“Mom, what’s for dinner?”

We hear this question often. Except in our house, it’s not Mom who is queried, but me, the 19-year-old family chef. If I don’t already have something thawing, I turn to the freezer for a variety of menu selections. When a trip to town takes longer than expected, or 5 o’clock comes and I haven’t thought about supper, I can simply choose a dish from the freezer, pop it in the microwave on defrost, then stick it in the oven. Here is how I keep the larder well stocked.

Four years ago, at the age of fifteen, I tried once-a-month cooking for the first time, and attempted it on a larger scale a year later. Using Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg’s book Once-A-Month-Cooking as a guide, I designed my own menu plan of entrees to prepare. I made a long shopping list based on the recipes, but when my brother had to ride his bicycle to the store for canned corn, I learned to always buy a little more for good measure.

It’s best to have the kitchen to yourself when cooking on such a large scale. So, when my parents left on a trip, I rose early to say goodbye and placed a broiler pan of chicken in the oven. Knowing I’d be on my feet all day, I donned my Birkenstocks for comfort and chose a dark brown apron. I proceeded to brown thirty-six pounds of beef, dice thirty-nine cups of chicken, and chop many more cups of celery, chives, green peppers, and ham. Meanwhile, my fourteen-year-old brother cut up ten onions. I knew it was important to have help, but William was already thinking twice about this venture.

Cans picturing diced tomatoes brought a splash of color to the line of cream of mushroom soup on the counter, surrounded by bowls filled with chopped onions and chicken. I stood in the middle of the kitchen, surveying the food around me. “It’s too late now,” I shrugged, and plunged into the task before me. The recipes I planned to make were marked with Post-its; I went through the book systematically, preparing two—and sometimes three—meals from each recipe.

Long ago I learned the importance of having a recipe as a guideline. My cousin Melissa and I were attempting to bake a cake for Aunt Terri’s birthday. We doubled the Betty Crocker cake mix but decided that half the water looked sufficient. Mom happened into the kitchen and convinced us to fix our potentially disastrous error. I even greased the pan the second time around! From this infamous occasion, I learned to follow the recipe when it is new. But after I’ve made it once, I experiment to my heart’s content. As my brother quipped, “Gretchen’s meals are really good, but they’re different every time.”

On once-a-month cooking day, I followed the recipe book closely, to avoid forgetting important ingredients in my haste. When the sweet and sour chicken had bubbled to the appropriate thickness, it was dumped into a Ziploc freezer bag. Meanwhile, with the spaghetti about to boil over, I plopped the pasta into an 8-inch pie pan for spaghetti pie, and turned to stir the lasagna sauce. The lasagna noodles were sticking together, but I managed to layer them in a 13×9 pan, and cover it with foil. When all the ingredients were cooled, each bag and dish was carefully stacked into our freezer, a piece of masking tape labeling the date and respective recipe page number.

One by one, I removed the Post-its from the pages. When the day was done, I had completed thirty-five meals. The next morning I finished a few recipes for a total of forty-one family-sized portions. Any more, and we would have needed a second freezer!

As I stashed each dish on the frost-covered shelves, I made a dated list to post on the refrigerator as our “menu” for the month. It is essential to cross off the entrees as you eat them. Sometimes I cook in bulk for my grandmother and we’ll discover a dish in the freezer months later, lacking much of its original flavor—and appearance.

My cousin Melissa says, “When Gretchie comes to visit, she takes over the kitchen, and I run behind with a dishcloth.” I don’t see why I should take time to clean up when I’m going to make the same mess again in two minutes. Thus, when my cooking day was done, a mountain of dirty bowls and utensils had sprouted on the counter. My feet were tired from a long day in the kitchen, but my brother was kind enough to help. The mound eventually diminished, becoming another pile of dishes to be dried!

My parents came home to a freezer full of food; we didn’t have to cook dinner for over a month. But as time went by, I learned that an easier way of keeping the freezer full is to “cook for an army” and freeze the leftovers. For example, when I make enchiladas, I put one pan in the oven for dinner, and the other four go into the freezer for another night. And each time I cook spaghetti, I fill our eight-quart pot to nearly overflowing. I’m met with cheers of delight when I pull the leftovers from the freezer two weeks later—my sister Jessica loves spaghetti.

Whether you attempt the frenzied method of once-a-month cooking in a day, or the timesaving routine of quintupling all your recipes, I encourage you to adapt these techniques to suit your family’s eating habits. When the question, “What’s for dinner?” greets you at the door, it makes a world of difference if you can cheerfully reply, “Dinner’s in the freezer!”

P.S. Check out my favorite cookbook, by Mary Beth Lagerborg and Mimi Wilson:
Once-A-Month Cooking: A Proven System for Spending Less Time in the Kitchen and Enjoying Delicious, Homemade Meals Everyday