What to Cook When You're Exhausted
By Ruth Haag
www.manageliving.com
You've had a long, hard day at work only to get home to discover it is your turn to cook dinner. You really want something nice, but have only about 15 minutes of energy left.
Here is what my husband, Bob would do:
Bob's quick dinner solution # 1
Look in your refrigerator and freezer. Find some of these things (it's ok to not find all of them):
Onion
Garlic
Sausage
Chicken
Green beans
Broccoli
Zucchini
Cauliflower
Peas
Green pepper
Paprika and Cumin or
Sage, Basil and Oregano
Tomatoes
Cut up what you have, and keep in piles on the counter.
Get out the frying pan, add a pat of butter and a dollop of olive oil.
Put the ingredients into the pan and cook them in the order listed.
Turn off the heat and add the tomatoes last, so that they just get warm, but don't get overcooked.
Scrounge around for some bread and serve.
Bob's quick dinner solution #2
Start some rice cooking
Find a steak in the freezer
Start the charcoal grill outside (in any weather)
Make a tossed salad
Grill the steak
Serve
Set a nice table
No matter how tired you are, take a brief moment to set a nice table. Your busy work world will melt away when you sit in the luxury of a good meal and a nice environment. Use a serving bowl, not the skillet, to serve the meal. Make sure that you have all of the proper utensils. This is not a time for sporks; think about adding a cloth napkin. In the winter, candles really make the meal special.
About the author: Ruth Haag's "Useable Cookbooks Series" was designed to help her family learn to cook, so that Ruth would have time free to run her company, and to write other books. Listen to Ruth and Bob Haag weekly on their Internet Radio Show, Manage Living, at
www.modavox.com/VoiceAmericaBusiness
. They will help you manage the work world; and will tell you how to take those solutions home, to better manage your home life. Visit their website,
www.manageliving.com
. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com.