Cooking for One

[DreamerRose]

Been away for a while, so forgive me if this has been covered, but what kind of pies did you make? I love make-ahead dinners.

 

[orange&white]

Bisquick Impossibly Easy Pies

Looks like lots and lots of possible ingredient combinations! So what kind did you make, MamaNYT?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I made: 2 pepperoni, onion and bell pepper pizzas, 2 cheeseburgers, 2 chicken and broccolis, 2 ham with asparagus (LOVE THESE!), and two tacos. I make them in an 8x8 baking dish, rather than a pie pan.

 

[orange&white]

Yummy! I'm coming to your house!

I'm stuck in a rut of making a big pot of beans and a big pot of rice to freeze in little containers which I take for work lunches. I need to try something like those easy pies.

The square pans are a great idea for cutting same-sized portions.

 

[DreamerRose]

They sound great! I like the idea of square pans, too.

 

[Ardina]

I love freshly baked bread, so I'll get a giant loaf at the farmer's market for $5. I make some cross-hatching type slices all over the top but don't cut all the way through. Then drizzle some melted butter, shredded cheese, and minced garlic all over the top. Some diced green peppers or jalapenos too if you want a little kick. Then wrap in foil and bake at 350 degrees.

The really nice part though, is that you can just rewrap in foil and stick it in the fridge. The next day, just bake again for 20 minutes. And repeat the next day and the next. Each time you bake it, it gets tastier and a little crunchier. Finally, if you still have some left at the end of the week, you can break it apart and now you have croutons to put in soups and salads!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

OH YUM!!! That sound wonderful. I've actually been thinking of getting a bread machine, one that either bakes OR does just the dough. And now I'm REALLY thinking about it!

 

[orange&white]

Tonight I needed to use up some organic russet potatoes, so I made "Sharp cheddar cheesy, garlicy, spring oniony, red bell peppery, chicken stocky, greek yogurty, super buttery mashed potatoes...with a sprinkle of fresh spring onion greens on top.

It was meant to be a side dish, but it ended up quite filling on its own. Thinking about potato pancakes for breakfast tomorrow.

Lots of leftovers...I think mashed potatoes freeze all right, yes?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Yep. They freeze just fine.

 

[orange&white]

I made "hamburger patty" shapes with them wrapped in saran wrap to freeze in plastic tubs. Just dropped a "glop" into melted butter, smashed flat and browned on both sides.

Grilled cheesy potato patties. I'm in heaven.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

~drools lightly on keyboard~ I was thinking about muffin cups with liners. I like your idea better!

 

[artiemom]

I did not think you could freeze mashed potatoes. I know that my leftover mashed potatoes have an 'off' taste, the next day.. cold or reheated, it does not matter. With milk, or butter, does not matter if without~~ still an off taste...

 

[Mamanyt1953]

You have to really beat them again to redistribute the liquids. But they freeze just fine. The sooner you get them into the freezer, the better.

 

[orange&white]

Haven't tried any of the patties I froze yet.

I ended up with 6 cups and froze half. Still working on eating the other half out of the fridge. I went out of town to see Dad, and stepmom sent me home today with boxes of chicken tetrazzini casserole and mac'n cheese.

Looks like it's gonna' be a starchy week ahead!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Nothing wrong with that. I'm doing stir-fry tonight. I bought a BIG bag of frozen stir-fry veggies. Since I save bread ties in a jar, I like to get large bags of frozen stuff, then use what I want, and tie off the bag. I tried using the single-serving sized, but DANG they're expensive! OH...those frozen biscuits and rolls in the resealable bags? Quite nice. Be sure to burp the air out of the bag when reclosing so that they don't get frost-bitten.

 

[orange&white]

In the winter, I buy the BIG bags of frozen veggies: love the Asian stir-fry blend! I also seem to buy a lot of big bags of broccoli and Brussels sprouts.

In the summer, I buy the fresh seasonal veggies and freeze my own BIG bags. I've got a bunch of fresh green beans in the freezer, bought at 99 cents/lb. Today I bought 12 nice ears of sweet corn on the cob, at 6 for $1.00.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Hmmmmm...now that I know how to microwave corn on the cob, I may buy a couple of fresh ears when I shop tomorrow. I LOVE the fact that when you squeeze the corn out of the husks, the silk comes off with it, and you don't have to clean it!

 

[orange&white]

I usually only buy enough fresh corn to eat fresh, but bought more than enough to freeze. Some sites say you can wrap raw ears directly in foil or freezer bags, but most recommend blanching a few minutes, then dunking in ice water, before freezing. Not sure whether to blanch or not. What I'm not doing is cutting the kernels off the ears first! Too much work.

 

[muffy]

I love Ramen noodles. I buy them by the six pack at the dollar store. So good yet so cheap. Sometimes I add sauce or butter and garlic powder to it. I never use the packet that comes with it. A lady I worked with used them to make lo mein.

Muffy

 

[Mamanyt1953]

LOL...@muffy, there is a case of ramen noodles in my pantry right now! I use them instead of spaghetti a lot because they are so quick to cook. I can go from, "Gee, what am I having for supper tonight" to sitting down to spaghetti and garlic bread (a piece of toast done in the over) in 5 minutes flat! People who are cooking for one LOVE stuff like this!