Shortcuts

I've been complaining about a lack of time a lot recently.  Clearly I have some time since I manage to put these posts together...but meals with minimum effort are the name of the game as the semester draws to an end.

Simple shortcuts of late include sauce from a jar: 

The jar says nothing about how spicy it is!  I was expecting mild, but it's more like HOT!  I also think that my spice tolerance has diminished living on the East Coast (lame excuse, since my diet hasn't changed that much, but even my "medium" salsa is tasting pretty fiery these days.)

Sauce from a jar, plus frozen vegetables from a bag and some chicken, served over brown rice.  The curry came together so quickly since nearly all of it was from a package that the rice seemed to take forever.

I ate this bowl as is, but when I finished off the leftovers I added a large dollop of plain yogurt to cool it down a bit.

*****

My oldest and favorite kitchen shortcut is a box of brownie mix.  My mom started leaving the brownie making to me when I was in 3rd or 4th grade; which looking back was the start of my on-going relationship with the kitchen.  The beginning of my on-going love affair with food is harder to pin-point, since I am fairly certain it began mere seconds after my birth.

Anyway, I was in a baking mood last Sunday and Duncan Hines did not disappoint!  Minimal effort with maximum results...

...especially when topped with some tiramisu flavored ice cream.  No matter how crunched for time I feel, there's always time for dessert.