Last night was the first of many that’ll find the kids and I eating dinner alone and Rockford eating a peanut butter sandwich in a parking lot. (I didn’t kick him out. He’s teaching a class two nights a week.) Even though I did plan for the children to have a sound, healthy dinner, it didn’t work out that way, exactly. Poppy wanted leftover rice and Jell-O, and Pete ended up with a fruit cup, some Corn Pops and half of my dinner.
Which is the whole point of this post. My dinner.
The kids were contentedly eating their haphazard meals, and I was standing in front of the refrigerator with a slightly dazed look on my face, wondering what I’d have for dinner. It was beginning to look like I’d also be having Jell-O, rice and Corn Pops. Then I remembered one of my very favorite dining-solo meals: Aglio e Olio.
Now, back to that dazed look. I did plan to have my garlicky noodles one night this week. But it had been a long day and my brain wasn’t functioning properly. And that’s one more reason why it was the perfect night for this particular dish.
This recipe leaves a lot of room for your personal preferences. I’d imagine it would be good with some fresh tomatoes and basil, if you were the sort of person who liked fresh tomatoes.
Aglio e Olio
Enough angel hair pasta for one
a teaspoon or so of butter or olive oil
a clove or two of garlic, minced
Parmesan cheeseCook pasta as directed. Meanwhile, melt butter or heat olive oil. Saute garlic. If your pasta isn’t ready yet, set the garlic aside. Drain pasta, reserving a little bit of the water, and add it to the garlic. Sprinkle on some Parmesan and toss. Put it in a bowl, eat, and wish you’d overestimated on the pasta.
Pete liked it, too, and it’s really easy. So I expect I’ll be eating a lot of this over the next few months. In the event that I actually start planning ahead for these nights, though, here are a few recipes I could use:
Now, I know that I should be planning dinners for three people rather than just for me. But folks, I’m not accustomed to being a single parent, and I can assure you that I’m not going to be equipped to fight the Dinner Wars singlehandedly. So the kids will be eating something I know they’ll like — and when I say “kids,” I mean Poppy; Pete will eat most anything and will probably be sharing my dinner.
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Yeah, when Matt closes at work each week it is tough to do the solo thing. We often have hot dogs or something I don’t have to fight with the kids about. I really can appreciate his supportive role when he is at work. He always helps with the kids at night, bedtime, baths and dinner. It’s tough to do it alone! Now that I work several evenings a week, he does it solo too. I think he appreciates the team effort a bit more when we are home together. Me too.
He usually shows me up though, when I come home late, he has the laundry folded, dishes done and houes picked up. He does a great job.
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That’s awesome, Mandy! I need to give Alex more opportunities to shine. 🙂
Kudos to you! I guess this is why I never cooked much before because it was always too much work/leftovers for one but your ideas are great. I would likely be eating cereal every night!
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That sounds like a great quick lunch too! I make a type of buttered noodles as a side dish sometimes! They always like it…but they never refuse food around here! Thanks for sharing!
-Kim
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