I started “bulk”
cooking in August 2019; by then, the shock of being a solo lobo was kinds-sorta
slacking off, and I could actually think straight through a whole thought
without brain freeze. That is important when dinking around in the kitchen ;-)
I didn’t realize – until pulling this post together – that the day I started
taking purposeful control of my life, and actively moving forward … with my
first cookathon, was August 27th, 2019: my Wedding Anniversary.
Had Bob still been here, on this planet with me, we would have been celebrating
our 45th anniversary as friends, lovers, husband/wife, parents,
grandparents: Soul Mates. Instead, looking at the date notation while I type
this post – I was in the kitchen whipping up solo lobo meals to be portioned
for solo lobo freezer meals. This is my life in my new life.
August 27th,
2019: 4 MAKE AHEAD FREEZER MEALS – https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/08/4-make-ahead-freezer-meals.html
September 24, 2019:
FALL MEALS COOKATHON ~Tuesday & Wednesday: https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/09/fall-meals-cookathon-tuesday-wednesday.html
Today is my first
2020 cookathon. I buy my groceries in bulk – that’s the way I grew up, and I
carried that thriftiness over into my marriage with Bob. It works for me (then
and now). I usually have what I need at my fingertips.
For those of you
that do not have a well-stocked pantry, cupboards, or freezer, these meals may
seem a little expensive; but I don’t throw $$$ away; I am very economical. I
buy my freezer meats once a year, from an old-fashioned butcher shop – it takes
me all day to drive there and back, but the trip is worth it to me: I get out
of the house, enjoy a nice country drive, and enjoy great meals all year long
:-D I garden every year, and my garden goodies go into the freezer – I
personally, like the ‘fresh from the garden’ taste the freezer delivers that
watery canned foods just don’t: I used to can for 2 decades; but I stopped
canning, and started freezing my veggies 2 decades ago; and I like it much
better – it also works for my widow Suppers too. For pantry and cupboard
items, I bulk shop for at least a 6-month supply of staples such as flours,
sugars, dry milk, ect. I bake my own bread, so I also buy yeast in bulk and
refrigerate the yeast. I grow my own herbs, and dry some – and freeze some. In
this way, I can prepare nutritious, balanced-menu meals that are healthy and
economical. My food is my medicine, so I mostly cook foods that benefit the
body and mind – and I don’t stage my dishes … I do home-style cooking. I don’t
care so much about how it looks on the plate: I care about how it will benefit
my life, in the long run; and how fast I can get out of the kitchen and rest my
barking dogs (aka: my tired feet) ;-)
Meats I will be working with today; beef, chicken, pork sausage, fish - these are widow's portions: the original recipe portions are posted for full size families.
Last year it was
snowing – and I was laid up in bed with influenza. Today, the temperature was
near 50-degrees, and I was very busily bustling around my kitchen at 9:30 AM preparing
meals for my freezer … finished up around 9 PM. I cooked a variety of meals; I
used a few recipes Bob liked, but generally, I chose recipes he never ate –
either because he didn’t like the ingredients, or I didn’t have the time to
make them, or I had children and grandchildren underfoot for the 44 years
straight.
Bob is no longer here to object to the
ingredients: and there are no more children racing in and out of rooms either.
The house is empty, and I have the time to spend all day in the kitchen cooking.
I’d rather have Bob and the kids; but
I don’t argue with Elohim. This is the life I have now,
and Elohim has given me the grace, strength, and courage I need to navigate it.
When to comes to meal times, I treat myself once
a week to downtown restaurants just for a change of pace when I am out and
about. The rest of the time, I prefer to eat at home, enjoying my own
cooking: better for my health, better on the household budget. I sort
through my recipes – go shopping for the few extras I do not have on hand in
the ‘fridge, pantry, freezer, or cupboards (I buy in bulk, so I usually have
what I need at my fingertips) … set a day aside, get my ingredients
together; and start cooking ;-)
Yu’all know the spiel and drill if you have been
regularly checking my Blog out – I am only 1 person now, but I like good food;
so I cook full meals (cut them down when prudent, as in I do not need to
cook 12 servings – so I cut that recipe in half) and divide the meals into
individual freezer portions. But, I post recipes as they are printed in my
cookbooks for full sized families.
