Week 7: Using Scary Leftovers

I also recommend Panko bread crumbs.

Last week was one of those weeks where I tried to cook out of the fridge so we could clear it out before we go on vacation.  I've never taken the time to organize my fridge and pantry to have the perfect blend of goods as recommended by numerous cooks and cookbooks out there today.  Part of the reason is I simply don't have the space!  I can't have two different bags of frozen fruit, three frozen veggies, and then every type of frozen meat, a couple prepared meals, and baby food.  It just isn't going to happen.

The more I cook, the bigger the
bags of onions I buy.

So I've learned to make use of leftovers that I have while buying a few fresh ingredients.  We have learned, over the course of five years of marriage, what recipes we eat on a monthly basis.  This has enabled me to gather a few leftover recipes that make the best use of those leftovers.  For example, Zach loves lasagna and we usually make a stir fry some time during the week.  What I end up with for leftovers is spicy sausage and white rice.  With a couple tomatoes, an egg, seasonings, and a few pantry staples like bread crumbs and onions I can make fabulous meat stuffed peppers.  All I had to buy was two red peppers with relatively flat bottoms and follow the basic stuffed pepper recipe in my "Joy of Cooking".  (And I buy organic peppers because they are on the dirty-dozen list but that's a comment for another time.)

Get the recipe under veggies!

While I know that quality ingredients make all the difference, sometimes a busy cook has to keep to the basics and know what the family enjoys.  I would recommend that you start to keep track of your meals - I have a small fridge calendar that I write the meals for the week on.  This way you can look back and see what you will have for leftovers and not only save money shopping, but save time and space in your kitchen!  Some day I will find one of those recommended kitchen staples lists and put it to good use, but in the mean time I am working on finding a balance all my own.

Good luck with your leftovers!
Melissa

Week 6: Baby Food and Failures

Dear Fellow Family Cooks -

Things in my kitchen are either fabulous, bland, or horrific.  I can think of the tagine successes or the time that I accidentally pepper-sprayed the house by burning a Pyrex full of a hot spice rub on the burner.  That was fun.  Tonight I attempted southwest-style meatloaf and it was...not our cup of tea lets say.  Classic is so much better - and by classic I mean my sister's recipe!  Family food is fabulous food. And then there is baby food.  Bland, bland, bland.

I've had quite a few questions about making your own baby food.  Is it easy? Yes.  Is it time consuming? Can be.  Is it expensive? Not at all!  Here is how I make it work:

Two zucchinis, two carrots and thirty
minutes later!  Three cups of mush.

1. I buy produce from the "discount" aisle.  Like I've said before, its cheap and if you cook it right away there is no real issue with the produce.
2. I dedicate an afternoon or at least a two hour block in my day to making baby food. If I am cooking in the crockpot the prep is easy but it takes hours to cook.  Good thing is you can forget about it until the buzzer goes off.  If you are working on the stove top you have to be able to check in on things frequently.

This was twelve prunes and it made
two cups.  You have to add lots of H2O!

3. I fill a steamer basket full of chopped fruits or veggies and put 3 cups of water in the bottom of my small soup pot.  Then I steam away the fruits for about ten minutes or the veggies (root vegetables take longer) for about fifteen minutes.  Blend in my blender and then pop in the fridge or freezer.  With a whole basket full I can freeze one weeks worth of stage 1 purees and then put another weeks worth in the fridge!
4. I aim to make two weeks worth or at least ten days.  That way I can rotate through different foods by using my stock pile in the freezer.  If you don't want to make all your own baby food (I don't make meats because that's gross) then at least make prunes.  Baby food prunes are a royal rip off.  I can make two cups worth of baby prunes with just a handful of dried prunes!

Now that Micah has hit the "third stage" foods we are really trying to rotate in more finger foods.  And trying to more coarsely chop things.  And trying to add in spices.  Tonight he loved having raviolis from Vallarina's Pasta Shop - red sauce and all!  So its always an adventure.

Today I toast to your family's good eating - even if it doesn't work out or is just veggie mush!
Melissa