"Secret single foods"

[frenetica]

I remember a line in Sex in the City about "secret single behaviour" - things you do when you're not in a relationship (or if you know no-one is watching). One of SJP's "secret single foods" was eating stacks and stacks of saltines spread with grape jelly.

Last night, in a rare moment of solitude, I gorged on packaged mac'n'cheese with a pair of boiled franks.

I am also partial to eating tuna out of the can, covered with garlic salt and lemon pepper.

What really anti-foodie things do you cook for yourself when you're home alone and no-one is watching?

[mygirlbakes AL]

Wow, this was a great read.

My husband and I have no shame about our eating habits around each other. Anything is fair game.

My top guilty pleasure food is an entire tub of french onion dip with potato chips. Preferred brands are Dean's Light french onion dip (NOT regular and NOT fat free) with Reduced Fat Ruffles. I can eat that and not feel hungry for a couple of days.

Hunt's tomato sauce (basil, garlic, and oregano flavor) cold and straight out of the can.

I used to get a slice of bread and smother it with layers of mayo, butter, and thick cuts of cheddar cheese, then put it in the microwave until the whole pile got gooey. Mmmm. I don't do that anymore...

[revsharkie]

Saltine crackers spread with either plain butter or peanut butter. (Butter goes on the unsalted side, but PB goes on the salted side.)

Chocolate chips and peanut butter melted together in the microwave and eaten with a spoon.

Elbo macaroni cooked in beef bouillon with dried onions, then the broth thickened with cornstarch.

[QueenB]

I'll squirt Redi-Whip directly into my mouth from the container.

I'm a sucker for Kraft Mac N Cheese.

[kgoffin]

For dinner I would more than likely have either homemade caramel corn and a glass of milk or kraft dinner mixed with a can of cream of mushroom soup, a can of tuna and frozen peas. When no one is around I will snack on a chunk of chocolate dipped in peanut butter, apple sliced and topped with peanut butter, granola and raisins or crackers with tuna and tonnes of salt. This post brought back memories because I use to microwave cheese in a bowl for a snack too.

[leeau]

I laughed so hard reading this post! Hilarious!

It's funny too that I could swear that stacks of saltines with jelly was only my secret shameful food habit:p

When I'm stressed out, I get intense craving for carbs and sweets, but mostly I don't keep sweets at home.(maybe I should) So some of my SSF are

- chocolate chips for baking
- cereal sans milk
- stacks of crackers with jelly
- stacks of crackers with honey
- stacks of crackers or bread spread liberally with super-creamy spinach deep
- raw almonds covered in equal volume of honey
- frozen pork nuggets
- frozen blueberries
- bread with dried, salty seaweed
- rice with any soup
- things right out from pots and containers

and just binging in general.

[Bluezman]

cooknKate :
"It makes me curious.....what in god's name drove you to put Corona on cereal in the first place?? Hangover cure? No milk?? "

Who needs milk when you've got beer.
High carb - low fat - tastes better.
And, yes "No milk".

[lissar]

Fried eggs on mashed potatoes (instant, but a brand that doesn't taste too bad)

Handfuls of Costco granola

Gravy and chicken shreds on toast

Lemon curd eaten with a spoon

[PseudoNerd]

"steamed" egg with sesame oil, salt, and pepper

ramen soup (with the noodles either saved for the SO or tossed out) with kimchi

cauliflower soup

fruit (sometimes dried, more often fresh) with nuts (yes, that is the meal)

spooned crunchy pb

Greek yogurt with honey ('cos German Kaefer yogurt's not available in the states)

veggies with NO MEAT in SIGHT. (I miss that...)

roasted veggies

a truffle or two

[tachis]

Eggs! If there's bread in the house, scrambled egg sandwich with lots of mayo and a slice of cheese. If no bread, just scrambled eggs with cheese and ketchup or better yet, bbq sauce on top. Sometimes I like to throw in little blobs of cream cheese while the eggs are cooking--gets all melty and gooey. And I use lemon pepper to season the eggs. yum...

Also like to mix a tsp or two of Spike seasoning and a few shakes of Lea & Perrins with sour cream and eat with chips. Kinda like a cheap-o dip.

[The Engineer]

When I was single, I had a regular Sunday night out with the fellas thing where we would end up at one (or two) of New Jersey's many hot dog trucks or tiny-burger places. For those who don't know, industrial areas of NJ have loads of mom & pop White Castle style spots, usually open 24 hours. Like the Castle, but without the spiffyness and marketing.

I'm no longer single. The huge amounts of onion breath and flatulence this stuff generates means I only indulge when my wife is out of town for 24 hours or more.

[icey]

hor d'ouvres. (sp?) always have some in the freezer, various flavours, all puff pastry. pop them in toaster oven with some jalapeno poppers on the side, wait 10 minutes, and eat! mmmmmm...it almost seems sophisticated! lol

[cheeseonastick]

I, too, like to pile things into tortillas. Hummus, avocado and cheese was one of my favorites for awhile. Other various weird single food:
- Ramen with peanut butter (and sometimes sesame seeds)
- Boxed mac and cheese with a can of ro-tel (the extra hot kind, if my sinuses need clearing!)
- Um, anything with ro-tel, I guess
- Things made with velveeta - oh what a guilty pleasure. The other day I made some flatbread and just dipped it in a velveeta/dijon mustard sauce I made. That was dinner.
- Whatever pasta I have in the cabinet, some butter or olive oil, and some spices. That always works.
- Toast with brown sugar, cinnamon and butter, heated in the oven. Tastes like a cinnamon roll - and sometimes I add whatever I please, like toffee bits and/or chocolate.

