Make ahead meals for company.

My folks had company this week. Bobs' sister, her husband and their 2 grandchildren. I always cook for family get togethers and things like this because I love it and have the time. One of my goals when cooking like this is to see how far I can make that dollar stretch. I feel like I totally succeeded with this one. 9 meals for 6 people at just about $100, so roughly $2.00 a meal (and leftovers). Part of making this work is using some of the same ingredients in different ways throughout the meals. My second goal is to make the meals appealing to everyone which includes making them simple for the server. 

Breakfast

Mornings can be a test at any time but if your having company you add the confusion of different schedules. Maybe your an early riser but they sleep late (or vice versa), adding kids to the mix and your rise and shine breakfast time can be all over the map. Easy single serve portions or things that can be heated and then let set til everyone cycles through avoids running back and forth to the kitchen or feeling like you have to be up before everyone so you can be prepared.

Waffles/Pancakes

How easy is that?

We do Sunday morning breakfast anyway, so I just doubled up what I made and put the extra into a ziplock bag and into the freezer. These can be warmed in the microwave, toaster oven, laid on cookie sheet and heated in the oven or even in the toaster. A plain waffle can be a blank canvas to fit any taste. Set a few thing conveniently together like butter, syrup, fruit and yogurt or even eggs and a small pan. I think these are perfect especially with kids, butter and syrup for a breakfast, pb&j for an afternoon snack, and ice cream and fruit for a desert.

Whatever your favorite waffle or pancake mix just double it. I don't like to mix more than double at one time because the last ones cooked just don't seem to turn out as well. If you need more than double take a break in the middle and mix up another batch.

        

                                      

To go with these I put a cup of blackberries out of the freezer in a sauce pan with 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of water and a teaspoon of cornstarch. Heat just until the sugar is dissolved and the consistency is like gravy. Pour into a mason jar and let cool.

Mini Omelets

Super easy and basic, but with a few simple sides they can become whatever you want. Eggs, sausage and cheese cooked in a muffin cup. Having some sliced onion and bell pepper or salsa for people to add as they like makes it personalized.

Grease your muffin tin first. 1 pound of sausage browned and divided between 12 muffin cups

12 eggs whisked together with a splash of milk. I don't add salt or pepper because the sausage has plenty of seasoning. If you know what your guests like you could peppers, mushrooms, onion or whatever suits you, straight in here. Fill your cups to just below full because the eggs will puff up a bit.

 Top with a little cheese.

Bake at 350* for about 25 min and let cool.

These disposable tin pans are great for a big project that is going to be sent off. We reuse them for camping and cook outs. Set you egg muffins in a single layer and allow to cool completely, uncovered, in the fridge then cover with foil.

Lunch

Having company doesn't get you out of all the regular farm chores, although you may be able to incorperate a few of the chores into the fun of the tour. Kids may find the menotiny of filling every rabbit feeder/chick feeder fun, but you still have to be present. Having a lunch prepared that doesn't take a lot of time away from your guests or make the whole morning pressed to get through can give you the time to enjoy having them. Although a bologna sandwich or a frozen pizza might be a quick answer, with just a little prep ahead of the visit you can do it soo much better. 

Ham/Turkey and cheese sliders

Ham/Turkey and cheese sliders will take about 10 min to make and can be set in the fridge til you need them and only about 5 min to heat. Served with baked beans, chips and a veggie tray with dip. This is the quick answer for a day that you have plans to do, go and see the most stuff. Once they're heated they can be left to sit and as everyone filters through they can grab a couple and continue on. Maybe some are golfing or some went to the park or a walk in the woods. We love our anitiqueing so you may not see us for a while. These are easily packed in a picnic basket, eaten cold or warmed up and left for those that are grazing through the kitchen.

Doesn't get any easier than this.

2 packages of 12 dinner rolls cut in half sandwich style. 1 1/2 pound shaved turkey or ham (or what ever suits you). Lay out the bottom of the buns in the pan and top with meat of your choice.

 Top with cheese of your choice. I did turkey and swiss and the other pan with ham and cheddar.

Put the tops of the buns on and tada. Cover with foil and store in the fridge. Since there isn't anything moist to them they don't get soggy. When your ready to eat them you can set the whole pan in a 350* oven for about 5 min and have a warm sandwich ready to be taken out to picnic table. I sent some baked beans that I had canned, and when you serve you can set out whatever 'toppings' you might like, pickles, mustard, quartered tomato slices...

