Supper for One, by Harold Lindqvist

Sixty plain suppers for a man who never really cooked.

Supper for One lying on a kitchen table beside a phone showing a recipe page. It is a digital PDF, not a printed book.
Digital PDF

155 pages. 60 recipes, 14-point type, one recipe to a page.

Get Supper for One

One person, one plate, mostly one pan. Small amounts, plain words and big type, with what to do with the other half of the onion.

Digital PDF. You get it right after you pay. 30-day guarantee.

Harold at his kitchen table with a cup of coffee.
Hello from Harold

I carried the mail. She did the cooking.

I’m Harold. I spent 33 years on a rural route and 51 years married to Joanne, who ran the kitchen. I did the car, the yard and the snow. I couldn’t have told you what medium heat looks like.

So I started from nothing, in my seventies, with a notebook. Most cookbooks feed six and assume you know what “simmer” means. I wrote down what I wish somebody had told me: how much to buy for one, what the pan should look like, and what to do with the rest of the can.

I’m no chef. I’m a beginner a year ahead of you, and this is how I do it.

How it works

Pay once. The book opens. It stays in your email.

  1. You pay

    One time, through Gumroad, the shop that handles the sale. There is nothing to cancel later.

  2. The book opens

    Right after you pay, you get a button to your files. Tap it and the book opens on the phone, tablet or computer in your hand.

  3. It stays in your email

    Gumroad also sends you an email with the same link. Keep that email and you can get the book back any time, on any device.

Not good with computers?

You don’t have to be. If you can open an email, you can open this book. There is nothing to install and no program to learn. Phones, tablets and computers all open a PDF on their own.

If you get stuck, hand your phone and the Gumroad email to anybody you trust with a phone. It’s one tap for them.

Honest math

What a supper costs

Every recipe page gives a rough cost for what the recipe uses. A few from the book:

From the bookAbout

  • One Hamburger Patty with Fried Onions$2.501 plate, one skillet
  • Hamburger Hash$21 plate, one skillet
  • Chicken and Rice in One Skillet$21 plate, one skillet
  • Chili, Four Plates$9.504 plates, one saucepan
  • Meatloaf in a Small Pan$42 plates, one loaf pan
  • Baked Apple$11 plate, one loaf pan
One plate on a kitchen table: a pork chop, potatoes and green beans, one fork, one glass of water.

These are our rough estimates at fall 2026 grocery prices. Yours will differ with the store and the town.

The bigger job when you cook for one is not wasting the rest of the package. Every page has a line called The Second Plate that says what to do with it.

Look inside

Real pages from the book.

Tap a page to see it bigger.

A recipe page from Supper for One: Hamburger Hash.
One recipe, one pageWhat you need, how to do it, the safe temperature.
A page from The Second Plate section.
The Second PlateCook once and eat twice.
A page with the safe temperature chart.
The ThermometerThe USDA numbers, in one table.
A page from The First Year Alone: The Bills.
The First Year AloneFrom Book Two, on the bills.
A chapter opening page: Nights You Don’t Feel Like It.
A chapter openingEach chapter starts with a list, then a short note from Harold.
What is inside

155 pages, and where to find things.

Before You Turn the Stove On

  • What You Needp. 13
  • The Stove and the Ovenp. 17
  • Five Knife Jobsp. 19
  • The Thermometerp. 23
  • Keeping Supper Safep. 25
  • Shopping for Onep. 28
  • How the Pound Gets Usedp. 31
  • The Second Platep. 37
  • Ten Small Lessonsp. 41

When It Goes Wrong, and the back of the book

  • When It Goes Wrongp. 124
  • Measuresp. 132
  • Words Nobody Explainedp. 134
  • One Week of Suppersp. 143
  • Indexp. 151

Book Two: The First Year Alone

  • The Papersp. 12
  • The Billsp. 21
  • The Calendarp. 24
  • Pill-Box Sundaysp. 26
  • The Pink Whitesp. 28
  • Who Would Knowp. 42
  • Being Sick Alonep. 45
  • The Holidaysp. 58

