Cooking Efficiency

I love cooking shows, but when I watch them I am reminded how much easier it is too be a foodie in the cooking show world: people to help with clean-up, large budgets, and all the best equipment. For instance, I love Barefood Contessa, but watching that show usually makes me feel that being foodie is incompatible with cooking on a budget or in a less than fantastic kitchen. 

So, how do be a foodie when fancy equipment, a carefree grocery budget, and full kitchen go away?   Can you still be a foodie without a stainless steel stove, a pantry full of exciting ingredients, or the latest Le Creuset and Cuisinart? 

I sure hope so.  

Just for the semester, I am renting a backside extension of a house.  When the main part of the house was empty, I had access to the kitchen.  But, on Nov. 1^st, the main house took on new tenants and so I now find myself kitchenless.  For the next month or so, this is my kitchen and pantry . . . . 

 my prep space . . . 

 my storage space . . . 

 and coffee area. 

If this has happened in September, I would have bought a two-burner hot plate and lived a fairly easy cooking life.   Since I only have to make it until Dec. 15^th when I move out, spending thirty bucks on something I won’t need in the future seems a little gratuitous.   Also, since money is tight, eating out regularly or relying to heavily on TV dinners isn’t really feasible either. 

So, I’ve got to learn the fine art of cooking efficiency.  Over the next month, recipes started with "Cooking Efficiency" will be about fixing dinner with the aid of microwave, slow cooker, and coffee maker.  Any suggestions?