Hi everybody! I don't know if
it's hot and humid where you are but it has been a scorcher here this
summer. We have had weeks of temperatures in the nineties with extremely
high humidity thanks to hurricane Dennis.
I always try to plan ahead for the summer months when I put together my
summer menu. I avoid meals that will heat up the kitchen. That means we
usually do a lot of grilling, cooking with a slow cooker or microwave,
or cooking meals that are quick and with very little cooking time.
I usually organize the menu by the day of the week. Saturday and Sunday
meals are quick and easy so that we can get in and out of the house for
church and family activities. Monday is a slow cooker day. This gives me
time to catch up with chores around the house after a busy weekend.
Tuesday is a grill day. Wednesday is Mexican with tacos, burritos and
fajitas. Thursday is Chinese stir-fries or soups cooked in the slow
cooker. Friday is family night. If it's cool, the kids usually want
homemade pizza or calzones. If it's hot we cook something special on the
grill like grill packets or some marinated chicken and grill fries. Some
of our favorite recipes include
Meats in Marinade,
Swiss
Steak,
Debbie's Chicken Marinade,
Delicious
Pot Roast,
Meatball Subs,
Montreal Chicken Sandwiches, Grilled Chicken Salad,
Pork
BBQ, Chili cooked in the slow cooker, Taco Salad and
Sloppy
Joes.
We are year round grillers. We have been known to light up the grill in
the dead of winter with six inches of snow on top of the grill! We have
accumulated our fair share of grill recipes over the years. Some are
favorites from friends and family. Others are ones that we have created
on our own. Some can be frozen and others cannot. We love trying out new
recipes or trying to adapt existing recipes to be cooked on the grill.
Last year while shopping for a Father's Day gift for my Dad, I came
across an expandable grilling tray that is used for cooking vegetables
on the grill. It expands to fit the depth of your grill. We love using
it. You can use it to grill potatoes, vegetables or even cook bags of
frozen French Fries. How convenient is that!
One of our favorite new recipes this summer is grilled zucchini. You cut
3 small zucchini into 1/4 inch slices. Cut up 1 green pepper into 1/2
inch chunks. Cut up 1/2 of an onion into 1/4 inch chunks. Mix it all
together with 1/3 cup of light Italian dressing and 1 teaspoon of
Italian seasoning. Grill on a vegetable grilling tray or a cookie sheet
at medium heat or about 350 degrees until the veggies start to brown and
are crisp tender. This is a wonderful side dish!
This issue of Chewin the News brings you two new grill recipes including
some tips on grilling potatoes or French Fries. Read more about it below
in the Bonus Recipes section.
I remember seeing a commercial for Reynolds Wrap
aluminum foil. In the commercial they created grill packets. They placed
the food inside the wrap and folded it to seal it. This allows you to
cook your meat, sauce and vegetables all at the same time on the grill.
This idea is great for freezer cooking as well! You can
prepare the
grill packets ahead of time and freeze them. When you want to grill,
just take them out of the freezer and let them thaw completely. Heat up
the grill to the appropriate temp and you are ready to make a great
meal!
My husband loves Chicken Parmesan but I don't like to heat up the oven
for 45 minutes in the summer. Grill packets became our solution to the
problem. It's easy to create your own grill packet. Tear off a piece of
foil that is 18 inches long. Layer your recipe in order of cooking time.
Meat usually takes the longest amount of time to cook so start with the
meat on the bottom. Add any toppings and sauce.
Once you have all the ingredients layered, it's time to make the packet.
Bring the short sides of the aluminum foil together and fold over twice.
Center the fold in the middle of the packet. Now fold over the ends to
completely seal the whole packet. The packets can be cooked immediately
or frozen for later use.
We wanted a way to cook potatoes and French fries
in the summer besides using the microwave. We love those seasoned fries
that you get at restaurants so we created our own seasoning mix. You can
use this either on regular potatoes or on plain frozen French fries. We
grill them using a vegetable grilling tray. I have also used a regular a
cookie sheet. The secret is to make sure that you flip the potatoes or
fries over every couple of minutes so that they don't burn.
