COOKING FOR ONE OR TWO

Lack of variety and leftovers are real problems for many persons who fix food for a few. Here are some suggestions to help you have variety with a minimum of leftovers.

1. If you have favorite family-size recipes, write down the amounts to use for half the recipe. Then you will not have to figure it out each time you want to use one of the recipes.

2. Prepare only part of the package of a dry mix. To divide a mix, stir the mix and measure it, then divide it into equal portions. When you prepare only part of a mix, reduce the ingredients you add to it proportionately. Be sure to mark the package to show how many servings are left.

3. Prepare your own "TV dinners" by cooking enough food for four or six and freezing the extra portions to use on days when you are in a hurry or do not feel like cooking.

4. Buy 2 or 3 pounds of chicken breasts or legs, round steak, sirloin steak, or nice fish fillets or steak. Cut the meats into 1 serving size pieces and wrap each piece carefully in freezer wrap. These will stack nicely in the freezer, and take little space.

5. Mix up your favorite meat loaf recipe, pack it into foil-lined cups of a muffin tin. Leave enough foil to fold over the tops of each individual meat loaf. Freeze. After freezing, remove individual meat loaves from the muffin tin and stack in the freezer. When you're in the mood for meat loaf, take out one or two packages and bake at 400F. for just ½ an hour.

6. Make up a pound of hamburger into hamburger patties. Add whatever seasonings you like. Wrap each hamburger pattie individually and freeze.

7. Save and freeze small leftover bits of meat until you have enough to make a meat pie. Save leftover vegetables for stew, soups or casseroles.

8. When there is a special sale on ham, pork, veal or lamb chops, separate the slices of meat and spread them on baking sheets so they do not touch one another and freeze rapidly. Put the frozen slices into moisture vapor-proof containers and seal until needed.

9. When making swiss steak, stews, baked beans or casserole meals, make a full recipe and pack into individual serving amounts. Pint jars, seal-a-meal plastic bags and individual casseroles dishes can be used for storing or freezing.

10. Always bake twice as many potatoes as you need. Leftover baked potatoes make delicious creamed or au gratin potatoes the next day. Think of the time and fuel you save!

11. You can save space and equipment by freezing a casserole in a foil-lined dish. After freezing, lift the food from the dish and wrap for freezing. This leaves your casserole dish free for other uses.

12. A small double boiler will allow you to heat one food in the top section while cooking another in the bottom pan. 13. Small cooking pots and pans help keep small amounts of food from burning so quickly. They also reduce the amount of liquid or fat needed for cooking.

14. Make you own mixes to keep on hand for last minute meal preparation.

15. Cook oven meals. Several different foods baked at the same time can save time and energy.

16. Look for frozen vegetables packaged in free-flowing style. It is easy to pour out what you need and keep the rest frozen.

17. Purchase a bag sealer for easy storage of leftovers in the refrigerator and freezer. Boil-in-the-bag foods are easy to reheat in a pan of boiling water or a microwave oven.

18. Create your own casserole using leftovers rather than leaving the foods in the refrigerator until they are no longer edible.

19. Marinate leftover vegetables such as carrots, beans, corn, broccoli and cauliflower in your favorite oil and vinegar salad dressing. 20. Organize your refrigerator so there's a certain space for leftovers. Then you can easily see what's on hand and what needs to be used promptly--thus cutting food waste.

MAKE-A-MIX FOR 1 OR 2

RECIPES FOR ONE OR TWO......

Ground beef is an easy and quick meat to prepare in small servings and can also be extended to feed a crowd. Try this easy ground beef mix if you live alone or need recipes to only serve a few.

GROUND BEEF MIX TO USE MANY WAYS

1 pound ground chuck 3/4 cup oatmeal 1/4 cup chopped onion 1/4 cup chopped celery leaves 2/3 cup evaporated milk 1/4 teaspoon oregano 1 teaspoon thyme 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon sage 1 teaspoon salt

Mix ingredients together. Divide into 4 parts. One part makes two servings in most recipes. Use 1 part and freeze the other parts for later or prepare the whole recipe and freeze in portions suitable for serving sizes.

