The last few days have been really hard and I've lost some of my momentum. I had planned to write this week about the feelings I've had concerning the community I lost, but I'm feeling a little gun-shy. So, I've decided instead to write about cooking today.
A few years ago, I was listening to Focus On The Family. There were two ladies (Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg) on the program talking about the concept of Once-A-Month cooking. I was fascinated! I'm not going to mince words here: I HATE to cook. But the "planner" in me couldn't believe what I was hearing. I could make a month's worth of food in one day and not have to cook again for the next 30 days? I was sold instantly! Whenever the subject of cooking comes up in a crowd and I mention this method of meal preparation, people always have questions about how I do it and what kind of things I cook. I thought maybe I'd use this blog to give a short series. Maybe once a month or so, I'll give my tips and recipes. I will warn you now; Martha Stewart I am NOT. Have you ever tried to cook her stuff? I have twice: Once was a birthday cake for my dad that took about 10 hours to make, and the other was an ice cream dessert that also took many hours and the patience of Job. I'm sorry, but life is too short for me to waste in the kitchen making the perfect dinner! The simpler the recipe, the more appeal it has to me. My recipes may offend the gourmet cooks out there. I have a list of about 30 recipes that have been successfully frozen and then reheated for dinner, and I'm always on the look-out for more to add to my repertoire. So, if you have one to share with me, I'd be most appreciative! My tip for today is that there are several books out there about cooking and freezing that will help, but you should start with what you know. More of your recipes are freezer-friendly than you may think. Most times, you just have to learn by trial and error. Fix double the recipe so that you have plenty for dinner tonight, and then put the left-overs in the freezer. Pull them out after a week or two, then thaw them out for another dinner. If it's a casserole, prepare two but cook one and put the other in the freezer. Then all you have to do is thaw the casserole and cook. A lot of the meals I freeze have been prepared up until the cooking stage, so that all I have to do is thaw and toss it in the oven. It tastes more like it's been freshly prepared and the house smells all yummy.
Since we still have several more days of chilly weather, I thought I'd give you my super simple chili recipe:
1 pound ground beef, browned
2 cans chili beans, don't drain
3 cans of diced tomatoes
4 tablespoons of chili powder
I like to make one of those cans of diced tomatoes into crushed. Mix all of this together in a one-gallon freezer bag. All you have to do is thaw and cook it on the stove for a couple of hours. I let it simmer with a lid on for most of that time, and then let it thicken up with the lid off for the last 30 minutes or so. Or, just try your own personal recipe. I guarantee it will hold up just as well as mine does in the freezer. Good Luck!
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