[Bluezman]

Chef boy R Day good, mini Raviolis cold out the can. ("HoBo style", when I feel like HoBoin')

Pickle sandwhiches w/catchup on rye. (when the fridge is empty)

Bushes Country style baked Beans (HoBo style) W/Pecthers rye bread, & lightly salted sweet cream butter.

Breakfast Burrito: Hash, scrambled eggs, tortilla, cheese sauce, salsa. (eaten over sink) very messy. Eaten anytime.

Corona poured over Rice Krispys (Snap Krackle Burp....Burp..Burp).

Small boiled red potatoes, or hard boiled eggs, cold from the fridge, w/salt or hot sauce. (over sink)

Biggist gob of PB I can get on a tablespoon. (I like creamy) (cold & hard from fridge)

Velvetta on saltines W/Beefeaters & 7up (hic).

Take 2 lbs. of rattlesnake meat...oh wait, that's one of my chili recipes.

Egg Salad w/bread and butter pickles on rye.

Cold canned drained green beans w/ zesty Italian dressing poured right into the can.
(Just give me a fork).


Sauteed Onion on toasted cheese bread.
(Open style sandwhich)

Sorry, I have to stop now...I'm getting hungry!

[cooknKate]

It makes me curious.....what in god's name drove you to put Corona on cereal in the first place?? Hangover cure? No milk??

[RiJaAr]

sorta unripe mangos dipped in salt
strawberries dipped in sour cream and then brown sugar
mmmmmm

[amyzan]

Several years ago, it was toasting marshmallows over the stovetop, which then developed into making s'mores, eaten standing in the kitchen. I think this was during winter? Ah, the memories...no smoky burnt parts, but they were still satisfying. I used to eat marshmallows out of the bag, too. I think I have a thing for marshmallows, maybe.

Canned pitted black olives, off my fingers.

Leftover roasted chicken, cold, again with my fingers.

Chocolate melted in the microwave in one of those little Pyrex cups, eaten with my fingers, or with toasted salted nuts, whatever's in the house, mixed in. If I'm patient, I'll scoop them into little clusters on foil and refrigerate them. If not, I just eat the warm mixture.

Oh, and here's something heinous, ice cream from the pint, with the box of Maldon sea salt crystals next to it. I sprinkle in a few as I go along, getting some salt with each spoonful. It's soooo good. I mostly favor vanilla or nutty ice cream flavors, but I can't imagine it'd work with fruit flavors. I try to stop at a quarter of the pint, I really do!

A perennial fave is buttered toast, no jam or peanut butter. Just toast, and lots of it.

That's funny someone mentioned spinach as the guilt relief--I often have a big spinach salad the next day to balance things out when I do this kind of thing!

[greenstate]

vanilla fudge twirl ice cream with rice krispies mixed in
toast with peanut butter and brown sugar under the broiler
baked beans with hot dog cut up and jack cheese melted on top
sauteed maui onions and any green veg in olive oil with grated asiago cheese
canned tuna, anyway, any time

[RiJaAr]

um dry ribs from the restaurant down the street
instant noodles.. drain water, ad seasoning in large amounts, enjoy
sardines on toast with hot sauce
kippered herring
pepperoni sticks
campbells chunky chicken noodle soup.. i could eat it 24-7
stir fry , my hubby hates it.
big bowls of lettuce with a bowl of ranch dressing for dipping.. no fork, just finger food.
i used to eat ramen noodles dry and uncooked, just break them up and add the seasoning, but the only one i liked..loved..craved.. went and changed the flavoring and now its gross :(

[Andiereid]

Saltines and soft butter. I would stand and eat half a sleeve of saltines with fresh butter for dinner if I didn't have my husband standing there going, "Uh... you going to eat something besides salt and fat for supper?"

[cooknKate]

mmmmmm, saltines and butter.....GOOD!

saltines and creamy PB......BETTER! A PB and green olive sandwich also hits the spot.

i will make eggs if i am alone, hubby cannot stand them, even the smell. i hard cook the egg and eat in on toast smeared with laughing cow herb garlic cheese.

my secret indulgence is Popeyes fried chicken, but i would have to drive a LONG way to get some from where i live, when i lived near one i went all the time.....dangerous!

[icey]

*Wonderbread, 2 kraft single slices, a heaping tbsp of corn kernels...both sides of bread doused with butter and grilled in a pan.
*Kraft (or presidents choice) Mac & Cheese
*MCDONALDS! only done when its just me and my sis...I'll get a big extra combo (supersize the fries), she'll get the chicken mcnuggets (then i finish her fries, and use her sweet & sour sauce to dip my fries into!...shes not a big eater!)

[mitchell25418]

One New Years day while watching college bowl game - I tried to finish a 24 pack of white castle cheeseburgers & a case of rolling rock - the results were not good - but i miss those days now

[onlytwomuses]

I got one.

Take butter out of fridge, leave on counter.
Drive to store. Get large stick (or two) of Italian/French bread and a liter of Canada dry.

Get home, split the entire loaf and butter generously. Maybe sprinkle a tiny bit of salt, too.

Wash down with a half liter of Canada Dry.

Burp.

Repeat.

[thegolferbitch]

AAAAAAWWWEEESOME thread. A whole can of anchovy-stuffed Goya olives. Hellmans mayo on toast, thickly spread. I'm one of the chunky-peanut-butter-from-the-jar eaters. Celery stuffed with chive cream cheese. A gargantuan bowl of Lucky Charms and whole milk. Avocados. Just plain, ripe avocados. Lots of them.

[yumyum]

Wow. Two of yours are staples of mine. Love the anchovy-stuffed olives. A can is a staple of a tv picnic when I have a night on my own. Avocado with a spoon. Some Maldon sea salt sprinkled over top, and then whittled away with the spoon. Divine.

