Cooking for One

Written Monday, April 19th, 2010 by Anne Coleman

As the mother of seven, I often find myself daydreaming about cooking just for me. Many nights I have to cook what everyone else likes and set my own wants aside. Conversely, folks who live alone get tired of eating alone. Here are some tips to help you along when you're dining solo.

1. Enjoy it! Coming from the viewpoint of one who has to cook what others want all the time, I look forward to days when I can cook something that I alone can enjoy. You can experiment to your heart's content and the only palate you'll be offending
if you flop is your own.

2. Fresh is best. We all know this one, but when it comes to cooking for one, fresh is more than just good for your health, it's also good for your wallet. Fresh veggies and fruit that can be bought a piece at a time are perfect for one person. Often a can of food isn't used by one before it goes bad and fresh food is the perfect solution. It may cost more per ounce or pound, but food that goes bad before it can be consumed is a waste of money - period.

3. If you must buy more, learn to properly store the leftovers. Freezing is often the best option for canned goods that aren't eaten right away. Stow them in bags with one serving or small single-serving plastic containers that are freezer safe.

4. Buy in bulk - or at least from the bulk bins. A scoop of this or a scoop of that is far easier to manage for a single than bags and boxes meant for families. Check them out for things like nuts, legumes, grains and the like.

5. Don't let reipes for 4 or mor dissuade you. Make the recipe and portion it out then freeze the leftovers for quick weeknight meals anytime!

6. Use small appliances. A toaster oven is the perfect companion for one. It's just the right size to heat one or two meals and it's great for use in warmer months as it won't heat up the house like a full oven.

7. Plan leftovers. Make a full an of beans knowing you'll be using the extra in a burrito, or chop a full tomato so you have the leftover on-hand the next morning for an omelet. Thinking ahead saves wasted food and provides a lot more variety.

8. Buy appropriate sized containers. The perfect single-serve dessert fits into a standard ramekin and goes from freezer to oven easily.

9. Eat with friends - even when they're not in the same room! Grab your laptop and converse away with friends on Facebook, FriedEggs or Twitter while you're having dinner, or turn on a favorite movie for dinner theater.

10. Eggs. Yep, the perfect little natural single-serve food! The possibilities for eggs are endless, too so you'll have lots of recipes to choose from.

I made this for myself recently and it was so good I just had to share.

Shrimp and Veggies for One
Ready in 15 minutes
Serves: 1

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup fresh-frozen green beans
1/2 cup red, yellow and orange pepper strips
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup white wine
6 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat.
Toss in green beans, peppers and garlic. Stir-fry until veggies start to soften slightly.
Add wine and cook until simmering. Toss in shrimp and over with a lid. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Don't Throw That Away!

Written Monday, April 12th, 2010 by Anne Coleman

I'm sure we've all heard our own mother's at one point chiding us for throwing away something that they felt was useful. I know I did and I know that I do it myself to my own kids.

I've never lived through a depression the likes of the one the U.S. went through in the 1930s, but our family has had its share of lean times. My grandparents all lived through the depression and worse and came away well despite their losses. I think most people have an inner strength that helps pull them through those times along with a dose of common sense and tips & tricks taught to them by their parents and grandparents.

Here is my own list of what to hang on to ... you know, just in case:

1. Bread - When we get to the end of a loaf of bread or have leftover ends, I toss them in a freezer bag and keep them there for all sorts of yummy dishes: strata, bread pudding, bread crumbs and croutons are a few ideas.

2. Egg shells - Add to compost or around the base of plants you want to keep worms and slugs away from. The shells are harsh and damaging to soft, slimy critters. Use half an egg shell to plant seedlings in. You can always add them to your coffee grinds, but I've never found a real difference in the flavor of our coffee when using them. Make sidewalk chalk from them: http://www.make-stuff.com/kids/eggshell_chalk.html

3. Vegetable bits - I keep even small half and quarter cupfuls of vegetables for all manner of things: soup, fritters, stews, Shepherd's Pie and salads. A little bit goes a long way!

4. Bacon grease - I remember my mom saving up her bacon grease in a tin can on the stove. Once it was full she would discard it, but I've learned to save bacon grease and keep it fresh in the freezer. I add it to soups, stews, green beans, refried beans and cornbread to name a few things. The extra flavor without the extra cost of real bacon stretches your budget well.

5. Pieces of soap - We don't throw soap away here or mama gets real mad. I bind them all together in the end of a clean nylon stocking foot (another thing to keep!) and tie it close to the soap bundle. hang this near outside spigots to make cleaning your hands after gardening a real breeze. I also sometimes gather the soap scraps and put them in a pump-type soap dispenser. Add water and let it sit for a few days to make your own liquid hand soap.

6. Old stockings or pantyhose (see above) - Keep these around to use for netting (wrap around a wire hanger), to tie your tomato plants to the stake (they're easy on the stalk) or to make dolls with - remember the original Cabbage Patch dolls? Cut the legs into one-inch strips to make instant hair ties that won't damage your tresses.

7. Cheese and meat ends - Some of the best sandwich spreads I've had have been cheese, meat, may and relish tossed into a blender and whirred into velvety smoothness. Keep cheese bits to make homemade mac & cheese with and you'll be surprised at the flavor combinations you can come up with.

