Cooking for one

Let me start off by saying that I hate cooking for one. I know that I am not alone in this feeling. Co-workers tell me they hate cooking for themselves as well. Even single parents hate cooking for themselves....they know they kids will be perfectly happy with tater tots and frozen chicken nuggets if you served it to them every night of the week.


What I'm talking about is the entire act of cooking which then expands out to the purchasing of the food it takes to make that meal for one. I am stuck in a rut of purchasing the same staples over and over and over again because I make those same comfort meals all the time. And by comfort I am not neccesarily talking about the comfort food we normally refer to like Mom's meat loaf or a mound of steaming hot, butter melting, creamy white mashed potatoes. I'm more referring to the ease and comfort of foods you could make in your sleep because they are now your automatic or auto-chef meals.


I cook the same meals over and over again because there is no one else in the household to impress so it seems selfish to make an elaborate meal just for myself. The act of cooking requires so much more than just the act of cooking...it begins with meal planning. That last word I balk at...I hate planning...it requires organization and I don't do organizing if I can help it. It's a trigger word for me...almost like housework...I go running and screaming from the room when either of those words is spoken.


All that beign said, I did some experimenting tonight and I have to say my meal came out tasting pretty good. I had been thinking about mixed fried rice ever since I read my sisters Blog (http://con-tain-it.typepad.com/ ) about her mix fried rice and it brought back so many good memoires of living in Taiwan. So, I thought I'd give my own hand a try at it ....yummy!


Mine came out more like the Thai version I have been eating lately with it's underlying sweetness and hot/spicy goodness. Here is the recipe:

Chicken cut very thin for stir fry (I used one very large 1/2 breast - use as much as you like)

1-1/2 cup zucchini and summer squash - thinly sliced on the diagonal

1/2 cup red bell pepper - thinly sliced

1/2 cup onion - thinly sliced

1/2 cup sliced canned pineapple - reserve liquid

1 Tbls Cornstarch

1 Tsp. Chinese 5 spice

Red Pepper flakes - 1/2 tsp or to taste

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce - or to taste

2 eggs - slightly beaten (I used a little water)

Sesame oil


Take reserved pineapple juice and mix it with the soy sauce and cornstarch, mix well. Add the Chinese 5 spice and red pepper flakes and beat together with wisk. Pour over your chicken and set aside to marinate while you cook.


In hot wok, add 1 Tbls Sesame oil. Add onion and saute one minute, add red bell pepper and saute one minute.


Add remaining squash/zucchini and saute one minute.

Add Pinneapple and saute one minute.


Move veggies to outside of pan or remove from pan and set aside to return to pan later.


Add more Sesame oil as needed.


Add chicken to pan and saute till no longer pink and slightly browned.

Add back the veggies if you removed them at this point. Add rice and mix everything together, pour reserved marinade/sauce over rice mixture and saute till heated through.


Make well in middle, add eggs to center and scramble. When egg is done, mix together with rest of rice mixture.


Serve.