[bemelodious]

It's not what I eat, but where and how I eat it: in bed right before I go to sleep, and I don't even brush my teeth afterwards. In fact, I am in bed now, chowing down on Mauna Loa's honey roasted macadamias. Yum...

[gini]

For me, it's throwing out the meat/fish aspect and going headfirst into a bowl of cheese:

Pastina with tomatoes, cream, garlic, basil & parmesan

Espresso brownies

Cheese, crackers & pears

A big bowl of sauteed watercress or bok choy

Olives

Cream cheese icing

Cheese toast

Cheese fries

[prunefeet]

Sauteed watercress is SO GOOD.

[mcanni]

Chunky peanut butter on Oreos

Leftover speghetti fried till it's near burnt, then add evoo, or butter.

Rolled up cold cuts dipped in Dijon mustard

[amyvc]

Baby carrots are GREAT with cottage cheese. Even better, get some broccoli slaw or any shredded veggie, put it on top of cottage cheese and sprinkle with Frank's red hot. I'm not even embarrassed to say I eat this!

[janethepain]

oo, good to know. Last night I had a snack of baby carrots and cream cheese - less successful.

[janethepain]

Haha, I eat weird stuff whenever I'm alone, single or not. I'm lazy and trying to be healthy. But the sheer quantity of eating while alone probably negates the calorie-conscious aspect of it...

- baby carrots dipped in hummus... or mustard... was wondering how they would be with cottage cheese...
- egg substitute fried up with frozen veggies, with spicy Trader Joe's salsa POURED on top. If no salsa, maybe hummus or LIBERAL doses of Sriracha sauce and ketchup
- bread (or really, anything that can withstand the force) dipped/shoved through a container of cream cheese
- cereal (no milk) by the BOX. This is why I can't buy cereal anymore
- frozen veggies and whatever else (beans, frozen meat) topped with jarred pasta sauce
- slices of turkey rolled up and dipped into brown mustard
- canned soup eaten straight from the can. Thank god for pop-tops - I don't even have to get out the can opener.

[chef chicklet]

oh for sure, you take 2BBq potato chips and put a dill pickle slice in the middle for bbq chip sandwiches.
better yet, a baked potato with gobs and gobs of butter, whip it all up so its fluffy then add, a little sour cream and about a half jar of pace picante HOT sauce, top with cilantro and green onions. Then I micro wave it about ever other bite to keep it hot.
But for most mornings-Thai Kithchen spicy curry noodles with green onions. my husband thinks I'm nuts, but is anyone noticing a trend here? It all sounds good to me!

[RiJaAr]

omg, all dressed ripple chips with peppered deli chicken in between, it tastes best when the chicken is shaved...

[Booklegger451]

I'm with Thorn on the herring, though I like mine in cream sauce and on an english muffin, myself.

My other single foods:

Cheap corner store spicy bean burrito's, fresh from the microwave, before the tortilla has a chance to harden.

Yesterdays spaghetti topped with shredded cheddar and baked.

Bologne and pickle sandwiches.

Pita chips and hummus out of the tub.

Now, I usually do not correct folks on food matters, but all of the "peanut-butter-on-a-spoon" folks are missing the boat...

Scoop of peanut butter, scoop of strawberry or grape jelly, mixed together in a bowl and used to dip a banana in.

[Thorn]

Kim chee out of the jar and over the sink as it's sloppy! Toasted bagel and pickled herring and anchovies right out of the little tin...yum!

[Covert Ops]

Easy Cheese -- the stuff in the can -- on Ritz crackers.

Mrs. T's Potato and Cheese pierogies, sauteed in a small pan w/margarine until crispy on the outside.

White rice w/tons of margarine and maybe a bit of parmesan.

[amyvc]

- Refried beans topped with lots of cheese, salsa and sour cream...or maybe just straight from the can
- Kraft mac and cheese with extra cheese added and cut up hotdogs - maybe some broccoli or spinach added. Not because it's good for you - because the green tastes good with the "cheese"
- My personal wierdest - a can of corn, nuked and then covered with cheese and nuke til melted. stir, Top with salsa and sour cream if you have it. If not, it's fine on its own.
- Also a fan of the spoon in the peanut butter with various chocolate toppings. You can also drizzle honey or dip the spoon in the some raspberry/strawberry jam. Then you have chunks of PB and Jelly on the same spoon - heaven!

[Missy2U]

- Kraft M&C (Deluxe - no powder mix for me) with 2 boiled Ball Park hot dogs is one of mine
- Ice Cream - Edy's Toffee Crunch right out of the carton
- Well done Tater Tots dipped in sour cream
- Spaghetti O's (I love my spaghetti o's!)
- Jewel Chef's Kitchen Thin & Crispy Deluxe Pizza
- 4 egg yolks and one egg white scrambled with a little bit of milk along side a bunch of breakfast sausage - preferably Jimmy Dean.

[orangewasabi]

oh yeah, the single menu. . . .
-glad to see I am not the only one eating heart of palm out of the can

When I do get a night alone and want to indulge it's one of:
- Kraft Dinner
- Red Hots
- Nong Shim Hot & Spicy Shinramyun ramen
- a bowl full of niblet corn made from frozen
- and left for a couple days on my own, Taco Bell might sneak in

I aspire to having a KFC bucket all to myself, never done that. But my sister & I once had a box of Popeye's chicken for Christmas dinner

[KevinB]

Whenever I want to gross out my 12-yr old daughter, I tell her I'm going to get a big plastic sheet, put it down in front of the TV, get a big bucket of KFC, strip down to my underwear, and eat the chicken and slide around in the grease. Takes about six seconds before she's going "eeewwwww".

