Cesca is allergic to practically everything, so when I'm just cooking for me instead of for us I go slightly nuts with foods that she can't eat. The things I miss the most are generally things that are either spicy, or tomato based.
This week she's in London for a conference, so I've made bolognese one night (from scratch, I don't do jarred sauces), tandoori chicken with mushroom biryani last night, tonight it's Thai curry, and tomorrow I'll do a red wine and beef stock based risotto with spicy chorizo.
She's back on friday so I'll probably use this salmon I have in the freezer to make a kind of nicoise salad.
- Get take-out or fast food
- Throw a frozen pizza in the oven or some soup in the microwave
- If I have leftovers, nuke the leftovers
I rarely cook alone. I do cook for other people, but if I cook alone, it's because I bought the fixings for something I had with guests and I want to use them up. For instance, I made my girlfriend chicken marsala last weekend, and used the remaining ingredients to make it again last night.
Feral on
every person who doesn't like an acquired taste always seems to think everyone who likes it is faking it. it should be an official fallacy.
I almost never cook alone anymore. I sometimes cook for me and the kids, sans wife, and I usually try to do something fun. Waffles, or fast food, or pizza, or something. When I really am cooking dinner for myself, about the half the time it's something like fajitas and some blackbeans, and the rest of the time it's a bowl of cereal and a stick of string cheese and maybe an apple or something. Basically, random selections from varied food groups until I'm full.
I love to cook elaborate meals, but not for myself. For me, half the point of cooking is to prepare something that others enjoy and appreciate. Sort of loses something if it's just me.
ElJeffe on
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Just to piggyback on what Morninglord was saying - stirfry is really the way to go for quick dinner meals. I find that as long as I keep my fridge stocked with assortments of veggies, I can quickly dice up two or three veggies and stir fry them with garlic, ginger, and some soy sauce to create an instant meal. Pair it with some quinoa or brown rice and BAM! Easy healthy dinner.
/Emeril'd
Edit: Also, boiled vegetables? UGGGGGGGGGH. Why would you ever.
Easier even than stir-fry is to just throw shit at a BBQ grill. Throw on some pork chops, or some chicken, or a steak. Lightly seasoned - I like to actually taste the meat. I have a grilling pan for veggies, so I chop up some zucchini or summer squash and cook that on the top burner. Then just make a pot of rice or pasta to go with it. (If pasta, usually tossed with some olive oil and basil or rosemary; I typically try to match the seasoning on the meat.) 20 minutes from start to finish, and there's virtually no clean up. One pot and a veggie skillet. Very easy, pretty healthy, really yummy.
ElJeffe on
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Edit: Also, boiled vegetables? UGGGGGGGGGH. Why would you ever.
I keep an emergency supply of frozen veggies, if we run out of fresh. Those get boiled. Boiling fresh veggies, though, is a crime against nature. Steaming is acceptable for certain things (cauliflower, eg), but grilling or sauteing is the way to go.
ElJeffe on
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Out of curiousity, to the people that say they don't want to spend time on cooking, how long is too long? And do you count time where something is in the oven or simmering and you don't actually have to do anything?
Out of curiousity, to the people that say they don't want to spend time on cooking, how long is too long? And do you count time where something is in the oven or simmering and you don't actually have to do anything?
I'm not one of those people, as I love to cook, but when I'm cooking there's not really any downtime. I always have at least a few courses, with staggered prep and cooking times, so while something is simmering I'm in the process of chopping or flipping or doing something else. And the moments of rest I do have are usually spent pre-emptively cleaning up.
ElJeffe on
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Yeah, I'm specifically thinking of the rice and/or ramen people, given that the difference between those and a prepared meal is very often a matter of minutes. I generally cook from scratch, but rarely spend more than twenty minutes or so in the kitchen.
Yeah, I'm specifically thinking of the rice and/or ramen people, given that the difference between those and a prepared meal is very often a matter of minutes. I generally cook from scratch, but rarely spend more than twenty minutes or so in the kitchen.
Man, there's a big difference between rice and ramen.
Rice is delicious and not all that bad for you, other than being carbs or whatever bullshit.
Ramen is terrible in a plastic wrapper.
Don't go lumping rice in with ramen, it's disrespectful to rice.
I don't think that I modify my diet between when I am alone and when I eat friends. I just eat what I eat.