MINI MEAT LOAVES 1/4 recipe GROUND BEEF MIX 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1/2 cup ketchup 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Add Worcestershire sauce to GROUND BEEF MIX. Blend well. Fill 1/2 measuring cup with meat mixture. Unmold on baking pan. Combine ketchup and brown sugar. Pour over meat. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.

ITALIAN MEAT BALLS 1/4 recipe GROUND BEEF MIX 1 teaspoon parsley flakes dash of paprika dash of garlic salt 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice 1/4 cup flour 2 Tablespoons cooking fat 1/2 cup tomato pulp and juice

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine first 5 ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Shape mixture into balls and roll in flour. Brown balls in fat, drain and place in casserole. Pour tomato over meat balls. Cover and bake at 350 for one hour.

ENCORE MEAT BALLS 1 recipe GROUND BEEF MIX Barbeque Sauce (below) 3 tablespoons cooking fat 1/4 cup flour

Shape ground beef mix into balls and roll in flour. Brown balls in fat. Count out the balls necessary for one meal. Put the rest on a cookie sheet to freeze. Later, pack them in a heavy plastic bag or freezing carton. Add balls to this barbecue sauce and simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

BARBECUE SAUCE Mix 1/2 cup ketchup, 1 cup tomato juice, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/3 cup vinegar, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce and 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Add meat balls. Simmer until heated, stirring constantly. JOHNNY MEZETTI 1 pound ground meat 1 pkg. egg noodles 1/2 pound grated cheddar cheese 1 can tomato soup 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1/2 cup chopped ripe olives 1/2 cup chopped celery 1 medium onion, chopped 1 green pepper, chopped salt and pepper to taste

Cook noodles and drain. Brown meat and onions. Add chopped pepper, celery and seasonings and continue cooking until tender. Combine noodles, meat mixture, cheese, soups and olives and mix well. Spoon into individual or large casserole dishes and freeze extra servings. To reheat, bake thawed casserole at 350 for 20-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

CORN GRITS AND CHEESE 2 eggs 4 1/2 cups cooked corn grits 1 cup cut-up cheese 2 tablespoons butter hot sauce (optional)

Beat eggs. Mix with grits, cheese and fat. Put in greased baking casserole and bake at 325 for 1 hour or until set. Serves 6. Freezes well.

TOMATO CHEESE DIP 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons flour 1 cup canned or cooked tomatoes, mashed 1 tablespoon grated onion 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 to 3 cups grated cheese

Melt butter, add flour and mix well. Add tomatoes, onion and salt. Cook slowly at low heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add grated cheese. Stir until cheese is melted or serve hot as a dip. Use as a sauce over vegetables. Chill part of the mixture and add mayonnaise until desired thickness and use as a sandwich spread.

CORN CASSEROLE 1/4 cup butter, melted 1-6 oz. can cream corn 1/4 cup water 1/2 chopped onion 1 egg 1/2 package corn muffin mix salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and pour into 8-inch pyrex baking dish or individual casserole dishes. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until lightly brown and set. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Can be frozen after baking and reheated.

BASIC RECIPE FOR SLICE & BAKE COOKIES 4 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 sticks (12 Tbsp.) butter 2/3 cup shortening 1 cup packed brown sugar 2/3 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs, well beaten 1 tablespoon vanilla

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda together and set aside. Cream butter and shortening gradually. Add sugars, continuing to beat until fluffy and light. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients, mixing thoroughly.

Shape dough into a roll 12-inches long and 2-inches in diameter. (If dough gets too gooey to handle, wrap in wax paper and place in freezer for 10 minutes.) Divide roll into thirds; wrap each third in wax paper. Place 1 roll in the refrigerator and chill at least overnight. Wrap the other rolls in aluminum foil, label and freeze. Use within 6 months.

TO BAKE: Cut roll into thin slices 1/4 inch thick and place them 1 1/2-inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake in preheated 400 oven for 5-8 minutes. Increase baking time a few more minutes for frozen slices with chips or nuts.