The 60 recipes, by chapter

The First Eightp. 48
Eggs, a patty, one chop: where to start.
One Skilletp. 58
Ten suppers, one pan to wash.
One Pan in the Ovenp. 70
Turn it on and walk away, with a timer going.
A Small Potp. 79
Soups and stews that make two to four plates.
One Chicken, One Roast, Many Platesp. 91
How one store chicken or a small roast feeds a week.
Nights You Don’t Feel Like Itp. 99
A can opener, a toaster, not much else.
Breakfast, Any Hourp. 108
Pancakes for one, and a week of boiled eggs.
Something Green, Something Sweetp. 116
Something green, and a small something sweet.
See all 60 recipes

The First Eight

  • Two Scrambled Eggs and Toast 50
  • Grilled Cheese and a Can of Tomato Soup 51
  • One Hamburger Patty with Fried Onions 52
  • A Baked Potato with What’s in the Fridge 53
  • One Chicken Thigh and a Potato on a Sheet Pan 54
  • One Pork Chop and Applesauce 55
  • Spaghetti for One with Hamburger 56
  • Ham Steak, Peas and Bread and Butter 57

One Skillet

  • Hamburger Hash 60
  • Smothered Pork Chop 61
  • Chicken and Rice in One Skillet 62
  • Kielbasa, Potatoes and Cabbage 63
  • Hamburger Gravy on Toast 64
  • Skillet Macaroni and Beef 65
  • Sausage, Peppers and Onions 66
  • Pan-Fried Fish and Boiled Potatoes 67
  • Liver and Onions 68
  • Fried Rice from Last Night’s Rice 69

One Pan in the Oven

  • Meatloaf in a Small Pan 72
  • Two Chicken Legs and Carrots 73
  • Baked Salmon and Green Beans 74
  • Pork Tenderloin, Three Suppers 75
  • Chicken Breast Under Stuffing 76
  • Sausage and Vegetables on a Sheet Pan 77
  • Tater Tot Hotdish for One 78
  • A Small Pot Roast 79
  • Scalloped Potatoes and Ham 80

A Small Pot

  • Chicken Noodle Soup 83
  • Beef and Barley Soup 84
  • Chili, Four Plates 85
  • Potato Soup 86
  • Ham and Bean Soup 87
  • Vegetable Beef Soup 88
  • Beef Stew in a Small Pot 89
  • Yellow Pea Soup with Ham 90

One Chicken, One Roast, Many Plates

  • Pulling a Store Chicken Apart 93
  • Hot Chicken Sandwich with Gravy 94
  • Chicken Salad, Made at Home 95
  • Chicken and Noodles 96
  • Chicken Pot Pie Under a Biscuit 97
  • Hot Beef Sandwich from the Pot Roast 98

Nights You Don’t Feel Like It

  • Baked Beans and a Hot Dog 101
  • Hot Tuna Melt 102
  • Box Macaroni, Improved 103
  • Corned Beef Hash and a Firm Egg 104
  • Soup and a Hot Ham and Cheese 105
  • Frozen Meatballs and Gravy on a Potato 106
  • A Plate of Cheese, Apple, Crackers and a Boiled Egg 107

Breakfast, Any Hour

  • Pancakes for One 110
  • French Toast 111
  • Egg and Potato Scramble 112
  • Oatmeal with Apple 113
  • Bacon and Boiled Eggs for the Week 114
  • Toast, Peanut Butter and Banana 115

Something Green, Something Sweet

  • Frozen Green Beans with Butter and Onion 118
  • Buttered Cabbage 119
  • Glazed Carrots 120
  • Baked Apple 121
  • Rice Pudding from Leftover Rice 122
  • Small Apple Crisp 123
Free sample

Try one tonight

A whole page from the book, and five suppers free.

Recipe page: One Chicken Thigh and a Potato on a Sheet Pan.
Read this page in big type

One Chicken Thigh and a Potato on a Sheet Pan

This was the first thing I made that looked like somebody’s supper. I stood there and admired it a while.

