Cooking for the week

In an effort to try and make time to spend with my family and actually have some FUN, I have begun cooking everything for the week in one day. We do not eat a lot of prepared foods. I like to cook from scratch and make healthy, filling, wholesome meals. Yeah, I know, frozen crap is so much easier, but i love my family and this is one way I show them. Plus, I love to cook. 

Homemade hummus, all garlic laden and yummy. So easy to make! Garbonzo beans, sesame paste (tahini) garlic and lemon, blend until smooth paste. Full of fiber and protein.

 We even enlist visiting friends to help in the kitchen. Here, Levi's friend B learns how to whisk eggs for a sausage and cheese strata (recipe tomorrow....my kids loved this one!!!!)

I bought a whole chicken on sale for $4. I separated the skin from the meat over the breast and stuffed in some of the compound butter form my last post, then placed it into a roasting bag and into the oven. I love those roasting bags, the meat stays so moist, it speeds up the cooking process so cuts down on time, and the clean up is a breeze. Our 1st meal from this chicken was the meat with cheddar biscuits and fruit salad.

Coffee/chili braised pork loin, also roasted in a bag.

After our first meal with the chicken, I placed the remaining chicken and carcass in a big stock pot with water and herbs and slow cooked it to make a delicious broth. I then took all the meat off the bones and saved it.

I made a big batch of home-made egg noodles and cooked them long and slow in the broth then added the super-tender chicken. It made enough to feed my family for at least 3 more meals. Now that is how to stretch one $4 chicken to unbelievable lengths!

I also made two dozen home made dinner rolls. 

Plus two loaves of cinnamon-raisin bread. 

Sausage and Cheese Strata

makes a ton of food!

1 loaf french bread, cut into cubes

12 eggs beaten

4 C milk

1 pound sausage, crumbled and browned, drain

1/2 onion, diced

2 C cheese, shredded

1 cup ham, cut into small cubes

Brown sausage and onion, drain fat

beat eggs then add milk

pour over bread, add sausage, cheese and ham, toss

 refrigerate overnight

bake at 375 F until eggs in middle are set

baking time depends on how you divide the recipe, for us this made 3 9x9 pans, bake each 30-40 min