Put in a pan 2 1/2 cups of water and be too busy to notice when it boils. If half of it has boiled away then don't worry - throw in your one-cup of cous cous anyway. If all the water disappears really quickly, don't worry because you can always just throw a cup of hot water from the tap in, give it a quick stir and hope for the best.

If left for five minutes it magically turns all light and fluffy and tastes good, even if you screw it up totally. Then you can throw in some finely chopped green onions, carrots, and spike and take it to the show for the kids.

Even if you can't cook at all, this really can't be messed up. The kids will love it and eat it even if you're too busy talking to your best friends to notice dull stuff like water boiling.

vique simba