Here's one I recently (re)posted that garners great reviews every time I serve it. The ingredient list looks long but it only takes about 10 minutes to throw together. Sorta-Greekish Couscous salad 2 boxes Near East garlic-flavor couscous, prepared per box directions and set aside to cool (stir occasionally with a fork to keep from clumping) 1 European cucumber, peeled if the skin is thick/tough and diced 3 Roma/plum tomatoes, seeded and diced (peel if you like) 2 small red, yellow or orange bell peppers, diced (try to mix colors for a prettier dish) 1 large carrot, coarsely grated handful of thawed frozen petite peas big handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley 2-3 large cloves garlic, minced (confession time: I buy it in the jar) a dozen or so chives (or 2-3 green onions), minced 1 6-oz container feta cheese, crumbled; if you buy the stuff in brine, drain it before crumbling and pat dry after crumbling, but I am lazy and just buy the pre-crumbled kind Newman's Own Greek Vinaigrette salt and pepper to taste (once I tossed in about half a pound of cooked, peeled, deveined-if-necessary small shrimp - designated in the fish market as 51/60 or 61/70 - and it was delicious) (a friend of mine adds finely chopped pitted Greek black olives, but I think olives are one of the most revolting foods on the planet so I don't!) Mix couscous, veggies, and cheese being careful not to mush the couscous. Slosh on some of the vinaigrette until everything's nicely coated and it tastes yummy - we tend to use around 1/3 of a (small) bottle. Salt and pepper to taste. Holds in the fridge about 4 days, although the feta flavor can get a little rugged eventually. (If this stands for more than 48 hours you will need to add more vinaigrette as the couscous will absorb it and the salad will be a tad dry.) Best served cool rather than chilled, but don't leave it out of the fridge for more than an hour. At home I serve this as a main dish and it feeds about 6 people, for a party it serves 12 or so as a side depending on how much other stuff there is. Chicken Tortellini Soup 2 32-oz. containers good-tasting chicken broth* 1 16-oz. bag frozen cheese tortellini (regular or tricolor) 1/4 cup any hard Italian grating cheese like Parmesan, Pecorino or Asiago, grated (NOT the stuff in the can!) Bring broth to a boil. Dump in tortellini and cook per timing on the package until done. Ladle into bowls or mugs and top with Parmesan. Although it's wonderful in the colder months, of course, it's light enough to be good on the chilly, rainy summer days when you don't want something really heavy but you need to warm up some. You can stop there if you're really tired, or you can add any or all of the following: 1 cup chopped cooked chicken 1 cup frozen petite peas a few shredded basil leaves 1/2 a roasted red pepper, finely chopped (many supermarkets now have roasted peppers in the deli area, either in the deli case or in an "olive bar" setup) *Commercial broth has gotten a LOT better in recent years. Less salty and has actual flavor. Try a bunch and see which ones you like. I hate "celebrity products" but I have to admit the broths sold under the Wolfgang Puck and Rachael Ray names are pretty good. If you're vegetarian, Pacific's "No-Chicken" broth is pretty decent, and obviously you'd leave out the chicken. DH's Mother's "Drunk Chicken" (b@st@rdized crockpot version of Coq au Vin) Remove any big chunks of fat from about a dozen boneless, skinless chicken thighs and chuck them into the crockpot along with: 1/2 cup cooked, crumbled bacon (we cheat and use the Oscar Mayer precooked crumbles in the yellow bag from the salad dressing aisle) - that's 6-8 slices if you cook it yourself but make sure to drain it VERY well 1/2 bag or 1 box frozen peeled pearl onions 1 small bag baby carrots (I think they're 12 oz. bags?) 1 good handful garlic cloves - I buy containers of already-peeled ones in the produce department 2 celery stalks, sliced a few bay leaves 1 tsp black peppercorns 2 tsp salt 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme (fresh is really best here if you can swing it) 2 10-oz packages of brown mushrooms (aka crimini or "baby bella"), rinsed and trimmed if they need it. Get the smallest ones you can, halve or quarter large ones. Dump in 1/2 bottle of red wine (nothing fancy!), or 2 of the small bottles that come in the 4-packs, along with 1/2 can (about 3/4 cup) chicken broth. