Stress-Free Dinner Preparation

Published:  04/13/2016

Just like they do on cooking TV shows, I like to pull all my ingredients together, gather any cooking equipment, serving dishes, utensils and set the table early in the day. For me, this creates a stress-free scenario for cooking dinner later. I especially like to do this when I have a guest coming for dinner.

Here is an example:
Lemon Shrimp Scampi
Spiralized Pesto Zucchini Noodles
Roasted Carrots
Sweet Kale Vegetable Salad Kit 

I always work with the raw vegetables first and end with any raw meat or seafood.

For the shrimp recipe, I chopped parsley and tomato and juiced 2 lemons.

For the zucchini, I washed and trimmed the zucchini and readied them by the spiralizer. I even got the pan out that I will sautee the noodles in and have it ready to spiralize the zucchini in.

For the carrots, I peeled, trimmed and cut them, then added the oil and kosher salt. I have the baking sheet lined with foil and ready for me to put the carrots on later.

I poured the salad vegetables into a large bowl. I will dress it later.

I set the table and covered all the perishables and put them in the fridge.

I deveined, shelled, patted them dry, covered and placed in the refrigerator.

A little clean up of the prep area and whew...done.

When my guest arrives for dinner I won't need to be rushing around the kitchen doing all of the above. The rest of the dinner preparation will be stress free and I can enjoy spending time with my guest.

For more on creating a stress free dinner.