Tasty Food, Make Extra

I don't complain about leftovers after thanksgiving like many people do. I actually enjoy all the leftovers.

That stripped bunch of bones from the turkey can be put in a pot full of water than brought to a boil and cooked down for stock. All the little bits of meet you couldn't get off just fall off in the boiling water. That stock then make delicious soup.

Left over turkey can be used for another big meal. Some can be sliced up for sandwiches. My favorite is taking some for hot turkey sandwiches smothered in gravy. Another favorite is making some waffles and having turkey gravy with extra turkey chunks added over the top.

Some of that turkey can be cut up into meals size proportions and be frozen for a quick meal when needed. So can many of the side dishes. They kinda make nice homemade TV dinners.

I have a few dishes made from plastic, they have compartments or sections molded in and have lids. They were designed to put foods in for a meal and then be covered and frozen. I really don't remember where I picked mine up at but I' kinda sure you could find them in stores.

Another way I freeze ready to heat and eat meals is to put the different foods in separate baggies. Then put the meals in a bigger freezer bag. When I'm ready to have them I can just take them from the freezer, put the contents of the bags on plates and warm them up in the microwave.

That saves so much time during a busy week or is just nice on a lazy day when I don't feel like cooking.

When my kids were still with me I'd make things like mashed potatoes in a huge pot. We'd eat what we wanted for dinner and I'd freeze the rest in family sized portions. The same can be done with big roasts or about anything else you can make. Then on busy or lazy days I could just toss the entire bag into the microwave.

Now that I'm usually cooking for just one, I still take the time when I feel like cooking to make big batches of things. Then I separate them into portions and do the same.

Those special dishes I mentioned are nice, but smaller zip top baggies work just as well. When you take a few smaller baggies of different foods and put them into larger gallon freezer bags, your lazy or busy day meal is just simple. They keep for me a month or more in the freezer.

Without a microwave oven though you would need to heat the foods in pots and add a little water so they don't burn. But I'm lazy when it comes to cleaning up dishes. So baggies and microwaves are my preference. That way I never have that many dishes to wash except on the days I cook.

It's better tasting food and much cheaper than those store bought TV dinners.

Also on weekends when we had more time, I used to get the kids involved. They would help prepare where I would allow and they helped with sorting the extra food into the bags.

Come to think of it, I would make cookies and put them into individual serving size bags too. They were nice to pull from the freezer when we wanted a snack. They didn't take long to thaw, but we sometimes would throw them in the microwave to thaw quicker. They were also a nice treat when still frozen on a hot summer day.

So hey, if this guy can do it, so can you. Eating out is nice and it's fun. But eating out every day is expensive and the luster of enjoyment wear off real fast. There really is no better tasting food than what comes from your own kitchen.