I kind of enjoy cooking, mostly because the inevitable consequence of cooking is eating, my true passion. I rather enjoy baking, the only one in my family to do so, again primarily because it usually results in banana nut bread, food of the gods.

You mention dehydrated and FD foods mostly for emergencies. I think you need to be thoughtful here. Both those foods require water to prepare, something that well might be in short supply. The main advantage of D/FD foods is light weight, a critical factor if you are backpacking or bugging out for long distances on foot and reasonably decent water is readily available along the route. In desert conditions, it is often just as sensible to carry canned or retort packaged foods containing water to supplement the gallon of two of H2O you are already packing. Apple sauce is one of my favorites for these situations, along with a beef stew and the like - a very high percentage of water. Often you can prepare a cheap supermarket meal like mac and cheese with adjustments to the cooking - use half the amount of water, bring to a boil and let the pot sit in a cozy for five minutes, and eat - cheap, light, and nutritious.