Kim, I loved your baked potato "recipe" for busy-day dinners. But I've got
yours beat by a good 45 minutes! My office is in my home, so even the
premise is different. In our case, it's usually a late evening at the gym.
(Okay, okay, it doesn't happen every day, but we try.)
1. Walk in. Kick off shoes, put on slippers.
2. Scrub and prick potatoes. Place in microwave and set timer for 15
minutes (2 large or 4 small potatoes).
3. Get out tray. Open jars of salsa and pinto bean dip. Open yogurt
container. Place all on tray. Put teaspoons in containers. Cut up a
couple of black olives. Put in custard cup. Add to tray. Look for
additional inspiration in fridge. (Examples: Pickled ginger. Chutney. A
different kind of salsa. A fresh tomato, chopped. What needs eating?)
OR
3. Open can of fatfree chili. Empty into dish, cover with waxed paper, add
to microwave when timer reads 2 minutes left.
OR
3. Remove suitable leftover from fridge. Empty into dish, cover with waxed
paper, add to microwave when timer reads 4 minutes left. (Suitable
leftovers include spaghetti sauce, last night's dinner, or the last of the
canned crushed tomatoes, preferably seasoned. Tonight's will be roasted
garlic flavor. My favs include beans, for protein.)
4. Set table. Pour wine. Put tray on table.
5. Open microwave, squeeze potatoes. Decide they're done. See if dish (if
applicable) is steaming and bubbling. Decide it's hot enough. Put
potatoes on plates and dish on tray.
6. Do up your own potato. 15 minutes, door to table!
Ruth Hoffman ruthhoff@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Lake Zurich, IL
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking
new landscapes but in having new eyes." --Marcel Proust
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