Well, it has finally happened. My g/f has been shifted to afternoon shift. I work morning, which means we now officially never see each other, except when she comes home and cuddles me in the bed, or when I leave and give her a goodbye peck. (We have the same days off though. )
Anyway, I’m now left with a dillemma. I’m now alone for dinner every night, and I’m getting pretty sick of the hot dogs and chili dogs and quick-fix burrito’s and Mac and Cheese and other easy bachelor food.
But the only stuff I know how to fix beyond that is definately more than a 1 man meal. In other words, I really don’t know any recipe’s that are good for just one person. So, now I’m trying desperately to fight off the urge to order pizza and go to Quizno’s every night. Yet, as I heat up my hot dogs, I can’t help but think, “Good God is there nothing better?”
So, of course, I turn to the SDMB. What are your favorite one person recipe’s? What was the stuff you made when you were alone, or when the SO leaves town and you’re looking for a little more than a can of soup and some grilled cheese? Anybody learn anything that was a surefire hit with the stuff you had on hand, when you didn’t have a whole lot?
I’m totally open here, I welcome all suggestions. As bizarre as they may seem. I’m totally into trying new things!!
Go ahead and cook the good stuff and have leftovers. That way you have lunch ready for work the next day, too, or your girlfriend can heat up your food and not have to cook herself.
I agree… casseroles, pasta sauces, soups, stews, chili. Things that can eaten a little at a time over a few days or frozen in small portions for individual meals for you and your girlfriend. Much cheaper, healthier, and tastier than greasy takeout every day.
What Homebrew said. If you don’t want to eat too many leftovers, freeze some stuff. In a couple weeks you can take it out of the freezer, reheat it and you got a brand new meal. It’s like magic I tell ya.
But if you just want a single serving, I like to make pita pizzas.
You get your pita, put some sauce on it, then top with cheese and whatever else, throw it in the oven, and voila! You can play with these quite nicely, making them Mexican, Greek, whatever.
But the bottom line is you only make what you need. No leftovers, easy, and fairly quick.
Slow cookers are your friend. Start it up (stew or chili) before you go to work, one of you has some after six hours, the other after 12. Should still be okay.
Make up some lasagna or other pan-type pasta (pastitso?).
I second scout 1222’s recommendation of pita pizzas, but with a variation: English muffins make a good individual-pizza crust.
Learn to make a good omelet! The heating and timing are a little tricky, but it’s worth learning the skill. See JOY OF COOKING or another reputable cookbook for the details. Once you’ve got the knack, the variations are endless. Watching your fat intake? Scrap all yolks but one, and substitute extra whites. Still delicious!
MY FAVORITE TUNA SALAD, preparation time two minutes:
MIX:
One 6 oz. can of tuna, partially drained (leave it a little moist)
WITH:
One 2.5 oz. can of sliced black olives
AND:
1/4 cup of mayonaisse (fat-free if you prefer)
If you like, add chopped celery or chopped red apples.
Eat from the bowl as is, or make sandwiches. Especially good on–you guessed it–toasted English muffins.
You can do a one-person stir-fry without too much trouble – chop up veggies (peppers, mushrooms, onions, carrots, whatever), maybe boneless chicken breast – put oil in the pan, get it real hot, and throw in your stuff: it cooks up real quick.
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