Conference turris::cooks

    Since my wife and I have spent the last 5 years working shifts other
    than daytime, we have some experience with putting meals together
    quickly. A microwave goes a long way to making this easy but I suppose
    you could get by without one.
    
    We keep bags of cut up chicken and beef, in stir frying sizes, in the
    freezer. A quickie microwave assisted defrost, along with some freshly
    cut veggies (we always have carrots, celery and onions) and cooked in
    the wok makes a quick meal. We also usually make about 6 cups cooked 
    rice and reheat in the micro as needed.
    
    Some of the above could also be added to a few cans (fresh if you feel
    like taking the trouble) of chicken broth and simmered 15-30 min for a
    quick soup.
    
    Another staple we always have is tomato sauce and lots of frozen
    meatballs. Spaghetti and meatballs is another quickie meal. If you're
    good at making pizza, pick up some fresh pizza dough from your local
    market or make a large batch and freeze individual portions. The
    quickie defrost works well for dough also and a homemade pizza is
    never more than 30 min away. While it's cooking, make a small salad
    or perhaps some frozen italian cut green beans cooked with some chopped
    garlic and tomato sauce.
    
    The key for us is taking one day of the week, usually Sunday, and
    cooking or preparing some of these so they are available on demand.
    After all, we don't live in the Donna Reed days anymore! 8^)
    
    Keith
    

How 'bout some pasta with pesto sauce?

--Sharon

    We often have broiled fish and fresh pasta with pesto sauce when we are
    in a hurry, such as on grocery-shopping night - I eat lunch early so by
    8:30 or 9 when we get the grocery load home and put away, I'm in no
    mood to cook something complex.  Commercially-made pesto is real
    expensive, however - my basil crop got frozen out during that cold
    spell in May so I'm not going to get much pesto from my own garden.
    
    /Charlotte

    soup and crackers and cheese
    
    bread and cheese and a veggie or salad
    
    macaroni and cheese plus maybe fruit
    
    stirfried veggies, sometimes with a little beef or chicken, and
    noodles to serve it over - the raman ones cook very quickly
    
    speaking of raman noodles (those noodles you can buy 5-8 packs
    for a dollar, aka oodles-of-noodles), they make good soup with the
    addition of some of those frozen veggie mixes you can get in bags
    
    (PS, to the author of -.1, CADSYS::HECTOR::RICHARDSON, I have some
    basil seedlings I haven't put out yet... I know I have red and maybe
    some green too.... if you can get to Merrimack NH and if you want
    some, let me know)
    
    --Louise
    

    Check note 3113. Some of those quick hamburger recipes might be just
    the thing.

    I buy the large loaves of bread (italian, batard, french, whatever)
    from Purity, an 8 oz package of any lowfat shredded mozzerella cheese, and
    some jarred sauce.  Slice the loaf in half, spread with sauce, add
    cheese and whatever else you might like for pizza topping, and put it
    on a cookie sheet in a 350 oven for 15 mins or until cheese melts...
    
    Or, we throw a few chicken or turkey breasts on the grill, make
    a quick salad and slice up some of the above loaf...(;
    
    L-

	When we want something fast and good, I cook up some pasta:

	Heat water for pasta.

	While the water is heating, put enough olive oil to cover the
	bottom of a heavy pan (I use my 12 inch cast iron skillet) and
	heat on medium to medium high.

	Add several cloves of minced garlic, and as much as you like
	of fresh or dried basil, oregano, italian parsley.  Sometimes
	I add crushed red pepper.  Oh, also add some salt and pepper to 
	taste.

	After you drop the pasta, you can put your "add-ins" into the
	"aglio ed olio" sauce.  I've added sliced mushrooms, sliced black 
	olives, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.  Also add white wine, but
	be sure to reduce the sauce so it's thick enough to coat the pasta.

	Also good to add to the pasta for the last couple of minutes of
	cooking is broccoli flowerets and/or asparagus cut into bite-size
	pieces.

	When the pasta is cooked, drain and put it back in the cooking
	pot.  Pour the sauce on top and stir to coat the pasta with the 
	sauce.  Add as much grated romano cheese as you like and mix again.

	I'm not kidding when I say this is a 10 minute meal (well...maybe
	it's about 15 minutes but not much longer!).  With bread and a
	salad, it's a great meal!  And use cheese tortellinis to make it
	more filling if it's too light.

	Cara

    gee, thanks for the replies.  i always forget that pasta doesn't have
    to be just sketti in red sauce.  
    
    unfortunately, my husband is a very picky eater and one of the top
    things that i love the most he hates.... onions.  i can't even buy them
    because he can't stand the smell.  can you imagine?  you have no idea
    what it was like vidalia season to go onionless.  :) 
    
    its hard to keep sauce on hand because of that, jarred anyways.  also
    have a problem with salad dressing.  there is so many canned things
    with onions in them.  you just never know it until you have to start
    reading labels.
    
    i just found a book of mine in the "not so used shelf of cookbooks"
    that is called "20 minutes to dinner" and wow, they have some great
    ideas.  i'll post some of them next week.  
    
    keep m' coming!
    
    cj
    
                   

8:00  Get home, take coat off, look through mail.

8:05  Put water on to boil.  Get out cheese, beans, veggies, a pan and spices.

8:10  Add rice to water.  Put beans in pan on simmer.

8:15  Chop tomatoes, green pepper, (onion) etc.  Add to beans.

8:20  Grate cheese, add spices (cumin, coriander, garlic, pepper, cayenne,
      allspice, oregano, whatever) to beans.

8:25  Set table.  Pet the cat.

8:30  Serve rice, top with beans and grated cheese.  Serve.


- or -

The "fast forward version" if I'm starved.

8:00 Arrive home, drop mail by the front door, run to kitchen.
     Remove leftover cooked rice from frig.

8:03 Open can of beans, dump rice and beans on plate.  Grate cheese
     directly on to beans.  Sprinkle on Mrs. Dash

8:06 Put plate in microwave.

8:08 Serve.  Pet cat.

Mmmmmm!

D!