<p>Pre-washed lettuce, frozen asparagus, frozen fruit, microwave popcorn, bagged cole slaw w/ Marzetti slaw dressing, frozen shelled edamame, those no-cook lasagna noodles</p>
<p>I keep a package of Kraft macaroni & cheese (the original) when I need comfort food. </p>
<p>Love my crock pot (and the liners) and my microwave. Don’t use a rice cooker because I just do my rice in the microwave.</p>
<p>Reading all above, I cannot believe how much people are into cooking and other home chores. You make me envy, I am constantly have to think what to do to fill evening after work and exersice. I hate cooking and everything else, including TV and reading. Fruits, nuts, smoked salmon do not need any cooking. Frying egg becomes a major self-assigned task, but I like them at least couple times / month. I love Costco, but too lazy shopping. However, we visit Costco at least couple times/month, my favorite place.</p>
<p>Miami…</p>
<p>If you got some bagged lettuce/dressing, a rice cooker, and a Cuisinart Griddler, you’d see how easy it is to make a tasty meal. lol It’s like automatic!!! And, the dirty parts go into the dishwasher to clean!</p>
<p>Even the “spice mixes” today make cooking so easy. </p>
<p>Seriously…my MIL never learned how to cook; she insisted that she hated to cook. But, really, in her day, there just weren’t the conveniences that we have today that can take a few easy steps and make a great tasting meal. I’m sure that if she were younger (she’s 85), we all could show her how to make an easy, but tasty meal.</p>
<p>My kids love the Garlic Chicken that is available at BJ’s. Quick to make and tasty. Reclosable bag too I make my own and freeze it as well, but pick up a bunch of bags when I get out there. Also the Ling Ling egg/spring rolls that are indivdually packaged in the carton are delicious. The best on the market. There are two kids and only BJ’s seems to carry the ones I like.</p>
<p>“Question about Costco: Do they just sell items in bulk? We used to shop at a Sam’s years ago when we had a house full of kids, but now we just have 3 in the house and I don’t want to have to store stuff.”</p>
<p>They sell a lot of things in bulk that are packaged in such a way that you can easily use them for a whole year. In particular, their frozen items are totally worth it even if you have a small family. We were three (me, husband, baby) and we shopped there and saved on our favorites (tortillas, ketchup for him, fair-trade coffee, nuts) and just skipped stuff that would have gone bad.</p>
<p>Plus… this is going off the point, but Costco is so awesome it’s worth it anyway. Just in general. Once I got a set of all Beatrix Potter books, nearly the original prints, real little books all in a box, for $23. On Amazon, it was selling for $120. Got my mom a Liz Claiborne shirt that fits her like a glove for just $12. Hanna Andersson clothes and their organic pyjamas which remain soft for five years straight of wear, for just $15 a pair. And you can get the Costco credit card and get even more back in rewards.</p>
<p>Here’s just a super easy idea when you have guests for breakfast. Warning, it sounded a little quirky to me when I first heard it, but after I also saw Paula Dean do it, I gave it a try and it is a definate keeper.</p>
<p>Omlets in a ziploc… Take a gallon size siplock and have each person put in their favorite omlet ingredients…onions, peppers, ham, mushrooms, cheese…whatever you like, then label their baggie w/ their name. Also put in one or two beaten eggs, depending on how big they want their omlet. Place them all in the fridge, then in the morning, all you have to do is boil a pot of water and place the baggies in the boiling water until they are done, just try to not let the baggies touch, so may need two pots going. They are really fluffy and good.</p>
<p>^^^
Very interesting!</p>
<p>I buy those pre-cut wax paper sheets that come in a box from Sams Club. they are so handy for all kinds of uses…such as…</p>
<p>putting one on a cutting board…keeps the board cleaner when cutting messy things.</p>
<p>putting one onto of foods that are being microwaved…keeps the microwave cleaner from splatters and also creates kind of a steam cover.</p>
<p>after I cut a piece from a cake, I’ll take one, fold it, and place it against the “cut sides” of the cake to keep it moist.</p>
<p>To create separated layers when storing/freezing homemade cookies</p>
<p>I’m sure that there are other times I use them…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I just got my Amex/Costco rebate in the mail this week: over $800 
Then at some point later in the year, I get my Costco Executive Member reward; not as much as the Amex one, but more than pays for the membership. I do love Costco.</p>
<p>My2sunz, I will be getting about the same size rebate thanks to DH’s frequent travels. :)</p>
<p>Yes, that Costco Amex card makes my life a bit easier. I do not have to dig for cash in my purse or spend time writing a check. Once a month I go on the web, and click-click-click - pay my bill. Nice.</p>
