Public Address | Cafe | Feed: Meals for Me

Andrew Stevenson

Wed, 28 May 2014 14:07:31 +1200

Let's see, for throw together as opposed to a made ahead freezer meal...
Steak au steak, as Emma put it, preferably rump or something with flavour (not eye fillet). Cooked on a smoking hot grill/pan only just so long that a good vet could get it back on its feet.…

Amy Gale

Wed, 28 May 2014 01:22:50 +1200

I tell people that my go-to meal for dining alone is a can of tuna and a multivitamin, but I can exclusively reveal to you, dear PASers, that actually I usually skip the multivitamin.

Steve Barnes

Tue, 27 May 2014 22:03:50 +1200

hospital food aint much comfort.
best wishes.
Oh, she's home now, all good. Cheers ;-)

Sacha

Tue, 27 May 2014 21:56:18 +1200

while my partner is off galavanting around in some hospital having operations for the fun of it

hospital food aint much comfort.
best wishes.

Steve Barnes

Tue, 27 May 2014 21:36:43 +1200

When I am on my own, working away or just at home while my partner is off galavanting around in some hospital having operations for the fun of it, I tend to not bother about food much. But then I get hungry.
After a couple of days of toast I…

Hilary Stace

Tue, 27 May 2014 20:21:32 +1200

I like this easy default meal which doesn't require cooking, although having some products on hand helps. In a bowl put some coleslaw (ready made by Vitalvegetables is nice), light cottage cheese, chopped up hard boiled egg and top with toasted seeds, such as these you can order online from…

Carol Stewart

Tue, 27 May 2014 19:23:03 +1200

Thanks! I thought I’d seen the whole range of smoked products (cheese, tomatoes, garlic, yoghurt, mushrooms in addition all the seafoods and meats) but that one had passed me by.

Steve Barnes

Tue, 27 May 2014 18:05:03 +1200

I have no idea what I ate when I was living in a squat in Elephant & Castle in my 20s. Presumably something, because I didn’t starve to death.
That would have been kebabs, chips and the occasional greasy breakfast I would imagine, sausage ,egg, bacon fried slice and double bubble…

Alice Ronald

Tue, 27 May 2014 15:28:12 +1200

Oh, yes. Some days I just go for soup & toast/crackers. Cream of mushroom or good old tomato never fails.

thegirlstefan

Tue, 27 May 2014 15:12:47 +1200

Lewis Road creamery also do smoked butter

Joanna

Tue, 27 May 2014 15:09:30 +1200

Smoked whitestone butter, available in your local supermarket probably

thegirlstefan

Tue, 27 May 2014 13:49:34 +1200

I feel lucky in that I love cooking and living by myself has given me the opportunity to really explore what I like eating, rather than having to factor in anyone else's foibles (always respectful to factor in allergies etc. when feeding guests, of course). When I lived with an…

Russell Brown

Tue, 27 May 2014 13:09:30 +1200

I have tried to recalled what I lived on when I was studying in the US.

I have no idea what I ate when I was living in a squat in Elephant & Castle in my 20s. Presumably something, because I didn't starve to death.

Russell Brown

Tue, 27 May 2014 13:07:25 +1200

For four pretty massive patties, I’ll use about 0.8-1 kg of beef/lamb/pork mixed with an egg, about two tablespoons of olive oil, a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard, chopped parsley, half a medium onion diced, and a touch of salt and black pepper mixed together by hand.

That's a staunch patty,…

Sacha

Tue, 27 May 2014 12:57:11 +1200

due to my energy levels

am with you on that.
love cooking, seldom get there properly

Rachael J

Tue, 27 May 2014 12:26:33 +1200

My favourite solo meal is the ultimate comfort food of a poached egg and stewed tomato on toast. It brings back happy childhood memories of quick Sunday evening meals after a day out adventuring. I also favour a pumpkin, olive and feta frittata (husband eschews omelettes or frittatas) or hot…

Geoff Lealand

Tue, 27 May 2014 11:35:19 +1200

Josephine does all our cooking for she is so good at it (she used to teach Chinese cuisine) and I do all the rest (washing,ironing, cleaning, shopping, cat feeding). Cooking when she is absent is a bit of an ordeal and it has been largely reduced to a couple of…

Carol Stewart

Tue, 27 May 2014 11:17:51 +1200

smoked butter

Please tell me more.

Gareth

Tue, 27 May 2014 11:09:10 +1200

I very rarely get the opportunity to cook for one, but should there be one in the near future it will certainly involve Cumberland sausage (from The Traiteur) and bacon. Both of these items are off the multi-serve agenda since SWMBO encountered a robot gallbladder removal machine.

