Tips For Homemakers

I enjoy the smell of fresh baked cookies as well as the taste. I have found the packages of Betty Crocker cookies are just the right size for my husband and me. I think it makes about two dozen. We eat a few hot out of the oven with a cold glass of milk. Then I put the rest away in a Tupperware container with a slice of bread to keep the cookies soft.

I appreciate companies making smaller portions of goodies. When I make a cake, I either end up throwing a lot of it away or I try to give half of it away right away. I find making these cookies means less waste and less chance that we will overeat.

All of our family loved Dad’s chicken stew. Mom takes it to church functions and it is very popular there, too.

Ingredients:

• 3 chicken breasts (with skin)
• can of shoe-peg white corn
• 1/2 cup of onions (optional)
• three med sized Russet potatoes
• 5 or 6 ounces of evaporated milk
• small can of tomato paste
• salt and pepper to taste
• Nature’s Seasoning to taste
• Chicken Bouillon/chicken broth to taste

Rinse chicken breast to remove any blood/water. Put the breasts into a large pot (I use my spaghetti noodle-boiling pot). Cover the breasts with water and boil. I usually fill the pot half way. Cover for faster cooking.

Once the breasts are cooked and and start coming off the bones, you can lift the breasts out onto a plate to shred. Keep the broth. Sometimes I use a couple forks and pull it apart while in the pan. You will remove the skin and bones and pull the the chicken apart. If you like your chicken shredded instead of chunky, you can cook it more. Put the chicken back into the broth if you de-boned it on the plate.

Sometimes, I stop at this point and let the chicken and broth cool for about half an hour or I put the pan (with a lid) into a sink of cold water. I don’t like to put warm things into the refrigerator so I cool it down first. Once the outside of the pan feels cooler to the touch, I refrigerate it. Then the next day, it will only take another 30 minutes or less to finish up the stew.

Heat the stew back up if you refrigerated it.

Add the half cup of onions to the heated broth and chicken.

Add the small can of tomato paste and stir.

Add shoe peg corn after draining and rinsing.

Cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch squares and add to stew. I use russet potatoes. I don’t want the potatoes to dissolve away and I find russet potatoes stay firmer.
Add a tsp of salt. Add pepper to taste (I usually start with 1/2 tsp). I add three or four bouillon cubes or you can add chicken broth. I probably put about a tsp of Nature’s Seasoning in at this point. But basically, you will spice it to your taste. My husband likes a lot of broth so I add enough water so the stew comes up about 3/4 of the way up the side of the pan. Often that means adding more bouillon, salt, pepper and Nature’s Seasoning.

You will add the evaporated milk last. You can use one little can of evaporated milk or about 5 ounces. The broth should now be a light orangish color.

Cook about fifteen or twenty minutes until the potatoes are cooked.

I serve cornbread with the chicken stew. When eating the stew as leftovers, I have Ritz crackers and sometimes make a sandwich.

This recipe makes about 8 to 10 bowls of soup. I can have leftovers for another meal or pack stew in lunch. If I decide to eat the stew as a meal again….I usually skip a day before I serve it again. I think my husband would eat it every day…he loves it.

During this busy holiday season and the all-day cooking, I realized I use a shortcut every time I cook.

I fill the kitchen sink full of hot soapy water and wash dishes as I dirty them. Most of the time I am organized enough to even wash some of the pots and pans before putting the dinner on the table. Plus, even if you don’t have time to wash them, you have soaked them and they are definitely easier to clean.

If you have a dishwasher, this still works for you. I don’t use a dishwasher… by choice. I hate dishwashers. But, my daughter does enjoy her dishwasher and it helps to wash off the pots and pans before putting them in the dishwasher. Also, if you do this when you have a big meal with lots of pots and pans, you can start the dishwasher with the pots and pans and then by the time you finish eating, you can unload the pots and pans and start the second load of dishes/glasses and silverware . A big meal almost always means two loads for the dishwasher.

I occasionally make pancakes from scratch and they are very good but not that much better than the “complete” pancake mixes you buy.

My mom makes really good pancakes and part of the reason is because she adds vanilla flavoring and melted butter to the “complete” mix. I make enough for two people and I usually add a teaspoon of vanilla and maybe two teaspoons of melted butter. Then I also add some wheat bran. You can buy that in the cereal aisle. Just add a couple tablespoons of it though.

You will find you won’t get hungry so fast when you add the wheat bran. The butter and vanilla flavoring really add to the flavor. yummy

My mom got this recipe many years ago and it has become my family’s favorite cake. I hope you will try it.

Beat 4 fresh eggs in large mixing bowl.

