"No one's talking to me, and when they were, it was 'You need to get married, you need to get married' and 'Go date,'" she said in a phone interview from New York City, where she was a single when she launched www.SingleEdition.com several months ago.

For that reason, she's began asking chefs — including L'Etoile and Cafe Soleil co-owner Tory Miller — to provide recipes and tips, part of the site's advice geared for singles on finances, careers, fashion, relationships, fitness, gadgets and more.

Miller jazzed up a comfort food for his contribution, a grilled cheese sandwich that goes gourmet with caramelized onions, tomatoes and three kinds of cheese.

"I love how simple grilled cheese are and I wanted to give people an idea of how to punch up their grilled cheese," he said. "You can put lot of really delicious things into the grilled cheese and the paninis."

If your kitchen is at least minimally stocked, all you need to add is a few fresh ingredients to make several other meals. Miller considers the following essentials for singles: pastas, canned tomatoes, chicken broth, good cheeses, cured meats such as proscuitto or salami, and olives.

During his own single years, he only stocked beverages in his kitchen, he admitted. "When I was single, I was always a chef so I was always eating in the restaurant."

For singles without that option, he suggests shopping for fresh produce at a farmers' market. "If you buy it, then you have to do something with it," he said, adding other advantages to shopping directly from the producer. "When you shop at the market as a single person, you interact with the farmers and you get to buy basically really great ingredients and smaller amounts, and you get to taste everything before you buy it. And, it can be more of a social interaction compared to shopping alone at a grocery store."

Miller suggests starting small.

"When you plan for at least one meal a week, you inevitably will have ingredients leftover," he said. "It kind of can inspire you and make it more fun, so you're not falling into the rut of 'Oh, I'll just have pasta again or heat up a pizza.'"

Pick five vegetables a week, he advised. "You can eat it raw, cook it or just steam it."

Steamed cauliflower with Parmesan cheese, for example, makes a hearty side dish. Another of his fall favorites starts with cooking butternut or Kuri squash, a sweet orange variety that looks like a teardrop pumpkin. He bakes the squash in the oven with a little water, butter and a sprinkling of sweet spices such as cinnamon, allspice, cloves or garam masala curry. He covers the squash and bakes it at 375 degrees for about an hour.

"They come out and they're really sweet and soft," he said, adding another twist. While the squash is baking, he said, cook wild rice on the stove top, add sauteed mushrooms, fresh sage and maybe dried cranberries and use it as a stuffing in halved squash. The combo, he said, also would be good with chicken.

Brussels sprouts also have been available at the farmers' market, where he prefers to buy them in a pint container, slice them in half, remove the tough outer leaves and cook the Brussels sprouts in a pan in white wine or vegetable stock with shallots that have been chopped and sweated in butter.

Another of Miller's recent finds at the farmers' market works great with cheese, pork and turkey.

"I buy a ton of cranberries and throw them in the freezer," he said, offering directions for one use.

He cooks chopped bacon until crispy, adds sliced onions and cooks them until caramelized. Then he adds a cup or two of fresh cranberries (for one onion and four bacon slices), a handful of brown sugar, a pinch of cinnamon and a splash of apple cider. He cooks it down, chills it and uses it as a topping for crackers on a cheese plate, on a turkey sandwich or served with a pork chop.

"It is really a versatile condiment," he said.

And he is a versatile shopper, whether at a farmers' market or one of the small specialty or neighborhood stores he frequents. It's a tip he offers to singles, too: "When I shop, I try not to have a certain recipe in mind, otherwise you get caught in that. Go with an open mind and buy food you know you want to eat, so it's not just going to sit on your shelf."

The Cafe Soleil Grilled Cheese

1/2 small onion

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 slices whole grain bread

1 slice aged Swiss

1 slice sharp Cheddar

1 slice provolone

1 to 2 slices heirloom tomato

Peel and slice the onion and, using 1 tablespoon of butter, saute with a little salt and pepper until nice and caramelized. It should take about 10 minutes on medium heat.

Pre-heat the griddle to 400°.

Butter each slice of bread on one side and place on the griddle buttered side down. Top each slice with your cheeses. Then add the onions and sliced tomato. Put the sandwich halves together and press down lightly. Turn the sandwich over once or twice to ensure even cooking.

Source: Chef Tory Miller

Skewered Beef Fajitas

For the marinade:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons tequila

1 teaspoon minced jalapeno chili

1/2 teaspoon lime zest

For the fajitas:

4 to 5 ounces skirt steak, cut into cubes

3 large green onions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch strips

¼ red pepper, cut into 1 inch squares

Salt and pepper to taste

2 6-inch wide flour tortillas

Turn barbecue or grill pan on to medium-high heat. Mix marinade ingredients in a glass baking dish. Add beef and green onions, and toss to coat. Let stand 10 minutes. Thread beef, green onions and red peppers onto 2 long skewers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Grill beef and vegetables until meat is cooked to desired doneness and vegetables are slightly charred and almost tender, about 6-8 minutes.

In the meantime, grill tortillas until warm and beginning to brown in spots, about 1 minute per side. Using fork, push beef and vegetables off skewers onto cutting board and chop coarsely. Place tortillas on each plate. Divide filling among tortillas; roll up and serve.

Source: SingleEdition.com

Potato and Cheese Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/3 teaspoon fresh garlic, chopped

1 ½ cups chicken stock

2/3 cup peeled, diced potatoes

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon shredded Cheddar cheese

In a saucepan, saute the onion, celery and garlic in the olive oil over moderately low heat, until the onion is soft but not brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in chicken stock, potatoes, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, and simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in cheese, heating just until melted but do not boil. Adjust seasoning to taste by adding more salt, if desired.

Source: SingleEdition.com

Parsnip Soup

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 scallion diced, white part only

1/4 cup thinly sliced celery

1/2 teaspoon fresh garlic

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

1 cup parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/8- inch slices

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup chicken broth

Cook the onion, garlic, scallion, celery, garlic and thyme in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onion is softened.

Add the parsnips, nutmeg and the broth, bring the liquid to a boil, and simmer the mixture, covered, for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender. Purée the soup in a blender and return to the pan.

Source: SingleEdition.com

Crunchy Tuna & Avocado Snack

4 pieces of Chinese won ton wrappers (deep fried), or tortilla chips

2 ounces ahi tuna, cubed

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 avocado, diced

1 teaspoon onion, diced

1/4 jalapeño, diced

1 teaspoon mango, diced

1/2 teaspoon cilantro, chopped

Mix all ingredients together, and place on chips. You get the crunch, the salt, the sweet and the spice at the end!

Source: Chef Troy Guard of Denver