3 Appliances That Help When Cooking for 1

My talented Lifeboat friend, Ruth Lovelace, told me about three little appliances that have been a huge help for her single living cooking. She's also sent some good tips and a recipe suggestion!  

 

* Ruth's 3 New Favorites *

Ruth

1) A small George Forman grill

My son and daughter-in-law had an extra (small size) George Forman grill so they gave it to me. (I've also seen a lot of them in thrift stores). On this I can cook one chicken breast, one small steak, one hamburger patty, one fish patty, or one toasted cheese sandwich.

2) A small crockpot

I found a small crockpot (called a "crockette") which cooks a nice homemade stew, soup, small beef roast, Cornish game hen, etc- all while I'm at work. That way I don't have to think about what to fix when I get home, and the smell welcomes me when I walk in the door.

3) A toaster oven

A toaster oven is very useful for small items - baking a couple of biscuits or a small tuna casserole, for example. I found mine at a thrift store; it is large enough for a frozen pizza

Shopping and food prep tips:

• Buy a package or two of fresh chicken breasts. Wrap and freeze them individually to have on hand to cook on the George Forman grill.
• I cut frozen pizzas in quarters and only cook one quarter at a time - that way I don't have leftover pizza for a long time and I'm not tempted to eat too much!

Ruth's recipe suggestion: I like to cook one chicken breast, break it up into little chunks, and use 1/2 of it on prepackaged salad mix with dried cranberries and almonds and Feta cheese if I have it on hand. Top it off with creamy poppy seed salad dressing or a raspberry vinagrette.

Thanks, Ruth! I love your ideas, and I'm off to check out the thrift stores!
Do you have some single living tips or recipes you'd be willing to share?
Please email them to me at WCplace@gmail.com
♥ ferree