The Big Cook – a review of the cookbook and concept

I was very excited to receive a copy of this cookbook for review.  This is a book for busy moms and families.  Let me tell you about my life, just a little.

1. I have 6 children all under 9 and one of those is a new born.
2. I homeschool.
3. I live in an old church and we are always renovating; it seems as if nothing is complete at this point.
4. I have two kids in activities twice a week.
5. I am active (semi-active) on two blogs – this one and Simply Sensational Divas Review.
6. My husband and I are looking at some job /career additions, not changes at this point but adding a part-time “gig”.
7. We are getting more involved in our church as well.  DH is a trustee.  We are both on a building planning committee.  I think I might volunteer for jr church.  The cell groups are starting up again although we are not sure which if any we will participate in.

I’m busy!  And I don’t like cooking.  I don’t like being in my kitchen.  (Hoping that will change a little when the kitchen reno is done.)  If I can get the month’s meals (or even a few of them) done all in one sitting, that will be a HUGE blessing for me and my family.

 

On September 7th, I chose 2 recipes to put together.  I had my older three girls help me.  These two recipes took us most of the day.  I was sad that it took me this long, but I need to remember that my new baby was only 3 weeks old, so I was (am) still recovering from that wonderful experience.  I had little helpers (8, 7, 5 years old).  This was my first time EVER doing a big cook.  I have to remember that the more times I tackle a big cook the better I will get.  The more fun we can have.

I chose two ground meat recipes – Baked Beans and Lazy Lasagna.  I made eight meals of each to put into the freezer.  I had the girls opening cans, pour ingredients, cutting veggies (onions), grating cheese, browning meat.  They were troupers.  (Need to note that also that day, dh decided to paint his trailer and my helpers wanted to help him too.  We were trading help off and on through the day.)

I shopped the same day as we cooked.  I don’t want to do that again.  In fact, the book suggests ordering your meat cut and portioned as needed by the recipes and picked up the day before.  Browning / cooking / preparing the meat the day before would have been much easier, I think.  With the two recipes I chose we would have been assembling only on big cook day and that would have taken just a few hours.  (DUH, shopping first would have made it take all day no matter what recipes I chose!!!!)

The book suggests getting together with two or three other moms / ladies and making 4-6 recipes together.  I don’t know that I could do that.  I love to have my girls help, but they are used to me and the way we do things here.  Plus we could kinda do it “spare of the moment” if we needed.  Doing a big cook with friends requires quite a bit of planning.  Maybe as I get better at it, we could do something like that with one or two others.

The meals have been well received by all but one of my daughters.  She didn’t care for the Baked Beans.  This week I will serve that meal with rice and see if that makes a difference.  Everyone else enjoyed the meals!

The recipe quantity is about perfect for our family.  If I want leftovers to serve the next day, I would have to prepare / cook two meals.  Also, I have to keep in mind that these are main dishes.  I should (need to) add a salad, a starch, a veggie.  Those things are all easy to add; just have to do it.  Adding these items will make the main course go further as we have other things to eat as well.

I can’t wait to try more recipes!  I haven’t made a plan for this pay period yet, but I will this week I think.  I want to try a Hamburger Soup and a pork recipe.  Chicken is so expensive in our area that I think those recipes will have to wait until I find a great sale or we have meat rabbits.

My plan for the future is to do mini big cooks.  When I’m making supper, I’ll just make the 8 meals then.  I’ll serve one for supper and put 7 in the freezer.  If I do this once a week or every two weeks, I should always have meals in the freezer.  The planning comes in making sure I have the ingredients in the house to do them.  I’m so excited.

 

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Striving to learn and live God's purposes,