Cooking has been an integral part of my life for as long as I can consciously remember. As a child growing up, we seldom visited restaurants or take-out places. Instead, my mother possessed an incredible talent for pulling together a delicious and satisfying meal right in our own kitchen, and that is a cherished skill I aspired to replicate with my own family long before we embarked on our farming journey. Rex often tells me I have become quite adept at cooking, so I wanted to take a moment to share a few valuable tips and tricks that I have gathered throughout our marriage, family raising, and farming experiences that consistently help me in my own kitchen. Let’s walk through the process of planning meals for one entire week. These thoughtfully crafted recipes are designed to feed two people, ensuring that there are enough delicious leftovers for a satisfying second meal.
Protein for the week:
2 dozen eggs, 1 lb Ground Beef, 1 lb Hot Sausage, 1 Whole Chicken and 1 pack of Links
Main Dishes
From the Hot Sausage - Homemade Sausage Pizza, Sausage Frittata
From the Ground Beef - Taco Soup
From the Chicken - Chicken Pot Pie, Chicken Stock
From the Links - Sausage with Peppers, Scrambled Eggs with Sausage Disks
Other Tips & Tricks
- Consider purchasing local foods in bulk. This can look like a quarter cow, half pig, bulk whole chickens or cuts.
- Keep a good inventory of what you’ve got in your freezer. Veggies put up from the summer or mixed bags from Costco.
- Plan meals by looking at your schedule for the week and decide how many dinners you need to cook. This will allow you to decide on quick meals versus meals that might take a little more time to prep.
- Assess your fridge/pantry and see what you already have on hand that may inspire a meal or two. Pantry staples at my house are ONIONS(I use them for almost everything), Carrots, Celery, Potatoes, Rice, Flour and Spices.
- Create Chopped Flavor Trinity for the week. I call Chopped Onion, Celery and Carrots the “Flavor Trinity”. You can do this quickly with a Food Processor or Old School with a knife and cutting board. You decide how much of each to add depending on your own taste. Once veggies are chopped I store in Mason Jars and pull them out when needed for recipes.
- Look at what’s in season at the farmers market or what you’re craving. Seasonal cooking breaks up the monotony of dinners for you and your family.
- Thaw your meat for the week. I keep a plastic basket in our fridge lined with a washcloth or towel to soak up anything that may leak. I like thawing it all at once so I know it’s ready for when I need to cook it. I use the small cuts first since they thaw first and save the roasts for later in the week since they may take a few days to thaw. Our meats are generally good for 5-7 days once thawed since everything is frozen right after processing.
- Eat the oldest leftovers first. Whether you take them to lunch the next day or use them at home the next meal - Leftovers are often better the second time around.
