I’ve been thinking about doing this. When you use the herbs, do you need to dry them at all, or just pluck, dice, and throw them in the pot?
As to the OP, I’ve got one word: pasta. You can spend a few hours every few weeks making a huge pot of sauce with all your favorite ingredients, and then freeze it in containers for easy use (1, 2, or however many servings you want). I eat out a lot, but it sure is nice to have an easy back-up when you need it.
When I lived alone I cooked a big pot of something every Sunday that I could eat during the rest of the week. I tried freezing it, but found that not only am I not usually organized enough to take it out of the freezer ahead of time, but that most things ended up nasty, with one exception:
The meal I most recommend is creamy soup (for which you will need a blender). It’s the only meal I want to eat after it’s been frozen. It’s also very easy to make, and it can use up a lot of veggies. Just avoid cruciferous (sp?) ones like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, because even a little bit will overpower everything else. (Unless you like broccoli, cabbage or cauliflower soup, in which case go nuts!) For example:
In a big pot, fry up:
When it’s transluscent, add:
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer until everything is soft. Strain, but save the liquid. Put the veggies into a blender and blend until smooth. Add more liquid as necessary.
Optional additions:
Now, you can eat your fill with some nice bread and cheese, you can put some in the fridge for tomorrow and the next day, and you can freeze the rest. It only gets better with age. Yum!
No, and yes.
Only dry them if you need to keep them (like the last harvest before snowfall). They are much nicer fresh, in every way.
I live alone, and have loads of free time, and adore cooking. Because of my proximity to absolutely nothing, fast food isn’t an option. Because of my broke-ass-ness, eating out isn’t an option.
Tonight I’m making crab bisque, with bacon and potatoes and celery and crab and cream and sherry. I have some venison I want to make into meatballs, maybe for tomorrow night. All in all, I cook most nights, but not every night. Last week I made meatloaf and froze a bunch for Monday nights when I don’t get done with teaching till 7:30.
Cooking is one of my major hobbies. I probably spend a couple hours on it daily. For example, today I baked apples-and-honey cake today for Rosh Hashanah (Jewish new Year). I also started a batch of lemon liqueur, and am trying to decide if I should can the applesauce I made yesterday, or dehydrate it into fruit leather. Another project for the next few days is to de-husk the black walnuts I gathered yesterday.
John Mace, you can use herbs fresh, but usually the flavor is less intense so you generally use more. Fresh herbs have a somewhat different flavor compared to their dried compadres (one that I usually prefer).
I make mixed veggies a lot, either stir-fried with a spicy Szechuan sauce or a Thai peanut sauce, or cooked in an Indian simmer sauce and served with basmati rice. Always broccoli, carrots, and onions, usually cashews, maybe green beans, bell pepper, or whatever else I happen to buy. Occasionally okra. Sometimes I’ll mix a scambled egg or some marinated tofu in there.
I like to make zucchini and mushrooms stir-fried with onions, garlic, and Italian herbs as a side dish to pasta. Pasta itself isn’t really “cooking,” is it, since I don’t make the sauce from scratch. I use Knorr’s mixes or bottled red sauce (Paul Newman’s “Sockaroonie” sauce is very good).
Another simple meal I love to make is cornbread (from scratch) with baked beans or black beans (from a can). Put some butter and honey on the hot cornbread and it’s heaven.
Of course, there’s always the old standby recipe: “Preheat oven to 425, take pizza out of freezer…”
Pasta salad is another good dish that consumes lots of veggies, doesn’t generate dishes, and keeps well over time.
Ingredients (crucial):
Ingredients (optional):
I love cooking threads. I need to spend more time in Cafe Society.
Biffy inspired me to think about sauce. For me, it seems a lot of prep time/dirty dishes goes into making a nice sauce. You can avoid much of this by stocking your fridge with different commercial sauces, then you can have a different gourmet-tasting meal every night. The trick is, don’t use the sauces on their own - mix them together! They are almost always improved that way, and you can still make only very small quantities. There are even lots available without a lot of preservatives or salt, which is even better.
Once you’ve got a nice sauce, you can fry up as little as you want. I’ve been known to chop, fry and eat a single red pepper, which I’ve covered with “cajun spice” (yes, that’s what it says on the jar) and sweet chili sauce.
The best stir-fry sauce I have ever tasted (and probably also the cheapest) has three ingredients: equal parts sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, and honey. Yum.
A splash (glob?) of peanut sauce can make a huge improvement to a lot of things you probably haven’t even thought of yet. Especially ginger, tomato, or coconut milk.
Curry paste in a jar is a great way to make a cheater curry sauce (and mango salad, see below). Mix in the curry paste as you’re cooking your onions, add coconut milk when you add the liquid. Yummy.
I recommend going to all the “ethnic” stores you can find to prowl their sauce selections, after (or even before) exhausting the choices at your grocery store. The Memories Of … line (available at Loblaws in Canada, I hope it’s available in the US as well), plus Chinatown, has kept me happily sauced for a long time.
