Semi-homemade is A-OK

I was obsessed with Food Network when I was in high school and college. Occasionally, I'd watch Semi Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee (no relation). “Semi homemade” referred to the show's premise of using some percentage of pre-made foods in combination with fresh ingredients to create dishes and full course meals. Even though her style of food wasn't quite up my alley, Sandra's approach showed me how store-bought food can be used strategically to make a homemade meal come together easier, faster, and with less stress.

It's fabulous to use all fresh ingredients and cook everything from scratch. But it can also be a romanticized ideal that's physically, financially, and/or developmentally unattainable for some. So to borrow a page from Sandra's book, I'm sharing some of my favorite ways to fix up and lean on ready-made items.

These are a few of my favorite things. 

Shortcuts and Multi-taskers

Frozen dumplings
Sure, they may have a few extra ingredients compared to homemade ones. But they can easily turn into a more balanced meal by adding a handful of bok choy, cabbage, or choy sum (菜心).

 

Pre-washed/chopped veggies
My gosh, do I dislike stripping/washing/drying kale! I fully acknowledge the extra plastic waste that can come from pre-washed/chopped veggies. But I'd probably write off eating kale altogether otherwise. Bagged kale is my go-to for omelets and soups.  

 

Jarred marinated artichokes 

Instantly elevates a pile of arugula or my bag of kale for a salad. If I'm out of veggies, a cup of roughly chopped marinated artichokes saves me from eating a plate of uninspired pasta and tomato sauce. It also makes for a fancy pesto when mixed with basil/parsley and lemon juice in a food processor! 

 

Hummus 
Excellent as a dip on its own but also as a sandwich spread and a salad dressing. For the latter, thin it out with water or lemon juice.

 

Rotisserie chicken or Chinese steamed chicken from restaurant

Another item that's great on its own but also infinitely versatile. Serve it with rice, on top of veggies, strip the meat and stir into porridge or soup, fold into a quesadilla or layer in a sandwich. 

 

Thai curry paste 

I must have watched 735 videos on how to make it from scratch. But I have -5% motivation to gather 13 ingredients and bust out a mortar and pestle that I do not own. With store-bought curry paste, I can be in charge of how much veggies and protein at a fraction of the cost. Because let's face it, there's never enough of them in a restaurant portion, and I'm not paying $6 extra for more protein. 

 

Add grains and veggies to takeout, leftovers, and meal kits

I get excited about the leftover tikka marsala sauce after all the chicken and paneer pieces are eaten because I know it'll become a delicious second meal. Warm up the sauce with some baked tofu cubes and defrosted veg and serve with whatever cooked grains available -- voila! Pro tip from a client: they used a meal delivery service after having a newborn and would add grains and veggies they cooked earlier in the week to stretch the meals and reduce meal prep time! 

 

Pre-peeled/minced garlic 

Pre-minced garlic has been divisive since the beginning of time. While people can debate about its flavor, it's hard to dispute how it can save busy people a few minutes or help out those who are physically unable to crush and peel and mince the cloves. In defending garlic in a jar, Gabrielle Drolet wrote one of my favorite pieces in 2022 on how “the culture that surrounds cooking today is one that lends itself well to casual ableism." It's great reminder that “the wrong way of cooking” can be someone else's best or most available way. 

Excerpt above is from the February 2023 Hey 起! (pronounced hey hey) newsletter. You can view the issue here or subscribe to the newsletter here.

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