<p>Forgot to say: one “item” that makes my life much easier is my Community Transit Express bus with comfy seats, footrests, and personal lights. I can concentrate on surfing CC instead of cursing at the other drivers. :)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>^^^The best! People think it’s homemade. I also love the Pillsbury Quick Bread mixes to which I add nuts, dried sour cherries or blueberries, or chocolate chips. Tastes like it was baked from scratch and looks impressive too.</p>
<p>Faithfirst…</p>
<p>That does sound funky, but I will try it.</p>
<p>I’ve seen a Yahoo news video clip of someone making the ziplock baggie omelet. Making a traditional omelet for two is much less hassle than the baggie method, so I do not think I will try it any time soon. However, for a house full of picky eaters this does sound like a great timesaver.</p>
<p>I made a yummy chicken rice pilaf for dinner tonight. If it weren’t for my bus, I would have had no energy for cooking a healthy meal. This means the bus counts as a kitchen gadget :p</p>
<p>If you like mussels, Bantry Bay has frozen mussels in a tomato sauce and a garlic/butter sauce. Just dump in a bowl, put in microwave for a few minutes. Delicious! Sauce is great for dipping Italian/French bread, too.</p>
<p>mom2col,
It takes ton of time to make a salad even with washed Romain lettuce. if i do, this is my dinner, I do not need anything else, since i much constantly on fruits and nuts. i put whole avocado and lots of feta in my salad, it has tons of calories but very tasty with lots of ginger and wasabi. I know it is weird combo, but i like it this way. My H. could not eat it at first, but now he likes it too. i am too lazy to make it more than about 3 times / months or so.</p>
<p>Two appliances that make food/drink prep so much easier: immersion/stick blender (I love it and can’t believe I only found out about it last fall) and my DeLonghi Gran Dama coffee machine. It makes lattes and cappuccino too. The machine grinds the beans, presses them, and you have your coffee in a few minutes. You use an attachment to make lattes/cappuccino. It’s a wonderful thing!</p>
<p>Convenience foods: greens/lettuces already cleaned and cut (I like Olivia’s Organics) and
yellow squash that’s been pre-cleaned and cut up. Also use the minced ginger that comes in a bottle by Pantry Essentials. I’ll use it when I’m in a hurry.</p>
<p>For me, the mother lode is my online subscription of Cook’s Illustrated magazine. I love it! They have reviews of hundreds of appliances, gadgets, food and pantry items, spices, equipment etc. It’s not only saved me time, but IMO using some of the recommended ingredients and appliances has even improved my cooking. I just ordered the Wusthof Gourmet Turner (spatula) based on their recommendation. What a difference -it can lift anything and the food really stays put. </p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> Wusthof Gourmet 7 1/2-Inch Slotted Spatula: Kitchen & Dining](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-Gourmet-2-Inch-Slotted-Spatula/dp/B0000DJYG2]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-Gourmet-2-Inch-Slotted-Spatula/dp/B0000DJYG2)</p>
<p>I also find a good set of locking tongs to flip and serve food to be indispensable.</p>
<p>How do you clean your immersion blenders? Mine doesn’t come apart (it’s old) and I always have to fuss to get it clean behind the blades. </p>
<p>About Cook’s-- oh, yeah, the internet sites for recipes!</p>
<p>ditto on the rice cooker - I’ll add any number of things to the rice - beans, ortega chiles, cooked sausage, etc. depending on the “theme”) I’ll get one for my son when he leaves for college this Fall. :)</p>
<p>My favorite greens are from Whole Foods - the big giant “box” of organic pre-washed baby greens.</p>
<p>Trader Joe’s pre-cooked chicken - can throw it into just about anything (enchiladas, salads, etc.)</p>
<p>Trader Joe’s frozen “Chimichurri” seasoned salmon. Grill the salmon and chop it up. Grab some corn tortillas, a bag of shredded cheese, some greens and some fresh salsa to make fish tacos. </p>
<p>My most recent “stroke of genius” (haha, they happen only rarely) was mixing fresh salsa 50:50 with Caesar dressing to make a “sauce” for the fish tacos – major hit!!
(I read some restaurant reviews about “best caesar salads in town”… now I go to the winning restaurant and buy their freshly made Caesar once a week).</p>
<p>Plastic boxes that lock securely on all four sides (about 6" x 10"?). I can put a small sandwich in, a nice salad mix (thow in greens, carrots, edamame, chicken … whatever we have) and a little “travel” jar with dressing - I put a fork in there too. I put these together at night, then stack the boxes in the fridge and the kids grab them in the am. They stay closed in their backpacks and it’s a nice departure from the big sandwiches I used to make all of the time. I get more veggies into them this way too.</p>
<p>While not a “kitcheny” thing I can say that my CARPOOLS have saved me many, many hours of driving time and they’ve come to offer a great sense of “community” for our family.</p>
<p>
Mine doesn’t come apart either and this is what I do: Get a large mug/container/etc. filled with very warm soapy water and use the blender to “blend” the water, then rinse under running water. That does a great job of cleaning it off and easy!</p>