The trick to most Indian cooking is to have the masalas (spices) on hand. They can last a long time if kept in airtight containers, and only need a minute or 2 dry-fried in a pan before using. After that, it really is a quite simple cuisine to prepare. And you can mix and match various masalas, rather than follow exact recipes. Experiment! Lentils and beans, too, are generally interchangeable. No 2 Indian cooks prepare the same dish in the same way... And it is a surpisingly quick way to prepare delicious meals once you've tried it once or twice! Just took a pic of my masala shelf... This post was edited by shaxhome on Wed, Apr 3, 13 at 8:38

I don't buy anything frozen at TJs or premade - I go there for inexpensive organic fresh vegetables and fruit, breads & tortillas, cold cuts and cheeses, and dried fruit and nuts. I buy chocolate there as well. I don't like their ice cream, and I don't like their mayonnaise, but those are the only two things that I prefer to buy elsewhere that I can think of. There are many things they do not have, such as grits and cornmeal, and I do not remember seeing frozen juices, but their bottled cranberry juice is the best and a great price. I think I got blueberry juice there also. I don't buy anything from the above list either. Lars

We have always had 'White' sloppy joes. 1 pound gr. beef (or other..., we used alot of ground lamb back on the farm) 1 small onion finely diced 2 stalks of celery finely diced 1 can of low sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup (or cream of celery) up to 1.5 cups of milk Salt Pepper Sweat the onions and celery in a large skillet with a little oil. When the veggies are soft, add the gr. beef, or turkey, stirring to break it up and brown. When the beef is brown drain off the fat, reduce heat to med-low and add the mushroom soup, stirring it into the meat and veggies, add up to 1 and a half cups of milk until it reaches the consistency that you like. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve. We always served it spooned over a thick slice of bread, with pickles on the side. augie

Throughout elementary and high school, cafeteria food could be pretty awful. Except Sloppy Joes day, when everyone ate in the cafeteria. Interestingly, it was officially called Barbecued Beef on a Bun. I used to make it occasionally with one of those Schilling or similar packets. It comes out a little on the sweet side. I found that when I make a good meaty pasta sauce, it's wonderful the second or third day over toasted hamburger buns. Speaking of hamburger buns, have you tried the Brioche hamburger buns at Whole Foods? I'll never go back to the regular kind. Now watch them be discontinued.