CONTEST
WINNERS
Recipe of
the Month... April's Chicken Marinade
Our winner this month is April from Beaverton, OR, with her recipe
for April's Chicken Marinade. This recipe uses honey. I have never
frozen honey in a marinade before. Most information on honey talks about
the quality of the honey after freezing. It tends to make baked goods
mushy because it breaks down. This is not an issue with marinade and it
worked great for us!
I am always looking for a great marinade. There's nothing simpler on
cooking day than putting a marinade together, adding the meat and then
freezing. It's a wonderful thing! We tend to eat a lot of chicken in the
summer and this recipe tastes great! My kids even asked when we would be
having it again. I just love it when that happens! I would also suggest
trying it with pork chops.
Let's meet April:
I am a stay-at-home mother of my
three-month-old baby girl, Allison. Before her birth, I was a high
school English teacher with an hour-long commute. My husband and I have
been doing 30-day-gourmet for a couple of years. Every time we make a
meal that we know freezes well, we make a huge batch and freeze a bunch
of it in entree size Gladware containers. The individual servings work
great for us, because we can just grab one out of the freezer to take to
work for lunch (much healthier than frozen meals from the grocery store,
and tastier too), and it doesn't take long to build up a variety of
meals. On nights when neither of us feel like cooking "from scratch," we
just grab meals out of the freezer. This keeps us out of the fast-food
restaurants. This poultry marinade is great tasting, simple to make, and
doesn't include expensive ingredients. I found it on a hand-out that I
received in a high school foods class from the Oregon Turkey Improvement
Association, 13 years ago. I used it a lot when I was still a single
first-year teacher with no money. Enjoy!
Click here to view/print the
August Recipe of the Month.
You too can
get in on the winning! Just post your favorite freeze-able recipe on the
message boards. Congratulations, April!
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FREEZER COOK OF THE MONTH CONTEST
WINNER
Our winner this month is
Theresa from Houston, TX, with her great story about the "five second
rule" and freezer cooking!
Theresa says:
The
new "newsletter"(s) are great! It was so great to get the one from
Carol and then from Nanci so close together. The fact that my sister,
a friend and I just had a marathon cooking day on Saturday probably
influences my excitement. It was my friend's first time cooking the 30
Day Gourmet way and my sister's first time in 8 years! We made 94
batches of entrees, breads, muffins, soups, sandwiches and of course,
desserts! I started at 6 AM finishing my make ahead items (browned
beef and fat free white sauce) and we finished around 9:30 PM. Our
final recipe was the Chicken Pockets and since we had been working so
diligently and hadn't stopped to eat dinner (lunch was pizza delivered
to our door), we were eagerly anticipating the timer going off to
signal the first tray of them being done. In my overly eager state, I
opened the oven door (the upper of a double oven) and pulled out the
pan and apparently those chickens had a rebirth and flew right off the
pan onto the floor!!!! Unfortunately the 5 second rule didn't apply
due the day's worth of build up on the floor (uncooked rice, cornflake
crumbs, etc.). We were so hungry we really wrestled with the thought
of digging into the steamy pile of 12 crescent rolls filled with the
cream cheese enrobed chicken ... BUT couldn't get past the hairs and
rice sticking to it all. So, we waited 10 more minutes and enjoyed the
second batch:) When it was all over, we felt like we did after walking
a half marathon back in January, but we are in that afterglow of awe
at our full freezers! The new newsletters keep me inspired and act as
a 30DG Rolaids (relief for the "I'm so tired of browning, cutting,
mixing, stirring, labeling, storing, I don't want to do this anytime
soon" feeling I had at 10:30 PM Saturday night). Thanks for doing a
great job as usual !!!!!!
Thanks Theresa! We're glad
you are enjoying the new newsletter format and are encouraged by them.
So, 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? Do you have a funny cooking story to share? Email me at
carol@30daygourmet.com
to be entered in our contest. Congratulations, Theresa!!
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I hope you enjoy the recipes and the grilling tips!
