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by Nanci Slagle
In
This Issue:
NOTES
FROM NANCI
BONUS
RECIPES
New eBook Sample Recipes:
WEBSITE
NEWS
CONTEST WINNERS
- NEW FOR 2002
GOURMET Q & A
NEWS FROM THE ROAD
WEBSITE
OF THE MONTH
COMING NEXT MONTH
NOTES
FROM NANCI
Changes for 2002
Okay – let’s just say up front that I fully realize that this January
newsletter is coming out in February. I won’t bore you with my stories
of webmasters with the flu, unexpected family trips to Michigan, and
book orders galore. Thanks for bearing with me as I work through the
tremendous growth going on around here and try to keep all of the plates
spinning – so to speak. We have lots of new stuff to share so grab a cup
of coffee or pop open a can of Diet Mt. Dew (my drink of choice) and
read on.
ORGANIZE YOUR COOKING LIFE
We all get on that organizing kick in January when we want to make a
“fresh start”. A few years back I finally realized that the first day of
January is a very tough time to keep a resolution. I’m always tired
after a month of Christmas and two weeks of having the kids off school.
We set ourselves up for failure when we go to bed at midnight December
31st planning to wake up and start a diet, clean the house top to
bottom, take a 4 mile walk and stock our freezers. Really – isn’t that
just a tad bit unrealistic? So I give myself the WHOLE MONTH of January
to take stock of my life and make some decisions about what to tackle
first.
So here’s the real deal. Take a few minutes to think about your cooking,
meal planning and kitchen life. What needs to change? What could you do
to make things smoother? Do you need all of your recipes in one place?
Do you need a menu planning calendar? Do you need to clean out the
refrigerator and pantry? Do you need to quit reading about freezer
cooking and actually DO IT? Here’s a short list of basics that will send
you well on your way to organizing your cooking life.
#1 – Clean out your refrigerator and freezer.
How can we be motivated to cook and freeze when there’s no room for it?
Get a big garbage can and have at it. Or if the food's still good, force
yourself to eat out of the fridge and freezer for a week or two until
it's cleaned out. Invent recipes if you need to - but use it all up!
Could be fun! With some unexpected auto repair bills this month (our 17
year old slid into a pole last week) that's my plan in lieu of grocery
shopping this week.
#2 – Plan “how” to cook.
If you’ve lost the motivation for freezer cooking or just can’t seem to
“get around to it”, maybe you need to explore some other possibilities.
Would you get it done if you:
*cooked with a friend, spouse, sister or mom? Some people get energized
doing their planning, shopping and cooking with someone else. If that’s
you, enlist another person to cook with you.
*cooked alone with everyone out of the house? Some of you get tingly
just thinking about how wonderful it would be to have a whole day in
your kitchen to yourself. You would love to do the planning, shopping
and cooking ALL BY YOURSELF. Make it happen! Trade babysitting with a
friend, get your hubby to handle the kiddos “offsite” for at least 12
hours, or take a day off work and cook while the kids are at school.
*cooked alone but as part of a group? I’m hearing from lots of cooks who
meet as a group, decide on recipes and then divvy up responsibilities.
You make lasagna for everyone and then meet in a central location and
“buy” entrees from each other. It’s like eating out every night! You
organizers out there could make this happen in a flash!
Click here to read testimonials from 30 Day Gourmets who cook in a
group, with a friend or with a spouse.
By the way, we have a cook who is working on an ebook called Co-op
Cuisine. She has perfected this group cooking concept and will be
sharing the nuts and bolts of how she makes it work along with 25 great
recipes! Watch for it soon!
#3 – Set a date.
You’ll never do the cooking if you don’t set a date and stick to it. As
most of you know, when Tara and I started cooking together in 1993 we
had 7 children under the age of 8. We cooked through sick kids, house
appraisals, broken freezers, drop-in company, and hospital runs. The
point is – something always comes up. Just stick to your day and get
through it. You’ll be glad you did.
#4 – Gather your recipes.
