freezermealdiva

Simple Cherry Pie Filling

2011-09-25T07:26:00.000-07:00

What a whirlwind year it has been! I have been leaning heavily on my tried and true recipes, and enjoying them. But my friends keep asking when I'll be posting something new...so I keep looking for an opportunity. Each summer our neighbor's tree bursts with cherries and we become the glad beneficiaries of pounds and pounds of tart cherries. I've been searching for a good pie filling recipe, and this is by far my favorite. I know we're a bit past cherry season this year (sorry about that), but at least it's ready to go next year!

Simple Cherry Pie Filling

Ingredients:

Lemon Juice and water mixture (to prevent browning)

4 cups pitted tart red cherries

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 tsp. almond extract

Directions:

1. Pit cherries, soak in mixture of 1 gallon water and 1 cup lemon juice to prevent browning.

2. In another bowl, mix sugar and cornstarch until well blended. Set aside.

3. Drain cherries, discard lemon water. Place cherries into a saucepan, cover. Heat cherries on medium heat, stirring often, until cherries release juice and the juice simmers. This takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove cherries from heat.

4. Pour sugar mixture into hot cherries and juice, and mix well. Return to low heat, bring to a simmer, and cook until filling thickens. This takes about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool.

Filling is ready to use or freeze.

Freezer Directions:

If you plan to use this filling for pie, you'll need Gallon-sized Ziploc freezer bags, aluminum foil, pie tins, and pie crust (optional). If you plan to use it for cobbler or other desserts, you can just use quart-sized Ziploc freezer bags.

For Pie with crust:

Make fresh pie crust (or use pre-made frozen), place in pie tin and shape. Pour filling into unbaked crust (fill pie, but do not overfill or it will spill over during baking). Cover top of pie with aluminum foil. Carefully slide unbaked pie in labeled Ziploc freezer bag (labeled with Recipe name, cooking directions for pie crust, and date). Remove all air from freezer bag and seal. Place sealed pie in freezer on a flat surface. Note: if pie tin is too big to fit in Freezer bag, wrap in Saran Wrap and freeze carefully. The Ziploc bags helps prevent freezer burn and spills in your freezer.

When ready to bake: Remove pie from freezer, remove ziploc bag. Preheat oven. Place pie on cookie sheet. Bake according to crust baking directions. Bake until the juices that bubble up in the center are clear and shiny. If edge of crust begins to overbrown, cover with strips of foil. Place on wire rack to cool.

For pie without crust (phantom container method):

Place cooled pie filling in gallon-sized Ziploc freezer bag. Place filled Ziploc bag in pie tin and spread the filling out so that it is "pie shaped." Make sure not to put too much filling in the bag. As you shape the filling to fit the pie tin, leave room for the crust that will be added before baking. If there is too much filling, it will spill over during baking. Remove air from bag and seal. Freeze on flat surface in freezer.

For cobbler or other uses:

Pour 2 cups cherry pie filling in Ziploc freezer bags. Remove air from bag and seal. Thaw and use like canned pie filling.

French Onion Soup 2

2010-08-12T16:42:00.000-07:00

It's onion season at my house, so I gave French Onion Soup a try again today. I adapted the recipe from my notes the last time I made it, and here's the new and improved recipe:

French Onion Soup (by Avalie)
4 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
8 Medium Onions, thinly sliced
5 cups Water
2 tsp. Beef Bouillion
1/2 tsp. dried Thyme
French Bread
Gruyere or Swiss Cheese

Melt butter over medium-low heat in large skillet or wok. Add onions and salt and cook on medium-high. When onions are tender and begin to carmelize (about 45 mins), reduce heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, 15 minutes more until turn deep golden brown. Transfer onions to a soup pot. Add water, beef broth, and thyme. Heat to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes. If going to freeze, place soup in freezer containers or mason jars, let cool, cover, and freeze. When ready to eat, thaw soup, then preheat oven to 450. Cut French Bread into slices, place on baking sheet. Bake French Bread for 5-10 minutes to heat and make slightly crispy (this prevents the bread from getting mushy in your soup). Place oven-proof bowls on pan, spoon soup into bowls. Top soup with bread, then grate cheese onto bread. Bake 12-15 mins, until cheese has melted and begun to brown.

If you're eating away from home (lunch at work), you can reheat the soup in the microwave, with the shredded cheese on the top, and serve some french bread on the side for dipping. Enjoy!!