But my thing is really sandwiches:

Bread, butter, and a ton of bread & butter pickles. (seemed so logical, I had to try it!)

Spaghetti sauce sandwich: cold, leftover, meaty spaghetti sauce on bread. It's best on a crusty roll, but I've used Wonder Bread in a pinch.

Peanut butter, jelly, and banana tripledecker: make a PBJ, slice banana on top, add another slice of bread with PB. The kids think I'm nuts.

Peanut butter and lettuce: about 1/4 head of ice cold iceberg, and crunchy PB.

[jbyoga]

my new favorite....Vege Hot dogs with warm Kimchee and raw garlic - with Sriacha insted of mustard...mmmmm with a cooold Miller Light (my fave cheap beer)..ahhh

tonights dinner!

[Foodrat]

It's a shame DH doesn't go on business trips anymore... I really miss:

- Ramen nooodles, drained and then pan fried w/ the flavor pack, green onions and several dashes of sesame oil (actually, we'll both cave and eat ramen on the random weekend)
- Doritos dipped in sour cream
- Popcorn for dinner
- Fried egg over rice with either patis or oyster sauce
- Grilled cheese sandwiches

And back in my college days, a whole cantelope for dinner.

[yummymel]

Chef Boyardee ravioli topped with ranch dressing. Really anything topped with ranch dressing.

[NovoCuisine]

Wow, you win.

[cayjohan]

I am so hungry after reading this! My favorite when Hub is gone: Open-faced PB/garlic/tomato sandwiches. Toast bread, scrub with garlic clove, coat with thin layer of creamy peanut butter, top with slices of tomato and sprinkle with kosher salt. (Dang! I am out of tomatoes.)

Also - a great "stay-away-from me" sandwich: liverwurst, limburger, onions and horseradish on rye, garlic dills on the side. Does it every time!

My daughter, Miss 13, begs for canned green beans, to be eaten cold as an apres-school snack.(She's typically a fairly discerning eater.)

Finally, from my misbegotten college days: Saute some iceberg lettuce, season with some bottled italian dressing, and serve over reheated (instant) mashed potatoes. I know - Europeans cook lettuce, but I can't claim some continental thought process that brought me to this concoction. Haven't had it in 20 years but am tempted.

[andlulu]

I like to take a tortilla, throw in some chicken and tomato, wrap it up and quick grill it on the griddle, then grate jalapeno cheese over it and send it swimming in a pool of sour cream, russian dressing and texas pete.

My husband eats really healthy (for the most part) and he tends to pick at me if I whip up something downright overindulgent so I make these little tortilla floats when he's away at work.. makes it fun, oddly.

[toodie jane]

texas pete?

[AnneM]

When I make mashed potatoes I always make a large amount so I can fry them up for myself the next day. Brown and crispy and an over easy egg on top! Yum, I'm hungry!

[srr]

I, too, love spaghetti-o's out of the can, but my favorite single meal is a steamed artichoke with Best Foods mayo and a plain bone-in pan roasted NY steak with lots of Kosher salt...bloody.

[Chuckles the Clone]

A cup of sour cream, a teaspoon of sugar, and a dash of vanilla. Stir. Eat with spoon.

Heating bottled tomato sauce by pouring it from the jar directly onto hot spaghetti.

Sometimes I'll make myself a hamburger and take a small chunk of the raw
ground beef, sprinkle some salt on it, and eat it.

A whole can of smoked oysters.

[meg944]

And here I thought I was the only one.....

The last time my husband was in the lab all day on a weekend this is what I ate:

Apple slices with creamy peanut butter
Garlic hummus off a spoon
Handful of kalamata and some sort of large green Greek olives
Shrimp cocktail made w/ my own super horseradish-crammed (until it’s nearly pink) cocktail sauce
Leftover gnocchi and broccoli rabe, no sauce, just mixed together
Pomegranate seltzer
Glass of Cotes de Rhone from an already opened bottle

No real meals, just a sort of random grazing. The only part I am really slightly ashamed of is the shrimp cocktail (which I make w/ frozen, pre-cooked/peeled large shrimp that I keep for just these occasions, to his chagrin.) But they are really just there as vehicles to carry the horseradishy goodness to my mouth!

[cyberroo]

It's been a long time, but my secret foods were chili dogs with canned chili, and tuna sandwiches. My not-secret cooking for myself food is scrambled eggs with whatever I feel like eating them with, which could range from dried thyme to salsa.

[Karee]

Definitely a secret late-night food of mine... peanut butter and maple syrup mixed together in a bowl... eat with a spoon. It reminds me of being a kid.

[Pia]

All manner of improvised desserts, often involving chocolate, nuts, cottage/cream/ricotta cheese, other type of dairy, fruit, spices, eggs, and anything else I can find that seems vaguely dessert-y. It all goes in the microwave or on top of the stove, and might end up on toast.

If I'm really lazy, fake s'mores - graham cracker, chocolate, marshmallow, possibly microwaved for a few seconds.

[revsharkie]

We used to do that when we first got a microwave. Marshmallows do fun things when you nuke 'em.

[toodie jane]

a no-one is watching thing for me, on those rare occasions when we have a can of whipped cream in the fridge;
spray a fat line on an outstretched finger and eat it by the fingerfull. Or out of a spoon! Or on slices of green apple!

[kare_raisu]

Its weird but I like whipped cream on a hot toasted tortilla.

[mabziegurl]

eating instant ramen as a cracker... there's one brand in particular that isn't so good cooked, but when eaten uncooked tastes so yummy... i'm sure the noodles have more sodium and msg probably

[sequins]

I used to do that all the time -- sprinkling the contents of the seasoning packet onto the dried hunk o' noodles. Messy but tasty.