So many people use the “I’m not sure what freezes” excuse to keep them
from ever starting. Okay – here’s the only freezing rule you need to
know. MOST FOODS FREEZE FINE. Yep – that about covers it. Oh sure there
are exceptions here and there and things you can do to improve quality
but the truth is – most of the foods that people eat on a daily basis
could be made ahead and frozen. Hamburgers, chicken nuggets, taco
filling, casseroles, meats for the grill.
Click here for the list of
freezing rules from the Freezer Cooking Manual.
30 Day Gourmet Cookbook and Website
If you have a Freezer Cooking Manual, you’ve got 60 sure-fire freezer
recipes. If you don’t have one, there are enough free recipes on our
website to get you started. Go to the “Recipes” tab at the top of the
home page and start choosing. It includes:
50 extra recipes for manual owners –
Note: Manual owners have a user name and password that gives you access
to another 50 recipes on the website. These recipes were recently
reformatted by one of our consultants (thanks, Becky!) so that they look
just like the ones in the recent newsletter and match the categories in
your Cook’s Assistant Notebook. Curtis is working on putting them all
into .pdf files that can be easily downloaded with Adobe Acrobat.
Completely free recipes:
Other Freezer Recipe Sources:
Another great source for freezer recipes is my friend Robbyn’s site.
Robbyn is the webmaster of the Friendly Freezer site at
http://snider.mardox.com/OAMC.htm.
She has a great list of cooking “plans” at
http://snider.mardox.com/plans.htm
and check out her links page for even more recipes.
Robbyn is also the ListMom for the friendlyfreezer egroups list. You can
sign up for the list from her site. The list is very active and you will
gets LOTS of e-mail about freezer cooking every day.
#5 – Make a “Working” Notebook
One of the best tools you can have in your kitchen is a working notebook
of your freezer recipes. These aren’t the ones you want to try but the
ones you actually use. Buy one of our Cook’s Assistant Notebooks or make
one of your own. If you make your own, divide the recipes by category.
-
Use Page Protectors
Invest in the page protectors. You can get 100 of them at Office Depot
for $7.00. That’s only .07 each and well worth it to be able to carry
your recipe around the kitchen and know that it’s safe! Someone e-mailed
recently and asked why I used the side load protectors instead of the
top load ones in the notebooks. Hmm. Good question. I am switching over
to the top loads. If you already purchased a notebook from us with the
side load protectors you can always switch over to the top loads. The
divider tag will pull off and you can reapply it to a new protector. The
advantage to the top loads is that the recipe won’t “slip out” if you
take it out of your notebook and hang it on your cupboard door. I
wouldn’t know this, of course, because I still don’t have any cupboard
doors! It also saves you from having to 3 hole punch the recipes.
-
Make Copies of the Recipes You Use from the Freezer Cooking Manual
If you own a manual, you have our permission to make copies of recipes
for your own personal use. Your cookbook will stay much cleaner and
nicer if you cook from copies and not the original. Messy cooks can
attest to this.
-
Print off recipes from our website and others that you use frequently
for freezer cooking
Load them into a page protector and put them into your notebook under
the right category.
-
Use Worksheet B from the manual to convert your own recipes for
quantity cooking. Don’t keep using your little recipe cards and doing
the math in your head. If it’s a “keeper” take 10 minutes and convert
the recipe.
I also suggest starting some separate notebooks. One for “Recipes to
Try”, one for any special diets, etc. I have a “Recipes to Try”
notebook, a “Low Carb Recipes” notebook and a “Snacks and Desserts”
notebook.
#6 – Just Do It!
Nuff said.
HEAR FROM OUR COOKS ON ORGANIZING
I asked our cooks to share their thoughts on organizing.
Click here to
read their stories and suggestions.
ORGANIZE EVERYTHING ELSE - HA!
I highly recommend the Flylady website if you are frustrated by the lack
of organization in your life – and who isn’t? We can all do better and
we know it. But how to start? Flylady (alias Marla) guides you through
with baby steps that help you establish routines and in the process you
get your life back! If you don’t know what a “Declutter Challenge”, a
“27 Fling Boogie” or a “FlyZone” is – well you’re missing out. Check out
her great website at:
http://www.flylady.net/index.asp
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BONUS
RECIPES
Kathie’s
Spaghetti Casserole came from my sis, a Mainer who just
happens to be 39 today (for the first time!)
