Improvising - we've all done it!

[VeraBlue]

Many of you know I just don't have the inclination to cook during the week. Unfortunately, I have discovered it is still necessary to fuel the machine. It's funny that way.

I had a busy day, lots of catering. I also had a late afternoon manicure/pedicure appointment. I didn't get home till 6:30 (I start work at 6:45am) and wasn't prepared to forage till 7pm.

Call me ol' Mother Hubbard, for the cupboard was bare.....sort of.

Taking stock, I discovered half a package of frozen steak'um things. There were 4 questionably dated slices of potato bread and 2 even more questionable slices of provolone cheese. I had 1/3 jar vinegar pepper slices.

I toasted 2 slices of bread, nuked the meat thing and then melted the cheese on top. I placed this on the toast and topped with the peppers.

Viola, cheesesteak! sort of. I wish I lived closer to Tony Lukes...

What's your best improvisation...?

 

[Alix]

Well I improvised lemon herb chicken tonight (normally bbq this, but its too wet and cold today), and thought I would thicken the lemon marinade and cook it for a sauce. Um...no. Bad mistake. MUCH too lemony. Blech.

 

[TATTRAT]

Ramen noodles with bagged frozen veg(carrots, peas, brocc,)and steak scraps. Cheap pho.

Perhaps not the "Best" improv, I'ld have to think on that, there have been quite a few happy accidents. They seem to come best after a night of "special waters" and you get hungry, but everything for delivery/carry out is closed.

 

[Dina]

Improvised tonight since I was as beat as you from work, except I would have loved to be pampered with a manicure/pedicure appointment afterwards. I rested for half hour, took some wonderful medication for anxiety and stress and made a quick lasagna with ground beef, Prego sauce and packaged shredded mozzarella cheese. Threw everything together and voila! Dinner's done!

 

[kitchenelf]

I would say my two best improvs are ramen noodles with an egg poached in them when they are almost done (or you can stir for an egg drop soup effect) then I pour some Tiger Sauce in it - if I have it I will add cilantro and lime.

My other favorite - I think someone on here posted it and it has saved me from passing out a time or two when I was starving!!! Make some kind of noodle (I usually have angel hair). When aldente toss with some cottage cheese, garlic powder, and parsley and nuke to melt the cottage cheese - I was amazed at how good it was and it has the carbs AND protein.

 

[sattie]

Ok, this is really bad... but I was making broccoli cheese soup and I normally use milk, (rec. calls for heavy cream, but milk suits just fine) but happened to be out that day and I had already started to make the soup. I am sure it would have been fine without the milk, but instead I took a 2 tblsp of plain yogurt and diluted it with 2 tblsp of water..... guess in hind sight I really did not need to do all that, but I felt it was important!!!!

Just call me goofy! I guess it is crazy when you want something so bad that you will improvise on the ingredients.

 

[mish]

My other favorite - I think someone on here posted it and it has saved me from passing out a time or two when I was starving!!! Make some kind of noodle (I usually have angel hair). When aldente toss with some cottage cheese, garlic powder, and parsley and nuke to melt the cottage cheese - I was amazed at how good it was and it has the carbs AND protein.

I can't believe there's someone else out there that likes this "in a pinch" dish. I boil broad egg noodles, add butter S&P, then mix in cold cottage cheese -- no nuking though. Next time I may add some diced tomatoes. This was one of my grandma's concoctions. It's comfort food to me.