Saturday Soup

[Larry Caldwell]

Does anyone else do bulk cooking on weekends? Rather than eat out, my wife and I do marathon cooking on weekends and then brown bag and microwave stuff during the week.

Last night I pulled a couple of cacklers out of the freezer and stewed them up in a stock pot. This morning I started vegetable goose soup, boned out the meat and layered it into a bowl with goose gravy. We have plenty of stock left over, so tomorrow I may make goose stir fry. That's a lot of healthy eating, so to balance things out I also have a beef cross rib roast in the oven for dinner and leftovers.

Other than the microwave, the toaster and the coffee pot, that's it for cooking for the week.

 

[Bigfoot62]

We do pretty much the same. My wife works 5 days a week and I drive a truck. Doesn't leave a lot of time for cooking on weekday evenings.

Personally, I think that gumbo, etoufe, soup, dry beans, etc, are better the second time anyway. :thumbsup:

 

[RobertBrown]

Well done Larry, Your saving energy time and money. We all could learn a lot from you.

 

[Pete Judd]

Yep, last weekend put up a couple of gallons of split pea, lental, and ham soup. (used up the xmas ham and bone). All in the deep freezer in quart zip lock bags. Tonight ribeyes, and then a large pork roast goes in the slow cooker, will feed us about 6-8 more meals out of the freezer in the future.

 

[keegs]

We do soups too Larry...especially in winter. With it just being the two of us, almost by definition a pot of soup means lots left over. Meat soups are great. We saved some of the fat drippings from the Christmas ham that the wife will use to make a nice cabbage soup. I used the ham bone and some leftover meat to make a nice pea soup last week. (love that you can squeeze so much out of that Christmas meal)

I always like a nice Italian Bastone with my soup. Here in the NY metro area we have a bakery chain that makes really great Italian breads.

Bon appetit!!

 

[jmurray01]

We usually just cook from fresh every night, but when we make soup, which could be any day, we make a lot of it in the big pot, and have it for tea for a few nights after to save us cooking.

 

[Dan Hunter]

I do this as well. Here are two recipes.

Sausage Bean Soup

water 3 cups (plus or minus one for refried bean moisture variations)
3 large beef bullion cubes
4 16oz cans fat-free refried beans
4 16oz cans black-eyed peas
3 10oz cans Rotelle
1 15oz can tomato sauce
2 - 3 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoons onion powder
1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon chili flakes/seeds
3 pounds pork sausage
2 large red onions, chopped
3 9 cloves of fresh grated garlic
approximately 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced

Place 3 cups of water and the bullion in a large (2.5 gallon minimum) pot and bring to boil to get the bullion into solution. Then reduce temperature to low/simmer and add the DRIED seasonings and all the canned material EXCEPT one can of Rotelle. Stir occasionally as temperature comes up.

Hard brown pork sausage in large pan the crusty texture will soften in the liquid. Remove and press/strain fat through a colander and reserve. Place the strained pork in the pot. Deglaze pan with the remaining can of Rotelle and add this to the pot.

Caramelize the onions in the pork fat, press/strain the fat for disposal this time and place the onions in the pot.

Increase heat to medium/low and slowly bring the temperature up, stirring frequently to avoid scorching. Do not boil. Once warm, add the remaining water to achieve the desired texture smooth and still able to cling to a spoon. 5 minutes prior to serving, add cilantro, grated garlic, and a splash of liquid smoke (optional).

Serve with toasted sourdough bread.

Avoid sausage with much seasoning to prevent competition with other added seasonings. I like the fat free refried beans. I致e tried regular refried beans and they make it too heavy on the pallet. The bullion I use is Knorr brand, about .4 oz per cube.

The result is very stable and will rest on a low heat for a long time with an occasional addition of water. If this is the intent, consider adding a touch of additional cilantro to individual bowls at serving as an aromatic

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tomato Soup Concentrate

2 pounds ground pork
3 cans petite diced tomatoes
3 cans tomato sauce
3 small cans tomato paste

3 heaping tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon onion salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tsp cayenne powder
1 tsp chipolte powder
1/3 cup fresh basil (I freeze and pulverize if for this purpose) or diced equivalent
one large or two small heads of garlic (I like garlic)

Hard fry and finely chop the ground pork in the pan. While the pork is frying, clean and finely grate the garlic into a very large mixing bowl. When the pork is done, turn off the heat and allow to cool in the pan.

Put the tomato paste, tomato sauce and seasonings in the mixing bowl and stir.

Put the petite diced tomatoes in a wire colander and rinse ALL the ascorbic acid from the tomatoes (all you want is the pulp), squeeze the water out and repeat. Place the tomatoes on a cutting board and further dice to desired texture. Place this and the cooled pork into the mixing bowl and stir.

Makes approximately eight 350 gram servings of soup concentrate. Continue to stir while portioning. Place in containers and freeze. When serving, add about an equal amount of water and heat in microwave for about 4 minutes.

This also makes a good utility sauce undiluted for pizza and spaghetti.

 

[Obed]

My wife mass cooks. She will sometimes cook two entres at once. We eat lots of leftovers. She will often supplement the leftovers in the fridge with a newly cooked vegetable during the week.

I do almost none of the cooking except for breakfast. On the weekends and sometimes during the week I cook breakfast for the family. Fried eggs and toast aren't something I would look forward to reheating.

When we first got married, my wife cooked a full meal from scratch every night. I suggested that she cook enough for leftovers so she wouldn't have to cook every night. She jumped on that suggestion. She then evolved to one big cooking day a week with enough food for the next week plus an occassional vegetable cooked during the week.

I think we eat great. Rarely do we eat something out of a box or a store-bought frozen dinner. My wife cooks mostly from scratch. The food tastes better than pre-prepared food from the store. It has fewer chemicals in it and thus is healthier. It's much less expensive. Cooking several meals worth at a time makes it possible for us to eat home cooked meals on a busy schedule.