Add 3/4 cup of water and 3/4 cup of vegetable oil. Then add the 12 ounces of lemon jello and stir. Finally, add one box of yellow cake mix.

Beat for about 5 minutes, color of mix will change to light and fluffy. Place in a greased, floured pan, bundt pan or 9×13. Bake at 350 for one hour.

Let cool before icing. Of course, warm cake with a glass of milk tastes really great.

Icing:
Mix powdered sugar and lemon juice together until there are no lumps and the icing is on the thin side. Drizzle the icing on the cake.

Enjoy….we always do.

My husband loves chili and whenever I go on a trip without him, I make up a batch of it for him to eat on for a couple days. It is good to pack for his lunch, too.

You will need a pound of ground beef, a small onion, a 46 fluid ounce can of tomato juice, Bush’s chili beans, and a packet of McCormick’s chili seasoning.

Use a large pot. Braise the ground beef and drain. Add the chopped-up onion, the chili beans (you can use the larger size can or two smaller cans, depending on how much you like beans), the packet of seasoning and the tomato juice. Stir well until the seasoning is dissolved. Put it on medium heat and stir occasionally. I don’t cover it. Make sure you do stir it though or it will burn on the bottom.

We like a lot of broth, not thick chili, so we use the whole can of tomato juice. If you like thicker chili, add less tomato juice.

If I want to eat in the next half hour or so, I sometimes cook the onion separately so I can add them to the chili and they will be done. You can cook them in a small frying pan with a little water and butter and cover them. You are steaming them basically.

You can put the onions in while you are braising the meat, too. If you do that, you will probably need to cook the chili for about an hour.

Chili is one of those foods that gets better as it sits in the refrigerator. Sometimes I even freeze half of it. It can definitely feed a family. I would say it makes about l2 cups.

I love homemade food but sometimes I just don’t think it is always better and sometimes, it just takes too darn long to make it. Who has the time?

I put the hot water on to boil for the noodles but I add garlic salt instead of regular salt.

I braise the ground beef with chopped onions and then drain. I add Ragu sauce (my favorite, Sauteed Onion and Garlic). Then I add some Italian seasoning…probably half a teaspoon or more if you like. Also, I sprinkle a little garlic salt, too. The sauce is ready in about 20 minutes at most.

Make sure you drain the noodles really well. You can add the noodles to the sauce or you can just put the well-drained noodles on the plates and add the sauce on top.

I always make buttered toasted Italian bread in the oven with spaghetti and a salad. My husband really enjoys sour cream and onion potato chips with spaghetti. Try it…it’s pretty good.

It is so aggravating to make a cake for just my husband and myself and half way thru the cake, it is so dried out.

The solution: Make cupcakes instead. Once you ice the top of them, the freshness seems to be sealed in better. You can also freeze the cupcakes before you add frosting. I put them in a freezer bag.

Another thing, you don’t have dirty dishes everytime you serve a piece of cake.

And….it is great to pack some in your husband’s lunch and maybe a couple extra for his friend(s).

I stopped making cupcakes once my kids got out of elementary school, I think. But, if you are an older couple like us, the cupcakes are quite a treat.

It is a matter of getting organized.

I put the meat on first since I want it cooked thoroughly and it gets more tender with time, in this case 25 minutes.

So, let’s say I put the pork chops in the pan with a little water, spice it with worcheshire sauce, garlic salt and Nature’s Seasoning and cover.

While the pork chops are cooking, I take some Zattaran yellow rice out. I get the water boiling and add the butter.

Then I open a can of green beans, drain and rinse off a couple times while still in the can. Pour into a pan, add water that covers the beans with half an inch more on top. Don’t overfill because the water has to get hot before it starts cooking. I add Nature’s Seasoning or sometimes a slice of bacon for flavoring. My mom cooks her canned green beans for hours and I swear, they taste just like fresh picked green beans.

By this time, the water is boiling for the rice. I add the rice into the water, stir, put on low and cover. Flip the pork chops and then add more spices or BBQ sauce. If you want to run take a shower, make sure you have enough water in the pork chops so they don’t burn.

That took all of five minutes. Everything is going so I set the table. Remember to try the Goodwill dishes–different place settings. It helps to change the look of the meal.

Have you tried the frozen biscuits that are quick frozen individually? Pillsbury makes them but there are a lot of different companies making them. They take about twenty minutes so turn your oven on before you even put the meat on. I wouldn’t put the biscuits in until after I get everything else going.

Another thing, my mom and I love jellied cranberry sauce. I decided a few years ago that it is a shame to just eat it for Thanksgiving and Christmas so I keep a can in the refrigerator at all times. One can lasts for at least two meals for the two of us. We actually eat it instead of something sweet after dinner.

