photo by lizmarie
DEAR SARA: Any suggestions for some frugal, healthy meals for one that don’t require a lot of preparation? I’m tired of the old soup and sandwich and canned chili meals. Thanks! — Jilly, Texas

DEAR JILLY: Most recipes can be made, portioned and frozen into individual servings — think casseroles, lasagna, stew, chili and meatloaf. Crockpots can work great for make-ahead meals. For lighter meals, you can make stir-fry, egg dishes or salads. You can repackage your meat and poultry when you bring it home from the store. Some recipes can be scaled down, too. If you have a recipe that’s four servings and you want to make it two servings, divide the new serving size you want by the original serving size to get your conversion factor. Then multiply your conversion factor by each of your ingredients (for example: 2/4 .5, so multiply your ingredients by .5). For some recipes, you’ll need to use a conversion calculator. Rice and pasta are going to be a better buy than a bag of white potatoes for a single person. But you can still buy a single baked or sweet potato. Planning your meals is the key. If you’re not into converting, go to your local library and borrow cookbooks that are written for single people.

DEAR SARA: I need help with stain removal. My new boyfriend, bless his heart, chews tobacco (I know, bad habit, but that’s part of the South, I guess). He’s ruined a good dress shirt with tobacco juice. Do you have any ideas on how to remove a new stain? I also noticed an old stain that looks somewhat faded, so my guess is it has been washed and dried, and, therefore, set into the fabric. The shirt is a wrinkle-free oxford, light pink, 60 percent cotton and 40 percent polyester. Any suggestions? — Kim, Alabama

DEAR KIM: You can treat it with bar soap. Wet the shirt with cold water, rub the bar soap on the stain, and rinse. Next, launder with an enzyme detergent such as Era, Tide or Wisk. Check to see if the stain persists before putting it into the dryer. If it’s still there, try using OxiClean.

DEAR SARA: I’m ashamed to admit that I threw away a bag of fresh cranberries. I was going to make cranberry sauce and forgot about it. By the time I realized I still had them, I didn’t want to make cranberry sauce and didn’t know what to do with them. Help! I don’t want to throw food away, and I feel guilty that I couldn’t think of anything to do with them. Please give me some ideas so this doesn’t happen again. — Carol, e-mail

DEAR CAROL: You can freeze them. If you bake, you can add them to muffins, quick breads, apple pie or cobbler. You can make cranberry relish, too. To make relish: Using a food processor, pulse a Granny Smith apple, 2 cups cranberries and an orange. Add a couple of cups of sugar. Mix until combined. Let set at room temperature for an hour so the flavors blend. Refrigerate. Use on sandwiches or serve with chicken, ham or pork.

How do you cook for one? How do you use cranberries?

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