Mac and Cheese for One Please

It was one of those afternoons where there's no real food in the kitchen. I had some frozen chicken tenders, but I wasn't in the mood for those. I didn't want a sandwich, I didn't want this or that. I was feeling pretty restless.

My eyes fell upon some cheese in the refrigerator, and I thought to myself, "Man...I could kill for some homemade mac and cheese."

I only know how to make two kinds, one is a very involved casserole that requires a LOT more cheese than I had, bay leaves, onions and about 8 people to share it with. The other absolutely positively requires corn starch and garlic cheese. But I thought I'd combine the recipes... and it turned out lovely!

Here's what I did...

2 Tbsp of butter
less than half a cup of flour
less than half a cup of milk
1 tsp of worcestershire sauce
2 (or more) cups of grated cheddar cheese
1-2 cups of macaroni noodles

I boiled up the noodles. While they were cooking, I melted the butter in a small saucepan and added the flour, stirring until it was no longer lumpy. I wouldn't add all the flour at once, but I really have no clue how much I put in there except that it was less than 1/2 a cup. Pour in some milk until it has a texture you like. Add the grated cheese and turn the heat up. Stir constantly...and I mean CONSTANTLY until the cheese has melted. Add in the worcestershire.

The noodles should've already cooked now, and you'll want to drain those and let them sit in the drain pan.

Mix the noodles and cheese sauce, and you've got some fairly easy, fairly delicious macaroni and cheese.

Mine lasted for SEVERAL days thereafter. I paired it with a BBQ sandwich, had it for lunch two times, and dinner twice total.

Join Me In Raising Your Glass As We Roast The Chicken!

I have never roasted chicken, and I was a little apprehensive as I approached this tasty option for dinner. All I had was a chicken breast, and since it's just me, that's all I really need.

Ingredients:

1 russet potato
1 small white onion
1 chicken breast (with bone and skin)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
lemon juice
italian seasoning
garlic pepper
salt
ground pepper
shredded parmesan cheese (optional)

After preheating the oven to 450 degrees, place the chicken breast skin up in a small, deep roasting dish. I think I used my roommate's casserole dish.

Mix the seasoning, salt, pepper, etc. in a small dish with the softened butter. With your hands, gingerly rub the chicken all over with this herb butter. Be sure to get some underneath the skin as well, though you'll want to be careful to not tear the skin. The goal of this step is that when the butter melts underneath the skin, the chicken will become saturated with the flavors of the herbs. The butter on the outside of the skin will help it crisp and brown like the chicken you've always dreamed of.

Remove the outer layer or two of the onion. Julienne some of the onion, and place the strips (about 4-5) underneath the skin on the top of the chicken. Place several 2 in wide piece of onion elsewhere on the chicken.

Cut the potato into about 6 pieces and surround the chicken breast. Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and any other seasoning you like.

Sprinkle the parmesan all over the chicken and potatoes, and place the entire dish in the oven.

Leave on 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes, then lower to 350 degrees. Cook for about 30 more minutes, then remove and let sit for 5-10 minutes. This allows the juices to continue flavoring the chicken.

Since part of eating alone and cooking yourself is also ensuring you get a health dose of green veggies, etc. prepare a tasty salad with your favorite dressing. I used Newman's Own Caesar Dressing.

If you'd like a glass of wine with your chicken, I'd recommend a Chardonnay.

Enjoy!

An Introduction

I have recently started cooking for just myself. Being on a budget, I can't really go out to eat very much. I try to limit myself to getting food out just once a week. So then I'm left "fending for myself." Well, I don't do TV dinners. I am not a big fan of box dinners. I'm actually a very picky eater, so I find it's just easier to make whatever I know I will like.

Cooking for one is always an overused but viable excuse to not treat yourself to amazing food every night of the week. Why should you only eat well when eating when others? That's just not fair to yourself. While I'll sometimes eat Tyson chicken tenders or ramen, I try to cook fantastic dinners at least three times a week, leaving leftovers for the other days.

All the recipes and instructions on this site are my own. For some things I may peruse sites for helpful hints, but I keep the recipes true to my own tastes and styles. It's difficult to tell people how I cook, because I never use measuring devices when I do. So most of these instructions are guesstimates, as cooking great is not an exact science.

The pictures are also taken by me, either along the way or the final product. The posts without pictures are recipes I cooked before I ever thought to blog about it.

I hope you'll find this site useful as you treat yourself to quality food.