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Taking Control One Area at a Time
Cooking For the Holidays
Now that we have made it through Thanksgiving, lets think about Christmas, now none of that oh, do we have too stuff, of course we have to, Christmas comes every year and this year is no exception!
Even if you enjoy spending hours in the kitchen, there are times during the holidays when it just isnt possible.
There are many ways to make it feasible to still cook for your family and attend all of the seasonal functions that are required of you and your family.
Please dont neglect the basic every night meal that your family needs, there has to be time for this, and it isnt always easy. There are many options that require little preparation time:
*Casseroles:Put them together the night before, or early in the morning
*Crock-pot stews:Let them cook all day.
*Soup and sandwiches:Quick and easy, grilled cheese and soup Salads, from dinner salads to chef salads, pre-cut lettuce is a blessing.
To prepare meals in the shortest amount of time, remember that you can cook more than one item at the same time.
The pudding can be going in the microwave, while the rice and steaks cook on the stove top, followed by sautéed mushroom in the same pan as the steak.
Planning is an important part of any holiday meal, whether it is a special meal or the standard evening dinner!
Something that I have found handy is the soups I make using leftovers; you can create several from your Thanksgiving leftovers.
Boil down the turkey bones for a large amount of meat that most people arent even aware that it is there.
Add the stuffing that is left over, this serves a dual purpose, it adds flavor, but also thickens the soup. Add a few fresh vegetables to the leftover vegetables, and you have a delicious soup that can be thawed and re-heated around the holiday season, saving you lots of time.
Creativity can be a blessing in the kitchen as well as out of the kitchen as you make this Christmas a season for everyone to enjoy, even yourself.
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Preparing More Than One Meal at a Time
Meal Planning
Indecision about what is for dinner is one of the biggest road blocks to getting dinner on the table in time.
On most days, the average cook still doesnt know what is for dinner by 4 p.m. After a long frustrating day, dinner usually comes from one of three ideas:
*Preparing an old favorite, one of a few dishes that you serve all the time
*Stopping on the way home for fast food
*Fighting your way through the super market after work (we all know how much fun that is)
There is an easier way, and believe me when I say it is easier! Visualize the five nights of the week as slots that need to be filled with a menu.
If your family likes a wide variety in their menus, your weekly menu could include fish, chicken, pork, beef and some kind of meatless casserole.
If they like chicken better than anything else, have chicken two nights in the week. A desk calendar or any calendar that has room to write works great for meal planning.
Sit down and write in the main dish for each of those slots. If there is something your family really likes, plan on cooking a double batch and freezing half of it for those hectic days.
After you have entered your main dish, go back and enter your bread, vegetable, salad and desert if you want to, it really makes it easier to plan your shopping list when you do this.
Another advantage to the calendar pages, if you and your family have busy after school and work schedules. Plan your meals around those activities by writing them on the same calendar.
When planning your meals, assume dinner groundwork will take between 15 and 45 minutes.
While this may not seem like it, in the end this simple process can be a real time saver, in addition to eliminating the stress of not knowing what to cook.Meal Planning
Microwave Cooking
Molecular activity caused by wood or charcoal burning, a gas flame or electric stove has always been the traditional means of cooking foods. To cook, the heat was applied to the bottom of a pan or hot air surrounded the food, direct contact meant burnt food.
Now, we have microwaves, the greatest domestic device to hit the market since we threw away our axes and saws and bought a gas or electric stove!
Microwaves eliminate the need to heat a pan or oven because they go directly to the food to be cooked. Cooking time is speeded up as there is no need to pre-heat the over or pan, and food begins to cook as soon as the oven is started.
The microwaves are attracted to the fat, sugar, liquid and moisture in the food to be cooked, it causes the food to vibrate at a remarkable speed, and the vibration is heat energy.
This heat energy starts cooking food from the outside in, and goes on for several minutes after the food is removed, (thats why you let food stand before eating it).
This continued cooking time is taken into consideration in microwave recipes and is referred to as standing time.
Some foods that cook very quickly in a microwave are called critical ingredients these may overcook, curdle or “pop”:
*Cheese
*Eggs
*condensed milk
*Mayonnaise
*Snails
*Kidney beans
*Mushrooms
*Cream
*Sour cream
*Oysters and scallops
Keep the critical ingredients in mind when you are adapting a recipe for microwave cooking. Metals should not be used in a Microwave Oven as they may cause arching which are sparks between the metal item and the oven sides.
Metal also reflects microwaves and inhibits cooking. Rigid or dishwasher safe plastic can be used as well as glass, paper and straw baskets (for heating rolls).