What you need

  • 1 bone-in chicken thigh with skin
  • 1 medium potato, cut the long way into 6 wedges
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • salt and pepper

How to do it

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Rub the potato wedges with the oil on the sheet pan and spread them out, cut side down.
  2. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Do not rinse it. Wash your hands.
  3. Set the thigh on the pan, skin up, with room around it. Sprinkle everything with salt and pepper.
  4. Bake 40 minutes, until the skin is brown and crackly and a fork slides into the potato.
  5. Check the thickest part of the thigh, away from the bone: 165°F. If it is short, bake 5 minutes more.

The second plate

A pack holds 4 or 5 thighs. Freeze the others in one layer, then stack them when solid. Thaw one at a time.

5 Suppers for One

Cover of the free PDF, 5 Suppers for One.

Five recipe pages from the book, free to print and keep. Digital PDF. No email needed. It’s yours either way.

Download the 5 Suppers
The offer

Pay once. It’s all digital.

Cover of Supper for One by Harold Lindqvist, a digital PDF.

Supper for One

Digital PDF
  • Supper for One155 pages, 60 recipes, 14-point type, one recipe to a page
  • Large-print copyThe same book in 18-point type
  • The Freezer for OneWhat to freeze, how to wrap it, how long it keeps
  • Free updatesIf a page gets corrected, you get the new file
$19One payment. Everything is digital. Nothing ships.
Cover of The First Year Alone by Harold Lindqvist, a digital PDF.

Both books, $29

Add The First Year Alone, 75 pages of plain lessons on the bills, the calendar, the laundry and the long evenings. You choose it at checkout.

Digital PDF
Get Supper for One

Digital PDF. You get it right after you pay.

Cover of The Weekly Menu Binder, a digital PDF.
Add-on, if you want it

The Weekly Menu Binder, $9

Eight weeks of suppers from the book, each with a shopping list for one, plus blank pages to print and fill in. You choose it at checkout: $28 with Supper for One, $38 with both books.

Digital PDF

30-day guarantee

If it isn’t what you wanted, ask through your Gumroad receipt within 30 days and you get your money back. No questions.

A note from Harold

I still ruin a supper now and then. I write down what I did, and I try it again.

If you’ve been eating cereal over the sink, start with Recipe 1. It’s two eggs and a slice of toast.

One plate, one pan, one less thing to wash.

Harold Lindqvist
Harold’s Kitchen Table

Questions

Before you buy

Is this a printed book?

No. It’s a digital PDF. Nothing comes in the mail. You read it on your phone, tablet or computer, and you can print any page on a home printer.

Will it open on my phone?

Yes. Phones, tablets and computers open a PDF on their own. On a phone, spread two fingers on the page to make it bigger.

I can’t find my download.

Look in your email for a message from Gumroad. Search for the word Gumroad, and check the junk or spam folder too. If you have more than one email address, check the one you typed when you paid.

The link in that email takes you back to your files, as many times as you need. If the email is gone, Gumroad holds the files, so ask at the help page on gumroad.com and give them the address you bought with.

Is the type big enough?

Supper for One is set in 14-point type, on a full-size page. The large-print copy that comes with it is 18-point, with the same recipes. Tap any page above and see for yourself.

I’ve never cooked. Is this too much for me?

It’s written for a man who doesn’t know what “simmer” means yet. It tells you what the pan should look like and sound like, and what to do when it goes wrong. It starts with eggs and toast.

Can I buy it for my father?

Yes. Use your own email at checkout, then print the pages for him or forward him the Gumroad email. Everything prints on a home printer.

My doctor has me on a diet.

Then your doctor comes first. This is plain home cooking, not a diet book, and it makes no health claims.

Is The First Year Alone counseling?

No. It’s one man’s practical notes: the papers, the bills, the calendar, the laundry, Sunday afternoons. It isn’t medical or mental-health advice and it doesn’t promise to fix anything.

Is there a subscription?

No. You pay once. Nothing renews and there’s nothing to cancel.

What if it isn’t for me?

If it isn’t what you wanted, ask through your Gumroad receipt within 30 days and you get your money back. No questions.

Questions and refunds are handled through your Gumroad receipt.

Start with two eggs and a slice of toast.

Get Supper for One

Digital PDF. Nothing ships. 30-day guarantee.

Get Supper for One