Preparing for a Cook

Preparing for a COOK.

    1.   Recipe hunting:  I have loads of cookbooks, and honestly I take them on trips where I am not driving so I can read them.  Otherwise I tend to look online at other Freezer Cooking Sites or Pinterest.  I also refer to the cookbook Once a Month Cooking.  We only like a few of these, but most everyone else loves them all.

     2.  What do I look for?  I look for the ingredients to be sure they can be frozen (I will list things that don't freeze well later).  I also look at prep time.  In terms of a cook this means what must I do before I toss it all together?

     One of my families favorite recipes is Chicken Poblano.  As you can see below, a sauce must be made ahead of time in a blender and cooked.  The chicken must also be sauteed ahead of time.  This is not good for a cook.  Much of the recipe would need to be done ahead of time and quite simply it is easier to do this the day you plan to eat it.  You could easily make the sauce ahead of time and freeze it.  Also, cream is not great frozen.. any kind of cream..sour cream, heavy cream.  My family serves this over cornbread.  This is a popular item served in Lafayette, LA at a local restaurant by the name of La Fonda (I know, I know, in the heart of Cajun Country, it's Tex Mex).

Chicken in Poblano*** (hardest in terms of prep)

• 3-4 poblano chiles, seeded and chopped
• 1 C milk
• 8 TBSP butter
• 2TBSP flour
• 2 C heavy cream
• salt to taste
• 4whole chicken breasts, cut in half
• 2 cup grated Mexi blend cheese
• 2 pkg corn bread mix

Preparation:
Puree the chiles in a blender with the milk until smooth. In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter, add the flour and brown lightly. Add the chile puree, stirring constantly until smooth. Lower the heat, add the cream, and stir constantly until the sauce begins to bubble. Remove from heat and add salt to taste. This sauce may be made one day ahead and refrigerated. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet and saute chicken breast halves for 4 minutes on each side. Place them in a buttered baking dish, pour the poblano cream sauce over all, top with the grated cheese and bake, uncovered, in a preheated oven at 350º for 20 minutes. The cheese will be golden and bubbly.  Serve on top of cornbread!
Serves 8.

3.  Documentation:  Once my recipes have been found and approved by the group, I begin to make my documents for the Cook.

*I make a document of the ORIGINAL recipe and where I found it,
*I then make another one for a serving size of 8 (this can be a challenge since many don't say and
     the ones that do are often for 6 making the math a little more of a challenge)
*another one is made for 32 (this is the recipe for 8 x the 4 of us in the group.....or 40 if it is the recipe
      that will be made for 5 families and the extra meal left at the church).
*I also make my labels which have very simple cooking instructions.
***When going to the cook, I need the sheet with the adjusted recipe for 8 so that I know how to put
      it together and I also need the labels.  The recipe for 32 goes to our SHOPPER.  It is my suggestion that you DO THE MATH for her...in other words if it takes 18 Tablespoons figure out how many cups etc. so that she doesn't have to.

1 tablespoon (tbsp) =	3 teaspoons (tsp)
1/16 cup =	1 tablespoon
1/8 cup =	2 tablespoons
1/6 cup =	2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
1/4 cup =	4 tablespoons
1/3 cup =	5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon
3/8 cup =	6 tablespoons
1/2 cup =	8 tablespoons
2/3 cup =	10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
3/4 cup =	12 tablespoons
1 cup =	48 teaspoons
1 cup =	16 tablespoons
8 fluid ounces (fl oz) =	1 cup
1 pint (pt) =	2 cups
1 quart (qt) =	2 pints
4 cups =	1 quart
1 gallon (gal) =	4 quarts
16 ounces (oz) =	1 pound (lb)
1 milliliter (ml) =	1 cubic centimeter (cc)
1 inch (in) =	2.54 centimeters (cm)

Source: United States Dept. of Agriculture (USDA).

Print this and use it well!

     4.  Our SHOPPER is the one who makes a spread sheet.  It contains very valuable information.  It has what we need and how much of it we need.  In other words she pulls together like ingredients and then does all the math to see what we realistically need.  It is great that she KNOWS how many ounces most food items are.  I wouldn't have a clue!  She knows can sizes and how things are packaged.  She knows when the larger size is cheaper and when it is a myth.  God bless her!  This all comes together as well as what needs to be PREPPED.  REPEAT AFTER ME:  IF YOU WANT THESE ITEMS PREPPED YOU MUST LIST IT ON THE RECIPE TO YOUR SHOPPER.  These items must be kept separate to be delivered to the ones who PREP.  ME! We also have to divide them up.  This varies greatly from cook to cook.  We seldom chop onions.  They are fairly cheap already in bags and not worth the time and tears to chop them.  Chicken sometimes must be cooked ahead of time and maybe some ground beef.  This also varies from cook to cook.  I make a list of what I must do so that I am sure to pack it to go with me.  These things can hide in the fridge and there is nothing worse than getting there and realizing you forgot something. Always make a list! 

     5.   The list:  My list includes my PREP items, my cooler (we all have the square kind that has the extendable handle and rolls), my labels and my instructions for my recipes, a large carrying bag (this will be used for the overflow of food that doesn't fit in the cooler), a can opener (I love my one button push one, but it seems to not always love me...I can break any can opener. It's a talent I have.), knives freshly sharpened, 2 sets of measuring cups and spoons, spatulas and various stirring spoons, apron, dishtowels and scissors.  The rest we use from the church's kitchen.  These things include cutting boards, large mixing bowls, large enough to hold 4 large baggies of food, dishwashing soap and more dish towels.  We will sometimes need to bring 9 x 13 containers for recipes that just can't work in a large baggie.  We don't use more than 3 of those at any one cook and often we use none.

The things we always have for all of us include freezer baggies in all sizes, sharpies, food handling gloves, paper towels and packing tape.