Upon their arrival, I put some on a plate and heated them up right away.  When I took them out of the oven I noticed that these little morsels had arranged themselves into a familiar design, one that is very reminiscent of something I've seen many times in Nintendo's Zelda Games.

Could this be a cross-promotional tie-in in the works?  You tell me.

Now that sounds great in concept but in practice, this is not as easy as one would like. Some days you're the taxi driver, others you're the homework helper and in general weekdays are just too busy for one to spend hours in the kitchen. So how does the single parent get food on the table that's made from scratch and as healthy as one would prefer? The answer is "pick a day and cook away!"

What I mean by that is set aside a day where you have time to prepare two or three large meals that you can reheat during the week and to which you can add variety with your choice of veggies and other side dishes.

Here's an approach I like to use on Sundays (my day of choice). First off, I find a dish that I can prepare in a slow cooker.  For instance, I like to make a Short Rib Recipe that even my picky son will eat.  When it's done, I've got some very tender rib meat with a lot of sauce that goes great with rice, pasta or even fries. The other great thing about this recipe is that the prep time is pretty short and once it's off and running, I can make something else while the ribs are filling the house with an other-worldly smell.

Another great recipe to make that the kids absolutely love is Shepherd's Pie. This one does require some time - you need to make home made mashed potatoes and prep the chop meat; but this one is a guaranteed home run and you need only add a veggie to make the meal complete.

At this point, I've got enough food prepared to take care of Sunday night and probably 3-4 more days of good eating.  One last recipe that I like to sneak in is a Bisquick Quiche that is quite versatile. In fact, I often make this using left overs from the last few days. The beauty of this bad boy is that you don't need a crust to make it so there's no running to the store for a frozen crust or negotiating the perils of home made crust. And again, just add ruffage and you're good to go!

By the time I've finished making the quiche, it's time to eat and I let the kids choose which dish they'd like for dinner.  I then pack away what's left and I'm all set for the rest of the week.  This way, when my daughter has thirty minutes to eat or my youngest it getting picked up early by my ex, I'm not running to Burger King for an order of childhood obesity.  Instead, I'm providing them with a well-balanced meal of food that I've prepared with ingredients that I've picked. Oh, and I've got a bit of time for myself - fancy that!

You see, from pay period to pay period I collect food in excess of my family's needs and find myself with something like eight cans of French onion soup, twenty plus almost ready to expire snack bags, more Bisquick than I can shake a stick at and a freezer with half-bags of frozen veggies, one pork chop, three opened bags of French fries and a bevy of plastic wrapped chicken thighs randomly tossed about.

When this state of affairs gets to the point of storage anarchy I decide that I need to clear things out and go on a food buying fast.

This may seem easier than it really is.  One of the problems is that there may not be enough of a particular food to make a whole meal for the family.  Another is that a lot of what's left in the fridge is food that the kids either didn't want to eat in the first place (experiments) or grew tired of.

This is where the creativity comes in (either that or the dogs). For instance, I had about a half pound of frozen chop meat, a jar of mac and cheese sauce whose twin the kids didn't like, three partially used boxes of linguine and a dusty (unopened) packet of chili mix just sitting in their respective storage areas waiting for the grim chucker to send them on their way to the land fill.

Then I remembered a dish one of my friends at work mentioned: a chili-cheese casserole which he thought my kids would love.  Now, I didn't have the macaroni or twirly pasta that he recommended, but I did have linguini and I did have my quest for ingredient frugality. So I thawed and fried up the chop meat, added some water as per the chili package recipe, added the chili seasoning and added the cheese sauce.  After cooking the linguini, I put the pasta in a bowl and generously covered it with the chili-cheese concoction.  Along with a quickly thrown together salad of lettuce and cucumber and my frugal feast was a hit!

This is just one example of many creative combinations that I've come up with when pressed with the limitation of using only in-house ingredients.  It may not be haut cuisine, but it does take care of two important needs - feeding the kids and using up food that would otherwise would have been thrown out.

So I encourage you to occasionally put the breaks on that food spending compulsion, take stock of what you have in the house and push those boundaries of culinary coupling.  It's fun and it's good for your fridges digestion!

For years I've used either Caphalon or non-stick treated pots and pans. They served their purpose but even the Caphalon eventually went the way of the albatross.

In addition, my daughter recently bought a bird and as you may know, these critters can be made ill and even die when a pan treated with Teflon becomes overheated. Apparently, when reaching a certain temperature, the pans emit a gas dangerous to the bird's lungs. 