This can be made ahead and frozen as a 9x13 or in 2 pie dishes. Great as
leftovers too!
Click here to view/print Kathie’s Spaghetti Casserole recipe.
Supper on a
Bun is a great recipe for a grab-and-go-meal or any other
night of the week. This recipe was shared on the Friendly Freezer
egroups list.
Click here to view/print the Supper on a Bun recipe.
Freezer Hot
Pockets – Okay here’s the real reason why the newsletter is
so late. I was bound and determined to figure out how to make these
things myself and it has taken me a whole month to figure it out! I
picked up lots of tips from my friends on the FF egroups list and on
Robbyn’s website. She has an entire section devoted to Calzone recipes.
My kids are growing up (imagine that!) and I’m finding that I need more
snacks and on-the-go foods for them. The cheapest “hot pocket” type
sandwich that I can buy at the store is about .75 each and weighs 4.5
ounces. I made 20 of my own for less than $5. That’s $.25 each. I used
frozen bread dough, spaghetti sauce, ham sandwich slices, shredded
cheeses and browned hamburger. I’m eating one right now as I type this
and by golly it’s pretty good!
Click here to view/print the Freezer “Hot Pockets” recipe and hints
page.
Click here to see Nanci with her
platter of Hot Pockets.
Click
here for the Calzone recipe section of the Friendly Freezer Website.
New Freezer Cooking on a Budget eBook Sample Recipes –
Christi has done a great job! These recipes are easy to make, easy on
the budget and taste wonderful. Try them out and then get a copy of the
full ebook from our estore.
The recipes and a sample download of
the ebook will be available later this month. Check our What's New page
often to see when Christi's Freezer Cooking on a Budget
ebook and sampler will be available!
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WEBSITE
NEWS
Freezer Cooking on a Budget is soon
to be released! Our second ebook will soon be ready to order and
download. It includes 25 recipes along with other great info for saving
money as you freezer cook. Take your cooking sessions to the next level
with “Freezer Cooking On A Budget”. Assembling low cost meals that look,
taste and smell great is easy with this eBook! Your family will enjoy
eating these recipes and your pocket book will enjoy the relief! Each
recipe conveniently lists the average assembly cost per meal as well as
per serving. There is a “Pantry Checklist” that every budget minded cook
needs and a “Low Cost Alternatives and Substitutions” sheet to print and
tape inside your pantry door.
Read about our author . . .
Christi Gillentine is an At-Home Mother of three toddlers; including
twins. In fact, her children are SO close in age that each May she has
three kids that are all the same age! If that isn’t enough to keep
Christi on her toes, her work as a published Freelance Writer certainly
does. She credits 30 Day Gourmet cooking with reducing her family’s
monthly food budget by $200.00 a month!
Check our What's New page often for updates on the release of
Freezer Cooking on a Budget!
MESSAGE BOARD UPDATE FROM TAMMY
I continue to work with Curtis to make our web site more user-friendly.
In the last couple months, Curtis has given us the ability to edit our
own user profiles…the link is near the top right on the boards. If it’s
been a while since you’ve visited the boards and you don’t remember your
password, there is now a link on the boards that you can have your
forgotten password emailed to you! And, best of all, Curtis has added a
column to our Board Category page that shows the date of the most recent
reply! So now with a quick glance at that page, you can tell when the
most recent topic was started, as well as when the most recent reply was
posted. That makes it quicker to see what’s new since you visited last.
Another change suggested by our cooks is to add sub-categories to our
“Special Diets” section for Diabetic, Lowfat, Low Carb, Vegetarian,
Weight Watchers, etc. Curtis is working on this along with several other
“sub-categories” – all to help you find what you’re looking for faster
and easier. Watch for them soon!
If you have any suggestions or comments about the boards, please contact
me at tammy@30daygourmet.com
… I welcome all comments!!
