OT Food for one

Well its like this after a day of being outside or in the shop working on a tractor all day you come home for supper and to get warm and call it a day. Now that the kids are gone (3 boys) and my wife is in KY taking care of her mother who needs help, So I have to cook for one now, ME! Lets face it you can only eat so many burgers and chili dogs and such before you cant stand them anymore and canned soup gets old quick too. And cooking for two is easy as most foods are set up for two but the same thing 2 days in a row get old quick if you know what I mean. So you have to get creative and think outside the box on what to fix and how to fix it. I don't want to spend hours cooking and cleaning up my mess cause lets face it men make a mess cooking! I admit it we do! So when I get home after a hard day I want something quick easy and not much to clean up. Sounds simple enough.

So hears a 10 min meal for one.
Now who doesn't like spaghetti and meat ball and garlic bread and a salad? Well I made it quick and easy, Hillbilly style (I am one). One small pan add hot water add 1 pack of Ramen noodles (don't add flavor pack) bring to quick boil. Put 4 or 5 frozen meat balls in the microwave to heat up (45 seconds) pull out cut them in half toss them back in for 30 seconds and there hot. Put 2 pieces of garlic bread in a skillet to cook (no sense of turning the oven on for 2 pieces). Noodles are done drain off water and add spaghetti sauce (from a jar and put remaining in the fridge) to the pan (as much or as little as you like), flip your garlic bread so it don't burn. Add the meat ball half's to the pan and let them simmer for a few mins to heat the sauce up. Turn the stove off take garlic bread out of skillet pour your spaghetti and meat balls on to a plate add the garlic bread and add the salad from the package (from the fridge) and your ready to eat. See quick and easy! 1 pan to wash 1 skillet to wipe out with a wet paper towel and 1 plate a fork to wash. And yes you made a home cooked meal, I guess. Quick and easy and hillbilly style.

So what ideas have you come up with when your by yourself but want something good and quick and home made? Don't tell me get carryout, BTDT it gets old. You know the like the stuff you like to eat but not that often. Bandit

I had that problem a year ago when the wife was in Virginia for going on two weeks. The microwave got a good workout making frozen dinners. When I'd get to the checkout,the shopping cart would be dripping from all the frost melting. lol

When I am on my own, I usually like having a box of "Tuna Helper" 1 box is the perfect meal for me...

Or, I go to the bay and catch a few nice bass and have them with some frozen French Fries.

Or I have a cheese Burger

Or the old stand by, cup of soup and a sandwich

(mom makes soup for dinner, and freezes the left overs in sour cream tubs... )

Just have to get a little creative I suppose...

Bryce

Done that since Oct 1st till the first of Feb when the boy moved back in. The wife is in WA state helping my daughter with her kids

My solution when I'd like to expedite the affair of preparing a meal for one, is anything on the BBQ grill, I use it all year anyway, so season up or marinate, whatever meats you like, prepare a side of potatoes, or something simple inside, grab a cold beer, fill the frozen glass and I am satisfied. Key for me is to make sure you have some flavor, so seasonings, marinades that are simple to use or make work well for me and what I prepare is not bland. Take something frozen out in the morning, leave in the fridge, its good for the evening. One does have to do some preparation and have a certain stock of things on hand, so that when you want something quick, its not hard to accomplish.

I'm not into cold cuts, so for as sandwich, thin boneless chicken strips with any kind of glaze, are done in less than 10 minutes on the grill, favorite bread/roll and or "fixins", side of chips or whatever, cold beverage as is customary for me, its simple and easy.

Venison frankfurters, quality product from a local pork store, made from my well trimmed venison, their pork, are the lazy mans out around here, straight from the freezer, up on the warming rack on the grill, low to mid range heat, 300-350 deg F, rotate them, chopped onion and other toppings, potato hot dog roll. 3 will satisfy, but 2 will get you through.

I have a habit of cleaning the dishes as I use them, most if not every time, they are clean and on the rack drying before I sit down to have the meal. I don't find it all that difficult to avoid making a mess in a kitchen, not a clean fanatic either, just don't like accumulation.

It can be time consuming to prepare a nice meal with a variety of things to go with the main dish, so one does have to appreciate anytime that happens, whether you do it or someone else does, thinking about all that goes into it, one must be thankful.