Some of these recipes take 2 days to
complete: read through the recipes, and plan
accordingly.
Enjoy!
**********
Upscale Macaroni & Cheese baked - I only made half the recipe, so my baking dish is small.
==UPSCALE MACARONI & CHEESE ~ serves 12
Everyone’s favorite childhood dish with a
sophisticated twist.
This recipe comes from my ‘Bon Appetit cooking
magazine/December 1995.’
2 Tablespoons (1/4 stick) Butter *
3 large Red Bell Peppers (about 1-1/2 pounds), cut into ½-inch pieces *
Salt & Pepper * 5 celery stalks, chopped * 1-1/2 cups
Whipping Cream * 1-1/2 cups half-n-half * 1 pound Blue Cheese,
crumbles * 1 teaspoon celery Seeds * Cayenne Pepper * 3
large Egg yolks * 1/2 cup chopped Celery Leaves * I pound Penne noodles * 1/2 cup freshly
grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
Melt butter in a heavy large skillet over medium-
high heat. Add bell peppers and celery and saute until just beginning to soften
– about 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.
Combine cream, half-n-half, and blue cheese in
heavy medium saucepan; stir over low heat until cheese melts. Remove from heat.
Add celery seeds. Season sauce with cayenne, salt and pepper. Beat egg yolks in
medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in half of cheese sauce. Return mixture
to saucepan and whisk to blend. Add celery leaves.
Cheese Sauce being prepared.
Spices added to cheese sauce.
Egg yolks being prepared.
Noodles added to cheese sauce: I used a fancy spiral type ;-)
Butter a 13-3/4” x 10-1/2” x 2-3/4” (4-quart
capacity) oval baking dish. Cook pasta in a pot of boiling, salted, water
until just tender – but still firm to the bite – stirring occasionally. Drain.
Return to same pot. Add sauce and vegetables; stir to blend. Transfer mixture
to baking dish. **(Can be make 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Let stand at
room temperature 1 hour before continuing).**
Ready for oven.
Preheat oven to 400-degrees. Sprinkle parmesan
over surface of pasta. Bake until pasta is heated through: sauce is bubbling
and top is beginning to brown – about 25 minutes.
Upscale Macaroni & Cheese Freezer Meal. 1 Serv - Mac-n-Cheese, Mixed Vegs., half a Croissant, Mini Chocolate Eclairs. I place plastic wrap between the lower portions and the upper meal items before covering, trimming edges, and packaging.
Packaged for the freezer, and labeled. It was also placed inside a large freezer ziploc baggie.
==ORANGE & BAY-SCENTED ROASTED
CHICKEN w-NEW POTATOES ~ serves 6
Butterflying the chicken increases the area
exposed to the marinade, making for a particularly flavorful dish. For a pretty
presentation, arrange sautéed snow peas around chicken.
This recipe comes from my ‘Bon Appetit cooking
magazine/December 1987’ … and the picture is pretty. But, I don’t have the
time {to butterfly} – and even if I wanted to do so, I would do a lousy job of
it, ruining the meat as well as the {presentation}. So, I buy my butchered
chicken in bulk, and marinade it that way: it works for me :-D
And ‘the presentation’ with snow peas and new
spuds looks just fine ;-)
2/3 cup fresh Orange juice * 1/4 cup Olive
Oil * 2 Tablespoons fresh Lemon juice * 4 large Garlic cloves,
crushed * 2 Bay leaves, crushed * 1 Tablespoon grated Orange Peel
(orange part only) * 2 teaspoons granulated Sugar * 1/4
teaspoon Cinnamon * 1/8teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper * 1/8
teaspoon dried Red Pepper Flakes * 2 3-pound chickens * Salt * 18
small new Potatoes (1-1/2’ to 2” diameter) * ¼ cup Olive Oil *
4 fresh Sage leaves, chopped * Snow peas enough for 12, quickly
sautéed, if desired
Blend first 10 ingredients in large shallow
baking dish.
