Book excerpt: The Domestic Goddess is back -- and this time it's instant. Nigella and her style of cooking have earned a special place in our lives, symbolizing all that is best, most pleasurable, most hands-on, and least fussy about good food. But that doesn't mean she wants us to spend hours in the kitchen, slaving over a hot stove. Featuring fabulous fast foods, ingenious shortcuts, terrific time-saving ideas, effortless entertaining tips, and simple, scrumptious meals, Nigella Express is her solution to eating well when time is short. Here are mouthwatering meals, quick to prepare and easy to follow, that you can conjure up after a day in the office or on a busy weekend for family or unexpected guests. This is food you can make as you hit the kitchen running, with vital advice on how to keep your pantry stocked and your freezer and fridge stacked. When time is precious, you can't spend hours shopping, so you need to make life easier by being prepared. Not that these recipes are basic -- though they are always simple -- but it's important to make every ingredient earn its place, minimizing effort by maximizing taste. Here too is great food that can be prepared quickly but cooked slowly in the oven, leaving you time to have a bath, a drink, talk to friends, or help the children with their homework--minimum stress for maximum enjoyment . . . Nigella Express features a new generation of fast food--never basic, never dull, always doable, quick, and delicious. Featuring recipes seen on Food Network's Nigella Express series.