Make my life a little easier please

 Make my life a little easier please

Does the thought of sitting down and preparing a three course, two course or even one course meal seem daunting sometimes? Maybe on those days when your schedule seems as overwhelming as this: work until 5, help kids with their homework, church that night, watching your favorite TV show at 8, pick up medicine from the pharmacy, wash 2 loads of laundry, clean up the living room, and taking your bubble bath…making time for dinner can sometimes seem impossible right? Wrong, I’m here to tell you, my dear ladies, you can prepare 30-minute meals…and even faster meals than that!!! No longer should the thought of making dinner feel as horrible as the bunny suit Ralphie had to wear.

Before we get into the recipes, let’s first discuss the time-savor tips which help to make those so called “30-minute meals” really only take 30 minutes in YOUR kitchen. So put down those keys…quit driving to the same fast food place down the street to make a quick fix for dinner. 

1.       Choose your menu at the beginning of the week: Look through your recipes and pick out the meals for the week. If you choose to do lasagna or stew, and you’re a family of 2 or 3, then you’ve just secured dinner for at least 2 nights. Get your grocery list written out so that you can do the shopping for the week all at once.

2.       Read Recipes beforehand: You don’t want to get all excited to make the perfect yummy dinner at 6pm and then come to find out step #3 takes 2 hours. Or perhaps you come to step #5 and it uses words like Bard, dredge, Blanch, julienne, Braise, caramelize, clarify liquid, until hard ball stage…and you think, how on earth do I do that, and what does it even mean? Lesson learned, read your recipes fully before preparing them partially. 

3.       Set up ingredients before beginning: setting out all of your ingredients before you begin to cook will make it your job much easier, and will shave off a lot of time. I like to do my chopping and measuring before hand as well. 

4.       Cook the meal in order: One thing that I love about the “Cooking light” cookbooks, it lays out the cooking timeline for you. For example, boil the pasta first, meanwhile, mix herbs in a large bowl and whisk. Think about what takes the longest and what can be prepared quickly. And also what you can be doing while something else is baking. 

5.       Clean as you go and Organize your cleaning: This doesn’t mean you have to have a sparkling clean kitchen by the time the meal is ready. Place dirty dishes in the sink, and food back in refrigerator or spices back on the shelf when you’re done with them. I organize how I clean: I first place all leftovers in refrigerator (If I know it will be my husband’s lunch the next day, I place it in ready-to-grab Glad containers), clean all the dishes, clean counter tops and stove top.

6.       Eyeball it: or as your grandmother might say, just put in a little of this. The more you cook the more you familiarize yourself with measurements as well as your taste buds. It’s ok to use the measuring cups, but when it comes to adding a ¼ tsp of salt or pepper here and ½ tsp of chili powder there, it’s ok to eyeball it instead of searching through your drawer to find the ½ teaspoon for one item.

7.       Making a recipe that serves 6 to a recipe that serves 2: This can actually be doneJ Be familiar with measurements. Knowing how many teaspoons are in ¼ cup or how to half 2/3 cup. The internet is a wonderful thing, google it and memorize itJ

8.       Get a How-to for the “Do what” times: Keep a cookbook around that has plenty of pictures and references on temperatures, measurements, substitutes, techniques and tips. Betty Crocker or Better Homes and Gardens are two great cookbooks that offer these references. Unless you’re a chef, the kind that can flip food in the air and chop an onion all at the same time...then go grab yourself a good basic cookbook. 

9.       Armor yourself with an apron and a small hand towel: You think it’s just for looks? Ok, well, it does make for a cute picture. However, aprons really do serve a purpose. I like to poke a hand towel in the side so I can quickly grab it WHEN (not if) I spill something or need to wipe my hands off. Do you realize how many paper towels you can go through in just one meal….goodness.

10.   No more trips to the trash can:  I know how much we all enjoy exercise, but let’s cut this out of our daily exercise routine. Keep a small grocery bag or bowl next to you on the counter for scraps of food or trash. Then, at the end, take on trip to the trash can.

11.   Don’t peel if you don’t have to: Unless you really just want that skin off the veggies or fruit, don’t waste time peeling. A recipe for potatoes might ask you to peel the potatoes, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to just keep that skin on and give it a good scrub instead. Most vegetables and fruits keep a lot of flavor and nutrients in the skins and are fully edible.

What tips or tricks do you have in the kitchen to help speed things up? Or what comments do you have about mine?