Next month we'll talk about back to school lunch and
after school snack recipes. Post your favorite tips,
tricks and recipes for packing lunches on our message
board, the
Cook's Corner. I'm looking forward to hearing what
you have to share!
Email me at
carol@30daygourmet.com
with any questions, ideas, suggestions or problems. I enjoy hearing from
you!
Have a great month!
Carol
FREEZER COOKING NEWS FROM
NANCI
 |
Happy
August everyone!
Funny how life changes. I can remember being anxious
to get back to school when I was a kid because I
missed my friends. Once I got out of college and began
teaching, my back-to-school perspective changed. A
teacher's view is totally different. It's all about
imparting wisdom and challenging young minds!
When I became a mom and was home with three kids under
5, I can remember envying the moms whose kids were
going off to school. I saw the looks of relief on
their faces:) Then I became that relieved mom (except
for about 5 years of homeschooling:)) and boy did
those years fly by. Now I've come full circle and live
both roles - mom and teacher.
So I'm figuring that this is my 42nd year to
experience "back to school" in some fashion. This year
I will go kicking and screaming. The summer was too
short! My kids are fun to have around now! I didn't
finish my "to do" list!
We are so hard on ourselves, aren't we? I have been
bemoaning the end of summer for a few weeks now
(teachers report on August 12th). I've been staying up
late, running around like a chicken with its head cut
off and muttering about all of the stuff I didn't get
done. Yesterday, I had a moment of inspiration. I
thought that maybe I should actually write down
everything I DID get done. Of course, these are the
big things. Moms never put "vacuum living room" or
"stop everything and run to Walmart for shampoo" on
their lists of accomplishments. We just DO those
things. Over and over and over again.
I'm sharing my list to encourage you. Each one of you
has a list a proverbial mile long of what you
accomplish each day or each summer. If you wrote it
all down it would fill a book. Maybe your list
includes changing 20 diapers a day or taking care of
your aging parents. Just know that you are valuable
and what you do is important!
So here's "What I Did Over Summer Vacation". (Maybe
the English teacher will give me extra credit points
eh?)
HOUSE
-
cleaned out
my dresser and closet
-
updated my
wardrobe
-
cleaned out
Bob's dresser and closet
-
updated
Bob's wardrobe
-
organized
my greeting cards
-
bought all
birthday cards for next year
-
cleaned out
Jenna's room
-
gave a van
full of stuff to Goodwill
-
cleaned the
basement to make room for Kaytee's "not taking to
college" stuff
FINANCES
-
researched
scholarships for Becky
-
finalized
all of Kaytee's college loans & scholarships
-
set up
online bill pay with our monthly bills
-
gathered
medical bills and faxed to Medical Spending Account
-
got all 6
of us to the dentist
-
did
Kaytee's cavity follow up app't
-
went to
Adam's orthodontist appointments
-
researched
prices to yank Becky's wisdom teeth
-
went to 2
of Kaytee's dermatology appointments
-
took Kaytee
to eye doctor for new contacts
-
took myself
to eye doctor for exam and bifocals (ouch!)
-
helped
Kaytee open new bank account & close old one
-
helped
Becky complete safe driver stuff for State Farm
-
helped
Becky look for a car, test car, pay for car, and fix
car
-
helped
Becky insure car and do plates and registration
-
renewed my
driver's license
FUN &
FAMILY
-
helped
Becky get ready for a week of camp counseling in
Wisconsin
-
spent a
long weekend in Michigan visiting family & attending
cousin's wedding celebrated my 26th wedding
anniversary
-
vacationed
in Alaska for 10 days
-
sat in
airports on standby for 2 days
-
hosted my
sister from Maine for 6 days
-
helped
Becky get ready for a week at CIY (Christ in Youth) in
Illinois
-
helped
Becky study for SAT
-
hosted my
mother-in-law, niece and nephew from Michigan for 4
days
-
went to
Brickyard qualifications for a day of sun and speed
-
took Jenna
and her friend to the pool several times
-
watched
about 50 episodes of Gilmore Girls with Becky
-
supervised
several of Adam's "band" practices
-
took Adam
to buy the 6th Harry Potter book at 1 a.m.
