My freezer almost always contains at least a couple frozen dishes of some kind. I like to freeze prepared, but uncooked, casseroles, lasagnas and enchiladas. It’s always nice to be able to get these out and cook them on days I’m tired or just don’t have the time to cook them completely from start to finish.

You might be asking how this could get any simpler.

Well, if you’re like I used to be, you still have to go pull out the cookbook or look up the recipe on the computer to see what temperature to set the oven to and how long to cook the casserole and so forth.

Thanks to my mother-in-law, I no longer have to take the time to look this information up again just to cook the casserole. She does a lot of cooking for the holidays, and I noticed that the dishes she took out of the freezer had little sticky notes attached to the tops of the covers.

I asked her what the little notes were and she told me it was any information she needed to finish cooking the casseroles. What a great idea! No need to drag out the cookbook again.

So now when I put a casserole in the freezer, I make sure the following information is attached to the top:

• the name of the dish (obviously)
• the date I prepared it
• the temperature for baking
• the length of time to cook
• whether it should be covered or uncovered while cooking (may be both - be sure to document)
• any other special cooking or serving instructions

As with my mother-in-law, this is a must for times when you are feeding a crowd and have prepared and frozen several dishes ahead of time.

In my case, I’m usually cooking these dishes on days I’m already short on time, so this just makes things a little faster.

Just give it try. I think you’ll like it too.

Do you label your dishes before freezing them? Are there any hints you can share for freezing casseroles?

This post is linked to We Are THAT Family for Works for Me Wednesday.

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Posted on April 21st, 2009 in Food and Entertaining | 14 Comments

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If we admit it, from time to time, we are all tempted to tell a little white lie if we think it might benefit us somehow or to cover up a mistake. However, we must choose to have integrity and realize that is not the honorable way to handle the situation.

This story is about a little girl named Mako, who makes a bad decision and must choose how to deal with the consequences. Her mother has bought Mako a new pair of clogs, and she gets one of them cracked while playing with her friends.

Now, they are not new and beautiful as they once were, and she wants a new pair. But, she knows her mother will not buy a new pair so soon.

Mako devises a plan that she thinks will get her a new pair of clogs. She must, however, decide whether it is worth going through with her plan to get what she wants.

A Pair of Red Clogs is a great example of doing what is right, even when we might get what we desire through inappropriate actions. Mako learns that her integrity is more important than getting a new pair of clogs, even though she wants them very badly.

Tiny Tidbits: This was Matsuno’s first children’s book. One day as she was walking in her wooden clogs, she came up with the idea of writing a story that would capture, in the English language, the sound of the clogs, Kara kora, kara kora, on a stone road.

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Posted on April 20th, 2009 in Book Reviews | 2 Comments

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‘”Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”‘ Luke 10:41-42 (NIV)

Although, this verse is about Mary spending time with Jesus while Martha was cleaning and cooking, we can very much apply it to our own family. Mary knew that it was much more important to spend quality time with Jesus rather than worry about things around the house that were, in comparison, of no real value.

My grandmother used to say, “those dishes will still be there, but the kids won’t always be there.” She could say this because she had experienced it.

Right now my children all still young, but every day I see that they are growing up so quickly. I know that one day they will be out on their own, and of course, there will still be dishes to wash and toilets to clean.

What do I want to remember: the hours that I spent making sure that my house was spotless, or the time that I spent with my children? Sure, there are things that we have to do around the house, but not to the point that we miss opportunities to nurture and spend time with our families.

Obviously, the key is to prioritize our time and find a balance. In the end, if we can do this, we will be much happier and will live a much more fulfilled life.

Prayer Time: Ask God to help you prioritize and balance the things in your life so that you will be able look back and say that you truly did the things that mattered most.

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Posted on April 19th, 2009 in Mom's Corner | 2 Comments

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