Cooking for One

* A few tips and ideas for boys who are moving out *

1. Pretty much any recipe can be divided in half and made like usual. That way, you have leftovers for another day or a lunch.

2. Keep some instant or frozen food on hand when you are too tired to cook. Things like: 

- pizza pops

- frozen taquitos or burritos

- frozen pizza

- box of macaroni & cheese

- cans of soup, chili or beans

- instant ramen noodles, like Mr. Noodles

 

3. Easy meal ideas that aren't totally instant:

 

- scrambled eggs and toast

- nachos

- BLT sandwiches: keep a loaf of bread in the freezer and a package of bacon, then all you need is the tomato and lettuce

- chicken sandwiches: keep chicken fingers in the freezer 

- pancakes, waffles or French toast (bread in the freezer comes in handy again)

- giant apple pancake

- chicken fingers and fries, baked or deep-fried

- potatoes (parmesan, savoury, or baked)

- skillet can be made any size: keep hashbrowns in the freezer 

- throwing a chicken breast or a piece of sausage in the oven with a potato or two is pretty easy, other than it having to bake for an hour. Bake it in a casserole dish with salt & pepper at 350. (Add a little water in the bottom if you do sausage.)

- pizza buns or pizza quesadilla

- any kind of wraps: quesadillas, crispy chicken wraps, etc.

- hot dogs or hamburgers: keep hamburger patties and buns in the freezer to use as needed.

- mini taco dips

- frozen potato products (fries, wedges, etc.) bake in about 30 minutes, so do smokies

Tomato Sauce

3-4 lbs. ripe tomatoes, about 10-12 large ones

diced onions

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. basil

1 T. sugar

1 T. parsley

1 tsp. salt

pepper

 

Peel and chop the tomatoes, add everything else. Bring to a boil and cook for about 30 minutes until sauce is reduced and thickened. Makes just over 2 cups of sauce. Freezes well.

 

I use frozen tomatoes to make this because they peel very easily. I thaw them about halfway, peel them, then chop them and cook the sauce. 

This sauce is very good served hot over pasta. It can also be used as pizza sauce, or in any recipe that calls for a can of diced tomatoes. I have also used it half and half with bought tomato sauce in lasagna.

Garlic Butter Chicken

2-3 chicken breasts

7-8 potatoes

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

salt & pepper

 

Cut the chicken into smaller pieces, 2-3 per breast. Peel and chop the potatoes. Place chicken and potatoes in a 9x13 pan and season with salt and pepper. Melt butter, add garlic powder and Italian seasoning and pour over top. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for an hour or until potatoes are done.

Cornmeal Pancakes

1 1/3 cups flour

2/3 cup cornmeal

2 T. sugar

1 tsp. salt

4 tsp. baking powder

2 eggs

1 1/3 cups milk

1/4 cup oil

Mix dry and wet ingredients separately, add wet to dry and whisk thoroughly. After the batter sits a few minutes, I usually add a wee bit more milk so it's not too thick.

Skillet

oil

frozen hashbrowns

diced onions

seasoning salt or Cajun seasoning

eggs

breakfast sausage or bacon, optional

Brown the hashbrowns in the oil until they are beginning to get brown. Sprinkle with seasoning and add the onions. Continue browning until hashbrowns are browner and onions are done. Crack eggs over top and scramble them into the hashbrowns (I do 4-5 eggs per frying pan). When the eggs are done on the bottom, flip the skillet in sections to cook the other side of the eggs.

 

Potato Corn Chowder

2 strips bacon

chopped onion

3 cups chicken broth

1/2 tsp. garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. thyme

pepper

4 potatoes, diced

3 cups corn

3/4 cup milk

2 T. cornstarch

Saute bacon and onion. Add spices, broth, potatoes and corn. Simmer 20 minutes until potatoes are done. Mix milk and cornstarch, add to soup. It should thicken up right away.

Creamy Pea Salad

4 cups frozen peas, thawed and drained

1/2 cup diced cheddar cheese

1/2 cup diced mozzarella cheese

1 medium onion, chopped very fine

1 cup mayo

salt & pepper

1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled (or substitute bacon bits)

Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Keep refrigerated.