Kitchen Tips & Tricks #6: Pre-cooked Meat

I have found it very helpful to our schedule to always fry up the hamburger ahead of time, in bulk.  I normally fry about 6-8 lbs of meat at a time.

I use my huge roasting pan on two burners.  (I think there might actually be 10 pounds in this picture.)

I then freeze it into 3-cup containers.  This helps me get a meal on the table in, usually, under 30 minutes.

One container is enough for most of my recipes.  I use two for tacos and tater-tot casserole because we like the leftovers!

******************************************

Ground beef has become so expensive, I refuse to buy it at the grocery store for $3.00/lb.  Especially with a larger family, it would cost us a fortune!  I try to never spend over $2.00/lb. on meat.  So I would like to share some ideas on how to eat at a lower cost.

Ground chicken!  I know it sounds very strange.  But when chicken breasts go on sale, I buy them, lots of them!  I can usually get a 40 pound box... or two.  I cut the meat off the bone if its bone-in, or just slice it up to fit in my KitchenAid mixer's meat grinding attachment..  I know dealing with chicken is disgusting, but it saves money and it is much lower in fat than beef or pork.  A friend of mine does the same thing with pork, except she takes it to someone who has a meat grinder, pays him a little something, and still saves money.

My other alternative is ground venison.  It's not my personal favorite, but with some good advice from a friend and the grace of God, I can cook so it doesn't taste gamey.  I cook it with bay leaves.  Last fall Hubby {Dallas} shot two deer and his hunting partners shot 3 more.  None of them were able to take home their meat so they gave it to Dallas!  He took three to the locker and gave away two to someone in need.  The pictures in this post are of ground venison.

Today I am linked up atMenu Plan Monday and The Welcome Home LinkUp

Praise the Lord!

ELIZABETH IS DOING SO MUCH BETTER! (CLICK HERE)


Elizabeth is recovering from complications of e-coli poisoning.  Praise the Lord she is doing a lot better!

Skillet Dinner

I am what you might call a "dump" cook.  I can, of course, follow a recipe, but I like to make up my own, too.  This recipe was inspired by a restaurant inside Silver Dollar City,  Branson Missouri.  There was a giant trough-like skillet, right along the sidewalk outside the restaurant where they had this hodge-podge of vegetables and sausages cooking together.  I stopped.  I stared.  I studied.  Then I went home and started cooking and experimenting with my skillet.

I start with olive oil, garlic (the kind already minced and jarred in olive oil) an dehydrated onions (Since I can't chop onions!), salt, cracked black pepper, and a little water.  Then I add chopped chunks of a dozen or more baby carrots and start dicing potatoes.  For our family I usually use 6-8 large potatoes, depending on how many will be home for dinner.  Sometimes I add green or red peppers if I have them on hand.  I like to throw in some zucchini  I froze in a quart-size freezer bag last summer.  Then I take one of those Kielbasa sausages and dice up the whole thing and throw that in there.  I put the lid on and let it get all steamed up.  (I use low-moisture cookware.)  After a while I add a couple tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce stir well, put the lid on for 10 minutes, stir again, steam for 10 minutes... until the carrots are tender.  I serve it with some whole wheat bread & butter, and that's our meal.  Its very low calorie, and low fat, and very healthy!  Its not for everyone, but {most of us} we like it!

Menu Plan Monday

Pray for Elizabeth 

Happy Birthday, Joseph!

He's my Little Man.

My Blondy-Boy.

 My "Comedian Bacon".

{Photo taken in the cave at Silver Dollar City, 2010}

And he's nine.  NINE!?!?!   When did that happen?  The poor little guy turned the big nine while I was in the hospital.  In fact, I had my third surgery that week on his birthday!  Did he complain?  No.  He was too worried about Mamma.  Others pitched in and tried to make it special, but not on his birthday.  {Big Sister} Jordyn held a hospital party for him the next morning.  She bought decorations and made a cake.  She even had a birthday hat he "had" to wear.  Next, some dear friends took ALL FIVE {of the little set of} kids for the entire weekend!  They did all kinds of fun stuff, including bought each one a brand new outfit... new from head to toe!  Shoes, jeans, socks & undies, 2 shirts, jackets... we just couldn't believe it!  (We've never done that!  I usually say, "If we find something good at Salvation Army, then you can get something!")

Joseph eating his birthday cake Jordyn made for him.

Celebrating with his brother & sisters.

Dad & sick Mommy... two IV pumps and too many IV's to count!

{These pictures were taken February 18, 2012}

Joseph is more reserved than some of our other kids.  He is very sensitive and sweet... but sometimes that sensitivity is unbridled and manifests itself as anger. {Or is that just a "man thing"?}  The best part is that he is sensitive to God's word.  When he was about five years old, I was convicted to read to my children from the Scriptures, not just children's picture Bibles.  I was reading in Proverbs, those verses that contradict good with bad.  He was so convicted about his "bad" behavior, he got saved that night!  What a blessing to lead my own son to salvation in Jesus Christ!  He was so sincere, I felt sure that he truly accepted Christ that evening. Praise God!

