I love to cook. Since I was 17 years old and out on my own it is something I had to learn very quickly. I wasn't always a good one though. I can remember my very first homemade Macaroni and Cheese. It was kinda a stuck together mess with hard cheese and hard macaroni. Why? Because I was in a hurry trying to make it fast so we could eat at a decent time. Or how about my first Lasagna? What a cheesy mess that was. I never knew you had to let it sit for 15-20 minutes after cooking either. So you can just imagine what that piece looked like coming out of the pan. I have learned a lot in these past 11 years of learning to cook. Home cooked meals are a favorite in our household but with myself working full-time 10-6:30pm everyday, the hubby working full-time with overtime I have learned a few tricks to still have our favorite meals ready by the time I am home.
So TwitterMoms and Samsung Home Appliances have asked us to share 3 tips for getting ready in a flash? One of these tips is preparing the night before. Many meals including soups, chili, my yummy and oh so delicious Swedish Meatballs, Shepherds Pie, meatloaf and many many others can be prepared the night before and left in the fridge ready to throw in the oven or on the stove top to just heat and serve. Preparing foods can take a while. So always make sure you have veggies cut up and in a Tupperware so that doesn't take up to much time having to slice, chop or dice them up. My next tip is the wonderful invention of the Crock-Pot. I am a long time user of my Crock-Pot. In the morning before I head to work I can throw anything, and I mean anything inside on low setting to have ready again for when I get home. Usually I make my roasts in here, Stuffed Green Peppers, stews, Scalloped Potatoes and Ham and many more recipes which you can find here. The possibilities are endless. My third and final tip to have ready in a flash is always always make extra to freeze or eat left overs in the later part of the week. One of my favorites for this is any soups, Chili is a great one for eating Chili one night and Chili Dogs and fries another, and anything chicken I try to get an extra piece to make a huge dish of Chicken Salad for sandwiches. We love making Goulash and then adding Mozzarella and Ricotta to it and baking it a few nights later for a dish that is similar but still different. I will be honest and tell you we only eat out once in a great while, we get take in one night a week and we never ever eat frozen meals. Ever!
One blogger who participates in the contest is going to win a Samsung French Door Refrigerator (RFG297AARS) This would be wonderful and I am hoping I am selected to win this. My fridge just died so we had to borrow one for the time being until we have enough money extra to buy a new one. So this would be great.
What are some of your tips for getting dinner prepared in a flash?
Thank you to TwitterMoms and Samsung for providing this wonderful sweepstakes.
