TV Dinners: Not Salisbury Steak Anymore

I'm having a frozen dinner tonight.

There, it's out! And I call myself a foodie? Well, yes, indeed I do. I worked all day at my technical writing job. I am manless, childless, and tired. What's a modern foodie to do?

Frozen dinners (or TV dinners as our moms called them) have come a long way since the day of the Salisbury Steak or Swanson Hungry Man TV Dinner (remember the one with the little brownie dessert?). Tonight I shall dine on Ethnic Gourmet's All Natural Palak Paneer: slow-cooked spinach and homemade cheese cubes tossed in a savory sauce, with seasoned, long grain rice. The package boasts that my dinner is "all natural" with "no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives." I've whipped up a bit of homemade cucumber-tomato raita and a makeshift mango lassi with a fresh mango, milk, plain yogurt, a touch of sugar, and some water, and viola, a quick Indian feast.

Now, this is not what I always eat when I eat Indian. I know how to cook REAL Indian food, thanks to my ex-husband who is British and cut his baby teeth on curries, dals, and pappadums. But hey, if you're craving Indian and don't have the time or energy to assemble and wait for that amazing array of pungent spices to emerge from your own pots and pans, why not try the next best thing - one of the many amazing frozen dinners available right in your own supermarket.