I probably spend about an hour cooking on most days. This weekend was considerably more. Yesterday morning I made breakfast, then took the turkey carcass out of the fridge and simmered it a few hours for turkey stock. Afterward, I used some to make a pot of turkey soup and a pot of lentil soup. The lentil soup was for my mom and MIL, both of whom are ill. Then, for last night's dinner, I made rigatoni with Italian sausage, peppers and onions. Cooking and watching football, that's a good day for me. And tonight it's turkey soup, already made.

My other "go to" is to take some shrimp, chicken, or calamari rings, grill them while linguini is cooking. then take a can of diced tomatoes, a minced clove of garlic, a few taqblespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper, and add all together. Serve over the pasta. Basically a marinara with chicken, shrimp, or calimari. Only takes as long as the pasta takes to cook, and is really good and very healthy.

I LOVE cooking and am fairly good at it, but having a 14 mo old has made it virtually impossible. She's a momma's girl and if I'm home is pretty demanding of my attention...so I find it hard to get one of those jobs done right and I prefer the job of motherhood to be the one I get right. So I pretty much cook once a week, but luckily my folks invite us over a lot and my mother in law takes us out a lot. I would def rather eat at home though.

You need a good crock pot recipe book or just start using it experimenting. Throw it in when the little one gives you about 30 minutes in the morning, then you have awesome dinner ready at dinner time and you dont have to do anything with it all day.

rice, oil, heat.

Mine is a combo of rice (obviously), green onion, fresh ginger, chopped garlic, canola oil, Sriracha sauce, cashews, mushrooms, water chestnuts, peas or sugar snap peas, soy sauce, oyster sauce. Sometimes corn, bamboo shoots, fresh red pepper, chicken or beef. Rarely, I'll put egg in it, too.

Pretty much whatever you like in it. I've got a kick ass Chinese grocery here in town that has some sauces and things that you can't find in a normal grocery, as well as some very good soy sauces. It's also where I bought my wok, which at $16 may be my absolute favorite pan of all time, and I've got some expensive shit.

This.

I will do the bulk of my prep work one day for meals the rest of the week.

Ang

I hit the Chinatown market in the river market here in KC about once a month for
Soba noodles
fish sauce
red chili paste
soy bean paste
good soy sauce
rice
seaweed
miso paste
You can make about any killer asian meal with these ingredients and ginger and garlic from the regular store.

so as far as the rice piece goes, do you just add a little oil (veggie, olive, soy, etc) and toss uncooked rice in there with the other goodies?

I'd definitely like to try this.

i tried to make thai food once. the ingredients read like asian stereo instructions.

cook the rice first.

Cook the rice the day before and refrigerate. Get you wok or skillet pretty hot, then throw in the meat, then vegetables, then rice, then whatever sauce you might want. I like mine with egg. Just move the rice mixture to the side and toss in a lightly beaten egg or two, it will cook fast.

I have a Thai cook book. I don't get to use it often.

Definitely cook the rice first.

You'll want to start in the wok with the things that take the longest. Meat should be cooked in the wok, then taken out and tossed with everything once it's done.

For my concoction that doesn't have meat, I can pretty much do it all at once. Get the wok scorching hot, add the oil and everything else and start tossing. Once it really starts to stick to the wok, it's done.

cool man. thanks for the tips.
I might give this a whirl.

I take it you use just enough oil to coat the ingredients while tossing etc.?