OAMM member Dan took part in our last virtual cooking day. We invited him to share a little more about how he uses OAMM as a single guy.
How long have you been once a month cooking? How did you discover OAMM?
Since July 2015! One of my sisters has been doing OAMM for a while now and turned me onto it when she was here in July.
What circumstance pushed you to give once a month cooking a try? How has choosing to OAMC benefited you?
I’m a single guy with a pretty hectic work schedule… and I was making extremely poor choices when it came time to eat (in addition to getting very little true exercise). A couple months back, I helped someone push a car that had died in the street for a couple blocks and couldn’t believe how winded I was… and I realized it was time to get by butt in gear.
What is your favorite OAMM recipe?
The Pork Chops with Bacon Fig Sauce (requires member log-in, but here is the original recipe) are absolutely my favorite so far!
Dan taped all of his recipes to prepare for our first OAMM Virtual Cooking Day.
Give us a brief introduction to your kitchen.
I moved to Chicago in May, and I am extremely fortunate to have found a house with a large, open kitchen. Before starting OAMM, I had the basic single guy appliances… a toaster (that also cooks an egg, so I can make breakfast sandwiches in my toaster!), a blender, a coffee maker, a can opener, and waffle maker. When I started getting ready for my first cooking day, I actually had to Google “Food Processor” to figure out what to get, and I sure am glad I did!
Dan’s Awesome Freezer Cooking Wall
What is the number one tip that you would give to a first timer?
Listen to the Pros!! The start-up emails that I received as a new member, in addition to the posts on Facebook and the tips on the website were absolutely crucial to my success on my first cooking day. All of the folks in the OAMM community have so much to share, it’s absolutely amazing!
Tell us about a time when you experienced an OAMC or cooking fail.
I had a couple fun ones on my first time. During my shopping day I stood at the seafood counter and asked for Scallions. It took a few minutes of a blank stare from the gentleman behind the counter before I realized that I was confusing Scallions with Scallops. During prep day I needed to grate some potatoes, but didn’t really know what that meant, so I just put the shredding blade in the food processor. The next day, when I was following the recipe that told me to mix the grated potatoes with egg to make a crust, I realized my mistake. I ended up with some very odd looking mini-quiches.
If anyone is having similar issues with prep sizes, see our quick video explaining the differences. You’re not alone, Dan!
Do you involve other people when you OAMC?
A few of the folks at work were very excited when I was printing and prepping my recipe cards, so we are talking about doing a group cooking day next time! I work for a winery, so we’ll likely grab a few bottles and make a day of it!
How is OAMC hard? How does it make your life easy?
Being able to come home from work and have an amazing dinner ready in a few minutes is an absolute game changer. I’m still astonished at the food I’m eating, and that I actually cooked it and know every ingredient!!
Dan’s Custom Mini Menu Suggestions:
*Note: You will need a Pro Membership log in to view the freezer versions of these recipes.