The evening arrived, as it always does, with a quiet demand for dinner. My brain, however, was in a different zip code entirely. After a day of chasing toddlers and an endless pile of emails, the idea of multiple pots and pans felt like an insult. I just wanted something that would magically appear, cooked and ready, with minimal fuss.

I peered into the fridge, hoping for inspiration. A package of Italian sausage stared back. Okay, good start. Then some bell peppers looking a little tired, and a bag of mini potatoes. A glimmer of a plan, a truly lazy plan, began to form.

continued on next page