# The people you cook for/dine with won't be home. What do you make just for you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 9, 2012, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220 "2012-10-09T15:43:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220/41 "2012-10-10T01:03:23Z")
Low sodium Spam sliced thin and fried until the edges are crispy and then add a scrambled egg (with milk and pepper) to the pan. Eat the resulting omelet (?) with buttered wheat toast. Only because I can’t eat that more than once a year or it’ll kill me and I hardly ever, ever eat alone. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220/42 "2012-10-10T01:18:35Z")
Toast. I love toast, [and I’m not alone,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttMrSCnQnnk) but my wife gets mad when she asks what I want for dinner and I answer with a shrug, “I love toast.” After 36 years you’d think she wouldn’t bother asking. So I know what I’m eating for dinner when she’s not here, with butter, peanut butter, PB&J, tomatoes with a skim of mayo, or anything else I find. And the dogs get the corners, not because I don’t like the corners or the dogs, but dogs seem to like food that you have already bitten. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220/43 "2012-10-10T01:20:42Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > My husband doesn’t eat much processed food, and he’s won me over for the most part, but if he were going to be out of town I’d get me some frozen fish sticks, cocktail sauce, and a box of Kraft dinner and chow down! > > I might also cook this beef/broccoli/rice thing (verboten because it involves a can of mushroom soup). Yeah, my boyfriend thinks Kraft macaroni is gross, so whenever I’m by myself I like to indulge. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220/44 "2012-10-10T01:31:36Z")
Lipton/Knorr/Whoever owns it now Stroganoff flavored noodles. The kind in the paper envelope that’s constantly “on sale” for around a buck and don’t taste remotely like stroganoff anything. Love 'em, but they’re utter, utter garbage, so I don’t inflict them on my family. Also, seitan in barbeque sauce. Gluten intolerant daughter can’t eat it, my SO has a rule that he won’t eat anything that squeaks, and while my son would eat it, I don’t remember the last time it was just he and I for dinner. So it becomes a Me thing. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220/45 "2012-10-10T12:16:38Z")
Seanette, I’m pretty sure [this](http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-beef-and-broccoli/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=beef%20and%20broccoli&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe) is the beef and broccoli recipe. (Broccoli soup, mushroom soup, whatever). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220/46 "2012-10-10T13:33:32Z")
Onions. Mr. Lissar can’t eat onions, so I have learned to cook without them, but when he’s away, out they come. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220/47 "2012-10-10T13:45:44Z")
Bhindi (Okra) Masala recipe: Now you can put whatever spices you like in the inside of each bhindi. I just put down my mix. What i do is usually buy a pound of bhindi. I cut off the heads and the tails and then wash them. You’ll need: one onion 3-4 cloves of garlic 1 tsp ginger OR you can skip both of the above and use 1 tblsp ginger garlic paste 1 tblsp coriander 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp garam masala 1 tsp cumin 1/4 tsp haldi, or turmeric 1 tsp salt (or less) 1 tsp chili pepper or cayenne pepper (you can skip this one) oil Mix all your powders together (coriander, cumin, garam masala, salt, haldi). Slice lengthwise down each bhindi (this is the lengthy part of the process) and stuff each bhindi with the spice mix with a spoon. Set aside. Cut the onion into long thin strips. Set aside. Add oil to a pan. Add cumin seeds and heat until they sputter. Add the onions and the ginger garlic paste, OR the ginger and garlic. Fry until golden brown. Add the Bhindi. Any leftover spices you have from stuffing the bhindi, add as well. Lower heat to medium. Stir frequently so the bhindi doesn’t stick. Keep frying until bhindi are soft. Remove from pan and enjoy with naan or rotis or other flatbread! ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220/48 "2012-10-10T13:48:56Z")
