Lazy But Hungry

Several friends have asked whether everything is OK, since they haven't seen a post here in a little while, and the depressing answer to that is that I've just been too lazy to eat much of interest, much less post about it. But I figured I'd take advantage of this lull to post some of my favorite Lazy But Hungry dishes (TM chow.ind). This is sort of an homage to Mark Bittman's awesome 101 Summer Dishes that Take 10 Minutes to Cook article but less, you know, classy.

• Spaghetti tossed with a little chili-infused olive oil and parmesan, with or without frozen peas thrown in during the last few minutes of cooking
• Pasta with pesto and parmesan
• Salad (from a bag) topped with crumbled blue cheese (from the supermarket) and bacon pieces (from a jar), with vinaigrette (from a bottle). I like the Brianna's brand with the artichoke on the label. If there is leftover roast beef or chicken, I can throw that in too
• Which brings me to steamed artichoke with Brianna's vinaigrette for dipping the leaves
• Slices of hot soppressatta, chunk of Stilton, Granny Smith apple cut in slices
• Sourdough or country bread, or split baguette, with a little dijon mustard and gruyere cheese on top melted under the broiler
• Pita chips and hummus, baba ganoush, tzatziki, taramasalata, etc.
• Tuna mixed with a little olive oil (if not packed in oil), balsamic vinegar, tarragon, and a little garlic powder, with either whole wheat bread or crackers
• Sardines packed in spicy oil with crackers
• Any of the above with steamed edamame tossed with smoked paprika salt (or plain salt)
• Order in

Lazy dinner, two versions

The Foodie Version:

I cooked some organic whole wheat penne with flaxseed, then tossed with some organic extra virgin olive oil, julienned sundried tomatoes, and some pesto made from the basil in my garden, frozen since late summer. The taste of summer in February.

The Cookiestuffs Version:

Mr. Gateau was working late, and the two mini-Gateaus were driving me insane. But I knew I would not tough it out until after they went to sleep without eating something, so I managed to cook some pasta, and while that was cooking, defrosted in the microwave a cube of pesto I'd made in September with the herbs from my garden that had gotten so overgrown while I was pregnant and on maternity leave that the place looked like an international weed museum. In the five seconds I had without a kid in my arms, I hacked up a few very dessicated sundried tomatoes, and pulled the olive oil out of the pantry, where it had gotten too cold against the uninsulated wall. Discovered that we are, in fact, entirely out of Parmesan cheese. Managed to drain the pasta and toss this all together while holding the baby, then dumped it into a dish and ate it whenever I didn't have somebody drooly hanging off me.

Either way, it actually was quite tasty.