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Secret single foods
By Ann | November 29, 2007
With Chris away for almost two weeks, last night seemed like a good opportunity to roast, steam and puree vegetables in an effort to create my own stock of Deceptively Delicious Seinfeld purees (so that they’re on hand whenever you want to whip up, say, a broccoli-and-carrot-enhanced gingerbread spice cake). But something got in the way. What was it again? Oh, yes. Laziness.
Instead, I ate leftover split pea soup for dinner (day three, folks), finished my book and watched Project Runway. Three hours of it. (Menswear challenge = brilliant!)
Which brings me to the issue of secret single food (SSF), a term coined on “Sex and the City.” Carrie’s SSF was a stack of saltines spread with grape jelly. During the past five months, I’ve developed my own list of SSFs: Big pots of soup (split pea or otherwise) eaten day after day, with a side of stone wheat crackers and peanut butter, no cooking necessary. Boxed macaroni and cheese (yes, the kind with whole wheat pasta and made with skim milk, but still) and edamame. Boca burgers with sriracha. Are you sensing a trend here? Anything that involves little cooking and even less dishwashing.
So, let’s hear it — what’s your secret single food?
Tomorrow: Cooking the Books prepares Deceptively Delicious treats for a holiday party!
Topics: Uncategorized |
November 29th, 2007 at 10:44 am
this is hilarious and embarrassingly true!
yours sound good.
my secret single foods are a) carrots with hummus, b) spaghetti with tomato sauce and cheddar cheese, c) cheese and crackers, followed by Tasti-D.
November 29th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
It’s soup, hands down. Just get any bag of frozen veggies and start from there. But, when I’m in the mood for something fast and nostalgic, harking back to graduate school days when time was desperately precious … try sauteing extra lean ground beef with chopped onions and add Spice Islands curry powder, chili flakes, and tomato sauce … salt to taste. Simmer for half an hour and pour over pasta shells. Bake the leftovers in a casserole dish next time you’re hungry.
November 29th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
You can’t go wrong with peanut butter on anything edible.
November 30th, 2007 at 6:10 am
My current addiction is “croq” covered in “vache qui rit” cheese spread and sliced baby tomatoes. Croq is a sort of wheat crispbread - sort of the wheat equivalent of rice cakes. Vache qui rit cheese is a cheese spread which comes in little foil triangles. The creaminess of the cheese, the crisp texture of the croq and the sweetness of those glorious baby tomatoes is just the perfect no effort snack.
November 30th, 2007 at 8:51 am
Baguette and cheese, or pretty much any veggie dipped in hummus would do the trick for me, and being married with a kid it hardly happens anymore so I always feel like they are the best meals!
Back in my glorious days of singlehood though I often made a quiche that would last pretty much for the next five days. One favorite was with salmon. You take a frozen shell, (pre bake it ten minutes if you like the crust extra golden) lay slices of salmon on the bottom then cover it with good grated cheese such as gruyere. Then in a bowl you mix (I like to use a whip to make it lighter) a quarter pint of light cream, grated nutmeg, salt (little because of the fish) and pepper to taste, as well as three eggs, and (secret ingredients) some chives which you can cut with a pair of scissors. Pour the mixture on the shell and put in a 380 degree oven for half an hour (or until it has set) and voila. A gourmet meal made in 10 minutes that lasts forever!
November 30th, 2007 at 9:02 am
p.s: I forgot to mention the milk in the mixture…Two cups or so. Enjoy!
November 30th, 2007 at 9:14 am
i used to lie in bed and dream about making oyster stew for breakfast! canned oysters, not fresh, milk, butter and a ton of pepper , boil and then oyster crackers..must have been lacking some vitamin but it was soooo good!
November 30th, 2007 at 10:36 am
Thanks for these marvelous ideas for SSFs! I still have eight days of singledom to enjoy them!
November 30th, 2007 at 11:45 pm
One of the worst things about traveling is that I have to miss Ann’s fabulous SSF! My favorites are a) spaghetti with hunts tomato sauce (spiced with a hint of nutmeg) and tons of parmesan cheese and b) boca burgers on a toasted english with a side of b and m baked beans (with a dollop of mustard). Oh, and I love american cheese sandwiches with very fresh mushy bread. Hardly gourmet …
December 2nd, 2007 at 9:26 am
I had forgotten about the SSFs from Sex & the City! I like to make a breakfast casserole & then eat it all week. I usually use egg beaters & low fat cheese, but I admit to sometimes using chunks of WHITE bread! For dinner, I often have Tuna Helper… I really like the creamy broccoli flavor. If I’m craving Asian food, I usually just pan fry some firm tofu & then eat it with a dipping sauce of soy sauce & green scallions.
December 2nd, 2007 at 1:26 pm
I call this fettucine al feet –
Pour two inches of milk into a small saucepan; just before it gets to boiling add a brick of ramon noodles (I crumble them first and throw away the package of beef flavored sodium that comes with the noodles); when the noodles have softened (takes a minute or less!) throw in a handful of shredded parmesan cheese, mix and serve it up. Yum! Instant gratification and only one pot to wash. I eat this a lot more than I would admit to anyone who knows me — I believe my current record is five days straight.