[jamsy]

try sprinkling the seasoning packet and then popping the noodles into the toaster oven! gets super crunchy (just like chips) and extra tasty.

[steinpilz]

Cheddar popcorn and wine (drinking the wine - not mixed!) is presently my disgusting meal choice when alone.

[jamsy]

At work, it's PB with a spoon WITH raspberry jam.

Home and alone:
-Nong Shim Shinramyun ramen noodles heavily splashed with rice
-vinegar and a poached egg
-Salmon out of the can
-Pickled herring out of the jar
-Chocolate sauce from the bottle

And when I lived across the street from the gyro place, Greek Fry Poutine with Meat (dirty, but oh, so tasty...)

[sequins]

Cold tofu (chunked up with a spoon -- too lazy to cut properly) and mixed with cold Veri Veri Teriyaki sauce.

Clams out of the can.

Vanilla ice cream topped with mega-dollops of chunky peanut butter.

Dried calimyrna figs -- absolutely addicted to them.

Sweet red bean paste out of the can. (You can get these in Asian supermarkets; it's meant to be an ingredient, but I prefer it as a main course.)

[gabe]

Hormel's Corned Beef Hash cooked until its crispy.

Hard kosher salami cut into chunks.

There must be more. I'm so repressed.

[Trixie Too]

Land O' Lakes white american cheese on white bread that is spread with Miracle Whip and sprinkled with onion powder.

[RaleighRocker]

Oh the irony! As I was perusing the boards my single self was standing up at my computer nibbling on a piece of dry tofu dipped in "Bombay Sandwich Spread".

Banana with Sriacha Sauce
Anything involving lots of onions and garlic if I know I won't be near anyone the next day or that evening-I've made a good ol' country vidalia sandwhich with mayo
Pickled cream herring out of the jar
Can of black olives from the dollar store doctored up with hot pepper, garlic and olive oil
Artichoke hearts out of the jar
I am all about cravings..I've even made my own kettle corn by dumping some sugar in a bag of popcorn, and make some faux caramel corn with brown sugar and butter....

While I bemoan being single, the ability to eat what you want, when you want, how you want is pretty cool. I have no shame about manners by myself.

[NovoCuisine]

My SO is leaving for Ottawa tonight and will be there until Sunday. I had an urge to buy a bucket of KFC to be my only food all weekend. Madness!

...I'll still probably do after he takes off in an hour.

[WineWidow]

YES -- I've done that too, lived for a week on KFC and orange juice while the husband's away on business. SICK! but so good!

[Porkchop Express]

A personal fave is salami wraped around a pickle with cream cheese. It is pretty ridiculous!

[revsharkie]

Around here those are called "pickle wraps" and folks have them as pre-dinner snacks. Only they generally use dried beef instead of salami.

[muimi07]

Cheese cubes covered in sugar (velveeta is the best!)

[KitchenAid]

Spaghetti and ketchup

[TryThis]

I was reading the responses yesterday and could not think of a personal single food I ate. So last nite I wanted something sweet as I sat watching TV and started scrounging around in the kitchen cupboards and I found my single food. I open a container of the ready-made "german chocolate" frosting, grabbed a spoon and started eating it straight from the container. Who needs cake!

[houndgirl]

Ketchup on white bread
Slices of bologna rolled up with either a blob of mustard or ketchup and swigs of OJ right from the carton
Onion and Velveeta sandwiches with Miracle Whip (NO mayo)...can't go near anyone for hours

And my boyfriend eats mac & cheese with peanut butter on top

[welle]

your post wins 'ickiness' award, especially if the white bread is 'wonderbread' kind

[Emme]

I love ketchup, so I get ketchup on anything...

But mac 'n' cheese w/ PB? How does one get to that? "Hey this mac and cheese is a little blah, but hmmm, what can I add... oh great Peanut Butter!"

[cupcakez]

Im not single, but a university student who eats wierd easy meals often with my bf.
-coucous with slightly cooked onions canola oil, and dried fruit mixed in. i love mixing in that nasty canned flaked turkey (my bf refuses to try it), and lotsa salt
-brown bread with eggs and kraft cheese slices and too much margarine. either dip toast strips in the egg and cheese, or have it like a sandwhich
-i eat tons of squash, cooked, opened and covered in pumpkin pie spice, butter, sour cream and splenda. the bf hates this and says it tastes like a dessert
-puritan stew with a heaping tbsp of butter
-alone i will eat oatmeal with canned tropical fruit and strawberry yogurt...for dinner
-pancake mix (just add water) cooked in the microwave with syrup and white chocolate mixed in

[MaggieB]

For me it's anything in a tortilla. I came up with my best tortilla-filled concoctions in college: leftover chicken and rice bake with ranch in a tortilla; green beans, cheese and teriyaki sauce in a tortilla... you get the picture.

More recently, anything in a pita. I basically dump out the contents of my fridge and shove it in a pita. Most of the time I'll douse said pita with Crystal hot sauce before consuming. The best part about this meal is that the boyfriend has started eating it with me, now.

Our "single" habits rubbed off on each other. I now eat Spaghettios on a somewhat regular basis; hadn't touched the stuff in years before I met him!

[Janet from Richmond]

Back when I was single (and slimmer...my weight goes up anytime I am married or part of a 'couple') my standard dinner was either eggnoodles with butter and parmesan, grilled cheese with Kraft singles, cereal or nachos.

[ricepad]

I'll either make a pot of rice and top it with various condiments (raw egg & shoyu, various pickles, preserved tofu, etc), or make some instant ramen.

