To Cook Or Not To Cook - Not

I learned a long time ago that it just doesn't do to make meal plans when the kids come home. We always end up going in different directions, or just don't want what is planned, or don't have time to cook. It took me years to let go of the feeling that I had to make sure everyone was well fed while they were here. Silly me.

So, when my daughter announced her plan to come and visit for a few days, I didn't waste a lot of time on meal planning. And, that's just fine with me, because I really don't like to cook.

Just because I don't like to cook doesn't stop me from avidly watching the Food Network. I suspect it's the same impulse that leads a person to be a Peeping Tom - that sense of satisfaction comes from feeling free to look but not touch.

Before I downsized my life I had a large collection of cookbooks full of dog-eared pages marking recipes that sounded good at the time. I used to pour over these books, and had every intention of preparing a fabulous meal, and each time, I'd run across a list of ingredients that I never keep on hand, but must have for the chosen recipe. So, I would abandon that idea and search in vain for a recipe with a shorter ingredient list that wouldn't require an expensive trip to the grocery store for a spice or an herb that I would probably only use once. Failing that, I would simply order a pizza.

Once I thought I had found my kind of cookbook. It was called "The I Hate to Cook Book", by Peg Bracken. Clearly, she had written the book for people like me. Imagine my consternation when I eagerly began to read and discovered that every one of her recipes had to be, well, cooked. Talk about false advertising! Granted, the recipes were simple and less time-consuming, and I don't know what I was expecting. But, exactly what part of "I Hate to Cook" didn't the woman understand? I had vaguely thought that the recipes in the book would all start with a phrase like, "pick up a roasted chicken from the deli at your local grocery......"

I'm a frequent customer at the deli section, under the illusion that I am eating healthy because it is "home cooking", just not cooked at my home. And, I'm not the only one who feels that way. I ran into a friend at the store one day, who had a basket full of prepared deli dishes. She told me she didn't see any reason to cook when the folks in the deli do it so much better. My sentiments exactly.

Oops! Gotta go. It's time for the Barefoot Contessa. Have you seen her pantry? The shelves are crammed full of ingredients - not a cobweb in sight. You won't catch her having to rush out in her apron to buy a last-minute ingredient at her local gourmet grocery. Maybe I'll buy one of her cookbooks. After all, on her show, when she finishes preparing a meal she always asks, "How easy was that?"

Stay tuned.