Convenience is the most prized asset of a harried housewife. Marketing companies know this and they will make things very, very convenient. But to what detriment? Your wallet? Absolutely. The earth? You bet ‘cha. Taste? Yep. So when is convenience really convenient?
I am a spice and herb addict. I buy chopped fresh garlic in food service quantities. Why? Because I really love the taste of garlic, but I hate the smell of it on my fingers and it’s dirt cheap and best of all, convenient. I also like the convenience of having fresh herbs in my freezer. I will pop basil, parsley and cilantro in the freezer if I’ve used all I’m going to use at the moment because the remainder would spoil. The freezer stops the spoilage but creates another problem.
Do you remember in science when you were looking at onion skin under the microscope? It looks similar to an orange segment but flat. Well, imagine that the leaves of all these fresh herbs are orange segments and when we freeze the segment, all the little follicles (which are actually just single cells filled with juice) burst because of the water expanding as it freezes. So when the orange segment defrosts it is just a mushy, unappealing globule. The same thing happens to the herbs.
Why do I mention this? Well for convenience, of course! Because all the properties of the fresh herb are still there, except the crisp, fresh appearance, you can have fresh herbs anytime you need them. For any recipe that you need a fresh herb that will become incorporated into the dish you can use frozen herbs. This just opened up a whole new world of availability. You can have summer herbs in the winter! And you’re not spending your money on little things like fresh herbs every week, which can cost up to $3.00 per pack.
The second most convenient thing available to the home cooks…rotisserie chickens. These little golden, juicy, beauties are such a timesaver. They are piping hot and at $5.99 a pop ($4.99 at Costco), they are a steal too. You can’t buy a whole chicken for that. Chances are, you like chicken. Americans on average eat over 84 pounds of chicken per person each year. It is so versatile.
Chicken
- Done!
Oven Baked Potatoes (I buy little red potatoes in 20lb bags at Costco and keep them in the pantry under the bottom shelf away from sunlight and they last about a month before sprouting eyes. It cost me about $5.00 a bag and this covers me for about 10 meals) (Printable Recipe)
- Preheat your oven to 400o F
- Select enough little red potatoes for your family (average 3 potatoes about the size of your palm per person). Put the potato in your hand and close your fingers around it. This is the measurement that I am using.
- After a quick wash, cut the potatoes in half or quarters and put them in a zip-top bag
- For every 3 potatoes add either ½ teaspoon of melted butter or olive oil
- For every 3 potatoes use a pinch of *kosher salt (a pinch is 1/8 of a teaspoon if you are the measuring kind)
- Then select one or more of the following, but not more than 4 or it’ll start tasting like an experiment and not a meal. Fresh ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic powder (not garlic salt), and onion powder, mix of frozen or fresh herbs. For every 3 potatoes use a pinch of each herb or spice that you have chosen.
- i.e.: 12 potatoes = 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon rosemary, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. The possibilities are endless!
- Sprinkle the mixture you’ve chosen over your potatoes and zip up and rub until everyone is glistening and coated with seasoning.
- Pour onto a foil covered baking sheet and bake for 15-30 minutes. Quartered potatos will cook a little quicker, and halved will take a little longer.
Herbed Green Beans (I buy frozen green beans from Costco in the winter for $5.00 a bag and it covers about 5 meals for my family of 5 adult sized appetites) (Printable Recipe)- In a microwave safe dish put in enough frozen or fresh green beans for your family.
- For every person eating add 1 teaspoon of water, a pinch of salt and a pinch of one of the corresponding spices or herbs you put on the potatoes.
- Cover with plastic wrap (important) and microwave at 5 minute intervals, stirring in between for 15-20 minutes. You want the color to remain vibrant and the texture to remain crunchy.
- When they are to your satisfaction, drizzle with olive oil or a little melted butter and they are ready to serve.
For a family of 5 this meal cost me a total of $7.50.
Save the leftover chicken for tomorrow’s dinner...Chicken Vegetable Noodle Soup!
2 comments:
When you freeze your herbs, are they whole or chopped?
Great Question! For woody herbs, keep them whole (this includes rosemary and thyme) and then when you take them out of the freezer the leaves fall off and you don't have to do any work. For soft herbs like tarragon, parsley, cilantro and basil, you can do either. I like to put basil in my pasta sauces whole and then I remove the whole sprig like you do with bay leaves. Right now I have only whole herbs in my freezer.
When I chop my herbs, I usually put them in little minature ice cube trays and then cover them with a little water. Each cube holds about a tablespoon so everything is already measured. Then I pop them all out once they have frozen and keep them in a bag in the freezer. Poof out all the air or you will get crystals that don't taste nice. Then when you need a tablespoon, use one cube.
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