Friday, July 20, 2012

What-Not and Freezer Friday....

When I first started this Freezer Friday experiment I had visions of spending all Friday morning cooking for the next week and building a full freezer in three months.  When our deep freeze died all plans had to change and over the weeks I have realized I just can't do all my big cooking on one day.  We have a big garden and it doesn't wait until it is convenient for me to work in it.  Or harvest it.  Or do something with the veggies I bring in.  You have to do it when it is ready.  All that to say, I am glad I am doing the freezer stuff, but I am learning a lot about what works and doesn't work for my family.  And that's one of the great things about homemaking-its your home!

Monday I made a new crockpot dish called Chicken Teriyaki and following an idea I got from Pinterest I doubled the recipe and put all the ingredients together and froze them.  Now I just have to throw it in the crockpot on another day.  You can see I added the final directions right on the bag because the chances of me actually looking up the recipe again on the day I cooked it are slim to none.  I served this over rice and we are actually having leftovers of it tonight.  All I will have to do is make rice.  I shredded the chicken breasts after they were cooked and I think that made it go longer.

In the kitchen this week I also froze 7 quarts of tomatoes, canned 6 quarts of salsa, 15 pints of rotel tomatoes, 4 pints of grape jelly, and 3 pints of fig preserves.  Tomorrow will also be a salsa day and our lima beans are ready to be picked also.             

This week has just been, excuse my language, but just plain crummy.  Crummy with a capital C and we are all tired.  Worry will make you tired and then when you add all the work on top of that makes you really tired.  This too shall pass and I have been trying to do as James says and take it off my mind and take it to God.  He has it anyway and any control I think I have is only an illusion.  I know this in my mind, but all I can do is pray it will transfer into my emotions and my actions. 

So, is anyone else canning and freezing or putting away right now?

6 comments:

  1. That would be a NO. You know my kitchen would think someone else had moved in if something like that happened.

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  2. Hi MamaHen! Wow! Freezer cooking on top of all that! You've been on the move big time this week! Do ya'll grow grapes or did you get them from somewhere else? What recipe do you use for making ro-tel? I might give that a try if I have enough tomatoes. I know what you mean about tired! I've been canning tomatoes all day while watching a two-year-old! I should be in bed right now! Blessings from Bama!

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  3. I wish that I had a garden.. The kids wanted to plant our first one this year but with us going to China for the babies I knew that we wouldn't be able to. I think I need to raid your recipes. :-)

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  4. MamaHen,
    You are doing such a great job putting away garden foods for later! And the chicken sounds good too.

    But - Lima beans?! No thank you.

    Bethany

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  5. Dear Mama Hen, finally a note from a long lost friend... :) We don't have a garden here, but I am planning on buying a box of tomotoes next week and canning them. I will keep you posted :)
    Oh, and can you please share the chicken recipe or the link?
    lv,
    Joy xxx

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  6. Mmmmm, please share the recipe. We need all the crock pot recipes we can get=). Do you have a rice cooker?

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