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours until chicken is done but not falling apart. Exact time will vary depending on your crockpot. If you wish, remove the chicken and stick the liquid in the fridge so the fat will solidify. Scrape off the fat, return the chicken to the sauce and rewarm. Serve with rice, little boiled potatoes (my preference), crusty bread or egg noodles. Shrimp and White Bean Salad - this started out as a fairly typical "Tuscan-style" tuna and white bean salad, but I'm not a huge fan of tuna and we get amazing shrimp from Maine. Grilled fresh tuna, chunked up after cooking, is the best way IMO to do the tuna version though. Again, looks daunting but it goes together fast. 2 cans cannellini beans (aka white kidney beans), drained and rinsed 1 cup quartered grape tomatoes 1 cup chopped roasted bell peppers (see note above - if you make them, yellow peppers are particularly pretty here) 1/2 cup chopped celery 1/2 cup thawed frozen peas 2 green onions, thinly sliced 1 shallot, minced (can substitute 1/4 cup minced sweet onion but the shallot is so much better) 1 tsp. minced garlic 1/4 cup finely shredded basil or baby spinach (stack several leaves, roll them up tight like a cigar, slice across the roll to make fine shreds - the fancy types call this "chiffonade") 12 oz. small cooked shrimp, tails removed vinaigrette dressing, homemade or bottled (we love Newman's Own dressings) Combine ingredients, adding dressing to taste, and marinate 3-12 hours before serving. I like this with a garlicky focaccia bread. It looks very fancy in butter-lettuce cups or whole leaves from a romaine heart which make a "canoe" shape. Frittata is a really "loose" dish in that you can toss many different things into it, and serve it hot, room temperature or chilled, as an appetizer, a main dish or a late-night snack. Alton Brown of "Good Eats" calls it "refrigerator velcro" because it's a great way to use up little dribs and drabs of leftovers. It's quichelike but much easier to make and less fattening because there's no crust. Preheat oven to 350F. Heat a 10-12" nonstick skillet with curved sides over medium heat with 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil of your choice. Saute 2 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed, and 1 small onion, diced, until the onion is translucent. While this is cooking, assemble your other ingredients: 1 cup cooked meat or poultry, chopped, or 1/4 cup crumbled, crisp-cooked bacon 2-3 cups cooked veggies, whatever you have around that looks good, chopped to about 1/2" pieces if necessary - potatoes, asparagus, zucchini, carrots, mushrooms whatever Toss them in the pan to warm while you make the custard. You should have a nice even layer on the bottom of the pan but not packed tight. Whisk together until completely combined: 8 eggs or the equivalent (I like to use 3 whole eggs and the egg whites from the other 9 in the dozen to cut back on the cholesterol and fat but a little yolk is necessary for flavor. If you use something like Egg Beaters, unless you're on a severely restricted diet add one whole egg for better taste) 1/4 cup milk several turns of the pepper grinder 1 tsp salt 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese Pour over the meat-veggie mixture in the pan, stirring around a bit to get the egg stuff onto the bottom of the pan and everything evenly distributed. If you would like more cheese, feel free to top with any kind of cheese you like, about 1/2 cup. If your frying pan's handle is not ovenproof, wrap it in aluminum foil. Cook on