I got a late start…like I said, I’m NOT going to be a perfectionist about this.
Jeff took care of dinner, though I prepped it. Salmon Paprika (new recipe) and sweet potatoes. I think I like the way we normally prepare salmon better, with Emeril’s.
I baked my birthday cake. It was a pretty good recipe from Elana’s Pantry, though I like her chocolate cupcake recipe better.
Then I got started on some of the bulk cooking. In the oven at one time, I had 4 fryer chickens, 1 Boston Butt pork roast, and a sheet pan of cauliflower and garlic cloves. I didn’t get to roasting any more vegetables.
After those were done, I let them cool a bit and then stripped the meet off the pork and the chickens and put them in freezer baggies — 1 cup servings for the chicken breasts, and 2 cup servings for every thing else. The cauliflower and garlic just went into their own bags. I figure I could separate out what I need.
The chicken carcasses went into my stock pot and cooked overnight. I cook my stock for almost 24 hours, generally, and then those went into quart sized plastic containers and into the freezer.
I still have my soups to make, and my vegetables to roast. I figure I can kick back and do that tomorrow.
Until I was in the midst of it, I really didn’t realize how little time this all takes. Once I’m back into my home routine, it will be easy to take ten minutes to prep and then throw everything in the oven, then take a few minutes from homeschooling and have the kids help me bag everything, and chop vegetables.
Tonight, when I wanted to make the No-Potato Salad, the cauliflower and garlic were ready. The cauliflower, leftover salmon, and chicken stock are ready for salmon chowder tomorrow. And all because I gave this a little bit of time in on Monday evening. When I can have this going on in the background for most of the day (I’m thinking Mondays will be best), this might really have promise.
