jaxbeachgirl
Posts: 12
Joined: 4/29/2007 Status: offline
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Buy a crockpot with removable, washable crock if you don't already have one. A pot roast is about the easiest thing in the world. They also allow you to turn less pricey cuts of meat into very tempting dishes, and BONUS, the house smells great. Catch sales and you can keep that second roast in the freezer. (I only do eye of the round roasts, by far my fave.) Hop by allrecipes.com, they allow users to review recipes--if it's got 300 reviews and five stars, it's going to be good. Plan menus around what is on sale--you save money, you learn new dishes, and you maintain variety. Also plan around what is in season--you can't screw up fresh steamed veggies. Well, I haven't yet. Make coleslaw. 5 minutes from start to finish, faster if you buy prebottled dressing, but cheap and you probably have mayo, vinegar, salt and sugar on hand. If you need a quickie, keep Armour meatballs, bottled sauce, and pasta on hand. Always fast, and couldn't be easier. If you have time, do a small herb garden. Wal-Mart is a decent source for plants. Fresh herbs make a tremendous difference, and allow you to cut back on salt and fat. Buy rather than make pie crust. Search allrecipes for Grandma Oples apple pie, a monkey could make it. Cook more than you need at once. For instance, it takes the same amount of time to brown 5 pounds of hamburger as one at a time, and you can individually bag and freeze so you can yank them out and put together fast spaghetti, tacos, et cetera. You only wash the pan once. I'm a fairly decent cook, but I teach people how to cook easily and effectively. I've learned you must make your food fit your lifestyle. For me, a reduction sauce is second nature, and I adore cooking, so great... but I lived with a chef who taught me. Master the basics, then if you love it, learn more, but don't overextend yourself. Cook what works for YOU. Oh, get a cheap ham, put half a box of brown sugar on the bottom of your crockpot, put the ham in, then coat it with the rest of the brown sugar. Cook eight hours, and for $10, you have one very nice ham dinner, leftovers for sandwiches, and you freeze another nice dinner. USE YOUR FREEZER! Canned cream of mushroom soup is easy to use, makes everything pretty ok. 2 cans green beans + 1 can COM and some French's fried onions or almonds, you have green bean casserole. Skip the onions or almonds if you prefer. My number one secret though is my easiest--make coffee every day. I set my 15+ year old coffee maker on a timer, and just make it the night before. Coffee drinkers are so delighted by the simplest little cup of coffee when they get up. Be practical about meeting your needs as you cook. You don't NEED to get fancy before you get basic down pat. :) And remember, food = nurture--even if you burn it with your heart in the right place it's the best food ever.
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