Have you entered yet? What are you waiting for?
Once a Month Mom and DOLE Frozen Fruit Menu Contest — Whether you’re a seasoned menu planner or a wannabe, now’s the time to jump in. There’s a $250 prize at stake! Rules can be found in the above link, but please note that your menu needs to be emailed to Tricia by Monday, February 15. I’m hoping to find some energy when I awake from my Blissdom stupor to join in on this myself.
Once a Month Mom Cook Off — The menu’s up, the grocery list is set… it’s time to cook! (Did you see the crazy-amazing prizes?!) Over the next three weeks I’ll chronicle my very first Once a Month Mom cooking experience from start to finish. Last week I asked my friend Sherry to join me on Cooking Day (most likely March 1), because all the hard work will be made more fun with a partner in crime cooking!
Here’s what I’ve done so far:
- Reviewed the menu and already decided on a recipe or two that won’t work for my family. I’ll need to come up with a substitution. (You absolutely can still participate in the contest if you have to alter or substitute a few recipes!)
- Printed the grocery list and promptly forgot to take it to the store with me this morning. Oh well. Next week! I love that Tricia supplies a complete list a month in advance of the big cooking day. That way I can shop for sale items (provided I remember the list!) for weeks leading up to the event.
- Drooled over the prizes that I am not eligible for.
- Reviewed the contest rules.
- Tried not to stress over the detailed instructions for cooking day. Looks like a lot of work! (But wow — so nice to have it all organized for me.)
Like I said, I’m a newbie at the full-fledged Once a Month Cooking game. However, I do have lots of experience making meals ahead of time and freezing them. Is there anything you’d like to know before you tackle an 8-10 hour cooking session?
I’m planning to try my first ever Once- a-Month cooking day with a friend’s help in anticipation giving birth at the end of March. A friend is coming to help me pull it all off, and we’re even going to enter the contest. But here’s my question: How many kitchen utensils do you have on hand? I know it will be important to keep up with the dishes throughout the day, but how many bowls, measuring utensils, baking dishes, etc. do you have on hand just to keep you going while the dishwasher is running?
You’ll think I’m crazy, but I don’t use my dishwasher. At least, not while I’m cooking. My hubby has learned to not put anything in there that I might need unless we run it right away. I just hand wash as I cook/bake. Still… you might want to ask your friend to bring extra bowls and utensils!
Renee that is a great question – A LOT! I usually ask my cooking partner to bring big mixing bowls, measuring cups and mixing spoons to help with this issue. The more you have on hand, the better.
Good luck and can’t wait to hear about your results.
To bad I just cooked 3 months worth of meals two weeks ago. I would have loved to enter!
To bad I just cooked up 3 months worth of meals a couple of weeks ago. I would have loved to enter, expecially since you can use your own menu!
That is a LOT of food to cook up all at once!
@Amy,
yes, but totally worth it! It got to be hard to find one day a month to cook since I have to cook on a Saturday. This way I cook two days in a row 4 times a year, plus in between when I feel like it, no pressure or stress.
I do a lot of stir frys and marinades, and rarely any processed foods, so it doesn’t take as long as casseroles, but I make some of those too, expecially in the winter months.
Oh and I have been reading your blog for a while and just got a new computer with a working keyboard so I can finally leave comments.
My question is how do you store it all in your freezer? Do you have an extra freezer? I love the once a month cooking idea and do quite a bit of baking ahead and freezing, because I don’t have much time on busy weekdays for cooking. However, I live in a small, rented townhouse and have only the refrigerator/freezer that they provide, and it’s not even that large as far as normal fridge/freezers go.
I won’t be much help here, because yes… I have LOTS of freezer space. My friend Kate only has a refrigerator freezer, though, and she does once a month cooking. I think her biggest trick is to freeze as much as possible in ziplock bags. They stack nicely and don’t take up much space. Perhaps you could still do the menu but just make 1/2 of what it suggests?
I am thinking about doing this! Exciting.
How cool that some of the recipes on the menu are yours!
Alicia