From the Hearth

Time Savers for Busy Cooks

Often the main chef in the home juggles that responsibility with many others. They might work fulltime outside of the home, be responsible for cleaning the kitchen after the meal is over, and be charged with stocking the pantry and maintaining the grocery budget, all on top of everyday ordinary tasks like taking children to softball practice, attending evening classes, or other obligations. This month, for the busy chefs out there, kaylee is offering a system that has worked extremely well in kaylee's Master's home. It not only reduced the grocery bill tremendously, it cut down on preparation and cleanup time, greatly increased the amount of backup foods she had on hand in case he suddenly felt like having something different than he had originally approved, and saved her energies for serving him in other ways. This method also provides delicious foods for the household when the main chef in the home is ill, working late, or out of town, and allows you to control the recipes, fat content, allergies or other ingredient issues- something which store purchased frozen dinners do not do.

The basic ideas are: buy in bulk, cook large portions, and freeze the extra. Some call it "once a month cooking" and actually spend two full days cooking for the entire month. This girl has found you can tailor your system to suit your individual preferences. She likes to stock away some extra meals for busy days, but still enjoys cooking during the month for added variety, and saves the more elaborate meals for when she has the time to devote to cooking that day.

The first time kaylee tried this method, she merely doubled certain recipes: one to eat that evening, and the other to freeze for a later time. It took the same amount of time and effort to clean as making only one meal, and gave her a "free night" later that month to serve a home-cooked dinner without much effort- while it's being reheated, she usually prepares a salad or steams some fresh vegetables.

Buying in Bulk

Most groceries' meat departments in particular run wonderful specials on occasion- buying in bulk during those sales can save quite a bit on a monthly grocery bill. Once you get home, divide the larger packages of meat into the sizes you need for a meal and squeeze out any extra air in the storage bag. This way, when you defrost the meat, you only defrost the amount you will use (less defrost time needed) and the smaller size is easier to stash away in a crowded freezer. Make sure you date the bag, so you can tell if it's still good. If you have any doubts, double bag it to reduce the risk of freezer burn. kaylee has found some wonderful storage bags at the local grocery especially made for meats to avoid freezer burn.

Look for common ingredients in recipes. Italian sausage can be used in minestrones, spaghetti sauces, lasagnas, pizza. Ground beef can make excellent taco filling, meatballs, chili, lasagnas. Chicken can make wonderful casseroles, soups, grilled salad toppers, stir fry. Pizza dough can also double to make homemade calzones. Chopped spinach can be used in quiches, calzones, spaghetti sauce, and lasagna. Have three recipes which call for chopped onion? Make enough to cover all the recipes at once- food processors are a wonderful thing, it reduces the time to clean up and you'll only get teary eyed one time instead of three. By checking the sales, you can plan out a couple of items that you can use similar ingredients for, and set aside one afternoon of a weekend to cook (note: kaylee would not recommend grocery shopping and cooking on the same day when making more than one recipe).

Cooking

kaylees found there are times when she loves to cook, and sometimes when it is a chore. Her solution is to do as much of the cooking when it is a joy, and to reap the benefits of having homemade food already prepared when cooking is the last thing she hopes to do that evening. When she first started this system, she started with a few of Master's favorite foods- that way, she knew he would not mind having a few other servings of that in the upcoming weeks ahead.

So when it comes to bulk cooking, there is some organization involved. She makes sure she has enough airtight containers and ziplock bags (pyrex works wonderfully- some come with lids, it can go from the freezer, defrosted and then put in the oven) and all the ingredients for the assortment she is cooking that day. Normally, she would cook recipes which share similar ingredients at one time- all beef, perhaps, or all chicken. If she is cooking pasta, she tends to undercook it, since the noodles will soften further during reheating.

A few general tips:

- Start with a clean kitchen, and plenty of cleared counter space and tables. Make sure you know exactly how much of each ingredient each recipe requires and the total amount you are preparing, so you only chop or brown it once and you have everything on hand. It eliminates waste of food as well as waste of your time doing it twice.

