SHORTORDERS

Stain prevention

Don't you hate that orange stain left in your plastic containersby foods like spaghetti sauce and chili?

Next time, try this tip, courtesy of Fine Cooking magazine:

Lightly spray the container with cooking spray before pouring inthe tomato-based sauce and the container will wash out like new.

Emergency food

My middle desk drawer is reserved for some very important officesupplies: emergency food.

This stash is for afternoons when I just can't make it untildinner, days when I forget to pack my lunch or days when it's justtoo hot, cold, rainy or snowy to run out and pick something up.

This desk pantry can vary, but often includes: a can or two ofsoup (I also keep a bowl, can opener and spoon handy), peanutbutter, energy bars or granola bars, crackers and packets of instantoatmeal.

I try to have stock that is good enough for days when I'm reallyhungry, but not so good I'm tempted to eat constantly (no M&Ms orpotato chips, for example).

Co-workers tell me they keep things like tea, cereal, peanuts,Pop-Tarts and microwave popcorn.

Fall promise

Once school starts, so do all the extracurricular activities.

And a couple nights a week, I'm faced with panic over dinner: Iforgot to take something out of the freezer in the morning, I'mtired and we're all hungry. And it's 6 p.m.

I remain determined not to rely on fast food on these nights.

It really isn't hard to come up with quick dinners, as long as westay prepared.

Linda Gassenheimer's "Dinner in Minutes: Memorable Meals for BusyCooks," (Houghton Mifflin Co., 1995) reminded me that keeping astocked pantry is key.

If you have items like pasta, canned or bottled pasta sauces,tomato sauces and prepared pizza crust, you can come up with a 20-minute dinner that even the kids will eat.

A quick salad or some cut up or canned fruit rounds out one ofthese meals (and helps allevi- ate any guilt over nutrition).

COMPILED BY

MONICA OROSZ