It only takes about five minutes to get that meal cooking. The rice and biscuits both take about 20 minutes to cook so you have time to set the table, throw a load of laundry in the washer, go to the restroom, feed the dogs, pour yourself a glass of wine, etc.

I know it isn’t fun to work all day and then immediately walk into the kitchen to start dinner. And it makes your day even longer if you have to run by the grocery store before you can cook. That’s why it is important to shop smart. Buy meat in larger portions, individually wrap and freeze. Keep rice, mac and cheese and even hamburger helper on hand. I keep sweet potatoes and white russett (ONLY) on hand, too. Then keep canned green beans, frozen corn, frozen broccoli, frozen califlower, frozen brussel sprouts for example. Keep your cupboards full. Frozen vegetables ROCK. I steam them and it only takes minutes. When I don’t want to make a mess, I put a russett potato in the microwave. Poke holes in potato first.

Make grocery lists. If possible, plan two or three meals a head of time making sure you have all the ingredients.

Either while you are eating your dinner or when you are cleaning up, take out something from the freezer for your dinner tomorrow. If for some reason, you don’t end up cooking dinner the next night, the meat will keep for an additional day. So, if you see you don’t have something for dinner that you need for tomorrow’s meal, go to the grocery store that night, not on the way home from work. The grocery stores are not nearly as crowded after dinner as they are right after work so you aren’t the only one who does that.

I have found that since I grocery shop smarter, I really enjoy fixing a nice meal for dinner. There is no hassle because everything I need is at my fingertips.

If you look in my freezer, you will see individually wrapped pork chops, cube steak, hamburger meat, fish, steaks, roast, and chicken. Then I have frozen vegetables, a couple bottles of frozen water for my husband’s lunches, bacon, hot dogs, a frozen DiGirono pizza, perogies, bagels, loaf of bread, frozen biscuits and etc. I guess I treat my kitchen as a restaurant. I keep stocked up.

If you have room in your freezer, always keep a loaf of bread in there. When you take it out, and it thaws, it tastes so fresh. It always annoyed me to have to run to the store to get a loaf of bread or a carton of milk. With the high cost of gas, that loaf of bread just got real expensive.

Well, this is a long post so I will stop now.

My sister, Cindy mentioned she would like more information on getting food on the table fast. My husband loves that I can walk in the door and we can sit down to eat within half an hour.

Part of it is being ready to cook when I walk in the door. I buy food that is fast to fix. I remember to take something out either the night before or in the morning or have back-up quick foods.

I buy ground beef or ground chuck and divide it into one pound portions and freeze in aluminum foil or freezer bags. Frozen hamburger meat is so versatile. You can cook it on the stove with some water for faster cooking and then you can make taco salad, chili, sandwiches (sloppy joes) or even hamburger helper meals. This part of my back-up plan when I forget to take something out for dinner.

I buy T-bones or Ribeyes on sale and have them cut into 3/4 inch steaks so they cook faster. I individually wrap them in aluminum foil or in a freezer bag. Don’t freeze them together because they take much longer to thaw.

Pork chops, buy in bulk on sale, wrap individually. You can grill the pork chops with onions, or steam them and and add BBQ sauce or make gravy with them.

The gravy is just a matter of taking a cup or so of cold water, adding a tablespoon of all purpose floor and stirring until totally dissolved. Then add the flour mixture to pork chops when the chops are done and cooking on low. Stir until the gravy mixes well with juices and starts thickening. If it gets too thick, just add some tap water. Add a little worcheshire sauce for flavoring. You can add a package of pork seasoning to make the gravy if you prefer.

Chicken…I buy the frozen chicken breasts that are boneless. They are individually frozen (IQF-Individually Quick Frozen)so that helps. Just throw the package of breasts in the freezer. They are ready when you are. This is another “oops, I forgot to take something out meal”.

Steam and spice the chicken the way you like (BBQ, grilled with lemon pepper, etc) . Be brave, add soy sauce or teriyaki.

Another quick meal is make a salad and then chop up the grilled chicken and throw on top. My favorite salad is served with lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, shredded cheese, boiled egg and chicken with Ranch Dressing.
Keep boiled eggs on hand. Great for salads or a quick egg salad sandwich. Egg salad sandwiches are great for breakfast, too. You can eat it on the run. Better than a donut.

I have already written about making roasts by cooking them overnight and then make french dip sandwiches with the leftovers.

And then who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner occasionally. We only have a big breakfast on weekends so it is great to have bacon, egg, cheese bagels and home-fried potatoes during the week.

Okay, that’s how to do the meat part of the meal quickly.