Any suggestions? Tips? Recipes? Lately I've just been cooking and then eating leftovers for days, because of the grocery shopping for one hassle.

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

Answers

Seriously, y'all. I need all the cooking help I can get.

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

I've been using my new George Foreman grill for one, and it's a bit of a pain (a burger that came out more like charred beef teriyaki), but I'm hoping we'll learn to work together.

I've also done the eat-leftovers-for-days thing. I bought a pepper that's supposed to go into yet another rendition of black beans & rice. I don't think I can eat black beans & rice again, even with T's excellent suggestions. Years from now I will remember 2001 as the Year of Mass Tragedy and Black Beans & Rice.

Please tell me what to do with my lonely green pepper.

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

I put extra green pepper on turkey sandwiches, when I remember to pack a lunch for school.

The Foreman is great for quesadillas, which you can also but green pepper in! I'm fairly quesadilla-d out, myself, though.

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

Eating for one? What I used to do is make something that's versatile, like spaghetti sauce, and use it in lots of stuff. Spaghetti (duh), on grilled chicken, stuff like that.

Also, when you get home from the grocery store, separate your meats into single portion sizes. I would individually wrap all of the chicken up, and put the ground beef into half pound little packages and keep them in the freezer. I found that if I cooked an entire pound of ground beef, most of it would go to waste because I didn't eat the whole thing. And you get one serving out of them that way, so you can move on to something new the next day.

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

The Foreman is great for quesadillas,

That rocks. What, you just grill the chicken and veggies on the grill and transfer them to the tortilla? Or do you put the whole thing on the grill?

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

I saute my chicken and veggies in a frying pan, then put them in a tortilla with cheese, fold it over, and stick it in the Foreman. So easy.

And I'm all about freezing meat, too. Of course, I've had 4 bags of ground beef in my freezer since god knows when. Thank goodness for the superbowl- I can use it in my cheese dip.

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

Egg noodles. I just dump in however much I think I'll eat, heat them, and serve them hot and naked (just butter and a little garlic) or with mounds and mounds of cheddar cheese. Simple, unhealthy, and easily adjustable.

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

I saute my chicken and veggies in a frying pan, then put them in a tortilla with cheese, fold it over, and stick it in the Foreman.

For how long?

That rocks! I may try that tomorrow.

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

Until the chicken is done. If it's chopped, it really doesn't take too long at all. Five minutes, tops.

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

I use leftover pasta and sauce and cook up some bacon with a small onion and green pepper, and viola!

AB taught me that one.

I eat crazy things for food by myself: an orange with yogurt and honey, Lean Cuisines, bacon and eggs with Simply Potatoes...but mostly it's Lean Cuisine.

Today I cooked up a box of sour cream and potato pierogies (boiled for about 5 minutes) and then baked them with a can of cream of celery soup, a box of frozen spinach (thawed in the microwave), and topped with mozzarella cheese. It looks like I'll have about two days of leftovers from it.

What I really need to do is buy some of those disposable Ziplock containers so I can just freeze the casserole stuff that I know will have leftovers.

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

frozen dinners ;) plus, DIY egg mcmuffins are good (fry up an egg and toast an english muffin; instant food! I guess if you want meat you can fry some of that up too but I don't eat much meat) ...had one of those tonight.

pasta - always tasty. angelhair w/parmesian cheese and some veggies tossed on top. put however much ya want in the pan and then there won't be leftovers.

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2002

I like to make chicken salad with green peppers in it, I cook for two these days, but I used to make it when I cooked for one, put it in some of the tupperware I swiped from my mom, and eat it with crackers.

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2002

I'm on the pasta bandwagon -- but my issue is that I never make the right amount. I always make too much, and the leftovers seem kind of bland. Any tips for spicing it up?

Also, one thing I do is make a huge pot of chili, freeze it in individual-size tupperware things, and eat it over rice. Mmmm.

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2002

Leftover pasta + butter, salt, and pepper = Love.

Add parmesan cheese if you're feeling sassy.

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2002

People that live by themselves are supposed to cook? Shit. I figured that's why people bought the George Foreman Grill, so he would come over and talk to them while they ate.

Anyway, even though my coworkers make fun of me, I will make minute rice and then fry up some hamburger and cook it in cream of mushroom soup for a long time. It is comfort food of my childhood.

