Books I Am Reading - Part 1 - Eating Alone

I just finished reading "What We Eat When We Eat Alone", written by Deborah Madison and illustrated by Patrick McFarlin. I was introduced to this book by the Christian Science Monitor website book section, which I check weekly. Patrick started asking travel acquaintances what foods they ate when alone and it turned out that people were happy to discuss this very private activity.

Some of the more unusual (strictly in the mind of the beholder) meal menus included: crackers crumbled in milk; matzos crumbled in coffee; a sauce made with yogurt, mustard, and crumbled feta; and lots of food cobbled from what was in the frig and pantry (fungible greens, starches and proteins).

Tonight I tried the blue cheese sauce (cream with blue cheese melted in it). Pan browned a T-bone, chopped fresh mushrooms browned with the steak and then left in the pan as part of the sauce. Turned out delicious. There are 100 recipes in the book along with some very cute art work. I have several recipes to try including Salsa Verde made with tomatillos, the above mentioned yogurt sauce, and pasta with greens.

My own solo foods start with canned whole hominy (white preferred to yellow but both OK). Drain, dump into a bowl, cover and nuke about 1.5 minutes (you'll hear some popping). Pour off the excess water, add butter, salt, and pepper. Several years ago I found out that my youngest brother also eats this as I do - comfort food for when we are tired, don't feel well, or just haven't any appetite.

Hersey's Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream is also a favorite for a light meal, if suffering from congestion, or if a scratchy throat is noticeable. If your significant other shows signs of congestion, it is also acceptable to share this, strictly for medicinal purposes.

When alone for supper, any form of taco is fine. Cook several burgers (put extras in frig for next night's tacos). Slightly warm two corn tortillas under a broiler, in a toaster oven, or in a toaster (rotate while toasting). You want it slightly crisping but not cracking crisp so you can fold it. Take one cooked burger, slice it into three "sticks" and lay them down the center of the tortillas. Smear sour cream on one side of the tortilla along the burger sticks. Add your favorites - chopped or slices of onion (cut in half across and lay the onion strands along the burger), avocado or guacamole, salsa, grated or slices of cheese, and lettuce. Fold tortilla around this, grasp with an overhand hold, and munch while holding a paper towel in the other hand. Messy but uplifting in flavor and a high satisfaction quotient. To make it even easier, use a can of refried beans in place of the burger. Heat about 1/2 cup in microwave and refrigerate the rest. Smear the heated beans down the center of the tortillas and then add your favorites (see above). Note that the salsa should be under the cheese and lettuce to control drips and mess.

Left over pizza and spaghetti are delicious eaten cold. You get a totally different taste when these are cold.

From my Father, I learned to eat plain yogurt with brown sugar mixed in it (leave some lumps so that you get the yin and yang of tangy and sweet). Dannon Plain Yogurt (regular, not low fat) makes a very nice quick dessert fixed this way. Also from my Father I learned to eat whole wheat berries. We used to buy them at the feed store when I was young. Now all health food stores carry whole red wheat berries. Rinse a cup and put into a sauce pan. Add maybe 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer covered for about 1/2 hour (may foam over a bit). Remove from heat, leave in the water, and store in the frig when cooled. Next day, scoop some out with a slotted spoon and put in a cereal bowl. The wheat berries should be split and chewy. Cover and heat for 1 minute or so in the microwave. Sprinkle on sugar, pour on milk just to the top of the cereal, and eat. This can be a meal or a snack. I leave the berries in the cooking water for about three days and they grow more tender each day. The taste and texture is so different from processed cereals, different even from oatmeal.