being available. If I don’t have to use them, I will donate to a food bank when this is over.