One of the ideas I have decided to try is putting together simple meals that can be frozen and later thawed and cooked in a crock pot. Most of the prep work can be done while sitting at my kitchen table and cooking the meals should be easy with the crock pot.
I ordered some of the ingredients that came with my grocery delivery today and much of the rest I already have in my pantry. By the first part of next week I will do a post to let you know what I did and how it worked.
On another note, I had a really nice surprise today. I have been thinking about buying one of these.
Lo and behold, that very one arrived at my door. Duane said he hoped it would arrive closer to the day, but Happy early Mother's Day!
I have several large stainless steel stock pots. They work really well for some things, but many times if the contents aren't stirred constantly or at least often, they will burn on the bottom of the pot. Food in the roaster still needs stirring, but that can be done while sitting if the roaster is on my kitchen table and I won't need to worry about the oxygen going 'poof'. I'm going to give it a test run later next week, making a pot of ham and beans. I think I can get lots of ham and beans in a 22 quart roaster. Thank you, son.
I'm off to get my recipes together and my spices out for the freezer meal experiment starting in the morning. See you all next week.
That sounds like good planning and good luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gorges. Basically, I am lazy and the freezer meals mean I only have to cook once to have a bunch of suppers. :)
DeleteI love our roaster, but use my crock pots more often. SO glad you were gifted one too! Happy Mother's Day!
ReplyDeleteKristina...I was thinking the roaster might be good for stuff I can like applesauce or tomato sauce or pasta sauce - stuff I regularly scorch on the stove. I'm always looking for ways to accomplish a task that doesn't involve long periods of standing and now staying away from an open flame. I'm excited to try it out!
DeleteI cannot stand long, either. Neither can I sit for long. My crockpot solves those problems. I love it. I hope the roaster works for you. Open flame and oxygen do not go together! Oh, I managed to scorch something in the crockpot!
ReplyDeleteLinda...I love my crockpot, too. So I thought if I had meals that were crockpot ready it might make cooking easier. Basically I usually am busy with sewing or crocheting or other crafty stuff that I would rather spend one day preparing meals than have to stop what I am doing to cook. Might just be laziness. :)
DeleteI think the roaster will work out well when I am making food to can like applesauce or ham and beans or chili. I believe it will really come in handy.
Mom,I'm glad you like it. Duane.
ReplyDeleteSon...Thank you so much. I'm going to test it with a big batch of ham and bean soup and I think I can be persuaded to share. :)
DeleteJust the kind of post I needed today. Can't wait to read about your ham and bean experiment. And, way to go to your son for that mother's day present!! You've certainly raised your kids/now adults to be very thoughtful.
ReplyDeleteCheers, SJ
SJ...I will likely do the ham and beans one day next week. Today I made 3 kinds of meals and froze them for a total of 12 meals. Tomorrow it will be 2 pans of lasagna. Most of that will go in the freezer, but I will share with Duane. It is a favorite of his. I had planned to buy a roaster sometime in the future. This was a real surprise! And yes, I have been blessed with really thoughtful kids.
DeleteVicki, one of the meals that my hubby and I loved to eat were Twice Baked Potatoes. I would bake the potatoes in my roaster, mix the ingredients and put into the potato skins and wrap in foil and freeze for later reheating and eating. A bowl of soup or a salad served with the 'tater' provided a very fulfilling meal with little prep at the last minute. Hope this will add to your menu list and help you get the best use of your roaster. I Love Mine!
ReplyDeleteSue: I had forgotten all about twice baked potatoes and it wouldn't have dawned on me to use the roaster. Next grocery order I will definitely order some baking potatoes. They are perfect for cooking for one. Thanks. :)
DeleteWhile i'm not sure how much space you have at home, try a wooden bar stool. i used one when I do dishes. works great, right height. You could get a taller metal bar seat with a high back too. My bar stool was around $20.00 IRC.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea, Rob. I probably wouldn't have thought of it. Sadly, the only place for my kitchen table is in the middle of the room, leaving enough room to just walk around it. If I used a stool I couldn't access the cupboard on the other side of the sink. Maybe someone will see this and make use of the idea. Thanks for thinking about solutions to my problems. :)
DeleteWhat a nice surprise! I am sure you will love it!
ReplyDeleteJenn...I'm sure I will. I'm going to test it out over the weekend - ham and beans or applesauce - haven't decided which. Beats standing over a hot stove!
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