Bachelor Cooking … A Revolution one Single Man’s Kitchen at a Time
I am getting serious about trying to cook and exercise again. I know what to do exercise-wise but this is an appeal to all of you for recipes that a 39 year old Bachelor with an aversion to cooking can actually pull off. I have searched and searched the internet and there is a pittance of truly easy recipes out there that I would actually want to eat.
I saw one that involved chili seasoning, canned tuna, “veggies” and a whole wheat tortilla. Chili Seasoning? … and Tuna? … that can’t be good … can it?
So, let this be a repository of helpful recipes, tips and ideas for all of our bachelor friends (starting with me.) I am serious, there is scant information out there for us single men … maybe this thread can be helpful to other men who need to find out that there is more to a kitchen than the microwave and beverage cooler (fridge.)
At the moment I have a crockpot and one frying pan. I am going to buy a boiling pan (right terminology?) and another frying pan this afternoon at the grocery store.
Sidenotes: Anything that involves math is low on the BS (Bachelor Scale) of possibilities. I have no idea what the differences is between a “pinch” and a “dash.” And when it comes to spoons, just say the big one, one you eat used to eat ice cream with, or the long ones you use to scrape the bottom of the peanut butter jar. Measuring spoons are a little bit of a no no. I MIGHT try to find the ones I bought at a garage sale for a quarter.
Can ya’ help a single brother out?
Related posts (automatically generated)
Anything from Rachael Ray’s 30-Minute Meals line is pretty doable, in my experience. You might invest in one of those cookbooks, especially if you like garlic and onions. She uses them in just about everything.
I also hate to cook–so it’s a good thing my husband prefers to just eat cheese! (In fact, he’s eating some right now.) But one of my favorite things is bottled egg whites. You just pour out as much as you want to eat in a pan, scramble it up, then put it in a tortilla with a little shredded cheese, some chopped veggies if you want, and some salsa, and you’re good to go. Not bad for you, and it couldn’t be simpler.
BTW, the “boiling pan” is actually a saucepan. Not to be confused with a double-boiler, which you might use for melting chocolate in a more complicated recipe. Or not.
If I was there I would be happy to give you some simple lessons. But I’m not, so I looked online and found this site that may be helpful. It is listed under, “easy recipes.” You may have to actually purchase a few more kitchen utensils than the ones you listed above however! (:
But, Christmas is coming so add them to your list. My prayers are with you!
http://easy.betterrecipes.com/
My favorite easy meal is breakfast. I used to be a strictly Frosted Mini Wheats guy. I would mix it up by adding Cheerios to the FMWs. Wow.
Now that my wife has gone organic, I have a whole new easy and way healthy breakfast routine.
I start w/ two kinds of granola, one a raw granola and the other the kind that comes in a box, like apple cinnamon granola. Then I throw in raisins, cut up dates, raw cashews, pecans, walnuts and almonds. The fun is to take the nuts and crush them up in your hand giving you a mild workout. (By the way, you can’t crush an almond in your hand.)Also throw some fresh or dried bananas, any fruit you have laying around.
Try that and see what you think.
I forgot to tell you to add organic fat free milk.
Boiling pan??? Hmm small pan= sauce pan, large pan = dutch oven. : ) small pan for like heating up soup or veggies.. large pan for cooking spaghetti or stews.. So here are some of my quickies : )
Shepherds Pie
(in skillet) brown ground beef, chicken, turkey or pork (about 1-1.5 lbs will make a couple of meals for you or dinner for two or three.. Add one can of mushroom soup to browned meat. then cover with drained kitchen sliced or blue lake cut green beans, and cover with mashed potatoes.. (the Idahoan boxed potatoes are very good) make up enough for two or three and spread over meat and beans.. sprinkle cheese on top cover with lid or tin foil or a pizza pan etc. if no lid came with your skillet… and heat slowly until cheese melts. Any kind of spices you like, onions, garlic, chili powder etc. can be added to the meat before you add the soup.. if you use chicken you might want to use cream of chicken soup instead of cream of mushroom. Serve with a salad or fruit mixture, or jellied cranbury sauce and if you like biscuits Pillsbury frozen ones are great tasting. almost as good as my homemade.