Because microwaves evaporate moisture it is not advisable to use wood dishes or utensils in a microwave. It is not possible to create a chart for adapting recipes, so it is up to you to experiment!Microwaving Meats
Luaus a Traditional Type of Party
Luaus are defined in the dictionary as a traditional Hawaiian party with entertainment, they are a great deal of fun to plan and enjoy. The best time of year for a luau is during the summer when it can be held out of doors. However, some of the best I have attended have been during the winter when people just needed to get a taste of summer!
During the winter, the foods are a little more difficult to come by, but there are standbys that can be used quite effectively.
During the summer, the host can go so far as to dig a pit (if they live in the country) and roast a pig, there is nothing as tender as roasted pork from a pit, wrapped in burlap bags to keep the meat juicy, in Hawaii they wrap them in palm branches, but if you live anywhere but on the coast these may be hard to acquire.
Be sure if you get them from your neighbor you have their permission, and that they are invited to the party!
I am always amazed at the number of people who have grass skirts tucked away in their closets! People just let loose at luaus, learning to do the hula can be a lot of fun, and if you ask around, I am sure you know at least one person who knows the hula well enough to teach the basics to a bunch of friends.
You can go online and type in luau, and find an unlimited source of decorations, from grass skirts, to leis, banners, drink straws, glasses that look like coconuts; just about anything you can think or is available.
It can also be fun to create your own decorations, a cookie sheet of sand with miniature (doll) sandals and other decorations make a great centerpiece. Lay a dolls bikini out under a miniature umbrella for another cute decoration.
Leis can be created from tissue paper by stringing flowers onto a thread using a needle. This can be a fun evening for parents to spend with their children, keeping them involved in the fun. Use your imagination and have fun.Luaus a Traditional Type of Party
Leftovers, What Now?
How many times have you cleaned out your refrigerator, only to find yourself throwing away container after container of leftovers?
This is a common occurrence for most of us, as we prepare meals for family members who end up not coming home to eat.
There are several ways to save leftovers, or to utilize them another way without wasting large amounts of food.
Here are a few of my favorites, I hope that you can find your favorites from the ideas that I provide here.
Leftover roast or even steaks make delicious soups in advance for a cold winter evening when you just dont feel like cooking!
Dice up the leftover meat, and put it in a pot of water, add a few bullion cubes for taste, how about the leftover veggies from the last few days?
Dice up potatoes, carrots a small onion, season to taste, and allow to cook until vegetables are tender.
Freeze in a 1 gallon freezer bag, labeled with the name of the food and the date it was prepared.
You and your family will be really grateful for this some evening this winter when it is really cold out.
Try preparing individual portions for after school snacks for those starving teens of yours.
A hardworking husband/wife would appreciate this for work during the day, and if someone is on a special diet this can be a lifesaver for them.
Seal-a-meals are great for making individual portions that can be cooked in a pan of water when you are running late.
Use your seal-a-meal to prepare small pockets in a large bag, put a little of each item in its own pocket, and wala, you have an entire meal in one packet.
When its time to prepare it, just put a pan of water on the stove and put the entire package into the water, allow to boil and open the package, be careful, the steam is hot!
This is also a real time saver when you are alone, and running late, enjoy and use your imagination; the ideas are limited only by your creativity.Stocking Your Pantry
Ice Cream the Old Way
How many remember that ice cream didnt always come in a box in the freezer section of a store? Believe it or not, some of the fondest memories I have are of making ice cream on Grandpas front porch with an old hand cranked ice cream churn.
You needed fresh cream, your favorite fruit or just plain old vanilla extract, ice and lots of salt, not table salt, but a special kind of salt that was just for making ice cream.
The cream and flavoring went into the middle container, which was made out of metal, the salt and ice went around that, in the outer tub which was made of wood, and then the crank was put in place.
The salt was constantly replaced along with the ice, and it was exciting to watch the frost begin to form on the inside barrel of the ice cream churn, it meant the job was getting done.
It took hours to make, and it was an honor to be involved in the cranking process, because it took just the right consistent speed.
At times you felt like your arm would fall off, but remembering the taste of that rich creamy dessert was enough to keep you going.
If you had lots of brothers and sisters, plus cousins, nieces and nephews and other family members, everyone took turns.
Somewhere around the 50s they came up with an electric ice cream churn, the same great ice cream without the arm breaking churning that came with the old hand cranked model.
This still provided the fun memories that went along with the old hand crank.
Then there came ice cream in a box, and the end of some very fond memories. Everyone started buying store bought ice cream, you could still sit on Grandpas porch and eat it, but the excitement of making it was gone, progress isnt always best!Fundraising Cookbooks
Homemade Baby Foods
Have you ever tasted prepared baby foods, if so you may understand why babies spit out so much of it! The only thing I could get my sons to eat were the fruits, they would occasionally eat the cereal if I mixed fruit with them.
There is also the consideration of what is in baby foods; I realize that baby foods are prepared with care and that you dont need to worry about purchasing them.
