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It's been six months since I've published a newsletter. How embarrassing! What could I possibly have done in that amount of time that's so important? Well, let's see... I attended two graduations and three recitals, painted the kitchen and bathroom cupboards for a friend, attended three conferences, including a youth conference, a home school conference, and a debate conference, made a flower-girl dress for our daughter, Megan, attended two out-of-state weddings, vacationed with friends on Puget Sound, spent a week at Suzuki camp with our little violinist, packed for a camping trip, unpacked from the camping trip, saw a stage performance of the "Phantom of the Opera" (my birthday present), painted two bedrooms, welcomed my father-in-law for a visit, spread 42 yards of bark in our yard, water-skied several times (I can still slalom!), spent a week in San Diego visiting family and seeing the sights, hosted nine social events at our house, saw "Swan Lake" on stage (absolutely beautiful!), and planned the school year for four of our daughters who continue to home school. Ok, I feel a little better, but it's really no excuse to wimp out on a subject that is the reason that I could do all that, and still maintain the household, stay up for late night chats with our teenagers, and have dinner on the table. One of the keys to using my freezer effectively is to stock it like a frozen pantry. From one week to the next, I may or may not have a casserole that I can pull, thaw, and heat for dinner. But I absolutely can not survive without these basic staples in my freezer: Cooked, deboned chicken, for soups and quick casseroles Chicken stock, for a rich homemade flavor Cooked ground beef, for tacos, chili, Sloppy Joe Buns, etc. Beef stock, for vegetable soup Crumbled bacon, for quiche, potatoes, and salad Shredded beef, for french dips and enchiladas Marinades, for the barbecue any time of the year! Spaghetti sauce, for the Italian in me Fried sausage, for spaghetti sauce and No-Cook Lasagna Grated cheese, cheddar, jack, and mozzarella Glazed Pecans, to decorate a salad or sweet potato casserole Twice-Baked Potatoes, for a quick side dish
You'll need to customize your Frozen Pantry to fit the needs of the recipes you like to prepare for your family. When my freezer is stocked with the basics, then it's easy to quickly select a list of recipes in Advantage Cooking and shop from the grocery report (eliminating all those items already prepared and stocked in my freezer). I not only have a menu plan for the week, but I also have the means to make it happen, with a minimal amount of effort! Before we talk more about software, here are a few of our favorite pumpkin recipes for celebrating the Thanksgiving season. Enjoy!
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