When I was asked to look at Washington Post Food Editor Joe Yonan’s book a few months back, I was initially impressed. I gave it gave it a quick look and a thumbs up. Serve Yourself
I got a real copy of Yonan’s book a few weeks ago. Once I picked it up and started reading, I was hooked. His style is at once friendly and sophisticated, self-revealing, and entertaining. There’s little fluff in his chapter and recipe introductions. Instead the book is filled with useful information and informative stories. Did you know, for example, you can heat corn tortillas directly on a gas burner, or that you can substitute lower-fat coconut water for milk to make coconut rice? There are also tips for storing unused ingredients and shopping for one.
His inverted cast-iron skillet and a broiler technique for making pizza is brilliant as is his pineapple can-roasted Cornish hens (a la beer can chicken). Many of his great tips come from colleagues to whom he generously gives credit.
Yonan’s sophisticated, yet friendly style extends to his recipes as well. Knowing what specialty ingredients bring to a dish, he doesn’t shy away from them—crumbled pasilla or ancho chiles, for example. But there’s usually a readily available alternative—hot red pepper flakes, in this case. He also defines potentially mysterious ingredients. After “mirin” he’s quick to add “Japanese cooking wine.” “Pimenton.” he reminds us is “Spanish smoked paprika.”
I was enlightened by Yonan’s information-packed book and lively recipes, but he also charmed me with his stories of looking for love, disastrous dates, dining alone, shopping for one, and his lovely, complicated family.
It’s always brought me joy and satisfaction to bring people together with food. But as my nest has emptied, I find myself cooking more often for one or two these days. Joe’s book has enlivened my weeknight repertoire. Imagine my husband’s delight when I walked into his office with two of Joe’ Pastoral Tacos and a beer!
In the last few years I’ve started to see food as a pleasurable way of taking care of myself, and I’m mostly pretty good at it… except when it comes to cooking just for me. So thanks for the inspiration, Joe. Now instead of opening a bag of potato chips on my solo nights, I’m making Shrimp and Potato Chip Tortilla. I’m learning how to “Serve Yourself.”
We’re giving away a copy of Joe Yonan’s Serve Yourself. Just tell us what dinner looks like when you’re cooking for yourself. I’ve already admitted that I tend to grab a bag of something salt and crunchy, so we’re looking for honesty here!
Deadline for entering is midnight Monday, May 23rd.
Just spent half an hour chopping – onions, garlic, celery, carrots, broccoli, plum tomatoes, mushrooms, and water chestnuts. Sauteed the mess, tossed in a little vinegar and Worcestershire and mixed it all with browned, well seasoned ground turkey. When I’m ready for dinner, I plan to add some sour cream, then toss the mess with some hot farfalle pasta.
It will feed me tonight and another day, plus a lot to freeze for those,just-home-from work, don’t want to cook nights. Oh, yes. Freshly shaved Permesan or Romano adds a nice touch.
Vegetable curry (green beans, carrots, and corn) to which I add edemame and, sometimes, a bit of coconut milk and always finish with some chopped cilantro. i also love lebanese red lentils and rice porrage with tomato and red onion salad. Both can be made inside of 30 minutes.
If there are tortillas in the house then I make a quesadilla – if not then maybe grilled cheese. simple and good.
Still trying to adjust being alone, I still cook all my favorites and share with my co-workers.
It depends what I’ve eaten at lunch. If I’ve eaten a lot at lunch, when I come home from work, I usually just have a glass of iced tea and a sandwich.
I have been alone exactly twice in the past 6 years. Both times I ate dinner by myself at a lovely resturant. I was so grateful to be taken care of, I almost cried. Clearly, I need more alone time :)!
if it’s been a long hard day, dinner looks a lot like breakfast. or last night’s dinner. or pasta milk and cheese. nursey food.
Popcorn cooked on the stove with real butter and a glass of wine 🙂
I am completely obsessed with tacos and my husband is not, so I tend to make tacos for myself on nights he works late. Throw some meat on the grill, pull some toppings out of the fridge (which I always have one hand as a taco addict), and I’m good to go!
Spaghetti or Pasta of some type.
Something quick. If I don’t have leftovers to eat I’ll usually make a salad or an egg (or an egg on top of a salad).
I usually have whatever is leftover in the refrigerator. My last meal alone was some pickled Giardiniera mixed with some edamame. Not fancy, but tasty.
I always cook things that my husband won’t eat. Pancakes or something vegatarian. Love to use whatever I have in my fridge and turn it into something awesome.
My dinners alone are pretty pathetic. Usually an egg followed by a salad or steamed veggies. Sometimes cinnamon toast for dessert.
It depends on the season. With all the great fresh lettuce this time of year, it would be a salad with whatever I can find in the fridge – carrots, celery, onions, kalmati olives, feta, etc. Before the lettuce, I had some black beans leftover so I tried a black bean burger which was very good. But I am usually not that energetic or adventuresome and I just combine some leftovers. I could use a cookbook with some good ideas.
Whatever is leftover in the fridge is what I have for dinner on my alone nights, sad but true!
My variation of Chili Mac using Ro-Tel tomatoes instead of standard chili fixings.
When it’s just me, I try to finish off something leftover. Right now there is one serving of Rioja Beef in the fridge! If no leftovers, I tend to reach for the eggs.