However, there is the option of preparing your own foods, from the food you prepare for you own family, using just a few adjustments, depending on the childs age.
Always talk to your doctor before putting your child on solid foods, and remember that a babys digestive track is much more sensitive to spices and solid foods than a toddlers or adults.
When preparing foods, cooking time and tenderness are important, a blender or a food processor is a necessity.
Start with low acid foods and juices, apple juice and applesauce seem to be a standard starting diet when changing a child from formula to solid foods.
Applesauce is one of the easiest foods there is to make, simply peal and core the apples, cut up and place in a saucepan, cover with water and cook until apples are tender.
When cooled, place in a blender and add a touch of honey to sweeten, blend completely and place in an airtight container until ready to use.
Carrots or peas are also a food that babies are started on early, again, cook until tender and cool, blend and place in airtight container until ready to use.
The natural taste of peas and carrots are great, and they dont normally need any additives. As your baby becomes familiar with solid foods, you can begin to add more variety to their diet, always being aware of the sensitivity of their digestive abilities.
Almost anything your family eats can be made into baby food just go easy on additives when you start out. It is always better to make it too bland than to add to much seasoning.Cooking With Teflon
Hamburger, So Many Ways, So Little Time!
Ground beef is a generic term for meat that is ground from various parts of meat, there are specific types, identified on the label, for instance ground chuck, ground sirloin and ground round.
Meatloaf, meatballs, burgers, pizza, the variety of meals available to prepare with ground beef are limitless! Each of these have categories and types that are endless, making ground beef one of the most frequently used and popular meats on the market.
Meatloaf can be made with catsup, tomato sauce, and/or Worcestershire sauce. It can include eggs, crackers and or rice. It can be made in individual loafs, full size loafs or in pie pans.
Hamburgers can be made from meat prepared like meatloaf! Every casserole cookbook has a section on ground beef, with hundreds of yummy recipes dedicated exclusively to ground beef.
There are hamburger tater-tot-casseroles, hamburger hash brown casseroles and taco casseroles. Tacos are made with ground beef as are many other Spanish foods, burritos, nachos, enchiladas and taco salads are only a few.
There are hot and cold appetizers, including dips, and mini pizzas and pizza rolls. Biscuits can be stuffed with ground beef, as well as egg rolls, wontons and nachos.
Wrap crescent rolls around cooked hamburger seasoned with taco spices and you have a wonderful appetizer that is good hot or cold.
Hamburger can be used in soups and stews to make a hearty winter time dish, sure to satisfy every appetite. Sandwiches can be made with ground beef, pitas, hot and cold sandwiches.
Take your pick, they are all delicious, and on a budget they are real money savers. Hamburgers and cheeseburgers have been a staple at every cookout since cowboy days, and are just as popular now as then.
There is no end to the combinations you can create for hamburgers cooked on the grill. Use your imagination and create your favorites, using burger several times a week could get boring, but it doesnt have to, there are so many ways to prepare it!Refrigerator and Freezer-Approximate Storage Times
Fundraising Cookbooks
No matter what organization you belong to, at one time or another there will be a fundraising drive. One of the most interesting and enjoyable ways, which involves the entire organization is to create a cookbook.
I was personally involved in one for a parents program at an elementary school my grandchildren attended in Alaska. Setting up the committee to create this was a great deal of fun, and we found some wonderful talent in our parents program.
We started with a contest to name the book, of course the children were the contestants, and the grand prize was their name and picture on the editors page.
Our next project was to decide on the theme, we decided on a cultural theme, as there was a wide variety of nationalities represented in our school.
We asked students to draw pictures of their favorite foods, and the art work pored in! The hardest part of this process was deciding which art to use for which recipe, they were all so wonderful.
A notice was sent home with each of the students, giving a deadline for recipes, and we were well on our way.
Some of the recipes were definitely from unusual cultures, we had one for ice cream made from whale blubber, and (did I mention that the school was in Alaska?) Our chapter titles were chosen as our recipes came in, there was even a special section for childrens recipes.
A couple of the volunteers did the typing, several did the proofreading, (yes, there were still a couple of errors; we were all new at this).
The recipes were saved to a disc and another volunteer reformatted them to the same font, and added the pictures. The school provided the supplies, including paper, ink cartridges, and even paper clips, so there was no cost to the committee, other than our time.
The cookbook was very well received, as the childrens names were on the recipes, every family in the school wanted at least one of the books.
Many families bought several, to be given to various family members as gifts.
