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Tip Talk for 1 & 2 ---#1

Source of Recipe

Taste of Home’s Cooking for 2
Tip Talk for 1 & 2 #1


My husband and I eat a lot of ground beef. I typically divide a pound into 4 hamburger patties and grill them. We eat 2 for supper and freeze the other two. When I make soup or spaghetti. I crumble up the leftover patties for fast meatballs. Along the same lines, I’ve found a package of steak is too much for one meal. I usually grill or broil the amount I know we’ll eat, then the rest I cut into thin strips and cook in a little oil with some onions. I freeze this for use on a busy nite…when I simply stir-fry some veggies, add my defrosted meat and heat through – D. Bradbury; Lamar, MO

When I cook up a batch of homemade spaghetti sauce or open a jar of purchased sauce. I package it for freezing in disposable baby bottle liners. I place an empty bag inside the plastic bottle, then fill it and close it with a tie. The liner ‘rolls’ fit nicely in the freezer and is enough for 1 serving. – N. Elser; New Ringgold, PA

I go to a restaurant supply house nearby and buy deli containers in half-pound and pound sizes; they’re sold in sleeves of 50. I use the containers to package and freeze small portions of spaghetti sauce, stew, etc. They’re handy for taking to work for lunch, too. – S. Schasser; Lexington, MI

When I want something fast & easy for dessert, I make baked bananas. I simply cut a banana lengthwise, place it cut side down, sprinkle with brown sugar and lemon, add 1/2 t. butter and bake for 20 minutes. Its Yummy served with ice cream. - B. Sprague; Baltimore, MD

I’ve found a toaster oven is great for 2. Food is cooked quickly and cleanup is easy. When we’re camping, I like to make a whole meal in aluminum foil packets…such as salmon with a little olive oil, herbs and vegetables. I place the packet over an open fire on a rack and let it steam. Cleanup is a breeze – B. McCutchan; Cape Coral, FL

I buy chicken tenders in the meat department, sprinkle with seasoned salt and grill on my mini George Foreman Grill. They only take about 5 minutes. I serve them with a microwaved baked potato, green beans, or a salad and roll. To make banana pudding for 1, I simply slice one-quarter of the banana into a bowl, add two or three vanilla wafers and pour a single serve container of pudding over all; then top it with whipped topping. – J. Pope; Texas City, TX


I have a small slow cooker that holds 2 cans of cooked beans. To the beans, I add diced ham, celery and onions and heat. This makes about 3 servings. We enjoy it with corn bread or muffins. – F. Blanford; Wyanet, IL

To make a fourth of a cake recipe, I use a loaf pan. A four-egg recipe is pretty easy to divide. I’ve had great success with Lazy Daisy Cake – a yellow cake with broiled brown sugar and coconut topping. – F. Handsaker; Ames, IA

We enjoy bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches often. Because we use 3 slices of bacon per sandwich, I freeze a pound of bacon by laying 3 slices toward then end of a piece of plastic wrap. I fold it over, then add 3 slices again and repeat until I have arranged the whole package. I tear off the plastic wrap from the roll, place the bundle in a freezer bag and store in the freezer. It’s easy to snap off 3 slices of bacon at a time because they are not all stuck together. – P. Timmer; Three Rivers, MI

For summer beverages, I make ice cubes with lemonade, tea, coffee, or fruit juice instead of water. Use these and you won’t dilute your drinks with water. To store, put “finished” cubes in a 1 quart or 1 gallon freezer bag so you can pull out the amount you need. – S. Spencer; Madison, WI

When I buy bone-in chicken breasts on sale, I come home and immediately prepare them for the freezer. First I skin and bone them. Then I put one breast at a time in a gallon freezer bag and, using the flat side of a meat mallet, flatten the breast. Then I freeze them all in the bag. These ‘skinny’ breasts are a snap to thaw and they cook quickly. It also makes short work of a fancy ‘stuffed’ chicken entrées. – S. Peterson; Cincinnati, OH

I discovered a handy trick for freezing large batches of meatloaf mixture. I purchase 8-oz. freezer containers with lids and fill each with the mixture – just high enough for the lid to fit on tight- and freeze. When I’m ready to use one of them, I briefly run the container upside down under tap water to free the mixture. I slide out the frozen shaped meat onto a baking pan and bake in the oven. – W. Cooper; North Cape May, NJ

Here are some ways I use leftovers: When I make spaghetti sauce, I have pasta one night and chicken Parmesan the next……I’ll fix pot roast one night and use what’s left for beef tacos or burritos. I also use the left over meat for shepherd’s pie and top with left over mashed potatoes……We’ll grill chicken one night and cut up any leftovers for chicken salad or pasta dish……I mix any leftover vegetables together and, at the end of the week serve mixed vegetables. – K. McRae; Newman, GA