I like to make soups, and I love chicken /vegetable soup served with “Three Many Cooks” beer bread!
when I get the chance to have dinner by myself. My husband isn’t a big steak eater, so I sear a small chuck eye steak with butter sauted mushrooms and asparagus. THis is my go to since I don’t get to have it very often.
A bowl of cereal!
I don’t often cook for myself since I still have little ones, but I’d send this my Mom’s way since most of her nesters have left. When I do eat by myself, it’s usually leftovers :).
Usually leftover, unless there is a pint of ice cream in the freezer…..
When I have dinner by myself (it doesn’t happen very often), I make a quesadilla with refried beans, cheese and whatever vegetables and/or meats I have in the fridge: mushrooms, black olives, spinach, corn, taco meat, and/or pepperoni have all made appearances.
Tomato basil sauce with angel hair pasta! For dessert your amazing lemon bars!!!!!
I tend to graze, snack, and graze some more. When I do cook something it might be ground turkey breast patties with sauteed onions. And sometimes it’s a package of frozen Alexia vegetables….yummm!!!!
I cook for two, so I usually have a leftover if I have to fend for myself. Or I heat up an organic burrito (Amy’s) or mac n cheese:)
Whatever is easiest in the freezer. Maybe ice cream, maybe a microwave meal, doesn’t matter.
i am not ashamed to admit that my favorite meal to serve myself is a piping hot bowl of instant ramen noodles! but i have the luxury of using instant ramen from Asian countries, like my favorite creamy shrimp Thai noodles, or Indonesian Mee Goreng or Singapore Chicken Curry. And while I usually add some frozen spinach or frozen fishballs from the Asian market, my favorite thing to add to ramen is a humble egg. I almost never eat ramen if i am out of eggs. The ramen is the vehicle for the perfect gently cooked egg in the ramen broth.
I rarely eat by myself. Usually I cook for 3 – 5 people. But on those rare occasions when I am eating by myself, I’ll either grab leftovers or combine cottage cheese with something. My personal favorites are cottage cheese with fruit and cottage cheese on buttered noodles.
This meal is my go-to when I feel like I really *should* eat something meal-like, but am starving and solo. Peanut noodles!
I use thin rice noodles, frozen veggies, and a sauce that’s a mix of peanut butter (which I always have), soy, sesame oil, sriracha, and a dash of fish sauce or rice wine vinegar. The sauce comes together easily, noodles usually take no time to soften up and the veggies steam or get cooked right in the sauce.
Honestly, when I’m alone, rare that it is, I usually let someone else do the cooking for me. So takeout is my choice; sushi, thai, or even california pizza kitchen. I enjoy it with a magazine and glass of wine, then curl up to watch all the tv shows I’ve recorded, but haven’t had time to watch.
Sometimes pasta, sometimes a cheese/black olive burrito, sometimes fish tacos if I’m feeling particularly feisty. Sometimes just a nice block of cheese, some crackers and an apple.
And now I’m hungry.
I eat entirely too many frozen pizzas – though I add chese and other stuff to them. But really – frozen pizza is NOT the bestest nutrition-wise.
Usually, when I cook for myself and there’s no one around to judge, I roast a whole head of asparagus under bread crumbs and parmesan. Or cauliflower, done the same way. It’s a guilty pleasure. Please don’t tell anyone.
Captain Crunch’s Oops All Berries,if I have it, or CrunchBerries if I don’t. Two bowls… guilty pleasure…
Pasta tossed with goat cheese, crusty bread, and a salad.
Pasta tossed with goat cheese.
I cook for myself most of the time and I eat well. In the last week I’ve made both pork and chicken noodle bowls, cream of asparagus soup, Cincinnati chili, and Milanese-style asparagus. I try to eat seasonally, so there’s lots of asparagus, spinach and other spring greens and strawberries now.
Pizza or pasta carbonara if I feel like doing dishes.
When I’m eating alone I want some fast, easy, and nibbly finger food.
My last meal was cooked frozen shrimp and a sliced avocado with my own cocktail sauce. Dessert (I always have dessert when eating alone.) was fresh strawberries, raspberries, cherries and blueberries dipped in Greek yogurt sweetened with a local honey.
Lasagna! Homemade sauce but trying out no boil noodles for the first time. They don’t seem too hearty…
This sounds like a perfect cookbook! I’d love to win one. A single meal is commonly a salad of field greens with some sliced turkey – or something out of the freezer (homemade lasagna or potpie).
Egg and rice. Sauteed onions, Texmati rice cooked in chicken broth with a bay leaf. Top with a softly fried egg with lots of pepper. Yum!
When I am eating alone, I love to make pizza with olive tapanade, tomatoes, feta cheese and bacon. (My husband is not an olive fan..)
Any kind of junk food I can throw in the microwave. I hate cooking just for myself.
A bowl of cereal does the trick.
My go to dinner alone recipe is for Basil Orzo! It’s creamy tasty comfort food done in 1 pot in a short amount of time! If it’s spring though, a huge steamed artichoke will do the trick!
Oh boy…when I cook dinner for myself? Well, since I am a self-proclaimed sweets expert-savory neophyte, dinner usually looks like chicken breast, maybe marinated in some sort of Italian dressing/seasoning if I’m feeling daring, perhaps some rice pilaf, and some veggies. Light, healthy, fresh…thus allowing itself to be balanced out with dessert later on. I mean…did I say that?
unfortunately, “cooking” for myself often turns into pouring cereal for myself. i want to cook, but i lose motivation.