No Time To Cook
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How can you make great dinners if you have no time
to cook? Our first in a series of interviews with cooks who know how to make
a dinner fast and memorable.
Lori Hill, 34, Phoenix, Arizona, plans her meals up to two weeks ahead of time. She makes double batches, freezes leftovers, and turns a regular meal into an event by having a picnic in the living room, or writing up make-believe menus and having her family pretend they are at a fancy restaurant. How do you cook when you are intensely busy with other responsibilities? I take the time to plan two weeks worth of meals at a time. I plan around my calender so I can plan for quick or easy meals on nights when time is tough. I also try to make double batches and freeze leftovers for future use. Are you creative when you cook? Tell us how creativity plays a part in your cooking. My dear husband is much more creative than I am. I rely on lots of simple cookbooks and many recipes. In a pinch I'll have him think up ideas based on what is left in the pantry and refrigerator. How do you turn a regular meal into an event? By making it a little different. Maybe make it a picnic in the backyard or living room in the winter. Have discussions on what country the recipe came from. Make the rolls into different shapes. Pretend its a fancy restaurant and make up menus. How do you cook meals that are nutritious? Use the food guide to help. Make the dessert with fruit. Use different vegetables that look different. Are you a resourceful and frugal cook? If so, how? How do you cook great meals without spending lots of money? I try to buy on sale. If ham is on sale, I buy a big one. We have a ham dinner, slice ham for sandwiches, make ham and navy beans and can or freeze it and make split pea soup with the bone. A whole chicken can be used in a casserole and as chicken stock and leftovers for chicken noodle soup. a little meat goes a long way when mixed with other things. If you have roasted chicken for dinner, that pretty much takes up the whole chicken. If you use the same chicken in stir fry and a casserole, you can get two to three meals out of it. I buy vegetables in season and can them. By canning, dehydrating and freezing produce when in season, its a lot cheaper. Do you have favorite recipes to share? A: Meatloaf- make with mild salsa instead of tomato sauce. Chicken, can of French onion soup and can of cream of chicken soup in the crock pot for 8 hours. 1 lb of stew meat, one can of cream of mushroom soup, one can of French onion soup in the crock pot for 6-8 hour. How is cooking a way for you to express yourself? I feel like it shows how creative I can be when I come up with a way to stretch our food budget a little further and the family likes the recipes. What advice do you have for wanna-be great cooks? Keep trying. It does take practice to get things right. Also, cooking is like chemistry. If you follow the directions , then it will turn out all right. Also, start simple. Don't try something out of a gourmet cookbook the first time out. Most people like comfort food. Ask your family for favorite recipes. How do you stay organized when you cook? I read the recipe ahead of time. Then I assemble all ingredients and try to do any preparations in advance. How does your cooking skills impact your family and friends? We all share recipes and stories so we can learn from each other. My family is from Ireland/Scotland so I have some recipes that they had never tried. I'm handing down pieces of my ancestry when I teach my kids how to make these family favorites How do you cook great meals when you have little time to cook? The crock pot comes in real handy for busy days. Also, by preparing extra and freezing it, I have great meals ready for any time. Do you do ahead when you make certain meals? Any suggestions for those who have little time and must do prep work in advance? Read the recipes that you want to use. Do any prep work in advance that you can and store in Tupperware or zip lock baggies. Label them as to what steps are completed. What are your favorite dinner menus? A: Lasagna, green salad, French bread, fruit pizza. White chicken chili, homemade wheat bead, brownies with ice cream. Fajitas, beans a la charra, homemade sherbet What are your favorite recipes to make when you entertain or when there is special occasions? Fajitas, roasted turkey, honey glazed ham, marble cheesecake, spaghetti. Do you invent your own recipes? If so, what are some of the recipes you have invented? Chicken with peppers stir fried. Cookbooks: 1,000 Low-Rat Recipes: Quick, Easy, Great Tasting Recipes for the Whole Family by Sue Spitler and Linda R. Yoakam. To order click here. Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. To order click here. The New Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker. To order click here.
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