Best Mac N Cheese for One

Best Mac N’ Cheese
Cook a cup of elbow macaroni in boiling salted water with a little oil added. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, make a béchamel sauce: melt a tablespoon of butter, whisk in a tablespoon of flour, and cook until bubbly. Add a cup of cold milk and continue whisking until thickened. Season with salt, white pepper, a pinch of hot chili powder, and some chopped fresh thyme or flat leaf parsley (or just a simple grating of fresh nutmeg). Stir in a cup of grated cheese, such as a combo of white and yellow Cheddar, or some parmigiano and/or Emmental—whatever your favorites may be. You have a lot of choices.

Drain the pasta and toss into your béchamel. Spoon into a small casserole dish, sprinkle with toasted fresh or panko breadcrumbs, place on baking sheet and stick in 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) oven until golden and bubbly, about fifteen minutes or so.
Enjoy!

Roast Bone-In, Skin On Chicken Breasts with Herb Butter

Both the bone and the skin add flavor, and the skin provides a nifty little pocket in which you can tuck herbs, spices, and flavorings of all sorts. If you can only find a split breast, use that. Roast some diced summer or winter vegetables at the same time; have them with the chicken.

Ingredients
1 Whole bone-in chicken breast, about 1 1/2 pounds
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
Salt and pepper
Grated zest of lemon
2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary or sage
1 garlic clove minced

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Pat the chicken dry, then gently loosen the skin with your hands.
2. Mix the butter with 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, lemon zest, rosemary or sage, and garlic. Spread it under the skin and over the meat.
3. Season the whole breast well with salt and freshly ground pepper, then set breast, skin side up, on a foil-lined sheet pan or in a baking dish. Roast for thirty-five minutes, or until the meat thermometer registers 160 degrees at the thickest part of the breast. Take it out of the oven, let stand for five minutes, then carve off as much as you wish to eat. Wrap and refrigerate the rest for you next dish.

Apple Pie Filling- Single Serving

 (Prep Time: Four Minutes)
This is as close as you can get to Grandma’s apple pie, which I promise is comparable. The simplicity of this dish is surprising, considering how tasty it is!

Ingredients: 1 apple, 1 tbsp (about 2 spoonfuls) butter, 1/4 cup honey (imagine a small handful), cinnamon to taste.

Directions: Start by slicing the apple into thin wedges and then piling the wedges onto a plate. Toss wedges with mixture of butter, honey, and cinnamon. Put your masterpiece into the microwave for 3 minutes on high and Voilà!

Tip: Enjoy the apple pie filling atop a generous serving of vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream. It also tastes great served cold! Sitting in the refrigerator, the apple has more time to absorb the flavors of the butter, honey, and spices, making the dish even more intense and delicious!

Pizza Quickie for one

(Prep time: Four Minutes)
Pizza can be eaten anytime, anywhere, and it’s a surefire way to surprise your friends, and yourself for that matter, with this creative concoction.


Ingredients: 1 flour tortilla, about one generous scoop spaghetti sauce, cheese, cold cut ham, green pepper, fresh basil or spinach

Directions: Place tortilla on plate and top with spaghetti sauce, evenly distributing it on the tortilla while leaving about an inch space between the edge of the tortilla and the sauce. Top sauce with cheese, pepper, and ham, pulling ham into pieces. Cook the pizza in the microwave until the cheese melts and begins to become crispy (about 2 minutes). Finish creation with a garnish of basil or spinach.

Tip: If you don’t have mozzarella, cheddar works well too. Get creative! Add pineapple for a Hawaiian twist or any other toppings such as ground meat, onions, pepper, and mushrooms.