Use quick cooking recipes for comfortable, easy, warm weather cooking
In most regions of the country, the warm days of summer and early fall can leave the family cook sweltering in front of a hot stove, preparing those nutritious meals. Besides making your house too warm for comfort, you may find your appetite languishing by the time you're ready to sit down. Here we've got some quick cooking recipes and tips that save you time and leave your energy and appetite intact when you're ready to eat. Let's see how you can work this kitchen magic for you and your family.
The microwave is one of your best friends, particularly in hot weather. It lends itself perfectly to preparing quick cooking recipes and certainly helps keep the kitchen cool. For entrees, try cooking a batch of chicken or fish in the microwave. These meats turn out perfect when cooked in the microwave. You can even cook chicken in the morning and simply warm it up in a lidded frying pan just before serving, with the added advantage of giving the chicken a quick browning that enhances the taste. Fish cooks so quickly that it takes just a few minutes to prepare at dinner time. Use the microwave to cook fresh veggies in the cool morning hours, cooking them until just slightly undercooked. Refrigerate until ready to serve, warming and finishing cooking in the microwave.
The slow cooker is another boon to those looking for quick cooking recipes. It takes just minutes to assemble a complete one-dish meal in the morning and then let it do its thing while you attend to your busy schedule. One example is a pot roast. Cut up some potatoes, carrots and onions, put in a cup of water and lay your roast on top, seasoning as desired. Put the lid on and you're done! The slow cooker does the work.
Cooking in bulk is another time saver for the busy cook, which also saves money and helps keep the kitchen cool in hot weather. Here are a couple of examples for this type of quick cooking recipes. Let's say ground beef is on sale this week. Get five pounds and cook it all up at once. Divide the cooked meat into family dinner sized portions and then season a pound for spaghetti, another for tacos, enchiladas or a casserole dish. You might reserve two pounds for a meatloaf to bake while you're frying up the other three pounds. You've now got at least three stove top tasks finished in one effort, plus a meatloaf. Freeze your individually seasoned portions in freezer bags ready to go as the mood strikes. Serve meatloaf for dinner and use leftovers for sandwiches. Cooking during the cool hours makes this much easier on the cook.
In the same way, cooking up a big batch of rice takes the same amount of time as preparing it for a single meal. Divide the cooked rice and freeze, ready to defrost and use whenever your menu calls for rice. This tip on quick cooking recipes saves time and reduces your energy consumption, while making summertime cooking less stressful on you in a hot kitchen.
Busy Moms can get a jump on the kid's school lunch prep here. Watch for sales on lunch meats and cheeses at the deli. Stock up and make an 'assembly line' production of sandwiches. Line up a bunch of hoagie rolls and fill them with your sandwich goodies. Wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap and freeze. Defrost the number of sandwiches you need for tomorrow's lunch tonight. In the morning, let the kids put on mayo, mustard or whatever they like to dress the sandwich. Pack and go!
Everyone welcomes a chef's salad during hot weather. These quick cooking recipes don't even require cooking and help you fit those nutrient-packed 5-9 servings of veggies in to your menus. Julienne sliced chicken or salad shrimp may be prepared in bulk as well to make another one-dish meal as a do-ahead.
How about breakfast? Pancakes, waffles and crepes can be prepared ahead of time in bulk and frozen for future quick and easy breakfasts. All that's required is a short, low temperature warming in the oven before serving. With a side of sausage patties, you've got a delicious breakfast.
You can see that these tips for quick cooking recipes, using your microwave, slow cooker and freezer, along with cooking in bulk makes good sense. You save time and money while staying cool as a cucumber!