Living Alone with Confidence ~ Cooking

 Cooking

Two Essays:

Kitchen - what are the basics needed to supply a kitchen?
What are kitchen ‘extras’?

To Find out where you really stand and  be clear on what you need, think of doing these things:

            make a cup of coffee and a glass of Water,

            boil some spaghetti and strain it,

            chop and sauté some onions,

            open a can of spaghetti sauce and add it to the onions [this requires a can opener],

            stir a cake mix [don’t have to use a blender, just stir it up - you’ll need big bowl,
            cup measurers and measuring spoons for this], and finally, bake some refrigerator 
            cookies, and bake the cake. 

            ~Serve it all up on plates and bowls with flatware and napkins on your nice table. 
            ~ Then cover leftovers with foil and or plastic wrap and store in fridge.

            ~ Do the washing up, and trash/recycle as needed.

Doing these things will show you the bones of kitchen items. All the items you used to complete
the above are items you will use again and again, almost daily. Store them in handy easy to
reach places. If you don’t have items to do the above, go get them. All else just might beextras.
Deep storage or toss the extras.

Organize the kitchen into areas:

            Food planning [recipe books, grocery listing, meal planning]

            food storage,

            food preparation, [where you chop, stir, measure, etc]

            actual cooking area, [with pots, pot holders, long spoons and tongs, etc] 

            kitchen cleaning up areas [soaps, rags, towels, drying area, dirty dish area, etc]

Are any of these areas lacking supplies or overly stuffed? Get rid of what you don’t use, acquire
what you need. Put any extras in a box and set it aside for later. Look for the ‘basics’ of the
kitchen, what do you really use.

NOTE: An average single person should spend about $50 a week on groceries in the US, in
the year 2012. This is a healthy diet, spending less could be unhealthy, so watch what you eat
if you spend less. It could easily become more expensive which is a sigh that if you eat too
much. Consider dieting if you consistently spend more than this. This does not include money
for eating out, but for a home that cooks and eats at home.

Setting Up your Dining Table for Living Alone:

Reserve your own table for dinner, at home.

Put a white table cloth over it, set it with a napkin and Water glass, just

as restaurants do.

Keep all your condiments [salt, pepper, soy sauce, ketchup, etc]

near by and within reach

            On a window sill if not too hot and sunny there

            In a basket

            On a tray

            On a lazy Susan [turning tray]

            Where ever you can reach them from the table

Keep a bread basket on the table, with cloth to cover the bread

            I often keep my loaf there, plastic bag and all

Keep napkins on the table,

            paper napkins are fine for daily use

            get cloth napkins for special occasions

Keep seasonal flowers there

            A ‘small’ vase of silk flowers is easy and nice year round

            An occasional [holiday] real rose or other real flower is nice

            Get a small silk flower arrangement for each season

Keep a candle there year round

            I like to use the new electric candles, no worry about a flame

                   Put it in a colored or white glass to hide the electric look

            Real candles, should be put on top of sand in a small glass

                        - this prevents burning the table or shattering the glass
                           if it gets too hot

            A small ‘tea’ candle [in an aluminum cup] in a shot glass is nice
                     [use sand in the bottom of the glass]

            For Holidays and special occasions, set up a long tapered candle

Keep a basket near by for special table/dining items

            Tiny Cocktail forks and other eating tools for crabs, etc

            A butter/candle melt pot [I use a small tin can, over a tea candle]

            A lighter to light a candle with

            Toothpicks

            Pen and notepad are handy

Keep something to entertain you while you eat

            Simple game [crossword, card, dice, etc]

            A magazine on your favorite hobby

            Mail or the newspaper

            Some people like letter/greeting card items near by and write
               letters to friends while they eat