If you haven’t been to the boards, you’ve missed out on some good info,
recipes, and fun! We had more than 85 new posts in December! If you
haven’t gotten up the nerve to try freezer cooking, check out the posts
under Assembly Day Stories… let others’ successes boost your confidence!
See you on the boards! Tammy
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CONTEST
WINNERS
I’m not one to enjoy getting stuck in a rut so I decided that it’s time
to change the contests!
APRON WINNER
Our apron winner will now be chosen from our Crazy Cook’s Stories. I
know you’ve got ‘em so send ‘em on. I love reading about all of the zany
things that happen to you because you cook the 30 Day Gourmet way.
COOK OF THE MONTH WINNER
Our Cook of the Month contest is changing to the “Do a Good Cooking
Deed” contest. Tell me how you use 30 Day Gourmet cooking to help others
and if your story is chosen I’ll send you $25.
RECIPE OF THE MONTH WINNER
We will still have a Recipe of the Month winner but some things are
changing. The winner will no longer be chosen just from the ROTM
category on the message boards. Tammy found that limiting the contest to
recipes posted in that category was keeping those recipes out of the
category they belonged in. SO – those recipes will be moved into the
“right” food category and we will be choosing from EVERY recipe posted
on the boards.
The other big change is that I will not be doing the choosing. Our
message board moderator, Tammy Davis, is taking over the Recipe of the
Month testing and choosing. She reads the boards daily and tries lots of
the recipes anyway. This will help me out bunches. Thanks, Tammy!
Okay – here goes:
CRAZY COOK’S STORY – GLORIA E. from Glencoe, MN wins a FREE apron.
For years I’ve been hearing some pretty hilarious stories from our cooks
but have never written them down. Like the cooks who broke the sink on
“Cooking Day” and had to do all of their dishes in the bathtub. Or the
cooks who thought that it would be easiest to stir up the Fruit Slush in
the deep kitchen sink but then accidentally turned the garbage disposal
on. Well it’s time to start saving and sharing them. Here goes crazy
story #1:
Nanci,
I just wanted to tell you how much I love the cookbook and thank you for
such speedy delivery. The Kit Kat bar you included in my order was a
great surprise. Chocolate is a food group to me.
Nanci’s note: That was a
Halloween-time special. Don’t get excited!
I have to tell you a funny story. Well, it's funny now but it wasn't at
the time. I had $800.00 worth of groceries in my cart; I decided to use
my Visa card to pay so that I could get the air miles with my purchase.
The idea of using the Visa to pay for groceries had always gone against
me for some reason but I thought, why not? I pay the Visa card off every
month anyway and I may as well get those miles. Well wouldn't you know
for some reason my card was rejected. The Visa company said it was a
problem with the store and the store said it was a problem with Visa.
???? I knew my credit was good. Visa said my credit was good. After 45
minutes, several phone calls and a lot of embarrassment, I left the
store without the $800.00 worth of groceries. When I got home there was
a message for me to return a phone call. It was the Visa company telling
me someone was trying to charge $800.00 at the store. I knew that! A few
days later I was able to get all my stuff bought and paid for with my
Visa card. I froze enough meals to last over two months for my family of
eight (10 on weekends, all males, myself excluded, with big appetites).
Blessings,
Gloria E.
Nanci’s Note:
Reminds me of the time I was 9 1/2 months pregnant and checking out with
my full cart at the local grocery store. This was in the “old days”
before debit cards and I had used my last check. The store manager
wouldn’t let me take the groceries home and then come back with a check.
They parked my cart while I went home. When I came back my cart was
gone. Evidently a woman who had overheard everything told her cart
pusher that my cart belonged to her too and walked off with an extra
cart of free groceries. The store covered it but imagine how silly the 2
weeks overdue pregnant lady looked filling another cart just an hour
after she had gone through with the first one. I was NOT happy!
If you’ve been at this bulk cooking thing for very long I’m sure that
you have some stories to tell also. Post your stories on the message
boards or send them to me at:
chewinthenews@30daygourmet.com If we print yours, you’ll get a free
“30 Day Gourmet” cooking apron in the mail.
