#Bless This Cookbook For Singles

As a single woman, home cooking for me looks like this: shoving lettuce in my mouth straight from the bag, while I wait for the water to boil to make pasta, which I will eat out of the pot, standing up. When I read about a new cookbook for singles, I was all: That's pathetic. I don't mind eating out of a pot, I don't need someone to make an industry out of my position. I don't feel bad for myself, so I don't need anyone else to. I bet all the meals revolve around cheese and chocolate. I bet it's all comfort food because they assume single women need it. But when I stopped waving my finger around in the air to emphasize my point to no one, I had a change of heart. Just because I have no one to cook for doesn't mean I should throw away the practice of preparing a thoughtful meal. Going a week without using a plate is nothing to be proud of.

Sometimes food is just fuel, if you're on the go, if you're rushing around and don't have time to stop and sit. But I do have time to stop and sit. I really could be making more out of my dinner, taking my time, trying new things, paying more attention to what I eat. There aren't a lot of recipes for one out there. Most are for groups, and even if they say they're for one, you end up with way too much food and it just rots in your fridge until it's unrecognizable sludge that you have to throw away. Sometimes following a recipe can make a lot of waste.

Klancy Miller's Cooking Solo: The Joy of Cooking for Yourself is available on March 8, 2016 and it is 100 recipes deep, all promising both a rewarding experience, a delicious meal, and not much waste. I'm all about making your single life as fulfilling as possible — I don't let anyone take out their violin around me and I'm very satisfied with my alone time, so I'm always looking for ways to treat myself. I think it's important to make your alone time just as thoughtful as the time you might spend with someone else. And I've definitely been a little lazy in the cooking department. I love to cook, and I love to treat myself and so, fine, make an industry out of singledom! I don't mind, just as long as it's not a pity party. I was just fine eating pasta out of the pot, but I'll be even more fine following one of Miller's pitch perfect recipes and actually taking it to the table, to eat off a plate, with utensils. Just because you don't have an audience, doesn't mean you should just mark your life.

Images: Amazon, Giphy