Can You Start Dinner?
If you are in a commuting, two-working-parent relationship, the IM correspondence with your spouse between 4:00 and 5:00 PM probably reads something like this:
d: train? m: 5:41 hopefully. u? d: 6:27. hopefully. m: dinner? d: dunno. what do u think? m: not sure. pasta? d: had pasta for lunch. chili? you there? hello?
m: S#%T !!!!!! sue just called a 5:00 mtg. prob on 6:27 w/ u.
When Remote Dinner Paralysis* strikes, you can do one of two things: You can browse all those recipe Apps you bought for this very occasion yet somehow never remember are there. Or you can call home and ask whoever answers (babysitter, 8-year-old, sock monkey) to complete a so-easy-even-a-sock-monkey-can-do-it task: put a pile of baking potatoes in the oven then turn the heat to 450°F. And then -- Sue, be damned -- you can still have family dinner on time.
*i.e. you can't think of any ideas for dinner, and you are too far away from the kitchen to open up the fridge, poke around the pantry, flip through your TFD for inspiration.
Baked Potato Bar
Bake six potatoes (or 1 1/2 potatoes per diner) in a 450°F oven for 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from oven, split , and top with any of the following:
-cheddar (before serving, add back to oven under broiler til it melts) -Caramelized onions (2 large onions, sliced and cooked on low heat for 15-2o minutes) -Cooked bacon, chopped -Broccoli (steamed) -Sour cream, Butter, Ketchup
P.S: I drew some very JV-looking "Guest Checks" for a game of restaurant over the weekend, but Phoebe decided they'd be put to better use in the real kitchen. She took our toppings orders and made sure everything matched up.