Single-Serving Spaghetti

My two-year-old son loves spaghetti, but waiting patiently for the water to boil and for the spaghetti to cook is just too much to ask (for some reason, he was cool with it today - though he needed the occasional reassurance from me that the spaghetti was, in fact, cooking). I have a problem gauging exactly how much dry spaghetti translates to how many servings, so I usually go overboard and make too much (like with lunch in this instance). Here's a simple way to save the leftovers (which is good since whenever I put spaghetti in a container, it usually emerges from the fridge later with a fuzzy layer of mold - so easy to forget), while also creating a super-fast way to feed a hungry, demanding toddler.

Once the spaghetti has cooled, you get a standard-size muffin pan and coat it with some cooking spray. (Side note: don't you love my Mickey Mouse colander? Oh the stuff you'll buy at Disneyland...)

Fill each cup with some noodles - no exact amount. Just eyeball it. Stick the pan in the freezer for like a half-hour to hour; not too long, though, or it's a little harder to get the spaghetti out.

Voilà! You've got single-serving spaghetti nests (I think they look like little nests...). Once they're semi-frozen (as in, they'll hold the cup-shape), pop them out of the pan (you may need to use a knife if they're too frozen). Stick them in a freezer bag (or container, whatever you got) and they'll keep for a couple months. Whenever you want to make single serving of spaghetti for a hungry little kid, use as many of the spaghetti nests as you want, put them in a bowl, mix in a teaspoon of water or so, and stick it in the microwave for about a minute. Works like a charm. Gotta love instant gratification...