-
got my
first ever manicure and pedicure!
-
shopped
with Kaytee for school
-
shopped
with Becky for school
-
shopped
with Jenna for school
-
got Becky's
senior pictures taken
-
made lots
of special breakfasts (homemade donuts or pancakes)
-
made lots
of cookies, brownies and other sweet treats
-
made lots
of lunches & dinners
-
slept in
lots of days
-
connected
with friends
TEACHER
STUFF
-
read The
Negotiator by Dee Henderson (recommend it!)
-
read new
Janet Evanovich book (don't recommend it!)
-
watched the
1932 version of "Of Mice & Men"
-
watched the
Harry Potter movies (1,2, & 3)
-
bought
posters, pillows, etc. for my classroom
30 DAY
GOURMET
-
cleaned out
my office
-
hired Becky
to make 100 of each CD before school starts
-
hired Adam
to shred pre-2000 orders and haul old filing cabinet
out
-
hired Jenna
to fold and bag aprons
-
switched to
UPS online
-
switched to
stamps.com
-
sent the
postage meter back
-
fixed
Becky's computer
-
bought
Becky a new printer and set her up to do CD's and
labels
-
upgraded my
system to XP
-
reorganized
monthly newsletter
That makes
me feel better. I will never get it all done. I am a
hopeless list maker and I always put too much on the
list. I have learned the value of doing things the
EASIEST way possible though. Like online bill paying
and direct deposit and e-mail. If your current methods
aren't working, try something NEW! I realized this
summer that I really need to get a handle on snacks
around here. My kids have slowly slipped into junk
food junkie mode. They can drive themselves to
McDonald's (or pay their sister to drive them). There
are vending machines everywhere they go. They are
bombarded with TV ads for fast food. They can quickly
forget what "real food" is.
I really believe in the adage that a parent's values
are more "caught than taught". One of the best ways
that we can keep the art of cooking and baking alive
is to model it for our kids. I don't make my kids help
anymore (other than carrying groceries) but I really
think that just seeing me in the kitchen with an apron
on doing actual COOKING rubs off on them. When Becky
went to a week-long conference on a college campus
recently they were given a food debit card to use for
their meals. She had her choice of 5 or 6 fast food
restaurants. At first, she said, it seemed like
heaven. On her way home, she called from the church
bus and begged me to cook her a "real" dinner that
night. She was so tired of fast food. Music to a
mother's ears!:)
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SNACK & LUNCH
RECIPES
So my big push this past week was FOOD. When I re-did
the family budget this summer I realized that we are
spending too much money on snacks and school lunches -
whether that means lunches bought at school or those
Michelina lunches that I was buying too many of. I did
a big cooking day earlier this week and had the kids
taste-test everything before it went into the freezer.
I highly recommend Carol's ebook
Freezer Lunches to Go. It has great recipes
along with tips and loads of ideas.
Click here to check out a free sampler
including three recipes.
Download it now for only $6.95.
You can also check the "Recipes" section of our site
and search by "Type" to find great lunch and snack
recipes that can be frozen.
Here's what I made:
Pizza Burgers from the website
We all love these. The kids will use them more for
after-school snacks than lunches since they are best
reheated in the oven or toaster oven.
Click here to
view/print
this recipe!
Awesome Mac 'n Cheese
from the website
Kids these days don't know what REAL Mac 'n Cheese
tastes like so I made one batch and tried this out on
the kids before freezing any. On cooking day I
actually had 4 extra kids here (Adam's band and a
friend of Jenna's) so I got a good sampling of teens.
They ate the whole pan! I think the Velveeta gives it
that "Kraft" taste. I froze individual servings to
reheat in the microwave.
Click here to
view/print
this recipe!