Obviously if I'm at a restaurant I'll eat things that I do not make on my own at home. But if I am home and eating and people are here I do not modify my diet...
It would be quite weird if when people here I did not eat, say, pickles but then when everyone left my kitchen turned into a veritable pickle orgy.
When cooking for more than just me, I get more elaborate. For example, the other day I ate a bowl of ravioli with spicy marinara, and I munched on some raw carrots on the side. Had I been cooking for more than just myself, I probably would have steamed some vegetables and had garlic bread as well.
My diet varies highly depending on how much time I have and my mood, as I've eaten alone almost every night for the last three years, and very often before then.
Sometimes I just throw a frozen pizza in the oven, sometimes I make spaghetti, recently I've come to enjoy making real meals like brown rice (not the minute kind, either), sauteed vegetables, and some frozen "orange chicken", which combines to make a really damned good and filling meal, and I've also been baking muffins from scratch.
Sure, I'd get more elaborate and more authentic if I had someone to cook for/with, I think I'm doing pretty well. Also if I had about a dozen more appliances and maybe a cookbook.
Edit: Also, boiled vegetables? UGGGGGGGGGH. Why would you ever.
I keep an emergency supply of frozen veggies, if we run out of fresh. Those get boiled. Boiling fresh veggies, though, is a crime against nature. Steaming is acceptable for certain things (cauliflower, eg), but grilling or sauteing is the way to go.
Maybe it depends on how you steam them. My mom's second husband used to insist on 'Veggie Night'. One night a month we'd have a dinner of nothing but vegetables. At which point he'd take everything, throw it in a pressure cooker, and kill the ever loving taste out of it.
Oh, and we were forbidden from adding any flavour that wasn't salt. No butter, no cheese, ect. (Though he was fond of coating everything with liberal doses of Garlic Salt...) Looked like crap, tasted like crap. I'm sure it's not the only reason why I still don't care for vegetables to this day, but it sure didn't help any.
As for the thread, I have terrible eating habits. But then, I'm broke and I have no particular talent for cooking. I think I eat 'better' with others, however.
Just to piggyback on what Morninglord was saying - stirfry is really the way to go for quick dinner meals. I find that as long as I keep my fridge stocked with assortments of veggies, I can quickly dice up two or three veggies and stir fry them with garlic, ginger, and some soy sauce to create an instant meal. Pair it with some quinoa or brown rice and BAM! Easy healthy dinner.
/Emeril'd
Edit: Also, boiled vegetables? UGGGGGGGGGH. Why would you ever.
Traditional in our family. Bunch a farmers, dunno how to cook just know how to grow it. :P
When my dad cooked he used to burn them, as in it would boil down to nothing and then burn. He was incredibly hopeless in the kitchen but he's a top farmer. His property is worth so much now, he's leasing it out next year he'll be able to retire off of that for the rest of his life.
Just different learned abilities. My mother never liked cooking she just did it because dad always had to be out on a tractor or harvester. Neither were overly creative in the kitchen.
I find that after you have cooked a steak or chop or any kind of meat, a great thing to do with all that meat juice in the pan is quickly cut up some vegetables and toss them in for five minutes at a high temperature. Comes out beautifully and it's a fast n stress free way to get some vegies in you without using a second pan. No need for sauce or salt or anything, what's in the pan from the meat will do the job. It's better to use things like bukchoy, cucumber, lettuce, greens like this as they keep some juice in them and taste great fried at high temperature. You want them a little bit soft but still crisp. If it's completely soggy you left it in too long.
This uh, doesn't really work with sausages they don't really have very tasty juices, you can still use the pan but chuck some flavouring on there, your choice.
Morninglord on
(PSN: Morninglord) (Steam: Morninglord) (WiiU: Morninglord22) I like to record and toss up a lot of random gaming videos here.
When cooking for myself I tend to spend a half hour or so on things like Chili or Spaghetti sauce (from scratch not pre-made junk) , things that don't take all too long to prepare, but can be left to simmer for hours, and can be made in batches so I only have to cook once a week or so, since when eating on my own I don't 'get bored' of the same thing.
Edit: Also, boiled vegetables? UGGGGGGGGGH. Why would you ever.
I keep an emergency supply of frozen veggies, if we run out of fresh. Those get boiled. Boiling fresh veggies, though, is a crime against nature. Steaming is acceptable for certain things (cauliflower, eg), but grilling or sauteing is the way to go.