Obed

 

[dmccarty]

During the winter I will make a big pot of bean every couple of weeks. A big pot made with two pounds of beans lasts us a week or two. Last weekend I made a big pot of Navy beans, with onions, lots of fresh garlic, celery, spices and a good bit of left over XMAS ham. I also made 10 gallons of beer but that is a different thread.

You can use the beans as a soup or just as beans but add cheese which changes the dish. Add fresh bread makes it a different meal. Use Parmesan, cheddar, or mozzarella and/or hot sauce makes it different.

I try to avoid the calories and carbs now, but if you put the beans over rice or pasta it is yet another dish.

One pot of beans can last a long time and be different each meal yet it is very cheap but also very healthy. :thumbsup:

When pork loin is on sale we will buy the largest one we can find which I then cook on the smoker. That can last us a good part of the week as well.

Later,
Dan

 

[creekbend]

When I cook in bulk for several meals, I rarely make soups. I love to make a big pot roast with red potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, chunks of corn on the cob and seasonings. I also make a dynamite Meat Loaf that will last for two to three meals plus leftovers for sandwiches. One of my Wife's favorites is Chicken Pot Pie. I make it in a large casserole dish. I use can biscuits for the shell and top layer, usually Grande Biscuits. After posting in this thread, I will most definitely make one of these in the coming week.

 

[forgeblast]

ham soup. (used up the xmas ham and bone)....we just did that last week too.
One of my favorites, I grow the jacobs cattle bean in our garden and use them in the soup.

 

[Bird]

I think that gumbo, etoufe, soup, dry beans, etc, are better the second time anyway.

Yep, and especially homemade chili and cajun shrimp stew. Since we're retired, we don't necessarily do our bulk cooking on weekends, but since it's also just the 2 of us, there are many things that we cook that are going to last 2 or 3 days either as the same or slightly modified dishes.

Anchor Hocking makes something they call mini casserole dishes with lids. We have three 12 oz. ones, three 20 oz. ones, and one 2 qt. one. Very handy, since they can go directly from the refrigerator to the microwave and since they have a glass lid, no other cover is necessary to prevent any splatter in the microwave.

 

[jmurray01]

We'll be making soup tonight, and adding the remains of last night's Chicken Dopiaza to it, including some rice.

Should be good, I'll post what we did later on so you can try it if you like.

 

[MossRoad]

I made 20 sausage, egg and cheese English muffins this weekend for about $12.50. That would be $40.00+ at Mickey D's. We freeze them and I take them to work for break. I usually leave the cheese off until after I nuke it. Then put the cheese on. If I nuke them with cheese on them it gets too runny.

We also have a pretty good recipe for ox tail soup in the crock pot.

I buy chicken breasts on sale. I bone them out and freeze the breast. I put the strips in a separate bag. When we get enough we have chicken strip lunch. Then I toss the bones and skins in a put with some chicken bullion and make soup.

 

[RobertN]

We don't cook for the week, but do like leftovers for lunches. Some things just taste better the next day, after all the seasoning really melds together.

If we cook a chicken or turkey, the carcase is always used for soup or stock. We have a rotisserie that is awesome for chicken.

 

[Alan L.]

Other than smoke meats which I package and shrink wrap for the freezer, my wife cooks something different every day and I have it for lunch the next day. I will need to change my way if and when I ever retire, but right now I like variety.

 

[Western]

I guess we are going to start. I bought my wife a pasta maker and she's be wearing it out. My wife can cook, I mean she could have a deli! But the pasta has been out of this world. fresh spaghetti with home made sauce is insanely good.

She cooked allot more when we were newlywed's, but has recently started back into it again:thumbsup: She'll make Lasagna that we can have a couple of day's, or chick and dumplings if time is short. Sweets Oh man...Did I say the girl can cook!!!

 

[RobertN]

Have not used it so much lately, but the past attachment for Kitchen Aide mixer works good for us. We wore out our previous pasta machine, and a couple bread machines...

I guess we are going to start. I bought my wife a pasta maker and she's be wearing it out.

 

[sodamo]

The joke amongst our dinner guests is we don't know how to cook for just two people. Probably right, as I'm the oldest of 8 and wife is in middle of 6, but her Dad was a for real army mess sgt. Doesn't matter if steaks, prime rib, chicken, if I'm cooking for guests there will be sufficient leftovers.

We don't have any sort of schedule, but most any meal we cook has a leftover element. Sometimes a simple reheat, but usually a transformation that makes it seem like a new meal but without the work. Spaghetti for example, i made a meat sauce, 2nd use i might add hot Italian sausage or chicken. The turkeys and hams always end up as a big pot of soup. Left over meats not enough for a real meal might become breakfast hash or part of fried rice. We have one of those food saver machines so many times instead of a 3rd or 4th reuse, that leftover gets saved and pulled out for a one of in the future. My wife has perfected her salad making that it is just as fresh looking and tasting the next day, and she makes some really great salads. Sometimes I wonder when served a bowls of chopped up lettuce who told these poor souls that was a salad. Guess I'm spoiled as mine will often have fruit be it fresh,dried, or canned, nuts or seeds or berries. 2nd day add some cheese, or sliced meat, or shrimp, mmmmm.

One on the best benefits though is the ability to get a great meal for minimum work (at that time)

David

 

[Bird]

David, I'm the oldest of 5 and my wife is the fifth of seven. My mother once said she almost had to learn to cook all over when the kids all left home; said it was hard to adjust to just cooking for the 2 of them.

I kid my wife about not liking to cook because she never has to cook more than 3 or 4 days a week since cooking one meal serves us for 2 or 3 each time.