One of the reasons I have a small garden patch near my back door, is its relative location near my kitchen. I try to plant early, being on a spur or hill, I can do that and it pays off when all I have to do is walk out the back door to go produce shopping, and I will have a little of everything in there.

Breakfast for lunch. Fry up some eggs and bacon or French toast. Eggs also work on sandwiches. Sandwich spread is quick to make.
If you have more time make a small pizza.

In addition to what's been said, I use the crock pot a lot and divide up what ever I prepare into meal size containers and freeze them. Kinda try to keep a variety in the freezer.

I wouldn't have bothered to get a plate out. I would have dumped it into the frying pan and ate from that in front of the TV. HeHe.
Loren

Just the other night I fried up some ground beef. Sprinkled in some taco seasoning. Put it between two pieces of bread & Taco Sandwich.

Pasta salad with Italian salad dressing, polish sausage and grated parmesan cheese.

lasagna. Make it ahead of time and put it in the freezer. They go well from freezer to oven but take about 1 1/2 hour to cook so you may need to run into the house to start it cooking but its a hands off meal so you can come back when its almost done. Now, here is the part that makes it good for one person cooking: make up several when you make them and put them in a pan that you will eat in one sitting (unless you LIKE and WANT leftovers). They sell pans that are 1/2 and 1/4 size of a normal pan, buy a bunch, they are worth having around. Making more than one lasagna doesnt take much more time than one so make up a bunch when you do and freeze them. With small pans, you eat your meal right from the pan with only one dish to wash. Salad, french bread, lasagna, 7 beers... thats living...

Breakfast. Hashbrowns and eggs in a cast iron pan. When the browns are almost done, turn the heat down to med. When the pan is cooled a little, pile the browns on the side and crack the eggs. Watch em, they will cook fast. I do over easy so flip them earlier than normal. While they are only about half done, flip them again so they are free from the pan. Kill the heat and take the pan to the table. The pan is hot so it continues to cook the eggs. When the whites are done to your liking, put on top of the browns to keep them from over cooking the eggs. Hashbrowns, eggs over easy, toast and OJ or milk. Breakfast of champions. One dirty cast iron pan, wipe out. Wash spatula and fork, rince out glass for lunch.

Soups and stews. When you make your famous ________, make a huge batch and can what you know will be extra right away. I like chili with some elbow noodles in it so before I add the noodles, I put some of the extra right in jars and start the pressure canner. While thats doing its thing, I add noodles to what I will eat and have supper. By that time the canner is finished so turn it off, clean up dinner and the canner. Let the jars cool over night. When you want an easy meal, dump a jar in the pot, add noodles and eat 20 minutes later.

I think those are my best hints for easy meals with mininum prep and clean up.

I am with you Randy, My wifes been rehabbing from foot surgery since Jan. 2. Two pot pies and I am good to go!

Sounds like experimentation time to me. You open the cabinets, refridge, some of this, some of that, and next thing you know you know you're simmering spaghetti sauce with shredded meat from turkey thighs. It happens. And if it doesn't work out or add up, the dog will love you for it and think it's died and gone to heaven. Don't feed it too much spaghetti though, dogs are worse at controlling their farts than we are.

Mark

As a single guy I do a lot of cooking for one. I have no problem eating leftovers for a couple days so I tend to make a little extra to reheat. When the weather is good I love to use the grill, cook a few extra brats, chops, or whatever. I use the crockpot and make quite a few casseroles also. I don't care much for frozen dinners but always have some in the freezer for nights when I don't feel like putting much effort into supper.

I like the ideas you guys are coming up with and they sound good. Now I make a mean pot of chili that I don't mind eating for a couple days or beef or chicken stew, and good corn bread can be a meal by itself. But you know how it is sometimes you just want something new and different just to mix things up. After years of Meat loaf Monday and Taco Tuesday whatever Wednesday and leftover Thursday and Pizza Friday Grilled Saturday and Fried Chicken Sunday and now not having any of it well you kinda miss it for some reason. But I cook good enough that I'm not going to starve any time soon. So the easer and quicker I can have dinner made and cleaned up the better I like it. A man got to know his limitations! Bandit

I do similar deal with spaghetti but I'll nuke a chicken burger. For garlic bread ill just make toast butter it and shake on garlic powder. Low rent chicken parmeasean. I also eat a lot of grilled ham and cheese.

