The sight in Kathy Westbrook’s refrigerator on Monday mornings fills her with relief and happiness.

Containers filled with three meals are ready to be slid into the oven to bake when needed on busy weeknights. She doesn’t have to worry about what to make or having to fall back on an unhealthy substitute, time-consuming prep work or cleanup.

For three hours every Sunday night, Westbrook and Armella DiOrio and Anna Rubin, two neighbors in her Huntersville subdivision, hold a power cooking session in DiOrio’s spacious kitchen that yields the dinnertime jackpot. They call themselves 3 Hot Dishes.

“I love it because I can work in the afternoons, take the kids to various practices and still come home to real food that is minutes away from being ready,” Westbrook says.

The concept is similar to batch cooking, in which one day is set aside to prepare multiple meals that can be frozen. The three women lack freezer space, so they gather on Sundays to prepare meals for the week.

“We don’t make anything from a box,” DiOrio says. “Everything we make is fresh.”

A designated captain each week steers the kitchen caper. She selects recipes, shops for all the ingredients, informs the other two what baking dishes to take and then assigns recipes on cooking night. Each is responsible for preparing a recipe for three families.

Saving time, money
Menus frequently are guided by grocery store sales to take advantage of savings.

Their arrangement is a time- and money-saver. For three, four-serving meals and one or two sides, they spend about $48 per family per week.

On a recent night, the lively trio wearing white aprons embroidered with their names moved about the kitchen with ease as they divided bags full of groceries before beginning their work. DiOrio prepared a marinade that was divided among three zip-top bags holding four steaks each and also coaxed time-consuming mushroom risotto in a large stock pot. Westbrook cut an assortment of vegetables to be used in 12 tilapia foil packets she was assembling. Rubin pounded 12 chicken breasts into thin pieces and partially sautéed them, and also prepared a batch of homemade cranberry sauce that would be baked with the chicken.

They have learned from experience who likes what and who handles jobs better and are nicknamed accordingly. DiOrio, a stay-at-home mom with a cake business on the side, is Complicated because she likes more involved recipes. Westbrook, a second-grade teacher at Children’s Community School, is Saucy because she likes creamy dishes. Rubin, who works from home for a marketing and consulting company, is Speedy because of her quickness in completing her recipes.

“If Complicated is in charge, it takes a solid three hours,” Rubin says. “She had a chicken pot pie recipe that was two pages long.”

“I might secretly give Anna a recipe if there are a lot of chopped things,” DiOrio says with a grin.

Easy route to variety
Their work also keeps them out of meal ruts and encourages them to try new ingredients. Of the hundreds of recipes tried over the years, some are good enough to be repeated. One they immediately name is Memphis Ribs. Roasted Asparagus with Feta is a favorite side dish.

“(The ribs) is a recipe from a friend of mine, Gary Stollar, who used to live in Memphis,” DiOrio says. “He developed the recipe by playing around a bit until he got it the way he wanted it.”

Along the way, they’ve forged a bond. As they chop, stir and sauté, conversations flow from cooking questions to happenings in their daily lives.

“We’ve laughed and we’ve cried,” Westbrook says.

At the end of the night, they clean the kitchen, settle the grocery bill and fill their laundry baskets with prepared dinners. What would happen if the group couldn’t meet one week?

“I’d think, ‘Oh, my, what are we going to eat?’ ” Westbrook says.

Olive Garden’s Chicken Caprese
8-10 Roma tomatoes (about 2 pounds)
30 fresh medium basil leaves
2 teaspoons black pepper
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken breast fillets
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 cup white wine
3 tablespoons minced garlic, divided
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 1/2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon salt, divided
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon flour, divided
1 pound dry capellini (angel hair pasta)

Core and cut Roma tomatoes into 1-inch pieces. Cut basil leaves into 1-inch pieces (no stems). Combine tomatoes, basil, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl; blend well. Cover; refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put oil in a large, nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon salt, black pepper and 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in the mixture, shaking off any excess. Place chicken in skillet and sauté for about two minutes on each side, or until just golden brown. If skillet is not large enough, sauté chicken in batches. When finished, transfer chicken to a large baking dish and place in oven to cook for about 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside until needed. While pasta is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon garlic, and sauté for about 1 minute. Do not brown. Slowly add 1 tablespoon flour, and stir to combine. Add white wine, and bring to a boil. Boil for about 1 minute.

