Once a month cooking
Posted by: mestes <mestes@...>
When I do batch cooking, I use my recipes and try to organize the day. I usually do one thing, chickens or beef, etc.
I found that it's much easier to even do one or two recipes instead of a whole bunch.
Example:
Last week I found chickens on sale for $.29 a pound. I bought 15 I think. When I got home from the grocery, Caleb was asleep so I had a little time. I unwrapped a sinkful of chickens, pulled out the giblets. I washed the chickens and sorted the giblets. Hearts, livers and gizzards went into one bag for fishing with. The necks went into another bag for making stock with later.
I cut up 6 chickens. Separated the breasts, legs and backs. The backs went into the bag with the necks. I put fajita seasoning in with the leg quarters and left the breasts plain.
With the rest of the chickens, I washed them all and placed them in freezer bags with the seasonings that I would use with them. I put bbq sauce on some. Italian dressing on some. Ranch dressing and pepper and parmesan cheese on some. Catalina dressing on some. Mrs. Dash extra Spicy on some. And I salt and peppered the nicest ones for roasting.
Except for the roasting chickens, I will just take them from the freezer and pop them in the crock pot with a little hot water and let them cook. (If you aren't comfortable with this, you can thaw in teh fridge, then cook.) All the prep work is done and the actual cooking is a no-brainer.
Steam some veggies and supper is done!
I also have a good tetrazzini recipe that freezes great. For it, I boil a big pot of chickens and while they are cooling, I get everything else ready. I use more cheese than the recipe calls for and I don't measure anything at this point. I cook the spaghetti in the broth, grate the cheese, make the white sauce.......
Ingredients:
1 4# chicken, quartered
1 diced carrot
1 medium onion chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
salt and pepper
3 T butter or chicken fat
3 T flour
1 c. half and half (milk)
2 c. chicken broth
1/2 # mushrooms
1/2 # spaghetti
1/4 # grated parmesan or cheddar cheese
Instructions
1 4# chicken, quartered
1 diced carrot
1 medium onion chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
salt and pepper
Boil the chicken and the above ingredients until tender. cool, cut chicken into bite sized pieces, strain broth. (I use home canned chicken and broth already done.) (or canned chicken and canned broth)
3 T butter or chicken fat
3 T flour
1 c. half and half (milk)
2 c. chicken broth
Make a white sauce.
1/2 # mushrooms sliced. sautee in butter. Add to white sauce
Cook spaghetti according to package. (I use any leftover broth to cook it in if I have it)
Combine the sauce, chicken, spaghetti in a greased casserole. Sprinkle with cheese. ( I put the spaghetti in the casserole, add the chicken, cheese and pour the sauce over the top).
Freeze here.......
Bake in 375 degree oven until heated through and slightly brown on top.
I usually make these in large batches at a time. They freeze great!!!!!! They make great food for new moms or families in need.
I also do meat loaf in large batches and freeze. I line the loaf pans with aluminum foil and after they are frozen, I pop them out of the pans.
Chicken and dumplings is another almost instant meal around here. I make chicken broth and can it (quarts) with some chicken in it. Then, when Sam (10) wants chicken and dumplings, he just puts the broth on to boil (with some added water). While it comes to a boil, he rolls out canned biscuits and cuts them into dumplings. When the broth boils, drop in the dumplings and let it cook for 15-20 minutes. Quick lunch!
Congratulations on your adoption! How exciting!
HTH,
Dana