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Holiday Cooking? It's in the
"Freezer" Bag!
by Deb Vaughn
Summer is over, and autumn is a whirl of activities at our house.
Suddenly it is time to make plans for the holidays, and the calendar on
my wall shows the five weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years' as a
blur of scribbled appointments and events. Thank heavens for my freezer!
Because I plan to have it stocked before the holidays begin, I have a
fighting chance of keeping up with my busy family's schedule.
Some of you may have heard of "once-a-month cooking" (OAMC) or "cooking
ahead". There are many good books you can purchase or borrow from your
local public library. They include step-by-step instructions for a book
full of recipes. For many people, this kind of cooking seems unworkable
because of their own family's food preferences or diet restrictions. I
believe that if you take YOUR recipes and convert them to the OAMC
method, you will have better success in freezing meals your family will
enjoy.
First, I sit down and figure out a list of main dishes that my family
will eat. These are simple meals, not gourmet ones for company. My list
includes things like hamburgers, grilled chicken, chili, tacos and
calzones. I try to have a balance of casseroles, soups, stews, pasta,
meats, ethnic foods and so on. I also take into account the nights that
we will be eating "in shifts" or "on the run", and when I will be doing
extra cooking for the holidays. On those nights, the meals need to be
very easy, quick to re-heat or packaged in single servings. Twenty meals
last a family of four about a month, if you factor in a few meals out,
quick "scratch" meals, and leftovers.
Next, I make up a master grocery list, using a cookbook program like
"Master Cook" or a simple spreadsheet. I list EVERY SINGLE ITEM I will
need, including products like aluminum foil, freezer bags, paper towels
and scouring pads. I even include simple things like flour, salt and
sugar. (I don't want to run out of something on cooking day!) Once I
have my list, I check off the items that I will need to purchase. My
list changes each time because I vary my recipes, depending on what is
most economical. I have to update my list each time, but it's not a big
deal with a computer.
I read through each recipe and break it down into simple steps. On a
sheet, I list the recipe names in columns and write the steps
underneath. I do this in an order that makes sense to me. Then I take
similar steps from ALL the recipes and do them together. Example: when I
make spaghetti sauce, lasagna and shells, I generally follow these
steps:
chop onion (x cups or x pounds of onions)
grate cheese (x cups or ounces)
chop peppers
chop veggies
mince garlic
add tomatoes
simmer sauce
combine cheeses
brown meat and drain
make layers
stuff shells
wrap pan and freeze
flash freeze shells
bag and freeze shells
cool sauce
bag and freeze
On cooking day, I do similar tasks together, i.e. all the chopping,
sautéing, peeling, boiling. I put soups and stews which will cook for a
long time on first to simmer. Then, I put the casseroles together, wrap
them carefully and put them in the bottom of a chest freezer or on the
bottom of shelves. (They take up more room and also take longer to
freeze). Of course, I label everything clearly. I include any heating or
preparation instructions on a piece of paper slipped inside the freezer
bag, and write down the number of servings.
By the end of a big cooking day, I am tired!! However, I am relieved to
see a freezer full of meals. I can find time to relax and enjoy the
holidays with my family. That is, if I can get my Christmas cards done
Links
How to freeze just about anything
http://www.ag.uiuc.edu/~vista/abstracts/aPREPVEG.html
"Frozen Assets" OAMC Loop
http://members.aol.com/OAMCloop/index.html
Friendly Freezer
http://snider.mardox.com/OAMC.htm
Recipe collections
SOAR (Searchable Online Archive of Recipes)
http://www.recipesource.com
The Recipe Link
http://www.recipelink.com/
About the author
Deb Vaughn is a wife and mother of two daughters (and three cats.) In
addition to volunteering at school and church, she attends a weekly
Bible study, and serves in a community AIDS ministry. A trained musician
and music therapist, she plays flute and piano, and sings on her
church's praise team. She maintains a web site for her family and her
younger child's school . Her web pages on once-a-month cooking reflect
her offbeat sense of humor, yet a very practical approach to cooking for
her family. Deb learned to cook at her Mom's elbow, and as one of 7
children, had many opportunities to 'practice' her kitchen skills. She
and her husband Ken have been married over 15 years. When she remembers
to sit and put her feet up, (that is, when the clutter and toys are
cleaned off the couch!) she enjoys cross-stitching and quilting.
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