Living and Cooking Solo

Life must include occasional desserts.  Otherwise, eating lacks joy.  I’m not talking the fake sugar or fat-free kind of dessert.  I’m talking dessert that slides smoothly over the tongue and sends joy to one’s taste buds. Thinking to ward off the food police, I’m not suggesting that every meal end with a sugar treat or that you eat cake and/or pie every day.  I am suggesting that once in a while a small decadent treat lengthens rather than shortening one’s life.  In fact, it is my opinion that not allowing an occasional dessert could cause one to die of food boredom. At the same time, we singles dare not bake an entire cake or pie and leave it around to temp over indulgence.  That, to me, defeats the purpose.  Dessert should be anticipated and cherished on rare occasions.  Moderation, in my opinion, is the key to everything good in life. Here is a dessert that I make a couple of times a year when I feel like treating myself.  Each bite...

Returning from spending two days with grandkids, I found near-empty refrigerator and pantry.  I knew what to expect; planned to stop for groceries on the way home, but opted to drive straight through, bypassing all of the great super markets located within the 150 mile stretch between Boulder and Haxtun, the small Colorado town where I reside. The visit with grandkids opened on Wednesday, Dec. 22 when I retrieved granddaughter Shannon from her Southwest Airline flight at Denver International Airport.  Shannon’s flights never occur without incident and this one delivered as promised.  She arrived at 8:10 a.m., her flight right on time.  Her luggage came through the carousal at approximately 9:30 a.m., having taken a later flight due to the holiday crowds. Not ones to let a good mishap pass us by, Shannon and I sat near the carousal watching as child after child walked slowly past Brieanna my eight-pound wonder Poodle with longing etched on each face.  “Does y...

Winter in Colorado cries for soup.  In the fall, knowing what is to come, I purchase the wonderful winter squash that becomes plentiful that time of year.  A little seasonal effort provides the base for one of my favorite hearty soups when the snow covers the fall leaves and a winter chill fills the air. To prepare the squash, peel, removed the seeds and cut into 1- to 2-inch chucks.  Place in a roasting pan, coat with a small amount of oil and roast for 1 hour in a 375° oven.  Remove and run through a food mill to puree.  I freeze the pureed squash in 9.5-ounce freezer containers and label.  Then when the snow flies, I pull out of container of squash and make this wonderful soup.  Generally I can make two meals out of a batch served alongside a salad. Squash Soup Ingredients 1 Tablespoon canola oil 1 Small onion, chopped 1 Small carrot, peeled and chopped 1 Stalk of celery, chopped 1/3 Cup white wine 1 14.25-Ounce can low-sodium ch...

This blog is for those who live alone and those who find passion in food despite that obstacle.  The idea is to talk about the preparing to the cooking to the eating and all the experiments and experiences along the way. Whether eating alone or with someone, food fully enjoyed requires time to experience the cornucopia of tantalizing flavors found in a well-prepared recipe that uses the highest quality and freshest ingredients available. The idea for this blog began nearly 30 years ago when I found myself in a situation of unintended singleness.  Us “girls” who grew up in the 1950's Midwest anticipated a lifetime of marriage filled with family and hours of preparing meals.  My own cooking skills developed from age nine when my parents separated and my mother went to work.  I, being the only girl out of five siblings, became the keeper of the house, which included cooking meals. When I married at age 24, two children came with the proposal.  I love them as ...