Occupying an apartment from scratch

That sucks man.
For food, stock up on bulk meats when you can and separate and freeze into usable sizes (1 chicken breast, 1/2 lbs of ground meat, etc.).
One of those, a few spices and a instant mashed potatos or rice as a side with a canned veggie can be much better of an option over Hamburger Helper or ramen.
And, a slow cooker is the way to go also. Either cook when you wake up for before you go to bed and you are solid for the day.
Doing a bunch of shit at once (cutting veggies, cooking meat, etc) is better than trying to do it every day.
Best of luck!

 

An ex parte order? Christ, you must have done something to piss her off.

 

Or she is insane (no offense Dix).
My buddy had that happen once. He was allowed to enter once to get his stuff. She had broke it all....TV, DVD player, cut a hole in the bed...

he took it quite well considering.

 

More of the second and less of the first, am guessing.

 

Hey, let's not throw sand on drinking like a fish.

 

Cooking decent food is a lot easier than you'd think. I learned quite a bit from watching the Food Network (back when they had actual cooking shows). If you can follow the directions on the package of the hungryman meals, you can make a decent meal from a recipe, seriously. And the food will taste a lot better and in the long run it's cheaper. You can find recipes for pretty much anything with a simple google search.

As said earlier, invest in a crock pot/slow cooker, you literally can throw a bunch of stuff in there in the morning and have meals for a week when you get home.

 

I disagree with the poster above who advised against buying a cookbook. There are a million 1-man-meal cookbooks out there for dudes just like you. I'm far above the average cook, I think, and I learned to cook almost entirely because of one cookbook -- one of those restaurant recipe knock-off jobs.

I'd start here.

http://www.amazon.com/Man-Can-Plan-Great-Meals/dp/1579546072

http://www.amazon.com/Starving-Students-Cookbook-Dede-Hall/dp/0446679615/ref=pd_sim_b_6

 

Noodles, rice, beans and/or meat combine in various easy recipes, and don't forget to look on the packaging. Often some simple recipes there. Experiment and alter at will.

You can make this stuff in large batches, then freeze it in individual portions. Stuff like that goes a long way, and it fills you up inexpensively.

Red beans and rice, and chicken and noodles, are easy staples with me. And I add a lot more beans/meat to increase the protein content.

 

Not at all, MC. Sorry. I read the post, then came back to it later and didn't remember who posted it.

 

Dixie, I am sorry once again to hear about your troubles. All I can say, having not been through it, is that fucking sucks man. You'll get through it and be better off.

However, don't buy a cookbook. They have this thing called the Internet. I hear they have it for computers now. There are a billion places for recipes. I know you don't have the Internet right now, but take a half hour after work once a week, surf around, printoff or jot down a bunch of recipes.

Here's a great place to start, I have used it for years, including right out of college, 11 years ago, when my specialties included Kraft Dinner, scrambled eggs and cheeseburger Sunday at McDonalds.

http://allrecipes.com/

And Creosote is right, you learn a lot through trial and error in the kitchen and it is a good way to keep your mind clear. I'm at the point where, unless I am trying to use a family recipe, I just through shit in a pot. I have an idea what I want to make, how different things taste together and I go to town with it. But a lot of that's through figuring things out in trial and error. I make one big meal on the weekend to act as lunch the rest of the week.

I recommend getting a big soup pot. You can make a ton of stuff very cheaply in a big soup pot. Chili, soup, stew, etc.

Real simple cheap one. Spanish rice. Put a couple of table spoons of vegetable or olive oil in the bottom of the pan, heat it. chop an onion, throw it in. Brown 1 lb ground beef (or chicken or pork or turkey). Best if it is thawed or defrosted first. salt pepper. Once brown, add a 19 oz can of diced tomatoes. cayenne. cumin. hot sauce. to taste. I throw in a bunch of other stuff, but those are the basic spices. You can alter it to your taste. Always be tasting as you cook to see how you want to adjust. Cup of rice and two cups of water (check the back of the bag for proper ratios, I think it varies depending on type of rice, ie brown, white, long grain, etc. not sure). get it simmering, turn heat low (like 2 on the stove). cover and walk away for 45 minutes. four meals for about $8 and it stays well in tupperware/Gladwear in the fridge for about five or six days. Just a fraction more complicated than KD and 1,000 times more healthy and tasty.

Best of luck, if you need any advice you know where to find us, and we'll be sure to tell you how to live your life

 

From facebook:

Throw it all in the pot, INCLUDING the uncooked Pasta, and cook! - Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. The starch leaches out of the pasta and makes a rich, warm sauce for the noodles. The other ingredients cook right along with the pasta
Ingredients

12 ounces pasta (I used Linguine)
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with liquid ( I used zesty red pepper flavor)
1 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
2 large sprigs basil, chopped
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth (regular broth and NOT low sodium)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions

Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, in a large stock pot. Pour in vegetable broth. Sprinkle on top the pepper flakes and oregano. Drizzle top with oil.

Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Cook until almost all liquid has evaporated – I left about an inch of liquid in the bottom of the pot – but you can reduce as desired .

Season to taste with salt and pepper , stirring pasta several times to distribute the liquid in the bottom of the pot. Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese.

<img src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/988662_661358393879717_533004203_n.jpg">

 

No time to give details right now, but the order has finally been vacated. A huge burden off me.