Chalupa

2010-05-10T13:19:00.001-07:00

Another great crock pot recipe using dry beans! You can use Anaheim Peppers in place of the green chiles, if you have them.

Chalupa (Fix it and Forget it cookbook, adapted by Avalie)
3 lb pork roast
1 lb dry pinto beans
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp salt
4-oz can chopped green chiles, or 1 Anaheim Chili, seeded and minced
Water

Cover beans with water and soak overnight in slow cooker. In the morning, remove beans (reserve soaking water), and put roast in bottom of cooker. Add remaining ingredients (including beans and their soaking water) and more water if needed to cover ingredients. Cook on High 1 hour, them Low 6 hours. Remove meat and shred with two forks. Return meat to slow cooker. Cook on high 1 more hour. Serve in tortillas, over chips, or over bed of lettuce with grated cheese and chopped onions adn tomatoes. To freeze, let chalupa cool. Put in Quart-sized Ziploc freezer bags. I like to freeze 2 to 3 cups (that's how much my family will eat for one meal) in each bag. Squeeze air out of bag and seal. Label bag with contents, then lay flat to freeze. To reheat, remove chalupa from Ziploc bag and microwave until heated through.

Anaheim Peppers

2010-05-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

We got a bunch of Anaheim Peppers in our Bountiful Basket this week, and I found a great recipe to use them. It's a bit like a red enchilada sauce, but it's spicy. To reduce the heat, just remove the seeds before broiling. This is very similar to the Tomatillo Salsa Recipe. I learned that you can sub Anaheim peppers for any recipe that calls for green chiles, you just need to seed and broil them first. Another option is to make the Tomatillo Salsa (last posting), and sub 4 Anaheim peppers for the jalapenos.

Anaheim Red Sauce
10-12 tomatoes
1 small onion, quartered
5 Anaheim Peppers, stems removed
1 rounded Tbsp chopped garlic
3/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 tsp cumin
1 rounded Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp lime juice

Preheat the broiler. Place tomatoes, onion quarters, and Anaheim peppers in a baking dish (remember not to use glass under your broiler!). Roast the vegetables under the broiler for 8-10 minutes, or until they begin to blacken. Remove from the oven and cool. When cool, transfer the vegetables, and any liquid that has seeped out, along with the rest of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and puree. If sauce is too runny for your liking, simply bring to a boil, stirring constantly, reduce to a simmer in a pan on the stovetop for 5 to 10 minutes, or until thickened. Use as a red enchilada sauce or a salsa. Delicious! Freezes beautifully (in jars or your favorite enchilada recipe).

Mexican Salsas and More

2010-05-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

So I've embarked on a new adventure with Bountiful Baskets Co-Op, and I've been challenged to find great recipes using all of the fabulous produce we get every week. Here's some ideas for tomatoes, tomatillos, and other delicious items. The Pico de Gallo and Guacamole don't freeze (obviously), but the Tomatillo recipes do. These make a great addition to the Black Beans and Rice (just put "black" in the search function at the top of the blog). You can make a smothered burrito with beans and rice in the middle, a little cheese, chicken/beef, and whatever else sounds good to you. Then pour the tomatillo salsa over the top. Add sour cream and guac and...OLE! Enjoy.

Avy’s Pico de Gallo
2 cups tomatoes, chopped
¾ cup cilantro, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
2 Tbsp garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp salt
1-2 tsp lime juice

Mix together all ingredients.
Refrigerate, serve chilled (flavor deepens if refrigerated overnight before serving)
If you want to make a blended salsa instead of a chunky pico, just add 1 cup at a time to blender. Pulse to blend.

Chevy’s Guacamole
3 avocados
1 Tbsp lime juice
½ cup Pico de Gallo
1 ½ tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp stemmed, seeded, and minced jalapeño
1 tsp salt

Pit the avocados. Score avocado meat without cutting through the skin. Scoop out the avocado meat with a large spoon and place in mixing bowl. Add the lime juice, and stir to evenly coat the avocados. Stir in the Pico de Gallo, garlic, oil, jalepeno, and salt, gently mashing and tossing the avocado pieces. The guacamole is the right consistency when more large pieces than mashed parts remain. Do not overmash.