My GF is vegetarian and I am not, so I’ll fry up some sausages and peppers. Or anything really meaty. However, in that situation I’ll usually not feel like cooking anything so I’ll generally go with either a [Totino’s Combination Party Pizza](http://img1.findthebest.com/sites/default/files/725/media/images/Combination_Party_Pizza.jpg) or some [Murry’s Wings](http://static.caloriecount.about.com/images/medium/murrys-chicken-wings-wow-93849.jpg). Maybe both. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220/49 "2012-10-10T13:53:57Z")
I hate broccoli\*, but Pepper Mill and MilliCal love it. If they know I won’t be around for dinner, there’s a much higher probability of dinner containg broccoli. \*One of the few things I agre with the elder President Bush about. FDR reportedly hated it, too, but ate it when the White House chef served it. Bush didn’t, for which I spplaud him. Even though we both know that Broccoli Is Good For You. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220/50 "2012-10-10T14:07:21Z")
Broccoli very much depends on how you cook it, and I am sorry to say, most people ruin it. It should NEVER be soggy or smell funny. My SO cooks tofu, another meal which horrifies most people, but this is what he does. He takes the tofu and slices it into little blocks, and then lightly pan fries it on the stove top in a little healthy margerine or olive oil. Separately he boils a pot of noodles and mixes them all together with a cream sauce, a little sundried tomato or roasted red peppers, and at the very very very last moment he tosses in the broccoli so it’s still crispy and delicious. Yes, I am spoiled rotten when it comes to dinner. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220/51 "2012-10-10T14:42:10Z")
Cold leftovers eaten standing up reading the paper and chugging a beer. So classy urp ⭕p ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220/52 "2012-10-10T15:19:37Z")
> [@fubbleskag](#): > > How is it possible to hate spaghetti? When we were dating…I invited him over for dinner, it was almost spaghetti, changed my mind. He told me that any kind of skinny noodle/pasta reminds him of worms:rolleyes:. Ok then, when we lived in Italy, we went the grocery store so he knew what type of pastas were in things at restaurants. He’ll eat pasta just not skinny pasta.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2012, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220/53 "2012-10-10T17:47:54Z")
> [@fubbleskag](#): > > How is it possible to hate spaghetti? I hate spaghetti. It was frequently inflicted on me when I was a small child. My mother learned how to make spaghetti from my father’s mother, who loved anise. My mother also loved anise. I do not love anise. I had many childhood dinners of buttered spaghetti noodles, rather than eat that damned sauce. Hell, I like Chef Boy Ar Dee canned stuff better than most red gravies to this very day. And I will not eat anise. Now, I do make and like lasagna, manicotti, and stuffed shells with red gravy. However, I do not permit anise or fennel to even be in the same room. And ricotta cheese can do a lot for a dish. > [@CalMeacham](#): > > Most of our fend-0for-yourself meals are spur-of-the-moment, so they tend to be noodles or soups that we have on hand in single-serving size. > > If it’s something I have to make, I’d probably make the kind of thing I made while single – over-roasted chicken, or sloppy joes, or spaghetti, most likely. > > If I made the chicken, I’d definitely have cats for company. > “Are you eating Bird? We like Bird.” > “You’re not gonna eat all that by yourself, are you?” > “This is a nice couch you got here. It’d be a shame if something happened to it.” Ah yes. Cat mugging. I know it well. Cat mugging occurs when there’s Bird, but also when there’s tuna or ham. Sometimes regular roast or corned beef. I usually keep some roast turkey around for sandwiches and salads, and sometimes I have ham as well. And the cats know this. They know that the fridge contains very interesting foods, and one of them, the Siamese, will attempt to climb into the fridge so she can investigate thoroughly. I have to make sure that I don’t close the door on her. To answer the actual question…when boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken tenders are on sale, I stock up and freeze them into individual serving sizes. My husband isn’t particularly fond of chicken, except for my chicken pot roast or fried chicken, and he’s not fond of rice, either, so my solo meals are sometimes chicken and rice in various combinations. Sometimes I have a few containers of cooked chicken in broth from the last time I made a roast chicken and stock, so I pull that out. He doesn’t like corned beef, either, so if he’s going to be on a business trip, I’ll frequently make a New England boiled dinner, and freeze half the meat, and eat the remainder with the veggies for a few days. I LOVE corned beef, and while I enjoy corned beef from the deli, nothing beats a home cooked one. Or I go out. I enjoy Tex Mex a lot more than Bill does, and I like different restaurants, so I take the opportunity to go to Antonio’s or Fiesta or wherever. And then I stop by the crafts shop or library on the way home. ---