Harvest soup
In dutch over:
I lb. ground meat of choice
brown with chopped onion
add 1 reg.can tomato sauce
1 reg can of mixed veggies
1 reg can of ranch style beans
serve with crackers, biscuits, or if you are brave corn muffins.
Texas Goulash
In skillet
brown ground meat
add small chopped onion and spices to taste
when browned add 1 can tomato sauce
Add the macaroni from a Kraft deluxe mac and cheese dinner and
enough water to just cover the macaroni
cook until mac is soft
add cheese packet (add the cheese, throw the packet away) LOL Stir and heat through.
(you can add grated cheese on top if you really want more cheese) let it melt and serve.
Serve with side salad or other vegetable and bread of choice.
Chicken and Rice,
Chicken breast with bone and skin on
rice of choice
Chicken broth
in baking dish (you need one of these by the way, corning or glass is good)
I cup of rice with dry seasonings added in bottom of pan
Place seasoned breasts skin side up on top of rice
add twice as much broth as you added rice.. 2 cups.
Bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 425 or until juice runs clear in thickest part of breast.
(make sure the rice is all covered with broth if it looks dry add more broth at anytime during cooking. Some of it should be crispy around the sides at the top of pan.)
You can remove the skin before eating if you prefer less fat… but chicken baked without skin gets very bootlike. : )
Bon Appetit
Serve with side dishes of your choice.
Pinch- how much you can hold between your finger tips
Dash how much you can hold in the very center of the palm of your hand.
Ok now I am on a roll LOL
Musts for the kitchen
1 good chef’s knife.. (for chopping)
1 good paring knife (for peeling)
2 wooden spoons.. they don’t get hot
1 wide spatula, 1 narrow spatula
a skillet, a baking dish, a sauce pan, a dutch over, a baking sheet.
1 oven mit
1 or two pot holders
a chopping/cutting board (doesn’t have to be big)
a hot pad to put things on when just out of the oven.
decent spices.
not huge bottles from Sam’s etc.. they are cheaper per ounce but you will never use them before they die.
1 set of metal measuring cups
1 set of
well I guess that one was ready to go.. LOL
1 set of metal measuring spoons
1 glass two cup measuring cup.
I use metal and glass because the others tend to have the number painted on and eventually they wear off..
Now that should do it.
I have to say that as a single man I have found Alton Brown’s show Good Eats to be very useful. He not only gives you recipes for easy food, he gives you the science behind the food which gives you a better understanding of cooking in general.
If Randy doesn’t want math involved in his cooking, I doubt he’ll want science
OK here’s a family favorite (great for cooking to impress your friends but super simple):
Honey Baked Chicken:
equal parts honey and melted butter OR canola oil (about 1/3- 1/2 cup)
a big spoonful of yellow mustard (1Tablespoon)
a small spoon of curry powder (1 teaspoon)
a small spoon of salt (1 teaspoon)
Mix together in a bowl dip raw chicken pieces in and then place in a shallow baking pan sprayed with cooking spray oil. (You can use one of those foil lasagna pans from the supermarket and then you don’t have to clean up after). Pour remaining sauce all over chicken and baste every 15 minutes (or as you feel inclined). Bake at 400 for 1 hour.
Great served with white rice and steamed veggies.
Above recipe makes enough sauce for about 4 servings, so you can reduce by half if you are cooking for one with leftovers.
Randy and other bachelors,
I find that if you are going to take the time and trouble to cook, always cook extra, you can eat it the next day for lunch or dinner again. OR even freeze it for a homemade microwaveable meal.
BRO! Let me bring you in on the world of cooking by bros! its easy. Yes to Rachel Ray, but here’s something else. Cooking Light Cookbook. it works and is great on the waistline and not too harsh on the budget. unfortunately cooking and eating healthy is expensive. but there are ways of doing it. commit to watch at least one hour a week of Food TV. You Must NOT watch Paula Dean. She puts enouch butter in her dishes to make any southern ole granny blush. Sinful I tell ya…sinful! Spend sometime on Foodnetwork.com. its a great source. look under healthy options.
Other wise, jut open up your house and will move down and cook for ya! that’s what bros are for huh! good luck!
