Once-a-Month Cooking Recipes
Some sample recipes and ideas from the book Once-a-Month Cooking.
We recently visited with Mimi and Mary Beth in Mary Beth's kitchen, where they got an apron on broadcast host Chris Fabry and involved him with this method of preparing a month's (or two weeks') dinner entrees at once and freezing them.
Below is a sampler that they prepared with Chris. You can prepare this "mini-cycle" adapted from Once-a-Month Cooking for your own family, to share when company's coming, or for friends who would benefit from homemade, easy-to-serve meals.
Grocery list
1 4 pound brisket
2 pounds pork tenderloin
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1-1/2 pound salmon fillet
8 ounces sour cream
16 ounces low-fat cottage cheese
2 cups grated, mild Cheddar cheese
16-ounce package linguine
1/4 cup crouton crumbs*
2 16-ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce (1*)
24 ounces apple juice
2 envelopes dry onion soup (1*)
1/2 cup kosher salt
1 10-ounce package frozen, chopped spinach
1 bunch green onions
4 to 5 new potatoes*
Staples list (You will need these items too. Purchase if you don't have them on hand.)
Dill weed (dried) (2 tablespoons)
Eggs, 4 large
Flour (optional)
Pepper
Prepared mustard
Salt
Soy sauce (2 tablespoons)
Sugar (1/4 cup)
Freezer containers you'll need:
4 1-gallon ziplock bags
2 1-quart ziplock bags
10-inch quiche or pie plate
Heavy-duty aluminum foil
Assembly order
Put (unopened) package of frozen spinach in a bowl in the refrigerator the night before your cooking day to thaw.
Prepare Mrs. Ringle's Brisket in a Crock Pot the night before your cooking day. Cool, label, and freeze first thing in the morning for Mrs. Ringle's Brisket and Easy Stroganoff.
Assemble Slow Cooker Fall Roast Pork; label and freeze.
Assemble Cranberry Chicken; label and freeze.
Assemble Brined Salmon Fillet; label and freeze.
Assemble Crustless Spinach Quiche: label and freeze.
Recipes:
Mrs. Ringle's Brisket
1 4 pound brisket
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 envelope dried onion soup
4 to 5 new potatoes*
flour (optional)
Place brisket fat side up in a Crock-Pot. Do not add any water or liquid. Cover brisket with mustard and dry onion soup mix. Cook on low 9-10 hours.
Skim mustard and onion seasoning from brisket and mix it with juice in the Crock-Pot. Remove brisket from Crock-Pot, allow to cool. Peel off fat and discard it; slice or shred meat. Save juices and seasonings (thicken with flour to make gravy, if desired). Divide meat and gravy in half, and store in separate 1-gallon bags in freezer. Reserve 1 bag for Mrs. Ringle's Brisket and one for Easy Stroganoff.
To prepare for serving, thaw brisket and gravy and heat. At the same time, prepare new potatoes. Heat 1 cup salted water to a boil; add potatoes. Cover and heat until boiling; reduce heat. Simmer tightly covered until tender, 20 to 25 minutes; drain. Serve potatoes with brisket and gravy.
Freeze in: 2 1-gallon bags
Serve with: Corn on the cob and new potatoes
Makes 4 to 5 servings
Easy Stroganoff
Half of gravy and sliced brisket from Mrs. Ringle's Brisket
1 8-ounce container sour cream*
linguine (16-ounce package)
Thaw brisket slices and cut diagonally into 1-inch "chunks"; heat them in the gravy. Add sour cream.
Serve with: Linquine and Watermelon Salad
Makes 4-6 servings
Slow Cooker Fall Pork Roast
1 2-pound pork tenderloin
3 cups apple juice
1 16-ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Place all ingredients in 1-gallon Ziploc bag. Label and freeze.
To cook, thaw, place all ingredients in slow cooker and cover. Cook 6 to 8 hours on low.
Freeze in: 1-gallon bag
Serve with: Twice-baked Sweet Potatoes
Makes 6 servings
Cranberry Chicken
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 envelopes dried onion soup*
1 16-ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce*
Freeze chicken breasts in bag. When thawed, place chicken in greased baking pan, mix dry soup mix and cranberry sauce and spread over top. Cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes at 350° or until done. Bake last 15 minutes uncovered. The whole house will smell wonderful.