Sue

Tue, 27 May 2014 10:55:41 +1200

so cottage cheese and baked beans or waties tinned soup doesn't do it for everyone else?

I fear unlike you all due to my energy levels cooking is low down on my priority list so it is very much what the supermarket provides. On occasion i'll have a good run…

Carol Stewart

Tue, 27 May 2014 10:42:15 +1200

Like many others here, I don't get to eat alone all that often and it's quite a treat to be able to suit oneself completely. For a complete meal I'd probably go for baked potato, steak, mushrooms and onions, greens. For a snack – a mushroom sandwich-for-one. Similar to a…

Andre Alessi

Tue, 27 May 2014 09:37:45 +1200

I can’t see anything in this thread worthy of the hilarious Dimly Lit Meals For One, thank goodness. (Some if my own attempts, however…)

Recently, my go-to when I’m alone is the result of the years I spent manning the grill at BurgerFuel. Enormous cheeseburgers built (mostly) from scratch, particularly…

Alice Ronald

Tue, 27 May 2014 09:33:49 +1200

One light meal I like is to do a Thai-style salad. I usually make enough for two salads, which means tomorrow's lunch is sorted too.

Or scrambled eggs on toast. I've been making my scrambled eggs in a frypan recently, rather than microwaving, with crushed garlic in the egg. So…

Russell Brown

Mon, 26 May 2014 21:58:31 +1200

Ruth LAUGESEN.

Sigh. I've been having a bad run on names. I do know how to spell her name, honest.

Virginia Brooks

Mon, 26 May 2014 21:43:57 +1200

I relish the one night of the week its just me at home & I don't have to cook a proper meal for anyone else. Sometimes I just have toast. Yes! Sometimes with banana squashed on it and lots of butter. Or vegemite. Or sometimes its soup instead (not on the…

Deborah

Mon, 26 May 2014 21:28:55 +1200

Potato and bacon hash:

Diced potatoes, cooked for about 10 minutes in a frying pan, with frequent turning so they don't catch, then add some diced bacon and let it cook some more, while poaching an egg. Mound the potato and bacon on a plate, lay the poached egg on…

Craig Ranapia

Mon, 26 May 2014 21:28:31 +1200

But of course, I only do this once a week. Things might be different if it was this way every night, like it was for poor Don Brash. I don’t think I could bear eating the same thing every night. Would I actually cook all the time? Or would the…

Mark Cubey

Mon, 26 May 2014 21:01:12 +1200

Ruth LAUGESEN.

Kumara Republic

Mon, 26 May 2014 20:09:43 +1200

Solo meal for me right now: spiced wedges, bacon pieces, diced red onion, mozzarella cheese & sour cream. Even a seemingly small amount of wedges can fill you up pretty quickly once you add in the other ingredients.

WaterDragon

Mon, 26 May 2014 19:49:49 +1200

On the cooking-for-one front,I'm not worried about eating the same thing on successive days, if (as I try to ensure) it's something I like a fair bit. So the soup season gives me a great chance to indulge in kumera and blue vein cheese soup. With repeats

Tamara

Mon, 26 May 2014 19:44:11 +1200

My go to solo meal is fish ball soup. Frozen fish balls in a broth with pak choy, noodles etc. My partner is a big red meat eater so that's what I don't have when I'm on my own.

Rebecca Williams

Mon, 26 May 2014 19:43:02 +1200

Beautiful! Executed as intended :)

My house is the opposite to Emma's – my husband is the cook. Not that I can't, more that I don't.

If I'm by myself (seldom) I tend to go for something easy like omelette, or something out of the freezer like pumpkin soup or…

Aotearoan

Mon, 26 May 2014 19:05:52 +1200

Tofu and lots of greens, ginger and garlic. Delicious yet oddly unpopular. Lentils get bad press too, but they taste great, as do chickpeas done many ways.
Simple clean food.
Mussels are divine too, surprising how many people loathe them.

Miche Campbell

Mon, 26 May 2014 18:45:26 +1200

I'm happy to cook for two, three, six, or sixteen, but if I'm cooking just for me I usually go for comfort food, and simple stuff at that.

Most of the time I don't even bother making A Meal, but just graze all evening.

