Time for Cooking from Scratch

I was asked last night how I make most of our meals from scratch and 'don't spend all day in the kitchen'.  That was kind of a hard question to answer.  I just make our meals, they take as long as the need too  :)  But this chicken recipe is an example of how NOT to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  I like to watch Rachel Ray but her 30 minute meal concept is something I just don't understand.  Why would I want to spend 30 minutes making supper?  I tend to make things that take a few minutes to assemble and then bake/cook unsupervised.  Another thing I do, is when I bake I bake BIG.  I usually won't use a cookie recipe if it doesn't make at least 4 dozen.  Colin's favourite chocolate chip cookie makes 10 dozen.  I make our bread 3 loaves at a time (if we were a bigger family I'd bake a bigger batch).  I just freeze the extra to have on hand when ready.  Some weeks I'll plan an actual baking day and get a bunch done and in the freezer, that way it's ready even if we are having a busy week.  Lately I've tried making a few freezer meals.  They have turned out well.

None of this would be possible if I didn't menu plan.  We shop for groceries every other week.  I couldn't imagine trying to do that without actually knowing what I needed to buy.  It's such a relief to know what I'm going to be making today and not having to stand in front of the fridge at 4 o'clock trying to come up with something.

Oven-Fried Chicken

1/4 c butter/margarine, melted
1 garlic clove
1 c breadcrumbs
1/2 c cheese, shredded -I usually use marble or cheddar
3 T parsley
1 t salt and pepper
1/2 t sage
chicken pieces  (my pan fits about 9 thighs)

Melt butter and garlic in a 9x13 pan.  Dip chicken in butter and then in crumbs.  Press crumbs onto chicken well.  Put in pan and bake 350F for 1 hour.

Buttermilk Chicken

3/4 c buttermilk
1T grainy mustard
1 T honey
2 t rosemary
1/2 t thyme, sage, marjoram, salt and pepper
6 chicken pieces

Put everything in a large Ziploc baggie.  Mush around to mix.  Add chicken and mush again to coat with sauce.  Freeze flat.

To Cook:  thaw baggie in fridge.  Pour into a pan.  Bake 350F for about an hour.

Freezer Quiche

1 c shredded cheese
2 c milk
4 eggs
1/2 c flour
2 t baking powder

In a Ziploc bag, add any quiche filling you want; i.e. chopped ham, cooked potatoes, green onions, etc.  Also add the cheese.  In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients.  Then pour into bag, squeeze out all the air and seal.  Freeze flat.

To Cook:  Thaw quiche in bag, shake well.  Pour into greased pie plate.  Bake 350F for 30-40 minutes.  Cool 5 minutes to set before serving.