Maybe it depends on how you steam them. My mom's second husband used to insist on 'Veggie Night'. One night a month we'd have a dinner of nothing but vegetables. At which point he'd take everything, throw it in a pressure cooker, and kill the ever loving taste out of it.
Well, there are certain veggies that sort of demand steaming. Like, I'm not sure how else you would even cook a head of cauliflower. I guess you could chop it up and grill it? Or something?
But steaming is just like any other means of cooking. You do it too long, you fail. You wouldn't throw something in the oven and leave it there too long, and you don't do that to things in a steamer. Your mom's second husband apparently fails at steaming, which is sort of impressive, because c'mon, it's fucking steaming. Throw in steamer, cook until tender. Not "cook until dissolved".
Steamed green beans tossed with olive oil and lemon juice and a little salt are fucking to die for, btw.
ElJeffe on
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lonelyahavaCall me Ahava ~~She/Her~~Move to New ZealandRegistered Userregular
edited July 2009
My issue with cooking isn't so much the time as the money.
I have none.
so I'm reduced to living on rice, ramen, and pb&j. that's been my entire diet (for the most part) for the last 6ish or so months.
when I do get a bit of extra money, it usually goes towards something like frozen veggies and minute steaks that i can fry up real quick and put with my ramen and rice.
Edit: Also, boiled vegetables? UGGGGGGGGGH. Why would you ever.
I keep an emergency supply of frozen veggies, if we run out of fresh. Those get boiled. Boiling fresh veggies, though, is a crime against nature. Steaming is acceptable for certain things (cauliflower, eg), but grilling or sauteing is the way to go.
Maybe it depends on how you steam them. My mom's second husband used to insist on 'Veggie Night'. One night a month we'd have a dinner of nothing but vegetables. At which point he'd take everything, throw it in a pressure cooker, and kill the ever loving taste out of it.
Well, there are certain veggies that sort of demand steaming. Like, I'm not sure how else you would even cook a head of cauliflower. I guess you could chop it up and grill it? Or something?
But steaming is just like any other means of cooking. You do it too long, you fail. You wouldn't throw something in the oven and leave it there too long, and you don't do that to things in a steamer. Your mom's second husband apparently fails at steaming, which is sort of impressive, because c'mon, it's fucking steaming. Throw in steamer, cook until tender. Not "cook until dissolved".
Steamed green beans tossed with olive oil and lemon juice and a little salt are fucking to die for, btw.
He had...'views'...about things. I don't care for vegetables much, but I don't recoil at the thought of them. Except green beans. I had a bad experience with them once... That and I don't care for 'mushy' vegetables.
Again, it could be how they're prepared and I just have terrible luck in what I'm served.
When I'm with the Fam, we eat large amounts of pastas - spaghetti, mac and cheese, fettuccine, etc. It's a cheap way to feed 4 people.
It then follows that, when I am alone, I eat (in order of availability):
1. Leftover Pasta (Leftovers are rare)
2. Anything I can open and microwave.
3. Sandwich (meat and cheese on bread)
4. Actual cooking.
The thing of it is, I actually LIKE cooking, and would love to fry up a steak with some veggies, but do we have steak in the house? No. We have fucking pasta. Maybe a bag of chicken nuggets. I can't cook because there is nothing to cook, and we don't buy things to cook because it's a waste of money to buy things that only I will eat.
...sorry, this thread is making me bitter. And hungry.
I don't cook different food when I'm alone, really. I just cook single dishes instead of full meals. I remember one of the first times I had my now wife over for dinner in college. I made these beautiful steaks, simple and perfect, and we sit down to eat and she asks where the other food is. No bread, no potatoes, no nothing - just steak.
That's how I cook alone. I make the main course, and I make extra, and then I eat it.
I use my alone-cooking as time to beta test new harebrained ideas.
Because if I can't eat it then I'm sure as fuck not serving it to company.
I'm just gonna skip the rest and capitalize on this one.
I cook the same way when I am alone as when I am with company.
Elaborately, and if not elaborately, at least well.
I don't usually go for the "throw some cold cuts on bread" type of meals.
I'm not trying to be...like...elite here though! Let me stop myself a second. I do eat things like boxed mac n cheese. Difference in HOW I eat it from most people is that I A. Only shop at all natural grocery stores and B. generally "spice it up".
