Cooking for one or two

I was recently asked by a reader if I could include “recipes for 2” in my column. I can, and that’s what it’s about today. I went through a period of time when all 7 of us were around the dinner table at one time. All of our children are two years apart in age so it worked out pretty well until they were involved in school activities. It was a matter of reheating meals rather than putting a pizza in the oven or stopping for fast food on the way home. When they all had “left the nest” it was a challenge for me to cut back on the amount of food I prepared, so for a while we ate a lot of leftovers. Luckily Bud likes eating leftovers! Now I make extra portions and freeze part of it, if it’s freezeable, ready for another meal. And so... recipes for 2 or 3 today.

SMOKED SAUSAGE AND VEGGIES
2 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. each, medium green pepper, cut in 1” strips and 1 small sweet yellow banana pepper, cut into 1/4” rings 1 small onion, cut into wedges
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 t. canola oil 1/3 lb. smoked sausage, sliced in 1/2” pieces
1-1/2 c. coleslaw mix In a microwave safe bowl, combine potatoes and water. Cover and micro on high 3 minutes or until almost tender; drain well. In a small skillet, saute potatoes, peppers, onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in sausage and coleslaw mix; heat until hot. Makes three cups. Note: You can make your own coleslaw if you have a head of cabbage on hand, sliced thin to make 1-1/4 cups and coarsely shred 1/4 c. carrots.

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HONEY LIME CHICKEN
1/3 c. flour
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1 medium chicken breast, cut into 1/2” strips
1 T. butter or canola oil
2 T. lime juice
2 T. honey
1 T. brown sugar
1 t. Worcestershire Sauce In a large re-sealable plastic bag, combine flour and cayenne. Add chicken, a few strips at a time, and shake to coat. Heat butter almost hot; brown chicken in butter on all sides. In a small bowl, combine rest of ingredients; pour over chicken. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened. Makes two servings.

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HAM ‘N CORN CHOWDER
1-1/2 diced potatoes, cooked until tender, drained
1-1/2 c. milk
1 can Cheddar cheese soup
1-8 1/2 oz. can cream style corn
1 c. frozen corn, thawed
1 c. cubed ham In a large microwave safe bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring until well combined. Cover and simmer on high 5-8 minutes or until heated through, stirring twice. Do not boil. Makes three servings. Note: You can heat the mixture on the stove over medium heat, stirring constantly until hot. Do not boil.

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PEACH ‘N’ PEAR CRISP
1 each, small peach and small pear, peeled and chopped
1 T. honey
2 t. flour
1-1/2 t. lemon juice
1/4 T cinnamon
1/8 t. nutmeg
Topping:
1 T. each, flour, butter, melted,
1 T. honey Dash of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon
1/3 c. quick oats
2 T. coarsely chopped almonds or chopped pecans In a small bowl, combine first 7 ingredients. Divide between 2 ramekins or custard cups coated with non stick cooking spray. For topping, combine in small bowl first 5 ingredients; stir in oats and almonds. Sprinkle over fruit mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve warm. Makes two servings.

Thought for the Day: The way I see it, if you want to see the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain!