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Instead of a traditional salad, why not a wide variety of crudite. You could make a bagna cauda so that guests could dip in either

Always! Like huney_bumper, I take a day or two and cook plenty (sometimes, not just for the week ahead - if I make things like spring rolls, dumplings, meatballs, croquettes or other "freezable" food stuff, I always make sure I make extra and freeze). I love cooking, but I would not want to (or rather, wouldn't be able to) have to cook dinner every day no matter how I feel or how tired I am... So yes, I certainly plan and cook ahead, which is why when I go food shopping, I go with a list in accordance with my "plan" (I probably sound like the most boring person on the planet now:-)). It doesn't mean that I won't ever deviate from my list though :-).

i'll make a big pot of soup and freeze it into individual portions once every few months, but that's about as far ahead as i can plan.

I am the ultimate lazy cook. I cook on the weekend for the entire week. If I'm really good, I make a big something for lunch and a big something else for dinner. I can't count the amount of food I've wasted because I told myself I was going to cook during the week. It just sits in the fridge and spoils.

Now this only works because I live alone and I don't mind leftovers! I package the lunch stuff in indivdual servings, so that I can grab and go in the mornings.

http://nujoikitchendiary.blogspot.com/

I usually roast off a chicken or two on a Sunday - or grill enough food to make up some component of my weeknight meals. I try to keep things simple and it also helps to keep a good pantry. I have tomatoes in so many shapes and forms, it's mind boggling - but they all get put to good use.

Keeping quick cooking fish fillets is also helpful.

Be creative about what you think of as "dinner." An omelet is a perfectly respectable dinner; as is the occasional bowl of cereal after a particularly trying day.

Easy, easy, easy but feels like luxury and packs a great nutrition punch:
Whole wheat toaster waffles
Morningstar Farms sausage links
Topped with mixed berries (originally frozen, then nuked) and fat-free sour cream.

Oh my. So lovely. And a little sugar-free syrup never hurt anybody, either.

Pink! And nope, never purchased them online. I usually buy them at my local Asian grocery, and they are absolutely spectacular there.

Glad to see I'm not the only one who likes the grapefruit season! jcrisco---that cake is amazing! I have made a good fruit salad by combining oranges, grapefruit & a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds!

What is your favorite---white, red or pink? Have you ever purchased from an online source?

I'm with DaveFaris and Kerosena on this one, although I eat the membranes around the segements unless they're really thick.

Steam time clarification:

The steam time for wontons is going to vary & is dependent upon 3 things:

1. The meat used.
2. Proportion of meat to other ingerdients
3. How much each wonton is stuffed with.

Add to this that different steamers maintain different temps (like an oven) and you end up with a very wide range of steam times.

I usually make pretty substantial wontons with pork & not a lot of other ingredients...or use round gyoza wrappers to make some hefty dumplings. In this case, I err on the side of caution & cook them for a longer amount of time....which may be excessive...

The main thing is to take one out & test...once you have your method, equipment & recipe calibrated, you can use that time.

For your basic cream cheese wonton, things couldn't be simpler.

1 block cream cheese.
About 1 tablespoon white sugar.
A big squeeze from a lemon.

Mix it all together, and put it in the middle of some raw wonton wrappers. Just kinda squeeze the wrapper up around the cream cheese mixture, but there's no need to seal it up completely.

Fry them in your choice of oil for really only about 10 seconds. Wontons should be stiff, but still light in color when you remove them from the oil. Set them on a rack or some paper towels to dry off. They will turn a nice brown as the remaining oil finishes cooking them.

Add crab for an easy crab rangoon.

Here are two that I make (for 1 package of wrappers each)-

1 lb coarsely ground beef/pork mix
¼ lb chopped nira (Japanese leek)
½ lb firm tofu (coarse Korean style)
¼” piece ginger (microplaned)
2 large garlic cloves (microplaned)
1 T sugar
1/3 C soy sauce
¼ C sake
½ t salt
pepper

The other is kimchi- its super easy- the kimchi has pretty much all the flavoring you need.

1 lb coarsely ground beef/pork mix
2 large handfuls of squeezed kimchee, chopped (do not rinse)
¼ C sake
salt

For both recipes, stir/mix going in one direction only- this helps the meat fibers line up and make for a nicely textured filling.

Enjoy!