tisha - i have tried healthy choice, wasnt too happy with them but i never had the lean cuisine. stouffers and hungry man are okay tho. thanks for the link to hormel. i will have to give those a shot. susy - i dont know how you do it. you are the busiest person i know and still have time to look so good! it is plain not fair! LOL, i have tried those "just meats" your talking about and that is exactly what i got, too. 4 slices of turkey and tons of greasy, yuky gravy. have you tried the prepared meats in the meat section? now they arent too bad. i got a rolled pork honey mustard roast already that was pretty tasty. that was an easy meal. just shove it in the oven with some potatoes and a pot of corn. i made it so much we sort of got sick of it... i do cook larger roasts and than freeze some for another meal, meldy. trouble is that doesnt happen to often in this house. i like making stews and pot pies in the winter, but i am not a fan of left overs. hub likes them, so nothing goes to waste but like you said, who wants to eat stew all week? mj, i bet you are like me in that you could make a meal out of raw veggies and fruit? when hub works late i just love it. i dont have to cook ( even frozen meals) and i can make a meal out of a piece of cheese, some crackers and a bowl of blueberries. there is certainly a lot of votes for lean cuisine. i must try some. we arent talking diet meals here now are we? because i surely am not on one nor do i worry too much about my salt intake ( maybe i should?) so the meals dont have to be 'special diet" meals. i agree tho, that the portions arent big enough for me in any meal that is in the frozen section. i have to laugh at those 'family' size meals that say serves 4 or so. ha! that just about feeds hub! the deli chicken at wally world is tops and we get one of those about 2 a month. it is lovely with rice and a veggie. marie calendar is one of our favs too, gabriell. it sounds as tho you have the same problems i have. there are days when my back plain up and refuses to allow me to cook. those days hub has to fend for himself. geez, dare i say i dont iron either? g

Actually, I should have mentioned that we eat in our dining room every day. I shouldn't call it a "formal" dining room, because it's not "formal". If someone bought the house, they'd recognize it as a dining room, separate from the kitchen (though it is completely open to the LR). When my kids were little, we ate mostly in the kitchen. Now that they're bringing home STUFF and dumping it on or next to the table, we eat in the dining room. Lately I've been more strict about decluttering and not dumping stuff in the kitchen -- so we're back to eating in the kitchen sometimes. Our dining table can hold 12 people when expanded, and sometimes we have that filled, plus people eating in the kitchen, too. So I'd like to have someplace people can sit in the kitchen, even if it's not a table. Seskatchewan girl: wow, what a lot of work...I will have to fetch my bifocals and take a close look!

My paperback JOC has lost covers and many front & back (index) pages, so I don't know what edition it is. I've looked over the newer editions (even the older "newer" ones at the book resellers) and they're not the same. I do have the computer 2.0 edition which I reference a lot.I've bought newer editions (hardbound)for DD & DDILs. Has anyone tried their frozen meals? I see it in 2 stores and it seems kinda pricey.

This is a tried and true recipe. It's DH's favorite meal in all the world! Deep Fried Chicken Wings 1 large pkg chicken wings 1 C buttermilk 1 C Louisiana Hot Sauce (this does NOT make it spicy, only flavoured) Flour for dredging Whatever combination of seasonings you like (I use S & P, a bit of Old Bay, and a few scrapes of a nutmeg) Oil for deep frying Combine buttermilk and the hot sauce in a large bowl and dip wings in sauce. Combine flour and seasonings and dredge dipped wings till well coated. Carefully place in hot deep fryer and cook until they are a deep golden brown, turning occasionally, for approx. 10 minutes. Drain on paper towel and thoroughly enjoy! Note: Honestly, these wings are not spicy hot at all. I was very surprised but delighted. They are absolutely the best wings IÂve ever made. The recipe originated from Paula Deen, except hers uses eggs instead of buttermilk. It is also delicious, but if you have leftovers, the egg-coating doesnÂt translate well the next day. The buttermilk idea came from Tyler Florence.