[billybofh]

Like you, I cook fresh pretty much every day. I find it quite relaxing (but then I find housework quite relaxing, so I may be broken!).

One thing I'd add to the list is a slow cooker. I don't use it very much in summer, but in winter it can be great (the winters here are fairly bleak. Actually, so are the summers - but let's not go there...).

Keep an eye on your local supermarket for special offers on cuts of meat - shove it in the slow cooker in the morning with some tomato/herbs/spices and when you get back in the evening it's done (and your kitchen has that lovely warm home-cooked smell that takes the winter chill off!). You can easily cook enough for several days in one go too.

[pkaeding]

I love my slow cooker too, but I just want to dispel the myth that a slow cooker saves much time-- it just shifts the prep time from early evening to morning. Often mornings are just as hectic :).

At least, that has been my experience, though I may make more of an effort than most to use fresh ingredients rather than canned/prepared foods (based on the slow cooker recipes online, which seem to disproportionately call for canned ingredients).

That said, I love the output of the slow cooker, and I agree it is a great tool to have. It helps to mix things up and have a different meal this week than last week.