I am so happy to find this thread as I am cooking for one now. Everybody had great ideas. Here are a few of mine:
Licia I agree to freezing leftovers. I cook as I did cooking for 2. After the meal, if I'm not sure I'm going to eat it tomorrow, into the freezer it goes and I can go on to making something else. We all like variety, and it's nice to look in the freezer and find a delicious dinner waiting and no messy kitchen.
Selkie, I've starting trading vegetables with a neighbor. She'll buy a big cabbage and give me half. I'll buy celery and carrots and give her half. No limp wasted veggies.
Wyogal, I use your idea of making full size or even large size pots of say, rice.
I package sandwich size baggies and store them flat in the freezer. Really handy.
mcnerd, I have been thinking about a small freezer too. I can fit most things in my regular freezer, but not and have room for ice cream (occasionally) or I like to keep leftover cornbread for taco meatloaf, or even a large french bread cut into four inch pieces and frozen in a gallon baggie all of these take up a lot of room and it's not a big freezer to start with.
Can you recommend a small one?
Andy M. Since I can rarely get to an open market, I found that buying frozen vegs. works well in that I can grab a handful for any dish.
I like to repurpose food:
I make taco meat mixture and have tacos one night, the next day I turn the leftover mixture into chili, and the leftover chili into chili mac. Usually freezing in between to avoid boredom. I plan ahead so that if I'm not going to eat any the next day, I usually go ahead and freeze the leftovers before I sit down to eat my dinner.
I make chicken soup with onion soup mix adding extra water as needed and fresh carrots, celery, onion, garlic (or a handful of frozen vegs.
After eating soup, I drain the stock into a bowl and then transfer it to a freezer container and the leftover chicken and vegs in another container to have with noodles and cheese.
I used the stock this time to make lima beans with a saved pork roast bone. Since I went ahead with the soup and added stewed tomatoes, frozen okra and vegetable juice this time, the beans were extra special good and plenty to eat, left overs to freeze, and plenty to give to my neighbor.
By the way, I love the taste of okra, but not the slime. I found putting them into the soup early eliminates any trace of slime and still adds the great okra flavor. I use frozen okra so it's easy to add as much or as little as you need.
I'll bet others have repurposing ideas. I'd love to hear more.