- Don't refreeze raw meat. If the meat was frozen when you bought it, cook it before refreezing.

- Thaw meat and eggs in the refrigerator, or with a microwave. Thawing it at room temperature lets bacteria grow (risking food poisoning). However, breads can be thawed at room temperature.

- Look through your pantry, and your local grocer to see what is on sale. Check that against your favourite recipes to see what you can cook that is on sale. Make one 'master' shopping list that incorporates all ingredients and do the shopping the evening before you cook.

- Many items, including mashed potatoes, uncooked quiche filling, or soups, can be frozen flat in ziplock bags to stack easier in your freezer.

- When reheating, add some fresh herbs or seasonings. Certain ones can lose a tad of flavor when being stored.

- Clean as you go, and save one meal you cook that day for dinner.

- Date the items you freeze, and be aware that they don't last forever. Aim for using them within 3-6 months (ours are usually gone within a month and a half).

Here are a few of kaylee's favorite recipes, she hopes you enjoy them. They are not necessarily designed to be one huge cooking session, but kaylee wished to give you some variety. These recipes are perfect for doubling and some of them do have crossover ingredients. For additional recipes, you might look back at January's recipes . The Homemade Chicken Soup, Spicy Beanless Chili, and Chicken Tortilla Soup can all be doubled or tripled and frozen.

Vegetarian Lasagna
Favorite Quiche (various fillings)
Herbed Pizza Dough
Calzones (various fillings)
Chicken Dijon
Lemon Rice

Vegetarian Lasagna

One of kaylee's favorite dishes, it can be made with either a tomato based or alfredo sauce.

uncooked lasagna noodles (kaylee prefers the type you don't need to cook in advance)
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1.5 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
14 oz. artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 jar tomato pasta sauce (or one jar alfredo sauce for variation)
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
crumbled garlic feta
chopped kalamata olives

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C). if you are planning to cook this immediately.

2. Spray a 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray. (If you are planning to freeze this, use a glass dish with a lid or one of the new plasticware "from freezer to oven" that comes with an air-tight lid. The foil casserole dishes work well, too, if you place it in a jumbo ziplock bag after wrapping it in tin foil.)

3. Heat large skillet that has been prepared with cooking spray. Add onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Saute for 3 minutes. Stir in vegetable broth and chopped rosemary. Bring to a boil.

4. Stir in artichoke hearts and spinach. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer for five minutes. Slowly stir in pasta sauce.

5. Spread the artichoke mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish; top with 3 cooked noodles. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over noodles. Repeat layers several times, ending with artichoke mixture and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle crumbled feta on top and top with chopped kalamatas.

6. You can freeze at this point. Cover lasagna with heavy duty tin foil, and then add the lid. If you want extra protection, place the dish in a jumbo ziplock bag. Thaw completely when ready to serve, and follow the cooking directions.

7. Bake covered for 35 minutes in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F (175 C). Uncover for an additional 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Favorite Quiche (various fillings)

After being cooked, this quiche can easily be frozen and then reheated- or you can opt to freeze only the filling in a ziplock bag and then cook it the day you serve it.

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, minced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 ten oz package of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust (kaylee prefers the already in dish frozen ones)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
4 eggs, well beaten (or egg substitute)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup half and half


Alternate fillings:
cooked bacon crumbled with chopped green chilies and jack cheese
broccoli, cooked bacon crumbles, onion and cheddar
diced ham, onion, and swiss
green pepper, onion, mushroom and mozzarella

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C).

2. Saute onions, garlic and spinach in butter over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the vegetables are tender. Spoon vegetables into piecrust. Cover with a layer of cheese.

3. Combine eggs, half and half, and milk. Season as desired with salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and cheese.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until center has set.

5. Let cool. If freezing, you can wrap tightly in heavy duty tin foil, and then place in a jumbo zip lock bag.

Herbed Pizza Dough

This recipe makes enough for several pizzas, or can be used to make calzone crust in the following recipe.