Chevy’s Fresh Mex Tomatillo Salsa
1 lb tomatillos, husked
½ onion, quartered
4-10 jalapeños, stemmed
1 rounded tablespoon chopped garlic
¾ cup chopped cilantro
¼ tsp cumin
1 rounded Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp lime juice

Preheat the broiler. Place the tomatillos, onion quarters, and jalapenos in a baking dish. Roast the vegetables under the broiler for 8-10 mins, or until they begin to blacken. Remove from the oven and cool. When cool, transfer the vegetables and any liquid that has seeped out, along with the rest of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and puree. Serve chilled. Makes 2 cups. Freezes well.

Chevy’s Tomatillo Salsa Verde
1 lb tomatillos, husked
3 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded, and cut in half
½ onion, quartered
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ cup chopped cilantro
½ tsp salt

In a stockpot over high heat, boil the tomatillos, jalapeños, and onion in water to cover for 5 minutes. Cook just until al dente, not soft, breaking up the onion quarters as they boil. Drain off the cooking water and transfer the boiled vegetables to a blender or food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use or for up to 3 days. Makes about 2 cups. Freezes well.

Check out my Caribbean beans and rice recipe, and my black bean recipe.
Both make excellent burritos with any of these salsas on top!

Enjoy your Mexican Food!!

Avalie's Steak Chili

2009-10-23T11:44:00.000-07:00

This recipe is to replace the Chili recipe from last year. I've been tweaking things, and I like this one better (mostly because it's all in the Crock Pot). It's also less expensive, and requires fewer fresh ingredients (which aren't always easy to get in the dead of winter). So here goes. As always, you can double the batch and freeze some for later. Reheats beautifully.

Avalie's Steak Chili
1 Qt (4 cups) Freezer Kidney Beans (last post)
1 to 1.5 lb T-bone steak (or whatever's cheap, it can even be stew meat)
1 bell pepper (any color), stem and seeds removed
4 Tbsp. canned green chilis
1 8-oz can tomato paste
1 28-oz can or jar stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder (I like to use dark)

Note: If you're making this immediately after the freezer kidney beans (last post), you can just continue to use the same Crock Pot. Either double the recipe, or remove 1 quart of beans and some liquid.

Season uncooked steak with salt and pepper. Cook steak in pan over medium heat. Cook until brown on both sides, with very little pink (or none) in the middle (about 5 mins each side). Remove from heat, drain liquid. Cut into 1 to 1/2-inch cubes, removing extra fat and any bone.

Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Cover with lid. Cook on Low for 3-4 hours, or high 2-3 hours.

Freezer Kidney Beans

2009-10-23T06:24:00.000-07:00

Imagine the convenience of canned beans, but with flavor! Give these a try, and you'll probably never go back to cans...and that means a lot of saved money!!

Freezer Kidney Beans
1 lb dry kidney beans
Soaking Water (about 12 cups)

Sort and rinse beans. Soak beans in water overnight, or for quick-soak method, combine water and beans, bring to a boil, boil for 5 minutes, remove from heat, cover and let sit for 1.5 hours.

Drain beans. Pour drained beans into Crock Pot. Add enough water to cover beans completely.
Add the following ingredients to crock pot:
1/4 cup Kosher Salt (if using table salt, cut in half)
6 Tbsp Butter or Margarine
1/4 cup minced garlic
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 bay leaf

Stir to combine. Cook on Low 12-14 hours (I like to start it after dinner and turn it off before breakfast). Test beans for doneness (soft, not chalky, and very flavorful). Remove bay leaf and discard. Turn off heat, let beans cool 30 minutes. Place cooked beans and cooking liquid in freezer containers, ziploc freezer bags, or canning jars. We like to freeze in 2 cup measurements (or pint jars), which is close to the 14 or 15 ounce cans you can buy at the store. Close container and freeze. When ready to use, simply remove from freezer and thaw in refrigerator or microwave. Great for Chili, or anything else that calls for kidney beans.

Halloween-Style Bean Dip

2009-10-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

Halloween is almost here, and you know I'm always looking for ways to use more of our delicious freezer beans! So here's a easy and fun bean dish that's black and orange, just in time for Halloween!

Black and Orange Beans
2 cups freezer black beans (see Aug 23,2009 posting)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded colby jack cheese
Other ingredients for toppings, if desired.

Heat black beans in microwave. Sprinkle cheese on top, heat until melted. Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, and fresh tomatoes, garnish with cilantro, if desired.

Alternate recipe, heat recipe as instructed, top with sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, and cilantro to create layer dip. Serve with Tortilla Chips.

