Cooking for two does not have to be the daunting task many believe it to be. I always enjoyed cooking, but it was not until I had an empty nest that I really came into my own as an excellent cook. I love cooking more now than ever!
With a little advance planning, some creativity, and a well armed spice cabinet, cooking for two no longer means eating the same menu for three to four days or having to carefully calculate measurements to cut recipes in half. You can have a greatly varied menu while saving quite a lot of money on the grocery budget. Yes, this is quite possible, even with a spouse who is a picky eater like mine! It can also be accomplished on days when you are pressed for time to cook.
I began by taking a look at the spice ingredients, rubs, sauces, and condiments used in a wide number of recipes in various cuisines I was interested in trying. These included Amish, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Mexican, and Tex-Mex. I also poured over many American dishes I had never attempted to make. As I glanced through these recipes, I made notes of the spices, rubs, sauces, and condiments most frequently called for that I did not have on hand. Purchasing spices can be quite expensive initially so I spread the puraches out over a period of six weeks, placing a few on my grocery list each of three bi-weekly grocery shopping days. I also discovered that chain pharmacies often run specials on spices allowing me to purchase many of them at a fourth of the cost in a grocery store or supercenter.
I cleared out a cupborad slimmer than the others in the kitchen and designated it as my spice cabinet. As I began using these spices frequently in my cooking, I organized those I most often needed in a shoebox and placed the shoebox on the lowest of the three shelves in the cabinet. While all my spices are located in the cabinet, I can quickly grab the shoebox and take it to the counterop beside the stove while I am working and return it to the cabinet when not in use.
No one wants to eat the exact same thing for three days in a row. There is no need for that if you plan ahead or get creative after the fact with the leftovers. The key is making wise purchases at the grocery store and creating an entirely different entree out of the original ingredients. It is also quite wise after a shopping trip to seperate packages of meats, such as chicken breast, into smaller freezer bag packages so you may cook only the desired amount.
One example of creating an entirely different entree is on day one I may cook a beef roast surrounded by potatoes, carrots and onions in the deep dish baker. I did not purchase the largest size of roast while shopping. After dinner I will place the leftovers in the refrigerator, seperating the meat from the vegetables. On day two I would remove the roast from the refrigerator and slice it into a few chunks before placing it in the crock pot. I then combine a few ingredients in a mixing bowl to stir up my own barbecue sauce and pour the sauce over the meat. I will let this simmer for two to three hours before dinner. I now have created a delicious beef barbecue to serve on buns for dinner.
On day three, I might prepare a chicken breast for each of us using one of the rubs from the spice cabinet. I would serve the chicken with vegetables and after dinner store the leftover vegetables in the refrigator. This now leaves me with leftover vegetables from two different meals. On day four, I would throw the vegetables in the crock pot along with water, beef or chicken buillion cubes or broth I had saved in the freezer at some point. I would add a few spices, a can of tomatoes, and possibly some noodles, creating a very tasty soup for dinner. We would now have dined on four entirely different dinners, yet wasted nothing.
I love Asian food but my husband does not care for it. He will, however, eat stir fried rice but does not sprinkle soy sauce on his. I found a compromise which makes each of us happy when I tried a recipe for a spicy Chinese brown sauce. The recipe requires the sections of chicken strips be dipped in an egg wash and dredged in flour to which I have added garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper. The pieces are then deep fried prior to placing in the brown sauce mixture. I also discovered the chicken fried by this recipe to be exellent for dipping in sweet and sour sauce. My husband loves the chicken, though he does not care for either of the sauces. I can now dine on two versions of Asian meals at home while my husband enjoys his fried chicken and plain fried rice.
There will always be occasions you are pressed for time to prepare meals, regardless of how many or few you are serving. Freezing leftovers is always convenient. I discovered my husband and I both like my homemade Italian-American spaghetti sauce far more than any bought variety and it is less expensive to make. Making my homemade sauce requires about two hours of preparation work and three hours of time simmering on the stove. Therefore, I make a very large amount of sauce and pack the leftover sauce in one-meal size zip-closure bags in the freezer. On hectic days, I can serve a hearty meal that is ready in less than thirty minutes by only boiling the noodles, reheating a bag of the sauce, and making garlic toast with slices from a loaf of bread. Many entrees are freezable, making it convenient and budget friendly to blend the use of freezing leftovers with converting leftovers into entirely different menu items.
Following is a list of spices, rubs, condiments, or sauces that I have found I more frequently use.
Garlic powder
Ground Ginger
Ground Mustard
Oregano
White Pepper
Black Pepper
Ground Cayenne Red Pepper
Ground Thyme
Ground Turmeric
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Bay Leaves
Basil Leaves
Crushed Rosemary
Celery Seed
Marjoram Leaves
Ground Sage
Cinnamon
Paprika
Onion Powder
Pampered Chef Morracan Rub
Pampered Chef Chipotle Rub
Pampered Chef Smoky Barbecue Rub
Pampered Chef Jamaican Jerk Rub
Bullion Cubes-both chicken and beef
Honey
Ketchup
Vinegars - Apple Cider, White, Balsamic, Tarragon, Red Wine, and Rice Wine
Worcestershire Sauce
Soy Sauce
Teriyaki Sauce
Hoisin Sauce
Oils - Canola Oil, Extra Virgini Olive Oil, and Peanut Oil
Once you have the above ingredients on hand you, can create a vast amount of recipes with staple ingredients or meats. Though the initial investment in these ingredients seems rather steep, they will open a whole new world to you in cooking. The cost of maintaining the collection is minimal as you seldom need to replace multiple items at the same time. Many spices have very long shelf lives.
After you become accustomed to cooking with spices, you will find yourself creating your own culinary masterpieces as well as utlilizing the recipes of others. Stock up and have fun! Enjoy the art of cooking!