the stovetop over medium heat until the underside is just starting to brown, then pop it in the oven for 10-15 minutes until set and starting to brown. A knife inserted about 1 inch from the center will come out damp but not slimy or drippy. Remove from the oven and slide the frittata out of the pan onto a plate. Even if serving hot it should stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Obviously if you are a vegetarian ditch the meat and add more veggies. This makes a great supper with a piece of good country bread, salad or simple soup. This does not reheat well because it turns rubbery and watery, but try tucking a chunk of cold frittata into a pita or tortilla with some dijon mustard or salsa (depending on what you put in the frittata). Yum! I love Welsh rabbit, but not the gloppy, runny kind. I prefer the version from Arthur Schwartz' "What To Cook When You Think There's Nothing In The House To Eat" (an all-around great book IMO) that is light and puffy and sticks to the toast well enough that you can even pick it up to eat with your fingers. This is for 2 servings but it is very expandable. Not for everyday fare but oh so good. Preheat broiler. Slice a good country-style bread (not that normal American baled-fog sandwich crap) about 3/4" thick. I have also used French bread sliced on the bias to make long oval slices, which looks pretty. Toast it lightly - it should only color a very little. Mix well: 1 1/2 cups good sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (Cabot in the bag!) 2 splashes Worcestershire sauce 1 egg yolk (necessary for texture, no substitutions) 1 tsp. Dijon mustard 2 tbsp. milk or beer a few drops of Tabasco Divide the mixture between the bread slices. Grind on plenty of fresh pepper. Put the bread on a foil-lined cookie sheet and broil carefully until the cheese mixture is melted and bubbly. Serve immediately as it can get leathery when it's cold. Since I can't drink beer or wine (a sharpish white is best) I LOVE this with apple or pear cider. Green salad with a vinegary dressing or perfectly-ripe fresh tomatoes with salt and pepper make a refreshing accompaniment but I prefer a mixture of marinated cooked veggies since raw veg does not agree with me, and a dessert of not-too-sweet baked (okay, microwaved) apples with walnuts and honey. For the last few weeks DH and I have been spending an hour or so on a weekend afternoon prepping ingredients for meals that we can throw together in a matter of minutes during the week. I've been pretty busy lately and the weather is doing me no favors so we were finding we were eating too many frozen pizzas and too much takeaway. Many veggies can hold 5 days in scrupulously clean, airtight containers in the coldest part of the fridge (usually bottom shelf in the back). I purchased a whole bunch of small 1, 2, and 4 cup containers and we prep our ingedients right into those. For instance I have a potato and veggie salad set up in the fridge awaiting its dressing, the aforementioned shrimp salad just waiting for shrimp and dressing. A couple of days ago we had fish and veggies baked in foil and it literally took 5 minutes to assemble because all the veggies were already chopped up and ready to go. We watch the grocery store circulars for loss-leader meat sales, particularly for things that grill well. We buy a lot, fire up the grill, and grill it all so that we have it on hand for throw-together meals - for example today we grilled 4 pounds of boneless, well-trimmed pork loin chops seasoned simply with salt, pepper, and a bit of garlic. It will find its way into several different meals over the next few days. We do the same thing with certain vegetables - for instance when asparagus gets to $1/lb. about 5 lbs. of it hits the grill, waiting to be marinated for a salad or chopped into a frittata. I don't really like leftovers very much but this is better for me because it is just a handy ingredient that can be used in so many ways instead of just eating the same dish again.