Wendy's Lemon Bars

2009-10-12T14:13:00.000-07:00

OK, I admit it. This isn't a freezer recipe, but it is a FABULOUS, inexpensive, quick, easy dessert and since the holiday food season is imminent, I thought I'd post this one. You probably have most of these ingredients on hand, so it is a great recipe to use when you're in a pinch. Thanks to my good friend, Wendy J., for sending it to share!!

Wendy's Lemon Bars
Crust:
3/4 c softened butter or margarine
1 1/2 c flour
1/3 c powdered sugar
Mix with a fork, press into pan and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Filling:
3 eggs
4 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c lemon juice
Mix together well, pour over hot crust, bake at 350 for 15-30 minutes, or until lightly brown on top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar when its done baking.

Note: Wendy uses a 8x11 size pan. We've made it in a 9x9 and it works fine, just takes a little longer to bake.

Fried Zucchini and Freezer Zucchini Parmesan

2009-08-25T09:14:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again for us gardeners...so many zucchini, so few recpies. I decided to fry some last night, and they were delicious. Here's the recipe.

Fried Zucchini
1 Huge Zucchini...ours was almost 18 inches long (or a few smaller ones)
1/4 cup Kosher Salt (if using Table Salt, use less than half amount specified)
Canola Oil (for frying)
Corn Starch
4 eggs, beaten
Breadcrumbs (optional)

Peel zucchini, if desired. Cut zucchini into slices or wedges, depending on the shape you want. We cut ours about 1-inch thick, then quartered the slices. Sprinkle salt on zucchini slices. Let stand 30 minutes. Rinse salt off of zucchini. Use large, sturdy pan or skillet, pour in enough oil so it is about 1 inch deep. Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. Pour corn starch into open dish that allows you room to coat the zucchini slices in corn starch. Coat slices in corn starch. Dip coated zucchini in beaten eggs, sprinkle lightly with breadcrumbs, if deisred. Place zucchini in hot oil. Let fry 3 minutes, or until batter browns. Turn over and fry other side until browned. Remove fried zucchini from oil, place on cooling rack or paper towel-lined plate. Serve. Delicious dipped in marinara sauce, alfredo, or eaten plain. Can be served as an appetizer, or fabulous side dish.

You can also make zucchini parmesan with these.
Fried Zucchini (use the breadcrumbs for this recipe)
2 28-oz jars spaghetti or marinara sauce (or you can use my freezer sauce recipe from Sun, Jun 7)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano
1/2 lb Mozzarella cut into large chunks or shredded

Spread 1 cup of sauce in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer half of the zucchini over sauce and sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan or romano. Pour half of remaining sauce over zucchini. Then put remaining zucchini over sauce. Pour remaining sauce over top. Sprinkle 1/4 cup parmesan and mozzarella. Cover and freeze casserole (or cook immediately). Thaw completely. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes, or until cheese is lightly browned and sauce is bubbly.

Herb-Crusted Beef Tenderloin

2009-08-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

I know this cut of meat is usually expensive, but we bought half of a cow and the butcher sent all kinds of cuts of meat that I had never purchased before. So I'll be putting the successful recipes for beef cuts up for all to see. The meat was frozen immediately after butchering, so that's the "freezer" part of this recipe. :)

Herb-Crusted Beef Tenderloin
Four 4-oz Beef Tenderloin Steaks
1 tsp Whole Rosemary
1 tsp Thyme
4 tsp Minced Garlic
1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
4 tsp Balsamic Vinegar

3 Tbsp Canola Oil (for pan)

Thaw steaks 24 hours in refrigerator. Combine dry ingredients. Rub on steaks. Sprinkle garlic over steaks. Drizzle steaks with 1 tsp vinegar each. Refrigerate 2 hours. Heat 3 Tbsp. canola oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Cook steaks 5 minutes, turn and cook 5 minutes or until done (I like steaks medium well, cook less time for medium rare or medium doneness). Let steaks rest 10 minutes under foil before serving. Great with garlic mashed potatoes.