DO A GOOD COOKING DEED – Janet G. from Syracuse, NY wins $25 in
Freezer Cooking Manuals.
Freezer cooks are some of the most generous people I know. Isn’t it
amazing how the word gets around that you have food in the freezer? You
give soup away to your elderly neighbors, send snack mix and cookies to
your nephew at college, and stock the freezers of new moms across
America. I’d love to hear about it! Please share your “Good Cooking
Deed” stories with me or tell me about your freezer cooking buddy or
friend. Tell us about your good deed on the message boards or send your
stories (and digital photos if possible) to
chewinthenews@30daygourmet.com. If yours is chosen, I’ll send you
$25.
My first “Good Cooking Deed” story is from a freezer cook in New York
who wrote asking for help in freezer cooking for families of sick kids
at their local Ronald McDonald house. She had no way of knowing that she
had chosen a cause close to my heart. 13 years ago my brother and
sister-in-law spent several months at the Ron Mac house in Seattle while
my 1-year old niece was being treated for cancer. In lieu of the $25, I
sent Janet some free books for her cooking group. Here’s her response:
Hi Nanci~
I received your package and wanted to thank you again for your
generosity! I gave one of the manuals to a very special lady that I know
who is involved in helping so many people...she is the one who is
coordinating our working at the Ronald McDonald House....she was so
excited when I gave it to her because I had shown her my other manual
and she was very interested in putting it to good use. I had to laugh
because she knew I was going to get a freezer and she said she wanted
one but didn't want a chest type because she was afraid she'd fall in
and I quick opened up the manual to show her the pic of you "falling"
in.
Thank you for including the pics of your niece...she certainly has grown
up to be a very pretty young lady....with all the bad news these days it
feels good to hear a "happy" story.
I can't wait to get started on our project....it definitely will be a
"feel good" experience! Thank you again. Keep up the good work and I
will keep you posted how things go. Take care Nanci!
---Janet :-)
RECIPE OF THE MONTH CONTEST – from Tammy
Nanci has turned over the Recipe of the Month contest to me. I’m excited
to be trying some new recipes every month! And so is my family!! (I did
say on the boards that I’d gotten into a rut fixing the same recipes!)
In my excitement to pick a great recipe, I didn’t look to see who our
recent winners were. C’mon, what are the chances I’d pick a recipe by
someone who recently won?!? You got it, I picked a recipe from last
month's winner! Congrats to Caren from Dothan, AL for winning two months
in a row! Now, let's try and spread the wealth around a little… submit
your favorite freezer cooking recipes to the message boards… and maybe
you can have a turn in the winner's circle!
I tried Caren’s Mexican Chicken Casserole recipe. It was a big hit at my
house! My kids are 9, 7 and 4, and aren’t too picky. They all like
Mexican food and this casserole was no exception!! The boys helped me by
crushing the Doritos with a rolling pin. I served it over white rice, as
Lori suggested on the boards. The kids loved it! (Hubby and I did too!)
They all 3 cleaned their plates and were asking for seconds before I
even was half done eating! I thought my 7 year old was going to lick his
plate, he was trying so hard to get every last crumb!! My daughter and I
are wimps for spicy foods, and we both liked this one. My cheese-loving
family thought the addition of cheddar the next time I make it would
only improve it. My 7 year old said he wanted me to pick this recipe as
the winner every month! That’s a pretty good endorsement! All 3 kids
gave me a thumbs up for Caren’s Mexican Chicken Casserole. I give it a
thumbs up for being quick, easy and yummy!
My family and I look forward to trying new recipes for the contest!
Check out the boards and you can try some of them too! Curtis will be
putting more enhancements on the boards this month... come check them
out! I look forward to seeing you on the boards!
Happy Cooking!
Click here to see Tammy’s kids helping with the recipe of the month
testing.
Click here to view/print Caren’s Mexican Chicken Casserole
Read about Caren:
I did some freezer cooking several years ago but didn't start doing it
seriously until this past September when I found this site. Your web
site and your cooking manual really helped me to get motivated and get
to cooking. I work full time outside the home and have a husband and two
sons, ages 12 and 15. It makes my evenings so much easier when things
are already planned and prepared. My husband commented to me recently
that he could tell how much easier my nights were. I don't think I'll
ever go back to the old way of cooking every day.
