Helloooo looo looo

I'm not foolish enough to think anyone is out there, but it's time to revive the ole blog.  It started as my way of keeping a record, and so it shall continue. 

Cooking has always been something I enjoy and hate.  I love cooking when I'm in a clean, well-equipped kitchen with ideas and ingredients on hand.  I hate coming home with no clue what to serve for dinner and less than two hours before Sera should be in bed.

I take on short term projects here and there, but I've wanted to get into a better routine for feeding my family.  Over the summer, I started making my own Greek yogurt and canned up some cherry preserves, but didn't get into day-to-day like I wanted.

I've been wanting to do this particular project for some time, and finally started it two weeks ago.  So far, I really like it.  What is it,  you ask?

Cooking on Sunday for the week.

I'm going to use the blog to record what I've made and if it was successful.  I'm also going to include recipes because it makes a handy way of remembering what version I've tried.  If I ever get the lighting figured out in my kitchen, I might even add photos.

One of the big things I'm doing is prepping vegetables for the week.  Fresh vegetables cook fairly quickly, but the prep can be very time consuming.

My first Sunday afternoon was mainly one of chopping.  I prepped butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, and parsnips.  I also made chili.  I did my standard chili this time.  Next time, I plan to use my sister's recipe. 

Our menu for that first week was chili for two nights.  Once with fritos and cheese, and once as the filling for omelets.  The vegetables were roasted and served with grilled chicken.  I made the leftover veggies into a roasted vegetable soup for another night's dinner with sandwiches.

Chili - this isn't a "real" recipe.  It's just what I tend to throw together after I see what the pantry has.  It changes slightly each time. The seasonings are to taste.

4 lbs ground beef
2 onions, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
2 cans chili beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 28 oz can plum tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
2 14 oz cans diced tomatoes with chili seasonings
cumin
garlic powder
chile powder
ancho chile powder
salt & pepper

Brown ground beef and drain.  Saute onions and peppers until softened in large Dutch oven.  Add ground beef and remaining ingredients.  Use seasonings to taste.  Bring to simmer and let cook on low for approximately two hours.

Roasted Vegetables

1 butternut squash
2 large sweet potatoes
6 med carrots
2 large parsnips
olive oil
kosher salt

Peel and chop all veggies to approximately the same size.  Place on baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.  Roast at 425 for one hour or until vegetables are easily pierced with a fork. I only roasted them for about 40 minutes, and that was not long enough.

Roasted Vegetable Soup

Place leftover vegetables into blender and add chicken broth. Puree until smooth and pour into Dutch oven.  Do this in batches so you don't over fill the blender. Add chicken broth as needed to thin out the puree to proper soup consistency.  Add herbs such as dill, rosemary, parsley, etc...  I sauteed some diced onion in the Dutch oven before adding puree.  Next time, I'll add onions and garlic to the baking sheet before roasting vegetables.  Also add spices to taste such as garlic, salt, pepper, etc...