Oh Lordy, the redhead has been in North Carolina for a week and just flew back today. Me and the dogs had to get busy real quick to clean up all the dishes/stove/messes etc. She walked in this afternoon and looked around and asked where I had been gone to all week...she expected to find the usual mess waiting for her. Me and the chihuahua's got after it like Andy and Opie did when Aunt Bee had been gone for a week. :shock:

this topic is sad. You guys are all about being so self sufficient in so many ways but are really that bad at one of lifes real joys, GOOD food. I have been single off and on for most of my 58 years and have always been able to make nice food. Cooking is a skill like woodwork or mechanics. It takes no more trouble to cook for one than to cook for a crowd. We deserve real food.

I am perfectly happy when my wife is gone. I just go down to my local bar/pizza joint and see Ashley. she puts what I like in front of me.

My wife is a great cook and she enjoys it. I'm not about to step on her toes.

For a quick lunch, bowl of chicken noodle soup with instant potatoes, same bowl.

The old standby, grilled cheese and tomato soup.
Or.. 5 star meal, shrimp scampi. Toss a cup of pasta, rotelle in a pot to boil. 8 30 count cooked shrimp in 3Tsps butter to sauté in small cast iron skillet,2 cloves fresh garlic . 1/3 stick of butter in dish in MW for 45 seconds.
Drain don't rinse pasta, dump in shallow dish, cover with shrimp and melted butter, Season with medium garlic and Heavy coarse black pepper. 29 mins prep and cook time. ANd of course Sara Lee Garlic Bread.

any ground meat combo (roadkill) for a small aluminum pan meatloaf. Instant Mashed potatoes, frozen corn in butter and pepper, Gravy form the ML juice. 1 hr.

I was with you at the small pan and hot water but you lost me at Ramen noodles. My eyes glazed over after that. If I were you I'd just get a girlfriend (who knows how to cook) until your wife gets home. If she can clean, your wife may even ask her to check in on you while she's gone. What could go wrong?

I always "think outside the box", that's where the instructions are printed. LOL My son has been alone for almost two years and he uses his crock pot a lot, or weather permitting, use his grill. If he doesn't feel like the same thing two days in a row, he will freeze it for later. He especially does this with his grill. He will do a brisket or ribs, etc. and freeze enough for two or three meals later.

I value my life more than my tummy (I could stand to loose some weight) and doo not want to face the wrath that would come from doing something so foolish! I would rather poke a giant sleeping grizzly bear with the hottest cattle prod than to do that! Life is good and for the first time in years the house is quite and I am enjoying it while it lasts. Besides I married HER for a reason! Bandit

Brings to mind the Jerry Reed song about how he got married because he got tired of eating bologna sandwiches. After she divorced him, she got the gold mine and he got the shaft! He then had to work two shifts to pay the alimony and back to eating bologna sandwiches, asking himself why he didn't just learn how to cook?

Since I do all the cooking anyway, it's really no bother when the wife is gone. (Though I sometimes take the opportunity to cook stuff SHE doesn't like. Maybe liver and onions.) Or I'll get real experimental and if it turns out ok, I'll put it into our normal rotation. Generally speaking, I try and cook stuff correctly, i.e. don't try the "hillbilly" substitutes spoken of earlier. :lol:

Wife, on the other hand, will eat scrambled eggs or popcorn for dinner if I'm not around. If she's REALLY not motivated even for that, it's cheese and crackers. Sliced cheese at that. If it's cheese that has to be cut up, no way. :roll:

I have always been able to cook so no problem there. Just wanted to share and receive some new ideas for cooking for one. I don't want to loose all my big boy toys so no girl friend for me. Happy wife = Happy life so I don't rock the boat! Bandit

my wife suffers from severe chronic pancreatitus. This is she cant eat while her body adjusts the emzimes in her digestive tract. Usually 2 or 3 days. I am like you. I enjoy getting my work done even if it means working through meals. But when I finally get done I want to eat. I do lots of 1 pot meals. Mac Cheese, Goulash, but I can throw together a crap on the shingle real quick. Burger seasoned to taste cooked up. Add cream soup of choice, heat and serve over toast,noodles,tators ect. Wifes favorite is grilled sandwitches. I also don't mind mac and tomato juice and add chopped hotdogs. We have Kogels in MI which is a severe blessing. Hot rice with some milk, butter and touch of sugar or seasonings. Good for any meal. I also do cornbread heated with milk and honey as a light meal. Good luck. Good news is there isn't anyone there saying I don't like that!!