When there’s no time to cook 🥘
Last night I served dinner at 11 p.m. (I know.) Work went long. I had a workout class, and a shower, and then a trip to the grocery store and the library before it closed. Did I notice this saucy summer veg pasta bake had to cook for a full hour? I did not.
I cook a lot because it soothes me to work with my hands, and to make something good to eat out of a pile of ingredients on a weeknight. But sometimes there just isn’t time. My takeout go-tos are Ahan, Jacknife and Banzo, but I prefer a freezer stocked with Pasture & Plenty take-and-bakes, Wisconsin Soups (12 ounces = perfect) and RP’s Pasta, namely the tri-color four-cheese raviolini.
When there’s truly no time, my typical “girl dinner” starts with a carb, lately sesame rice crackers. Sweet-salty combos are great, so blue cheese and honey, aged cheddar with stone fruit, gouda and apple. Avocado and cucumber show up a lot, for creamy and crunchy. Prosciutto and pistachios add protein.
If I can cook a little, “what’s in the fridge?” nachos or fried rice start with pantry staples, like onion and tortilla chips. I’ve made so many salads for so many years that I believe I have perfected the formula. (I even did a spreadsheet once.) My personal favorite low-impact mildly bougie dinner for one is a crusty baguette, very soft cheese, fresh greens in vinaigrette, a glass of wine and a piece of dark chocolate…