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

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

When I cook, I end up eating whatever I made for the whole week. Or until I get tired of it, whichever comes first. I cannot make meatloaf for one--but I make a kick-ass meatloaf for 6. Ditto lasagne, stew, chili, fricasee, etc.,etc.
I don't know how to cook small, never have.

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

I'll share your meatloaf or lasagna sometime.

My favorite thing to make for myself is either scrambled eggs w/ cheese (not really an omlette) or tuna salad. Neither very complicated.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Mmm, chili... y'know, I'm starting to want a second freezer!

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

Well, chili is more a case of dinner for 20. I can't make small chili. Nor can I make small soup of any kind. I am pathetic that way.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Cool! Five or eight more people and we've got it. :-)

I aim to get better at the "scrambled eggs with" concept. That's an easy enough way to get a bit of protein, and eggs keep a lot better in the fridge than meats do.

[allanh.livejournal.com]

A grilled tunafish sandwich. Small can of tuna, and add mayo, lemon juice, and sliced almonds to taste. Randy taught me to use mayo instead of butter on the outside of the bread, for an extra-yummy crispy outside.

One small can of tuna is exactly enough for one sandwich.

[dizzdvl.livejournal.com]

Fajitas!! I buy those bags of frozen chicken tenderloins and those are perfect. You can pull out one or two and not have to cook lots.

But my favorite one person thing to make doesn't really involve much cooking. Tyson has frozen buffalo chicken tenderloins. I like to nuke a couple of those and shred them up. Then I rip up a ton of romaine (or cheat and use the bagged stuff.) Add some cheese of some sort, add something crunky. I usually like croutons, but I also like this rainbow slaw stuff. It's jullienned broccoli, cauliflower, carots and red cabbage. Add some green bell pepper if I have it and add some ranch dressing. (If you are weird like me add a touch of french dressing to add some tang.) Stir it all up and go.

It's what I have been having lately because it has a lot of bulk and it's not too horrid for you, especially if you use the dreaded light or fat free dressings. And it's cool. Well hot with the buffalo chicken, but cool in that it doesn't heat up my house.

[allanh.livejournal.com]

Oh. And it's a two-mealer for me now, but ... a quick chili mac can be made from (1) package of instant lunch soup noodles (no flavoring), and (1) aseptic package (the little boxes) of your favorite no-beans chili.

[dizzdvl.livejournal.com]

Mmmmmmmmmeatloaf! Yum! Crazy lady Rachael Ray took a regular meatloaf recipe and flattened it out in a cookie pan. She put some provolone, arugala and proscutto (yeah, I can't spell it, but I can eat it!) ham on it in layers. Rolled it up and cooked it. It looked yummy!


And on an unrelated note, what's the kitty in your icon from?

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Even lasagne is dinner for ten or so. (Maybe six athletes or twelve of me.)

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

I don't remember where I swiped the icon, but it's the cat from 9 Chickweed Lane.

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

Well, you'd think that lasagne was dinner for 10--but I love lasagne. Another reason to not make it too often!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I have never ever made fajitas! That sounds like a fun thing to try. I also like your salad with spicy chicken concept for hot summer days. So far my salads seem to be "open up a bag of spinach and throw in some nuts". That could expand a bit. (O'course half the bag is waste unless I have the discipline to eat it twice in a row. Maybe I need to outgrow this variety fetish.)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Oh man that sounds good.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Are you and I the only people who are not at all fond of those instant noodle flavorings? I like the idea of pulling that thing out and doing something else with the noodles.

Polenta with beans, melted cheese and salsa

[zpdiduda.livejournal.com]

Polenta, in mush form. Either from scratch or from one of those rolls of polenta -- cut off what you want, turn it to mush in a small pot with a little water added.

On top of that: black or kidney beans.

On top of that: shredded cheese.

On top of that: fresh salsa.

Nuke till beans and cheese are heated through/melted (about a minute).

Eat. Swoon.

[jtidwell.livejournal.com]

Stir-fry. With vegetables just bought at the farmstand or wherever -- you buy enough just for the one dish. The meat can be bought in advance and frozen (you thaw just enough), or you could use half a small package of already-frozen shrimp, or bypass the meat altogether and just throw in some cashews or peanuts.

[dizzdvl.livejournal.com]

I knew I had seen it somewhere, but I couldn't figure out where! Thanks :)

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

I just scramble the eggs in a bowl with a fork and tear up the cheese by hand and mix it in before dumping it all in the frying pan.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Do you do that in a wok? I don't have a wok, but I do have skillets.

Re: Polenta with beans, melted cheese and salsa

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

OK, I need to learn about "those rolls of polenta". This sounds soooooo yummy -- and easy! (I guess it could be done with nachos as a base, too, right?)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I usually add the cheese a bit later, but then I probably like my eggs on the "well-done" side. Mmmmmmmm, cheese.

Do you know I'd never had scrambled eggs with cheese until I moved to Georgia and went to Waffle House for the first time? I'd had cheese omelets, but just scrambling it in I'd never seen before.

[sebab.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I use cartons of chicken broth with those noodles.

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

I picked it up watching my mom over the years. And mine are well-done too - no runny eggs for me.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I've considered bullion. Is chicken broth less salty than those little flavor packets?