Here in New England the leaves are turning quickly and the ground is littered with their beautifully colored refuse. The markets are full of fall squash, new crop apples and other culinary delights. But surrounded by piles of excess Halloween candy and a refrigerator full of party leftovers, I am much more interested in cleaning out than preparing new.
So how little effort can I expend and still make a fresh-tasting meal?
The least effort involves my freezer. I have an inviolable rule: I don't put it in unless I know I'll be delighted when I take it out. Beef Bourginon, excess strawberry buttercream or homemade Asian dumplings -- yes. Aging leftovers or dried out chicken -- no (unless I plan to feed the chicken to my dog, and then I mark it as such and throw it in - he will be delighted, I know). I see some delicious cauliflower cheese soup and my husband - who has a permanent pass on cauliflower due to a nasty college incident involving cauliflower and alcohol - is away this week, so there's a good possibility! Another nice go-to: cryovaced marinated meat for grilling. Because it is sealed in a vacuum, this meat can be stored in the freezer for much longer than traditional grocery-wrapped meat without loss of flavor, up to 6 months (3 months for hamburger). Thaw it using your microwave's defrost cycle - which really works - start the grill and with a sauteed veggie or over a salad - voila! Dinner. But if the freezer is bare, what other options are there?
Don't pick up the takeout menu yet, here are a couple of ideas!
Years ago, I signed up for an Italian cooking class, which was to include a meal. At the last minute, I could not attend and sent my husband. While he never got his meal (and came home extremely hungry - as an aside, who does a cooking class without a LOT of food???), he did bring home a recipe for red sauce that is so quick it takes almost no more time than opening a jar. Add in some sauteed sausage and a few veggies from the bottom of your produce bin, and with a bit of pasta, you have a real meal. The world's simplest recipe for red sauce is here.
So how little effort can I expend and still make a fresh-tasting meal?
The least effort involves my freezer. I have an inviolable rule: I don't put it in unless I know I'll be delighted when I take it out. Beef Bourginon, excess strawberry buttercream or homemade Asian dumplings -- yes. Aging leftovers or dried out chicken -- no (unless I plan to feed the chicken to my dog, and then I mark it as such and throw it in - he will be delighted, I know). I see some delicious cauliflower cheese soup and my husband - who has a permanent pass on cauliflower due to a nasty college incident involving cauliflower and alcohol - is away this week, so there's a good possibility! Another nice go-to: cryovaced marinated meat for grilling. Because it is sealed in a vacuum, this meat can be stored in the freezer for much longer than traditional grocery-wrapped meat without loss of flavor, up to 6 months (3 months for hamburger). Thaw it using your microwave's defrost cycle - which really works - start the grill and with a sauteed veggie or over a salad - voila! Dinner. But if the freezer is bare, what other options are there?
Don't pick up the takeout menu yet, here are a couple of ideas!
Years ago, I signed up for an Italian cooking class, which was to include a meal. At the last minute, I could not attend and sent my husband. While he never got his meal (and came home extremely hungry - as an aside, who does a cooking class without a LOT of food???), he did bring home a recipe for red sauce that is so quick it takes almost no more time than opening a jar. Add in some sauteed sausage and a few veggies from the bottom of your produce bin, and with a bit of pasta, you have a real meal. The world's simplest recipe for red sauce is here.
Another nice go-to is homemade mac and cheese with added peas or broccoli. There are many elaborate recipes for mac and cheese, but the simplest uses whatever pasta you have on hand, one onion, some butter, flour and milk and a bag of pre-grated cheese. It cooks in about 15 minutes (the time needed to boil water and cook your pasta) and it's a kid-friendly treat. The recipe is here.
Finally, chicken soup is a very simple and fast meal. Saute a few veggies and use "Better than Bullion" to make 6 cups of chicken broth. Throw in fine pasta and leftover chicken and dinner is served; for heartier appetites, add extra chicken and pasta. The speed with which this soup cooks is limited only by the size of your carrot slices and noodles; the fine egg noodles that I like cook in just 3 minutes. If you prefer (or don't have any chicken or turkey on hand), you can use an egg for your protein instead. The recipe is here.
When I was first married, my husband and I used to love frozen Chicken Kiev - it was our go-to to-tired-to-cook meal. But increasingly, we realized that the chicken was not meat-like, and we were finding things in there that we didn't want to eat. We tried to upgrade by purchasing a better brand, but quite frankly pre-formed chicken is pre-formed chicken, and no manufacturer uses truly quality chicken to create chicken kiev. The recipes above are meals that come together in under 15 minutes but are fresh, tasty and real. Packaged food and takeout menus have a place in our lives, but if you're up for the challenge of just a couple of extra minutes, you won't be disappointed.
I'd love to hear from you - what is your favorite fresh and fast meal?? Do you do something special with those convenient and tasty grocery store roast chickens? Have a coucous or pasta favorite you'd like to share? Please comment below!
When I was first married, my husband and I used to love frozen Chicken Kiev - it was our go-to to-tired-to-cook meal. But increasingly, we realized that the chicken was not meat-like, and we were finding things in there that we didn't want to eat. We tried to upgrade by purchasing a better brand, but quite frankly pre-formed chicken is pre-formed chicken, and no manufacturer uses truly quality chicken to create chicken kiev. The recipes above are meals that come together in under 15 minutes but are fresh, tasty and real. Packaged food and takeout menus have a place in our lives, but if you're up for the challenge of just a couple of extra minutes, you won't be disappointed.
I'd love to hear from you - what is your favorite fresh and fast meal?? Do you do something special with those convenient and tasty grocery store roast chickens? Have a coucous or pasta favorite you'd like to share? Please comment below!
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