Tag: Cooking for Two

ECONOGAL > Cooking for Two

Saving Supper With Spices

Posted on by Econogal

Last night I attempted to modify an online recipe into another “Recipe for Two” and ended up saving supper with spices. I had produce to use. The acorn squash could sit on the counter for a while longer but the giant bell pepper was another matter. So I searched for recipes including both. Click here to see the recipe I chose to alter.

Acorn squash and Orange Bell Pepper
Roasted Vegetables Base of Soup

Acorn Squash Soup For Two

Since there are only two of us and I only wanted to use one large acorn squash I started to reduce the inputs. Excitement about the ability to throw a simple soup together so I could get ready for a Zoom meeting was my undoing. I overlooked the call for apple cider as the base liquid.

Of course by the time I realized my lack of the proper liquid, I was at the step where the roasted vegetables are blended with the cream cheese and sautéed onions. And the apple cider. So I searched the fridge for a suitable substitute.

I ruled out cranberry juice in favor of a dry white wine. The viognier, from McManis Family Vineyards was perfect. But only a half cup remained in the bottle. The only other open wine was a red blend. Quite a bit remained in the bottle as it was too sweet for our palates. So I added some of that as well, forgetting one of Emeril Lagasse’s main tenet’s-only use the best.

After blending, the consistency of the soup was fantastic. So, the mixture was poured back into the soup pot to heat. A test taste yielded a too sweet tone to the creation. The sweetness overpowered the root vegetables. A disaster was upon us.

Saving Supper With Spices

In our house, when all else fails, add heat. Spiced heat. Since I had already sprinkled the acorn squash with cumin before baking we chose complimentary spices. In addition to the Savory Spice line, we often use a Christmas gift, The Cook’s Pallete Chilli Collection. The chilli’s range from quite mild to very hot.

Cayenne and Chipotle are the spices we used last night when saving supper with spices. The heat of the spices countered the too sweet sweetness of the red wine blend. Our Acorn Squash Soup for Two was saved.

Obviously, I need to keep working on the recipe. Next time, I will either use only a dry white wine or some type of stock. Most likely vegetable stock. I intend to keep adding four ounces of cream cheese as well as adjust the amount of yogurt. The single acorn squash with the bell pepper and small onion create the perfect amount for the base. Hopefully, I can publish a tested Acorn Squash Soup For Two recipe later this winter.

In the meantime, if your thrown together recipe turns disastrous, remember saving supper with spices may allow you a meal that can be enjoyed.

Closed Tin holding saving supper with spices
Open Tin of Chilli Spices

Bread Pudding for Two

Posted on by Econogal

Recipe: Bread Pudding for Two

I developed the following recipe of Bread Pudding for Two in an effort to keep the calorie intake down and the waistlines from too much expansion during these pandemic times. Also, I am placing the recipe ingredients at the top in response to a comment disliking the need to scroll down past the dialogue. Be assured plenty of pictures and instructions can be found after the ingredients and recipe.

Ingredients:

1/3 Cup of Raisins
2 TBS of Bourbon
½ teaspoon Cinnamon
4 Slices of Bread
2 TBS Butter-melted
2 Eggs- beaten
1 Cup Low fat Milk
1/3 Cup of Brown Sugar

Instructions:

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Soak raisins in the bourbon and sprinkle the cinnamon on top. Slice the bread into cubes. Place in 8 x 4 baking pan. Evenly pour butter over the bread cubes. Beat eggs, mix in milk and brown sugar. Carefully pour over bread. Make sure all cubes are soaked. Pour raisin mixture on top and press gently. Bake in oven for 45-50 minutes.

Some Tips and Tricks: Bread Pudding for Two

This recipe is fairly easy to prep. About fifteen minutes tops, unless you have interruptions. However, this is plenty of time to allow the bourbon and cinnamon to soak into the raisins. I used Woodford Reserve which we have on hand. I have toured their distillery and love their bourbon balls. But of course your favorite bourbon will work just as well.

If you do not have any bourbon on hand, a substitution of vanilla will work. But I would cut the amount in half. Additionally, whole milk or 2% milk can be substituted for the low fat milk. In this case the amount used would remain the same.

I cube the bread instead of tearing it. This is a personal preference. Using a bread slicing knife makes quick work of this step. Drizzling the hot butter over the bread eliminates the possibility of cooking the egg mixture prematurely.

