What to Cook When Youd Rather Be Doing Anything Else

[elleng]

Low-effort, high-reward cooking for when you’re hungry and exhausted.

Broiled shrimp, chicken curry, sesame noodles, chanterelles, etc.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/68861692-nyt-cooking/2662871-what-to-cook-when-youd-rather-be-doing-anything-else?

[cilla4progress]

1. What about a

Hot pot?

[mercuryblues]

2. One of my favorite dishes

to cook when I am exhausted or too busy.

I buy premade tortellini, filled with whatever I'm in the mood for. Some Italian sausage (whatever you like) baby spinach, butter, olive oil and garlic

Rinse off spinach and put on a paper towel to dry. Put water on to boil for tortellini and cook per directions. Cook whole or cut up sausage and fry. Place on paper towel to drain grease. Chop up 2-3 cloves of garlic.

Arrange spinach to cover the plates. drizzle lightly with olive oil. If desired sprinkle with garlic powder.

drain tortellini. in that pot melt butter or margarine, add a bit of olive and chopped garlic. Put tortellini back in pot and coat with the butter, oil & garlic mixture. Place on top of the bed of spinach, with the sausage. Top with parm or whatever cheese you want.


After a couple of times of making this, I can make it in 20 minutes. faster than a pizza delivery. I love garlic, but if you don't use less or none at all. I also buy a basil pesto from Costco that I will use sometimes instead of butter and garlic.

[elleng]

3. Thanks. Sounds like a good one.

My prob: 'My' favorite Italian sausage brand somehow no longer available. I don't understand why, wasn't exotic, but these days those I find are meh.

[mercuryblues]

4. I usually use any brand

for family cooking. But when I cook this for company I make a trip to the local meat market or the Fresh Market.

https://www.thefreshmarket.com/your-market/store-locator I hope they have one near you. If you do ask which day of the week they put their meat on sale. Mine is on Tuesday. I go in and see what they have on sale and plan meals around that.

[elleng]

5. Thanks. I don't think there's one of those nearby.

If I were closer to city more often, I'd look for a meat market and/or Italian market, but I'm 60 miles south of DC most of the time, so nonesuch here!