Hamburger Prevails Buy three pounds of hamburger and a pound of sausage. (Any kind, but I like hot Italian or Andouille.) Make a meatloaf recipe, but leave the salt out. Use real bread for the bread crumbs. Shape a baby meatloaf, half for dinner and half for sandwiches tomorrow.   Now the best part. Use a small scoop or a spoon to make meatballs and put enough for a solo meal into a Ziplock bag. Put them all in the freezer and you have the makings for everything from stuffed peppers to a mini pasta sauce.	Ethnic Stores   My Social Security makes me so broke that I can't even pay attention. However, I live in Colorado where there is a large Hispanic population and therefore ethnic stores. The other day I came out of a store with two plastic bags full of fruits and veggies -- all for $2.69. There's even a bakery in that strip mall where you get to point to whatever you want. We got six huge empanadas for $4. Wow.   Found the oriental store, too. Great produce and more kinds of soy sauce than you can imagine.
What's Sofrito? If you ever watch Daisy Martinez, a Puerto Rican chef on PBS, or go to her Web site, you'll know what sofrito is. It's a lethal mixture of garlic, onions, peppers, tomato, cilantro, and such. Mine lives in a glass jar in the fridge after I get through blending it into a puree, and gets used for marinating or gussying up pasta or making omelets. It keeps for a while.	Cheapie Stores Look around and go into stores that look a little strange. There's one not far from me decorated in modern mensroom. You either recycle your own plastic bags or buy them there. However, I've gotten frozen chicken thighs and legs for 39 cents a pound and all kinds of good, inexpensive meat and cheese.
Draining Tuna   If you have a ricer that you use only for mashed potatoes, Rachael Ray had a good tip about using it to drain that can of tuna.   She also suggested using a shredder to make strips from a tortilla, but mine didn't work.	Avoiding Freezer "Surprises"   There's a wonderful crafts template on Martha Stewart's site for freezer labels. If you're like me, you stash away mysterious servings and have to guess what they are and how long they've been there. If you prefer reusable plastic boxes (square ones are best), either use removable labels or stock up on a product called Goo Be Gone.
Refrigerating Veggies   When you're just one person, that cut cucumber becomes mush in a hurry. Try Debbie's Green Bags from Walgreen's. They keep fresh produce in pristine condition for ages. Expensive? Yes, but reusable.	Lettuce smells "bunny"   The romaine's OK, I guess, and spinach is good, but I'm not a great fan of salad greens. The pre-washed ones are so-so, but it takes me a long time to get to the end of the bag. Therefore, I got a sprouter and seeds to grow my own crops at the side of the kitchen sink. I rinse them three times a day while I'm making coffee or trying to figure out what I want to eat. Mung beans take about 18 hours and taste like raw string beans, and mustard and radish are spicy, all good in that ubiquitous tuna salad. Store them in Debbie's Green Bags for long life.
Mexican Food   Have you checked out the recipes by Rick Bayless?	Oriental and Other Food   Ming Tsai also has a cooking show on PBS. His recipes are here.
Junk Food   Don't buy it. If you're anything like me, it disappears from the shelf as fast as it appears on my hips.	Losing Weight   I thought I'd done that, but it was only following me around. The problem with cooking solo is that there are leftovers. I finally went on the Atkins Diet and lost 25 pounds with the help of a witty writer named Jamie. (See the recipes on this site.) She also got a hilarious blog.

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