*******************************

That is why we do this!  That is why we homeschool... why we make sacrifices on one income... why we follow the commands of Deuteronomy 6:  ⁶ “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. ⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. ⁸ You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ⁹ You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. {KNJV}

*******************************

Well, Joe, I hope you had a great birthday, anyway, despite the unfortunate circumstances of the week.  I sure wouldn't have had that surgery done that week if I had known it would turn out so disastrously!  Mamma still loves ya, and your turned nine without me.  I LOVE YOU, LITTLE MAN!!!

Kitchen Tips & Tricks #5: The Dishpan

A great friend of mine who has a dining room separate from her kitchen gave me this idea.  Clearing the table can sometimes take longer than necessary.  Even when the kids are supposed to clear their own places, it seems there is always a fork or glass left behind.  Though my table is right beside the dishwasher, I still find this idea to be very helpful.  If you have a separate dining area, dining room, you may find it really saves you a lot of time and trips back & forth.

It is the same concept as what restaurants do when they bus tables!  Make one trip from the dining room to the kitchen.  This plastic dishpan is also very useful for many other things, like in the garden when I pick vegetables.  When I have lots of dishes to wash and need an extra "sink" to keep them in until I am ready to wash.  I have even used it to put an extra large batch of  popcorn in when we have company!

*******************************

Psalm 90;12

So teach us to number our days,

That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

I don't know about you, but I am always trying to figure out ways to make my life easier and to use my time more efficiently.  We just don't know how much time we will have with our families.  Its seems like our family has been in contact with a lot of untimely deaths in the last few months.  Mothers.  Fathers.  A child.  Even an infant.  We need to uses every moment we can to teach our children God's love and Salvation.  

Deuteronomy 6

⁶ “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. ⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. ⁸ You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ⁹ You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
{texts copied from Bible Gateway }

We teach as we go.  We teach all the time.  Even louder than our words are our actions.  My kids are impatient because I am impatient.  My kids are negligent because I am negligent.  My kids are grouchy and bossy  because I am grouchy and bossy.  Wow.  Actions speak louder than words!  That is not a new saying, but it certainly rings true around here!  So I need to work on my behavior so that they will be patient because I am patient.  Diligent because I am diligent.  Gentle because I am gentle.

"Lord, I ask you to make me a Spirit Filled parent!"

Judy

Please pray for my little friend Elizabeth. CLICK HERE

I am linked up at Our Simple Country Life

Easter Weekend

The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, the grass is growing... seems like beautiful weather for Easter!  As we consider the Resurrection of our precious Saviour who so lovingly and willingly died on the cross for our sins, we enjoy the resurrection of the earth after the mildest winter I can remember.  It is a time for celebration! I would love to share some of the ways we celebrated this year.

On Saturday {since Sunday morning we get up and eat breakfast at church} we made our resurrection rolls:

 Start by rolling up a large marshmallow in a crescent roll.

Pinch the ends, making sure they are completely sealed, no gaps!

This is the "tomb."

Mary models the sealed roll.

Bake according to Pillsbury's baking directions, 375* for 10-12 minutes.  Even though we tried really hard to make sure they were sealed, they still leaked a little.

After they are cooled, open them up...  the marshmallow is gone!

The tomb is empty!

The marshmallows melt into the dough, making them sweet!  Mary told me they did it in children's church also, only it was "differenter" because they rolled the marshmallows in butter and sprinkled cinnamon on them!  Mmmm!

**********************************

The next very exciting thing we did for the weekend was watch my great-nephew Hunter's get married!  Awww!  They are such a sweet couple!

Welcome to the family, Maria!!!

Most of our family on Easter Sunday, 2012

Thanks for stopping by!

Judy

Our Lunch Menu

With our busy homeschooling schedule, I have found it easier to have a set breakfast menu and lunch menu.  Our typical lunch menu goes like this:

source

Sunday:  Something Good! (Later I will post my monthly menu)

Monday: Macaroni & Cheese with Hot Dogs

Tuesday:  PBJ Day! (Peanut butter & jelly on the go before activities)

Wednesday:  Rice Dish Day*

Thursday:  Lunchmeat Sandwich Day (Again, on the go before activities)

Friday:  Hamburger or Pork Tenderloin Day

Saturday:  Frozen Pizzas 

Linked up at:  Menu Plan Monday

* I am trying to re-think "Rice Dish Day" because I have had a hard time finding 3-4 rice dish recipes (in order to rotate) that can make an all-inclusive meal that my kids will ask for a second time.




Have a great week!

Judy