What to CookWeeknight Cooking
Make-Ahead Family Dinners For The New Year
by Merrill Stubbs
• January 7, 2014
• 7 Comments
Merrill's baby Clara has quite the appetite -- and it's all Merrill can do to keep up. Armed with her greenmarket bag, a wooden spoon and a minimal amount of fuss, she steps into the fray.
Today: Family-friendly winter dinners for the new year.
Like many, my list of resolutions for 2014 is long and detailed. (Mine is a spray and pray approach -- I'm convinced that the more resolutions I come up with, the more improvements I'm likely to make during the year.)
More: 5 Resolutions to Make You a Better Home Cook
I'm looking forward to some of this year's resolutions (try to read at least one book a month) more than others (get to the gym three times a week), but one resolution is a constant every year: to make more meals over the weekend so that we have a variety of dinner options on hand throughout the week. Here are some of the family-friendly dishes I'll be relying on this winter to help me with this, my most important resolution.
Lentil and Sausage Soup with Kale
Tuna Noodle Casserole by fiveandspice
Lamb Stew with Butternut Squash
Al Forno's Penne with Tomato, Cream and Five Cheeses by Genius Recipes
Braised Chicken Thighs with Tomato and Garlic
Winter-Warming, Freezer-Friendly, Pantry-Cleaning Soup by Nicholas
Comments (7)
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As a full-time physician and mom of 3 small children (ages 6, 3 and 7 months) I have long wanted to do this. I manage to make baby food and freeze it, and I meal-plan weekly, we eat as a family at least 3 weeknights plus Friday and Sunday. I have an arsenal of recipes I can toss together in 30 minutes (many from this site). But I get overwhelmed when I start thinking of trying to make family meals ahead. Besides soups and stews what freezes well?
Merrill is a co-founder of Food52.
This may give you a few more ideas: http://food52.com/blog.... Meatballs, meatloaf and baked pastas are all very freezable!
AntoniaJames is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
This thread -- read all the comments! -- may be of help, too: http://food52.com/blog... I'll add more suggestions here when time permits within the next few days . . . . ;o)
AntoniaJames is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
Actually, I cannot imagine *not* doing quite a bit of weekend make-ahead/freezer stocking/component prep/cooking if you are working a full-time job outside your home, and are feeding little ones. I have this down to a science. (How else could I ever have managed 2200 hours (not counting the commute) per year as a trial lawyer, while feeding my family great meals at home every single night?) I could write a book on this topic. Seriously. Hmmm. Maybe I will. P.S. Have you considered taking your book to the gym and reading it while on the eliptical or bike? Achieving the two goals mentioned will become a snap, assuming you're not reading Jon Meacham or Edward Hallet Carr. ;o)
What fun to discover lots of folks cooking in advance. I did that for years about sixty some years ago and our family of four ate well every night. I made three weeks of meals every third Saturday and loved it.
AntoniaJames is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
I have a one-two-three-four rubric for my weekend cooking. After planning on Thursday (including an inventory update from the freezer) and shopping on Friday, I cook, generally during a focused, well-orchestrated 2 hour block of time, with a 30 minute block later, for straining/cooling/putting away: 1 braise, 2 stocks, 2 soups, 4 vegetables (at least, which may include roasting, or doing partial cooking/advance prep, etc. I try to wash and dry all vegetables for which it's appropriate as soon as I buy them. Sometimes simple prep happens at the same time.) I typically shape, let rise and bake a loaf of bread -- or start the dough, depending on my schedule -- during the 2-hour intensive. Double batches are the rule rather than the exception, whenever appropriate; one batch goes into the freezer. Weeknight meals are fun and relatively stress-free to prepare when you approach it this way. ;o)
Thanks! It is great to see how other people attack this! I am devoting some time to reading the recommended threads before doing my meal planning this week.
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