Note: We had a few questions about
the Hot Cocoa recipe in December. Nanci made a few “conversion” errors
in multiplying out the recipe.
Click here to print a new one.
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GOURMET
Q & A (from the E-mail Bag)
| Q.
|
Foodsavers – what’s the
scoop? Do you use one? Are they worth it? |
| A. |
Ever since I decided
to check out these vacuum sealer contraptions it seems like they are
popping up everywhere. And everyone says the same thing – how did I ever
live without one? I kind of remember my Grandma saying that when she got
indoor plumbing.
Click
here for a list of vacuum sealer FAQ’s. I’ve
covered:
- What are they
and what do they do?
- What are the
benefits?
- What are the
drawbacks?
- How many kinds
are there and which one is best?
- Where can I
get more info or ask specific questions?
- Where’s the
best place to buy a Foodsaver?
- What’s the
best deal on the bags?
In the
December newsletter I asked our cooks to share their opinions and
experiences.
Click here to read what
other 30 Day Gourmets say about their vacuum sealers.
Click here to see a picture of my son Adam
and our first attempt at vacuum sealing with my new Food Saver. |
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NEWS FROM THE ROAD
I’ll be heading to:
-
Muncie, Indiana in February
-
Kentucky and South Dakota in March
-
Terre Haute, Indiana in April
Click
here for the details.
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CONSULTANT NEWS
We have consultants signing up left
and right. Click here
to check out the whole list on the website.
Please contact them if you’d like a 30 Day Gourmet speaker for your
local group of frustrated cooks!
Each month, I will welcome our new consultants in the newsletter. The
following cooks joined our team since September:
-
Teresa Cannon from Clarkston,
Michigan
-
Becky Dosh from East Leroy,
Michigan
-
Tianna Ellis from Tulsa, Oklahoma
-
Aleasha Huested from Louisville,
Kentucky
-
Karen Hughes from Fishers, Indiana
-
Colleen Jensen from Eugene, Oregon
-
Tracy Johnson from Reeds Spring,
Missouri
-
Holly Loyd from Tulsa, Oklahoma
-
Marcie Prewitt from LaHabra,
California
-
Leslie Prud’homme from South Lyon,
Michigan
-
Becky Scott from Sedalia, Missouri
-
Anne Smith from Otisfield, Maine
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WEBSITE
OF THE MONTH
Don’t forget to check out the
Flylady website for help in organizing your life. If your sink isn’t
shining and your shoes aren’t tied, you need help! Go here to get it and
the laughs are free!
www.flylady.net
Visit the website that started the
Friendly Freezer yahoo group. Robbyn has great info and recipes here.
Check it out at:
http://snider.mardox.com/OAMC.htm
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COMING
NEXT MONTH
New Products – I’m testing
out some freezer labels that you can run through your printers. If all
goes well, they should be available on the estore soon. The “30 Day
Gourmet” peel off freezer labels should be ready soon too. Watch the
estore.
Valentine’s Day Recipes
Nothin’ says lovin’ like somethin’ from the oven. Send your favorite
Valentine’s Day freezer recipes to me at
chewinthenews@30daygourmet.com.
Date ideas Needed
Oh – and I need one more thing from you. My hubby and I are part of a
small group of couples at our church studying marriage. My “assignment”
next month is to plan a “surprise” date for him – something that HE
would enjoy. So come on ladies – give me some great ideas. Obviously,
there are a few thoughts that come immediately to mind (!) but I also
need to throw dinner and “cheap” in the mix. Send these straight to me
at: nanci@30daygourmet.com.
We’ll be back on track next month – promise. Head to the website right
now and browse for awhile. We have made lots of changes and
improvements. Check them out and as always, send us your feedback. We’re
just trying to make your lives easier. Let us know how we can do that!
See you soon,
Nanci
30 Day Gourmet
P.O. Box 272
Brownsburg, IN 46112
www.30DayGourmet.com
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