Time Savers for the Kitchen

Make two weeks of menus at a time. 
     - Saves Time (shopping)
     - Saves energy (thinking & planning)
     - Saves money (less waste & you can buy bargains because you planned ahead)

Keep your menus more general, less specific.

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Beef	Mexican	Fish	Ground Meat	Chicken	Oriental	Italian
Potatoes	Rice	Potatoes	Potatoes	Potato	Rice	Pasta
Vegetable	Corn	Vegetable	Unusual	Broccoli	Vegetable	GreenBeans
Salad	Lettuce	Slaw	Carrot/pina	Pasta Salad	Soup	Green
Bread	Tortilla	Corn Bread	Rolls	Bread	*	*
Dessert	Fruit	Jello	Ice Cream	Crisp	Nutbread	Fruit

Every morning, lay out your main entree from the freezer, and make the salad or dessert or casserole.  There should probably be only one from scratch item per day. When you wash the breakfast dishes you also will have the 'big mess' cleaned up.  When you empty the dishwasher, set the table for supper.

It is easier to clean out your refrigerator when it is the most empty so clean it the day before you grocery shop.

While you have the mess, use your food processor for the whole week.  Chop the whole pound of walnuts; chop apples for apple cake; make cabbage slaw; shred the whole pound of carrots for the slaw, cooked carrots, carrot cake and a pineapple-carrot salad.  (carrots will turn brown if not cooked slightly); shred cheese for casserole or tacos, crush leftover ships, cereal, and cracker crumbs for casserole topping or chicken coating, cop peppers and slice mushrooms; and chop all 3 pounds of onions and freeze 1/2c. in each small zip-lock bag.  (If you plan it carefully you won't even have to wash the processor between foods!)

On Saturday while you are frying hamburger for pizza, fry ground beef for the Monday Mexican meal and the Wednesday cassserole.  Go ahead and add the chopped onions from teh baggy in the freezer, and basic seasonings.  Freeze in bread sacks, freezer containers, cool whip bowls, or ziplocks that you bought with a doubled 50 cent coupon. : )

When you bake, always double or triple the recipe.  Almost all cookie dough freezes well for your own slice and bake cookies.  Mix up and bake another item while you have th emess.  Mix up the yellow dessert or bread before the chocolate cake so you can use the same bowl, beaters, and measuring equipment without washing in between things (same ingredients - flour, sugar, salt...).

After frying bacon for the 7-layer salad, saute a lot of unions mushrooms and peppers in the fat.  Remove the vegetables and fry the meat you plan to top with a gourmet sauce.  Remove the meat and add 4 Tablespoons of flour to 4 Tablespoons of fat.  Stir until blended and add 2-3 cups of milk.  You have the base for any cream soup you can imagine (add onions for onion soup, mushrooms for mushroom soup, broccoli for broccoli, etc.)  Add 1/2 cup shredded cheese to one cup of sauce for cheese sauce to be used in macaroni and cheese, scalloped potatoes, on top of broccoli or in a casserole.