Pizza Sub

 A supreme pizza sub made ahead and wrapped in foil can be reheated in about 30 min and lil pizza bites for the kids are great to eat room temp or heated and eaten with the adults. Easily heated then served at the picnic table, with little to clean up. A toasted french loaf keeps it from getting soggy and the foil makes it quick to reheat (not bad cold either). Assuming you know your guests, you can adjust to whatever the 'minimum of the majority' is. Since it is in sandwich style, if everyone except one like onion, you can do 3/4 of the sandwich with and the rest without. If your not sure what every one likes, as I wasn't, go with the basics and set the extras on the side to be added.
1 French loaf cut in half. The top half I spread with butter and sprinkled garlic powder over. Toast under the broiler (maybe just a second less than I did lol). This will give it some texture and help keep it from getting soggy.

Spread bottom of sandwich with pizza sauce, layer whatever meats you like. I used sliced ham and turkey, again I'm cooking for people who's tastes I'm not sure of and feel like ham and turkey are a safe choice. Top with bell pepper rings. On the top half put all of your smaller toppings, red onion slices (milder in case not everyone is an onion fan), mushrooms, black olives...

Top with cheese. Put most of the cheese on the top half, this will help keep all the small pieces from escaping when you try to put the sandwich together.

Bake at 350* just until the cheese is melted. Remember that everything is going to be reheated so just that minute before you think it's done is perfect.

Let cool completely. Wrap in foil. Since everything is already cooked it can be eaten cold or heated in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350*.

Pizza bites

Some kids do eat supreme, but for those who don't, individual pepperoni pizzas. Cheese and pepperoni rolled up in a crescent roll. What more can I say?

Nothing more than a little pizza sauce spread on a crescent roll, a couple of pepperoni and 1/3 of a mozzarella cheese stick. Roll up and bake until slightly golden.

Supper

Easy is the way the go, but, this is company and you do want to serve something nice at some point. Supper is the time to do it. After a day of adventure and fun...lol...having everyone sit down together and visit, share their stories from the day and other days, will help (especialy with kids) stick the memories into their mind.

Swedish Meatballs


In my opinion you can never go wrong with meatballs and noodles. Creamy and comforting,  tastes like you spent the day slaving over it but in truth it was easy, twice! A nice loaf of homemade bread on the side (hint, a good project to do with kids...) and mmmm. When I make meatballs they never last long, so there was no way I could get by with sending this off and not having some for my family. I have a basic meatball recipe and just adjust the seasoning and or sauces to suit the meal (aprox 30 meatballs).
2 lbs hamburger
1 lb ground pork or sausage
1 med onion diced
half package of crackers or about as much bread crumbs
2 T steak sauce
 2 eggs
 1/3 c milk
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
For this recipe I added 1T Worcestershire sauce and 2 T parsley. Mix everything in a large bowel and portion out to about golf ball size. I like to bake them on a rack so the fat runs off. Bake at 350* for 40 minutes.

While they are baking you can work on your noodles and sauce. I doubled the rest of the recipe and we ate one of the casseroles that night. If you don't want to eat it then you can freeze it and have for another time or you can can set half the meatballs aside and freeze for later. For one casserole boil 1 bag of egg noodles til just before they're done (unless you want to eat it as soon as done), again this will be reheated so to keep it from getting mushy you want the noodles just under cooked. In a separate pan heat 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup flour like you would for gravy, add 2 cups boiling water, 1 t paprika, 1 t salt, 1 t pepper and 3/4 cup sour cream. Cook for about 3 min and taste for seasoning. If you like it turn off heat and add 1/2 cup more hot water. Since we stopped the noodles before done they will absorb some more liquid when it's reheated and finish cooking. Pour drained noodle into the bottom of baking dish, top with sauce and stir together. Set meatballs on top. Let cool then wrap in foil to store in fridge or freezer. To reheat, place thawed casserole in oven with foil on, at 350* for about 1 hour.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Just sayin' it sounds cool, no one has to know how easy it is! I watch and when they go on sale buy up. This one was 9lbs for $15. Cut into 1/3rds your paying $5 per meal. I made this for 6 people based on the way my family eats.

In a skillet saute 1 crushed garlic clove and half of 1 onion in 2 T olive oil and add 1 shredded carrot. Add a splash of wine, water or stock to get them cooked to soft and a teaspoon of crushed rosemary. Turn off and set aside to cool. You can pour this into a separate bowl to speed up cooling and even set in the fridge.

