is corn the devil?

No! Wait!  Don't run away!  This won't be another CORN IS EVIL post to add to the rest of the propaganda you've carefully placed in the circular file.  I don't think corn is making America fat - overeating is what's making America fat.

I just kind of dislike cornstarch once in a while.  That's all.

Cornstarch is another one of those things with which I have a love-dislike relationship.  On the one hand, it makes baked goods surprisingly more squishy (in a good way) and has the magical power to thicken sauces.  On the other hand, if added to sauces "incorrectly," it has the magical power to form little tapioca-looking globs that do not look at all appetizing.  Also, it makes tofu stick together.

Tonight's dinner was Better-Than-Takeout Tofu Stir-Fry from Vegan on the Cheap.  The recipe instructed me to cube the tofu, sprinkle it with what I felt was an excessive amount of cornstarch, and then "toss to coat."  Easier said than done, friends.  If you've never done this, let me make two recommendations.

1. DON'T
2. If you insist on ignoring my first suggestion, for the love of all things beautiful, use something other than your hands to "toss to coat."  This bears repeating if you have beautiful, long fingernails that tofu and cornstarch could lodge themselves underneath.

I still don't know exactly what the point of that little adventure was.  It was probably supposed to make a nice crispy outside for the tofu but I messed it up somehow.  It was crispy, but nothing that couldn't have been achieved without making the huge mess I made.  Also, I have mixed feelings about unnecessary additions to food.  The sauce was outstanding and Mister was completely psyched about the broccoli, so we'll definitely have this again, but next time, I'll probably just saute the tofu sans messy white powder (okay, that didn't quite come out the right way).

As busy as I've been this week, it looks like the next two weeks are going to be even crazier... I'm in a little bit of a conundrum in terms of the upcoming weekend and new menu planning.  Maybe, if you're so inclined, you could offer some assistance.  I am growing increasingly exhausted and worn out as the days pass, to the point where only our financial situation has kept me from ordering pizza (since I pass Blackbird on the way home from work) or dragging Mister out to Maoz or Cedars.  I am contemplating doing something I have never done before: making a week's worth of dinner on Sunday and refrigerating/freezing it until it's time to eat it.  The main reason this idea is unattractive to me, though, is because I enjoy cooking - it actually helps me to relax sometimes.  I guess I could do a combination of make-ahead and fast-cooking dinners as a middle ground.

What do you do about dinner when your life gets super busy?