A freezer bag workshop

Last week I had an opportunity to try something new with my Wildtree business.  It was called a "Freezer Bag Workshop."  Basically the participants buy a spice bundle, I send them a list of things to buy, we all show up at the same place at the same time, and they use the spices to make 10 meals (in freezer bags you may have guessed) that feed 4 people and they still have 1/2 their spices remaining.  So, in case you are keeping track....10 pre-made meals for a family of 4 in about an hour and a half.  

My mom was the first to host one of these workshops.  She invited my aunts and one of my cousins.  Let me just say....my family is ridiculous!  Ridiculous. 

I had sent out an email with 2 attachments.  The attachments had the shopping list and explained what needed to be prepped ahead of time.  I don't believe anyone did the pre-prep....which was not a big deal, unless you are my Aunt Linda.  

Aunt Linda doesn't really cook.  She is the first to admit it.  I am the first to admit I was surprised that she wanted to participate.  We had a recipe for shrimp scampi, and the shrimp she bought had shells.  We told her to just leave them, the shells would come off easily after she cooked them.  

She insisted that they come off before hand....so I'm afraid Aunt Linda's first 40 minutes were spent with her hands in freezing water shelling shrimp. 

It was only after the shrimp was unbagged and in the water that she said "I don't know why I am doing this...I don't even like shrimp."  Ha!

My Aunt Jamie was all in a fluster too.  She wrote on all her bags with a dry erase marker and that was clearly a disaster.

Aunt Jackie announced the completion of each meal with "#1 in the freezer!"  It cracked me up.  I loved that she felt so accomplished!

Aunt Judy got her recipes mixed up a bit, and used the taco seasoning where she was supposed to use scampi seasoning...2 or 3 times.

Mom "lost" her ground chicken and had to use a combo of turkey and chicken in her recipes....until she noticed that her lost meat was simply under Aunt Jamie's empty bags.  Shortly thereafter she also noticed that Aunt Jamie had used her "cooler" cardboard box as a trash box and it was full of meat wrappers.  Gross.

Mom also failed to finish 3 recipes because she lost track of what meat went with what recipe...and she ended up with a bad pork loin that smelled like pure evil.  She also flung her frozen shrimp all over the floor when she tried to cut open the bag like a wily sword-yeilding pirate.

Grandma just sat and laughed at all of us the whole time

My family really is funny.  They cracked me up all evening.  I laughed hard at my Aunt Linda twice...once when she admitted that she was able to open an attachment for the first time ever, because I explained that you "right click" on the link and go from there.
And the second time when she was writing the check for the spices and asked "what is this day?" (instead of "what day is it?") and I had the rare opportunity to answer "this is the day that the Lord has made."  

I am still thrilled with the outcome of the workshop.  It was fun and relatively easy for everyone.  Plus I have had only great feedback about the meals.
My Aunt Jackie told me her son thinks she has turned into quite the gourmet after she cooked the shrimp scampi and the herb crusted tilapia for him recently.  

Aunt Jamie loved the greek kabobs.
The garlic and herb pork chops I made for Zac and I were delicious.

Now I just have to wait until Aunt Linda gets brave and whips together a meal....or brings me a whole bunch of premade meals after baby Cliff gets here :)