Lazy cooking

So says Michael Pollan:

A hallmark of the Western diet is food that is fast, cheap, and easy. Americans spend less than 10 percent of their income on food; they also spend less than a half hour a day preparing meals and little more than an hour enjoying them. For most people for most of history, gathering and preparing food has been an occupation at the very heart of daily life. p. 145

I can really identify with this.  When you look at animals in the wild like those adorable meerkats on Meerkat Manor basically their entire day is consumed with foraging/hunting and sleeping.  Generations ago the mere act of preparing a breakfast would have taken at least an hour.  Nowadays, all you need to do is pop open a can of Pillsbury Golden Layers(r) Butter Tastin'(r) biscuits and you got yourself some good eatin'!

I must admit that I'm a lazy cook.  My typical recipe for spaghetti consists of the following:

Ingredients:

1 package of whole wheat pasta

1 jar of Barilla Basil-tomato sauce

1 package of ground turkey breast

1 bottle of wine, the Orin Swift Prisoner if I feel like being fancy

Procedure:

1. Open wine.  Pour generous glass.  Drink wine.

2. Place turkey in skillet.  Cover skillet.

3. Place pot of salted water to boil.  Drink wine.

4. Head to the living room to watch latest reality show on the tube.

5. Walk back to kitchen to retrieve wine glass.

6. Drink wine and laugh at the funny buffoons on tv.  That Tila Tequila is so crazy!

7. Head back to the kitchen - throw the pasta in the boiling water.  Refill wine glass

8. Crumble ground turkey, add sauce.

9. Turn on the radio and bust a move while waiting for the pasta to cook.

10.  Drain pasta, spoon sauce on top.

11.  Add shaved parmesan and fresh basil as les pièces de résistance and to make it uber Klassy

Shameless, I know.  But a couple of days ago, I made a vegetable soup from scratch (more or less) using the carrots and peas I picked up at the Farmer's Market.  I had it for lunch today (unfortunately I left my Trader Joe's whole wheat tandoori bread in the car and since I'm still trying to take it easy on my ankle, I couldn't go and retrieve it.  Nuts.)  But the soup was surprisingly satisfying and I'm happy!  Good thing too, because I have a whole pot of it in the fridge.  I'll post the recipe when I get home...