Fast Food

A few years back I would agree that Fast Food comes from the Golden Arches or the local pizza place, even Chinese takeaways were normal. It is convenient to take a night off once a week and order in, it's even nicer to go out with Superman on my own sometimes.

However, I cannot remember the last time (besides for our London trip, which doesn't count!) when I ordered in or ate out. Ordering in doesn't take any quicker than cooking at home (about 40 mins is the average) and eating out takes forever.

Then there is the heartburn overfed feeling afterwards that lasts long into the evening as those hydrogentated fats settle in - yuck. So we just don't make it a habit to order in.

But every now and again I forget to take something out of the freezer, or I don't plan my meals, and then I am in trouble. Last night was such a night...at about 5.00 I realized that in about 1 hr my children would be climbing the walls with hunger and I was preoccupied packing orders for my business so had forgotten to sort out dinner earlier.

Here was my fast food...

Tomato pasta sauce made a couple of weeks ago and ricotta cheese - 1 min (I must learn to make my own!)

Spinach from the garden (5 mins)

Batch of pasta (20 mins)

Mix ricotta, spinach. grated nutmeg, salt and pepper...3 mins

Place 1/3 of the sauce in the bottom of the dish...roll spinach mix into cut sheets, place in dish - 10 mins

Pour over rest of sauce, cover with grated cheddar and mozarella...3 mins

Bake at 190 deg C for 15 mins...serve and eat.

57 minutes...supper is ready! Cost - only the cheeses directly, but a fraction of what a meal out would cost. Enjoyment? Pure tastebud pleasure :-)