My wife says part of being a good cook is knowing where to find the best bakery.
When we lived in DC, she worked with a woman who never cooked. But she would have people over and pick up cookies from the bakery. She also kept a roll of cookie dough in the freezer and before company came would bake one cookie, so that it smelled like she had baked them all...
Oohh, devious............I like it!
-Kevin