Like bumblebeez, I was doing a lot of cooking for the family by the time I was 12, but I'd spent my whole life cooking with Grandma, so I was familiar with foods, preparation and techniques. If this 12 year old has spent no time in the kitchen, she'll be starting from scratch, but is plenty old enough to be very competent in the kitchen. Poor kid, I do hope she likes to cook, or learns to like it and feels that it's a help. OK, so meals. I agree with the meatloaf, that's a good start and the same mixture can be used for meatballs, which can be baked in the oven. A crockpot is a really good idea too, so things can be prepared ahead and can cook all day while the kids are at school and Dad is at work. Pulled pork in the crockpot is easy, and I've used that recipe that calls for root beer, a kid might like to try that. Add BBQ sauce or not, depending on the family's tastes. Other good crockpot recipes are Ginger's french dip sandwiches and Amanda uses hers for pork roast and makes an enchilada type casserole with layers of beans and tortillas with cheese and sauce. I also use those ziplock microwave bags for vegetables sometimes, they are good for asparagus with a little sesame oil and Mother always uses them for broccoli, fast and simple. A roast chicken is pretty basic and there's a "no peek stew" recipe hanging around here somewhere. My girls liked to make "coke chicken", a recipe from the Girl Scouts. Scrub and quarter red potatoes, add some baby carrots and layer chicken pieces on top. Mix half and half cola and catsup, pour over top, cover and bake for an hour and a half at 350. The coke and catsup makes a sweet BBQ type sauce that the kids just loved and they'd fight over the last potatoes in that sauce. There are some very simple macaroni and cheese recipes available and most kids like that, or spaghetti with a canned sauce and some of those meatballs. The dreaded tuna noodle casserole is another thing that many kids like and it's relatively simple. Teaching her to make soup from leftovers is a good idea, or any kind of leftover usage. She could bake a ham, then make scalloped potatoes with ham or a ham loaf, then use the bone in a pot of beans. The roast chicken could later become chicken pot pie or chicken noodle soup. Pizza goes without saying, and even Makayla makes "pizza" from English muffins, pizza sauce, pepperoni and cheese. Poor baby, I feel so badly for her. You're a good uncle to take this on and she'll appreciate the help. You'll be creating a good memory for this child and she'll love you for it. Annie

There's always TTHD. TATER TOT HOTDISH -Ground meat (I like to mix Jimmy Dean hot pork sausage with hamburger) -Onion & celery (optional) -Vegetables (Whatever you like. Green beans are sort of "traditional" but I like corn or mixed veg) -Cream soup mixed with milk (Cream of mushroom is "traditional" but I like cream of chicken, broccoli or potato.) -Tater Tots -Cheese (optional) This is so flexible. Use amounts to make the size of dish you want. Use any kind of meat. Roast beef, turkey, chicken... I like to mix them occasionally. It's best to brown the meat and I usually cook the onion and sometimes the celery with it. Depends if I want the onion and celery with a bit of a crunch. Season as you like. I use Louisiana Hot Sauce, garlic, lemon pepper and Italian seasoning usually. Put the meat, onion & celery in the bottom of a baking dish, either in layers or mixed up, top with the veggies, top that with the cream soup and on top go the tater tots. Some like to bake the tots first for extra crunch or they'll be crunchy on top and soft on the bottom. Whatever you prefer. Cheese is optional in it or on it in the last 15 min or so. Bake it until the tots are as brown as you like. The good part is everything is cooked so you don't have that as a problem. Substitute mashed potatoes for tots and you'll have a Shepherd's Pie. You can even use fresh potatoes if you like. Like I said, it's so flexible you really don't need a recipe. Hot rolls, biscuits, toast, etc., all go well with this. Even garlic bread. Another easy option is Scalloped potatoes & ham (or other meat, or go meatless). When I make a macaroni hotdish I don't use a real recipe either. Again, you can add any kind(s) of meat or go without. Similar to baked ziti. Macaroni Hotdish -Meat of your choice -Macaroni or other pasta of your choice. I like the jumbo elbows -Sauce. Can be spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, with or without some diced or stewed tomatoes, or you can use cream soup(s) or you can use a can of gravy, again, it's flexible. -I like to add some kidney beans and sometimes mixed veg or corn Amounts depend on servings desired and the ratio of meat to pasta you like. A starting point would be 1#-2# of meat, 1-2 cups of macaroni, small to large jar/can of sauce and add the amount of other things you like. I also like to add some pepperoni for a bit of spice. Again, season as you like. Garlic bread goes great with it. Veggies can be served on the side or mixed into these. A crisp green salad is a good accompaniment to thse too.

