6 Dinners For Less Than $25.00! Multi-Meal Preparation

OAMC ... OAWC ... freezer meal preparation ... multi-meal preparation ... assembly cooking...What do all these terms have in common?

• They are all strategies used to prepare more than one meal in a single cooking session and then store the extras so they can be eaten later.
• They can shorten food prep time by hours to days each month.
• Using one of these strateges can decrease transportation, grocery, and utility expenses more than you can imagine.

I generally do mult-meal preparation once each week and store between 4 and 5 meals. I purchase enough of whatever meat is on sale and double or triple each of 1 to 2 recipes that freeze well.

A few weeks ago, I purchased two 3# bags of fresh chicken tenders. I had 2 bottles of jamaican jerk marinade, a bottle of italian salad dressing, and the fixins for vegetable soup in the pantry.

-- From the first bag of tenders, I divided the chicken equally into 3 freezer bags, poured jerk chicken marinade over them, squeezed as much air out of each bag as I could and placed the sealed freezer bags flat in my freezer.

-- With the other bag of chicken tenders, I used a third of the chicken for chicken vegetable soup which we ate that night with cornbread. I sauteed the rest in italian salad dressing for chicken salad dinners, divided the cooked chicken pieces in two freezer bags and placed the sealed freezer bags flat in my freezer.

--Once all the chicken meals were frozen, I turned them on end like old fashioned album covers.

All 6 dinners took less than 30 minutes to prepare, cost less than $22.00, and used less than 2 inches of freezer space!

Tasty Vanilla Custard Ice Cream

What better way to finish a meal than to indulge in the ultimate dessert,  custard-style vanilla ‎ice cream. This finish is great by itself, or topped with dark chocolate curls, fresh strawberry ‎syrup or a mix of toasted coconut and chopped macadamia nuts.‎

Here's a quick, never fail recipe for tasty vanilla custard ice cream that my guests enjoy ‎whenever I serve it. They never believe that it only takes 30 minutes to prepare!‎


TASTY VANILLA CUSTARD ICE CREAM

‎1 can (14oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk‎
‎1 can (14oz) Evaporated Milk‎
‎1 pint Whipping Cream‎
Pure Vanilla Extract, to taste‎

Pour all ingredients into a 8+ cup blender. Mix on low speed until well incorporated and slightly ‎thickened. ‎
Pour the custard into an ice cream maker. Process the custard according to manufacturer's ‎directions.‎
Once soft-frozen, remove ice cream from ice cream maker and place into an 8 - 10 cup freezer ‎container. You can serve this ice cream immediately or freeze for 1 – 2 hours for firmer ice ‎cream. ‎
To "firm" freeze, place a layer of plastic wrap on top of the ice cream then cover the freezer ‎container with an air tight covering. Place the container in the freezer for 1 - 2 hours, then serve.‎
Yield: Approximately 16 servings‎


Enjoy!
                                                   Kathy

Mom's Favorite Birthday Cake

One of my family's most enjoyable traditions is to celebrate each person's birthday with their very favorite birthday cake. We take great pride in baking the most decadent cake we can to show our love for whoever is celebrating at the time. Over the years, the cakes have gotten fancier and fancier. But, last summer we got back to basics and the result was a coconut cake that everyone is still raving about...

MOM'S FAVORITE COCONUT CAKE

1 18.5 oz box White Cake milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 small can cream of coconut
1 16 oz tub Whipped Topping
1 cup shredded coconut

Prepare and bake the white cake mix in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan, as per the box directions. Let cool completely. Using a straw or wooden skewer, poke holes in the cake approximately 1/2 inch apart.

Mix together the milk and cream of coconut in a small bowl. Pour the milk mixture over the cake so that it is saturated completely. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Spread whipped topping over the top of the cake. Sprinkle the coconut over the whipped topping.

Yield: 16 - 24 servings


I hope you like as much as my family does! Until next time.

Kathy

Freezing Eggs

 

   

DID you know that you can freeze eggs?  Believe it or not you really can!  Here's how to do it...

Egg Whites:  Break and separate, then place into freezer containers, leaving 1/4 inch room at the top for expansion.
Whole Eggs:  Break into a mixing bowl, and beat until just blended.  Pour into freezer containers, leaving 1/4 inch at the top.
Egg Yolks:  You'll need to add an "additive" to prevent the yolks from becoming really thick when frozen.  For eggs to be used in savory dishes, beat in 1/8 tsp per egg.  For eggs to be used in sweet dishes, beat in 1 1/2 tsp sugar or corn syrup per egg.

Once the eggs are in the freezer containers, seal tightly, label with the number of eggs and the date, and freeze.

To use frozen eggs, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator or under running water.  For whole eggs and egg yolks, you'll need to use them right away.  For egg whites, they will beat to a higher volume if you let them sit at room temperature for about 1/2 hour after thawing.


Please send me a comment and let me know if you found this helpful.

Enjoy!
                                                                             Kathy

More Comfort Food - A New Tuna Casserole

        My husband has loved tuna casserole as long as I've known him...for over 30 years.  When we first began dating, traditional tuna casserole was one of the few dishes I could make well.  But, as you can imagine, after almost 30 years I was ready for a change. So lately, I've been experimenting with this dish to make it "new" again. 

       Here is the new version -- I call it "A New Tuna Casserole".  Try it and let me know what you think!


A New Tuna Casserole

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup, condensed
1 can, Cream of Chicken Soup, condensed
1/2 cup water
3 cups Chow Mein Noodles, divided
2 cans tuna in water, drained
2 cups celery, thinly sliced on an angle
1/2 cups onion, chopped
1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste


Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 3 quart casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine tuna, condensed soup, water, black pepper, celery, onion, water chestnuts and 2 cups chow mein noodles, and stir until well mixed.

Pour mixture into prepared casserole, and spread remaining chow mein noodles over top of mixture.   Bake uncovered for approximately 30 minutes, or until bubbling and brown around the edges.


Yield:  6 servings


This casserole is great when served with a mixed green salad and buttered artisan bread.

Enjoy!

                                                                               Kathy