Oh, man…
Nan beat me to the punch on some of this stuff, especially the cooking utensils. Far be it from me to shoot from the hip, so give me a day or so to pull together some of my favorite kitchen concoctions and I’ll send them down your way. Hang in there, Randman. Remember: Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
Here ya go bubba!
Chicken and Rice-a-Roni
Follow the directions on the box of Chicken Rice-a -Roni. (Which means, melt butter in your frying pan, and brown the rice and vermicelli from the box. Add hot water and the seasoning packet that came in the box.)
While that’s browning, rinse and pat dry a couple of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and place on the cutting board Nan told you to get. Use the good knife she also told you to get (WAAAAYYYYYYY important), and cut up the chicken into bite-size pieces. If you like mushrooms, drain a small can and add them, along with the chicken, to the Rice-a-Roni. Cover and cook as long as the package tells you to. Yummy!
Mostaccoli
Fill your saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add a few shakes of salt and add a package of mostaccoli or penne pasta. Cook as long as the package tells you to, then drain and leave in the pan.
While that’s cooking, slip your sharp knife under the skin of uncooked Italian sausages (we think hot is better than mild. It’s not really hot, just more flavor.) and remove the skins. Throw the sausages in your frying pan and brown, breaking them up as it cooks to about the size of small marbles. Drain the fat into an empty tin can you have washed out and reserved as a “grease can” you keep in the fridge, then throw out when it’s full.
Add the sausage and a jar of Prego spaghetti sauce, and heat till the Prego is hot. Voila! Lotsa mostaccoli. . . you can eat some now and freeze the rest for another night (week!).
Bon appetit!
Randy this is a fun topic. Tools in the kitchen are important i.e sauce pan and roasting pan. I get this picture in my head of you with the mechanics tools from your house warming party and the quizical look regarding what to do with them. I love those tools too.
God gives us the equipment we need to be in the independent state we are in and it is fun.
The preparation time for any meal you will make for your self will get less and less as you get experience.
Just before writing this I whipped up some dressing (thanksgiving type stuffing) because I was craving it. Still thinking about Thanks giving dinner I guess.
I just got out my one quart sauce pan (boiling pan:)) poured in about a cup and a half of water brought that to a boil and added chicken bouilion then chopped celery and chopped onion, a sprinke of salt and pepper and 3/4 stick of butter. when the celery was soft to the fork poke I added healthy bread crumbs (enough to soak up the liquid mixture) and
wa lah I had my stuffing.
That is how I cook. Never bother getting out the measuring cup. You learn as you experiment.
It took 10 minutes to whip that up and that will be my dinner tonight. I gave my body what I had an appetite for and I am satisfied.
If I were to plan a dinner for myself before I was not already too hungry I would have done the whole Thanksgiving style spread only using a chicken instead of a big turkey.
I would get out my roasting pan, dribble a little water in the bottom of it. Turn the oven on to 350 degrees and start making up that stuffing I just told you about.
Instead of celery I like to use sweet italian sausage sometimes. I’ll explain just how to do that recipe if you like italian sausage.
It’s great to me!
Where was I? Oh yeah…while the stuffing is simmering (to really get the flavors to mingle,) I peel potatoes or sweet potatoes to add to the roasting pan once the bird is stuffed and set in place in the center of the roast pan.
I rub salt and pepper on the chicken while in the pan and then I stuff the cavity of the chicken with the dressing. Left over dressing gets stuffed under the breast of the chickens skin. Now I place the chunks of potatoes on the right side of the roaster and the chunks of carrots I forgot to tell you to cut up on the left side of the roaster. I also get frozen corn out of my freezer and make it fit in any where else in that pan that I can make it fit. Cover the roasting pan with the lid that it came with and bake for 1 and a half hours.( 2 hours wont hurt it . the chicken will just fall off of the bone that much more easily.)
When I look at the finished product I see beautiful. Everything cooks together in the chickens own juices and is delicious. I mash the potatoes with a fork right in the pan forcing them to merge with that great chicken flavor.
On another day I will tell you what I do with some left over chicken breast from this meal.
I make a sweet sour lemon sauce to drizzle on egg dipped and floured breast pieces and serve that over brown rice. Brown’s healthier but you might prefer white rice.
