Eating for one

Zack was out of town all last week, so I spent most meals doing something I never do - cooking just for myself. I usually overcook and make a bunch of leftovers so that Zack can take them for lunches, but it didn't make sense for just me. I had to invite a friend over just to help me get rid of all the spaghetti and meatballs I made last weekend. So the rest of the week, I ended up making myself this:


And it was so amazing, I made it over and over again. I hope it doesn't look complicated - it's really very simple.

Sausage, grits and vegetables for one

First, make one serving of instant grits. I boiled one cup of low fat milk, added 1/4 cup grits and a pinch of salt, covered the pot, lowered the heat and simmered for five minutes. At the end, I stirred in some grated cheddar cheese (not too much - just enough to make it a little tangy).

While that was happening, I broke up a sweet sausage and sauteed it in a little olive oil. Sometimes I threw in a chopped shallot as well. When it browned, I threw in some halved cherry tomatoes and then a handful of spinach. Add a little salt, maybe some chopped garlic and you're done.

Put the grits in a bowl, pour the sausage and veggies on top and you've got a meal! It took me eleven minutes flat every time. If you had other vegetables or meats in your fridge you can vary your options, but I didn't, which was fine with me. It's a great full meal - a little bit of meat, a little bit of grain and as many vegetables as you can stand to eat. It's warm and satisfying.

I could eat this every day. And I pretty much did all last week.

Okay, go.

For whatever reason, I am just not getting onto the computer as much lately. Well, not whatever reason - because all I do is work away from my desk all the time and when I get home there are 23 new emails that I have to answer right away and it's a little bit stressful. So sometimes when things are stressful, you need to eat cheese.

I made this for a party the other day. It's a big hit down in Texas (or so I've read), but this is the second time I've tried to serve it in New York and no one seems to like it except for me (and Meredith). I mean, some people ate it. But it wasn't a huge sell for some reason. I think it's because it looks kind of icky, but believe me, eat it with some Ritz crackers and you'll be happy as a Texan clam (are there clams in Texas? I'm not sure).

First, get some pimentos.


Yay Goya! I love Goya products. Drain and chop your pimentos. Grate a pound of cheddar cheese (seriously) and add it to a bowl (or in this case, the tupperware you're taking it with) along with 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, two chopped garlic cloves and 1/2 - 1 tsp of cayenne pepper (depending on how much heat you can take). Do not try to make this low fat. That's just ridiculous.


Chill for a few hours and serve with Ritz.


See, it doesn't look pretty. But I love how it tastes. It's cold spicy cheese dip. I think it's great. Make it for a party if you're not with snobby New York people.