It’s that time of the year…gardening season. During gardening season many of us are preparing to grow fruits and vegetables. Because we are quite busy during the growing season, we often don’t have the time to deep fry food, bake bread or grill a steak. One alternative is to bake food in user-friendly products like foil pouches and bags, and then seal them in freezer bags. foil pouches are a great choice for storing staples like beans and flour. I personally use a half quart bag for storing staples in the summer.
Since the growing season is shorter in the colder months, it’s also likely that you will want to freeze some of your foods. There are two ways to freeze dry food using foil. One way is to actually put the food in the freezer in a plastic bag, and then dine it as it thaws in the refrigerator. You can also buy plastic foil dispensers that will expedite the process for putting hot foods into the freezer. As a rule of thumb, you want to remove as much air a possible before sealing the food. Me, I cover everything I want to freeze before I freeze it, then I freeze everything else I don’t want to freeze, and finally I pick things up as they become thawed.
The bags are the best solution for keeping food as safe as possible. I’ve never had a problem with a bag blowing air, or a punctured bag. They air seal so well, that’s why I only use bags when I have to. My one son likes to eat beans like a lot of other kids, so I like to double bag them. That way, he’ll eat half and the other half. He loves both, so I know there’s no problem with the bags.
I own a friend who cooks a mean roast dinner. It’s so much fun to watch. She showers terrific roast dinner on her aluminum dinner pot. It looks like the dinner is cooking right along with her. Every now and then she’ll throw in some potato salad or some cabbage flounder’s and the roast dinner is done for the day.
And she’s not even trying to get calories from it. She’s just yummy. The recipes are easy to cook yourself. You can even make the gravy in the pot if you like. In fact, she does most of the cooking for me. You would be surprised by how simple most of the meals are to cook.
Under normal circumstances, my son likes fast food. Therefore I’ve had to learn to cook it too. It’s not difficult, just a matter of learning the basics. Cooking isn’t complicated. But to give you an example, the recipe for Sunday chicken only has six ingredients. It’s a favorite Sunday chicken of mine. My son really wanted to make Sunday dinner, but I couldn’t think of a way to make the kind I wanted to. everlasting classic.
The secret is variety. Being a grandma, I have an endless array of cookbooks. Let’s pick on Sunday dinner as an example. I have never liked the boring stew kind. While I love stewed clams and mussels, I craved the moist and juicy kind. As I searching for cookbooks, I discovered a Carrie Dei category called, “Scavenger meals.” in the collection of recipes. The category contains recipes for soups, sauces, puddings, bakes, and sandwiches. Not only will these recipes work for Sunday dinners, but they can last for lunch, dinner, and even drive-through meals.
There are plenty of recipes in this category that I have tested and happy with.Examples include:
scrumptious minced pork with rice pilaf.
Lean ground beef with cracker crumbs.
Creamy pea and cheese soup.
Fresh garden salad with sliced chicken.
Fruit smoothie with rice or quinoa.
Anyway, back to the main topic. This delicious meal is vegetarian. The flavors are fresh, not needing to be powdered. The meals are easy and quick. And the nutrition information is something that most people can easily understand.
Here are a few tips and ideas to help you make this cooking show your family’s favorite part of the mealtime.
Careful with condiments: Having such a delicate salad is a main part of this show but you don’t want to use a sauce or mustard with a raw potato orfruit.
Use a non-stick pan.
Make a campfire-baked potato with your cast iron wok.
Add a helping of macaroni and cheese.
Or how about grilled cheese sandwiches on whole wheat bread with a little mustard.
Make a simple syrup over boiling water and drizzle with honey.
Grill some asparagus or even some fresh broccoli the night before.
