Foods of my life

As I  have been home, I am taking full advantage of not having to cook for myself. It being my nan's birthday meant a big meal out. Look at the size of this. We went to a pub/restaurant. I and my nan got a bit wine drunk much to the embarrassment of my mum. The chef man was lovely and had made specifically gluten-free things. I had rice, vegetable curry, mushroom stroganoff, some kind of cheese maybe stilton and mushroom, baby potatoes, gluten-free Yorkshires, red cabbage and mashed veg. Looking back it was too much food but was all very lovely. Thursday had a very speedy appointment at the hospital, as we had left the house late did not have time for breakfast so I got myself 5 items for £2.95. bargain. Doesn't look that impressive but was really actually nice. 2 hash browns, egg: fried and scrambled, some beans. What a beautiful way to start the day. Friday had a lovely catch up with my girls. Lunch at the Table, the lady was really good about saying what was g...

Been out haven't cooked for a while. Forgot how little food I had in, but Sally left behind a bag of spinach, what a babe. Was in Cook in Haywards Heath saw their saag paneer, and it inspired me. Things I used: spinach, onion, gluten-free pasta, curry powder, oil, frying pan, saucepan. First I wilted the spinach in the frying pan.  Put the pasta on to boil Chopped an onion.  Added the onion and a bit of oil to the spinach fried it up a bit.  Remembered my inspiration and added some curry powder to the onion and spinach.  Drained the pasta, realised rice would have been better but didn't have any.  Put it all together on the plate and felt health because of spinach.  Actually nice even if doesn't sound or look it.  As I am going home tomorrow might not cook anything blog worthy for a while, don't forget about me. In case anyone was worried did manage to clean the burnt rice off the saucepan, gave it a boil with baking powder and a...

I would have called this macaroni cheese but it's pasta twirls. Thank you to Fred for giving me the mozzarella in exchange for a tin of tuna. Things I used: non-stick pan, small saucepan, gluten-free pasta, last bit of cheddar, grated mozzarella, pretend parmesan, butter, wholegrain mustard, milk, gluten-free flour, pasta bake dish. Boil the pasta.  Melt butter in non-stick pan. (I only used the non-stick because the other saucepan is still covered in burnt on rice) Add flour to the butter until forms a kinda doughy ball.  Slowly add milk to the pan until there is enough sauce and it is the consistency you want.  Keep stirring to make sure there are no lumps, add the cheeses and mix until all melted in. Add a small bit of wholegrain mustard and stir through.  Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, stir until all coated.  Put the mix into the dish, spread it out so is all the same thickness.  Sprinkle the parmesan on top.  Place ...

This was a slight disaster of a morning, was meant to wake up early and get reading done. Instead, I got up at 1 feeling less than fab, not eating for over 12 hours will do that. Going to go and play badminton soon so need a food that will nourish and if it means I only have to cook once today is doubly good. Things I used: Saucepans (middle size and small), frying pan, oil, rice, eggs, cod, curry powder, onions, peas, butter. The rice I used was a different type to my normal so I tried 1 part rice 1 part water and then the normal, bring to the boil, cover then turn off the heat.  Chop the onions and start to fry them with the curry powder. At this point realise you should have started boiling the eggs. Put the eggs in a small pan and boil maybe hard-boiled (I don't boil eggs often idk) Get the cod and peas out of the freezer and add to the onions fry until cooked and no longer frozen.  Realise now that the eggs haven't been on and you have instead been burning t...

Have eaten so much more today than the last few, feel incredibly full now. For my second dinner today I made tuna pasta, probably needed the protein and definitely needed to use up the passata. Things I used: gluten-free pasta, a tin of tuna, saucepan, passata. Cook the pasta.  Open the tin of tuna. When the pasta is cooked drain it, put back in the pan and stir in the tuna. Stir in the tomato sauce.  You have made tuna pasta, if you were feeling fancy you could bake it, I wasn't.  Eat and enjoy this meal, feel way too full after.  Doesn't look great but better than food waste. 

As we are all going home for Easter soon I thought today was a good day to salvage the leek that was past it's best in the cupboard. It was Ruthie's leek so made soup for the both of us, using up some old potatoes on the way. Things I used: leek (past it's best), some old looking new potatoes, 2 normal potatoes, butter, oil, vegetable stock, saucepan, stick blender. First, cut all the manky bits off the leek and potatoes. (I left the skins on the new potatoes but peeled the big ones, an artistic freedom I guess.) Heat some oil in the saucepan.  Chop the leeks and potatoes into small pieces.  Add the leeks to the pan fry for a bit, then realise it's a bit sad looking, add some butter to make yourself feel better.  Add the potatoes and continue to fry for a bit.  Add vegetable stock to cover all the veg. Leave to simmer. (Great time to sit down and have a cup of tea) When the potato is all soft, blend with the stick blender until lovely. Have yourself a b...

