Freezer Power!

Cooking for one has it challenges, like breaking down recipes into portions for one. How do you split an egg in fourths? What am I supposed to do with the other half of this a can of diced tomatoes? How do I go through a whole loaf of bread before it goes stale or gets moldy? What am I going to do with the rest of this tofu block?

On top of all of that, some recipes aren't worth the time to cook just one portion - Shepherd's pie? Lasagna? Single Serving Homemade Soup? Forget about it. And unless I want to eat on a whole quiche morning, noon and night, that recipe is out the question.

But enter - Freezer Power. One of the challenges of living in a studio apartment was being freezer-less. No grab-and-nuke meals. No easy Trader Joe's dinners. No frozen vegetables. Not even ice.

But like many things, when you do without, you learn work-arounds. You get used to it. So although I've been in my new place for two months, I've just now rediscovered the power of my freezer. With the food-saving, air-chilling power of an ice box, you can cook in quantity and save it for later - making it easier to cook recipes meant for a larger guest list or keep your fridge stocked of ready-to-go meals when you are tired, lazy, down to the last of your groceries and out of a coherent pantry to make a meal, or simply on the run.

This week alone, I've cooked quinoa burger patties and taco casserole putting my spare servings in the freezer. Healthy, homemade breakfast in a hurry? No problem - grab some frozen homemade waffles or breakfast burritos. Rushing out the door to work and need lunch? How about some of those enchiladas from last week? Cooking a recipe that serves 4? Why would I pause?

Ahhh ... the difference a freezer makes.

The Butcher, The Baker, The Bulk Bin Taker ... Grocery Shopping for One

Figuring out portions for one can be difficult.   Recipes are often written for 2- or 4- or even 6-servings or greater.  Sometimes, a little math can easily adjust the recipe down to a single serving; but sometimes - as with baking - it is not quite that simple.  And shopping for one is often no easier.

Besides frozen TV dinners, many grocery items don't come packaged for one.  Think about a loaf of bread, a head of cauliflower, a can of beans, or a carton of eggs.  Many of these go bad before a single person can consume the whole package.  So cooking - and grocery shopping - for one takes a few tweaks.  Here's a few simple tips that I have found to get by:

• Make friends with the butcher.  Prior to the Single Life, I rarely bought meat or seafood directly from the Butcher counter in the grocery store, opting instead for the pre-packaged protein from the Meat Department.  But the pre-packaged meats are usually portioned for two adults or a family.  When one buys from the Butcher counter, you can specify exactly how much you want. I can pick up 1 chicken breast, or 1 filet of fish, or 1/4-lb of ground beef.  It felt a little silly at first - asking the butcher for such a small portion - but believe me, in the end, this has saved me so much money and food waste.  Similarly, I do the same with dry food items ...
  
• Buy in bulk.  Ok, so maybe not "buy in bulk," but shop in the bulk section.  When I need 3/4 cup of arborio rice for a risotto recipe, I go straight to the bulk section.  Or when I need 1 cup of flour, why should I buy a 5-lb bag that is going to eat up my cupboard space for the next year? I can get exactly the amount I need when I shop in bulk.
  
• Buy less produce, but more often.  I have found that in my mini-fridge produce just doesn't keep for very long.  It wilts;  it gets soft; and it quickly loses its appeal.  Instead, I have found that visiting the grocery store every 2-3 days to pick up a smaller amount of fresh produce is a much better way of keeping appealing looking fruit and veg in my kitchen.
  
• Reverse engineer your recipes.  Also, when I am disciplined, I select a recipe first and then go to the store to get the fresh ingredients.  This works much better than trying to work the equation the other way around.
  
• Learn the Single Serving Substitutes.  Some produce just works better in the single kitchen than others.  I have learned to substitute most tomatoes with cherry tomatoes, which last longer and don't leave me hanging with a half-cut tomato in my fridge.  I will often substitute a shallot for an onion.  And I frequently buy loose spinach instead of a whole head of lettuce.
  
• Share with friends.  Just because you are single doesn't mean that you can't ever make cookies!  When I find myself craving a recipe that is just too hard to cut down, such as scones or a batch of cookies, I bake the whole batch and share it with friends (or neighbors!).
  
• And remember, sometimes, it's worth it to pay someone else to cook it.  Some recipes with rarely-used or hard-to-find-in-single-serving ingredients are just not worth making at home.  I have found that purchasing curry paste to make Thai curry at home isn't worth it.  Or buying a watermelon to make a watermelon-heirloom-tomato salad isn't worth it.  So when I'm craving it, I just dine out. 

Portobello Mushroom Ravioli in a Shitaki Basil Cream Sauce

Few things more enjoyable than good wine, good food and good company - except perhaps having all three together. For my first dinner party back in a full kitchen, I choose a few of my favorite ladies, a Clos Du Bois Chardonnay and Portobello Mushroom Ravioli in a Shitaki Basil Cream Sauce. Pretty amazing combination.

Ingredients:
24 oz. mushroom ravioli
2 T butter
8 oz shitaki mushrooms (sliced)
3 green onions (chopped)
2 garlic cloves
1/2 t dried oregano
1/4 t dried basil
1/4 t dried thyme
1 can diced tomatoes (drained)
2 T fresh basil
1 c whipping cream
1/2 c parmesean chesse (grated)
1/2 t salt


Directions:

Heat water in pot and bring to boil. Add ravioli to boiling water and cook per instructions.

While ravioli is cooking, melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, green onion, garlic and seasonings to butter. Saute until mushrooms are tender.

Stir in diced tomatoes, basil and cream. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Add Parmesan cheese and salt. Remove from heat.

Drain ravioli when cooked. Add to sauce. Tossing to coat.

Served Best With: White Wine, Salad, Fresh Bread.

Hand Baskets Be Gone

Shopping with a real cart feels so good ... Now that I have some place to put it all!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Moving Day

Today marks a big day for Spice and the Single Girl. It's moving day. I am leaving my studio apartment and graduating to a one-bedroom complete with full kitchen.

The past 14 months have been full of challenges, laughs, frustrations, imagination, experiments, explosions, love, good - and occasionally not so good - food. While it is hard to say that I'll miss my kitchenette, I can honestly say I have savored the adventure.

Goodbye 68" x 60" kitchenette. Goodbye hot plate. Goodbye mini fridge. Goodbye toaster oven.

Hello, Gas Oven ... Letting the cooking commence.

Today included a special trip to a used bookstore.  And what would be a trip to the bookstore without a scan of the cookbook section?  Well, I was absolutely tickled by a few of the titles I ran across.  I suppose if there is a blog about cooking for one with a toaster oven and a hot plate, a cookbook on microwave cooking or can opener gourmet, shouldn't be a stretch, right?

Dude Food
If It Doesn't Pan Out
Don't Try This at Home
The Fannie Farmer Cookbook
A Man, A Can, A Microwave
The Radiation Cookery Book
Can Opener Gourmet
Madame Wu's Art of Chinese Cooking
The Working Stiff Cookbook
The Hangover Handbook

The Single Girl in Spain

Hola, mi amigos! The Single Girl has gone trans-Atlantic. I've been in Spain for the past week or so and staying in an apartment in the center of Madrid. Stay tuned for adventures in eating and cooking for one - in a place where I don't know the lay of the land or the language!