1 package active dry yeast
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
6 cups bread flour
Assorted herbs to be added the day you are cooking it: oregano, basil, rosemary, crushed red pepper

1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let sit until creamy; about 10 minutes.

2. Stir in the olive oil, salt and 4 cups of flour into the yeast mixture. Mix in the remaining flour, a little bit at a time. Mix the dough well after each addition of flour. Once the dough is thick enough to hold its shape, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, turning 90 degrees every so often and add just enough flour so that it doesn't stick to the surface. Kneading should take 6-8 minutes.

3. Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough inside and brush the top lightly with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and place the bowl in a warm place to let the dough double in size.

4. Punch down the dough and place on a floured surface. Divide the dough into three equal pieces. If you are freezing some of the portions, you can store in a plastic ziplock bag or kaylee prefers a plastic container with airtight lid. (note: the yeast may still cause the dough to rise very slowly, so make sure there is a small amount of room for the dough to grow into). Thaw dough thoroughly, and then let it warm a bit so that it is more pliable before creating pizza or calzones with it.

5. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 C). Add assorted herbs to the dough and fold them in- some of kaylee's favorites are freshly chopped garlic, basil, oregano, rosemary, crushed red pepper. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough (you can bake on a pizza stone or a greased heavy baking sheet) and add just enough sauce so a bit of the dough shows through. Cover it with toppings and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes until crust is golden brown.

Calzones

Using the above recipe for pizza dough, here's some ideas for calzone fillings!

Basic Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 C).

2. Fold in assorted herbs to the thawed dough. Roll out into 10 inch circles, but make sure they are thick enough not to leak.

3. Spoon 1/4 cup filling on one half of the circle (but not touching the edges of the circle). Moisten the edges of the dough, and then fold over and press the dough together to seal. Cut a 1" slit in the top of each for venting while baking.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Once they are out of the oven, you can brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle oregano and parmesan cheese, if you like.

5. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and serve with warmed marinara sauce on the side.

Ideas for fillings:

- pepperoni and mozzarella
- browned ground Italian sausage, mushrooms, pepperoni and mozzarella
- spinach, garlic, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses
- browned ground beef with garlic, chopped tomato and oregano
- prosciutto, kalamata olives and feta cheese

Dijon Chicken

Chicken with mushrooms, broccoli, Dijon mustard and wine... delicious!

3 cups uncooked pasta (kaylee likes farfalle or penne)
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cups frozen broccoli cuts
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 can (10.75 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup dry white wine
3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoons finely chopped onion
NOTE: top with Parmesan cheese and sliced green onions the day you serve it

1. Cook pasta slightly al dente- it will soften when you cook the casserole.

2. Stir together the pasta, chicken, broccoli, and mushrooms in a large bowl. Blend soup, wine, mustard and onion in smaller bowl; then fold into the pasta mixture.

3. Store mixture into freezer ziplock bag. Lay it flat as you freeze it to make for easier storage in your freezer.

4. When serving: Thaw and pour into a greased casserole dish. Top with cheese and green onions. Bake covered at 375 degrees F (190 C) for 30 minutes. Cheese should be melted and the casserole should be heated throughly.

Lemon Rice

Light tasting, and perfect as a side dish for fish or chicken.

1/4 cup onion, chopped
zest of one lemon, finely chopped
1 cup basmati rice
juice of one lemon
1.5 cups of chicken broth
2 tablespoons thyme
handful italian parsley, chopped

1. Spray medium sized sauce pan with cooking spray. Add onion and cook until tender-crisp.

2. Add lemon zest and increase heat to high. Add rice, stirring to brown the rice.

3. Add thyme, lemon juice and broth. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Cool for several minutes before serving. This side dish can be frozen easily and reheated with a touch of water to moisten.

If anyone would care to submit one of their favorite recipes, this one can be reached at kaylee{G}