8. Gravy - Pop it into the freezer and you have instant flavoring for soups and stews or a quick meal when paired with ground beef or chunks of leftover meat or poultry and served on toast, biscuits or rice. Now is a good time to add in those little bits of veggies, too!

9. You name it! Let me know what your favorite thing to save is and let's see just how long we can make this list.

Post Spring Holiday Meals

Written Monday, April 5th, 2010 by Anne Coleman

Everyone I know had one thing or another to celebrate this past weekend and with each celebration came a large holiday meal. For my family the celebration was Easter and there are now two things in my refrigerator in leftover abundance: eggs and ham.

Now, putting the two together sounds yummy, but hard-boiled eggs and cooked ham aren't exactly the eggs and ham I like.  So, with some interaction here, I'm hoping for an idea or two to put both to good use.

I'm betting that I'll be making deviled eggs. I had one child begging me to make them yesterday during our dinner. I flat-out refused and she pouted. I'll do it today, for sure - because we both love them - and maybe I'll make creamed eggs on toast, but I'm not sure the same-old-same old is what I'm looking for today.

The ham? Well, it was a spiral cut, so it'll make sandwiches galore, but again, that's the usual and even ham salad is sounding boring to me. So, here's the question: What are you making with your leftovers this year?

Corned Beef Hash

Written Thursday, March 18th, 2010 by Anne Coleman

The day after St. Patrick's Day in our home is always a hash day.  Our heritage is deep with Irish roots and there wouldn't be a St. Paddy's Day without corned beef and cabbage. Even with 9 of us, we still wind up with leftovers and I look forward to it. My favorite is hash in the morning topped with an egg - and there are only a few of the others that don't like day-old corned beef. That's OK - it's just more for the rest of us.

This doesn't take much time at all, and once it's simmering, cook the eggs for the top and it will all come together at the right time. This amount is good for 4 to 6.

Corned Beef Hash

3 cups of corned beef - cubed
3 cups cooked potatoes - cubed
1 small onion - chopped
beef or other stock - as needed
1 egg per person - cooked as desired - optional

1. In a large skillet, cook onion in a small amount of oil until it begins to soften.
2. Add beef and potatoes and stir well. Cook until potatoes begin to brown and add enough stock to moisten.
3. Turn the heat to low, cover with a lid and let simmer while eggs are being cooked. If you're not making eggs, cook for about 10 minutes.
4. Remove lid and cook until liquid is evaporated. Salt and pepper to taste and serve topped with a cooked egg if desired.

Mix-n-Match Casseroles

Written Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 by Penny Hawkins

I'm a huge fan of any kind of casserole, after all, what's not to like? They're easy to put together, I usually have the ingredients on-hand in my pantry or fridge, and most of them use only one pot or pan (ok...two if you have to cook pasta or rice). So, unless you or someone in your family is one of those people who hate their food mixed together, or (yikes!) someone who hates the foods on their plate to touch each other, casseroles are just plain easy, delicious, and a busy cooks best friend! (No offense intended to the mixed-food-hating, no-food-on-the-plate touching people, you can't help how you feel...I just don't get it)

One of the things I love most about casseroles is that I can make them with whatever I have on-hand in the fridge and pantry, mixing and matching ingredients to build a casserole around my basic "formula" that I adapted from a recipe I found in my mother's recipe box. I do this so often, that over the years I've come up with a chart of sorts that helps me mix-n-match my ingredients based on what my family likes best.

The following chart gives you an idea of how you can mix-n-match pretty much whatever you have on-hand to create your own fabulous casserole. The rules are simple: make your base, choose 1 item each from the sauce, meat, veggie, and starch choices, combine with base, add anything you want  from the optional add-ins, top with your choice from the toppings selctions, and bake! That's it...one pot, no hassles, and you don't even have to cook the rice or pasta first. How easy is that? You can mix-n-match your own fabulous and delicious casserole tonight! Click on this Mix-n-Match Chart to get started (you can print it!).

Note: You can "plan" these casseroles ahead  by cooking extra meat and freezing or refrigerating it for later use. I often do that with ground beef or chicken, by cooking extra portions than freezing it in one lb. or one cup portions so I can grab-n-go!

Easy Hashbrown and Ham Casserole

Written Monday, December 28th, 2009 by Anne Coleman

After the feast, or feasts, of the Holiday season there are always leftovers. At our home this year we had turkey, but we often have a more traditional ham and there's never a shortage of ham left behind to use up. The usual here seems to be sandwiches and soups, but melding one of our favorite hashbrown recipes with our overabundance of pork product is a real crowd-pleaser.

Most hashbrown casseroles call for melted butter to be added, but with all that sour cream and cheese, I never feel the need for it. You can use lower fat dairy alternatives and this will still come out tasting fantastic. Just don't use the fat free cheese, it won't melt the same.

Easy Hashbrown and Ham Casserole

3 pounds frozen shredded hash browns
16 ounces sour cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sliced green onion
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
salt & pepper to taste
2 cups cubed cooked ham

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Empty hashbrowns into a large bowl.
Blend together sour cream and milk.
Pour over hashbrowns and add 1 1/2 cups Cheddar, onion, ham (if using) and salt and pepper.
Toss until well combined and pour into a well greased 9x13 baking dish.
Top with remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar and bake 30 minutes until bubbly and browned.