In another pan prepare 1 cup of dry rice. Any rice you like will do, follow the directions for what you choose with the difference being add 1/2 raisins. I think this would also be great with apricots, but my son hates them sooo.... When your rice is finished it has to cool also. Once both mixtures are about room temperature mix them together. We ate half for supper that night. The other half roll up into a log in plastic wrap and freeze. 

When your ready to stuff your tenderloin make sure it's completly  thawed. With a long knife cut a slit in the center end to end trying not to cut through the side walls.

Take your frozen stuffing out just when your ready to use it. It takes a little finagling to get it into the slot you have made. Because it's frozen it wants to stick but with some patience you'll get it.

Rub the outside of the tenderloin with olive oil and season. I used Asian fie spice because it has a bit of a cinnamon taste to it and goes well with the raisins, but if you don't have or like it, salt and pepper are also perfect.

Bake on a rack at 400* for about 45 minutes. Since the stuffing is frozen it effects the cooking time. If you were going to serve immediately I would check with a meat thermometer. 145* is the suggested temp for pork. Otherwise wrap in foil and allow to rest, this will allow it cook a little more and when you reheat it, it will help to hold the moisture. Store in refrigerator and reheat in foil, at 350* for 30 minutes. 

That's seven different meals. With one extra bag of noodles which I counted in my shopping total and the extra waffles, that's 9 x 6 people= roughly $2 per person at just about $100 for the grocery shopping.  A nice veggie tray, salad and or chips to go with the meals wouldn't add a lot of cost. Of course there were some things that came out of my cabinet that aren't counted in the cost, but on the other hand we enjoyed the leftover meat and cheeses....

Meatballs! my basic recipe and alternatives.

Taquitos 

Spanish Rice

50 Shades of Green!

I love Spring, but with it things pick up pace and sometimes I feel like I'm falling behind. So to fix that I take a walk around the yard to appreciate what I don't have do. Here's nothing but a few things that grow around my house that I get the pleasure of without worry.

House Pepper. Don't know what kind it is, slightly spicey looks like a jalapeno. Kept it alive in the house all winter and been setting it out on the nice days, now it has a pepper. Who knew.

Don't know what this is either but gonna look it up.

These silly Easter flowers come up every year, and every year after they bloom I dig them up and move to where I want....and every year they come back right here!

Poor evergreen bush I trimmed, not so well...

Dug off the side of the road and grow with my snowball bush and some sweetpeas....the flower type.

My Iris Island. Inside part of our circle drive. I've been collecting Iris for probably 8 or so years. When we moved I dug all that I could and brought with. I find them along the side of country roads and even sometimes stop and ask people if I can have a tuber from their flower bed. I think last year I had about 15 different colors.

These are those that I think a re actually called flags. Their purple and have the skinny leaves.

Azalea. Planted these last year and hoping they'll take off. When I was little we lived in Georgia and a row of these between properties. Smelled better than anything else in the world and have never forgotten.

Just a white rose bush.

Evergreens.

Lilac bush. I love Lilacs and brought this as a start with me when we moved.

Let's Get Dirty!

Finally! All the planning is fun, but, after a while the itch to get out and put it to work becomes almost more than I can stand. The part of my garden that is already established is easy to get back into shape for this year. I use a mix of ideas, containers, lasagna, verticle, mulching and raised beds. All of the ideas and uses are based on what I have access to for free or super cheap. Thrilled this year to say, that so far at least, the only thing I have had to put any money/value into is the straw and 20 min with the weed eater. And that I traded for! Seeds are all saved from last year or shared from other people. Newspaper is our local and comes free. Leaves are from our and my daughters yards. Cardboard is from local stores that let me take theirs when they get done stocking. And my compost.

This will be a third year garden. We moved 3 1/2 years ago in July. No garden that year but I did pack my compost, yes really, and got things set up. I use tires with the sidewalls cut out. I prefer to cut both so that you don't have the water standing in the bottom side. Some people don't approve of tires as veggie garden containers. If your one of these please read for a bit more because the info will work in any raised bed, container or even flat on the ground.

 Since I had a summer, winter and spring before I could plant again I laid cardboard out and the tires on top. Cardboard takes longer to decompose. Weeds and grass can't get through it but neither can worms, my itty bitty work horses. I stuffed the tires full of straw, grass clippings, leaves and topped with a couple of scoops of compost. (we had rabbits, chickens, horses, geese, llama....) By fall they had settled to about half full so I topped with more straw which I get mostly from a local (small) pig farmer.