Microwave pasta, courtesy of Pbrisjar... Take a large microwave-safe lidded dish and put in some water (maybe about 1/3-less than 1/2 full) and salt and / or spices if you want. Place in microwave and cook until hot (about 5 minutes for the size I cook). Take out of microwave and add pasta until the water just covers it. DO NOT overfill your container. Leave room for the bubbling/boiling action. Cook for about 18 minutes. The water should become completely absorbed by the pasta. If it's not quite cooked enough, you can add a little more water and cook for about 4-5 minutes more. Here are some useful threads: Wish you had not packed away Tips for living without a sink for a week? What/how do you eat when you have no kitchen? temporary kitchen must-haves Demo Now Days Away--Getting Cold Feet Thread: Great ideas for coping during construction (it's no longer available on GW, so I copied & pasted it from my files) Posted by imrainey (My Page) on Thu, Aug 2, 07 at 14:21 We're getting close. I've got appliances in but not their front panels and handles. Yesterday the counter went on and we could no longer wedge our fingers between the door of the dishwasher and the gasket to open it and use it. My daughter suggested large Command hooks (the kind that you pull a tab to release the adhesive completely and mess-free). We installed two hooks with a 5 lb. pull strength upside down on the unfinished front. Magic! Only about $5, we can now open it with ease and we'll be able to reuse the hooks for something else when the panels and handles go on. I'm off to get two more for the front of the fridge and freezer. Wish she had suggested it a week ago! I might even take up mountain climbing now that I've become so adept at wedging my fingertips in tiny spaces to pull. ;> Who's come up with other make-dos and work arounds? Let's get them all in one spot to make it easier for the guys just starting out. Follow-Up Postings: Posted by aliceinwonderland_id (My Page) on Thu, Aug 2, 07 at 15:00 #1: Maintain a sense of humor. #2: I had a portable dishwasher and hooked it up in the bathroom while the kitchen was a mess. The only modification I needed to make was to replace the aerator on the bathroom faucet with one that fit the dishwasher attachment. #3: Keep the margarita glasses handy. Posted by chmpgntst (My Page) on Thu, Aug 2, 07 at 15:18 Oh my gosh, the portable dishwasher idea is genius. For me, the hardest part of the reno was doing dishes in subprime environments (i.e., powder room pedestal sink). I have two small children, and for others in that situation, I recommend signing up for classes (we did soccer and tumbling), and hunting down every library and nature center in the area. I'd pack PBJ, fruit and drinks (Horizon makes shelf-stable milk boxes -- so convenient!) and we'd have picnics -- sometimes just on the front lawn. Oh, and, keep the margarita glasses handy. ;-) Posted by decodilly (My Page) on Thu, Aug 2, 07 at 16:08 Pre-made food from Trader Joes paper plates, cups and plastic utensils 2 buck chuck to offset the price spent on dinner out a coffee station in the diningroom bring in laundry to the cleaners- love their fluff and fold service...beats the Laundromat (our laundry is also non-functional) plastic margarita glasses? :) Posted by cat_mom (My Page) on Thu, Aug 2, 07 at 16:15 Wine glasses, too, and a fully stocked wine rack! Posted by beatrix_in_canada (My Page) on Thu, Aug 2, 07 at 16:40 We were able to turn the rumpus room in the basement into a very functional kitchen. It has a small bar area with a tiny sink. The sink is basically useless but it gives us water and the dishwasher could be installed!! We paid $150 to get an electrician to wire 240V for the old stove to be moved down. Very good investment! The old fridge was moved down as well. It is dark and cold (60-65 F most of the year) down there but very functional. Posted by kkcooks (My Page) on Thu, Aug 2, 07 at 17:01 Our tear-out starts next week, while we are on vacation. I (sadly) packed up the wineglasses last night. DH, however, remembered that we had some plastic ones from years ago. They will be much used in our temporary kitchen (newly-renovated screened porch). The GC is moving our fridge there--and we have lots of paper and plastic ware. I saved a few real plates in case I reach my limit with paper. I tried one dishwashing escapade in the bathroom sink--that was enough to convince me that paper is the way to go. Those of you that can use a portable DW--how lucky! As always, it is so helpful to read about others' coping strategies for this exiciting but stressful adventure.