Here it comes, parents: the return to order. Summer’s carefree evenings are replaced with youth activities, obnoxious commutes and algebra homework. In the coming weeks in Spatula Diaries, I’ll be focusing on dishes, menus and tips intended to make life easier for busy families.
This week, it’s about using the freezer to stockpile weeknight meals. A cache of homemade fare will save your bacon when, by mid-fall, you can’t face the store or stove. Soups, gumbos, beans, stews and casseroles all freeze well, as so do many side dishes like macaroni and cheese, and meal components, like meatballs. This business of freezing, by the way, does not come naturally for me. Hurricanes and power outages have tainted me from putting too much stuff up. But I do find it helpful to get ahead before school starts, and again before it resumes after the New Year, and the taste of something homey and familiar is so much better than take-out.
Twice-baked potatoes are one of my favorite things to make ahead and freeze, and they’re great for involving kids in the kitchen. Add bits of chicken, beef, pork, seafood or tofu to make them entrée-worthy. Make them healthier with the addition of lightly steamed broccoli or peas. Use sweet potato pulp instead of, or in addition to, the pulp of white potatoes. Just be sure to stuff it in a russet potato skin. It’s much more substantial.
