Productivity

I was quite busy this morning cooking away in the kitchen.  Hubby and I both decided it would be nice to have some already prepared foods on hand for when we're having a particularly busy day or when I'm out of town and he has to fend for himself.  I don't like buying a lot of already prepared frozen meals because of the preservatives, etc., so yesterday I went to the grocery store and did some bulk buying and today was cooking day!

17 pounds of ground meat and onions simmering away in my roasting pan on the stovetop.

Spaghetti sauce. Yum. Can you smell it?

Onions, garlic and green peppers sautéing for the Sloppy Joe sandwich filling.

Lasagna pans at the ready.  When all was said and done, at the end of the morning I had: 3 frozen lasagna's, plus 1 to be baked for dinner tonight, 2 gallon bags of spaghetti sauce, 3 gallon bags of Sloppy Joe filling, 6 poached and shredded chicken breasts in broth for future enchiladas or pot pie, 12 marinated and grilled and then frozen chicken breasts to be used for sandwiches or salads, etc.  I think it was a good mornings worth of work.  It would have been even more fun to do this with another woman for company.  I think it would go much faster with someone to visit with while chopping and stirring!  I did have the radio turned up loud and had fun singing along.  :-)

I have a finished project to show you too.  Last night I finished and hand sewed the binding on the quilt.  I found a new method of binding that doesn't have metered corners and it was MUCH easier for me.  I think I have actually gotten over my fear of quilt binding!  I'm actually thinking of making another quilt using just the scraps I have and sewing the entire thing by hand.  It would probably take years but I would do the quilt as you go method and so I would be able to carry it along with me until the very end.

What do you think?  Do you think Mandy's friend will like it?  I love the colors of green and white together and the outside strips of pinky rose she chose, but I still don't care for the bright pink and tan together. But...it's done and I think it doesn't look too bad.

For Christmas I got two Pioneer Woman cookbooks. Have you heard of her?  I've been reading her blog for years, since long before her cooking show on the Food network.  I can't believe how wildly popular she is now.  I feel like "I knew her back when."  I'm reading these cookbooks through like a good book, page by page when I go to bed at night. She's a very entertaining writer, even in her cookbooks.  Last night I finished her most recent holiday cookbook and tonight I will begin this one.  Last night I made her "Sunday Stew" recipe for dinner and it was wonderful.

Tonight I'll be back to crocheting on my cream and white blanket.  I have a few people in mind who "might" be the recipient of it when it's done.  It's fun to think of who to give it to as I work on it and I can pray for whoever it might keep warm in the days to come.

Have a wonderful evening my friends. I'm looking forward to tasting the lasagna I can smell baking in the oven with a nice green salad to go along with it.  Yum!

Blessings,

Betsy