So now I'm in need of some new gear and don't have the bucks for Caphalon and can't use Teflon treated stuff, what's a house-dad to do? Look on Amazon for the untreated pan bargain of the week, that's what!

Armed with my Amazon Prime account and an inkling as to what I'm looking for, I come across 13" and 10.5" cast iron pans made by the US company Lodge, both under $20!  I figure, heck, I'll give it a try.  If they don't work out, I can always leave them in the garage with the old rusted Dutch Oven my Dad put to pasture.

Two days later, my little friends come to the door and I immediately put the small pan to work. I decide to cook up some eggs over-easy. This should inform me as to whether or not they'll be a suitable replacement for my old non-stick pans.

Well, things didin't turn out as well as I would have liked.  The eggs stuck a little bit and left that plasticy residue on the pan. Never the less, I followed the instructions that came with the pan and scrubbed it clean with a soft brush and hot water, dried it immediately and rubbed vegetable oil onto every surface (of the pan, that is). 

At this point I was leary of these pans and was tempted to run to the local Target and pick me up some Teflon bird-killers.  Thankfully I restrained myself and the next chance I had, I cooked me up some liquid meat (eggs) and this time they stuck less, in fact they were almost perfect!  Repeated attempts were more successful than the last and I would say that at this point these beauties work just as well if not better than their non-stick counterparts.

Not to mention, the way these bad boys retain heat due to their dense construction, food browns much better and create more of that carbon-based flavor of love than those hipster non-stick abomonations.

The only drawback I can think of is that these mofos are heavy!  My 13" pan is destined to give me Arnold Schwarzenegger forearms.  I'm talking Terminator one guns, no middle-aged bags o'flab.

In conclusion, I love my new pans made by Lodge.  As far as I can tell, I'll never need a non-stick carcino-plated parrot-polluter for the rest of my life.  And even if I live to the obnoxious age of 100, I'll still be adding that line onto my will that'll bequeath good ole 10" and 13" to my next of kin.

That being said, I'm going to start dipping my toes in the podcast waters once again and I hope to have a new video up within the next couple of weeks.  So stay tuned, and keep your eyes peeled for more 'nuggets' of culinary expediency and wonder from The Single Parent Chef!

This episode focuses on a staple food that goes a long way toward filling the stomachs of you and yours - rice.  Although there are many ways to prepare rice, the recipe that I use for white rice was shown to me by my wife at the time and she learned it from a great Asian chef with whom she worked.

Brown rice is also represented in this episode.  The recipe for this is taken directly from the back of the box but yeilds great results none the less.

Future episode will cover what to do with leftover rice so go ahead and make plenty of the stuff, you can never have enough of this versatile staple.

White Rice Recipe:

Hardware:

• 2-3 quart pot & lid
• 1 cup measuring cup

Software:

• 2 cups long grain white rice
• approx 3 cups water (see process)

Process:

• Measure 2 cups of white rice into pot
• Cover rice with cold tap water and rub rice in between you hands to remove dust from kernals.
• Pour off dust filled water and repeat this rinsing process until water comes up clear.
• Cover rice with fresh water until there's enough to cover your hand when its placed flat on top of the rice.
• Put pot with rice on stove with heat on full.
• Monitor contents of pot as it starts to boil.
• Once water forms little craters in the rice, turn heat to low and cover rice for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, turn heat off and let rice stand for another 10 minutes.
• RICE IS DONE!

Brown Rice Recipe:

Hardware:

• 2-3 quart pot with lid
• 1 cup measuring cup

Software:

• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• Pinch salt
• 2 cups water

Process:

• Place water, butter and salt in pot and put heat on high.
• Once water comes to a boil, put rice in water mixture.
• Once water regains a boil, put heat to low in order to bring mixture to a simmer.
• Cover pot for 35 minutes.  DO NOT LIFT THE LID.  (Trust in the Force, Luke!)
• After 35 minutes, check the rice.  If there is any water in the bottom of the pot, put the cover back on and continue to simmer until water has dissipated.  Check every 2-3 minutes.
• Once the water is not evident, turn the fire off and let rice sit for 5 minutes then ENJOY!

As with the other the crostini recipe, rice is an excellent replacement for fries and onion rings and you'll find that kids usally love rice.

I must admit to being stubborn about eating well for breakfast for most of my life.  My craving for sugar and empty carbs very often took over my desire to eat well.  In fact, it wasn't until recently that I got in touch with the glory that is oatmeal.

What I find is so great about oatmeal is that not only is it easy to prepare, it is friendly with so many different kinds of toppings: bananas, raisins, apples, peaches, strawberries, walnuts, pecans, almonds, the list goes on.  Adding the dollop of peanut butter kicks this meal over the top in terms of providing strong, consistent energy throughout the morning.

