Welcome to the "Full Oven Club." Meetings take place on Saturday or Sunday afternoons, or whenever you have a few hours at home.

Don't say this never happens. Remember that football game you watched, that movie you rented? Add a scant hour's prep time before kick-off, and you're set for the week.

The goal is saving energy. It costs the same to bake eight potatoes as two. Potatoes are a good example for another reason: Microwaves may be wonderful for heating soup and (shudder) frozen entrees, but potatoes suffer. The flesh can be shriveled and hard instead of flavorful and fluffy.

Once the potatoes are baked they can be used for sensational home fries or simply split, brushed with olive oil or melted butter, sprinkled with cheese, herbs, bacon bits and reheated in -- yes -- the microwave.

A secondary benefit would be weaning the family away from expensive prepared foods that may contain more salt, fat and preservatives than desirable.

Besides, it doesn't pay to mess up the kitchen for just one dish when the same mess could yield several.

Your only limitations are oven size (rectangular pans fit better) and temperature (350-375 degrees).

Try these, in any combination that fits:

A simple meat loaf, which makes better sandwiches than pricy cold cuts. Puree an egg, an onion, a celery rib, a garlic clove, half a green pepper and several tablespoons of ketchup in blender. Toss with two pounds lean ground beef or mixture of ground beef and ground chicken, a cup of fresh bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste. Form into an oval loaf or pack into a meat-loaf pan with insert to drain fat. Smear with ketchup. Cooks in about an hour.

A pan of baked apples, less than an hour.

A whole roasting chicken rubbed with barbecue sauce, at least 1 hours.

Several racks pork ribs, seasoned and wrapped securely in heavy-duty foil. About an hour.

A pan of gingerbread, from a mix. While still warm, glaze with confectioners' sugar mixed with milk or apple juice.

A pan of lasagna using no-boil pasta sheets: Layer pasta, sauce from a jar (thinned with tomato juice), sliced cheese, uncooked spinach leaves, grated carrot, chopped garlic. An hour, at least.

One-step chili: Mix one or two thinly sliced chorizo or other spicy sausage with two cans chili beans, one can Mexican-style diced tomatoes, a grated carrot and a chopped onion. Bake in covered casserole dish about 1 hours.

A rice casserole: Chop an onion, a carrot, a small zucchini in blender with 3 cups chicken broth. Pour into casserole dish with 1 cups regular rice, salt other seasonings to taste. Cover and bake one hour or less until liquid is absorbed and rice is fluffy.

Arrange large baking potatoes (pricked with fork to prevent bursting) around the pans. Stick in a few sweet potatoes, too.

The aroma is indescribable. And by the time the game (or the movie) is over, your loaded oven will provide a refrigerator stocked with nutritious food for the week.

Contact Deborah Salomon at debsalomon@hotmail.com.