Finally went shopping, I am feeling a little bit under the weather and lazy so brought some gluten-free bread. Can make so many toast based meals now, started with a toastie. Things I used: gluten-free bread, butter, cheddar, onion chutney, toastie bag, toaster. Butter the bread.  Spread chutney on one piece of the bread. Place cheese on top of the chutney.  Sandwich the other piece of bread on top.  Place in the toastie bag and toast.  Cut in half and pretend like you're fancy.  Place at a fun angle to add to the fanciness.

We ran out of milk this morning, a fact I had forgotten until after I started cooking. I am planning on going to the market tomorrow but as I haven't yet I used today's meal as a reason to use up all the leftover and starting to turn ingredients from the fridge. Things I used: oil, frying pan, saucepan, potatoes, butter, half an onion, mushrooms, tomatoes, an opened tin of tomatoes, passata, garlic, Quorn mince, cheese. Peel and chop the potatoes. Put them in a pan with boiling water and a bit of salt. Leave to boil until soft enough to mash.  Heat the oil, add crushed and chopped garlic.  Prepare and chop the onion, mushrooms, and tomatoes.  Add the vegetables to the frying pan. Fry until nice and soft and lovely. Add the tinned tomatoes. (realise there was less than you thought and add some passata as well.)  Add the Quorn mince, keep frying until it looks like a bolognese.  The potatoes should be done, drain and put back in the pan. ...

Another sad meal here. I still have not been shopping and cannot fully handle flavours yet. Things I used: saucepan, gluten-free pasta, passata. Cook the pasta.  Drain the pasta and put back in the saucepan. Stir in the passata.  Put in a bowl and eat it, you need the energy to heal yourself.  Hope that the food gets less sad soon. 

I need to go shopping I do not have the ingredients I need for nice food. But was very hungover, has been a day of eating leftovers until now. I present, a very sad but great hangover food, onion risotto. Things I used: oil, saucepan, risotto rice, onion, vegetable stock, parmesan. Heat some oil in the saucepan.  Add sliced onion fry until nice.  Add the risotto rice and vegetable stock.  Slowly add water and stir, keep going until it looks like a risotto.  Add parmesan stir through.  Now eat you deserve it.  Looks a bit sad because it is a bit sad. 

Feels like a fancy time, it's the day of the party, meant to be going into town but it is snowing. Felt like a cooked breakfast so made pancakes. Things I used: measuring jug, frying pan, oil, 300ml milk, 3 eggs, 200g of gluten-free flour (4/3 cups), Aldi Nutella (Nutoka) Put the milk, flour and eggs into the measuring jug and whisk well with a fork. Heat some oil in the frying pan.  Pour some pancake batter into the frying pan and fry it, until it's pancake coloured.  Put on a plate and put toppings I chose chocolate spread.  I am bad at photos but here you go. 

Did not have my laptop today so couldn't get any work done. And so I decided to sleep. Wanted a nice food so made myself a curry. Things I used: 2 pans, oil, rice, garlic, onion, pepper, mushrooms, lentils, potato, cherry tomatoes, spinach, tinned tomatoes, curry powder, yoghurt. As always, start by heating the oil.  Crush the garlic and chop the onion and potato, add to the oil in the pan.  Chop the pepper and mushroom add these and the cherry tomatoes to the pan.  Put 3 parts rice into the other pan, stir some oil and add some salt.  Add 4 parts boiling water to the rice, bring to the boil. Cover and turn the heat off when it is boiling.  Add the tinned tomatoes and lentils and spinch to the curry.  Add curry powder, until it tastes like curry and not just tomatoes. (If you are me add too much) Add some yoghurt to cover for the too much curry powder.  Leave the curry to bubble while the rice finishes cooking.  When the rice is done...

Ruthie's birthday, her family came over and it was all very cute. I got hungry watching them all eat croissants so made my breakfast. Things I used: frying pan, oil, mushrooms, tomatoes, a little bit of spinach, an egg. Heat some oil.  Chop the mushrooms and tomatoes, add to the pan.  Stir until the mushrooms and tomatoes are cooked, add some spinach.  When all the veg is cooked move to one side of the pan and add the egg.  Wait until the egg is cooked, put it all on a plate. Add salt and pepper.  Now you can stop feeling hungry while watching people eat.  Kinda feels like a full breakfast but without all the good bits. 