Something like- Fiesta Mac n' Cheese.
Box mac N' Cheese.
Cook pasta, while it is cooking mix the sauce packet with salsa and sour cream (if it is a powder, if not you might wanna forgo the sour cream). Spoon mixture onto hot drained pasta. Top with Chili powder.
This happened when I ran out of milk, and didn't realize until I had already opened the box of mac.
Also- Boiling soba (or ANY) noodles with chili oil to give em a little kick.
I don't know...if I'm going to eat it I am going to go all out and make it taste good virtually every time unless I am veryyyy tired.
Which is why it took me a half hour to reheat some leftover chili for myself....
Out of curiousity, to the people that say they don't want to spend time on cooking, how long is too long? And do you count time where something is in the oven or simmering and you don't actually have to do anything?
I just don't particularly like the process of cooking enough to want to bother with it. It's just a pain in the ass, laying out all the ingredients, washing and chopping vegetables, waiting for things to cook, cleaning up pots and pans and the cutting board afterwards...
It's one of those things that I'd just rather not do, like scrubbing the bathroom sink or cleaning the fridge.
Even if it only took five minutes, that's still five minutes I'd rather spend reading a book or posting with you guys.
Feral on
every person who doesn't like an acquired taste always seems to think everyone who likes it is faking it. it should be an official fallacy.
Out of curiousity, to the people that say they don't want to spend time on cooking, how long is too long? And do you count time where something is in the oven or simmering and you don't actually have to do anything?
I just don't particularly like the process of cooking enough to want to bother with it. It's just a pain in the ass, laying out all the ingredients, washing and chopping vegetables, waiting for things to cook, cleaning up pots and pans and the cutting board afterwards...
It's one of those things that I'd just rather not do, like scrubbing the bathroom sink or cleaning the fridge.
Even if it only took five minutes, that's still five minutes I'd rather spend reading a book or posting with you guys.
Huh....I dunno.
The part that I bolded is actually very very very soothing for me....which I guess is why I cook...elaborately? for myself just as often as I do when people are there.
I hate cleaning dishes either way...but then again I tend to feel better about cleaning dishes that only I ate off of....(no dishwasher ftl)
I WILL say, however, that I have taken a trend in my "private eating time".
Simpler meals...Like...
steamed rice with nori and Tofu with teriyaki dipping sauce,
A plate of sliced peaches, cheese, and bread with coffee
Leftover pasta tossed with garlic and olive oil and topped with crushed red peppers and Parmesan
mainly due to having to bring lunch each day...I don't wanna live on sandwiches so I take things I can put in the fridge that aren't microwave meals.
Usually I experiment on the weekends, because that's when I have more time.
When I'm alone, one of my favorite meals is boxed mac'n'cheese mixed with a can of Nalley's chili (you can substitute whatever heathen regional alternative you have, but it's not as good). I made it the other day, and then I added some Chipotle Cheddar Cheese that I found at WinCo. Nice and tasty.
Also, I usually substitute Half and Half where the box calls for milk.
nosnibor on
When you're a spy, it's a good idea to give away your trade secrets in a voiceover on a TV show.
Usually I experiment on the weekends, because that's when I have more time.
When I'm alone, one of my favorite meals is boxed mac'n'cheese mixed with a can of Nalley's chili (you can substitute whatever heathen regional alternative you have, but it's not as good). I made it the other day, and then I added some Chipotle Cheddar Cheese that I found at WinCo. Nice and tasty.
Also, I usually substitute Half and Half where the box calls for milk.
When I eat alone its something that is quick, simple and easy to clean. It is also just one thing such as pizza, hamburgers, tuna, plain pasta etc.
When I eat with someone else I actually make a meal that takes time, effort and includes several dishes. So for example if its pasta, its not just plain pasta like when I’m by myself, there’s sauce, garlic bread, vegetables and maybe something for desert. I also tend to use proper plates and utensils with someone else instead of eating tuna out of a can with a plastic spoon which has happened way to many times when I eat alone. Or that one time when it was just my fingers
I guess the main difference is that when I’m alone I don’t care about how much of a scrub I look like but when other people are around I want to look like I can actually take care of myself.
if you want to finish somethgn off quickly, making a big production of laying it out on a plate and having a seat can take longer than the act of eating, itself.
