The COOK Part 1

     Recipes can be a challenge. You want things that do NOT take long to put together. One example of something that takes too long would be hamburger patties.  We do them sometimes, but not often because of the amount of time it takes to shape them. One option is to mix the ground beef and put it in the bag to form later. 

     I do google for freezer recipes to change things up, but NOT all freezer recipes are created equal and not all fit our criteria. It is better for MOST of your recipes to be made with the meat raw.  If you have to pre-cook lots of food then your prepping people are going to be worn out and it will be TOO much work. This also means re-freezing food which can take nutrients out of the food.  We do chicken pot pie from time to time and that has to have boiled chicken. There are others as well, but the majority go from fresh to frozen. Many recipes that have marinades are great for this!  Here are a few:

 We email our recipes adjusted to feed a family of x4.  The x4 is because there are 4 cooks.  This allows the person making the shopping spread sheet to know exactly what all we need. We type that with the title so we'll know why it says 
32 chicken breasts verses 8.  


     When you send this to the person making the shopping list make sure you have done the multiplication for her. In the beginning I often forgot making her job challenging.

I save:

*Copy with original recipe (This is to refer back to on ingredients, especially since MOST have to be adapted to feed 8) and where I got it.

*Copy with the ingredients adjusted for 8 (I do this to have something to double check).

*Copy with ingredients multiplied out x 4

*Copy for the labels...this only has the cooking instructions. We also put a date, the title again and initials with a sharpie just in case there are questions or a label falls off.

  (they do.... even with packing tape over them. This still is the best way. Labels

that stick won't allow you to take it off and read as you are preparing it). If this is the worst  that happens....oh well.  It is so easy to pull the "label" off and stick it to your cabinet door to read.

Recipes for October 9th Cook
 with Cooking 4 Some

(Serving for 8)

One star* after the recipe means super easy with 3 stars*** meaning a bit harder. 

All of these are just ready to "dump" in. Only the Jambalaya has 2 different baggies with ingredients separate.

Marinated Flank Steak (we will do these x 4)*

3/4 lbs. steak tips, cubed **** PREP    ( It is labeled this way to help our PREPPERS)!

1 lg onions, sliced ****PREP

1 lg green peppers, cubed (we buy them this way...trust me)

1 1/2 TBSP veggie oil (we store this)

1 1/2 TBSP soy sauce (stored)

1/2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

In centers of 2 large pieces of aluminum foil place meat and veggies. Mix oil and seasonings in a bowl & pour over meat & veggies. Fold foil so liquids will not spill out. Cook over gas grill on medium – high 35 to 45 minutes or until meat and veggies are done. Can add red potatoes to this for even more yumminess!  Serves 8.

Sausage and Shrimp Jambalaya ***

2 14 1/2 oz. can tomatoes, cut up

2 large onion, finely chopped (1 cup)** PREP

1 C chicken broth

4  TPSP tomato paste

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

2 tsp dried Italian seasoning, crushed

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp black powder

4  medium green peppers, chopped (1 ½ C) ** PREP

16 oz frozen peeled, cooked medium shrimp (buy this way)

2 C quick cooking rice

8 oz fully cooked sausage (halved and then halved again and cut ¼ in thick) ** PREP

Bring 1^st mixture to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in 2^nd mixture and return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 5 minutes or until mixture is heated thoroughly through and rice is tender. Stir and discard bay leaves. Serves 8.

Pork Satay Freezer Recipe x4*

4 lb pork tenderloin, cut in 1" cubes ****PREP
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tsp coriander
2 large onions, finely diced (buy it this way)
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
6 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 tsp Tabasco sauce
1/4 tsp ginger

You will need to get fresh veggies to put with your skewers. Onion, bell pepper, squash, tomato or whatever you want.
Defrost pork satay, drain marinade (but save it!). Place meat on skewers in between pieces of onion (and any other vegetables you prefer). Grill on a preheated grill on high for five minutes. Flip skewers, baste with remaining marinade and grill on high for another 5 minutes. Reduce heat on barbecue.

 I honestly don't waste time with skews.  I have a grilling basket and it all gets dumped in there.  I am ALL about saving time, thus being in a cooking group!  This is time that is not of any benefit to me!

Honey I fed the Kids Chicken*
 (This one will be x5 because we all make 1 of our recipes for 5 so we can give one to the church to give out as needed for a family in need) This one is really easy and super delicious!
 