Pepperoni Sticks
from the
Freezer Lunches to Go ebook - I put cheese dip
and spaghetti sauce in small Ziploc containers and put
them in the fridge for the kids to grab to go with the
breadsticks
Chicken Pockets
from the
Freezer Lunches to Go ebook - The crust using
the crescent rolls is great! I did an egg wash so that
they had that shiny look. I did a quick price
comparison on these and the popular "Hot Pockets". You
can make them for about .50 each. Hot Pockets are
about $1.00 each. Bob and I love the chicken and cream
cheese filling in these but the kids didn't care for
it. I substituted their favorite "hot pocket"
fillings.
Becky's Turkey, Bacon & Cheese Pockets
4 pockets - 1/4 C. honey mustard (she likes the
O'Charley's brand we buy at Walmart), 4 slices turkey
diced , 4 slices white American cheese diced, 4 slices
bacon, cooked and crumbled (makes 1 C. filling. 1/4 C.
filling for each pocket)
Adam's Pizza Pockets
4 pockets - 1/4 C. pizza sauce, 1/2 C. pepperoni, 1/2
C. shredded mozzarella cheese (makes 1 C. filling. 1/4
C. filling for each pocket)
Favorite
Chocolate Chip Cookies
I've been using this recipe for years. Last week
my niece and nephew were here from Michigan. Amber is
nine and one of the first things she said was "when
are we going to make those cookies, Aunt Nanci?" Wow -
how cool is that? Kids just love to bake. She and her
6 year old brother took turns pouring in the
ingredients, mixing the dough and using the cookie
scoop. They had a great time.
Click here to
view/print
this recipe!
Easy Chicken
Fettuccine
I adapted this recipe from a recipe-of-the-month
winner. Adam likes the Michelina's Fettuccine but they
are $1 and at 8 oz. each it takes 2-3 of them to fill
him up. I made him 20 oz. servings for the same $1
price. Our homemade version has lots more chicken,
broccoli and cheese in it also. The store-bought ones
are primarily noodles. I use the shredded Parmesan &
Romano cheese. It costs a little more than the grated
cheese but tastes better in this recipe I think.
Click here to
view/print
this recipe!
Tara's Favorite
Muffins
I set out to make a muffin that could replace the
Entenmann's Little Bites Chocolate Chip Muffins that
Adam loves. They are $2.50 for a box of 25 making them
.10 a piece. He eats 5 at a time easily. So I tried
using this recipe adding 1 C. of chocolate chips. I
reduced the oven temperature to 350 degrees and baked
the muffins for about 12 minutes. They came out great!
The trick is not to over bake them. If a kid sees
anything that looks DARK they declare it BURNED you
know?! I made 60 mini-muffins for about .05 each.
Yeah!
Click here to
view/print
this recipe!
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WEBSITE
NEWS
July -
best month in 2 years!
Thanks to the weekly newsletter format and the
special sale, business doubled in July. Thank you to
everyone who ordered! Please pass the word to your
friends. Our newsletter is FREE! Tell your friends to
sign up. Recommend us in your e-mails and
Christmas letters:)
Links & Banners
If you have a website and would like to link to
the 30 Day Gourmet website, you can sign up as an
affiliate and earn a commission from every sale that
results from your link.
Just click here to sign up and download links
and banners.
800# no longer available - sorry folks but I
have dropped the phone line. I know that doesn't seem
very professional to many of you but here are my
reasons:
-
I am rarely
here during business hours.
-
My # is one
off from the "Just for Men" hair replacement product
that is advertised on TV. I was getting tons of their
calls and even though the voice mail clearly said "30
Day Gourmet" they were still leaving their addresses
and asking me to send them a free sample.
-
My basic
phone bill for the business line was running over $100
a month.
-
Since we
got cable in the house (the office is in the basement)
I really didn't need a separate line for the computer
anymore.
Business
Talk
I know that it isn't smart business to reveal the
exact size of your company to anyone but hey - what's
the big deal? I run the whole business out of my
basement office. I process the orders, answer the
e-mail, coordinate the newsletter with Carol, Tammy &
Shelley by e-mail, keep the products stocked, and pay
the bills. When I get mail addressed to the "customer
service" department or the "business manager" I just
laugh. I am all of those departments! I fill about 150
orders each month. I also send books to Amazon and to
distributors who fill orders for bookstores.