It is Ruthie's birthday tomorrow so we are making a cake. I do not know how to bake so I made myself in charge of decorations. Melted chocolate and raspberries is what I made. Maddie made the cake so I am not going to talk about how to make that. Things I used: microwave, greaseproof paper, raspberries, chocolate, a gluten free cake someone else made. Microwave the chocolate slowly on a low heat. Do not want it to burn or separate. Stir it regularly to make sure it is all melted. Place raspberries on greaseproof paper Drizzle the melted chocolate over the raspberries to make it look fancy like you see in those Facebook videos Fancy raspberries. Place on the cake to make it look cute  Wait until the birthday and surprise. What a beauty of a cake. Thanks to Maddie for letting us use her lovely clean kitchen

Lost track of the day today, now have to leave in half an hour still have not eaten. Things I used: frying pan, oil, 1/4 onion, a handful of cherry tomatoes, some spinach, saucepan, pasta, passata. Put oil into the frying pan, chop onions and tomatoes add to the pan. Put pasta in the saucepan. Fill the kettle and boil enough water for the saucepan.  Pour the water into the saucepan and boil the pasta.  Stir the veg until cooked, add the spinach when the onions start looking soft.  When the pasta is done, drain it and add to the saucepan.  Add some passata to the frying pan and stir the pasta, veg and sauce together.  All done speedy quick.  So speedy.

Today there was a demo at the uni, as I went out last night did not have time to wake up from my hangover and also eat breakfast before going. We followed the march towards the occupation of the building site. We followed and then realised it was not for us. Snuck away from the occupation and came home to cook a much-needed breakfast. Things I used: frying pan, oil, old mash, egg I heated some oil in a pan. (I now realised I made it too hot.) Squashed yesterdays mash into patties and placed into the pan.  Leave to cook until there is a nice fried skin on the potato. (This time I left it to burn) Turn the potato over and cook the other side. (A much shorter time) Take the potato out place on a plate. Add more oil to the pan and fry an egg. (If honest another disaster this time) When the egg is done put it on the potato so as to cover most of the burned bits.  Add salt and pepper to disguise the taste of the burn and you are done, try and enjoy. (Am quite hungover and...

I have been very tired, the frittata from this morning has kept me going. But now it is time for tea, feeling a little bit off from the lack of sleep last night and the lack of productivity today, so I am going to make the ultimate comfort food mash potato and cheese. Things I used: Saucepan, potatoes, wholegrain mustard, butter, milk, cheese. masher To start I peel and chop the potatoes, the smaller they are the quicker it cooks and the easier to mash.  Put the chopped potatoes into the pan until it looks like enough. I always have to remember that the potatoes seem to shrink when they are mashed so should put in more than I think. Also, the leftover mash is great for breakfasts or cottage-pies so no harm in making too much.  I then pour boiling water from the kettle into the pan and leave the potatoes to boil until they are soft. (This is a perfect time to sit down and forget you are cooking) Once you have remembered you are cooking, get up and turn the hob off, dra...

When I can't sleep I often find myself thinking of the foods I will cook for breakfast or will eat throughout the next day. Last night I struggled to sleep and my thoughts were set firmly on frittata and how I will cook it. Frittata is one of my go-to foods, it's easy and fairly quick. Like an omelette but more. The things I used today: frying pan, a bit of oil, 1 garlic clove, 1/4 of an onion, 1/4 of a pepper, some cherry tomatoes, 1 quite big potato, a handful of spinach, 3 eggs and a slice of cheese. Started by putting the oil into the pan and turning on the hob, it's electric so takes a while to heat up. Squashed the garlic with the side of my knife, then cut it into little pieces. Added this to the pan.  Cut the half onion in the fridge in half and cut a quarter of the pepper,  then put the rest back into the fridge. (It is around this time that I put the kettle on for my cup of tea.) Sliced the onion and pepper into small pieces and added to the now quite...

I have decided to create this thing because eating foods and cooking are an important part of my life.  I wanted to have a more permanent place to store these mundane everyday memories. I have never been good at keeping a diary, and until starting uni I never cooked. Living away from home has made me realise my love of cooking and eating more than any other point in my life. I am hopeful that this will help me to remember my life and the food that kept me going. I will try and show for each meal I cook the ingredients and the process, while also using this to keep a track of my thought process, what I was feeling and what I intended to cook when I started. As the idea and finished meal are more often than not something entirely different. This may also become one of many abandoned projects but for now, we have to pretend this is the start of a wonderful journey through the food of my life. p.s. I am also horrible at spelling and grammar so this might make me practice writing ...