 |
|
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Chewin'the NewsMay 2004 |
||||||||
|
by Tammy Davis
MESSAGE BOARD UPDATES FROM TAMMY COOKIN' AT THE KEYBOARD WITH SHELLEY
Hi everybody! Summer has definitely arrived… it feels like August here, not May! And how about those cicadas? Have you seen them? I told someone I had seen a couple but I hadn’t heard them. They said “Oh yes you have, you just don’t realize it! Remember the movies from the 1950’s that had aliens and they played this funky background music every time they showed the UFO’s or aliens? That’s what the cicadas sound like!” And they were right!! That’s exactly what they sound like! It’s amazing! I’ve also heard there are recipes on the internet for cooking with cicadas. I’m sure you won’t mind if we don’t go there! I’ll leave that to “Fear Factor”!
This issue of “Chewin’ the News” brings you four new recipes from Marie Cole, one of our consultants from Texas. I hope you enjoy getting to meet Marie, and that you enjoy her recipes as well!
I am an avid freezer cook! I first learned about freezer cooking almost three years ago. I had one of those just really awful days, when everything when wrong. I had a five-year-old daughter and an eighteen-month old baby girl, and I was really overwhelmed and tired. Nevertheless, I decided I was going to get it together and that my home was going to sparkle and my kids were going to be perfect!
On the day I decided that all of this was going to happen, my mother-in-law dropped by unannounced while I was in the middle of laundry (picture mountains of laundry all over the living room floor) and my daughter had just shattered a bowl of cereal all over the floor. After my mother-in-law left, my daughter decided to write her name on the carpet with pink calamine lotion, and my other daughter decided to see what artistic creations she could design with the contents of her diaper, not to mention the burned- to- the- size- of- a- hockey- puck pot roast I was making for dinner. Yikes! I certainly didn’t get it together that day, but rather lost it by the end of the day! On that day, I prayed for help, and about three weeks later, I found out about freezer cooking. So, for me, freezer cooking has been an answer to a heart-felt, earnest prayer for help!
Since that time, I have calculated that every time I freezer cook, I save myself about forty hours of time. I have used that time to start two small businesses (Freezer Pleasers and Grace Notes Piano Studio), play the piano for our church, homeschool my two daughters, co-direct a large homeschool co-op, teach Sunday School, conduct women’s retreats, teach freezer cooking classes at our local university, and I even wrote a cookbook for freezer cooks! It's available on my website, at www.freezerpleasers.com.
I love to give freezer cooking classes because I feel that out of all of the answers to that prayer I prayed three years ago, freezer cooking has made the most impact on our family. It has saved us money, helped us to reduce those high-fat runs to the fast food restaurant, and gathered my family around the heart of my home, the kitchen table. I also love the freedom I have to help other people.
I used to want to offer to bring someone a meal, but was having trouble getting dinner on my own table, much less someone else’s! Now, I only have to grab an entrée or two from the freezer and drop it off. In this way I have been able to help people ranging from a retired missionary family whose wife had very complicated back surgery to the mother of three boys whose husband was murdered, to cancer victims, and the list goes on. It is something simple I can do to make a difference in our community!
At Freezer Pleasers, we feature the 30 Day Gourmet cookbook, because I feel it is the best one on the market! The recipes are all wonderful, and the helpful planning sheets and equivalency tables make planning a cooking day easy! We teach people how to cook the 30 Day Gourmet way! For further information about Freezer Pleasers, please e-mail me at mariecole@austin.rr.com.
Enjoy the bonus recipes!
On our Assembly Days, my friend Kim and I always make "Cheese-Filled Shells" from the "Freezer Cooking Manual from 30 Day Gourmet." That recipe is delicious, but we always have filling left over. The filling is delicious used in this recipe in place of the ricotta cheese. We usually have enough filling left to make at least 2 pies a piece. You can make
this dish lower in fat by using part-skim ricotta. I usually serve this
dish with fresh zucchini and yellow squash sautéed in a little butter
and garlic, and Italian bread. My husband considers this dish the best
one I make! Click here to view/print this recipe!
Santa Fe ChickenThis dish is very healthy, lots
of fiber and lower in fat than some of the casseroles that freeze well.
Everyone in my family loves this dish, as well as my friends and
extended family. I serve it over brown rice. Any Mexican side dish
would go well with it, but I usually just serve a simple green salad.
My family loves to visit New Mexico, and Santa Fe Chicken reminds me of
the flavors of the cuisine found in the Southwest. Click here to view/print this recipe!
Calico BeansThis recipe
is one my grandmother used to serve her nine kids. They were on a
strict budget, so this dish was great for stretching the meat. I like
to serve it at Thanksgiving and on special occasions. The flavor is
delicious, and it can stand alone as a meal as long as you add a simple
vegetable or fruit. Click here to view/print this recipe!
This recipe is from my mother-in-law. She is a fantastic cook, and often relies on simple recipes like this that yield great results.
I will never forget the first time I
tasted this recipe. I had never had anything quite like it! It is so
refreshing and cool on a hot day, especially the summer that the
temperature reached 110 and the asphalt pavement began to melt. It is
always a hit here in Texas! Click here to view/print this recipe!
On the Home Front
Co-op Cuisine eBook
Coming! HEALTHY FREEZER COOKING EBOOK Did you order the new ebook yet? You can download a free sampler and try out 3 of the recipes. Carol has some great tips and info about freezing healthy meals. No excuses now! Download versions are $6.95. CD versions are $8.95 (+ shipping)
MESSAGE BOARD UPDATES FROM TAMMYThe message boards continue to be busy! We had 92 posts in April.