**Author:** ![orderfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orderfire/32/10908_2.png) [@orderfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orderfire)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220/54 "2012-10-11T00:55:28Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Bhindi (Okra) Masala recipe: > > Now you can put whatever spices you like in the inside of each bhindi. I just put down my mix. > What i do is usually buy a pound of bhindi. I cut off the heads and the tails and then wash them. > > You’ll need: > > one onion > 3-4 cloves of garlic > 1 tsp ginger > OR you can skip both of the above and use 1 tblsp ginger garlic paste > 1 tblsp coriander > 1 tsp cumin seeds > 1 tsp garam masala > 1 tsp cumin > 1/4 tsp haldi, or turmeric > 1 tsp salt (or less) > 1 tsp chili pepper or cayenne pepper (you can skip this one) > oil > > Mix all your powders together (coriander, cumin, garam masala, salt, haldi). Slice lengthwise down each bhindi (this is the lengthy part of the process) and stuff each bhindi with the spice mix with a spoon. Set aside. > Cut the onion into long thin strips. Set aside. > Add oil to a pan. Add cumin seeds and heat until they sputter. Add the onions and the ginger garlic paste, OR the ginger and garlic. Fry until golden brown. > Add the Bhindi. Any leftover spices you have from stuffing the bhindi, add as well. Lower heat to medium. Stir frequently so the bhindi doesn’t stick. Keep frying until bhindi are soft. > Remove from pan and enjoy with naan or rotis or other flatbread! Thank you, that sounds fantastic! ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220/55 "2012-10-11T01:15:45Z")
Since no one likes it but me, it would have to be hominy. I love the stuff. It’s stupid-simple, and one of my guilty pleasures. I open a can, drain it, plop it into a skillet, and fry it up in some butter, a nice splattering of a good hot sauce, and LOTS of freshly ground black pepper. That’s it. Mine. _ALL_ mine! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220/56 "2012-10-11T03:33:36Z")
Meatloaf. Because it doesn’t pay to cook for one person, and my girlfriend doesn’t really like it. ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220/57 "2012-10-11T03:34:26Z")
Sardines. The big kind with the bones still in them, packed in water. I either just fork them out onto a plate and eat them with Crystal hot sauce or I mash them with mayo and spices to make sardine salad. The cat gets the sardine water - she’s the only one who can stand the smell with me. ---
**Author:** ![Proudest\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/proudest_monkey/32/13257_2.png) [@Proudest\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Proudest_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220/58 "2012-10-11T23:01:17Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Liver and lima beans. That was my answer! My brain is boggled that someone else is preparing the same yummy solo feast. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220/59 "2012-10-12T07:43:25Z")
Last night I cooked up a big batch of spaghetti meat sauce, and froze most of it in single serving portions. I don’t like spaghetti sauce unless it’s part of a cheesy pasta (lasagna or such), but my husband loves it. So that’s what HE has if he eats alone at home. He’d probably eat some sort of pasta about five days a week if I cooked it for him. I cook up hamburger meat, onions, bell pepper, and mushrooms. And garlic. Then I drain this stuff. I take out my portion, and return the rest to the skillet and add a jar of commercially made spaghetti sauce. This is the way that Bill likes it. I eat my portion with rice, or a slice of bread, or just plain. Because that’s the way I like it. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220/60 "2012-10-12T22:32:06Z")
Hominy and spinach are good. I also love to chow down on canned sweet potatoes. I also like making soup with mixed veggies and soy sauce–it tastes like a meaty stew. I’ll throw in a (rather bland pre-cooked) boneless chicken breast from the freezer if I need protein. Yeah, it’s nothing fancy, but I’m still learning. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-people-you-cook-for-dine-with-wont-be-home-what-do-you-make-just-for-you/637220.md?page=4)