So, to jump ahead to now! By the fall I'm all garden and canned out so I don't do a lot of fall prep. Grass grows between my row and I like it that way because no matter how rainy it is I can still get into my garden and work without compacting the soil I'm planting in or wading the mud. During the spring and summer a few minutes with the weed eater cleans it up nice. 
One benefit to planting this way is that the spring rains don't slow down my gardening but only make it easier. When most are waiting for the ground to dry enough to till I can still layer my beds and the rains soak into the mulch. Humus, Leaf Mold  and Compost carry the ingredients to make a garden healthy and happy. Gardening in soil that has all this natural organic matter creates plants that are more disease and pest resistant. Adding a few amendments for specific plantings, such as calcium for tomatoes to ward off blossom end rot is easy and can be done cheaper because you can just add it to the specific spots where it is needed. Another really wonderful benefit is moisture retention. Between 3x and 500x it's weight, depending on your mix. If you add this to only watering in the specific area (like inside a tire) and keep the surface covered with straw (I consider this my mulching) you can reduce watering drastically. If you are re-purposing water by containing it in water catchment systems (aka rain barrels, burms and swales or a million other ideas), finding free or very cheap matter for your layers and learning to save seeds, your next garden could be free or nearly free to plant. That makes everything that you gather from it as cost effective as it is nutritious. With less watering, less weeding, no equipment costs, fewer pests and therefor less time spent babying it, your garden ends up doing the work for you.

 Looks rough but I feel that the grass holds moisture and nutrition that will go into the new garden year.  

                          After a quick round with the weed eater and a rake the tires are ready for their attention. I turned the soil over here so you could see how dark and soft it is. For the rest of the tires a layer of newspaper with the grass and all mushed underneath. Just a couple of sheets to deter weeds and grass but allow the worms to do their magic.

  

A couple of scoops of compost will help everything get on it's way, drawing the worms, breaking down the grass and newspaper and creating a place for the roots of the new plantings. I compost directly on the ground which allows the excess water drain away and the worms to come to me. You may be able to see the couple I found in this scoop.  Then simply a layer of straw or a mix with leaves.

I'm expanding my garden this year to almost double so my compost really does have the feeling of black gold. Some of my tires that I will plant later season (tomatoes and such) I only used the newspaper and straw. They'll get compost as I get it ready, but as you can see the worms are willing to help as much as they can.

Another benefit of planting this way is that if you have very wet spring, which we often do, your plants do not set in a puddle of water. The moisture is absorbed and available to the plants but whatever extra that can't be held runs away out the bottom. This works out whether you use some kind of containment or simply layer on the ground. Regardless of being contained it is raised.

Between the fence on the left and on the right is the area that I'm going to be adding this year. My grandmother lived here before us. One great benefit is this is 30ish year old virgin ground. No chemicals, only a pretty mowed lawn. She wasn't into the garden thing. My grandfather on the other hand is the one who gave me my first experience with gardens. He had a huge garden and I would slip out into it and gather things like bell peppers and cherry tomatoes in the front of my shirt, sitting in the middle under the pole beans eating my pilfering. This is also where I learned about hybridizing. DO NOT plant your bell peppers to close to your jalapenos, they can cross and make for some really hot bells. :)

As part of my expansion I spread some boxes out and set up bales that will be my potato bed. These bales have been sitting out for about 2 months and with any luck I hope to grow cherry tomatoes in the top of them. I've done it before but with older bales and am not sure these have had enough time to age. A layer of leaves and straw in the bottom and then when I'm ready to put out the potatoes I'll just spread them evenly around the bottom. There are several schools of thought on how to plant potaoes. Eyes and slips and cuttings, depending on your space and how you plan to plant them I'm sure some work better than others. I don't do any cutting. I space them out and cover with straw and leaves by a few inchest. As they sprout and the greens start to show I add more layers. I've done this in rows where I laid out the cardboard and piled all on top. If you try that I would suggest more leaves and compost because the straw seems to dry out quickly and is difficult to keep damp.

The general rule of thumb 'round here is to plant peas on ST. Patricks' Day, but I didn't, so went out this morning to get the last of these pics together and them planted.

I soak my peas 24 hours before planting. These actually got 2 days because it rained yesterday. They'll grow up the trellis and then when the heat comes on I'll plant my cucumbers in the same spot.

For these I stirred up the compost and planted the peas directly into it and covered back with a light layer of straw. Finally getting some action in the garden is such a relief. To see a little about my planning you might like these posts, and I hope you'll come back to see more as the garden fills out.

Annual Garden

Perennial Garden

Garden Planning