For a long time, I thought that dinner is like a performance: presentation, form, effect 🎭. I was inspired by cooking shows, bought rare spices and... got tired before I started. Then a simple thought came to me: I'm not a chef, I'm just a person who wants to eat deliciously and not burn out. And also - with a minimum amount of washing dishes 🍽️.

Now my rule: food should be kind. That is, prepared with care, but without fanaticism. I do not complicate, do not compete and do not compare. I just feed myself the best I can at the moment.

Here are three dishes that save my evenings:

Noodles with sesame sauce and cucumbers 🥒.
Boil rice noodles (5 minutes), cut cucumbers into thin strips. For the sauce: a spoonful of tahini, a spoonful of soy sauce, a little honey, a drop of vinegar. Mix everything, add a little water to the desired consistency. Mix everything - ready. Sometimes I sprinkle with sesame or peanuts for crunch.

Omelet with cottage cheese and herbs 🍳.
Two eggs, a couple of spoons of soft cottage cheese, herbs (whatever you have). Beat everything, pour into the pan, cover with a lid. After 4-5 minutes - fluffy, warm, delicious. Sometimes I add a piece of goat cheese - it turns out delicate.

Lazy Provence salad 🥗.
Cherry tomatoes, olives, cheese slices (feta, feta, even hard cheese will do), a little oil, dried herbs. Mix everything. If you have time, put a piece of toast nearby. Sometimes I add a drop of lemon juice and a little basil - the flavor immediately becomes deeper.

Each of these dishes is like a warm gesture to yourself. They don't require any effort, but they give a sense of ritual. But sometimes caring begins with the most ordinary plate of food 🍜. Or with the fact that you don't blame yourself for a semi-finished product on a particularly difficult day.