Orange & Bay-scented marinating sauce.
To butterfly chicken, cut out backbones and
discard. Open chickens skin side up on work surface and push down on breast
bone to flatten, using heel of hand. Turn chickens over and pull back and snap
out breastbones. Trim away rib bones. Remove wishbones. Place chickens in
marinade, coating thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
This is what I have to work with; I’m not sure if anyone else would go through this tedious trouble, but I was curious, so I gave it a whirl – and I do have LOTS of time on my hands now to thoroughly frustrate myself. De-boned breast, thigh, leg, & wing – de-boning the wing took the longest and most frustrating: there isn’t a lot to work with, and the bones put up a fight.
Orange & Bay-scented chicken marinating overnight. Again, my dishes are small because I am only 1, cooking for 1: my portions are small.
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to
350-degrees. Line large shallow baking pan with foil. Top with large rack.
Drain chickens, reserving marinade. Season with salt; arrange skin side up on
rack in pan. Baste with marinade. Rub potatoes with 1/4 cup oil and sage.
Sprinkle with salt. Place on rack around chicken. Roast until thermometer
inserted in thickest part of chicken thighs registers 170-degrees – basting
chickens occasionally with marinade; about 1 hour.
Oiled-n-herbed spuds.
Ready for oven.
Chicken, spuds, & chuck roasting together in oven - this works for me because my portions are small: if you are cooking full recipes as posted, this baking arrangement will not work.
Preheat broiler. Transfer potatoes to a serving
platter. Using poultry shears, quarter chickens. Broil chicken until golden
brown, watching carefully. Serve chicken with potatoes. Snow peas enough for
12, quickly sautéed, if desired.
Orange & Bay-scented Roasted Chicken w-New Potatoes Freezer Meal. 1 Serv - Chicken, New Spuds, Snow Peas (I grew in my garden), Pumpernickel Roll, Vanilla Eclairs. I place plastic wrap between the lower portions and the upper meal items before covering, trimming edges, and packaging.
Packaged and labeled; also slipped into a large ziploc freezer baggie..
==MARINATED CHUCK ROAST ~ serves 4 to 6
I don’t remember which magazine I clipped this
recipe from … but it goes back to the later end of the 1970’s. And it is a
perfect comfort-food dish for PNW dreary rainy days.
I paired this meat dish with tri-colored noodles
for the added appeal of bright colors to chase the gray away :-D The noodle
recipe follows this recipe.
Spread 2 pounds Chuck Roast on
cutting board; trim fat. Make shallow cuts in each side – place in glass or
enamel pan. Mix 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil, 1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar, 3
Tablespoons Lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon granulated Sugar, ½ teaspoon Salt, ½
teaspoon Thyme, ¼ teaspoon ground Black Pepper, ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder, and ½
Onion, chopped finely. Spread half of marinade on each side of meat; cover
and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours. Place meat on broiler pan, reserving marinade.
Roast in preheated 350-degree oven for 2 hours – basting several times with
marinade. Before serving, add remaining marinade and place under broiler for a
few minutes.
Marinated Chuck baking; since there is only me now, and my small portions don’t hog the oven – I baked the chuck with the chicken (previous recipe above).
