Dinner tips for weary housewives

When you finally drag yourself up the stairs at home, dog-tired and ravenous after hours of overtime at the office, that is hardly the time for creative antics in the kitchen. No, at such times there are three things that will save the remains of the day: wine, a packet of something freeze-dried and herbs.

First - the wine. If you are practically minded, you’ll probably have a bag-in-box strategically placed somewhere, so you can easily pour yourself a little stimulant before you start rummaging through drawers and cupboards for anything freeze-dried - whatever, just as long as it doesn’t take more than ten minutes to cook and doesn’t require anything added but a little milk. Today's catch in my kitchen was Pasta Carbonara. (Which actually doesn’t take much more than ten minutes to prepare if you do it the proper way either, but that's beside the point.)

While the whole thing simmers, you can lay the foundation for a beautiful table by throwing on a checkered tablecloth. If you have cut flowers in the house, then by all means get the vase. If not, any old flower-pot will do.

Soups and casseroles don’t require much cutlery, and that saves the washing up.

And finally, when you have sloshed the food into some bowls, it is time for le Pièce de Resistance: fresh herbs! Since you are, after all, not a complete slob in the kitchen all the time, you will of course have a selection of something green and fragrant on the windowsill. (I would have shown you a photo of my herbs, had it not been for the fact that they were so withered and dry that a few sprigs was all I could muster.)

And presto, it is time to invite the man in your life to the table with a kiss and a dewy glass, and he’ll be simply dazzled by how you could whip up such a meal in mere minutes. Kiss him again, and he may even clear the table and do the dishes afterwards, while you can curl up on the sofa with another glass of wine and your favourite magazine.

I’d just like to remind you that there is still time to try your luck in my little mini-giveaway, where you can win a tea towel that your husband will certainly appreciate when does the drying up.