Cooking for Two

Whether you’re single, married or somewhere in between, there’s something to be said about cooking for two. You can make something specific and special and not have tons of it hanging around waiting for you to eat it, this is especially helpful when it’s a highly caloric treat like cakes, cinnamon rolls or pie.

It’s why I bought this book, “baking for two” by America’s Test Kitchen.

This leads me into my questions - when was the last time you bought a cookbook for a specific purpose? Did you find it useful? How many recipes have you made from it? When was the last time you used it? And would you recommend it to a friend?

Now that we’re empty nesters and no longer have big family get togethers on a regular basis, I’ve gone full steam ahead into finding and making recipes that are just “for two”. It can get a bit exhausting working out the details on dividing the ingredients needed for 2 servings from a recipe designed for 6 or 8 servings, especially when working in fractions. You want the meal to turn out as savory for two servings as it did for the 8 servings version but there’s always a little something lost in the process. I say it’s missing that “Je ne sais quoi“ that indescribable certain element.

So when America’s Test Kitchen puts out recipe books “for two”, I immediately buy them. Their soups for two special issue magazine is a huge favorite of mine. These are tried and true recipes that set you up for success.

The art of cooking doesn’t have to be a lost art. I refuse to fall into the habit of making something from a box for our meals. Cooking from scratch is as fun and exciting now as it was for me when I was in my teens. It’s a form of self expression and creativity. Set aside time to cook from scratch and simply enjoy the process