The fundraiser was a success, and there were books left over for later sales, it was a great experience for everyone involved.Pastas
Fried Rice is Nice
Oriental cooking is a favorite among many people, and learning to cook some of these foods can be a real challenge! Here are a few tips to get you started:
*Before you start, read the whole recipe, this applies to cooking any kind of food
*When chopping green onions, save some of the tops to add flavor and color to your foods
*When slicing meats, partially freeze them, you can slice them very thinly with this simple tip
*Use a broad knife or cleaver to press firmly on a clove of garlic, this makes it easier to peel
*Cut all meats and vegetables, and pre-measure all liquids and seasonings when doing a stir-fry
*Vigorous and continuous stirring in addition to a short cooking time (a few minutes at the most) is the key to crisp and colorful vegetables in a good stir-fry
*A good substitute for water chestnuts are radishes
*Snap ends and string snow peas before cooking
*Always refrigerate fresh ginger root
*Exchanging rice with thin spaghetti or egg noodles creates lo mien-style dishes
*Short cooking times over medium high heat should be used for stir-fries
One of the biggest challenges for oriental cooking is a good sweet and sour sauce, here is one that has been time tested, and is quite delicious.
Drain an 8 oz can of pineapple in its own juice, add water to this to measure ¾ cup. Using a 1 quart saucepan, mix in 2 tablespoons of corn starch, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon and a dash of ground clove.
Stir in pineapple juice gradually until the mixture is smooth. Stir in ½ cup light or dark Karo corn syrup, ½ cups firmly packed brown sugar, ¼ cup cider vinegar and 2 tablespoons soy sauce until well blended.
Stir constantly over medium heat to bring to boil, boil 1 minute.
There are many great cook books out there, find one you like and enjoy the crispy taste of a stir-fry, or the delicious flavors of batter fried shrimp in plum sauce!
Tender Ribs
Halloween Fun Foods
One time a year, we can be creative, festive and allow everything that scares people to become part of our lives!
A Halloween meal is a great deal of fun, everything should be scary, black or orange; use your imagination to create your childrens favorite foods with a Halloween theme.
Ketchup is a great stand in for blood, just ask your kids after they have gone through the local haunted house!
Pumpkin (often substituted by butternut squash in cans) both have lots of beta-carotene, this helps convert vitamin A, which assists in maintaining healthy eye sight.
This is important on Halloween night when all the ghosts and goblins are running around in the dark!
Gummy worms hanging halfway out of an ice cube can create a fun drink for your kids at dinner; use raisins too, make sure the ice cubes are completely frozen, adding a touch of red food coloring before freezing can create a bloody, wormy ice cube.
You can buy black food coloring paste at many craft stores, added to regular foods; this can make them look frightening without changing the flavor of the food.
Create a scary but delicious desert by stirring thawed frozen strawberries or raspberries into vanilla yogurt or pudding then freeze.
The pulp from the berries looks like clots of blood and the juice becomes the veins. Dont forget your good old standards, cookies and cupcakes, it is easy to purchase cookies in a roll now that have pumpkins, black cats and witches in them, just bake.
Kids can have a great time decorating cupcakes, just create decorations from sugar, or purchase decorations from the store to decorate with.
Basic vanilla frosting can be dyed an color you want with food coloring, and Halloween candy is another great source of decorations.
Even though in most places, it isnt a good idea to hand out homemade treats at Halloween, for family and friends (and dont forget the traditional Halloween party at school) they can be a great deal of fun. |
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Organizing Your Pantry
When I say pantry, I am referring not only to the shelves of food that you have but also the foods in your freezer and long lasting refrigerator items.
If you dont organize properly, you could end up forgetting that you have something and buy it again.
When organizing your dry and canned foods, put like items together, fruits with fruits, vegetables with vegetables and baking goods with baking goods.
It may seem silly, but it saves a lot of time later when you are looking for something specific.
Put all of your plastic wrapped foods, such as different kinds of beans and pastas in the same area, this could also include coconut, brown sugar etc.
Part of the reason for this is that in most instances they lie flat, and can easily be stacked on top of one another.
When wrapping foods for freezing, make sure they have at least one flat side, this will make it easier to store.
Use a one-inch piece of masking tape and write what the item is and the date it was frozen, attach this to the end of the item that will be towards the door of the freezer.
Designate a specific area of the freezer for certain foods; again, keep like foods together, pork, chicken, beef and hot dogs would all go in the area for meats.
If items are small, they can be put into a large plastic freezer bag with other smaller items that are alike, this makes things easier to find and keeps all the little packages from slipping to the back of the freezer.
Vegetables and fruits could go in one area; again they are in packages and are fairly easy to stack.
In the refrigerator, designate areas just like the freezer, the taller areas for drinks, and all the condiments together, the sandwich spreads, including mustard and catsup together.
Try to put the items that are most often used in the front, so you dont have to dig each time you want to find something.
By following this simple organizational plan for your pantry you will be able to minimize the possibility of duplicating items that have become lost, and save time and money when preparing food, creating your menu and while shopping.
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Related Topics: Skillet Meals From Home,
Crock Pot Cooking, Pressure Canning
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