Go to Dinners

Some suppers reflect special occasions: Birthdays and Anniversaries, Valentines Day, guests over, Thanksgiving, Seders.  Some recur like shabbos.  And some just need meals.  Like busy people everywhere, some convenience matters.  I use electric appliances.  Rarely buy premade meals but I also don't make my own ice cream.  As phony meat becomes more prevalent, I will get some on sale.  Easy to store and prepare, adequate taste and versatility.  But amid convenience, I have my staple meals created de novo. Macaroni & Cheese replicated from Automats of days when I found Horn & Hardart my NYC lunch destination.  Dairy Lasagna with thawed spinach.  Cholent in its various forms assembled early Friday morning, good for shabbos and half frozen for the next shabbos.  Pan seared chicken breast for shabbos.  Maybe a package of Hebrew National Franks boiled or broiled.  Quiche now that I know how to  make easy olive oil crust.

They have a few things in common.  All are suppers.  Most last two meals.  Most require multiple steps with assembly.  All are forgiving on recipe variations.  All give me a sense of having accomplished something worthwhile at the end of the day irrespective of how the previous hours played out.

Worth the effort.  Each time they come out a little different, except maybe the hot dogs which vary with what bread and toppings are at hand.  And the beverage options create their own variety, though less so since I've banned the evil soda from my refrigerator and some of the more unique beers have risen in price beyond my limit.  Still they make good meals, some effort, big reward.