Be Prepared

I've been TRYING to clean and get everything ready. I'm getting my gallbladder out, so my mom is coming for a week. I'd hoped to have everything clean--or cleaner--so she could spend more time with the kids. But nothing ever gets done around here. Or stays done to be more accurate.

I'm a huge fan of the cook once, eat twice method. It's been a lifesaver on more than one occasion. I started this when Alex and I were first married. When you make a 9 by 13 inch pan of Lasagna, and there are only 2 people, you really should have more than lunch the next day! So I started buying square aluminum pans from the dollar store. I'd make half in a glass pan for cooking that night, then the other half went into an aluminum pan for the freezer. I've since upgraded to Glad Ovenware. Those things are awesome. In fact, I love mine so much, I have to make separate freezer meals for others in the aluminum pans. I know I'm never getting my Glad Ovenware back, since they seem so much like the disposable plastic ware containers. I'm selfish, and they're not that cheap! They go from freezer to oven to table...and you can put them in the dishwasher, but I think that wears them out faster. I abhor hand washing dishes, so that's huge for me! It is starting to get a little tighter on feeding 6 people out of an 8 X 8 freezer container, but we could all use a few more vegetables!


So, I've got 8 meals in the freezer, plus a few bags of meatballs. I'm going to make rice tonight. I chose meals for our menu that Alex could prepare, and my mom will be here all week. I'm hoping not to have to use a meal until Alex goes back to work in two weeks!


I'm told the surgery isn't that bad. I'm actually looking forward to it! It's going to be like a vacation! I'm just going to make bows and do homework. And maybe the taxes...

So, to make and freeze rice so that it still tastes good when you defrost it depends on one key step. You have to put it in the freezer when it's still hot. I wish I could give the blog I got the tip from credit, but I didn't mark it (and it's been months). I was buying the things of rice in the freezer section. I have a rice steamer, but sometimes it was just too much to remember to start it an hour before eating. I tried setting the timer on the rice steamer, but on days when I've been out later than planned and wasn't prepared, having these packets to toss in the microwave was such a relief! I steam 2 cups of dry rice, which makes about 5 cups of cooked rice. When it's fully cooked, I take a cup out and put it in the middle of a square of plastic wrap. I fold the sides in like an envelope and then turn it over into another square and fold it up again. This ensures that I don't have a lot of rice falling out of the spots that don't seal up. I place it on a cookie sheet and flash freeze them so they're flat. Then I stick all 5 packets into a zipper plastic bag (and you can reuse that bag, I haven't bothered with the plastic wrap).
To reheat it...leave it out so you can peel open all the layers of plastic wrap. If I remember I put it in the fridge a few hours before. If not I put it in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Put the brick of rice in a microwave safe bowl. Sprinkle a little water on it, probably about a TBSP per cup of rice. Then microwave it for 3 to 4 minutes at half power. Fluff with a fork! It's so much cheaper than the store bought kind, and it works well with jasmine and brown rice (that's all I've tried).
I'd take pictures and document the whole process, but then you'd see how dirty my kitchen is right now! And instead of cleaning it, I'm playing on the computer! Naughty me!