Our “Where is Everyone From?” post continues to be very popular. We get to meet new people every time I mention it! So if you don’t mind, I’m going to keep mentioning it!! If you haven’t introduced yourself yet, please do. There are over 130 people who would love to meet you too!
Are you new to 30 Day Gourmet and Freezer Cooking? Are you scared and overwhelmed at the thought of bulk cooking, but know it would help? Have I got the post for you! Check out “New, scared and overwhelmed!” and see all the encouragement, help and ideas that were shared. If you’re an experienced freezer cook, feel free to add your tips to the post as well.
If you haven’t tried freezer cooking because you can’t find the time, then check out this post about "Mini Sessions". It may be just what you’re looking for!
Check out the rest of the message boards when you get a chance… they are a great source of ideas, recipes, tips, and encouragement! If you have any questions about the message boards, please email me! You can reach me at tammy@30daygourmet.com.
Recipe of the Month Taco Seasoning Mix Congratulations go to Angel Sweezea of MI for her winning recipe, Taco Seasoning Mix. I’ve been looking for this type of recipe, and have tried a few. I really like Angel’s recipe for the combination of spices and taste, and the quantity it makes.
My family loves Mexican food, and would eat it 3 or 4 times a week if I’d let them. I figured if I made my own seasoning mix, I’d get better taste, it would be more economical, and it would probably be healthier too. And I was right! The flavor is wonderful! I’m a real wimp for spicy foods and this recipe wasn’t too spicy for me. You could easily make it spicier by adding more chili powder and crushed red peppers.
I was unable to reach Angel by email, so we’ll have to meet her next month. Angel, when you read this, please contact me at tammy@30daygourmet.com to claim your prize.
Click here to view/print the May Recipe of the Month.
You too can get in on the winning! Just post your favorite freeze-able recipe on the message boards. Congratulations, Angel!
FREEZER COOK OF THE MONTH CONTEST WINNER Congratulations to Carmen Beverly of Alabama for being such a great friend, and winning our Freezer Cook of the Month contest in May.
I hope we all can be such a good friend to others in need!
How do you
make 30 Day Gourmet work for you? How do you use it to help you deal
with a challenge in your life? How do you use it to help others? Email
me at tammy@30daygourmet.com
to be entered in our contest. Congratulation!! Your
prize-winning check is in the mail!
GOURMET Q&A FROM TAMMY
COOKIN' AT THE KEYBOARD WITH SHELLEY
The Advantage Cooking software is such a great tool! When it comes to planning a cooking day, I hardly have to think anymore. It takes only minutes to create a new “Cooking Day” and select the recipes I want to prepare. With one click of the mouse, the Grocery Report is printed and I’m on my way to the store. Before grabbing my keys, there are three things that I always remember to do:
1) Print a Container Report. The Grocery Report is a list of the food items needed to cook; the Container Report is a list of the storage items needed to freeze. Containers can be a variety of things, e.g. freezer bags, rigid containers, plastic wrap, aluminum foil, cupcake liners. If I come home without enough of these important items, I either have to improvise, or make another trip to the store (both of which can be frustrating and time consuming!).
2) Detour through the kitchen. I’m always anxious to get in the car, but a few minutes spent here saves me money at the checkout. I do a quick inventory of the cupboards and pantry, eliminating the items on the Grocery Report (and Container Report) that are already in the kitchen. No need to come home with double and have to store it until next time.
3) Consider the staples. I can’t count the number of times I’ve finished a cooking session, only to discover that we’re out of butter, or milk, or flour, or something! I was just at the store and I’m not in the mood to go back. I’ve tried two different methods to avoid this event, and they both work equally well. First, manually write in the staples your family can’t live without. Secondly, create a recipe called “Household Staples” and add it to the Cooking Day. My recipe contains things like butter, milk, flour, bread, lunch meat, peanut butter, lettuce, bananas, and apples.
By using the software, I find myself conquering the aisles at the grocery store before it’s necessary to look at the recipes I’m cooking. Adding a few practical steps, in the right order, gives me an even greater “Advantage!”
We've had a bunch of new
consultants join our ranks in the past month or so. Here are their
names and cities. When their websites are ready, we'll publish those
too.
Our consultants are offering classes in the following cities. Click on the city name to be taken to their website for more details.
Interested in becoming a consultant?
Looking for a way to make a little extra money? Our program is very
“laid back”. No minimum party requirements, no paperwork to file and no
pink Cadillac giveaways☺ But you can make good money talking about
something that you love to do and something that a lot of other people
haven’t figured out yet. What could be easier?
Click here for more info.
We were recently recommended in Nancy Twigg's "Counting the Cost" eNewsletter. Check out Nancy's website on simple and frugal living at www.countingthecost.com
Time to wrap up this newsletter and get the next one out! Hope you’ve enjoyed all the info in this edition of the News. Thank you for your support of 30 Day Gourmet! Have a great summer!
Email me at tammy@30daygourmet.com with any questions, ideas, suggestions or problems. I enjoy hearing from you all!
P.O. Box 272
This site developed and maintained by
Nexis Technical Services, Inc.
This
page was last updated on
Monday, August 04, 2008.
Copyright 2008 - 30 Day Gourmet. All rights reserved.
|
||||||||||