I don't cook for myself...

[Sam Fujisaka]

Spot on. With rice, you forgot ume boshi, hot dogs sato shoyu, can of tuna, ...

[lilitake]

micro-bake a russet potato, split in half lenth-wise, spray cut side with olive oil, fresh ground pepper and LOTS of lawry's seasoning salt. broil 'til charred and blistery. eat open-faced with fork and knife and squirts of ketchup (heinz of course).

[kare_raisu]

this sounds good

[Will Owen]

Cut up chunks of supermarket mozzarella cheese, spear'em on a fork, and dip into the PB jar. I've been known to dip them in mayonnaise, too...

All kinds of spontaneous messes have occurred around here under temporary-bachelor conditions. One beauty was when I decided to have fried catfish and eggs for breakfast, and a hell-with-the-calories version at that: I beat up an egg together with some CREAM (!!) and Tabasco, and bathed the fish in that before rolling it in cornmeal and seasonings, then fried it. So far, so good, except there was this half-cup or so of egg and CREAM (!!) that was gonna go to waste...so I just broke another egg in there, beat it all up, and poured it over the fish when it was almost done, thus incorporating said fish into a very rich omelet. Hot damn was that good...

[silence9]

Liverwurst and mayonaise sandwiches. 'Homemade' granola made with leftover Chips Ahoy cookies and graham crackers. And I'll purposely open a can of any kind of pop and let it go very stale in the refrigerator, so that it is cold and de-carbonated.

[Jackie Coffee]

Don't forget the sliced raw onion with the liverwurst & mayo! Yum!

[Will Owen]

...and slices of HB egg!

[Jackie Coffee]

My favorite things to pig out on that I would never let anyone see me eating are: Spaghetti-Os right out of the can, Kraft mac n' cheese with a bunch of sliced vienna sausages and green olives thrown in, and dill pickles wrapped in slices of Swiss cheese. About the Spaghetti-Os--I KNOW people love 'em whether they'll admit it or not. Once I was invited onto a gorgeous yacht for a weekend in Catalina. As my "contribution" for the trip, I brought along a whole case of those little buffet-size tins of Spaghetti-Os. Sure, people laughed when they saw them, but by the second day out, there were 2 cans left (and I hadn't eaten them)!!!

[mwright]

This isn't exactly single eating, but when my 2 sons go away for a weekend or something my daughter and I ( she is 12) wallow in all the things they won't eat ( shellfish, pasta with olives, smelly cheese). The boys are pretty good eaters but not very adventurous -- my daughter and I will sometimes plan for weeks about all the "girl-friendly" foods we want to try.

[Niblet]

Yes, I relish the single life! Except for those rare times that I’m in a real cooking mood, suppers are all about eating mix-and-match snacks on the couch:

Steamed edamame with a spray of sea salt
Gyozas or dumplings straight from the freezer, then steamed and pan fried; soy sauce & sesame oil
Claussen kosher pickles straight from the jar
Tomato & roasted pepper soup from Trader Joes
Deviled eggs
Steamed whole artichoke dipped in olive oil, cider vinegar, s&p

[Scagnetti]

I eat a WHOLE 16" cheese pizza.

[FAB]

Late at nite there's nothing better than some pickle spears and a tub of Philly cream cheese :)uurrghghhh!...I have an ex to thank for that addiction.

[ML8000]

Eat at the sink with your hands and without a plate or utensils. If you're really bacheloring...don't even use a napkin, just wash up with with water from the facet. Sort of like a trough really.

[Procrastibaker]

My husband still does this sometimes, esp. for lunch. Occasionally I join him hunched over the sink with a drippy pbj and he is always caught by surprise. I guess the sink just seems like a "table" for one...

[bryan]

For me it's all about food he will not eat, that I love. So liver comes out of the closet (so to speak); egg salad; anything mayonaissey; a nice baked potato w/ fixings - all on it's own, no other veggie or meat - other than some bacon and chives on it; soup for dinner (especially cold soup); garlic bread toasted and dipped into meat sauce. I could go on and on. I actually plan meals around his not being at home, and look so forward to them. If you've ever lived w/ someone who says "ewwww" to what you like, you know what I mean.

[fickle]

I know what you mean. I can't wait till he leaves town also! The minute he's gone, the liver's on the pan, the stinky fish sauce and shrimp paste are out, the durian's cracked open and I eat everything out of it's cookware. No dishes. Just stick the fork into the pot or pan and munch away. For him, it's all things cheese. Especially stinky cheeses. We start planning the minute a trip has been confirm. Sometimes I'll even have all the ingredients out before he's out the door ;-)

[Kitchen Queen]

Cream cheese and potato chips! Sometimes pretzel sticks but, oh ya potato chips! lip smackin' :)KQ

[mwright]

Yes!! I'm partial to Kraft Onion and Chive whipped cream cheese and kettle chips of some sort.

[DanaB]

Try whipped cream cheese with fritos sometime -- delish ;-)

[Emme]

I like to make rice krispy treats, but forget the pan, forget the cooling... so good warm and gooey.

My own rice pudding made from brown rice or barley, cottage cheese, splenda, cinnamon and vanilla. Guilt free.

[janethepain]

Cottage cheese rice pudding?? Recipe, please!

[Emme]

Nothing fancy... a cup of cottage cheese (fat free or low fat or whole fat), 1/2 to 2/3 cup of brown rice or white rice or barley, sweetener to taste (for me splenda), a dash of cinnamon, and a splash of vanilla. I nuke it in the microwave to warm it over... though one time, I left it too long, and the cottage cheese kind of melted, and the curds made this gooey connected "mess," which actually was quite interesting, so now I go back and forth between goo-ifying and just warming over.

