Sunday, October 08, 2006

Bachelorette chow. Now with flavor!

Living the single lifestyle as long as I have, I've never been much into cooking. Long hours and limited free time to read and whatnot mean that I'm fairly happy with my current limited kitchen setup in my little lakefront cottage, which consists of a refrigerator/freezer, toaster oven, and microwave. (Big plans are afoot to add a single burner eye, greatly broadening my culinary horizons.)

Restaurants have satisfied my needs for a properly balanced diet, allowing me to supplement my microwaved fare with products from the other major food groups, including the steak group, the reuben group, the BBQ rib group, and the philly-hold-the-peppers-and-mushrooms group.

I especially love reubens, so y'all please don't laugh at this: I was at the store picking up ingredients for my two favorite homemade sandwiches (roast beef, swiss, & horseradish on rye, and prosciutto, provolone, & honey mustard on ditto,) when I noticed (duh!) that you can buy sauerkraut! That's right: big ol' glass jars of imported kraut! And there was rye bread already in my shopping cart! And dressings were right down the same aisle! And the deli has corned beef!

I don't have to wait for the corner delicatessen to open to get a reuben, I could make one right at home! Oh... my... gawd! (Other shoppers were somewhat distracted by my sudden squeal of delight.)

Makes me sound a little dense, doesn't it?

Anyhow, they turned out delicious and I am ever so proud of myself. Yum.

15 comments:

Porta's Cat said...

I can dig. I have spent most of my life as bachalero. It is the little surprises at the grocery store that can make your day....

Anonymous said...

I'm familiar with the practice. I still haven't hooked up my stove after buying the house three years ago. Consider adding a propane BBQ grill and a crockpot. Grill for grilling fresh meats, crockpot for stews and chili.

Thanks for the blog.

Anonymous said...

Tune in next time where we learn how to mix up ketchup, mayo and relish together. :P

Jeffro said...

Do ya like the deli style sliced corned beef, or the canned? I generally buy the canned, and use the deli stuff as a change of pace.

Ruebens rule!

Zendo Deb said...

I recommend a grill.... it is easy (I mean, even men can grill....) Steaks, chicken, etc are easy to do.

This may not be the time of year for it in Tenn, but then I know people who grill all year long in Illinois. (They put the gas grill right next to the patio door)

Anonymous said...

Plus the more food you prepare from scratch at home, the more money you'll have for books, guns, attention to a ragtop sieve, and paying Ahmadinejad's way into Dollywood.

Porta's Cat said...

(They put the gas grill right next to the patio door)


If you are going to cook with gas, it is cheaper to buy Bic lighters by the gross.

A "Little Smokey" from Wallyland is a bachelor(ette)s best friend.

Anonymous said...

George Foreman grill. Second only to the microwave for keeping single folks happy. Al T.

Anonymous said...

I would buy "Bachelor Chow" by the 50 pound bag, if only someone would offer it. "Hmmmn, makes it own gravy..."

Anonymous said...

I'm weird, I suppose. I've always loved to cook, whether I'm alone or with partner. For a male, it's a useful skill to develop, for three reasons:

a)If you're single, it is often a way to save money and eat (slightly) healthier than a steady diet of hunk food.

b)If you're single, the words "I can cook" are an effective pick-up line. :)

c)If you're not single, the argument that "I cooked, so you do the dishes" is usually effective.

Anonymous said...

Gotta agree with Lizard.

SWMBO is a stay at home mommy, so she usually has dinner ready or nearly so by the time I get home. Therefore, I get to do the dishes. I still cook though. I made an apple crisp recipe last night using the apples as their own "bowl". It didn't take long to prepare (20min prep/40min cook) and was dang tasty with some vanilla ice cream.

It might even be doable in a toaster oven...

FWIW, I cooked for myself quite often even as a bachelor. Not only was it cheaper and healthier, it was a relaxing activity in itself. Then and now, lunches consist of leftovers, so I tend to only eat fast food once or twice a week, if that.

Chris

Anonymous said...

mmmm.. reuben!

Humanity isn't a total loss, after all. :)

Anonymous said...

I love Ruebens, but without the sauerkraut (blech!). So, one day I'm ordering one at the coffee shop near my office. "NO Sauerkraut!", I advised the waitress. "Well", she said, "that's not really a Rueben then." "No" I agreed, "it's Ruebenesque". The Fudgie Ghost

Anonymous said...

Tamara,

You know what a Reuben Sandwich is when you run out bread don't you?

Bachelor's "Corned Beef & Cabbage"

Yeah I know 'kraut and cabbage are different, I am dumb male, we can act dumber when we want to.

It eats, and that is name of the game...Eats!

Steve

staghounds said...

I second the grill reccommendations, but charcoal!

Also, a large size toaster oven is great, beats a micro hollow for heating up meats like barbecue, and one can make TOAST!