Leftovers - A crucial part of Cooking for One!

One of my Facebook friends recently commented on one of my posts about whether or not I take my leftovers to work for lunch the next day, and I realized that this is something that I should definitely post about! Leftovers are a huge part of someone who is living on their own and only cooking for one. It probably seems weird sometimes when I post about these giant meals that I make for myself, but not to worry, the food very rarely goes to waste! Most of the time when I am planning out my dinners for the week, I purposely choose meals that will last me at least 2-3 nights. That way, I save time by not having to cook every single night, and I also save a bunch of money! I typically don't have enough food to be able to bring some in to work for lunch (I usually just brown bag it, got to love good old PB sandwiches!), but it depends on what I make. If I make something really big like Lasagna or Risotto then I will definitely bring it into work and make everyone jealous when I heat it up in the kitchen. Now, about that Risotto that I mentioned....

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

Recently I've been realizing that I have become really good at cooking a few select dishes, but haven't cooked anything different in the past few months. So I searched on the all powerful Twitter and found this great recipe for Pork Chops: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/parmesan-crusted-pork-chops-recipe.html?soc=whatscookingsocial_20140607_25477716.

Start out by seasoning the raw chops with the salt and pepper. The recipe says to "graciously" season them, but I would stay on the conservative side as I definitely used too much pepper. Next, cover each chop in the Parmesan cheese until it is fully coated. Then, dip into the egg and bread crumbs until it is fully coated again. Keep in mind that the order is important!

Once all of the chops have been seasoned/coated, heat the olive oil in a frying pan and cook each side for a few minutes until the crust is golden brown (as you can see in the photo below of the final product, I cooked mine a little too long). The cooking time is probably dependent upon the thickness of the pork. In my case, I used thin cuts so I tried to cook them for a shorter period of time than what the recipe called for.

Feel free to serve with whatever sides you want! I chose rice pilaf and some pickles, but there are many other options that would work well! Great recipe for the summer.

Simple Caesar Salad

If you are like me and you are living on a tight budget, it is sometimes hard to eat delicious food! Sure, it's easy to grab some Ramen noodles or Kraft macaroni and cheese off of the shelf and save a few dollars. BUT, if you think about what you already have in your kitchen, then you may only need a few other ingredients to make something delicious. I knew I had some grilled chicken in the fridge, and some croutons in the cupboard, so I decided to make a nice salad. All I had to pick up from the grocery store was some Spring Mix, Cherry Tomatoes (and any other veggies you want to add), and some dressing. Boom, done. A delicious yet simple and cheap dinner! I enjoyed mine with a refreshing summer shandy.