ONE STEP AHEAD OF CHAOS

These last few weeks have strained my planning abilities! During the holiday season I usually leave the house before 7 and roll back home 10-12 hours later. I have been making use of the slow cooker that Tom bought this summer - but really, nothing needs to cook for 10 hours!!

Last week I made a run into Costco for a few things, it is just across the freeway from the studio and is fairly quiet during the early evening hours. I picked up 2 of the roasted chickens and a few other things and tried out the new self service checkout. It was very slick.

I served chicken for dinner with some "smashed" tiny red potatoes and green beans - they cook in minutes. I shredded the meat off the other chicken and put the ingredients for Chicken Tetrazzini out for the next night. I usually put it together and then bake it. But I did a quick stovetop version and added a veggie and dinner was ready in less than 30 minutes.

Doubling things up is a real time saver for me. I always buy 2 of the chickens at Costco and plan 2-3 meals around it. When I am browning ground turkey or beef, I cook double the amount I need and put half of it in the freezer. When I am stuck for a quick meal, I can use it for quesadillas, enchiladas, taco salad, tacos, tostadas, nachos and I think you get the idea.

When I boiled the potatoes for dinner the other night, I boiled extra and put them in the frig for fried potatoes on the weekend. I made extra bacon to go with the leftover chicken from the tetrazzini recipe - so I made quesadillas with chicken, sliced green onions, monterey jack and some crumbled bacon.

I know guess it takes having a fairly large repertoire of recipes, but just think about the things you cook regularly and double up to make the next me that much easier to out together!