TRY THESE VARIATIONS:

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES: Omit vanilla. Sift 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg into dry ingredients. Decrease shortening to 1/3 cup; blend in 1/2 cup peanut butter before adding the sugars.

SUGAR COOKIES: Sprinkle cookies generously with sugar before baking.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES: Add 12 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate morsels to the dough mixture before adding the flour.

ALMOND COOKIES: Replace vanilla with almond extract. Add 1 1/2 cups finely ground almonds after the eggs.

APPLE KUCHEN 1/2 cup melted butter 1 pkg. yellow cake mix 1/2 cup coconut 1-20 oz. can pie apples or 2 1/2 cups sliced baking apples 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup sour cream 1 egg

Preheat oven to 350. Combine butter, dry cake mix and coconut and pat into a 13x9-inch pyrex dish or 2 pie pans. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and arrange apples on top of warm crust. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top of apples. Combine egg and sour cream and drizzle on top of the apples. Bake 25 minutes until brown. Freezes well and can be reheated as needed.

FROZEN FRUIT SALAD 1 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup sugar 1 can crushed pineapple, drained 1 can fruit cocktail, drained Optional: banana, nuts, maraschino cherries Combine buttermilk and sugar and mix well. Add cans of drained fruit and any other fruits or nuts you prefer. Pour into individual muffin cups or a pyrex dish and freeze.

BREADS FOR 1 OR 2

MASTER MIX 8 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups nonfat dry milk 1/4 cup baking powder 1 Tablespoon salt 1 1/2 cups shortening

Stir dry ingredients until well mixed. Cut in shortening until well mixed. Store in tightly covered container in a cool place. Use within a month. Makes 10 cups. BISCUITS 1 cup MASTER MIX 1/4 cup water

Add liquid to MASTER MIX using enough to make dough that is soft but not sticky. Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead a few strokes. Roll or pat to 3/4 inch thickness. Cut with a biscuit cutter or cut into squares with a knife. Bake at 450F (very hot oven) 12-15 minutes. Makes 6 two-inch biscuits.

CHEESE BISCUITS Same ingredients and directions for biscuits. After rolling out dough sprinkle with 1/4 cup grated American cheese. Roll like jelly roll and cut 1 1/2-inch slices. Bake on greased baking sheet at 425F for 15 minutes.

PANCAKES 1 cup MASTER MIX 1 egg, beaten 1/2 cup water

Combine all ingredients; stir just enough to moisten dry ingredients. Drop by spoonfuls onto a hot greased griddle. Cook slowly until the surface is covered with bubbles, turn and cook until second side is well browned. Makes about 6 medium-sized pancakes.

DUMPLINGS 1 cup MASTER MIX 1/3 cup milk

Mix ingredients with fork. Spoon dough onto boiling stew. Cook uncovered over low heat 10 minutes. Cover and cook 10 minutes longer. Makes 5-6 dumplings.

MAKE AHEAD BATTER FOR BRAN MUFFINS 2 1/2 cups sifted flour 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup boiling water 1 cup whole bran cereal 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup shortening 2 eggs, well beaten 1 pt. buttermilk 2 cups whole bran cereal buds Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Pour boiling water over whole bran cereal; set aside. Cream together sugar and shortening in 3 quart bowl until light. Add eggs and beat well. Blend in buttermilk, bran buds and the soaked whole bran cereal. Add sifted dry ingredients; mix well. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator. Batter will keep 4-6 weeks. Makes enough for 30 muffins. To make muffins, fill greased muffin-pan cups 2/3 full of batter. Bake in 400 oven for 20 minutes.

ANGEL REFRIGERATOR BISCUITS 2 1/2 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 Tablespoons shortening 1 cup buttermilk 2 Tablespoons sugar 1/2 pkg. yeast 1/4 cup warm water

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Sift dry ingredients together. Cut in shortening. Add butter-milk and dissolved yeast. Work together until all flour is moistened. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Dough will keep several weeks. To bake, roll dough on floured board to 1/2 inch thickness and cut, grease top of biscuit and place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 3 dozen.

The information given herein is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the Cooperative Extension Service is implied.