The sink tends to be right next to the silverware, and not far from the garbage. And even though most of us know how not to make a mess when eating, when you're already standing at the silverware drawer, eating over the sink feels like the natural precaution to be taking.
Not having a dish washer and being very bad at doing it by hand, I pretty much eat exclusively with paper plates.
I would not eat off of a paper plate the first time someone I'm wooing visited.
Improvolone on
Voice actor for hire. My time is free if your project is!
You know what? I'm going to try that Mac-n-Chili idea (with Sour Cream, of course...). Thanks guys.
Out of curiosity, is the cream a complete substitute for milk? Partial? How much to use, generally speaking?
I generally just completely substitute....ummm...lets see....
I think about a half cup of sour cream and a half cup of salsa? I don't really know exact measurements, but I mix them together with the powder in the same bowl that I use everytime and when it looks right it use it....
Sometimes the scientist in me goes byebye.
Especially when cooking.
EHHHHH just throw in some stuff...how much? *shrug* whats it taste like?
You can just completely replace it unless it is to thick, but the salsa usually helps that.
You know what? I'm going to try that Mac-n-Chili idea (with Sour Cream, of course...). Thanks guys.
Out of curiosity, is the cream a complete substitute for milk? Partial? How much to use, generally speaking?
I generally just completely substitute....ummm...lets see....
I think about a half cup of sour cream and a half cup of salsa? I don't really know exact measurements, but I mix them together with the powder in the same bowl that I use everytime and when it looks right it use it....
Sometimes the scientist in me goes byebye.
Especially when cooking.
EHHHHH just throw in some stuff...how much? *shrug* whats it taste like?
You can just completely replace it unless it is to thick, but the salsa usually helps that.
Cool. I think I'm good enough at cooking/preparing that that should make sense. Thanks.
You know what? I'm going to try that Mac-n-Chili idea (with Sour Cream, of course...). Thanks guys.
Out of curiosity, is the cream a complete substitute for milk? Partial? How much to use, generally speaking?
I generally just completely substitute....ummm...lets see....
I think about a half cup of sour cream and a half cup of salsa? I don't really know exact measurements, but I mix them together with the powder in the same bowl that I use everytime and when it looks right it use it....
Sometimes the scientist in me goes byebye.
Especially when cooking.
EHHHHH just throw in some stuff...how much? *shrug* whats it taste like?
You can just completely replace it unless it is to thick, but the salsa usually helps that.
Cool. I think I'm good enough at cooking/preparing that that should make sense. Thanks.
Posts
Oatmeal(plain oats, with sugar and butter), Two PB&Js, and Six eggs for an omelet...thing around dinner time.
On the black screen
This week she's in London for a conference, so I've made bolognese one night (from scratch, I don't do jarred sauces), tandoori chicken with mushroom biryani last night, tonight it's Thai curry, and tomorrow I'll do a red wine and beef stock based risotto with spicy chorizo.
She's back on friday so I'll probably use this salmon I have in the freezer to make a kind of nicoise salad.
I was pretty hungry <_<
On the black screen
- Get take-out or fast food
- Throw a frozen pizza in the oven or some soup in the microwave
- If I have leftovers, nuke the leftovers
I rarely cook alone. I do cook for other people, but if I cook alone, it's because I bought the fixings for something I had with guests and I want to use them up. For instance, I made my girlfriend chicken marsala last weekend, and used the remaining ingredients to make it again last night.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
6?! Jesus who are you?
<.<
>.>
I love to cook elaborate meals, but not for myself. For me, half the point of cooking is to prepare something that others enjoy and appreciate. Sort of loses something if it's just me.
/Emeril'd
Edit: Also, boiled vegetables? UGGGGGGGGGH. Why would you ever.
I keep an emergency supply of frozen veggies, if we run out of fresh. Those get boiled. Boiling fresh veggies, though, is a crime against nature. Steaming is acceptable for certain things (cauliflower, eg), but grilling or sauteing is the way to go.
I'm not one of those people, as I love to cook, but when I'm cooking there's not really any downtime. I always have at least a few courses, with staggered prep and cooking times, so while something is simmering I'm in the process of chopping or flipping or doing something else. And the moments of rest I do have are usually spent pre-emptively cleaning up.
Man, there's a big difference between rice and ramen.
