Lazy Cook’s Short Cuts

[Shirlv]

I thought I would pass these hints for anyone not aware. Please add your favorites. My generation ate all the foods now deemed unhealthy. My thought, If I die tomorrow I will really be made mad that I didn’t eat that serving of Mac and cheese. Moderation is key. Always chop the whole onion and put unneeded portion in the freezer. Do the same with a green pepper. Easy onion and pepper omelette. Love home fries, don’t want to stand at the stove too long. Buy a bag of little potatoes, put four in custard dish, nuke for 1 minute, slice and fry with some frozen chopped onion. Also easy to boil a few and make a little bit of potato salad. They say don’t store potatoes in the fridge, well they aren’t my age and a lazy cook. Huge bunch of kale from store, cut, wash, roll dry in clean towel, freeze without blanching. Buy 6 ears of corn, 3 for eating (one at a time). Cut kernels off 3 remaining and freeze, no blanching. Over the summer I have a nice supply of corn for winter. I eat Wendy’s copycat chili all year, serve on a bed of lettuce with crumbled Stacey’s Pita chips on top. ( my version of taco salad.

[JudyJB]

Perfect timing, Shirl. One of my favorite books from my young "wifehood" was Peg Bracken's I Hate to Cook Book. It was full of short-cuts and funny ways of doing things. It is the 50th anniversary of her book.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003JTHXIG/re ... TF8&btkr=1

And if you don't want to buy the book, you can read some of her quotes here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes ... eg_Bracken One quote is, "This book is for those of us who want to fold our dishwater hands around a dry Martini instead of a wet flounder, come the end of the day."

And I think she is the one who wrote about the only way to have a cookie when you had kids was to hide them under your bed. I think she is also the person who wrote about thawing lamb chops under your armpits.

[Shirlv]

Judy, read some of Pegs quotes, my kind of woman. Reminds me of Erma Bombeck. Wish I liked martinis because of the glass. My daughter gave me a beautiful engraved wIne glass said “Grandmom’s Sippy Cup”

[Birdie]

Spaghetti for 2-4 servings and still have sauce left over. Measure and put in ice cube tray and freeze. Label how much and have sauce for the next time. I cannot use a whole jar and got tired of throwing it out. Need to do something with the eggs you have and not using quick enough. You can always boil and them put in plastic bag for quick snack or out the door breakfast. Also, you can beat the eggs and put in an ice cube tray with a teaspoon of water. The water will make eggs puffy when being cooked if whipped first. The 3-2-1 cake in a cup is here in the recipe area but for quick reference it is box of angel food cake mix and box of any of your choice mixed throughly together in a large plastic bag. Then 3 tablespoons of cake mixture in a cup, 2 tablespoons of water, mix throughly, I use a small whip (you know the little food one) and then microwave 1 minute. Beats having too much cake in front of you for days at a time. The cake mix is easily stored in the cabinet. A George Foreman Grill is good for cooking your sausage and then freezing.

Shirl loved your tips!

Have fun and stay safe out there.

[Shirlv]

Thanks Birdie, will try the mug cake, eggs never last long in my kitchen. Was too humid for me to walk so drove to a local farm market. More expensive but I’m worth it. I was looking for Hydroponic lettuce which they carry. This farm is known for its asparagus which is delicious. Sam’s Club sells Hormel Precooked Bacon which is very good, 20 seconds in microwave and you have crispy bacon. Tonight’s menu..BLT and one ear of corn which is cooked in husk for 4 minutes in the microwave. No wasted water. So dinner in 4 minutes and 20 seconds. Stay safe, eat healthy, be lazy

P.S, I’m in trouble.. you can freeze chipped beef gravy. Birdie, it said to freeze in ice cube trays. Yum!!

[snowball]

is opening up a can of soup a short cut?
this isn't a short cut but a thing that was put out on FB that I used and it worked
I hate throwing away stuff because it goes bad cause I forgot it or didn't use it up quick enough.. read where you could put avocado's in the fridge I thought that they were just not refrigerated. What you do is let them ripen almost to where you would use them then put them in the fridge I know one what in the fridge at least a week or two and it was perfect...
did think of something I get banana's and they usually get to ripe just right for baking but instead get put in freezer... I mash them up and measure them put into a ziplock and freeze then when I have enough for bread or cake or love banana brownies I pull out the amount that I need for whatever I am going to make... to me it helps so that I know what I have on hand
sheila

[Shirlv]

Shelia, I’m sodium restricted so no canned soup. Lol Sure do miss Campbell’s chicken noodle I have to make my own low sodium soup. Thanks for info on bananas, didn’t know they could be frozen and measuring is great idea.

[mtngal]

Rotisserie chicken is my standby; pull meat off bones for chicken salad or to throw into a big vege salad for protein.

[Shirlv]

Diana, good one. The chicken carcass makes good soup too. Salmon is good for you but expensive. Bumble Bee canned Red Salmon is large chunks of really good salmon sold in Walmart. Makes about 4 salmon cakes/$7.00.

[snowball]

Diana, good one. The chicken carcass makes good soup too. Salmon is good for you but expensive. Bumble Bee canned Red Salmon is large chunks of really good salmon sold in Walmart. Makes about 4 salmon cakes/$7.00.

Shirlv
you must make your salmon cakes a lot thicker than I do My husband loved salmon patties and that was the brand we used to use I made the mistake once of getting pink nope didn't work at all... but I made mine with lots of crackers and thin had to with 7 of us eating them
with the banana's they will eventually go dark can still use them when mixed into banana bread ect... if you were going to make a smoothy with the frozen ones I wouldn't mash them up... but yes you can freeze bananas not done it but you can put a pop cycle stick in bananas freeze them then dip them in choc and put back in freezer... at least I think you freeze them first...
sheila

[Bethers]

I let bananas get overripe then slice them, put into baggies and freeze for my smoothies.

I can't do salmon patties with canned salmon. I thought all salmon was terrible after having canned salmon as a child. The first time I discovered there was good salmon was in Alaska. And I'm still pretty particular.

I haven't done the 3-2-1 cake in a long time. I just might have to pick a flavor cake and do it again. It's great for a sweet tooth.

Since getting my air fryer, I'm buying crab cakes and breaded fish, freezing until using and they are a quick go to meal... And healthier.

[Shirlv]

Beth, love the airfryer which I bought after reading about it here. Have to bread my own fish since they are free. In future I will bread all the fresh fish and freeze so it will be more convenient. Shelia, I understand about stretching a meal for family. Made me think of salted cod fish cakes. They use to have them free in bars sitting on the counter, I guess so you would buy more beer. It was a cheap meal for a family and the amount of cakes depended on the amount of mashed potatoes added. Wish they still had them in bars.

[snowball]

we used to go to a fast food type place with the kids at that time they were a lot cheaper and we could take the kids out ... they had hamburgers for so many for a certain amount as well as corn dogs... and pop in a pitcher so we would by multiples of the corn dogs I always got a chimmy but what the heck why not? it's still in business oh yes they had family size fries two of those one for each table and we were good... some times did that when we went to the laundromat... some times go when in town my youngest and I still get the chimmy
sheila
Beth I have a recipe for salmon (not out of a can) I believe you would like I will have to tell you where to find it at or we can always make it sometime this winter.