As I was thinking through the ideas around Table for One, Drinks for Two I realized something pretty cool about cooking for one.
Shopping for one.
I love junk shopping and I love finding a good deal. As I was walking through stores, I realized that if I'm not looking for perfect sets of dishes or accessories...I can buy the odd piece on clearance or just one piece at a time.
HomeGoods
I found the cute square single serving baking dish pictured in the ratatouille recipe at HomeGoods for $7. They have tons of different sized baking dishes. I was hopeful that if they had some then so would Wal-mart so I went to see their selection. Unfortunately I didn't find anything other than a smaller sized cast iron skillet for $14.
Cost Plus World Market
This is where I found some great stuff! The single serving dishes I have pictured in the Strata and Chicken Divan recipes were only $5...and then they were 30% off. I also found....
Super cute napkins that you can buy individually for $2/each.
A great selection of dishes and silverware on sale.
Bottom line? Have fun with this.
When I really started thinking about the fun I could have with this, I got really excited. I realized that I could dedicate a small section of my cabinet storage or pantry to a stack of single plates and cocktail glasses that are just for me. I could find stuff at Goodwill or yard sales or random places.
My rule when shopping is if it makes me smile (and it's within budget) then it's worth getting.
This is how I ended up with two paintings of llamas.