Set It & Forget It Recipes for the Working Mom

by Guest Columnist Sarah Lasry

                                                                            Photo: KosherStreet.com

Besides everything else that I do to provide for my daughter out of my home, I also have a 24/7 full time job where I work as a teacher, entertainer, cleaning lady, and of course, the on–call chef.

The truth is if you are a mother, by default you are a full−time working mom. And if you are anything like me as a mom, you are always looking for those little things in life that make your job a little easier. So, I have a secret weapon in my kitchen arsenal − the one pot.

What is this one pot kitchen miracle you ask? Well, it is really two things; a cast iron Dutch oven pot (like the Le Creuset pots I buy on sale at T.J.Maxx or, the less expensive and almost as superior, Rachel Ray Pot I bought at Kohl's) that I use when I have 2 hours before dinner and I have yet to put anything up.

Or, it is my $19.99 Crockpot slow cooker that is not only used for my Shabbat cholent. My slow cooker is the perfect solution for when I am out of the house at 8 AM, with no time to make dinner before my daughter comes home from school.

These two One Pots are my best friends in the kitchen and are perfect for what I like to call "Set it & Forget it − One Pot Recipes".

The trick to one pot cooking is making sure that your liquid−to−ingredients ratio is not too much or too little – combined with the temperature of the oven, or slow cooker, and the amount of time you plan on cooking it. Sounds a little complicated, but truthfully it is not. It really is a simple matter of common sense, or trial and error, when it comes to creating your own recipes. Many times I just dump what's left in the fridge − vegetables, meat, etc; use ingredients already in my pantry...walk away and Voilà – a delicious dinner!

But for those who are a little less adventurous than me, here are my favorite go–to One Pot Set It & Forget It dinners I make on a very regular basis! Chicken Tomato Barley Soup, Apple Juice Chicken & Potatoes and Turkey Meatballs & Spaghetti.

Enjoy & Happy Cooking!
Sarah

About the Author

Sarah Lasry is a chef, cookbook author, and recipe developer. She opened and ran, for 8 years, the successful and celebrated kosher dairy restaurant, Tastebuds Gourmet Café in Howell, NJ and wrote the bestselling cookbooks, The Dairy Gourmet and The At Home Gourmet (Israel Book Shop Publishers). Sarah's passion for good food and her no–fuss approach to cooking and baking is shared on her kosher lifestyle website, KosherStreet.com and on her recently launched personal blog, ThePatchkePrincess.com. Sarah resides in Lakewood, NJ with her daughter. Contact her at Sarah@kosherstreet.com.