Rice is delicious and not all that bad for you, other than being carbs or whatever bullshit.
Ramen is terrible in a plastic wrapper.
Don't go lumping rice in with ramen, it's disrespectful to rice.
PS4:MrZoompants
Mind if I come over for dinner sometime?
Sometimes I just throw a frozen pizza in the oven, sometimes I make spaghetti, recently I've come to enjoy making real meals like brown rice (not the minute kind, either), sauteed vegetables, and some frozen "orange chicken", which combines to make a really damned good and filling meal, and I've also been baking muffins from scratch.
Sure, I'd get more elaborate and more authentic if I had someone to cook for/with, I think I'm doing pretty well. Also if I had about a dozen more appliances and maybe a cookbook.
Maybe it depends on how you steam them. My mom's second husband used to insist on 'Veggie Night'. One night a month we'd have a dinner of nothing but vegetables. At which point he'd take everything, throw it in a pressure cooker, and kill the ever loving taste out of it.
Oh, and we were forbidden from adding any flavour that wasn't salt. No butter, no cheese, ect. (Though he was fond of coating everything with liberal doses of Garlic Salt...) Looked like crap, tasted like crap. I'm sure it's not the only reason why I still don't care for vegetables to this day, but it sure didn't help any.
As for the thread, I have terrible eating habits. But then, I'm broke and I have no particular talent for cooking. I think I eat 'better' with others, however.
Traditional in our family. Bunch a farmers, dunno how to cook just know how to grow it. :P
When my dad cooked he used to burn them, as in it would boil down to nothing and then burn.
Just different learned abilities. My mother never liked cooking she just did it because dad always had to be out on a tractor or harvester. Neither were overly creative in the kitchen.
I find that after you have cooked a steak or chop or any kind of meat, a great thing to do with all that meat juice in the pan is quickly cut up some vegetables and toss them in for five minutes at a high temperature. Comes out beautifully and it's a fast n stress free way to get some vegies in you without using a second pan. No need for sauce or salt or anything, what's in the pan from the meat will do the job. It's better to use things like bukchoy, cucumber, lettuce, greens like this as they keep some juice in them and taste great fried at high temperature. You want them a little bit soft but still crisp. If it's completely soggy you left it in too long.
This uh, doesn't really work with sausages they don't really have very tasty juices, you can still use the pan but chuck some flavouring on there, your choice.
Well, there are certain veggies that sort of demand steaming. Like, I'm not sure how else you would even cook a head of cauliflower. I guess you could chop it up and grill it? Or something?
But steaming is just like any other means of cooking. You do it too long, you fail. You wouldn't throw something in the oven and leave it there too long, and you don't do that to things in a steamer. Your mom's second husband apparently fails at steaming, which is sort of impressive, because c'mon, it's fucking steaming. Throw in steamer, cook until tender. Not "cook until dissolved".
Steamed green beans tossed with olive oil and lemon juice and a little salt are fucking to die for, btw.
I have none.
so I'm reduced to living on rice, ramen, and pb&j. that's been my entire diet (for the most part) for the last 6ish or so months.
when I do get a bit of extra money, it usually goes towards something like frozen veggies and minute steaks that i can fry up real quick and put with my ramen and rice.
Democrats Abroad! || Vote From Abroad
He had...'views'...about things. I don't care for vegetables much, but I don't recoil at the thought of them. Except green beans. I had a bad experience with them once... That and I don't care for 'mushy' vegetables.
Again, it could be how they're prepared and I just have terrible luck in what I'm served.
It then follows that, when I am alone, I eat (in order of availability):
1. Leftover Pasta (Leftovers are rare)
2. Anything I can open and microwave.
3. Sandwich (meat and cheese on bread)
4. Actual cooking.
The thing of it is, I actually LIKE cooking, and would love to fry up a steak with some veggies, but do we have steak in the house? No. We have fucking pasta. Maybe a bag of chicken nuggets. I can't cook because there is nothing to cook, and we don't buy things to cook because it's a waste of money to buy things that only I will eat.
...sorry, this thread is making me bitter. And hungry.
That's how I cook alone. I make the main course, and I make extra, and then I eat it.
I'm just gonna skip the rest and capitalize on this one.
I cook the same way when I am alone as when I am with company.
Elaborately, and if not elaborately, at least well.
I don't usually go for the "throw some cold cuts on bread" type of meals.
