big batches!!!

i love to cook but just not every day
and if i like something i would like to have extra tucked away for a rainy day
or a day i am very tired
i used to do something like the oamc.......a billion years ago when we lived in jersey and i worked outside of the house..... we would go food shopping either friday or saturday and i would cook the next day
i was exhausted

now i see what's on sale
chicken is cheap???
here comes chicken

but the BEST is ground beef......what jersey folks call chopmeat
when you get a good sale on that you can have a LOT of fun and do a lot of things

spaghetti sauce
meatballs (use for: meatball stroganoff, in soup, in sauce for pasta or in sandwiches, as pizza topping)
stuffed peppers
stuffed cabbage
meat loaf
hamburgers
salsbury steak
pasties

now when i do the meat for the things like meatballs and meatloaf i do a huge batch
it's maybe 10 or 15 pounds
now that i am getting on i been using the kitchen aid or bernie to mix it
i make a 'bread crumb'
1 part corn bread
1part shredded wheat or all bran (without the raisins)
1 part rolled oats (oatmeal)
garlic powder
onion powder
parsley flakes
paprika
kosher salt

i also make this ahead so 1 part could equal 4 cups
i grind this all together in the food processor into crumbs
and i store it in either mason jars or zip locks in the fridge

i take the meat and to 1 part meat i add about 1/3 of a part of this crumb mix
plus a few eggs (like one per pound of chicken and one per two pound if i am using duck eggs)
mix it up lightly but thoroughly
then pull out what you are going to use for meatballs and stuffed peppers
to that you add oregano and a bit of basil
the stuffed pepper meat will also get some tomato sauce in it and i add locatelli grating cheese

pull out the part you are going to use for meatloaf
for my meatloaf i puree a thick slice of cabbage, half an onion, a stalk of celery, a half of a red and a half of a green sweet pepper and about three good sized cloves of garlic
(if you don't like peppers then maybe add broccoli)
i add that to the meat loaf mix plus some shredded cheddar and some homemade chicken stock

now for the meatballs i use a tiny scoop...about one inch as it makes it easy
and i brown them all over then freeze them on wax paper covered cookie trays followed by packaging them individually for things
really these are fantastic to have in the freezer, i use them so many different ways i like to have a lot on hand

i make meat loafs in a O shape, with an empty center as they cook FAST at 350 (like twenty minutes)
the stock in them keeps them juicy and you can make gravy if you take the meatloaf out (use a stovetop/oven proof pan when you make the meatloaf)
freeze the meatloaf in freezer to oven pans or partly cook and freeze that way

to the stuffed pepper meat you can add some rice if you'd like but i usually leave the additives to tomato sauce and the cheese
blanch the peppers before you stuff them
i freeze these also, one per person and i like to use red and green peppers
freeze them on cookie sheets as well and when you bag them add a bit of sauce on the top before you seal the bag

a fast tip to getting cabbage leaves pliable, freeze the cabbage head! when it defrosts the leaves will be soft enough to roll

to the meat for stuffed cabbage, i take some sauce add some of this meat and a bit of brown sugar
i simmer it a bit let it cool and then stuff the leaves.....i don't make it too liquidy though
this i freeze in casseroles and add more of the sauce over it

i freeze hamburgers as patties and i do use waxed paper in between, i use the patties as burgers and as salsbury steak
take a bit of flour and add some garlic powder, onion powder, parsley and some paprika, a bit of fresh ground pepper and some kosher salt
heat your pan and add a bit (not too much) of oil
dreg your patties in the flour (and i will cook them frozen) and gently saute in the pan
pour off a lot of the oil but keep the browned bits (fond)
take the patties and hold them aside
add the remaining flour to the dripping, stir over medium heat to make a roux
add some water and some woustershire sauce (that seems to be the key)
until you get a gravy
add the patties back and serve immediately
( this whole operation takes about 20 minutes from start to finish)
ok that's basically my chopmeat batch cooking
you can (and i do) break it down
such as this week i plan on doing the meatball part
because i have none in the freezer and that is a good thing to have on hand
if i can get a nice batch of sweet peppers at a good price (my plants didn't do well) i have bulk chopmeat frozen for that.

we found over all that we save on utility costs, as well as time when i do this
plus for the most part i have dinner on the table without a hassle
meat loaf even cooked from the frozen state since it's got a hollow center is only going to take about 30 or 40 minutes so i can have dinner fast even if i am not well and bernie has to put it in

now to the canners
i can the meatballs in sauce and in a concentrated meat stock
pints 75 at your pressure
quarts 90 at your pressure
i have experimented with un stuffed peppers (meatballs and slices of sweet peppers in sauce)
same times
ditto on the meat loaf but remember to use widemouth jars for the meatloaf
i also canned unstuffed cabbage too
hahahaha
i love having this stuff around

one more thing i do that is fast
i have small packages of plain raw ground beef in the freezer
when we have leftover rice,
i brown the chopmeat
pour off most of the fat
add some frozen mixed veggies and some chicken or beef stock, add leftover rice
i do this in the oven or on the stove top
season it
salt, pepper, garlic, onion, parsley

stir it occationally if on the stove top, don't stir if in the oven (20 minutes in the oven)
add shredded cheddar before serving

any questions let me know
i love batch cooking

you can also break this down into a few days if you need to
prep your crumbs, etc the day before
brown off your meat and start your basic tomato sauce and while that is simmering do the basic meat/crumb mixes then do the stuff that needs sauce
freeze all that and the sauce
then do the meat loafs etc
you can bake the meatballs 350 turn them after like 15 minutes

take care and wish me luck at the dentist today

ps: tomorrow remind me, we'll talk about how to cook without recipes