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2002

Oh, yeah, Mike reminded me of something: Leftover chili? Get tortilla chips and crunch them up in the bottom of the bowl. Then add the heated chili, and top with cheddar cheese with alternating dollops of 1000 Island dressing and sour cream, sprinkled with jalapenos.

But if you live in Maryland/Virginia/DC, go to Giant and get a cup of their chili and make a salad from the salad bar, then crunch the chips, etc. I don't know what it is about their chili, but I'm addicted to it.

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2002

Um, I always add Fritos to my leftover chili. And cheese and sour cream.

Of course, I do that with my non-leftover chili, usually.

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2002

Frito chili pie is one of my all time favorite comfort foods. Sadly, Partner makes the world's greatest chili, so adding Fritos just isn't right. I have to score Wendy's chili for my Fritos.

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2002

Besides chili, what foods are easy to make in bulk, freeze in smaller portions and reheat?

Also, any tips for microwaving leftover pasta? How long do y'all reheat it? What power level?

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2002

Pastitsio (did I spell that right? Um...) and baked ziti freeze really well.

When I reheat pasta, I always make sure to cover it first and throw in a tiny bit of butter, cook it on 80% for about 3 minutes, and viola!

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2002

Here is a recipe for pastitsio, for the curious.

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2002

I made homemade mac and cheese last night (Amanda Hesser's Grandmother's recipe- I must say I love the addition of ham and tomato, but need to figure out how to thicken the sauce next time)- and that microwaves wonderfully, as I am learning at lunch today.

Pastaroni, for the lazy, tastes BETTER after being refrigerated and microwaved.

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2002

When I reheat pasta, I always make sure to cover it first and throw in a tiny bit of butter, cook it on 80% for about 3 minutes, and viola!

Instead of butter, you can also spritz fairly liberally with water. You need to add either butter or water, because otherwise the oil in the sauce will break down and be nasty.

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2002

The best way to reheat anything is by stovetop rather than by microwave. It takes longer, but your food will be ever so much better. Especially reheated pizza. I don't know what magic happens in the frying pan on the stove top, but that pizza reheated is better than fresh.

And it's the only way to reheat Chinese.

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2002

You know, I have never reheated Chinese that way, but I totally am going to try that. Because I cannot stand the microwaved reheat of Chinese food.

We have the best Chinese place ever - Hong Li on Collier Road - and I feel I am dishonoring them every time I put their leftovers in the microwave.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002

Al, just throw everything in the frying pan together, dribble a couple of tablespoons of water over the rice if you are reheating that, and cover. Heat on just-above-low. It takes awhile, but I swear it's better than when you ate it the first time.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002

I love all this reheating talk, as it's the only kind of cooking I do. Unless you count mac and cheese and eggs, which I don't.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002

I'm also enjoying the reheating talk. I've become a stove-top reheater myself, since the quality is definately superior. I'd never thought of doing pizza that way, however.

Since the Buffy with killer robot dad guy from 3's company, I've wanted to try reheating pizza with a little olive oil and some herbs, just like the mini pizzas. It will take some time to get right, but I'm willing to go through the many trials, in the name of science and for the betterment of all mankind.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002

Fred, you know we look to you for all food trials. Since the fried hamburger, we consider you the resident expert on all scientific food experiments.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002

About that lonely green pepper. Saute it in a pan with onion and maybe some bacon pieces. Add chopped fresh mushrooms if you like. Add whipped eggs to make a killer omelet. Add fillers of choice; salsa, ham, jalapenos, cheese, whatevah. If you use egg whites, and fill with salsa, we're talking about a nearly fatfree meal. And Mike, if you fire up the Foreman, just make extra of whatever you're having and save for leftovers later. Grilled chicken freezes really well, as do burgers. Eggs, not so much. Ew. I don't use the freezer for leftovers much, as I tend to forget about them. I do keep my fridge VERY cold, though, so leftovers have a long shelf life.

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2002

I've forgotten what a bounty Trader Joe's can be to the single chef. The cheap bag of individual frozen chicken breasts. The 99cent bag of frozen red, green and yellow pepper strips.

And, of course, the Coppola wine selection.

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

Hannah - have you ever had the chocolate covered raisins from Trader Joe's? I swear the raisins are the size of grapes - they totally rock. And the Brie in Pastry is great to keep in the freezer in case of unexpected guests - it's cheap too!

