Bachelor Meals

basic stir fry

prep time: <half an hour

serves: one or two

cost per serving: ~$6 assuming beef, lower for anything else.

tools:

non-stick pan

spatula

plate or something

sharp knife

ingredients:

rice, about 3/4 of a cup raw

meat, about 1/2 lb

a raw pepper

premade stir-fry sauce

oil

instructions:

prepare the rice. you don't need to add anything to it. when its finished cooking, keep it covered

dice the pepper. first cut it so that it lays flat, then hold the tip of the knife down while rotating the rest of the knife around to chop finely. if you want it less spicy, remove the seeds first.

cut the meat into small pieces and squeeze them in paper towels to get out some of the water.

in small batches, add oil to a pan, and fry a handful of meat at a time, stirring so it does not burn. when each batch is done, set it aside on a plate or something. during the last batch, add the pepper so it cooks at the same time. when the last batch is done, leave it in the pan, and turn the heat off.

open the pot of rice and move all of it into the pan, mixing with the meat and pepper, and the rest of the meat. add stir fry sauce, and stir. if necessary, heat on low to make the sauce easier to mix in.

this isn't real risotto, but it is a creamy rice dish.

prep time: idk like 30 min. depends on the serving size

ingredients:

white rice

milk

cheese

optional: garlic powder, onion powder

tools:

rice cooker, or pot and stove

a microwave can save you some time in the very end

bowl

steps:

prepare white rice, seasoned with garlic and onion powder (if using a rice cooker, add them on top of the rice before you pour in the water)

fill a bowl with hot rice

add a SMALL splash of milk

add cheese (shredded, ideally) and stir with fork

continue adding milk and cheese, stirring thoroughly for each one, until it begins to have a gooey consistency from the melting cheese

now that the rice is a bit cold from the milk, microwave the bowl for for 30sec, stir, then another 30sec. if you don't have a microwave you can reheat it on the stove.

You can also warm them up in a frying pan. Using old drippings in the pan can quickly add loads of flavor, but be careful because its easy to go overboard and make yourself violently sick after it absorbs half a cup of chicken fat... i know this from experience. Yes it tasted very good. No it was not worth it in the slightest.

ingredients:

ice cream

milk

tools:

spoon

tall cup

instructions:

put a small amount of ice cream in the cup, filling it no more than one third of the way.

add just a tiny amount of milk to start, and begin chopping the ice cream with the spoon. even though the milk is cold, its warmer than the frozen ice cream, so it will begin to soften.

as it softens, you can add more milk, but do not fill any more than half way. stir very slowly because its easy to accidentally splash the milk everywhere if you're not careful.

start by following the directions on a store brand box of mac and cheese. when it's done (but still in the pot), add either cooked meat (any meat needs to be fully cooked before you add it!) or canned beans (you can literally just pour them right from the can into the pot if they're packed in a sauce, but if they're the kind packed in dirty water you can rinse them in a colander and then spoon them into the mac)

this recipe can be made with no countertop, no knife, no cutting board, no bowls, no sink, no NOTHING. just a frying pan and spatula

serves: 1 time: under 10 minutes price: $5/serving

main ingredients:

pre-diced beef (NOT the big cubes made for stew, you want the tiny chopped pieces sold for like stir frying or whatever. if they dont have it at the store use ground beef i guess)

cheese

tortilla shell

spices:

salt

paprika

chili powder

OPTIONALLY add: onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, etc

instructions:

partially unwrap the beef, only exposing as much as you're going to use. using the spatula, separate that portion, and lay it directly in a DRY, COLD frying pan

if you have paper towels or napkins, try to get some water out of the beef by pressing on it with them, but either way, next add a capful or two of vegetable oil to the cold pan, and turn on the heat

while its heating, stir, and add a bit of salt, a huge amount of paprika, and your preferred amount of chili powder. if you have more spices, feel free to add them, otherwise no problem itll still be good just go wild with the paprika

continue cooking and stirring until the pieces turn brown and have slightly shrunken, and are sizzling loudly. this will take around 5-8 minutes. don't worry about overcooking, you should keep cooking if you aren't SURE its done.

Into a COLD non-stick pan, crack 2 or 3 eggs. Pour in a glug of milk. Use a non-metal tool (spatula, chopstick, etc) to stab each yolk repeatedly, then stir gently to slightly incorporate with milk. Don't worry about getting it fully mixed. Place a slice of cheese in the pan (thick cut swiss is a great choice) and push it to the bottom.

Turn on the heat, medium. Watch the edges of the pan, when the very edges look slightly papery, start sweeping through the partially cooked eggs to create large fluffy pieces. It will be finished cooking within 3 minutes at the most. Immediately eat.