When you are cooking for only yourself...

[Monkeyleg]

Depends on mood and time. Tonight I had cookies and milk (because I'm a grown-up and I can), last night I had bacon and a glass of chocolate milk. The night before that, I made chili relenos, rice, and guacamole salad.

That's hilarious! I don't know why, but it just is.

[zxcvbob]

Wife almost never eats what I cook, and kid is in college.  So if I cook it, it's just me and the dogs gonna eat it.  I *like* to cook, but usually save that for the weekend when I have more time.  During the week, it's likely to just be a tortilla with cheese and or canned refried beans.  Or steam some broccoli crowns.  Or every once it a while a pizza if I mix the dough the night before.  In any case, it needs to be ready to eat in about 15 minutes.  (yes, homemade pizza is that fast)

Weekends I'll make casseroles, or 3 or 4 quart pots of soup or chili, or a roast... or just about anything else.  A pot of soup lasts me for several days; I take it to work for lunches.  After eating lasagna for a couple of days, I cut the rest into single servings and freeze it for later.

[AJ Dual]

Lazy cooking?  If it's carb-restricted, I'll toss some ground turkey in the saute pan until it's browned. Add a little sesame oil, a few tbsp of lemon juice, cumin, chili, salt, pepper, garlic and some roast peanuts, and a tablespoon of unsweetened natural peanut butter.

Kind of tastes like an ersatz Thai dish.

[Monkeyleg]

For about a year, I made home made pizza every Saturday night. I made a croissant dough, which meant starting the crust on Thursday night. Come Saturday night it would take me about an hour to put things together, but it was really, really good. I had to get a lot of the fixin's at an Italian grocery store on the east side of Milwaukee, which added another 45 minutes or so to the project.

[MrsSmith]

Glad I could make you smile Monkeyleg!

I LOVE home made pizza. In fact, I can't even recall the last time I ordered pizza, because it's never as good as mine. (There was a small local chain in STL called Elicia's Pizza that was pretty good, but Fistful or Bogie would have to fill me in on how they rate these days.) I haven't made one in ages and will have to put the ingredients on the grocery list. And perfect for my life these days, I can have dinner the night I make it, and lunches to take to work several days after.

Never considered croissant dough for the crust, that sounds exceedingly yummy - thanks for the idea!

[Monkeyleg]

Mrs. Smith, I got the idea for croissant dough from a pizza shop in a tiny town in Iowa. They had a Hawaiian pizza, which was terrible. But the crust was a flaky croissant style.

You start by rolling out your dough, spreading lard over it, then folding it several times before putting it in the freezer. The next night you take it out, thaw, press it out again, spread lard, then fold it several times and freeze.

I made the tomato sauce from scratch using a certain type of Italian tomatoes (forget the name) that are really sweet and delicious. I'd saute the mushrooms, and use mozzarella cheese that I'd aged myself. I'd use prosciutto, pepperoni and another meat (I'd change the third from one week to the next).

I'd start the crust first until it had risen, then brush the top with whipped egg white and broil it. This put a glaze over the top that kept the sauce and other juices from seeping into the crust and ruining the croissant flakiness.

I think I was a little obsessive.

[zxcvbob]

Another thing that I make sometimes is stirfried... whatever.  Usually start with a *little* bit of sausage, or sometimes just a squirt of oil.  A whole chopped onion, frozen french-cut green beans, some chopped peppers if I have 'em, garlic, and something cabbagey.  When the vegetables are done, add some Sriracha and cook that, a handful of peanuts, red pepper flakes, and either leftover brown rice or soaked cellophane noodles.  This goes together really fast.

[MrsSmith]

Mrs. Smith, I got the idea for croissant dough from a pizza shop in a tiny town in Iowa. They had a Hawaiian pizza, which was terrible. But the crust was a flaky croissant style.

You start by rolling out your dough, spreading lard over it, then folding it several times before putting it in the freezer. The next night you take it out, thaw, press it out again, spread lard, then fold it several times and freeze.

I made the tomato sauce from scratch using a certain type of Italian tomatoes (forget the name) that are really sweet and delicious. I'd saute the mushrooms, and use mozzarella cheese that I'd aged myself. I'd use prosciutto, pepperoni and another meat (I'd change the third from one week to the next).

I'd start the crust first until it had risen, then brush the top with whipped egg white and broil it. This put a glaze over the top that kept the sauce and other juices from seeping into the crust and ruining the croissant flakiness.

I think I was a little obsessive.

Yes, but since I've never used a recipe without altering it, I would alter this one by using Pillsbury Crescent dough. :D   

You just cringed, didn't you?

[Neemi]

You just cringed, didn't you?

Sure did.

I don't cook for just myself very often unless the kids convince me that gold fish crackers are a meal. 

That crescent roll dough - wrap it around hot dogs, cook it, and it's a fun variation to hot dogs.

[Monkeyleg]

Mrs. Smith is walking, talking proof of the age-old verdict that men are better cooks.

[MrsSmith]

I do my very best to help perpetuate that theory. Food is sometimes more enjoyable when prepared by someone else. 

[280plus]

I do my very best to help perpetuate that theory. Food is sometimes more enjoyable when prepared by someone else. 

Seems similar to the idea that I just don't do a good enough job on the lawn.

[Monkeyleg]

You're supposed to cut the grass, not eat it.

[Brad Johnson]

Can of SPAM.
Jar of mayonnaise.
Tube of crackers.

Brad

[280plus]

You're supposed to cut the grass, not eat it.

Whatever it takes...

[MrsSmith]

Seems similar to the idea that I just don't do a good enough job on the lawn.

I've heard of a couple men who've washed a red t-shirt with their SO's whites. It worked, they were forbidden to ever do laundry again.

[zxcvbob]

All my red T-shirts are colorfast :(

[Boomhauer]

All my red T-shirts are colorfast :(

The cheap red shop rags sold at Harbor Freight in the big bundles will do the trick for you. I still have some lightly pink undershirts thanks  to one that SOMEBODY left in their back pocket

[charby]

I used to cook a lot of food that made great leftovers: meatloaf, Chili, Ziti, Chicken Catatori, Red Beans and Rice, Cornbeef and Cabbage, etc. I'd cook usually twice a week and eat leftovers for the other nights. Breakfast was cereal, waffles or eggs. Work lunches were TV dinners or lunchmeat sandwiches. I also ate a lot more fruit and veggies when I was single because i would eat those with my leftover meals, it was easy to toss a frozen bag of veggies in the microwave or eat oranges or apples with the meal. Once a week I'd grill a steak or chop, of course this back when whole ribeyes could be bought for $2.99 a pound on sale.

I actaully ate better when I was single because my wife is a real picky eater.

[BlueStarLizzard]

The cheap red shop rags sold at Harbor Freight in the big bundles will do the trick for you. I still have some lightly pink undershirts thanks  to one that SOMEBODY left in their back pocket

It was me. I admit it.

(luckly there wasn't much in the load I did that could end up unintentionally pink)

[geronimotwo]

^^^^that leaves you wide open to litigation.

i'm a one pot kinda cook.  chili, pot roast, stew.  funny, i was just commenting on my mom's cooking, and mentioning how awesome her stews/soups are.  must've worn off on me.

[Bigjake]

Best thing about one pot cooking, is that it has several options as to what it can become.  What starts out as stew can just as easily be soup,  or instead of thickening with starch or a roux,  add rice.  No idea what that concoction is called but it IS tasty.  Adding Szechuan stir fry hot sauce just makes it that much better.

[280plus]

I'm a one potter myself. Start out with meat and onions and no telling where it will go from there. We each do our own laundry. In other words, the honeymoon is over.