Recipe - Quick Mango Salad
Thoroughly mix:
1 tablespoon peanut butter (unsweetened if possible)
1 tablespoon curry paste from a jar
Splash of lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Add to:
1 firm (greenish) mango, slivered
1 red pepper, slivered
1/4 to 1/2 small red onion, sliced
Mix well. Stick in fridge for an hour or more to let flavours blend.
When you’re ready to eat, mix in a big handful of bean sprouts (this part makes the dish, for me), a handful of chopped peanuts, another splash of lemon, and fresh chopped herbs.
Just pluck, dice, and throw - The difference in flavor is un-be-lievable.
Next spring, the step immediately after moving the last box into the new house and before just about anything else will be to plant a small forest of herbs: Basil, oregano, thyme, Rosemary (god I hope I can get it to grow here), dill, chives. That’s one of the things I miss tremendously about living in a small apt: I could grow 'em indoors, but not in the quantity I need since I’d use them every time I cook.
Hope I’m doing the quoting right,it’s a bit difficult to concentrate right now because the neighbour baby upstairs is crying non stop.
Anyway. I also use dried verbs, not home dried but storebought. I think they’re different in taste to fresh ones and they do have their uses as well. For the beginning single cook I would recommend ready mixes. I live in the netherlands so i am not sure if this is true for where you live but over here there’s a few ready mixes in tiny pots. The problem with buying them all seperately is that it takes some serious cooking and eating to get to the bottom of even the tiniest pot before they go stale and lose their flavour. This doesn’t happen if there’s one you’re particular partial to, of course, so get that one seperately. But if you’re using them all together anyway, I recommend ignoring culinairy snobs and go for the ready mixes.
The reason i mentioned fresh herbs wasn’t just the taste though. They are better suited than dried ones for use in cold foods like salads and on sandwiches so they can give a “I am taking care of myself” festive vibe to a non cooking I can’t be bothered event, as well. And as I mentioned, having fresh herbs in pots around allows you to posh up (both planned and inprovised ) low budget hot meals for guests. Really, fresh herbs on top of your grub just spreads happiness and wellbeing around at a very low investment.
True. Another thing to consider is the type of herb you’re using. I generally divide herbs into “woody” and “delicate” varities. Woody herbs dry well. The delicate ones are pretty much useless dried. For example, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, lavender, etc, I consider woody. They work almost equally well wether dried or fresh.
Parsley, cilantro, tarragon, chervil, basil I consider delicate. They are all abysmal when dried. Perhaps dried basil has some use culinarily, but I hate it. Tastes nothing like basil should taste like. Dried parsley tastes like sawdust.
Also, the delicate herbs tend to lose their flavor the longer they are cooked. Therefore, you always add them at the end of the dish–the last couple minutes of cooking time or just when you serve it. An exception would be parsley for the bouquet garni of stocks or stews.
The woody herbs can survive long cooking times and still hold their flavor. They are often added in the beginning of your recipe and cooked through the whole process. Thyme and rosemary in stews are typical examples of this.
sorry,the quoting went wrong there,only meant to quote the last bit.
My staple was my version of Bachelor Chow: a pound of macaroni, two cans of tuna, and two cans of condensed soup. The soup would be Cream of Mushroom, Creamy Chicken and Mushroom, Cream of Shrimp, or New England Clam Chowder (really!). This stuff would last me three or four nights.
Oh yeah, and a bit of balsamic vinegar for flavor.
Well, the last time we had snow here was about 15 years ago, so I won’t worry about that too much. 
Cooking only for myself is a fantasy I often indulge in. I don’t understand why some people think it is a problem.
I’d keep certain basics at home, but in general would choose my dinner on a day-to-day basis depending on what catches my eye in the market, or my whim on that particular day. Why not think of it as an indulgence and enjoy it?
There are certain meals that seem to be only suitable for a larger number of diners, but most of them either freeze well, or can be made and then utilized for more meals later in the week. For example, you can roast a chunk of beef or lamb, or a whole turkey or chicken, and then make many other meals with the left-overs. I only say the obvious because so often singles will say they don’t make these things for practical reasons. Is there a shortage of recipes for left-over meats or poultry? I’d consider it a luxury to have left-overs like that to plan future meals with.
But in general, if pre-planned left-overs are not an option, I’d go with a simply prepared prime cut of either meat, poultry, or seafood (because I can probably always afford it if I am cooking for one), the most enticing vegetables of the day in the market, and either rice or a good bread. If I have a potato craving - baked in the micro, or boiled and mashed is quick and simple enough to indulge in.
I’ll also reiterate what has been said about fresh herbs so far - I grow my own most of the time, but I’ve been known to plan a meal around a craving for the fresh flavor of a particular herb that catches my eye in the market. It can make a simply prepared meal sublime.
And don’t neglect fruits! Bring home a fruit or two that catches your eye too. Either for dessert, or part of breakfast the next day. Remember that it is all about what you feel like eating. Enjoy it.
I’ve been cooking for just myself for a long while and here are some things I’ve learned:
The crock pot is terrific. It’s so nice to come home and smell dinner cooking! Plus it’s hard to screw up. Hint: Use oven bags or crock pot liners to almost eliminate clean up. My favorite recipe:
I like one dish meals (less clean up), and I try never to save more than one leftover because I’m tired of it after that.
Chili is easy and good and can be easily tailored to your likes.
I use a steamer to make fish. It’s healthy and doesn’t smell up the apartment like frying. Plus I can cook a fresh vegetable with the fish at the same time. It’s a seperate appliance that requires some clean-up so may not be for everyone. But fish is cheap at the store and it’s almost impossible to overcook it with a steamer.
I like to grill steak on alternate Fridays. Since you’re only buying for one and it’s only a couple times a month it’s not prohibitively expensive. Steamed broccoli is my favorite accompaniment to steak. But if you prefer baked potato:
I buy fresh chicken thigh cutlets. Fresh is noticeably better and the thighs are cheap, like $2.50 for three or four of them. Buy one shaker of store-brand chicken grilling seasoning. It’s inexpensive and lasts a long time. Put the chicken on indirect heat, sprinkle liberally with seasoning, and close the lid. Cook for 40 mins or so, turning once.
Keep apples and carrots on hand or whatever you like to eat raw. If you’re absolutely STARVING when you get home, quickly eat one of those. It’ll relieve the hunger and give you time to whip together a proper meal.
Try to like vegetables if you don’t already. They’re the cheapest thing in the store and good for you. Plus they have a LOT more flavor than any meat or pasta. Somebody once said, nobody asks for something to be flavored like cow.
Note: a lot of assumptions are made about grocery stores in my area. YMMV.
The only variation in my diet is for dinner. For breakfast I always eat fried egg white protein and for lunch I always have a salad with some fish, shrimp or chicken. For dinner I have Indian food 95% of the time-usually one chapati, a vegetable dish, some raita and some fish/shrimp or chicken. Basically the only diet that keeps me thin.
I am a new divorcee and I make a point of cooking nice meals for myself to help keep my spirits up. It works: if I was eating Lean Cuisine or something all the time I would definitely become depressed. I am a big fan of soups, stews, chilis, and other such saucy dishes. I love my crock pot.
On the weekend I will make *at least * two big pots of stew (or whatever). I’ll eat some that night, and then divide up the leftovers those small one-serving tupperwares and freeze them. The key is this: do not ever, ever freeze the entire mass of leftovers in one big container; you’ll never be able to face it. The little tupperwares are your friends. I pull those those out for lunches, weeknight dinners, etc. Once you’ve been doing this for a while, you’ll have a good variety of things in the freezer, so you won’t be eating the same thing all the time. You must label your tupperware containers, though, to avoid inadvertent repetition/unpleasant surprises.
Also, the fact that you live alone and have no one but yourself to please means that you can sometimes have, like, a milkshake for dinner. It’s okay, so long as you don’t do t every meal.
Thanks, everyone.
I tend to hide vegetables in other foods if possible, or season them heavily to get rid of the vegetable taste.
I also love washing dishes, so the washing up never daunts me.
Go to SavingDinner.com. There are several types of menus, but the regular and the low carb have a “for 2” option. That means one serving for dinner and one for lunch the next day.
Try the sample menus and see if you want to subscribe. If you do, every week you get menus for six meals (complete with side dish suggestions), nutritional information and suggestions for each meal, and a shopping list for the whole week, organized by grocery store section (dairy, meats, canned foods, etc.). Plus, you can also subscribe to a mailing list for your preferred menu, where you can ask questions about possible substitutions, find out how to do things you don’t know how to do, and generally get any cooking related question answered.
I’m a happy subscriber, obviously. Before menu mailer, I ate a lot of take out and pizza. Now, my diet and health have improved markedly, and so has my budget.
Hi…
I’m not living alone now (kinda miss it though LOL, not all of it but the cooking for my self part) but I did live alone for a couple of years. I love to cook but not complicated stuff. I can second how valuable a crockpot is- one of my favorites was chili verde- there’s a lot of good recipes out there- one key is to add a small bit of beer- really makes good flavor.
Another convienient and highly tasty meal w/ leftovers (before I was lo-carbing) was anything by Zatarains. Especially the Jambalaya- add some chicken & shrimp and tomatoes and its two delicious meals in one skillet. Also a big fan of chicken soup- would do it the easy way- buy some chicken broth, some “flavored” tomatoes like w/ green chilies or garlic & onion, shred up one of those rotisserie chicken (or just cut it up and throw it in) , add a bunch of garlic & some veggies and cook all day.
When I was doing the low-fat thing- I would make “fried” rice ALOT. Basically I would cook some rice in chicken broth. Then sautee some chicken or lean pork w/ garlic and stir fry veggies. Add in the rice, enough chicken broth to keep in from scorching and some of the Thai hot sauce (the kind that comes with the rooster on it- is it Sirichi? or something like that) and soy sauce. Add fresh parsely or cilantro at the end… mmmmmmmmmmm very good and also easy to make a large amount to eat for a few days.