Enter the Rice Cooker!  I’ve had two or three cookers now over the years and this little number – the Black & Decker RC3406 – is hands down the best deal for the money.  I’ve owned it for two years now and probably average at least one batch of rice a week . . . all without problems.  It’s a small cooker intended for one to two people which makes it just the right size for the single divorced “dude”.  The construction is good for the price and you just can’t beat the convenience.  Just throw in your ingredients, push the switch and walk away!  When the rice is done the cooker automatically switches over to the warming function.  The only suggestion I would make is if you are cooking whole grain brown rice you might want to double the water amount as it tends to slightly scorch it otherwise.  As with any appliance you have to learn the idiosyncrasies of your individual unit and adjust accordingly.

I bought mine at Wal-Mart a couple years ago for about $20, I’ve seen them at yard sales and such for as little as $5 – but unsure of working condition.  If you do buy one used make sure the cord is in decent shape and that the teflon coating of the pot isn’t scratched badly.  Amazon sells them new starting at 17.97 and have used ones starting at 15.00 (you can link to them from our site using the search bar on the right).  I imagine Target or other retailers may have them as well.  Now for those recipes!

These are simple side dishes that can be cooked entirely in your rice cooker.  There are many such variations available and even entire recipe books available for rice cooker meals!

Southwestern Beans N Rice:

2 cups whole grain brown rice or Jasmine rice

5 cups water

2 cups Southwestern Blend frozen veggies

teaspoon of butter

(if you like spicy food add some hot peppers to taste)

Put all ingredients in rice cooker, push down button to “cook”

Walk away until unit goes to “warm” setting.

Eat! (you should get two to three meals from this)

(This can be a full meal with the simple addition of a cup or two of chopped ham.  I imagine cooked sausage would be good as well although I’ve never tried it)

Asparagus and Mixed Veggies with Rice:

2 cups whole grain brown rice or jasmine rice

5 cups water

2 cups frozen veggies with asparagus

Put all ingredients in rice cooker, push down button to “cook”

Walk away until unit goes to “warm” setting.

Eat! (you should get two meals from this)

This is great side dish with baked chicken!

So there you are men – a basic review on a rice cooker that I feel is a good bargain for the money and a couple fairly healthy recipes that you can use in your cooker once you buy it.

Hope you enjoy and as always . . . Be Well!

Bill

When I first set up house on my own after my first divorce I was surprised at all the “stuff” I needed and how much it stood to cost me.  Fortunately there are some great ways to save a pile of cash on the basic items you’ll need.

 Kitchen Stuff : believe it or not this will turn out to be important.  Many men going through a divorce under-estimate how much cooking they’ll be doing.  A full set of pots and pans can run into some money but there are some shortcuts you can take here that’ll save quite a lot of cash.  First thing to do is decide how MUCH of this stuff you’re going to need.  A couple plates, a bowl a couple glasses and/or coffee cups along with a single setting of silverware is really all you’ll HAVE to have as far as dinnerware. The voice of experience here is telling you that the more you have the greater the tendency to let the dishes pile up.  Of course if you have your children then you’ll need items for them but I’m mainly focusing on a single, divorced, man here and as a general rule fewer really is better.  When it comes to pots and pans I’d go with a good medium sized cast iron frying pan, a medium sized saucepan, a good sized pot for soups or stews and a few implements such as a turner, stirring spoon, can opener, cheese slicer and a set of knives.

You’ll also need some basic appliances to get you through (and yes that includes the Divorced Man’s Best Friend . . . the Crockpot!)  Best place to start here is your local Salvation Army or Goodwill store.  In most locations they are pretty careful to offer items that are in serviceable condition.  This is often a good place to pick up that crockpot as well as a toaster, coffee maker  and other appliance for very little money.  About the only appliance I would consider buying new is a microwave; for some reason I’ve never had much luck buying these used. Otherwise just be careful to look the item over for any damage and ask if you can plug it in to make sure it works.  You can also sometimes find dinnerware or pots/pans in good condition for a very good price and remember that the money you spend there goes to a worthwhile cause. 

If you can’t find what you want at a thrift store then check out yard sales or flea markets.  I always keep my eye open for cast iron cookware whenever I go to a yardsale.  Many people don’t know how to use or care for cast iron and you’ll find a frying pan with a bit of rust on it for a dollar or two.  Take it home, scrub it down with some steel wool, season it and you have a very high quality and durable piece of cookware that will last for years.  Over half my pots and pans at the house are cast iron. Yardsales can also be a good source of plates, bowls, cups and silverware.  Remember that you don’t really need a full place setting for eight! 

Furniture: yeah this can get expensive real quick if you let it . . . but you can furnish a place fairly cheaply if you keep your eyes open.  This first thing I would do is look over the classifieds in your local paper; there are often some good bargains to be had if you take your time and wait for them to come along.  Sure you may end up sitting in a lawn-chair for a few days but the money you can save with a bit of patience makes it worth your time.  Also look at clearance sales at furniture stores or check with local upholstery shops for pieces that haven’t been picked up.  Also look at sales or clearances at the larger chain stores; I bought a very good dining room table set at a local discount store that was actually deck furniture!  It was on clearance for winter and was a very attractive, all wooden table and four oversize chairs, all very well built and sturdy.  I picked up the whole lot for $150 and got years of great service from it.  Basically if you don’t mind some mix and match décor (kind of that “Early Man” look!!) then you should be able to furnish the place fairly cheaply

 I’ve been keeping house on my own on and off for twenty years and while it may not exactly look like a page out of  Better Homes and Gardens all my furniture is in good basic condition, comfortable and suits my needs perfectly.  Same goes for my kitchen wares.  Just some food for thought for those of you considering a divorce or possibly just newly separated.

Hope you found it helpful.

Bill