Written and directed by Stacey Palevsky

Starring: 20-somethings in the Cedar Valley

CHARACTERS:

Laura Poppen, 26, graduate student at UNI, lives with roommates but always cooks alone.

Isaac Podolefsky, 24, information technology specialist, lived alone for three years when in college.

Chawne Paige, 26, graphic designer at the Waterloo Center for the Arts, lived alone for 6 years. A vegetarian.

Sarah Stille, 25, temporary full time fitness instructor at UNI, lived alone four months. On Weight Watchers.

SET: A kitchen, with a small table and one chair.

PROPS: Refrigerator, kitchen utensils, Tupperware, salt and pepper, plates, pots and pans. A Hy-Vee receipt.

(Enter from stage right a tired 20-something, rubbing his (or her) belly to signify a deep hunger.)

"I'm famished. But I don't feel like cutting vegetables. And I don't know what to do with my inevitable leftovers. And I certainly don't feel like cooking if I'm the only one who's going to enjoy it. Maybe I'll just eat some Pringles for dinner."

(Enter from stage left four studious-looking 20-somethings, armed with a blender, wooden spoons, salt and pepper shakers and cookbooks. They each wear T-shirts printed with: "The Kitchenette Quartet.")

(In unison) Fear not, oh Hungry One. Put down those potato chips. We'll show you the ropes of living alone and eating well. Our four-part seminar will help you be smarter about your eating habits.

(Intrigued, Hungry One saunters to stage left and sits in the only chair. A spotlight illuminates his (or her) face as heaven-like organ music crescendos, signifying the holiness of the moment.)

Sarah: "It's difficult, but once you get that process, and routine, it comes pretty naturally. I would encourage people to spend extra time cooking for themselves, just to promote a more healthy quality of life. And I'm not going to sugarcoat anything and say it's easy. It's not."

Laura: "Of course, it's more fun to cook for other people."

Chawne: "If I know friends are coming over, I'll put forth more effort on presentation. Sometimes I just do it anyway though, it doesn't matter. I just like cooking so much that I don't care if there's no one there.

Isaac: "Eating is sort of a trick, something you really have to find out for yourself. Everyone has different financial situations or dietary needs."

Sarah: "It's not quite like a science, but it's the art of living single. You definitely have to train yourself to cook for single-person sizes.

The Kitchenette Quartet (In unison): And now for our presentation.

Part I

Essential foods and spices:

Laura - Fresh garlic and powder, fresh spinach, cheese, olive oil, tomatoes.

Sarah - Fresh garlic, lemon pepper, salt and pepper, milk and juice. Also canned food and frozen vegetables. "If I don't get it canned, I waste half of it before I can even it eat it. But I always have baby carrots, those are easy when you're on the go."

Isaac - Frozen mixed vegetables, barbecue sauce, garlic and onion powder. "They can be used with so many different meals. I would buy unique spices and then only use them once."

Chawne - Potatoes, onions, green peppers, spinach, long grained rice, a variety of pasta noodles. Fresh garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, Mrs. Dash, crushed red pepper, cumin. "In HyVee where the Tones spices are, I have purchased just about every single spice in there."

Part II

Essential utensils and appliances:

Laura - A spatula. "Very creative, I know, but it's important."

Sarah - A can opener, a blender to make fruit smoothies, mixing bowls, a cork screw, Tupperware for leftovers.

Isaac - Microwave, coffee maker, electric skillet. "The thing is great. I love it. You can make pancakes, French toast, grilled cheese, and the clean up is quick and easy."

Chawne - A good set of knives, a rubber spatula, a small and large sauce pan, Teflon-based, non-stick skillets, slotted spoons.

Part III

Staple meal menus:

Laura - "I eat a lot of spinach salads, but I don't think I have a staple." But she does have a staple plan for her Thursday nights, when she meets with three friends. The responsibility of making dinner for the group rotates each week.

Sarah - Fajitas. Stir-fry. A frozen chicken breast with a side of steamed vegetables.

Isaac - Order pizza, eat for three days. Also, one pot meals: macaroni and cheese mixed with tuna will produce a macaroni casserole, chicken parmesan with just chicken, spaghetti sauce and cheese. Bakes in the oven for an hour and only requires one pan to clean. "When you live by yourself, every pan you make dirty you have to wash. So I tried to stay away from the extravagant."

Chawne - Pasta with homemade sauce. Frozen cheese pizzas modified with fresh veggies on top. Omelets with onions, tomatoes, peppers. Hashbrowns.

Part IV

Essential preparation or storage tips:

Laura - Cook the entire recipe and invite people over to enjoy it. If you have leftovers, spice it up with some extra ingredients to modify the original dish.

Sarah - Slice veggies in advance and store in plastic bags. "When I come home from the store, I chop up all my vegetables and any fruit I can. That way it's ready to go, I can just grab it and go, instead of reaching for Doritos or candy bars." When cooking, cut recipes in half. And afterward, if you have leftovers, refrigerate or freeze in GladWare. Enjoy for lunch the next day.

Isaac - Buy items you can freeze and then portion out as needed, like frozen mixed vegetables or chicken. Check Martin Brothers in the Cedar Falls Industrial Park, a restaurant distributor, that has a a grocery store. You can purchase frozen omelets, sandwiches and vegetables in bulk. Also, to make fresh food last longer, make sure your refrigerator is at the optimum temperature to store food. "Get a thermometer and put it in a glass of water to check the temperature." It should read 40 degrees or less.

Chawne - Prepare in advance. "What cuts my cooking time in half, is to already have the prep done. The night before, I'll peel and slice potatoes and store them in water in the fridge."

(Thunderous applause. The Kitchenette Quartet bows. Hungry One beams at the audience, happy to achieve a heightened knowledge of cooking for one. They all exit stage left.)

Go behind the scenes and read what "Table for One" stars recommend:

Laura - Laura mainly uses St. John's Lutheran Cookbook from Reinbeck, but also uses a Gluten-free cookbook by Bette Hageman.

Sarah - Sarah recommends www.weightwatchers.com - Terrific recipes and suggestions for healthy eating. Sarah has lost 109 pounds in 10 months by cooking healthy meals and watching what she eats when eating out.

Isaac - For a variety of recipes, check the magazine Cooks Illustrated at the bookstore, or check its Web site, www.cooksillustrated.com

Chawne - For creative ideas for vegetarian cuisine, Chawne references: www.vegkitchen.com, www.ivu.org/recipes/regions.html and www.petaeats.com.