Real Simple picks 37 foods that taste great and save time
Anna Williams
Shelf
Buitoni Focaccia Bread Mix. The next best thing to an Italian bakery in the neighborhood is a supermarket that carries this mix. Stir it, ignore it while it rises, bake it, and call it your own. Substitute fresh rosemary and coarse salt for the seasoning packet.
Barilla no-boil lasagna noodles. Barilla has made assembling lasagna so easy, you don't have to wait for a rainy Sunday to make a batch.
Barilla Pasta Sauce. Of all the jarred sauces, these nongoopy, not-too-sweet, just-the-right-garlic formulas in the blue-labeled jars are best.
Pastene Pesto. No basil leaves to wash, no food processor to clean. Toss it with frozen tortellini or fold it into scrambled eggs. Spread it on baguettes instead of mustard.
Annie's Homegrown macaroni and cheese. Annie's makes the only acceptable boxed macaroni and cheese. The Organic Shells & White Cheddar is our favorite — no Day-Glo orange in this box. In grocery stores and at www.annies.com.
Alessi Risotto. A bit salty but convenient. Try Porcini Mushrooms or Sun Dried Tomato. Sold in supermarkets, or call 800-282-4130 for store locations.
Goya Spanish Style Yellow Rice. The entire Goya line is a winner. Mix the rice with raisins and nuts for a novel side dish.
Eden Organic Canned Beans. The adzuki beans and the soybeans, as well as all the usual black and white ones, are tasty and organic.
Roasted red peppers. The jarred version tastes like fresh peppers you blacken under the broiler, steam, peel, core, seed, and slice — if you have time for all that. And who does?
Canned whole chilies. See roasted red peppers, above.
California Harvest Portabella Mushroom Tapenade. You can spread it on toast, dab it on broiled chicken breasts, use it on sandwiches, and dollop it on pizzas.
Swanson Natural Goodness low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth. Really chickeny and the only big-name brand that doesn't have a throat-coating aftertaste.
More Than Gourmet Demi-Glace Gold Classic French beef stock. You'll never settle for canned beef broth again. Reduced and spiked with sherry, this stock makes a no-stress sauce for meat; www.morethangourmet.com.
Dried rice noodles. Rice pasta may be the noodle of the new millennium. (Wheat is so last century.) Most kinds need just a dip in hot water to soften.
Vong Tamarind Sauce. The tamarind is good, but the peanut is a knockout, too. Toss a pound of slivered chicken breasts with 1/2 cup of the sauce, then skewer and grill. Sold in specialty stores or at www.starchefs.com.
A Taste of Thai Green Curry Mix. Fire-extinguisher hot. Dish up this curry base with jasmine rice.
Thai Kitchen dried lemongrass. Fresh lemongrass is easy to find in most big markets, but with a jar of dried lemongrass, you can add a lemony sparkle to dressings, marinades, or soup on the spur of the moment.
Thai Kitchen Spicy Peanut Satay Sauce. Serve it with skewered shrimp, chicken, and beef at cocktail parties. Toss it on noodles for a light entree, or serve it instead of the usual mayonnaise-based dip for crudites.
Tasty Bite Indian meals. Fabulous Indian dinners with a hokey name. They're sold boxed in pouches that you heat in boiling water; www.tastybite.com.
McCann's Quick Cooking Irish Oatmeal. This stir-and-serve cereal has a nutty chewiness and an authenticity that used to come only after an hour on the stove.
Vermont Gold pancake mix. Try the blueberry or apple cinnamon (and make it with apple juice instead of water); www.vermontgoldusa.com.
Ghirardelli Double-Chocolate Muffin Mix and Ghirardelli Brownie Mix. Because they are made with world-famous Ghirardelli chocolate, these muffins and brownies taste as if they came from an expensive coffeehouse.