Oatmeal

Hardware:

• 1 qt size bowl
• 2 cup measuring cup
• 3/4 cup measuring cup
• Spoon

Software:

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3/4 cups whole oats
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp of peanut butter
• 2 tbsp of raisins
• 2 tbsp of walnuts
• 1 tbsp of honey

Process:

• Place the water, oats and salt in bowl and stir
• Microwave on high for three minutes
• Take bowl out of microwave and stir to encorporate mixture
• Add peanut butter, raisins, walnuts and honey, stir thoroughly
• Enjoy! Or, if in a hurry, put oatmeal in a travel mug, attach a spoon and napkin to side of mug with a rubber band and enjoy when you've got time at work/school.

I know that this is a very simple recipe, it's almost not a recipe.  Never the less, it gives one such a solid base for starting the day, it sets the stage for you having the energy and focus to learn more involved recipes later on.  So, give it a try and plunk it in front of your kids, too.  It will most definitely make a difference!

Cheers!

This recipe may be a bit simple, but replacing those greasy carbs from the fast food joints with crostini opens up a whole world of possibities.  Not only will you be eating better, you'll be exploring new and sometimes exotic ingredient opportunities that french fries and onion rings can't.

So come along for the ride and enjoy the simplicity and versatility of crostini.

Crostini - 

Hardware:

• Dish Towel
• Cutting board (plastic or wood is fine)
• Serrated Knife
• Cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil
• Pastry brush or small spoon
• Spatula
• Plate

Software:

• Loaf of Italian bread (I prefer semolina)
• Olive oil (light or extra virgin)
• Kosher Salt
• Freshly cracked pepper
• Topping: bleu cheese (used in video)

Process:

• Pre-heat oven (if not a convection oven) to 400o farenheit.
• Place dish towel on work surface and cutting board on top of dish towel.
• Using your non-cuting hand fingers as a guide, cut loaf of bread into 3/8" wide pieces.
• Place bread on foil-lined cookie sheet.
• Pour a small amount of olive oil on each piece of bread.
• Spread oil evenly over each piece with pastry brush or back of spoon.
• Sprinkle salt to taste on bread.
• Crack freshly ground pepper on bread.
• Place cookie sheet in oven for approx. 10 minutes until just turing golden brown.  (Semolina bread will tend to turn darker quicker than other Italian breads).
• Take cookie sheet out of oven and, using the spatula, place crostini on plate.
• Allow crostini to cool for 3-5 minutes.
• Place toppings, if any, on slices and ENJOY!

OF NOTE: what cutting board you use is important especially with regard to how you use it for other recipes.  Do not use a cutting board on which you prepare meats and seafood.

Tomato Topping -

Hardware:

• Dish towel
• Sharp knife with a flat blade
• Cutting board (one used for veggies, etc... NOT MEAT of FISH!)
• Small Bowl
• Board scraper (actually a dough cutter)
• Grater
• Garlic press (optional)

Software:

• Ripe, medium sized tomato
• 1 clove garlic
• Parmesan cheese
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp
• Red wine vinegar - 1 tbsp
• Parmesan cheese

Process:

• Core and dice tomato
• Crush and finely chop garlic; combine with tomato in bowl
• Add salt, pepper, olive oil and red wine vinegar to tomatoes and stir thoroghly
• Let mixture stand for 10-15 minutes (the longer the better)
• While waiting for the tomato mixture, coarse grate approx. 1/2 cup of the parmesean cheese
• Spoon on approx. 1 tbsp of the tomato mixture onto crostini
• Drizzle a teaspoon of the liquid from the tomato mixture onto the crostini
• Place 1 tbsp of the grated cheese on top, add pepper to taste

Optional toppings:

• Tuna salad and capers and/or chopped banna peppers.
• American Cheese, placed under the broiler for 2-3 minutes or until cheese melts.
• Store bought pizza sauce with grated mozzeralla and pepperoni (cut into small pieces).  Place crostini with topping on cookie sheet and put in oven at 450 for 3-5 minutes or until cheese melts.

Note: these toppings are simple.  If you're feeling more adventurous, check out epicurious.com or allrecipes.com and search for crostini toppings.

Also, if items like tuna salad are not part of your recipe repertoire, feel free to get it premade from your local grocer. 

Enjoy!

There's a good chance that if you're new to getting food on the table for your kids, you've learned the names of the employees at all of the fast food joints in your area.  This habit of bringing home junk food will be hard to completely break at first since there are some techniques that you'll have to learn. In line with that, I thought it a good idea to start with something that's somewhat easy to make and a sure-fire hit with the kids.