The best way to reach me is by e-mail. I try to
respond within a day or two. If you e-mail is about
the following, I will forward it. Best to contact
these people directly.
Orders & Consultant Questions -
office@30daygourmet.com
Software - visit the message board's software
section or e-mail Shelley & Gaylen at
software@30daygourmet.com
Newsletter - direct your questions about
newsletter content, recipes or access problems to
Carol at
carol@30daygourmet.com
To change your e-mail address for the newsletter, you
have to go to the
yahoogroups.com
site. We aren't allowed to change your address for
you.
E-books - Contact the ebook author directly if
you have a question about a recipe, etc. Their e-mail
address is on the front cover of the ebook.
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EMAILS FROM HAPPY CUSTOMERS
THANK
YOU!!!
Freezer cooking has changed my
life, and I am so grateful for your book. I started
about 2 1/2 years ago when my twin boys were just over
1. I work full-time outside the home, and my husband
is a full-time student training to become an
elementary teacher. He loves it too because it gives
him (a non-cooker) a chance to help with dinner since
he gets it started most evenings.
Jenn T.
Several
months ago I purchased your "e-book" Co-op Cuisine
from the internet, and started a freezer cooking
co-op. Your book helped me tremendously in the
start-up of our group. It was the only good resource I
found about a cooking co-op. So thank you for taking
the time to write it and share your experience with
all of us.
Beth
I run a cooking program through
my church and have had approx. 12 women in the group.
Not the same women cook every month but there are
three of us that have remained the same every month
since I started. My church has asked me to run this
program as a way to bring more women together in
fellowship with one another each month. It has worked
wonderfully. Women come together and talk, cook and
have fun. We meet new people each month. My church
loves it, I love it, the ladies love it and it is by
far the best idea I have been able to offer my church.
Everyone thinks this cooking once a month is just the
grandest idea there is. Thanks for coming up with it.
Thanks,
Kerri
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CLOSING
COMMENTS FROM NANCI
That's all
for this month. Tomorrow I report back to school and
shift into teacher mode. In a few weeks, I will be
knee deep in The Scarlet Letter and planning our
December musical. Next Wednesday, I drive our eldest
to college. Oh my. On Monday, our youngest starts
middle school. Life is a vapor friends. Carpe Diem!!
Nanci
COOKIN' AT THE KEYBOARD WITH SHELLEY
 |
When I started freezer
cooking eight years ago, I began by cooking enough meals for one month
at a time. It wasn't long until I started to double the recipe
quantities, stocking the freezer for two months instead of one. With a
little extra planning and only one extra day in the kitchen, we've been
able to freezer cook every four months. We plan a cooking session in
early February (after we've recovered from Christmas), June (stocking
the freezer with lots of marinades for the barbecue), and October (to
get us through the busy holiday season).
One summer I had selected several chicken marinades and multiplied each
by a quantity of four (one for June, July, August, and September). After
assembling individual recipes of each marinade in separate freezer bags,
I added my chicken pieces to each bag and anticipated a hassle-free
summer at the backyard barbecue. Everything went as planned until some
unexpected company arrived in late August. I went to my freezer and
found that I had one bag of Teriyaki Chicken, one bag of Spicy Grilled
Chicken, and one bag of Debbie's Chicken in Marinade...but not enough of
anything to serve my guests. The result was a quick trip to the grocery
store for me!
I learned my lesson that summer. Now I freeze my marinades separately
from the meat. It's easy to find 1-cup and 2-cup containers on sale and
they store conveniently in the freezer door. I specify the container
needed for each marinade recipe in the Advantage Cooking software, and
then use the Container Report to anticipate the number of containers I
need to have on hand.
Using this method, I can spontaneously react to the carefree days of
summer, mixing and matching meats and marinades. Here are three new
ideas for the grill that we've enjoyed this summer.
