Cooking for one

[cjsmith]

I just realized that one of the reasons I struggle so much with cooking for one is that I'm making completely different stuff than I know how to do.

I make a meatloaf I happen to love and I can do a lasagne I find absolutely scrumptious, but c'mon, raise your hand if you make one-person versions of those! If I have a quarter pound of ground beef it's a BURGER. Conversely, who makes omelets for thirty? I sure haven't.

The feed-a-dormitory or feed-a-family recipes can be broken down into neat little piles of Tupperware, but multiply helpings by desirable variety and I'm out of freezer space. Thus my main storage facility is the freezer aisle at Safeway. Shrinking the recipes, on the other hand, multiplies the labor and prep time and also increases waste (ingredients are much more perishable before they get frozen as meals). No wonder a restaurant is such an easy choice for me.

What's your favorite thing to make for one person? Preferably quick. (Bonus points for no leftover ingredients.)

Comments

[harpwolf.livejournal.com]

You've seen my turkey sausage and lentil crock pot recipe (http://harpwolf.livejournal.com/136328.html). Usually I make 2 full recipes in 2 crock-pots, meter into Lock & Lock containers (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search/202-7143309-6913409?search-alias=kitchen&field-manufacturer=Lock) and throw most into the freezer. I love the containers, they stand up to abuse and Target sells them.

[harpwolf.livejournal.com]

I want to emphasize the method "Go ahead and feed-a-dormitory, then store single servings of what you made." I like the Lock & Lock containers because they are very tolerant of the abuses such cooking inflicts... and they never leak!

However, like any plastic container -- if you microwave reheat, they will pit, stain and leach toxins into your food. Don't. Pop the contents out into a glass container, Pyrex bowls (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004SZ7H/wolfharper-20/002-7133210-9621655?%5Fencoding=UTF8&camp=1789&link%5Fcode=xm2) are my fave as they're a respectable serving bowl too.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

It's the thing about the variety and the freezer space, though. My freezer is currently full, and it mostly contains stuff I've had recently and thus don't particularly want to eat right now. I was hoping to find a way to avoid either buying a whole extra freezer or giving up cooking due to waste.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

That recipe looks SCRUMPTIOUS. I've nagged about the variety thing, but if something's tasty enough I probably WILL eat it a coupla days in a row!