Kitchen clean up

Friday Dreams...Summertime in Wyoming




Friday: Baked Potato Bar

It is still Lent and I am considering going back to the Knights of Columbus for a fish fry. If you haven't tried it yet take a chance and go. This is a great way to feed your family with delicious food for a reasonable cost. Look on line for a Catholic church near you that is hosting a fish fry. These only occur on Fridays in Lent. If you decide to cook your fish at home here is a link to some great fish recipes.

http://menu-planning.suite101.com/article.cfm/lenten_fish_fry

Reflections from the Backcounter
Cooking is one thing, clean up another. Once the groceries are bought, meals planned and food prepared, there is still another mountain to climb before we sleep…the dreaded clean up. The Backcounter Buffet model of food serving has really helped our family streamline the clean up process. It is not necessary on a busy weeknight to set a full table and use serving dishes. All this does is double the amount of dishes that need to be washed, dried and put away. Try it and you will see. Serve directly from the stove and the backcounter. The buffet line starts in the kitchen cabinet for plates and glasses and goes through the stove and ends with the silverware drawer. Each family member is responsible for getting themselves to the table and for cleaning up their own plate. If you have messy cooks in the house, there are a couple of tricks. Pull out the trash can and have it available to immediately dump scraps, empty cans or bottles during the meal prep. Train your cook to at least rinse out the bowls or utensils that he/she is using as the cooking happens. If time and manpower allows you can team cook. We do this in my house. One person is cooking and the other is coming along behind as we go and cleaning up the mess. No way around it…clean up is not fun but at least with the Backcounter Buffet model, there are fewer dishes to go around

Peace,
Julia