The Garden’s Bounty

Interpreting the allowed “one-stop-on-the-way-home” rule to mean my garden, I picked fresh tomatoes, zucchini, Anaheim chiles, basil and parsley. Once in my kitchen, I opened the refrigerator to a wealth of leftovers from a summer weekend visit with college-age son and daughter. I started by sauteing some sliced green onions found in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, I washed and diced the garden harvest, which I added to the skillet along with a few cups each of leftover cooked brown rice and cooked, peeled shrimp. I covered the skillet and steamed everything until the vegetables were tender-crisp and the shrimp was warm, about 5 minutes. The result was a heavenly dish reminiscent of paella. Crusty rolls and juicy fresh peaches completed the dinner.

--MARY ANN DAMES

From the Internet

How do you get dinner on the table fast? We mean real fast. The rules: No more than one stop on the way home, no more than 10 minutes’ prep time. The rest is up to you. To share your idea, write to The Last Minute, Los Angeles Times Food Section, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053. Or e-mail us at food@latimes.com.