In order to make this recipe you'll need the following:

Hardware:

• a large 2-4 quart pot (with lid) - NOT non-stick.
• a stove - either gas or electric.
• a microwave oven - for melting the butter.
• a measuring cup - 8oz size will do just fine.
• a microwave safe coffee mug
• a large bowl - the size you'd use to put a bag of chips in.
• measuring spoon - tablespoon size is all you'll need.
• Pot Holder - make sure this is well padded, if you're not used to the heat of a stove, the steam, etc. that comes up from the pot can be somewhat daunting; so the thicker the padding of the pot holder, the less disruptive these elements will be when you're popping away.

Software:

• 1/3 cup popcorn - you don't need to get those brand name jars - I get the house brand in a 4 lb. plastic bag; it's at least 1/2 the price and works well.
• 1-2 tbsp butter - with salt; don't use margarine - it reacts in a rather strange way with the popcorn that melts the kernal's meat instead of coating them and leaving them intact and crunchy!
• 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil - peanut or safflower (they don't smoke/burn easily).
• Salt (to taste) - I like Kosher salt but the standard kind with the girl and umbrella on the box will do okay.

The Process:

First of all, BE CAREFUL!  The pot gets very hot when you do this so I wouldn't recommend doing this as a family project the first time. Although the kids love to put the starter kernals in and stay nearby when the popping ensues, you want to be comfortable with the process first.  Just be mindful that the oil can splatter and some kernals can pop even when you think all the percussion has ceased.

Okay, now with the PSM out of the way, let's get the materials in place and start popping.

• Place the bowl on a counter top nearby. 
• Place the butter in the microwave safe bowl or coffee mug and cover it with a wet paper towel (it can tend to splatter) and put it in the microwave, setting the timer to 30 seconds on high.  DON'T START THE MICROWAVE JUST YET.
• Pour the popcorn into the measuring cup.
• Place the pot on the stove and turn the burner to high.
• Immediately pour the oil into the pot.
• Carefully place seven (7) kernals into the pot as it's heating and cover the pot.
• At this point do not go to the other room to check the baseball score or take a pee (have one of the kids do that for you ;-)
• Listen carefully and count the kernals popping.  When the seventh kernal has popped, open the lid and pour the rest of the popcorn into the pot.  NOTE: Be sure you hold the lid with the pot holder.
• Immediately put the lid back on with your pot holder on top and while holding the handle of the pot, shake it to and fro over the burner in a relatively quick mannner.
• Almost right away you should start to hear kernals popping.  If all goes as expected, the popping should get fast a furious within a minute.  You'll know that you're near the end as the popping slows.  As a general rule, once the pops get 2-3 seconds apart, you should turn the fire all the way off and take the lidded pot over to the bowl.
• Empty the contents of the pot into the bowl (sometimes a renegade kernal will pot at this point). Put the pot back onto the stove along with the cover. DO NOT PUT THE POT HOLDER ON THE STOVE OR ANY WHERE NEAR IT - THEY BURN!
• Hit the start button on the microwave.
• As the butter is getting melted in the microwave, pour salt to taste onto the popcorn.  It is very important to put the salt on the popcorn right away before the butter is drizzled on so that the salt is distributed evenly and sticks to the popcorn.  Otherwise, the salt will tend to stick to the kernals coated in butter and not at all to the rest.
• Once the butter is completely melted, drizzle the butter evenly over the top of the popcorn and right away pick up the bowl and shake it in such a way as to disrupt all of the kernals.  Do this for about 15-20 seconds.
• Now, and this is very important, go into the TV room and watch TV with your kids while enjoying the popcorn.
• Depending on how many people will be eating this delectible treat, you may have to repeat this process.  Just be sure to wipe the cooled pot with a paper towel so as to prevent the straggling kernals from burning.
• That's about it, I recommend watching the accompanying video so as to enhance your understanding and my YouTube.com views. Otherwise, that's it!

Enjoy!

Upon getting separated, I fortunately had been the main meal maker for the family, so I wasn't particuarly shocked or inable to make good food for my kids.  That being said, along with all of the other adjuments that came along, I started to think about the difficulties parents who didn't know how to cook were facing.  Meals that I may regard as easy, 15-minute throw-together dishes probably seem like insurmountable tasks for someone who had never boiled water or cut an onion.

So, here I am, comfortable with the ways of the kitchen - embarking on the unfamiliar arena of blog posting and video production, hopefully providing you folks with information that's useful and entertaining.

So, without any further blather, LET'S DO SOME COOKING!