[janethepain]

thank you! Will definitely be trying this.

[drdawn]

I wish my SO would skip town for a few days so I could indulge!

Anything that didn't look like a proper meal. Or a badly put together one. Quesadilla now--perhaps made with Lime pickle. thai soup in 2 hours-- (My 'thai soup' consists of chicken stock, rice noodles, veg, lime juice fish sauce and chilli) And a chocolate appetizer.

[BeaN]

Cookie dough. Not even good, home made cookie dough. Store bought cookie dough.

I don’t even intend to cook it.

[lemonfaire]

And I'd thought I was the only one!

[Janet]

Oh yeah, semi frozen cookie dough. This is such a comfort food.

[NovoCuisine]

I haven't been single for a while, but I remember vividly my carefree (and slimmer) days of living with roommates, not cooking at all, and picking up ready-made salads and bags of Doritos from the supermarket. That was my diet.

Sometimes I buy bologna for my SO, which is his single food, and it kind of annoys me how much pleasure he gets from a simple bologna sandwich (and the memories that go with it I suppose), when I spend hours in the kitchen creating our meals.

[OCAnn]

Funny how it was so much easier to stay slim when single, huh? Sometimes, my dinner was a bottle (or 2) of beer...and I maintained a flat stomach.

[NovoCuisine]

Tell me about it!

I drank a lot in my single days. You can totally stay slim drinking and not eating.. it's the addition of home cooked meals and leftovers every day that are killing me now. Not to mention, I ain't getting any younger ;)

[meg944]

Ugh – 3 pounds/year in the 8 years since we met. He is such a good cook! Doesn’t seem like much at any moment but as they say, it adds up. I am now focused on losing it, though – amazingly, going on vacation (like our recent 3 weeks in China) is great for that. I can eat w/ him and still lose because I am walking 4-8 hours/day.

[prunefeet]

For me the problem is that I cook more, I always want him to have a nice meal...if it was just me, I'd often just pick at whatever is around. Wow about your china trip! If you have a blog I'd love to see it...

[DanielleM]

This is a timely topic as my husband has just gone out of town, and I tend to have funny eating habits when he is gone. These are a few of my favorites:

breakfast for dinner (eggs or cereal)
pasta with butter
grilled cheese
pizza bagel
mac and cheese

Normally my meals are balanced with proper amounts of proteins/grains/veggies, but when he isn't around I devolve into a white flour, salty, cheesy mess.

[slowcali]

I take an average bowl of spaghetti and tomato sauce, put on a black shirt, and ignore everytying I ever learned about table manners. No winding strands on the fork, no taking small bites, just big, loud slurps of messy goodness.

It's all about style.

[ubermasonfan]

Chef Boyardee....for breakfast/lunch/dinner. Sometimes, for multiple meals..in the same day :).

[shana]

god all these posts make me eager to go home tonight - the hubbie has a night class and there is a whole new world of single foods to eat!

[bijoux16]

it's funny you mention this... after I saw that episode I dug up some stale Saltines that have been hanging out for YEARS (no joke) and ate them with Strawberry jam. it wasn't mind blowing but pretty fun at the time :D

[scenicrec]

Peanutbutter, potato chips, and strawberry preserves on a potato roll.

[S U]

Nong Shim ramen noodles (spicy) for breakfast, lunch, or dinner
frozen chicken nuggets, tater tots, fish sticks/fillets
take-out or leftovers straight from the fridge

[welle]

I have a similar weakness for Nong shim or similar ramen noodles. If they weren't so high in calories (high calorie content relative to nutritional value) and sodium, I'd be eating them B,L,D x 7 days a week.

[jilli42]

I love Nong Shim Hot & Spicy noodles.

Other things I eat when alone:

Ramen (cheap packs) drain water, toss in some butter, seasoning packet & hot sauce. Mix. MMMM. Sometimes I have added froz peas and corn to the mix with a fried egg on top.

Cheese toast..cover wheat bread with cheese of choice (cheddar) and sprinkle with cayenne, broil until bubbly.

Various leftover combos, usually eaten cold from the container.

Rice with brown gravy.

Peanut butter, bacon and cheddar sandwiches.

Canned pastas, Spaghetti-O's are my favorite.

Lipton Chicken Noodles Soup Extra Noodle variety, sometimes with cheese sprinkled on top.

Salsa mixed with cheddar cheese and sour cream, dip Doritos in this and call it dinner..for shame...

[jennjen18]

OooooOooO, thats an interesting way to eat ramen. So you dont have soup with it at all.. just the flavour packet sprinkled on top? Like a dried noodle?

[juster]

Soup? Feh. I drain it, too (leave a tiny bit of water for dissolving purposes). But beware -- usually the whole seasoning packet makes it waaaaaay too salty this way. I like it with frozen peas and sauteed tofu chunks, sometimes leftover meat or egg if I have it. Spinach. I'm gonna have to try your butter idea, jilli42!

[jennjen18]

Thats interesting! I usually leave just enough soup to cover the noodles .. but I might try the dry method (very little water for dissolving). Thanks guys. :) Oh and butter too.. I've had butter in ramen in Japanese noodle houses too. Mind you, they werent instant ramen.

[heatherkay]

My husband and I actually make something we call "faux pho," involving ramen dosed with deli roast beef, sri racha, lime juice, and cilantro (if available)

[prunefeet]

Not a bad idea!!!

[S U]

add to that my childhood sneak snacking:
1 slice processed Kraft American + 1 stick string cheese = shred both cheeses into a lil bowl, nuke until melted just before the oil starts bubbling/browning, wait a few moments till cooled enough to not burn lips, and eat.

