It’s the little things
On Thanksgiving morning, my husband had free rein of the kitchen. (For the most part. I did try to empty the dishwasher and clean up his mess.) For two out of our three family dinners, we were merely guests.
Guests who volunteered to bring a side dish, that is! Mark made baked beans for my dad’s side of the family. Then later, after we’d hosted my in-laws for a quiet (ham) dinner, I made cheesy potatoes for my mom’s side of the family. I also made a second pan of cheesy potatoes for Mark’s family.
Considering the typical holiday craziness – shopping lists, plans to draw names for Christmas gifts, a disrupted sleep schedule for our toddler, family politics and a few rounds of Yahtzee – I didn’t want to spend one minute more in the kitchen than I had to.
My secret? (You mean other than volunteering my husband for the baked beans?) Chopping onions ahead of time.
I know. You were probably expecting me to say I made the cheesy potatoes two weeks early and stuck them in the freezer. But to be honest, I was not that organized.
Thankfully, every little thing helps when planning ahead and cooking (or, in this case, chopping) in advance.
So, after my husband stuck his baked beans in the oven and before I tackled the mess he left behind, I chopped up on huge, pungent, tear-inducing onion. Through ridiculously watering eyes, I dug through my drawers for the snack-sized Ziplocs. I scooped the chopped onion pieces into the plastic bags, double-bagged them to take care of the smell, and popped them into the freezer.
Later that afternoon, when it was my turn to cook, I didn’t have to pull out another knife and clean up the cutting board. I didn’t have to grab the box of tissues and mop up my onion tears. I didn’t have to waste time chopping and dicing and wiping and scraping.
Nope, I just dropped a baggie’s worth of onions into my pan and sauteed away. In just a few minutes, the casserole was in the oven and I was on to the next item on my list: get out of the kitchen and play with that need-a-nap-now baby girl in the living room.
What shortcuts do you use when you cook big meals?
About Mary
Mary blogs about an imperfect life at Giving Up on Perfect. She talks about family, faith, books, diet-friendly and fiber-filled foods like granola bars and nachos, celebrity look-alikes and chick flicks. You know, the important stuff. You can follow her on Twitter @givingupperfect.
No earth-shattering tricks for me. I do like to wash dishes and put things away as I work to keep the busy kitchen under control.
I love it when my husband cooks, but the cleanup can be more overwhelming without the “clean as you go” mindset!
And I’ve noticed that when my husband thinks the kitchen is clean…it’s only about half-way there!
I love prechopping my onions, I also will buy the value pack of ground beef, fry it all up with either some of my prechopped onion and garlic or add some taco seasoning, drain off the fat and pack it up in freezer bags in meal sized portions. Then on a night that is particularly hectice it takes a few minutes to throw together sloppy joes, or a great spaghetti meat sauce, or a tasty taco soup(this is what the kids always choose).
Yes! If I had to name ONE thing that makes my life easier, it would be browning hamburger in bulk and freezing it for quick and easy use!
Cool idea, I just try to lay out a few things ahead like today I have to go to the dr. appt. so I laid out the cream cheese to get rm temp. and the everything to geo with it. I am going to work on it more this yr. coming.
How does your hubby make baked beans?
Merry Christmas
So smart! I NEVER remember to set out butter or cream cheese before baking!
Mark makes baked beans with onions, ketchup, mustard and bacon. The recipe, or as much of one as he uses, is on my blog here: http://www.givinguponperfect.com/2009/10/beans-beans-magical.html
I make double batches of chocolate chip cookie dough. 1/2 of the batter gets baked up for eating right away. For the second batch I line a large rimmed cookie sheet with wax paper and use a cookie scoop to place the balls of dough on the wax paper and freeze. When thoroughly frozen drop all the dough balls into a freezer bag with baking instructions (temp & time) written on the bag. Next time you need some cookies fast just pop these dough balls in the oven and you have yummy fresh cookies with no work!
Oooohhh, I’d be in trouble with cookie dough in my freezer!
I love the idea of having the onions aleady chopped up ready for me when I need them.
I just use the already frozen chopped onions. Yes, they might cost a little more, but then you don’t have to cut any onions at all.
I also will chop peppers, especially if I find a great deal on red or yellow and put them in the freezer. They are great for eggs or stir fry
Great idea! I love making fajitas; I should cut and freeze pepper strips for that!
I also stash extra chopped onions, peppers, chipolte peppers in adobo, celery, pineapple, tomato sauce, nuts, and anything else I can in my freezer! I try not to waste by freezing an extra I have from a recipe. It’s the remembering that they’re in there, though, that matters!
Jessie
Does the tomato sauce separate when you thaw it?