My husband is away for a few days, so at dinner it's just my daughters and I. One daughter is housesitting this month, but is coming home for dinner on these nights. The way I cook for just us three women is so different from how I cook when we have the four of us here. And when my son and daughter-in-law come over, I cook differently then too. My son and daughter-in-law eat a lot of meat and eggs, so I cook for that when they're over. My husband likes traditional meals, with plenty of starch and protein. But my daughters and I tend to be lighter eaters, which is making these few days super easy for me.
Tonight, we made a large chef's salad, using leftover salad, the dressing, and cooked peas from last night. We added extra lettuce, tomato, celery, and cabbage to stretch the salad base. We topped the salad base with sliced cheese and boiled eggs. As side dishes we finished off the leftover herbed rice and rhubarb jello from last night as well. Easy peasy done.
When it's just us women, I can get away with salad for dinner, or rice and veggie bowls, or veggie and pasta dishes. And if I do cook a "regular" meal, we'll likely have enough for two nights with a little stretching.
It can also easy to cook for just my husband and I. A couple of Fridays ago, it was just he and I for dinner. Our usual is pizza and a movie on Fridays. Instead of making a whole pizza, I made pizza sandwiches using frozen pizza sauce, pepperoni, and cheese on slices of lightly toasted bread. I sometimes cook up a small steak, microwave a couple of potatoes, and heat some frozen vegetables when it's just he and I. Simple meals.
There's something about cooking for a larger group that feels more involved, as I'm catering to multiple tastes and likes. So it's a treat to cook for myself and two other people who will eat as I prefer.
So, while we miss my husband at home with us, at least it's easier cooking for these few days.
I hope you all have a lovely weekend. I'll be gardening, taking breakfast to the beach on Monday, and maybe hitting up one of the vintage malls over the weekend. What's on your weekend plan?
I remember growing up when my father was away, suppers were more casual. And we had things that he didn't particularly like, such as pizza and spaghetti. It was a fun break. My mother didn't worry about catering to us. We only had to have one spoonful when we didn't like something, and she knew we wouldn't go hungry. When we started making most of the meals, we always cooked what we liked, so it all worked out. I had the same idea with my kids, but I will say that I do alter recipes so they are more to my husbands liking. And sometimes, I fix them just how I like them. Mostly we have differing tastes about onions. :)
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