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Spicy Grilled Chicken
Ready to try something new? This marinade is a little different
because of the strong, spicy flavor. The older our daughters get, the
more they like it.
Click here to
view/print/import this recipe!
Blackened Chicken Rub
We like to use this seasoning mix for grilled chicken sandwiches,
which has become our recipe of choice to serve to company this summer.
Butter and toast the sandwich rolls on the grill. Everyone will rant and
rave!
Click here to
view/print/import this recipe!
Montreal Burgers
Grab a stack of burgers and throw them on the grill. Sprinkle with
Worcestershire sauce and Montreal Steak Seasoning. For a stronger
flavor, repeat on the other side after turning. It doesn't get any
better, or easier, than this!
Our family gave a big "thumbs up" to
April's Chicken Marinade and the
Grill Fries Seasoning Mix that Carol shared in her newsletter
earlier this month. We are planning a "back-to-school" mini-cooking day
next weekend and are anxious to try some of Nanci's snack and lunch
recipes. Her cost analysis has given me added incentive to do some extra
baking before school starts! Thanks, Nanci!
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SOFTWARE
SUGGESTIONS
Scaling Recipes
I've received a request for the Advantage Cooking software to print
recipes in "column" format, similar to the Freezer Cooking Manual. It is
possible to use the software to generate the scaled quantities for any
recipe entered. Here's the process.
Unless I'm trying a meal for the first time, I always cook multiple
quantities of a recipe. Depending on the nature of the recipe, I will
assemble the ingredients in one of two ways.
The first method is used when the recipe ingredients are
difficult to divide into individual meals. Marinades are the best
example. Instead of combining four times the quantity of one recipe in a
bowl and then trying to separate the "layers" when I'm done, I'll use
four different bowls (or freezer bags) and assemble one recipe, four
times. In this case, I don't need to multiply the recipe ingredients
while I'm cooking; the original recipe has all the information I need.
The critical step is to make sure I buy the correct amount of each
ingredient! When planning for my Cooking Day, I must be sure to enter a
quantity of "4" for this particular "Cooking Day Recipe" before
generating a Grocery Report.
A good example of the second method of assembly would be
meatballs. I don't want four different bowls; I want one bowl with four
times the recipe. To print a recipe with the ingredients already
calculated, use the "Scale" option in the Recipe Manager. Select the
desired recipe and click the "Scale" button. When the scaling window
appears, enter the desired multiplication factor ("4" in this case),
check the "Copy Recipe" option, and click "Scale." A new recipe will be
added using the same recipe name, followed by the quantity. All the
ingredients are automatically multiplied by the scale factor! Print this
new recipe and use it, instead of the single version, when assembling
the recipe. Please note: when planning for the cooking day, be careful
when selecting the "Cooking Day Recipes." If you select the single
version recipe, enter a quantity of "4". If you select the scaled
version of the recipe, enter a quantity of "1". Either method will
calculate the correct amount of ingredients on the Grocery Report. (An
easy mistake would be to select the scaled version of the recipe, enter
a quantity of four, and come home ready to make 16 recipes of meatballs.
Oops!)
You will notice that scaling a recipe can result in some unusual
amounts and measures of ingredients. Use the "Change Measure" button at
the bottom of the window to quickly convert to equal, but more easily
used, measures (e.g. 12 tablespoons = 3/4 cup).
Click here
to download a free trial version of the software!
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CLOSING
COMMENTS FROM SHELLEY
I was surprised when a
friend of mine recently said to me, "I haven't been able to freezer cook
for awhile, but I think of you every time I grocery shop." Reading the
puzzled look on my face, she went on to explain that she uses the
Advantage Cooking software to create her grocery list every week. Tammy
also mentioned in her July newsletter how helpful the grocery report can
be. Whether or not it's time to focus on your kitchen and restock your
freezer, take a few minutes this week and enter or import a new recipe
or two. You'll be laying a foundation that you can build on tomorrow.
Enjoy the rest of your summer and I'll see you back here next month!
Shelley
NOTES
FROM TAMMY (COMING SOON)
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THOUGHTS FROM TAMMY
