My own Private Casserole

Cooking for one is an art form that is under appreciated. It seems as though society skipped from stay-at-home moms cooking for the family unit right to the gigantic take out and frozen dinners industry. But why not take the time to make yourself a nice meal? You can buy pretty much anything in small portions, it doesn't have to be fancy, and you can't eat from Trader Joe's every night (well, you can, but...all that salt is not good for you, dammit!)

When I lived in my 450sq.ft. apartment in the beginning of the Homespun Urban days, I cooked most nights. I'll admit that I didn't have TV, so some of my motivation was that it was sort of my entertainment, but it's always possible to do, even in a galley kitchen. It got to the point that friends that lived in the neighborhood always happened to "stop by" just around dinner time, so I ended up cooking for two instead of one.

I was reminded of this having the house to myself recently due to a "Man Weekend". The man in question is allergic to shellfish, so when ever the cat's away, the shrimp do play, so to speak.
I bought some little fresh Maine shrimp, and baked them for 10 min. at 450 in a casserole mixed with butter, scallions, garlic, a chopped up mushroom, and breadcrumbs. Sprinkle with a little white wine, and you're done. Glass of white wine, a salad, TV all to yourself......