Prep Timing

Good Morning!
It is 18 days till I go to Palm Desert. I am so excited. The only thing that I am having trouble figuring out is the cooking.

As you may have realized by now I cook a lot in my time off. This is partly because I find it very calming, and partly because I need to make food for the next work week. But Palm desert is providing a problem. I want to pack light. That might be the biggest issue. When I started listing everything I wanted to make it palm desert to Jono he simply looked at me and said "so we are bringing the mixer." I've never had a mixer to bring so the issue hadn't even come up in my mind. But it made me think about it. If I bring the mixer that means that I need to bring flours, sugars, yeast, baking power and soda, cookbooks, pans, and who knows what else. That is a lot to bring, not to mention the 30 lbs. mixer in it's self. So I would rather not bring all that. But can I do without it for a week? can I do a week away from a kitchen for the most part? Without baking bread and cookies and cooking whenever I feel low? I'm slightly anti-social when I am cooking. I have my story on and am in my own world. I don't want to do that when I am in palm desert with family. There will be cooking but only one meal is our responsibility. So I am trying to find a middle ground. I know I want desserts. But I have decided to have rules about it.

These are my vacation cooking rules;
1) all the major prep work must be able to be done before we leave. For example I need to be able to make the dough before hand and just bring it and cook it in palm desert.
2) nothing that takes longer then an hour. I know that at home I will spend hours and hours in the kitchen. None of that!
3) light and healthy. Fruit based things. Lemon bars?
4) It has to make a lot. I am used to cooking for 2 at home but in Palm Desert there will be 10 of us at least.

So to that end I am scouring my cookbooks and all the recipes I have saved to my computer. I have found a few things that might work. Sugar cookies are definitely coming since I can freeze the dough and just cut and baking, meaning that all I need to bring is a cookie sheet. Maybe make a lemon glaze for it. It's am interesting dilemma and something that is going to be a challenge. wish me luck!

hugs+kisses
mce