Love your adventurous and determined spirit Randy. I have more quick recipes too depending on what you like.. I.e spicy , Asian , mexican etc… Cindy
I love my crockpot!
Here’s 2 I did recently:
6 cups water
2 cups yellow split peas
1-2 huge carrots
4 medium potatoes
1 large onion
1 teaspoon salt (small spoon) & pepper to taste
2 tablespoons curry (big spoon you eat soup with)
2 tablespoons oil - olive oil if you have it (big spoon you eat soup with)
Chop up veggies, put all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours. It’s thick.
1 cups dry lentils
1 cups dry brown rice
1 large carrots, sliced
1 onion, chopped
5 oz. fresh spinach, chopped (half a small bag)
5-6 cups water
1 cloves garlic, minced
1 small spoon salt
black pepper, cumin and crushed red pepper to taste
Cook on low for 8 hours. Yum!
Ya’ll are awesome. Good job! I have a lot to read through
So… Rachel Ray is popular. My mother loves her by the way. Karla and PDub love your breakfast ideas. PDub… is going organic good? Do you like it? How do you have organic fat free milk?
And who knew it was a sauce pan? Apparently I am the only one who didn’t know.
Angela, thank you for the link…and the great idea for my personal Christmas list.
Nancy you rocka da casbah! Thanks for all the helpful advice, recipes and definitions!
AThompson is that show on the Food Channel? I will check it out.
Joyella Your honey baked chicken made me hungry.
Curtis I am waiting at the door… come on over and we will only cook like Paula Dean on special occasions … like dinner :). The idea of spending an hour in front of the Food Channel feels like torture. Not sure it will happen.
Greg Didn’t Kanye sing that lately? I look forward to your suggestions.
SueBee, BK and Cindy H. man… I am so hungry now…. gosh… Thank you :). As I try different recipes listed here I will post about them :).
I have lost ten pounds by doing nothing other than eating the organic food my wife sets out. Organic is more expensive but tastes better and is better for you. You can tell with your digestive process…
Don’t know if your stores out in Orlando stock organic fat free milk but out here in CA it is no problem.
Organic fat free milk is all I drink these days. I like drinking milk that hasn’t been taken from cows pumped full of bioengineered hormones to promote milk production. The milk is located in the ‘health food’ section of one store I go to. The other store has the organic milk mixed in with the rest of the milk in the dairy section. The demand from the public is there for the hormone-free ‘organic’ milk so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding it.
Oh my dear, I wish you were here, or I was there. Ditto for everything all the others said. I would only add two things. Chicken breasts are a fast cooks best friend. When they are on sale, which they are frequently in B’more, I buy in bulk, package individually, season some and leave some plain and freeze. Its nothing to take one out in the am and then quickly sear (like in make your pan really hot, a little oil and a minute or two on each side, then a little liquid (water is fine or a little canned broth) bring to a boil, turn off and cover. It will cook itself. With a couple sides you have it made in the shade. If you want to be really decadent, pour a little cream in the pan and cook for aminute and pour over that minute rice. Secondly, the other thing we do, even in the winter, is grill! Chicken breasts grill qickly. Undercook rather than overcook. Then freeze, like above. Then you have wonderful frozen dinners when ever you want. If you do a whole package, you got it good for about a week and a half or more.
Miss you guys!
love, lani
If you want to learn how to cook you’re gonna have to buy some measuring spoons and cups
As far as a dash or a pinch…well…whatever. Just experiment. You can always add, but you can’t take away (salt for instance). A friend of mine is really into this organic thing. Not sure if you’ve heard of Jordan Rubin or not, but he wrote a book called The Maker’s Diet. I did it. It wasn’t a lifestyle change for me, but it definitely made me learn to cook. It also was very helpful in bringing discipline into my life, well at least for six weeks. Look into it.
Paul and Susan, I will have to try it out. There is a Chamberlains right up the block from where I live and I think that is a whole foods store. If so, they will have it.
Excellent suggestions Lani and Jamie. My trainer, now friend Chris, cooks all his chicken breast for the week on a grill :).
No measuring for this one, it’s yummy, easy and pretty healthy.
