Instructions: The worst moment of hunger comes when you open kitchen doors (fridge, cabinets, pantry) and cant find anything to eat. Heres where the art of illusion comes in. My husband, for example, is always amazed when theres no food (in his mind), and I can scare up a meal.

You can too, by keeping certain ingredients on hand. Heres a list of staples to use for quick meals, by location:
Keep in the refrigerator: Eggs, salsa, a jar of roasted red peppers, mustard, relish, ketchup, Italian dressing, capers, garlic, shredded cheese, cooked meat

(ham and turkey slices), lettuce, and any leftover cooked vegetables.

Keep in the pantry: canned black beans, artichoke hearts, pickled beets, tuna, canned chopped green chilies, large cans of chicken broth, olive oil, soy sauce, sesame oil.

Keep in the freezer: hot dog buns, sausages, hot dogs, pot-stickers, and ready-to-eat shrimp.

Once those are on hand, youre ready to make these quick meals:

Eggs. Create a tasty frittata with leftover vegetables and sliced meat. Add canned mushrooms or canned roasted red peppers for flavoring and bulk.

Dry Pasta. Boil up a bag. Meanwhile, saute garlic in olive oil over low heat, add a can of tuna, a few capers, and toss the whole thing with fresh chopped parsley, if on hand.

Tortillas: Make scrambled eggs with canned mild chilies and sliced ham, and top with shredded Jack cheese and salsa. Or, heat a can black beans, add salsa and cheese. Fold either into a burrito.

Leftover vegetables: Make an antipasto plate by taking leftovers such as steamed cauliflower, broccoli, carrots or green beans and tossing them with Italian dressing. Throw in a few olives and red pepper strips. Put on a plate with sliced cheeses and ham.

More pasta: Take the above dressed vegetables, and mix them with cold pasta for a pasta salad treat. Add thawed shrimp or sliced meat.

Canned vegetables: Open a jar of artichoke hearts, or pickled beets, to liven up a bag of greens for salad. Top with thawed shrimp.

Chinese soup: Heat the can of broth. Throw in a few frozen pot-stickers and cook over medium heat until theyre heated through. At the end, add leftover vegetables, a little soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil to liven up the broth.

When all else fails, my husband makes himself a hot dog or a sausage: bun and wiener from the freezer, microwaved, with mustard, relish, ketchup, and chopped tomatoes and onions. (But I could have made him something better!)

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