NOT JUST BUTTERED NOODLES ~ 4 servings
I bought these pretty noodles on my first
shopping foray as a new widow. I was aimless pushing my cart through the store,
wondering what I wanted to buy – and eat – without Bob: before, I always
shopped with consideration for my husband’s appetite too. Shopping solo lobo
was very new a year ago. I had no idea how to shop for one … and no enthusiasm
at all. But these pretty noodles caught my eye, and interest. So, into my cart
they went. And I am trying them, for the first time since buying them, today
;-)
This recipe tells me these noodles are ‘delicious
with roasted meats or chicken’. We shall see – the recipe sounds delicious, and
the noodles certainly look delicious :-D
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) Butter *
1-1/2 Tablespoons Olive Oil * 3 Garlic cloves, chopped * 1/2
teaspoon Aniseed, crushed or coarsely shopped * 8 ounces tricolor
tubular or spiral shaped Pasta, freshly cooked * 1 7-ounce
jar Roasted Red Bell peppers, drained, chopped * 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
cheese * 2 Plum Tomatoes, seeded, chopped * 1/4 cup thinly sliced
fresh Basil leaves
Approximated amount of noodles (half of original recipe) weighed with my little dieter’s scale. They look too good to eat ... but I will eat them anyway ;-)
Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over
medium-high heat. Add oil, garlic, and aniseed; and stir until fragrant – about
1 minute. Mix in all remaining ingredients and toss until heated through –
about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Sauce being prepared.
Not Just Noodles finished.
Marinated Chuck Freezer meal. 1 Serv - Chuck, Noodles, Brussel Sprouts w-Carrot, 1 Sweet Potato Roll, Tiny Chocolate Desserts. I place plastic wrap between the lower portions and the upper meal items before covering, trimming edges, and packaging.
Crimped tight, labeled ... and slipped into a large ziplox freezer baggie.
==FOUR-ONION SOUP ~ serves 8
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) Butter * 3
large Onions, sliced * 3 medium Leeks (white and light green parts),
sliced * 1 bunch Green Onions, sliced (white parts only) *
1/4 cup minced Shallots * 2 teaspoons minced fresh Ginger * 2
Garlic cloves, crushed * pinch of Cayenne * 1 Tablespoon
all-purpose Flour * 8 cups Chicken Broth * 1 cup dry White Wine *
3 Tablespoons Brandy * 1 teaspoon fresh Lemon juice * 1 teaspoon
Salt * freshly ground Black Pepper
Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over
medium-high heat. Add onions, leeks, green onions, shallots, ginger and garlic;
saute until tender – about 20 minutes. Add cayenne and flour and stir until
mixture is brown. Add broth and wine and simmer 20 minutes. Blend in brandy,
juice, salt and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes. Serve hot.
Four-Onion soup cooking in my crockpot - about 6 hours.
Soups frozen in 1 serving portions.
==JANE’S SOUTHWESTERN BEEF &
VEGETABLE STEW ~ about 8 cups
This stew contains zippy red chili peppers, and
plenty of garlic and herbs. Team it up with a crisp winter salad and a chunk of
warm bread, for a well-balanced Dinner.
This recipe comes from my ‘Bon Appetit cooking
magazine/December 1986.
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil * 1 pound chuck or
other Stew Meat, cut into 3/4-inch cubes * 1 medium Onion, chopped *
3 Garlic cloves, minced * 1 28-ounce can Tomatoes, chopped (liquid
reserved) * ½ pound Mushrooms, sliced * 4 Celery stalks,
sliced * 3 medium Carrots, peeled and sliced * 1 medium Red Bell
Pepper, seeded and julienned * 1 medium Zucchini, sliced * 1/2
cup minced fresh Parsley * 1 dried Red Chili * 1 teaspoon dried
basil, crumbled * ½ teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled * ½ teaspoon
dried Sage, crumbled * Sat and fresh ground Black Pepper
Heat oil in a heavy large saucepan, or Dutch
Oven, over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion and garlic; cook until meat is
browned, stirring frequently – about 8 minutes. Mix in remaining ingredients.
Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Cool to
room temperature. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight to
allow flavors to intensify.
Jane’s Southwestern Beef-n-Vegetable Stew.
Soups frozen in 1 serving portions.
Reheat and serve hot.
I decided to turn the ventilator fan on while the fish cooked ...
Reaching the switch was quite a stretch for this shortie, but I managed to flick it with a fingertip and it kicked on. I don't know how I am going to clean that ceiling fan when the time comes - heights mess with my equilibrium, so getting on a ladder and messing around up there will be tricky. Maybe I can get one of my fella friends to help me. We'll see ...
==SPICY RED SNAPPER FILLETS ~ 4 servings
I use tilapia fillets because they are available
all year ‘round.
