Many ladies may decide whether to try a meal or not to try it based upon the “preparation time”. For you non-cookers, “preparation time” is the time it takes to prepare the dinner prior to throwing it into the oven. So, this would be cutting the vegetables and adding the spices and so on. In the States, many recipes indicate that the “preparation time” is just a few minutes as you just need to open this can and open that can and mix them together. Most women wouldn’t even consider cooking a meal that said the “preparation time” was 2 days. For Ginger, hardly any of her recipes would qualify as “quick meals”: i.e. Pumpkin Scones, Pumpkin Soup, Chicken Enchiladas, Feta Salad, and many more. This past week Ginger decided to make our family Chicken Enchiladas.
Actually, she had to plan for this weeks ago so the right ingredients were on our supply order. Ginger had a recipe that went as follows: – 1 can refried beans – 10 flour tortillas – 1 can of condensed cream of chicken – 1 cup of sour cream – 3 cups of cheese – 1 can enchilada sauce – And so on. – PREPARATION TIME: 15 MINUTES
Now this is what actually took place for Ginger to make this dinner: – Make sure the following items are on the supply order: dried beans, cream of chicken soup – Soak beans overnight, simmer them all morning, then blend the beans in a blender – Make tortilla shells from scratch – Make sour cream by adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar to 1 cup of cream – Make enchilada sauce from scratch – PREPARATION TIME: 15 MINUTES & 2 DAYS
Was all that “preparation time” worth it? Everyone in her family says, “YES.” For Ginger, she just laughs when a recipe says: “Preparation time: 15 minutes.” She knows better than that. Next time you open a can of soup or a can of anything, please pray for Ginger and all it takes to put dinner on the table.