This thread is so interesting. So many varied interests and hobbies. Like many of you, I am way ore into home decorating than my friends or family. That is why I love GW. Pesky- I also am a rock nerd. I love rocks. I have a weakness for geology and when I was in Vegas, I had more interest in exploring Red Rocks than the Strip. I am running out of places to put the rocks & minerals I collect...DH and I are thinking of dedicating the library to our rocks. I pick them up everywhere I go, and DH and I gift one another with rocks. People just don't get our fascination. As the daughter of a geologist, I can completely relate. I too,love rocks and minerals and have many of them displayed in our home, as well as large ones outside that I just put in my garden. We just moved cross country, and the movers looked askance at me when I asked them to pack all of my large lava rocks and petrified wood from the front yard. Lol. My daughter is carrying on the family tradition.she often picks up interesting looking specimens and then asks my dad about them via skype.

To be fair, most of my meals are pretty simple since it's normally just me. There's not a lot I couldn't or wouldn't cook, and there will always I'm sure be things I will want to try, though I don't delve particularly heavily unless I am having guests. My biggest impediment in the past has been feeling at once overwhelmed by extremely long ingredient lists in recipes, and sometimes by trying to figure out what some of that stuff is and where to find it, but I've tried to work on that and educate myself over time. I buy a lot of rotisserie chickens at Albertson's (most stores have them but I like theirs best), from which I can get several nice meals of varying types. I don't know if these are sold as "loss leaders" or fall in line with pricing of other items, but for what they cost I'm not going to put forth the effort or turn on the oven or invest in one of those Ron Popeil chicken cookers. I have found that I don't like purchased "red sauce" (eaten with pasta for a simple, quick workday meal) regardless of how I may try to doctor it so I make it, which is easy and keep it on hand that way. I go only rarely to any sort of notable steak house, but enjoy steak once in a while beyond that and am quite satisfied with what I can turn out with my All Clad grill pan at not that much cost purchased at a sale. I was surprised at the number of people who don't do rib roasts. They're not cheap, but they're very easy and if you have red meat eaters they make a really elegant special occasion meal. Baking of any kind I could do night and day and never tire of it. I'd like to learn more of the aesthetic aspect of it. Cooking is fine and I like it, though if I met up with a guy who liked to cook, I'd hand over the reins and never give it another thought, but I'd always continue with the hobby of baking.

Dip and crackers, toast (sometimes with an egg or two), French toast, prosciutto wrapped around sliced mozzarella, or oatmeal. Yogurt. Or we'll go into town to one of the many restaurants (family/local, or national chain/fast food) and get something there. A local place makes a good Reuben and most around here make a good burger and fries. Mmm, now I'm getting hungry. On the healthier side, a good salad always sits well with me. At work, we make a wonderful chicken Caesar salad. Before the pandemic, we did have a nice, assorted salad bar. Doesn't help matters much that I get a 50 or 20% discount (50 while I'm there, a half hour before or a half hour after, otherwise, it's 20%). Sometimes, mum will pick up some chicken (fried, rotisserie or baked), from the grocery store and we'll have that for dinner. I miss our local KFC, the local grocery stores don't even compare. Brad AKA Moonwolf

I agree, Annie, deciding on what to cook is sometimes more work than cooking it. I do a lot of food saving, so usually always have things in the freezer to pull out. Some of the things we have when I don't want to cook are just things that are easier to throw together. One that my DH likes was invented by one of our sons in high school. To a box of Annie's or Krafts Mac n Cheese add a can of drained albacore tuna-could even throw in some frozen peas if you like and a piece of fruit for dessert. And I never use the butter and milk in the mac n cheese , but sub plain Fave yogurt. I always have a can of Red salmon in the cupboard for a quick meal of salmon patties, a microwaved baked sweet or white potato and heat a frozen or canned vegetable. We always have fresh fruit around and I usually have a can of pears in the refrigerator for such times. I hard boil 7 eggs in my egg cooker weekly, so have those in the refrigerator to use for tuna salad or just as they are. I keep good hard cheeses and Johnsonville all beef summer sausage on hand and paired with a ripe pear or a good crisp apple and crackers works for me when I really don't want to cook. One of my favorites from childhood: a slice of buttered bread generously covered with slices of ripe avocado, then a grating of fresh black pepper and again generously cover with freshly shredded cheddar cheese. Yummy! Add a glass of milk and an apple for dessert. Seagrass, I hope you are getting some ideas that work for you!