I'm not trying to be...like...elite here though! Let me stop myself a second. I do eat things like boxed mac n cheese. Difference in HOW I eat it from most people is that I A. Only shop at all natural grocery stores and B. generally "spice it up".
Something like- Fiesta Mac n' Cheese.
Box mac N' Cheese.
Cook pasta, while it is cooking mix the sauce packet with salsa and sour cream (if it is a powder, if not you might wanna forgo the sour cream). Spoon mixture onto hot drained pasta. Top with Chili powder.
This happened when I ran out of milk, and didn't realize until I had already opened the box of mac.
Also- Boiling soba (or ANY) noodles with chili oil to give em a little kick.
I don't know...if I'm going to eat it I am going to go all out and make it taste good virtually every time unless I am veryyyy tired.
Which is why it took me a half hour to reheat some leftover chili for myself....
When I'm alone I sometimes don't eat at all. Terrible, I know. If I do eat it's something simple like a PB&J and some grapes.
Alone - basic, sandwiches, fruits, easy pastas
Friends/Family - Stuffed Green Peppers, Stroganoff, Tortelloni, Curry Chicken
I just don't particularly like the process of cooking enough to want to bother with it. It's just a pain in the ass, laying out all the ingredients, washing and chopping vegetables, waiting for things to cook, cleaning up pots and pans and the cutting board afterwards...
It's one of those things that I'd just rather not do, like scrubbing the bathroom sink or cleaning the fridge.
Even if it only took five minutes, that's still five minutes I'd rather spend reading a book or posting with you guys.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Huh....I dunno.
The part that I bolded is actually very very very soothing for me....which I guess is why I cook...elaborately? for myself just as often as I do when people are there.
I hate cleaning dishes either way...but then again I tend to feel better about cleaning dishes that only I ate off of....(no dishwasher ftl)
I WILL say, however, that I have taken a trend in my "private eating time".
Simpler meals...Like...
steamed rice with nori and Tofu with teriyaki dipping sauce,
A plate of sliced peaches, cheese, and bread with coffee
Leftover pasta tossed with garlic and olive oil and topped with crushed red peppers and Parmesan
mainly due to having to bring lunch each day...I don't wanna live on sandwiches so I take things I can put in the fridge that aren't microwave meals.
When I'm alone, one of my favorite meals is boxed mac'n'cheese mixed with a can of Nalley's chili (you can substitute whatever heathen regional alternative you have, but it's not as good). I made it the other day, and then I added some Chipotle Cheddar Cheese that I found at WinCo. Nice and tasty.
Also, I usually substitute Half and Half where the box calls for milk.
Read above- Sour cream dude!
Sour cream! Especially with the chili you added!
When I eat with someone else I actually make a meal that takes time, effort and includes several dishes. So for example if its pasta, its not just plain pasta like when I’m by myself, there’s sauce, garlic bread, vegetables and maybe something for desert. I also tend to use proper plates and utensils with someone else instead of eating tuna out of a can with a plastic spoon which has happened way to many times when I eat alone. Or that one time when it was just my fingers
I guess the main difference is that when I’m alone I don’t care about how much of a scrub I look like but when other people are around I want to look like I can actually take care of myself.
Out of curiosity, is the cream a complete substitute for milk? Partial? How much to use, generally speaking?
Also, I really hate my electric oven, and can't wait till I can get a gas line into my kitchen.
if you want to finish somethgn off quickly, making a big production of laying it out on a plate and having a seat can take longer than the act of eating, itself.
The sink tends to be right next to the silverware, and not far from the garbage. And even though most of us know how not to make a mess when eating, when you're already standing at the silverware drawer, eating over the sink feels like the natural precaution to be taking.
I would not eat off of a paper plate the first time someone I'm wooing visited.
I generally just completely substitute....ummm...lets see....
I think about a half cup of sour cream and a half cup of salsa? I don't really know exact measurements, but I mix them together with the powder in the same bowl that I use everytime and when it looks right it use it....
Sometimes the scientist in me goes byebye.
Especially when cooking.
EHHHHH just throw in some stuff...how much? *shrug* whats it taste like?
You can just completely replace it unless it is to thick, but the salsa usually helps that.
Cool. I think I'm good enough at cooking/preparing that that should make sense. Thanks.
Taste it before you add, easier to fix that way.