Cooking for One Can be Fun

I've had a bit of writer's block lately. Maybe it's the slowness of the Summer. You know, those lazy days that kind of fry your brain and turn your thinking to mush. And since I'm not good at art projects, can't focus enough to decide what to watch on Netflix other than 90-Day Fiancé and all the spin-offs, and have too much attention deficit for puzzles, I've turned to what I know, which is cooking. That's been my creative outlet, and my outlet for all that pent-up energy from being home during this quarantine.

When I worked and lived in the City (New York City) I could barely be bothered cooking. If I wasn't traveling, then I was out for dinner either for work or with friends. I was probably home 2-3 nights at most a week. If I was home, I usually bought prepared food from one of the great neighborhood places because -- and I think I've said this before -- it was cheaper to do that than buy all the ingredients to cook a meal. I know that sounds crazy but I would wind up throwing out so much because I never knew when I'd be home to use what was in the fridge. Now that we have all been home for months it's been great watching on social media how many people have learned to love cooking!

So now to the title of my blog today -- Cooking for One Can be Fun! Yes it can. How many times have you been told that it's not enjoyable to cook for one person? How many times have you looked at a recipe and the recipe serves 4 or more? Where are the recipes for one? Why do portions not come in single serving units when you go to the supermarket? Hey, what about us single folks? We are people too, right? So I say yes, cooking for one can be fun. Who better to create something special for than yourself right? You deserve it, I deserve it. And if you make a little extra, well then you have leftovers or something to share with the neighbor. It's ok! Cook for yourself, indulge, create, enjoy. Doesn't have to be fancy, just use what you have on hand. Look up recipes, there are so many great apps like the NY Times Cooking app, or Epicurious, or Yummly or my blog FKDecanted. Go to them for inspiration. Go to them for guidance and create. Put good things in your belly, even the simplest meal can be yummy. So many of my friends have been asking me to start compiling the recipes I've been making, so going forward I am going to start incorporating recipes into my writing. And folks there will be recipes for 1 serving and sometimes for more! And well, if you want it for more you know what to do -- double it, triple it ... but let's start with serving sizes for the single folks out there. Here are a few of my recent favorites that I've made for myself.