Freeze in: 1-gallon freezer bag
Serve with: Roasted Cauliflower
Makes 5-6 servings
Brined Salmon Fillet
1 1-1/2 pound salmon fillet
Brine
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons dill weed (dried)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Place Brine ingredients in quart bag, seal and tape to the container that holds the fish. Freeze. When needed, thaw salmon and place in 13x9-inch pan. One hour before meal, mix brine ingredients with 3-1/2 cups water and pour over salmon. Make sure the whole fish is under brine. Float 1 cup of ice cubes over fish. Turn once. Then remove fish, rinse under cool water.
Heat grill to medium-high. Lightly oil grates. Place salmon, skin side up, on grill. Cover grill and cook 5 minutes. Turn fillet, cover, and cook until opaque throughout and flaky, about 4 minutes more.
Freeze in: Leave salmon in store packaging. Tape 1-quart bag brine onto the container.
Serve with: Spicy Grilled Pineapple
Makes 4 servings
Crustless Spinach Quiche
1 10-ounce package frozen, chopped spinach
1 bunch chopped green onions (white bulbs only)
4 large eggs
16 ounces low-fat cottage cheese
2 cups grated, mild Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup crouton crumbs*
Thaw spinach to remove liquid. Combine spinach, green onion bulbs, eggs, cottage cheese, and cheddar cheese. Put into a quiche pan or 10-inch pie plate treated with nonstick spray. Cover with foil and freeze. Put crouton crumbs in a 1-quart bag and tape to pie plate.
To prepare for serving, thaw pie and crumbs. Bake uncovered in a preheated 325° oven for 50 minutes, until center is set, adding crouton crumbs the last 15 minutes.
Summary of Processes: Chop 1 bunch of green onion bulbs; crush croutons to make 1/4 cup.
Freeze in: 10-inch quiche pan or pie plate; 1-quart bag
Serve with: Fresh sliced tomatoes
Note: This dish is nice for a women's luncheon
Makes 8 servings
*Store for use the day the dish is served.
Table Talk Questions (Questions for which there is no right or wrong answer and everyone old enough to talk will have an answer):
- Tell about something you enjoyed doing today.
- Tell about something that made you sad or hurt your feelings.
- What is your favorite item of clothing and why?
- What is a weakness or something difficult for you in which you're getting better?
- Tell about your favorite pet (or if you don't have one, a pet of a friend).
- Share something you appreciate about someone at the table.
Recipes for Optional Side Dishes
The latest edition of Once-a-Month Cooking includes more recipes for seasonal fresh vegetable and fruit dishes.
Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes
4 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and dried
2-4 tablespoons butter
1 small can crushed pineapple
1 teaspoon each allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400°. Place potatoes directly on rack in center of oven and bake 30 minutes. Pierce each potato with a fork and continue cooking until tender, about 30 to 40 minutes more.
Remove from oven. Cut potatoes in half, scoop out flesh to create canoe-like shape. Mash potatoes slightly with fork, add butter, pineapple, and spices. Salt and pepper to taste. Refill the potato shells with mixture, mounding slightly.
Watermelon Salad
1 (5-pound) watermelon, seedless
1 Vidalia or red sweet onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
6 whole mint springs
Peel and cut the flesh from the melon into bite-size pieces, removing and discarding the seeds, and set aside. Peel and slice the onion into rings.
In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, salt, and pepper, and whisk until salt is dissolved. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Add in the chopped mint, taste, and adjust seasonings.
In a large bowl, combine the melon, onion, and feta. Pour the dressing over the melon mixture and toss gently until everything is coated and evenly mixed. Garnish with mint springs.
Spicy Grilled Pineapple
1 fresh pineapple
2-3 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
salt
Slice peel off pineapple and cut it horizontally into rounds. Toss with olive oil, a little cayenne, and salt. Place on grill and cook until charred and tender, turning once, 8 to 12 minutes.
Roasted Cauliflower
1 head cauliflower
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white wine or water
3 cloves thinly sliced garlic
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 400°. Cut cauliflower into chunks (discarding hard center stem) and place in baking dish.
Drizzle with equal amounts of chicken broth, olive oil, and white wine, about 1/3 cup each. Add thinly sliced garlic, a pinch of oregano, chopped Italian parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Dab the top with a bit of butter.
Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake until tender, about 30 minutes. The florets should fall apart if you poke them with your finger. Remove foil and top with breadcrumbs that have been tossed with a little olive oil and Parmesan cheese. Brown, uncovered, another 15 minutes.
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Adapted from Once-a-Month Cooking (Revised edition: 2007) by Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg. Used by permission of St. Martin's Press, New York. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
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