It’s only 2 days before payday and your cupboard is looking pretty slim. The last time you shopped for groceries, each single item on your list had gone up substantially and you had to trim your list accordingly. So what’s for dinner? As the old proverb goes, when times get troublesome, the tricky get going. Here’s an idea for dinner that fulfills all of your objectives. Mouth watering , filling, delicious and quick to fix. A single giant potato, bits of this and that and your microwave will supply a satisfying meal in just minutes.

The microwave baked potato provides the base for your dinner. Instead of wait 45 mins to an hour for an oven-baked potato, try the microwave baked potato. Some purists claim that a microwave baked potato does not stand up to the oven baked potato as the texture of the completed potato is a little different. Don’t believe it! A giant potato takes just eight to 10 mins in the microwave. Be certain it’s completely cooked – that is the trick to simulating the oven baked potato texture.

The microwave baked potato must be punctured with a fork all around, top, bottom and sides. This allows the potato to steam and cook just as its oven-baked counterpart.

While your potato is cooking, assemble your dressings. Very similar to a salad, you can pile leftovers and gourmet goodies to make this meal both a totally mouth watering and nutritious dinner.

A slice of bacon or ham contributes protein. Butter is a necessity. A bit of grated cheese provides calcium. Do you have some parsley, chives or onions? Throw them into the mix. What about some chopped olives? Your microwave baked potato is coming into maturity now. Look thru your remains, too frequently going to waste. What about that small bit of corn, begging to be used? Pile that on your burgeoning microwave baked potato meal. One mushroom, cut and fried off adds a gourmet touch. Hmm. What else? Aha! There is a spoonful of sour cream. More calcium, with the bonus of a delicious tasting topping.

Your frig doubtless holds heaps of bits of food that may complement your microwave baked potato meal. herbs can make this meal more than gratifying. The neutral flavour of the potato makes it an ideal partner for virtually anything you need to add.

So when you believe there’s nothing to eat, get that potato out and build yourself a tasty meal. Your microwave makes it fast and your apparently bare cupboard will fill in the blanks. Eat hearty!.

If you enjoy cooking and making food, visit cooking101.org for more recipe and guides on how to cook quality meals. Along the way, you might want to check out bake potatoes.