Cooking for one

As anyone who has done it knows, cooking for one can be pretty depressing. The time and effort and supplies needed to cook for one are pretty much the same as are needed to cook for two, which means if you're only going to get one person's food out of it, it can seem like kind of a waste.

Some people would cook for two anyway and eat leftovers the next day, but I can't always predict if I will be able to eat leftovers within a reasonable time, and if you throw away that extra food, well, that's even worse.

Plus, I'm super busy, so I don't really have the energy or time to cook for two to begin with. So I revert back to bachelorette foods. Soup from a can, macaroni and cheese from a box, frozen pizza, frozen dinners, etc. In small doses, they're quite palatable, especially since I hold a special place in my stomach for those sorts of tastes. But sometimes, I want something nicer.

So recently, I've been making a lot of chicken fajitas.

Ingredient #1: Pre-cooked, frozen, grilled chicken strips.
These particular ones are actually kind of gross. They smell very strongly of a fake grilled scent, like someone added too much liquid smoke. Nonetheless, they warm up easily in the microwave, and salsa can cover up a lot of problems. Next time, I'll buy a different brand.










Other ingredients:

Flour tortillas, a block of cheddar cheese, an avocado, fresh cilantro, fresh chopped tomato (remnants on the cutting mat) and the aforementioned salsa. Apple and beer are extraneous players in this picture. Although beer would, of course, go very well with a chicken fajita.







And the final result:
Yum!

This version is missing the grilled peppers and onions, but sometimes I add them. I buy them frozen and saute as needed. Such are the sacrifices you sometimes have to make when you cook for one.

My friend Shea goes to a Kroger with a fresh salad bar, and buys pre-cut produce in small quantities by weight. It makes a lot of sense. He can buy just a tiny bit of chopped onion if he's going to make some chili, or a small container of shredded lettuce for sandwiches.

I'm too lazy to drive to his Kroger. Actually typing that sentence out made me realize how stupid it sounds, so maybe I'll start driving to his Kroger.

And the other quick dinner-for-one I've resorted to lately:

I blame Lea. I haven't eaten a hot dog outside of a baseball stadium in FOREVER, but when I went to visit her back in May, she frequently had a cut up hot dog for lunch, and damn if it didn't smell good.

You'll notice I buy the turkey version. It's somehow better for me. Yes, it is.

It heats up in a minute in the microwave, along with a serving of sauerkraut, the bun takes only a minute longer to toast, and the whole thing tastes delicious with ketchup.


Don't feel sorry for me. I'm not sad. I like these foods. And don't worry, I change things up pretty often: Tonight I made a single-serving filet mignon with a red wine reduction and sauteed baby spinach. Whole thing took 10 minutes.

And guess what's even better: Thanksgiving is this week! Eric is driving out to Louisville and we're having some friends over and I'm cooking the whole meal: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and green bean casserole. Other people are bringing dessert, but I can't promise that I'm not going to add cookies or brownies or an apple galette to my list on Wednesday or Thursday (we're having Thanksgiving on Friday). I can't wait!