[scoobyhed]

I like to sprinkle cheddar cheese on a pan, cook till its crispy but not quite burnt, and eat.

Also chunky peanut butter with a spoon.

And cheese-and-mustard sandwiches.

[pinstripeprincess]

i definitely take tablespoon fulls of peanut butter and lick it up like a popscicle.

definitely guilty of instant ramen.

but one of the worst would be grilled cheese... but i have to use the white wonderbread, plastic kraft singles and oodles of margerine just to get the right effect. oh and double up on that cheese, please.

[Procrastibaker]

Gotta dip that PB spoon in chocolate chips too!

[PseudoNerd]

or with coffee grounds (or if you're in any other nestle-instant-obsessed part of the world) or coffee crystals.

It's not as good as, say, a pb and coffee milkshake, but it's an easy facsimile.

[chocolatetartguy]

That grilled cheese is even better with a slice of spam!

[chocokitty]

I'm with the PB spoon alone, dipped in chocolate chips or raisins.

Also, lick off with a spoon with Nutella. LOVE Nutella.

Homemade brownie or cake batter off the spoon - after the majority is baked off.

And a ton of cookies and good chocolate (not those Hershey bars).

[Andiereid]

My Great Aunt used to cook that for me for breakfast when I was a kid and stayed at her house! Melted cheese! Mmmmm!

[prunefeet]

Cheese mustard sandwiches are great, and try this variation: put potato chips on them!! I learned this from a college roommate. Thanks Julia!

[Da_Cook]

SPAM!
SPAM with fried eggs on rice and scallions
SPAM fried
SPAM just from the can
SPAM, arugula, & dijon on a baguette (the provolone cheese is optional)
Those sweet dough, Japanese buns with spam in the center.
Umm, can my name be withheld "upon request"
Da Cook

[pilotgirl210]

You aren't Hawaiian, by any chance, are you? tee hee

[flipss]

I has SPAM for breakfast with fried eggs on rice too! YUM!

[pescatarian]

I am single and I eat a lot of weird things by myself:

whole hearts of palm from the can, by themselves or dipped into things - tzatziki, tomato paste, to name a couple

air popped popcorn with vinegar

melba toast with tomato paste and cheese slices (sometimes even the plastic stuff)

the top of a pizza covered in sundried tomatoes, olives, hot peppers, etc (leaving most of the crust)

jars of pickles

Sour kids, nachos, etc.

[bijoux16]

LOVE the whole hearts of palm from the can. I wish they weren't so pricey/hard to find.

[pescatarian]

I totally agree. They can be expensive. They always have them at our local Loblaws though and there's a no name brand that is not quite as expensive. It makes a big difference when they are whole v. already cut. They taste a lot better whole. You get the combination of the crunch on the outside and the soft centre :)

[niki rothman]

I've never seen the appeal of hearts of palm. Just sort of tasteless and vinegary, no? What am i missing?

[mimolette]

what?!! It's obvious you like acidic foods, but the part about eating the plastic film that comes with cheese....?!?!!

[prunefeet]

I don't think pescatarian meant the actual plastic, just the plasticky tasting kraft singles themselves. Correct me if I'm wrong!

[amkirkland]

I have DQ blizzards for dinner on a regular basis, balanced by an enormous bowl of mid-afternoon spinach to make myself feel better about it.

I'll eat a bowl of oatmeal at any hour of the day.

the five second-rule is laughable in my apartment, but I suppose that one has that luxury when they're sure of what's been on the floor and when it was cleaned.

[WineWidow]

OMG, someone else who has Ice Cream Dinners!

My husband works on Wednesday nights and I regularly have ice cream for dinner that night (and often don't have the spinach during the day to make myself feel better!).

When he's out of town, I'll binge on bacon and hot dogs, or eat cereal for 5 days straight. It's very strange.

[Katie Nell]

Oh, I always have ice cream for dinner when my husband is out of town... not that he would care, but it's much more fun to be able to sit on the couch with the carton and a spoon all by yourself, watching Gilmore Girls!!

[xica14]

Ice cream and Gilmore Girls, yes! My regular Tuesday night combo

[piccola]

I did the GG-and-pudding version tonight

[jennjen18]

Oh Gilmore Girls!!! Yes, I do instant noodles that are doused with lots of hot chili sauce, and to eat it out of the pot they were cooked in. MmmmMMmMmMmm.. I must have noodles with Gilmore Girls, and with Sex and the City, in fact. Oh, and there's a specific way of eating the noodles. I eat them by dangling the strands up in the air, and eat it backwards.. Haha, so much fun!

[niki rothman]

Mine is pasta with tomato sauce and Sopranos DVDs. A perfect TV food match.

[amkirkland]

As I was drizzling honey from the bear to my tongue I realized that I have more problems than just the ice cream.

[niki rothman]

When you do that with the squeeze bottle of ketchup it may be time to seek help.

[embee]

Better beware of that spinach and stick to the safe stuff ;-)

[shana]

I make buttercream and eat it from a bowl. Or have canned baked beans and toast or canned spagetti or zoodles with toast or actually just lots of toast.

[Hunicsz]

I'm assuming you mean noodles, but "zoodles" sound like way more fun :)

[kare_raisu]

:)

[Blueicus]

Zoodles are those canned pastas with the pasta that's shaped like various animals. I was personally partial to the Mario Bros. noodles when I got them for lunch.

[lbs]

-- Cold spaghetti and butter/magargine sandwich. So gross, so good.

-- Sub bread that is brushed (maybe more than brushed ;) ) with olive oil and balsmic vinegar and loads of salami and swiss cheese that is baked in the oven.

It's not like he'll be grossed out but it's more fun to eat it without him