Cooking for One

When the time came for me to head out on my own after college, my parents gave me a cookbook called Cooking for One. I was perfectly capable of cooking. Give me a cookbook, and I can cook just about anything. I've even made spaghetti sauce from scratch in an electric skillet. Cooking for one person, however, involves a bit of thinking about portions, cooking time, etc. If I remember correctly, the book even talked about shopping for one.

I haven't had that book for years. I think I left it behind when Brian and I separated. I figured he'd need it more than I would. He wasn't helpless in the kitchen, but the extent of his cooking skills at that time were boiling and microwaving pre-packaged meals.

Lately I've found myself thinking about that book. As I said, give me a cookbook, and I can cook just about anything. Not that I need the cooking instructions, but sometimes I could use the help with meal planning.

Let's face it, cooking for one is a waste of time and energy.  You can prepare a meal for four or six in the same amount of time.  So a lot of the time I end up eating a very similar, if not identical, menu every day.

But it's not just cooking for one. It's getting the car to the shop. It's having someone watch out for you when you're hospitalized.  It's a myriad of little things that become bigger things when you're a single person.

I'm fortunate. I have family living nearby and plenty of friends always willing to help out. I do the same for them.

I still cook for one most days.