Egg Mixture

The egg mixture is the glue that holds everything together. So, make sure the egg is well beaten before adding the milk and brown sugar. Since we are advocates of the Case Against Sugar, this is not a sweet bread pudding. If you want it sweet you will have to increase the amount to your liking.

For those worried about serving a dish with alcohol, the time in the oven is sufficient for the alcohol to burn off. Yet, the bourbon flavor is very evident in this recipe. Again, you may want to adjust to your liking.

I hope the following pictures help!

Step One: Soaking the Raisins

Step Two: Cubing the Bread

Third Step: Egg Mixture

Step Four: Ready for the Oven

Step Five: Finished Bread Pudding for Two

Cooking for Two

Posted on by Econogal

Root vegetables in a cooking pan.
Just enough for Two!

Some individuals struggle with empty nest syndrome, others are ready to celebrate. I was closer to the latter, but that may be due to a schedule that included full-time work, studying for a Master’s degree in management and training for a marathon. Frankly, I did not have time to feel morose. My biggest struggle was suddenly cooking for two.

Our offspring seem like sets. The two oldest were born in the same year. Then the third did not arrive until the first two were about ready for school. The last was a few years behind the third. But the last two left home at the same time. This caused a big shift in cooking habits.

When we were six at home, we seldom had leftovers. The meals consisted of generous portions and necessity dictated quick to prepare recipes. Four kids meant a lot of activities. Each was allowed one sport and one non sport activity plus school and Sunday school. Of course there were guests around from time to time as well.

Empty Nester Cooking

The portions are now quite a bit smaller and even then we have leftovers. Sometimes we go for more complex recipes but I still like to keep it simple. One of the best parts of this empty nest cooking style is the impromptu aspect. Such was the case recently when I decided to prepare Roasted Root Vegetables for Two.

Even though we have had more than a handful of 100 degree days, we enjoyed a cool front (complete with 3/10 an inch of rain, Yahoo!) Since I harvested a rutabaga that morning which had survived the flea beetle attack along with beets, I decided roasting the vegetables would be a nice change. We added some store-bought potatoes and carrots. Garden onion and garlic were also utilized. I am including the recipe below.

The life style change has impacted our kitchen preparations. Pancakes are seldom on the menu and I do not recall when I last made goulash. Yet when the kids were at home both were weekly occurrences. Now, each weekday lunch is centered on a smoothie. No mac and cheese or other quick order meal for the high school kids on their lunch break.

Dinners have been the biggest change. I no longer plan out the meals a week in advance. In the summer, meals are decided last-minute based on what the garden has yielded that day. Favorite meals are homemade pizzas, cold soups, and grilled everything. The colder months feature crock pot meals or casseroles. Both yield lots of leftovers.

Solutions

There are some things one can do to offset the challenges of cooking for two. First is freezing. Often part of the meal is put in a freezer container. This relieves the boredom factor of eating the same thing for three or more days. Second is creating or finding recipes such as Roasted Root Vegetables for Two. This helps eliminate the overabundance of leftovers. But perhaps the best way is to share the meal.

Sharing a meal with other couples, neighbors or family members is no longer commonplace. However, I think as a society we need to revisit this custom. When the kids were little neighborhood gatherings were commonplace. Perhaps not every weekend but more than once a month. However, that no longer seems to be the case. Now the occurrences are once or twice a year.

Since one of my New Year’s Resolutions is to socialize more, I plan to host some gatherings once the outdoor building project is completed. In my case it has been easy to retreat once the kids left the nest. I enjoy being at home since I am a bit introverted. Entertaining takes time that could be spent on other activities. But I do think it is important to keep resolutions so neighborhood cook-outs are on the docket. Let me know how you adapt to cooking for two!

Roasted Root Vegetables for Two

1 rutabaga
2 beets
2 potatoes
1 onion
2 carrots or 1 cup baby carrots
1 TBS olive oil
4-6 garlic cloves
Salt to taste

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut vegetables into small chunks and spread out in baking pan. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables. Stir every 15 minutes. After 30 minutes sprinkle the garlic cloves among the vegetables. Resume stirring every 15 minutes. Test for doneness at one hour by piercing rutabaga with fork. Salt to taste and serve. Note: If rutabaga not included cooking time may be reduced to 45 minutes.