I don't use a lot of prepared things, but I always have a few jars of various Thai curry pastes (green, yellow, red, Mussaman) on hand. And if you're willing to search out the Asian area of your town, you'll find cheaper and a lot more flavorful varieties than the generic ones in the grocery store.
If you have the paste and some canned coconut milk... all you need to add is some vegetables... meat/seafood/chicken... soy sauce (and fish sauce if you have it) and dinner's ready. Many Thai recipes call for basil leaves... but if it's winter and I don't have any... then a big spoonful of pesto (that I KNOW you made from your garden, and then froze!) does the trick just fine. And, if you happened to grow some Thai basil... and have a supply of Thai pesto in the freezer...