Low Country Boil
Fill a big pot (stockpot or dutch oven)halfway with water.
Add 1 pkg (3oz) Zatarains Crab Boil in a Bag
2 medium white onions cut into 1/8s
1 head garlic, halved
and bring to boil.
Add 1 1/2 lbs Kielbasa cut into 1″ pieces (I get the low fat kind)
Simmer 5 minutes.
Add green (or any color) peppers cut in strips,
corn ears (6) cut or broken in 1/3s or 1/2s.
Bring back to a boil and then add
1 lb shelled + deviened shrimp (or more)
Serve with rice, bread or crackers and salad. Approx 4 generous servingsYum!
mmmm…hmmmmm… mmmmmm. That’s some good stuff right there.
Acorn Squash is a quick and easy companion to most any meat, or a small feast in itself. These are the dark green squash (golden inside) that are about the size of a cantaloupe and round in shape with ridges reminiscent of an acorn.
To prepare, cut it in half (parallel with the ridges), cover with something to keep the moisture in (to avoid plastic altering the flavour, I use a plate or a glass casserole cover), then microwave for about 7 minutes, or until tender.
After cooking, remove the seeds, which are edible but have tough husks. Add a little butter (or olive oil) and pepper, and you have a tasty side dish that is lighter than potatoes and both nutritious and satisfying.
Variations include “stuffing” the center with eggplant, mushrooms, and other interesting flavours. Enjoy!
That’s a great easy recipe Sonia! … and I am proficient with a microwave so that works in my favor :).
good to see you.
Paris is currently on a shrimp kick and I’ve been trying to incorporate them more into our diet. I already have a great recipe for Shrimp Creole and Linguini with Shrimp and Pesto. Well, a lady handed me a magazine yesterday with a recipe I tried last night. It was a hit! Relatively healthy (and easy).
Shrimp-Pesto Pizza
1/2 lb large shrimp (uncooked)
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
All purpose flour
Yellow corn meal
1 lb bakery pizza dough
1/3 cup refrigerated pesto
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Peel shrimp and slice in half lengthwise; devein if desired.
Saute onion, bell pepper, salt and pepper in 1 Tbsp hot olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until tender. Transfer to large bowl. Saute shrimp in remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil for 3 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. Add to onion mixture and toss.
Lightly sprinkle flour/cornmeal on large surface. Place dough on surface and roll to 1/4 inch thickness. Transfer pizza dough to baking stone (or baking sheet) sprinkled with flour/cornmeal.
Spread pesto evenly over crust and top with shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Place in 350 degree preheated oven for appx 8 min or until pizza crust is cooked to desired crispness. Serve immediately.
************
Being the primary cook in my house means I’ve got a ton of stuff. I’ll hit you up with some more stuff soon. Get yourself a nice three ring binder and start organizing your recipes.
j.
Num num num.
What a funny (and practical) idea for a post.
For simple, try a crock pot — most things you just throw in and they cook themselves.
For a little more involved, trust your gut (so to speak) rather than books: walk through the supermarket and fill up your cart with all the items that seem tastiest to you. This tomato, that melon, this cheese, that fish. But DON’T BUY any of it. Note what you selected, put the items back on the shelf, and then look up recipes for those items. If it’s not fun to make, it’s not (ful)filling to eat.
And like someone else said, a good set of knives is important.
Randy–
I recommend getting a George Foreman Grill. It’s really easy and works for chicken breast, shrimp, salmon or other fish… and vegetables. Too simple. With that and a can of Tony Chachere’s cajun seasoning, you could last for years.
Thai curries are really easy. You go to an Asian store and buy a tiny can of the curry mix, which is chopped seasonings, and mix it with a can of coconut milk (regular or lowfat). Cook until it boils, then add tofu, meat, and/or vegetables. A splash of fish sauce is optional, and no, it won’t taste nasty like it smells. There are several different flavors of curry. My favorite is Musuman. This is a meal that seems exotic, so it’s impressive to anyone who doesn’t realize how simple it is.
Great suggestions Jeremyakovakloafavaloski and Matt. That’s awesome on both suggestions. I have been debating the George Foreman grill thing.