I post few actual RECIPES online-for a couple of reasons. First- I'm working on a cookbook that I dream of publishing one day- so I don't want to post things that I may have included in a writing project. Second- I do a lot of cooking without actual recipes- I go often by feel, touch and taste- rather than by measurements and written recipes.

Also- I do some amount of my personal cooking at home using leftovers and store-bought convenience products. For years I worked long hard hours in kitchens. When home- I still longed to, and enjoyed feeding folks- but I didn't want to spend my off-time in the kitchen from sun-up to sun-down, so I often took short cuts. Today, even though I am no longer in a professional kitchen, I still cook this way occasionally.

Some might criticize this as too "Rachel Ray", "Paula Deene" or "Sandra Lee". And to a degree- they'd be fair to. But if anyone wants to get too goofy about it- I'd happily sit down with them and compare side-by-side just how many potatoes we've peeled, how many chickens we've cut-up or boned, and how many stocks we've made from scratch, over the years!

In addition to the quick, painless "chicken & dumpling soup" offered a few minutes ago in another post- here are a couple of other effortless ones that look and taste sorta homemade- but use store-bought ingredients. These are great to throw together into a crock-pot in the morning while you're still half-asleep and rushing to get your make-up on, the dog walked, the kids dressed and their sack-lunches made for school!

Mock Italian Wedding Soup

In a low crock-pot throw:
a large box of chicken broth
frozen, pre-cooked meatballs
box of frozen spinach

when you get home from work, throw in:
some refrigerated/frozen cheese tortellini

Season, stir and when pasta is done- serve with parmesan cheese and a baguette.

Smoked Turkey/Corn Chowder

In a low crock-pot throw:
a large box chicken broth
2 large cans condensed cream of chicken (or celery) soup
picked/pulled smoked turkey meat
bag of frozen Ore-Ida cubed hash brown potatoes
canned or frozen corn
salt, pepper and a pinch of dried thyme

When you get home from work, give it a stir. Serve with a loaf of bakery bread or a pan of Jiffy Corn bread.

Most simple E-Z recipes are NOT meant to replace delicious home-made meals... but they ARE meant to replace drive-thru suppers of nuggets and burgers that many of today's busy Moms & Dads feel they must resort to, due to crazy schedules and severe time restraints.

Good food is VERY important. But I say- if you've only got a half-hour, use that half hour to talk with your kid- or to play a game or read a book with her while something E-Z bubbles in the crock-pot... and save the from-scratch, homemade, time-consuming cooking for the weekend when you have proper time. Feed your kid the best you can- and avoid Mc-Fast-Food at all costs! But if you've only got time to either cook from scratch- or hug your kid... I'd much rather you HUG YOUR KID! (And don't feel guilty about cheating in the kitchen! )

Thanks. Got any suggestions on how many family members your recipes will serve?

Hope you can enjoy them, CanMan. The "recipes" are pretty loose. No real suggestions for count of servings 'cause I purposefully left the sizes of packaging vague. There are tiny appeptizer-sized crock-pots, and extra-large crowd-sized ones... plus 2-3 sizes in the mid-range. Plus there are 1 lb. bags of frozen meatballs and cubed hash browns- as well as 3 lb. bags... so it's all kinda just up to the individual cook- and the particular meal's needs.

with the cold weather coming and busy schedules - this is a big help for many!

All of us have favorite uses for leftover Thanksgiving turkey, right? Turkey Tetrazini, shredded turkey enchiladas, soups, pasta casseroles, creamed turkey ala king over rice or noodles or biscuits, turkey hash, turkey salad, etc.

Well, this is a perfect illustration for the idea that it can be a helpful skill for busy cooks to try and pre-plan for leftovers for any meal! (Many customers don't realize this but many fantastic restuarants comprise their delicious soup du jour from leftovers!)

For the weekend meals you take the proper time to go "all out" on, make too much creamed spinach and too much rice. A day or 2 later mix the chilled creamed spin and rice together w/ a bit of shredded cheese and use to stuff chicken breasts or sole fillets.

Creamed spinach can also be used as a quiche filling (mix w/ raw eggs, some cream and cheese and pour into a pie shell).

Add chicken broth and chicken meat to creamed spin for a delicious cream of chicken florentine soup- or add canned tomato soup or leftover spaghetti sauce for yummy tomato florentine soup.

Leftover scalloped or au gratin potatoes? Stir them into a canned cream soup, a jar of store-bought alfredo sauce- or whip up a quick bechamel with milk and roux to make a kettle of cream of potato soup.

Leftover meatloaf? Break it up and make taco meat, a goulash casserole, or chili.

Got a partial casserole of leftover goulash? Stir it into a pot of simmering chicken broth, add leftover shaghetti sauce and a bag of frozen mixed veggies and any chopped-up leftover meats for a yummy, fast Minestrone.

Leftover mashed potatoes? I always use them in salmon croquettes, crabcakes, to thicken cream soups, or to mix w/ a wee bit of flour and an egg and some minced onion for potato pancakes that are to die for!

Keep in mind that leftovers- if not taken care of properly can lead to food borne illness if not refrigerated in proper time- or if not re-heated correctly. Planning to have leftovers can indeed help a busy cook- but only if done so carefully following proper kitchen safety rules.

With a wee bit of thought and pre-planning, a good cook can take the time to prepare ONE meal and have enough leftovers to quick put-together meals for the next day or two! And just remember- every healthy hot meal you make at home with leftovers- is just one more meal you're not buzzing thru a drive-thru filling your kids up on expensive junk!