Cutting Back

Five words I never thought I'd hear Mr. Ginley utter: "You gave me too much."

my kind of recipe book

For the past several months, I've been taking my recipes and shimmying them down, and the results speak for themselves: Mr. has taken off 20+ pounds. 

I wish I could say the same for myself. The trouble is, even reducing the quantity of food I prepare, there are still leftovers. Which I consume the next day for lunch. Which means I'm having two big meals a day instead of one.

This is simply not working.

So...I must go back to the drawing board and look for new recipes. They must meet the following requirements:

• Make enough for two servings: Yes, I have managed to cut down existing recipes, but it's not always straightforward. (e.g. 1/16 cup)
• Use common ingredients: Mr. Ginley found a recipe from Gordon Ramsey the other day for kale salad that sounded good to him. However, I was stymied at the supermarket when I tried to find something called "Little Gem Lettuce." Also, if it uses little bits of lots of stuff, that's problematic. (Example: I buy a whole bunch of parsley for a recipe that calls for 2 tablespoons.) 
• Be easy to make: Yes, I'm working from home, but by the time I'm done for the day, I'm not up for fussy prep work.
• Be quick: I'm all about crock pot meals. Otherwise, it's gotta be done toot sweet. If I'm chopping ingredients for more than 15 minutes or simmering for more than 30, you can fuhgettaboutit.
• Pass the Food Approval Committee: Honestly, I should have started with this one. If my better half doesn't approve, the recipe is dead in the water. I can usually tell by looking at it if it's something he'll eat or not. (Anything with tofu, funky cheese or gravy is a non-starter.) But he sometimes surprises me (a la the aforementioned kale salad.)

Given that it's grilling season, many of our meals can be cooked outdoors, so that helps. It's easy enough to choose a smaller cut of meat. 

In the meantime, if anyone has any favorite recipes for two, please feel free to share with the class. 

I'm sure I'm not the only one cooking for two who would appreciate some new stuff to tickle the tastebuds.

Photo attribution: National Archives and Records Administration, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons