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Tip Talk for 1 & 2 ---#1

Source of Recipe

Taste of Home�s Cooking for 2
Tip Talk for 1 & 2 #1


My husband and I eat a lot of ground beef. I typically divide a pound into 4 hamburger patties and grill them. We eat 2 for supper and freeze the other two. When I make soup or spaghetti. I crumble up the leftover patties for fast meatballs. Along the same lines, I�ve found a package of steak is too much for one meal. I usually grill or broil the amount I know we�ll eat, then the rest I cut into thin strips and cook in a little oil with some onions. I freeze this for use on a busy nite�when I simply stir-fry some veggies, add my defrosted meat and heat through � D. Bradbury; Lamar, MO

When I cook up a batch of homemade spaghetti sauce or open a jar of purchased sauce. I package it for freezing in disposable baby bottle liners. I place an empty bag inside the plastic bottle, then fill it and close it with a tie. The liner �rolls� fit nicely in the freezer and is enough for 1 serving. � N. Elser; New Ringgold, PA

I go to a restaurant supply house nearby and buy deli containers in half-pound and pound sizes; they�re sold in sleeves of 50. I use the containers to package and freeze small portions of spaghetti sauce, stew, etc. They�re handy for taking to work for lunch, too. � S. Schasser; Lexington, MI

When I want something fast & easy for dessert, I make baked bananas. I simply cut a banana lengthwise, place it cut side down, sprinkle with brown sugar and lemon, add 1/2 t. butter and bake for 20 minutes. Its Yummy served with ice cream. - B. Sprague; Baltimore, MD

I�ve found a toaster oven is great for 2. Food is cooked quickly and cleanup is easy. When we�re camping, I like to make a whole meal in aluminum foil packets�such as salmon with a little olive oil, herbs and vegetables. I place the packet over an open fire on a rack and let it steam. Cleanup is a breeze � B. McCutchan; Cape Coral, FL

I buy chicken tenders in the meat department, sprinkle with seasoned salt and grill on my mini George Foreman Grill. They only take about 5 minutes. I serve them with a microwaved baked potato, green beans, or a salad and roll. To make banana pudding for 1, I simply slice one-quarter of the banana into a bowl, add two or three vanilla wafers and pour a single serve container of pudding over all; then top it with whipped topping. � J. Pope; Texas City, TX


I have a small slow cooker that holds 2 cans of cooked beans. To the beans, I add diced ham, celery and onions and heat. This makes about 3 servings. We enjoy it with corn bread or muffins. � F. Blanford; Wyanet, IL

To make a fourth of a cake recipe, I use a loaf pan. A four-egg recipe is pretty easy to divide. I�ve had great success with Lazy Daisy Cake � a yellow cake with broiled brown sugar and coconut topping. � F. Handsaker; Ames, IA

We enjoy bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches often. Because we use 3 slices of bacon per sandwich, I freeze a pound of bacon by laying 3 slices toward then end of a piece of plastic wrap. I fold it over, then add 3 slices again and repeat until I have arranged the whole package. I tear off the plastic wrap from the roll, place the bundle in a freezer bag and store in the freezer. It�s easy to snap off 3 slices of bacon at a time because they are not all stuck together. � P. Timmer; Three Rivers, MI

For summer beverages, I make ice cubes with lemonade, tea, coffee, or fruit juice instead of water. Use these and you won�t dilute your drinks with water. To store, put �finished� cubes in a 1 quart or 1 gallon freezer bag so you can pull out the amount you need. � S. Spencer; Madison, WI

When I buy bone-in chicken breasts on sale, I come home and immediately prepare them for the freezer. First I skin and bone them. Then I put one breast at a time in a gallon freezer bag and, using the flat side of a meat mallet, flatten the breast. Then I freeze them all in the bag. These �skinny� breasts are a snap to thaw and they cook quickly. It also makes short work of a fancy �stuffed� chicken entr�es. � S. Peterson; Cincinnati, OH

I discovered a handy trick for freezing large batches of meatloaf mixture. I purchase 8-oz. freezer containers with lids and fill each with the mixture � just high enough for the lid to fit on tight- and freeze. When I�m ready to use one of them, I briefly run the container upside down under tap water to free the mixture. I slide out the frozen shaped meat onto a baking pan and bake in the oven. � W. Cooper; North Cape May, NJ

Here are some ways I use leftovers: When I make spaghetti sauce, I have pasta one night and chicken Parmesan the next��I�ll fix pot roast one night and use what�s left for beef tacos or burritos. I also use the left over meat for shepherd�s pie and top with left over mashed potatoes��We�ll grill chicken one night and cut up any leftovers for chicken salad or pasta dish��I mix any leftover vegetables together and, at the end of the week serve mixed vegetables. � K. McRae; Newman, GA