Mike - another good chili suggestion - from my food invention file. I make Cheddar Chili Grilled Sandwiches. I usually use sourdough bread for its hearty nature and put cheddar on each side with a pocket of chili in the middle. Cook on stovetop like a regular grilled cheese. Also, that new Pasta No-Bake stuff works really well (although you really could do it with just regular spaghetti sauce and extra water). But anyway, I usually add in either shredded chicken or ground beef or sometimes even sausage. It is excellent for leftovers and you can make as big or small of a casserole as you want. Just adjust the sauce, noodles and water according to package directions.

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2002

I totally hate raisins, or I would.

Y'all? Does it get better than a pork chop, with a bit of salt, a little Tony Chachere's, and plenty of fresh cracked black pepper on the Foreman? I think not.

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2002

The Foreman. I love that name. I will now only refer to it as "The Foreman."

And what is Tony Cachere? (Pardon the spelling. Or lack thereof.)

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2002

Get thee to http://www.cajunspice.com/ stat, girl. You'll never use just salt again.

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2002

I prefer to call it "The George," myself. I think it sounds more distinguished, as a grill of this caliber should be.

Tony's is the thing you put on all your food. Learn it, live it, love it. Find it here.

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2002

Ah, I love the Tony Chachere's. I'm trying to think of something I don't put it on, but the only thing that comes to mind is ice cream. And really, I'd probably try that.

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2002

Tony Chachere's, Ro-Tel, and Trader Joe's Garlic Olive Oil are seriously the three things my kitchen could never, ever live without.

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2002

Okay, y'all have taken me to the breaking point...got to get me some Tony Chachere's! I am on the website and don't know what I am supposed to be getting...is it the Tony's in the Can?

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2002

Yeah, the green can.

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2002

And for the love of God, Dawn, please don't purchase that wussy "low- salt" version. Shit ain't right.

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2002

Actually, AB, I was hoping they had an extra salt version...just joshing. I cannot wait to use this stuff...we live and die by Crystal Hot Sauce in my house!

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2002

Can I tell you much I wish they sold this in my area - I had to pay $5 for shipping & handling of a $3.95 can of Tony's!

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2002

It just occurred to me offer this advice for delish and healthy cooking for one or two (or more). Reynolds. An excellent recipe site for quick meals.

The things you can do with aluminum foil.

-- Anonymous, March 13, 2002

Word on the "low-salt" Tony's. It tastes like ass. I used the stuff once and never will touch it again.

Here's what I made for dinner last night (after deciding that I would not allow Pringles and V-8 to be a real meal yet again) - the whole process was ten minutes, tops:

Sautéed a chicken breast while I boiled penne. Diced the chicken, drained the penne (not even into a colander, folks, just right out the pan). Poured half a cup of the Ragu light alfredo sauce directly onto the hot pasta, tossed with the chicken.

My mother is looking down from heaven and crying, but it was fast, filling, and reasonably healthy.

-- Anonymous, March 13, 2002

Well, maybe you thought she was crying, but those weren't tears, it was her salivating at the thought of your delicious dish.

-- Anonymous, March 13, 2002

I recently started making a really easy veggie pasta dish. Take one or more of you favorite veggies and cook in a couple tablespoons of olive oil along with some garlic. At the same time boil some pasta. Add the pasta to the cooked veggies and toss through, adding more olive oil, if need be. Serve with some fresh grated parmesan cheese.

It's really easy and quite tasty.

-- Anonymous, March 13, 2002

Oooh, the MOC (yum, by the way!) reminded me -- I did add some fresh parmesan to the penne. There goes "reasonably healthy."

I need to endorse the Rago light alfredo. Jar alfredos (alfredoES?) are going to taste assy pretty much anyway, but take out half the fat? You'd think it would be like fat-free ranch or Diet Caffeine- Free Coke... i.e. worthless. This stuff really isn't too shabby though.

Y'all. AB is the sweetest thing, isn't she? I mean, who else can comfort a girl and still put an image of one's dead mama drooling on them from parts celestial?

-- Anonymous, March 13, 2002

I make you imagine dead drooling heavenly mamas because I love you.

-- Anonymous, March 13, 2002

The MOC needs to share his recipe for Crazy MOC Beef Stew. (You have to call it that, because he totally made it up on the spot.)

It was SOOOO good!

-- Anonymous, March 13, 2002