Kosher Once A Month Cooking, Part 2

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Easy Jewish Home blogger, Chavi Singer, is back again today to explain how to put her basic meat sauce recipe to use in making three different kosher recipes that will feed your family at eight different meals.

Did you miss her explanation of Kosher Once a Month Cooking and how to make the basic meat sauce? Read that first, then come back here to finish your cooking plan.

Part Two: Assembling and Freezing

1. While the sauce is cooking, you will start assembling the other dishes.
2. Put a large pot of water to boil to cooking the pasta.
3. Get out 6 (12) aluminum 9×13 tins. Label each on one end with the name of the dish.
4. For the Cowboy Pasta: Take out 2 (4) tins. Place 1 can corn and 1c. Barbeque sauce (or ketchup) in each.
5. For the Potato Beef Stew: Slice the beef sausages into coins.
6. Add oil to the frying pan you’ve already used and sauté the sausages for 4-6 minutes, until slightly browned.
7. Divide evenly into 2 (or 4) aluminum pans.
8. Check to see if water if boiling for pasta. If it is, begin cooking pasta now. Set a timer for 3 minutes, so you remember to stir the pasta. After stirring, re-set the timer.
9. For Chili: Take out 2 (4) tins. In each, place one can each of kidney and black beans.
10. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and return it to the pot. Mix in a little oil so it won’t stick together.
11. Cover all the aluminum tins and the pasta, and sit down to lunch while the sauce cooks!
12. Line up your pre-prepared pans, starting with the Cowboy pasta. To each pan of corn and BBQ sauce, add 3 cups of meat sauce. Stir to mix. Put the cooked pasta on top of the sauce, but don’t stir! Carefully stir about ¼ of the pan of sauce with the pasta. Cover and label. When you re-heat the casserole, stir in the meat sauce and corn from the bottom of the pan before serving, for a meal that’s moist, not dried out.
13. Hearty Potato Beef Stew Beef Stew. To each pan, add 1 1b. thawed, cubed hash browns, (don’t worry if they are still a little frozen), 3 cups of meat sauce, and seasonings. Stir thoroughly, cover and label pans.
14. For the Chili, put 3 cups meat sauce, chili powder and garlic in each pan. Stir to mix. Cover and label.
15. To the remaining Meat Sauce, add 4 t. Italian seasoning, or to taste. Divide into two portions. Divide into two zip lock freezer bags. Place the bags on a cookie sheet to freeze.

Remember to leave one meal out for tonight! You’ve earned it!

If you are short on freezer space:

Freeze all your meals in zip lock bags. Make sure to cool sauce somewhat before putting in the bags. Place the bags in 9×13 pans to freeze, so they’ll be the right shape. Once they’re frozen, you can stack them upright in your freezer, like books. If you need to save even more space than that, follow these directions:

1. Make Meat Sauce as directed
2. Cut and sauté beef sausage
3. Get eight (16) freezer bags ready. Label 2 (4) Meat Sauce, 2(4) Cowboy pasta 2(4) Chili
2(4)Hearty Potato Beef Stew
4. Place 3 cups cooked meat sauce in each bag, except the ones labeled meat sauce.
5. Add 1 can corn and 1 c. bbq sauce to each Cowboy Pasta bag.
6. Add chili powder and garlic powder to each Chili bag.
7. Add beef sausage and Herbs de Provence to the Hearty Potato Beef Stew Beef Stew bags.
8. Divide the leftover meat sauce into the two remaining bags, and add 2 t. Italian seasonings to
each.
9. Stock your pantry with the beans, pasta, and frozen potatoes you will need to create each meal.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the final part of Kosher Once A Month Cooking. Chavi will be sharing her master shopping list for this three-recipe / eight-meal cooking investment plan.

People think Chavi Singer is organized, but with eight kids in 20 years, she says she’s really just desperate! If she doesn’t make lists, her life falls apart. At her new blog Easy Jewish Home, Chavi shares this list making prowess with you, so you, too, can have an easier Jewish home.