Remember my creative birthday gift? Well, Carolyn came over this past weekend for our cooking day. (I felt this choice was more practical for me right now--maybe down the road, I will persue learning how to can.) We donned aprons (thanks, Erin!) and got to work. It was fun to be in the kitchen side-by-side and to learn lots of tips firsthand. I confess I've always let my mixer do all the kneading, but with making 2 double batches of bread, we definitely needed to be hands-on! Carolyn showed me how to knead, and also how to shape the loaves, which is something I always feel a little awkward doing.
Once everything was in the process of cooking or baking, we sat down at the computer so she could introduce me to our local grocery co-op. I've heard rumblings about it for years, but was never quite sure how it worked or who to talk to. Since Carolyn is one of the head officers, I definitely got the inside scoop! It doesn't work quite how I thought (prices are higher than I anticipated), but I'm glad to see what's available and may join in at some point.
There are obvious benefits of bulk cooking, but I was exhausted at the end of the afternoon! It was fun to work alongside someone else, though, and I was quite proud of what we made: 4 loaves of honey whole wheat bread, 4 loaves of oatmeal bread, 2 large batches of chicken and rice soup, 18 cups of cooked chicken (!), 16 cups of hearty chicken stock and 1 batch of granola! It was very rewarding seeing it all lined up on the shelf, as well as sitting down to a delicious supper of fresh soup and bread. Yum!
I think Carolyn had a nice afternoon, too. She has two daughters who both live far from home (sound familiar, Mom?!), so she said this was a neat opportunity for her. I appreciated her willingness to come over, and of course am grateful to Eric for having the idea in the first place--and for watching the kids so we could work without interruption (Wahoo!!)
16 comments:
Wow! You were very productive! So neat to have an "older woman" to work alongside you. My mom lives very far away too!
That is so awesome, Carrie. I love that idea.
And wow, that's a LOT of chicken! ;)
I'm glad to read this account of your productive afternoon with Carolyn and hope I can meet her sometime! You will be able to enjoy the fruits of this time together for quite awhile! Love you, Mom
I am glad that you were able to do this. The two of you were very productive! Honey Whole Wheat Bread is a favorite of mine.
I also noticed this morning that Monica and I had titled our post the same. I guess great minds think alike!
SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAD A GOOD TIME.
WILL BRISKET, SAUSAGE AND BAKED BEANS BE ON THE MENU SOON?
LOVE YOU,
DAD
I'm glad the apron could brighten your kitchen on a wintry saturday! your house must have smelled so good that day with all of the bread baking!
You had quite the day, you two! Wow-wee! But I'm sure it was fun to work side-by-side, learn new things, and enjoy each other's company. Great gift, Eric - one that will keep on giving. =)
What a neat gift your husband put together for you! Looks like it was a fun and productive day.
That's fun! I love the apron - and am impressed with all you got done!
That is really cool - to have that Titus 2 opportunity played out for you and with you.
So, how many roaster chickens did that mean for you - two or three?? I was just thinking about how much I chicken I get from just roasting one. I usually roast one for 3 hours.
Your oven was really cranking it out that day...eh? Good for you... and I'm sure it feels so good to be on this side of an event like that.
Sounds like a productive Saturday. Glad you had fun!
what a great day with your friend. and you got so much accomplished! wow
What a wonderful gift! I would love to learn more about cooking in bulk...but I'm not sure I'd ever be quite that productive :-)
How fun. And very productive too! :)
Looks like fun! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. For some reason you look familiar to me...can't put my finger on it.
Wow Carrie! Looks like it was so much fun and so rewarding!
We have a local buying co-op, but I have never purchased from it ~ although I would really love to! I know it makes so much sense and saves lots of money in the long run, but I, too, have many questions and don't know how I would organize all the storage and such as that is already a challenge. If you decide to buy through your local one, I would love to read a post on your thoughts about it.
I also know some moms in our homeschool group that get together regularly and cook makeahead meals and other items together...how fun!
Looks like a wonderful day you had ~ I would love to have someone come and give me some lessons in the kitchen! Thanks for sharing about your experience with Carolyn!
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