I should be a Food Network Star

Alright, so I don't look like Giada ... I don't cook with enough butter to be in the same ranks as Paula Dean ... I don't have a Le Cordon Bleu education like Bobby Flay ... I don't have the irritating quality as Rachael Ray ... but I've got ideas!

So, here's the deal ... I've got an idea for a show. To pick up where others left off...

See, Rachael Ray is great with her 30 minute meals, but you have to sit there and babysit them the whole time. They aren't exactly conducive to cooking with a two-year-old at your feet or standing on a chair going through the kitchen drawers looking for the sharpest object possible. And Robin Miller has her Quick-Fix Meals, but that requires a lot of prep on the weekends and stuff. Sure some of her meals are put together in 10 minutes,  but who the hell wants to eat them?

What we need is a show called "Fix It and Forget It." What is it? It's dinners that require very little prep work, and ones that you can toss in the oven, in a pot, or the crockpot and forget about them. That way you can go play with the kiddos, help them with their homework, walk the dog, etc.

There are only so many hours in the day? Why should you sacrifice time with your kids, husband, etc. standing in front of the stove?

What sort of things am I thinking about? Crock pot recipes are great, especially because you can do all the prep work while the kiddos are napping (an homage to stay-at-home moms) or before you leave for work and then dinner's ready whenever you are. How about a casserole that requires throwing a bunch of stuff in a bowl, mixing it up and tossing it in the oven? (I'm not talking about lasagna which requires time to layer - that's not going to work with a little kid running around.) I'm thinking the rule here should be 15 minutes of prep or less. With as few dirty dishes/pans as necessary. No one wants to run the dishwasher after dinner EVERY night because they dirtied up all their pots in the process of making dinner. That's crazy.

I know, but it's a half-hour show ... what do you do with the other 15 minutes? Food Network shows have no lack of pretty photography - show the host out walking around, playing with the kids, grocery shopping, who cares? I'm just thinking that they are missing an opportunity to play to parents who really don't have time - or people who have no patience. Or show two different meals. I don't care.

Truthfully, this idea came from the fact that I alter so many 30-minute-meals recipes to speed up the prep work and to avoid having to stand in the kitchen forever.

Sigh. Odds are they've already got something in the works like this ... or they are stalking my blog, going to take my concept, and give me none of the credit (or profits) and they will probably have Guy Fieri, my *favorite* Food Network host do the show. Eh.