Spicy Fish Fillets
This recipe comes from my ‘Bob
Appetit cooking magazine/December 1987’. The only
other change I made to the original recipe, was using an online Curry Seasoning
Mix recipe in the original recipe.
I am serving this fish dish with a side of ‘Wild
Rice and Mixed Woodland Mushrooms’. The rice recipe follows this recipe.
2 teaspoons unsalted Butter * 1-1/2
teaspoons Vegetable Oil * 1 large Onion, finely chopped * 1
1-inch piece fresh Ginger, peeled and slivered * 1 Garlic clove, finely
chopped * 1-1/2 teaspoons Curry Seasoning Mix (**recipe
follows) * 3/4 cup Tomato Sauce * 2 medium Tomatoes, peeled,
seeded, and diced * Salt * 4 6-ounce Snapper fillets *
Freshly cooked Rice for 4 * 1 Cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
Mix butter with oil in heavy large skillet over
medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally –
about 10 minutes. Miz in ginger, garlic, and seasoning mix. Stir 1 minute.
The onions made me cry: and not because they were strong smelling. I cried when I saw the date on the onion baggie ... Bob and I drove to a Nursery in Adna to buy the onion starts March 2018 – I harvested and chopped these onions for the freezer just before the paranoid neighbor’s bitching led to my husband’s hospitalization in August, which led to his death December 14th, 2018. Triggers: they're everywhere and unpredictable.
Add tomato sauce and tomatoes. Season with salt.
Arrange fish skin side up atop tomato mixture, then turn to coat. Cover and
simmer until fish is opaque – about 8 minutes. Spoon rice onto a platter; set
fish atop. Spoon sauce over. Garnish with cucumber.
Onion and seasoning being cooked.
Tomato sauce added.
Fish fillets added to skillet. This deep sided skillet also brought tears to my eyes - Bob bought this pan set for me in June of 2018, as we passed through Scappoose, OR, on our way home from Portland, OR. He said "You need a new cooking pan set, Val - your others are getting old and worn". 2 months later we were in ER hearing a doctor telling us, "Your husband is dying." I have used these pans many times since then, but today they triggered my emotions - probably because of the onion bag date - and the memory invoked by that ...
I buttered half a cob of corn and wrapped it snug, to add to the meal.
Spicy Fish Fillet Freezer Meal. 1 Serv – 1 Fish, fillet, Wild Rice w-Woodland Mushrooms, 1 Cob corn (I marked the sealed fold with an "X" to keep the butter dripping onto the corn - instead of all over the pan - while baking ;-), 1 Sweet Potato Roll. I place plastic wrap between the lower portions and the upper meal items before covering, trimming edges, and packaging.
Crimped tight, labeled ... and slipped into a large ziplox freezer baggie.
Curry Seasoning mix blended. I ground the seeds into powder so I can safely utilize them.
WILD RICE & MIXED WOODLAND
MUSHROOMS ~ serves 6
Wild Rice & Woodland Mushrooms finished.
I like wild rice, and I was gifted a few batches of wild mushrooms; so today I am going to indulge my taste buds ;-)
Nutty wild rice, fluffy grains of white rice; and
the deep, meaty taste of dried and fresh mushroom combine to make a tempting
side dish.
This recipe comes from my ‘Bon Appetit cooking
magazine/December 1987’.
1 cup Wild Rice * 1 cup Water * 1
cup White Rice * 1 ounce dried morels, porcini, or other dried European
Mushrooms * 3 large Shallots, sliced * 6 large Green Onions (Scallions),
sliced * 1/2 pound small fresh Mushrooms * 4 Tablespoons (1/2
stick) Butter * 3/4 teaspoon Salt * Freshly ground Black
pepper * 1/3 to 2/3 cup Chicken Stock
Cook wild rice in large amount of boiling water
until just tender – about 45 minutes. Rice will still be crunchy; wild rice
does not soften like white rices. Drain well.
Wild rice drained.
