Answering Questions

I've been asked a few questions lately and even suggested to me that I put these on the blog. So, I'll attempt to answer them for you here.

1. How do you figure portion sizes for company or large groups?

It's better to have too much than not enough. Start with looking at a dinner plate. After figuring out your menu think about how much each person is going to put on their plate. Then consider what your group is made up of. Is it made up of mostly women (eat less), teenage boys (eat more than anyone!), or men? Males tend to always have seconds...generally speaking. Women tend to eat more salad than anything else. Keep these things in mind and then divide up your menu by sizes that fill a dinner plate. Also, for children, you can figure them as a 1/2. So whatever you would figure for an adult, cut it in half for a child. This still maybe way too much for a child to eat but that way you've padded your amount so that you have extra food or plenty of food (depending on how you want to look at it).

Here is a general guide:
1 cup - starch (rice, pasta, potato)
1 chicken breast per person (even if most people eat only half, you have
built in extras)
Red meat - the serving size of 1 chicken breast
1 cup - salad (if all women in the group, plan on at least 2 cups of salad
per person)
1 cup - veggie
If you are serving a 9x13 casserole figure it to be 9 pieces per pan
instead of 12. This will give you a little extra if you need it for seconds.

Not everyone will eat the amounts figured above but that's the whole
point...that way you have plenty of food and enough for leftovers. It's better
to have too much than not enough. Another tip I like to share with people is to
try to serve a hearty bread with a meal. This helps to fill people up. Never assume that just serving a casserole will be enough food for a group or company. You need to make a veggie, salad, and serve bread.

If serving just a soup and salad lunch be sure to serve bread (figure two
slices per person). Soup you can figure about 2-3 measuring cups per person and
2-3 measuring cups of salad per person.

All of these measurements should help insure that you have plenty of food and won't run out.

2. How do you cook enough for leftovers?

Double what you would normally make for your family. =0) Freeze the leftovers as a freezer meal for another night or divide it up for lunches the next day.

3. Are all the pictures on the recipes your own pictures?

90% of them are. There are a few that I've gotten off the web that look exactly
like my recipe when I make it. The ones that are off of the web are mostly the
play dough, ornaments (some of them), a salad, and a cookie. The rest are
all my own photos.

4. Have you tried all of the recipes on your blog?

Absolutely. I wouldn't post something that I haven't had myself. The only
exception is when I've posted a link to someone else' blog or the recipes that
others have suggested that I haven't had a chance to try yet. But all of the
daily posts are recipes I've made and taken pictures of.

5. Do you spend a lot of time cooking?

Yes. =0) I spend a lot of time in the kitchen...sometimes more than I like. I have always tried to cook at home as much as possible...even before having kids. I've always felt that this is my responsibility as a wife and mom to provide
healthy home cooked meals for my family. It helps that I like cooking but even
then, it is a chore sometimes. I tend to search for easy dinners to make since
that is my biggest challenge. But it's worth it, it saves our family money to
not eat out as much, it's healthier, and it creates an atmosphere of family
connection and conversation that we don't seem to have in a restaurant as much.

6. Do you always measure?

Nope! In fact, writing this blog has forced me to measure more. Most recipes
call for about a tsp of most herbs so you're pretty safe adding about a tsp to
most recipes of just about anything. Measuring is most important when it comes
to baked goods...breads, cakes, etc. But when I'm making meals I generally don't
measure.

7. Do you cook every day to post?

NO! That would be too hard! I usually have about 30 post drafts on average
ready and waiting. I work on several of them at a time when I have a chunk of
time. I usually will cook quite a bit one day and then use it for 2-3 posts. I
have several posts (recipes) in my drafts that are just waiting for
pictures...which means I have to make the recipe at some point.