Singles Cooking - 1st prep day

Due to New Year's being on Friday and this being my last weekend before school resumes, I will do my 1st full prep day tomorrow.  If you are following my menu exactly, you just need to follow my steps; however, I want to explain what a prep day means and how it will actually save you a lot of time in the long run.

Today, I went to the grocery store and bought everything I will need for the week.  My weekly menu actually is:

Fri - Black Eyed peas with smothered beef
Sat -  Orange caramelized pork and onions
Sun - bean and meat chili
Mon - antipasta and crudite platter w/ hummus
Tue - Pork sandwhiches w/ veggies and / or chili
Wed - Black eye pea salad w/ fruit
Thur - meatloaf
Fri - chili w/ chips or cornbread chili pie
Sat - pork stir fry w/ leftover pork and pre chopped veggies

For the prep day, rinse all veggies and cut.  I got bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, celery and cauliflower.  Also, peel and chop a whole onion.  I sorted out all the meats I will need for the week.  Pork roast was on sale, so I bought a 5 pound one and then cut and divided for 4 meals.

I already had beans and chickpeas, so I didn't need to purchase those.

On Thursday, I will rinse and cook all the beans I will need this week.  Since I already have chickpeas cooked, I won't need to cook those, but I will cook the red beans and the black eye peas.  I will also prep and cook the orange caramelized pork roast w/ onions so that I won't have to cook on Saturday.  I will prepare the meatloaf and then freeze.

I always use dried beans, and here is how I cook them.
Measure out the beans you will use.  For my chili, I use 2 cups of red beans.  For the black eye peas, I will use only 1 cup because I am the only one who eats these.  Rinse the beans thoroughly.  Add to a saucepan and cover with water.  I add salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat and cover.  Cook on low for about 2 hours, checking the water level and stirring often

Once the beans are a bit soft, remove the lid, add 1/3 cup oil (or fat) and simmer on medium for 30 minutes.  When using the beans for chili or salads, I do not allow the beans to make a thicker gravy.

Smothered Beef

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 chopped onion
salt, pepper, paprika and garlic

Mix the meats, onion and seasonings.  Divide into 2 portions.  With 1 portion, brown in skillet and crumble.  With the other portion, make into 8 small patties.  The crumbled portion and the drippings will go into the chili.  Once cool, move to a container, cover and store in the refrigerator.

For the patties, saute in a skillet turnin
g often until browned and cooked almost through.  Remove from pan.  Add flour to drippings and stir well, cooking on low.  Once the flour is well mixed, add 1.5 - 2 cups of water to get to the consistency you want for the gravy.  Stir often and add more water if needed.  You can use milk instead of water to get a creamier consistency.  Once the gravy is ready, return the patties to the gravy and simmer on low to coat.

Singles Cooking - Planning your 1st Month

The New Year is virtually days away, and it's time to begin thinking about January's menu.  Even though these plans are aimed at one person, a family could easily adjust portion sizes and use the planning steps.

First step . . . write in any special days, celebrations, etc.  For me, all I have is MLK and New Year's Day.

Second step . . browse through your freezer and pantry and see what you  actually have on hand.

Third step. . . . start jotting down menu ideas.  For each item cooked, plan on using it again at least twice either in the same fashion or in a different way.  For example, if you make meatloaf with veggies, you might have a meatloaf sandwich and then make a stew.

Fourth step . . . consider menu items that can compliment and overlap.  For example, if you make red beans, you can use beans as a compliment with a grilled meat and also make soup or bean dip out of those beans later.

Here is the beginning of my month.

I will make adjustments to it, especially if things go on sale during the month or as opportunities present themselves.  These are also just my dinner plans.  What I pack in my lunch will be similar, but not exactly the same.

Frugal Kitchen: Leftover Turkey

Many many years ago, I got a holiday planning guide from Kraft for purchasing the required number of items.  This was way before the internet.  I still a few of these idea cards around the holidays, but I have not seen the holiday planning guides in several years.

My favorite recipe from this guide is the Turkey Enchiladas.  I have made them many times over the years.


These are so simple to make and are delicious.



Turkey Enchiladas Con Queso

1 cup chopped turkey
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup chopped green onion
8 corn tortillas
oil
3/4 lb. cheese spread
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup milk

Mix together turkey, cream cheese and onion until well blended.  I use my hands to mix them.

Brush tortillas lightly with oil.  Stack 4 on a plate and microwave on High for 30 seconds or until soft.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Fill each tortilla with 1/4 cup turkey / cheese mixture.  Roll up; place, seam side down in a 12x8 inch baking dish.

Microwave process cheese spread, chopped tomatoes and milk on High for 2-4 minutes or until process cheese spread is melted, stirring after each minute.  Pour cheese sauce over tortillas in the casserole dish.  Microwave on High for 12-14 minutes or until thoroughly heated, turning dish after 6 minutes.

Garnish with cilantro, if desired.

Hodge Podge Chili

Hodge Podge Chili is one of the easiest recipes to make because all of the ingredients can be frozen ahead of time.  That's what makes it a hodge podge.  In the pot today are:

leftover taco filling
cooked red beans
leftover hamburger patty
leftover sausage patty

What "leftover" means is that once the meal was over, there was something not eaten.  I have a special bowl in my freezer to put the ingredients for Hodge Podge Chili.  I add to the bowl until it almost full, and then I throw the ingredients together for chili.

The cooked red beans are new.  I made a pot of these a few days ago.  The first meal we had from these was red beans and rice.  The other meal (besides the chili) I will make will be tostadas.

In the simmer pot, I added 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1/2 chopped bell pepper, 1 sausage patty (crumbled), 1 hamburger patty (crumbled), 1/3 cup taco filling and about 2 cups of the new red beans.  Add ground cumin, salt, pepper, garlic and chili powder to taste.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer on low for about 30 minutes.

Serve with cornbread or crackers.