Combine 1 cup water and white rice in heavy
saucepan, bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, cover and cook until water is
absorbed – 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, soak dried mushrooms in hot water to
cover for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid for another use if desired. Cut
morels in half, if very large. Rinse well; squeeze dry. Cut off and discard any
hard stems.
Melt 3 Tablespoons butter in a heavy 10-inch
skillet over high heat; add shallots and stir 1 minute. Add all mushrooms and
cook until beginning to release liquid – stirring frequently – about 4 minutes.
Add wild and white rice, and salt and pepper; and cook until mixture is almost
dry, stirring frequently – about 4 minutes. Mix in 1/3 stock and cook until
just warmed through, stirring occasionally. **(Can be prepared 2 days
ahead at this point. Cool, cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before serving)**.
Mushrooms and seasonings – my mushrooms had been frozen.(https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/10/something-old-something-new.html)
Stir in green onions and remaining 1 Tablespoon
butter. If mixture appears dry, stir in remaining cup of stock. Adjust
seasonings.
==COWBOY BEAN CAKES ~ serves 6
Cowboy Bean Cakes finished.
Grilled sausages and green onions complement
these bean cakes.
Grilled Grilled bratwurst sausages; 2 freezer meals.
This bean cakes recipe comes from my ‘Bon
Appetit cooking magazine/December 1986’.
1 cup Pinto beans * 1/2 cup Red beans *
1/2 cup Black beans * 1/2 cup Bacon Drippings, or lard, or solid
vegetable shortening * 1 medium Onion * 1 medium Green Bell
Pepper * 1 dried Ancho pepper, minced * 1 Jalapeno pepper,
chopped * 1 large Garlic clove, chopped * 1 cup Beef Broth or
water * 1/2 cup prepared BBQ Sauce * 1 teaspoon Chili Powder *
½ teaspoon ground Coriander * 1 cup freshly cooked White Rice *
all-purpose Flour * grilled Sausages (such as kielbasa, bratwurst,
and knockwurst) * Green Onions
Combine pinto and red beans in medium saucepan;
add enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until
very tender – about 1-1/2 hours. Drain beans thoroughly.
I cooked all my beans at the same time.
Meanwhile, place black beans in a small saucepan.
Add enough water to cover and bring to a boil: reduce heat, and simmer until
very tender – about 1-1/2 hours. Drain beans thoroughly.
Melt 1/4 cup drippings in heavy large skillet
over medium-low heat. Add onion, peppers, and garlic; cook until onion is
translucent – about 10 minutes. Add pinto and red beans, broth, BBQ sauce,
chili powder, coriander, salt and pepper; and simmer until liquid evaporates,
stirring frequently – 20 minutes.
Seasonings.
Beans and seasonings cooked to enhance flavors.
In a large bowl, mash pinto bean mixture with
rice; with large spoon, fold in black beans. Cover and refrigerate until well
chilled. **(Can be prepared 1 day ahead at this point)**.
Half of cooled bean mixture mashed with blender.
Bean mixtures stirred to equally blend mashed and whole beans.
Shape beans into patties, using 2-1/2 to 3
Tablespoons for each patty. Dust lightly with flour.
Bean cake patties shaped and ready put in ‘fridge to firm up a bit – they are pretty soft; handle with care. 3 TBSP each patty. I got 24 patties made up.
Melt remaining 1/4 cup drippings in heavy large
skillet over medium-high heat. Add bean patties to skillet in batches – do not
crowd – and fry until crisp – about 1-1/2 minutes each side. Serve immediately
with grilled meats and green onions.
Cowboy Bean Cakes frying: these things are very soft – move them quickly … and carefully into frying pan; turn them over very carefully.
Cowboy Bean Cakes Freezer Meal. 1 Serv – 1 Bratwurst, 4 Bean Cakes, half cob of corn (I marked the sealed fold with an "X" to keep the butter dripping onto the corn - instead of all over the pan - while baking ;-), 1 Sweet Potato Roll. I place plastic wrap between the lower portions and the upper meal items before covering, trimming edges, and packaging.
