(from an earlier post date)
As I put some pineapple chicken into the oven at 9:20 this morning, I realized what I wanted to share with you today. In my sometimes obsessive desire to conserve energy (money), I have thought many times about what else I could bake or cook in the oven when I knew I'd have it on for something else. Even if I didn't want to do them at the very same time, the oven would already be very hot and ready to go as soon as I was. So as I baked my scones (no, not typical-my first time!), I put together the very fast and easy recipe I've posted before- pineapple chicken. Then as soon as the scones were done, I put in the chicken. Now you may be wondering why making dinner at 9:30 a.m. is something to consider. Well, I'm actually making this dish for the freezer, intended for a couple meals down the road on a frantic night of "what's for dinner". Spending time when I have a little extra, can save us from ending up going out for dinner and spending money again. Sometimes on Saturdays or free evenings, I make something that can be put in the freezer for later use. Even if that's just putting some wild rice in the rice cooker- I end up eating that for lunch with a couple things from the fridge relatively often.
So lastly, coming back to oven-talk again, I also choose times when the weather is cooler. Again the evenings and early morning unless its winter. It's amazing that I can even think to turn the oven on the last day of July here in Orange County, CA, but as this summer is so blissfully cool and there is a lovely breeze right now, it isn't a problem. Using the warmth of the oven on those cool nights can help warm the house as well as the belly. I often partially open up the oven when the cooking is done (and its off) to help all that leftover heat come into the house.
Be strategic about your timing and make use of things in more than one way. Now off I go to pack up my scones.
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