Remove marinated tomato and basil mixture from refrigerator; drain and set aside. Add 1/2 cup of the marinade to ingredients in saucepan, and sauté for about 1 minute. Add heavy cream. Lower heat, and bring to a simmer. Add Parmesan cheese.

To assemble, preheat broiler. Remove chicken from baking dish and set aside. Place pasta in dish, and partly coat it with the white wine cream sauce. Pour remaining sauce on pasta and evenly distribute tomatoes and basil over pasta. Place chicken on top of pasta. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over chicken. Broil for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Yield: 6 servings.

Roasted Asparagus with Feta (from recipezaar.com)
2 pounds fresh, crisp asparagus
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 to 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat olive oil, minced garlic, lemon zest, oregano and red pepper flakes in a small pan over low heat until garlic becomes golden and oil becomes fragrant; remove from heat and allow to cool. Bend asparagus gently until it breaks at a natural point and discard ends. Toss asparagus pieces with infused olive oil and place in single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Season asparagus with salt and pepper. Sprinkle asparagus with crumbled feta cheese. Roast for 12 minutes or until cooked to your liking. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, and squeeze lemon over the asparagus. Serve hot. Yield: 4 servings.

Memphis Ribs
1/4 cup paprika
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons celery salt
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon curry
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 rack of ribs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove the thin, papery skin from the back of each rack of ribs by pulling it off in a sheet with your fingers. Use the corner of a paper towel to gain a secure grip. Removing the skin is important to achieve tender ribs.

Combine all ingredients except ribs in a small bowl; whisk to mix. Generously rub both sides of the rack of ribs with about 1/3 of the rub (store the remaining rub for future ribs). Transfer ribs to a roasting pan. If the ribs are too long for your pans, you may have to cut them in half. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Wrap rack in foil and make it airtight. Try to make a tent out of the foil so that air circulates inside. The trick is not to let more air in during cooking. Cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. If the meat recedes a bit from the bone, the ribs are done. Yield: 4 servings.
Note: The amounts of ground black pepper, cayenne and Cajun seasonings can be increased for a spicier rub.

Restaurant-style Coleslaw (from allrecipes.com)
1 (16-ounce) package coleslaw mix
2 tablespoons minced onion
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
Combine the coleslaw and onion in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, salt, pepper, milk, mayonnaise, buttermilk, vinegar and lemon juice; mix until smooth. Pour mixture over the coleslaw and onion; stir well and chill for 1 hour. Yield: 8 servings.

Baked Scallops (from allrecipes.com)
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 pounds bay scallops, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour melted butter into a 2-quart oval casserole dish. Distribute butter and scallops evenly inside the dish. Combine the bread crumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, parsley, minced garlic and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle this mixture over the scallops. Bake until scallops are firm, about 20 minutes. Yield: 4 servings.

Tequeños (Cheese Pastries)
This classic Venezuelan hors d’oeuvre can be made with different types of cheeses, as long as they are firm and melt well. The pastries also freeze well and can go directly from the freezer into the hot oil.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, butter, egg yolk, sugar, salt and water. Knead until very smooth, about 10 minutes. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough until it is very thin. Cut into strips 6 inches long and 2 inches wide. Cut cheese into 2-by-1/2-inch sticks. Take one stick of cheese, wrap it diagonally (like a spiral), overlapping the dough, and pinch the ends together. Repeat with the remaining dough and cheese. In an electric skillet, heat 1 inch of oil to 350 degrees F. Drop in a few tequeños at a time and fry until golden brown on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels, and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Uncooked tequeños may be frozen for up to 6 months. Serves 40.