8 chicken breasts
2 cups apple juice
4 teaspoons garlic
8 TBSP honey
Salt and Pepper to taste ( I hate when it says this....I like to know a measurement)

Thaw. Remove chicken from marinade. Discard leftover marinade.
Grill chicken breasts over medium heat until completely cooked, flipping once. Will need to cook about 7 minutes per side.

Barbequed Pork*

1 C onion, chopped (buy it this way)

1 C celery, chopped (buy it this way)

1 C ketchup

2/3 C water

4 TBSP lemon juice

2 TBSP brown sugar

2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

2 TBSP vinegar

2 TBSP prepared mustard

3 lb pork roast

Put roast in crock pot. Pour ingredients over pork. Cook on low for 8 hours or overnight (I often do it on high for 4 hours). Shred while meat is still warm.

Quick Chicken *

1 1/3 C orange juice

1 TBSP grated orange peel

1 1/3 C firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 C butter, melted

1/2 t allspice

3/4 t ginger

1 1/3 TBSP dry mustard

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Crock pot on low 6 to 8 hours.  This could also be done in the oven.

Do you see how these can be made easily...not too many ingredients and NOT hard to put together? The Jambalaya is a little bit harder because of needing 2 baggies and more ingredients. It is worth it, but I make sure to only a have that is more labor intensive in one cook. We don't want to get bogged down and take longer.  If for some reason we do we all help each other.

*Use large mixing bowls to put your baggies in. Fold each baggie down in case anything drips...it will drip. Place all 4 or 5 baggies in the bowl facing up. By doing this you can just dump your ingredients in them and mix right there. This saves time and clean up. Once you fill it all, close the baggie getting ALL air out and then massage it if you need it mixed more. 

*I always put my labels on first. I pre-cut them before the cook and then just use the tape all at once FOR ALL OF THEM. That is 6 recipes x 4 gals and then 1 additional one that we leave for the church.  DO NOT use sticky labels.  Yes, they will stay on better, BUT they will NOT come off when you are ready to cook.  By using paper and covering them with packing tape and tucking one corner under, you can grab them off easily and tape to your cabinet to read the instructions.  This is not near as messy as reading a dirty baggie. Yes, some pull off in the freezer, but not many.  I then use the sharpie to date and initial and write the name of the recipe again on the baggie in case the label falls off.  By doing this you are covered in the event a label falls off.  You can then identify the name of it and the one who cooked it.  With the dates you are sure not to leave one in the freezer for too long.

*Once we finish we use our pass through window to place all finished food. You can also just go ahead and put it in coolers if you line them all up. We all have the square rolling ones with the extended handles. All bags won't fit in, but almost. Either bring another cooler or sterlite container.

*In your freezer place your crock pot, grill and over or stove ones in groups. This way you know what you are getting into when you choose your meal each day.

*Make sure you use FREEZER bags. The others won't work. If you put a baggie inside a baggie it can be one that is NOT a freezer one. Once you get the air out and massage them, get them completely as flat as they can be for storage purposes.

*Keep a sink full of hot, soapy water so you can easily wash items as you need them.

*Line your stock items up somewhere where you can get to them easily and place like items with like items. This takes up another WHOLE island for us (LARGE).

*Don't sweat the small stuff. There will be mistakes EVERY time. You may have to send someone to the store (awesome if you have a husband that can run for you). Don't let it get to you. We are HUMAN. Our group is a very supportive and caring group.

*Pray before you start! (I pray for my group almost every time I pull out a meal so they are being prayed for OFTEN)!

*If someone finishes early, help each other. This last time someone did an entire recipe for me because I had gotten behind. Have I mentioned how wonderful my friends are?!

*This was a disaster!  Normally they are flat.  We were coming up with the wrong number of recipes and were double checking them to make sure no one left without one!

*The coolers are almost impossible to lift. Think about this! We usually have one husband that always shows up to help us. Thank you, Kerry! If I bring the truck...I am in trouble. I can't lift that cooler up into that truck!

*Wear an apron.

*Have gloves in case you are really handling meat like meatloaves.

*Be flexible. Often you can switch a few ingredients to help cost and to make it simpler.

I hope this is helping! I will add more as I go. More recipes will follow as well!