Cooking Tips For the Single Guy - Spaghetti

November 30, 2017

Single men are not always known for their cooking prowess. There comes a time when a single man has to entertain a lady, and maybe the fare offered at the local oriental place will not quite impress her the way he hopes. Here are a couple of meals he can easily make to help "cheat" his way through a dinner. We'll even try to make it so you don't have to measure anything.

Spaghetti is a favorite of everyone's-and like chili-everyone has their special twist on it. But those twists usually involve spending all day doing a lot of stirring-but ours? Not so much.

Here is what you will need:

1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce
1 Package Smoked Sausage or Precooked Italian Sausage
1 Package Frozen Garlic Bread
1 Package Spaghetti Noodles
1 Container of Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 Package of Taco Seasoning Mix

Open the jar of spaghetti sauce and pour it into the pan. Now open a package of taco seasoning and add about a quarter of it to the sauce. Put the sauce on low heat.

Preheat your oven to the recommended temperature on the garlic bread package. Hopefully you picked up a frozen garlic bread package. You can find them-oddly enough-in the frozen section of your grocer's pantry.

Now we're ready for the next bit: the meat. Smoked sausage works really well, but Italian sausage (precooked, of course) works even better. Slice the sausage up into bite-sized portions. You want the sausage to be visible to she can appreciate all your hard work. Add to your sauce and increase the heat to a medium setting. Things are going to go fast now boy-so be on your toes.

Start your water boiling for the spaghetti noodles. It's recommended that you buy fresh spaghetti, but the dried noodles will work as well. While you're waiting on your water to boil, let's talk about garlic bread. TIP: Add a couple of pinches of salt to your water, this will actually make it boil faster.

There are many brands and styles to choose from and most are quite good. For your special dinner, any of them will do. Follow the directions on the package. You should have been preheating in the directions above. Here are some hints to help you spruce it up a bit: sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on the garlic side of the bread. Sometimes a sliced tomato is nice as well. Set to the side.

When was the last time you stirred your sauce?

By now your water should be boiling for the noodles. The best way to tell when your pasta is done is to fish a single piece out and pull it apart. Does it snap or break then snap back? If you look at the noodle where you broke it, can you see a slight color discoloration? Well cooked pasta should be uniform all the way through, slightly elastic, firm and not puffy.

Now that the noodles are cooking, put your bread in the oven and stir your sauce.

Once the noodles are done pour them into a strainer and rinse them with hot water. This will keep your spaghetti from sticking-and if you overdid the salt trick-get the access salt off.

Check your garlic bread. Is it done?

Load the plates with the spaghetti noodles on the bottom and covered in your "homemade" sauce with your bread on the side. A smallish sprig of parsley or something green always looks nice.

The next step is the hardest: Try to look modest at how impressed she will be with your dinner.