Russell Brown

Mon, 26 May 2014 18:34:02 +1200

Ahem. Le cassoulet.

linger

Mon, 26 May 2014 17:58:41 +1200

These days, I only ever cook for one. Omelets, soups, stir-fries, stews — all using essentially the same mix of vegetables and mushrooms, chopped to varying degrees, and with a few other additional ingredients added: meats, when present, used for flavouring rather than as a main feature. (Generally I plan…

Brent Jackson

Mon, 26 May 2014 17:53:26 +1200

For a while last year we’d got into a really good routine where once a week one of our teenagers would cook. It’s harder this year with our son at uni and sports and stuff that means they don’t get home til quite late sometimes, but we really should get…

B Jones

Mon, 26 May 2014 17:45:46 +1200

I like cooking for one, but I do tend to go for minimising dishes and cooking time when I get the chance, which is never with a couple of preschoolers in the house. Spaghetti and improvised sauce works well for small quantities. Last solo dinner I made was mussels and…

Robyn Gallagher

Mon, 26 May 2014 17:44:54 +1200

About 15 years I had a weird conversation with my aunt that started with her asking "What do you eat?" when she discovered I lived by myself. Cooking for one is easy. It's like regular cooking except you either reduce the recipe or you make the lot and refrigerate or…

Thrash Cardiom

Mon, 26 May 2014 17:43:08 +1200

When my partner goes away I reach for a cube roll and cut a steak that verges on a mini roast. Seared in a very hot pan, finished in the oven, and rested for 10 minutes. Occasionally I'll do a baked potato to soak up the juice but not often.

Emma Hart

Mon, 26 May 2014 17:35:01 +1200

No one else in your family cooks ? That’s a bit sad…

My partner really can't cook, and he pulls his weight around the house in other ways, so that's okay. For a while last year we'd got into a really good routine where once a week one of our…

Hebe

Mon, 26 May 2014 17:32:50 +1200

I'm startled by not being able to remember the last time I ate alone. And that's quite wonderful when I think how shit my life was when I was in my mid-30s. I'm thankful that I'm now off to make dinner in our tiny kitchen to feed two teenagers and…

Brent Jackson

Mon, 26 May 2014 17:31:56 +1200

...from the normal family cooking I do six days a week every week all the time.

No one else in your family cooks ? That's a bit sad...

Emma Hart

Mon, 26 May 2014 17:28:13 +1200

On the rare occasions I get to be by myself for a while, I tend to forget to do things like eat, and go to bed. So I make a point of cooking myself something really nice so I’ll bother. I’m a ‘cooking is love’ person, and I’ve learned to…

Joanna

Mon, 26 May 2014 17:24:42 +1200

Definitely, I am allllllllll about the starch. Mashed potatos made with yoghurt (as well as butter of course) or with smoked butter are amazing with stew, I've developed a bit of a thing for brown rice (which I always cook double the amount of, so I can toss the rest…

Anne M

Mon, 26 May 2014 17:21:14 +1200

I have bags of smoked salmon in the freezer and can knock up a frittata in 10 min from a standing start with whatever vege are lying around looking a bit sad.

Russell Brown

Mon, 26 May 2014 17:14:30 +1200

there are few things I love as much as spending a good chunk of a weekend filling up the freezer with individual servings of slow cooked stews, bolognese or empanadas.

Do you serve the stews with a starch?

Brent Jackson

Mon, 26 May 2014 17:08:36 +1200

My partner and daughter don't like seafood, so if they're not around I cook up some onion, kumara, gold/red/orange capsicum, parsnip, yam (if available), and greens with some butter in the electric frypan, throwing in some frozen surimi, calamari and mushrooms once the kumara is cooked (about 8 minutes). Quick…

Bart Janssen

Mon, 26 May 2014 17:05:01 +1200

I don't eat alone often but when I know I won't be breathing on anyone else I take the opportunity to indulge ... things like raw onion on cheese with tomato sauce ... it's awful I know but I can't help liking it. Or intense blue cheese burgers and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RllWJUvrxEY&feature=youtu.be|Alton Brown's…

Isabel Hitchings

Mon, 26 May 2014 16:56:44 +1200

The last time I regularly dined alone it was on a student's budget and I was rather more carnivorous than I am now. I seem to recall a lot of sausages.

My partner is allergic to eggs so that's what we eat any time he's not around – mostly either…

James Burnett

Mon, 26 May 2014 16:56:01 +1200

I'm not allowed to make corned beef when anyone else is home so...

Joanna

Mon, 26 May 2014 16:40:21 +1200

I'm lucky enough to have a standalone freezer as well as the one on my fridge, and there are few things I love as much as spending a good chunk of a weekend filling up the freezer with individual servings of slow cooked stews, bolognese or empanadas. I never dine…

Public Address

Mon, 26 May 2014 16:40:21 +1200

Discussion from blog post.