Freezer Black Beans

2009-08-23T12:22:00.000-07:00

We love beans...if they taste good. My kids can get past the texture if there's enough flavor (like in chili). Here's my recipe for Black Beans. They are simple to make, but they do take time (soaking and cooking in the crock pot). Be patient, the time is worth the result. Enjoy! Freezer Black Beans (inspired by Chevy's Restaurant) INGREDIENTS: Soaking Water, 2 lbs Black Beans, 10 cups water, 2 cups chopped onion (or 1 cup dried chopped onion), 4 Tbsp garlic (or more if you like it a lot), 2 Tbsp ground cumin, 1 Tbsp chile powder, 2 tsp dried oregano, 2 Tbsp butter, 1 Tbsp Kosher Salt (or 1/2 Tbsp. Table Salt). DIRECTIONS: Wash, sort, and rinse beans. Soak beans overnight. Drain and rinse beans. Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Cook on High 2 hours. Then cook on Low 8-10 hours (until tender). Turn off crock pot. Let beans cool 1 hour. Label freezer containers (you can use mason jars, ziploc freezer bags, or plastic freezer containers available in the canning section at the grocery store) with contents, date, and quantity. Measure beans into containers, close, and freeze. To use, thaw in refrigerator or microwave. Use in recipes that call for canned white beans. I like to measure the beans into 2 cup measures. That's about the right size for my family, and pretty close to a 14.5oz can. You can also buy pint containers and freeze them in pints.

Carribean-Style Beans and Rice

2009-08-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

I was serving Salsa Chicken (2008 posting) the other night and was searching for a great side dish to go with it. Here it is! After making it, I realized this could have easily been our main course. So delicious, and more than 11 grams of protein per serving with almost no fat. Plus, it was cheap. Most of the ingredients I needed were in my garden, and the rest were in my pantry and freezer. :) Enjoy!

(from The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook), adapted by Avalie

3 Tbsp canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1 heaping Tbsp minced garlic
1 cup coarsley chopped tomato
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 pint Freezer Black Beans (today's posting), thawed and drained (or sub one can black beans plus extra garlic)
2 cups cooked rice

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium high heat until hot. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Add chopped tomato, salt, crushed red pepper, and cumin; saute 2 minutes. Stir in cooked rice, cilantro, and black beans; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Serve with shredded cheese, if desired. Yield: 4 servings, 1 cup each. If you want to freeze this after preparation for a quick and easy side dish, simply freeze single portions in freezer bags. Reheat in microwave.

Hawaiian-Style Teriyaki Chicken

2009-07-27T07:04:00.000-07:00

When we lived in Hawaii, this chicken was one of my favorites. I've been searching for an authentic recipe for the past few years, and I think this one is the best. We served this at a Luau we had for some youth, and it was delicious! Note that it calls for bone-in chicken thighs with skin, which is a very inexpensive cut of chicken. I was able to get it on sale two weeks ago for 69 cents a pound.

Ingredients:
5 lbs chicken thighs, bone in, with skin
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 Tbsp Cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbsp water

Sauce:
1/2 cup Sugar
1 cup Water
3/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 inch piece Ginger, smashed (or substitute ginger powder)
1 clove Garlic, smashed

COOK AND EAT DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sauce ingredients in pot and bring to boil. Turn off heat and stir to dissolve sugar. Let cool. Divide sauce in half. Marinate chicken pieces in half of sauce. Reserve other half of sauce for baking pan. Marinate chicken for at least an hour, up to overnight, turning at least once. Heat oil in heavy skillet over high heat. Sear chicken pieces in skillet, working in batches. Place seared chicken pieces in baking pan, skin side down. Stir cornstarch slurry into remaining dipping sauce. Pour sauce over chicken. Bake 60 to 70 minutes, until cooked through. Pour sauce over chicken. Enjoy!

FREEZER MEAL DIRECTIONS:
Combine sauce ingredients in pot and bring to boil. Turn off heat and stir to dissolve sugar. Let cool. Divide sauce in half. Marinate chicken pieces in half of sauce. Reserve other half of sauce for freezer bags. Marinate chicken for at least an hour, up to overnight, turning at least once. Label freezer containers. Heat oil in heavy skillet over high heat. Sear chicken pieces in skillet, working in batches. Place seared chicken pieces, skin side down, in baking/freezer container (disposable foil pan) or Ziploc Freezer Bags. Stir cornstarch slurry into remaining dipping sauce.
Pour sauce over chicken. Remove air from bag, or cover pan with foil and freeze. When ready to eat, remove chicken from freezer and thaw 12-24 hours in refrigerator (if you're using a freezer bag, make sure to put it in a pan while it thaws, or you may have a big mess in your refrigerator). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake chicken 60 to 70 minutes, until cooked through. Enjoy these "ono grinds" (delicious food) with rice, macaroni salad, green salad, and pineapple. Add my Kalua Pork recipe for a full-scale authentic Hawaiian Luau!

Delicious Spaghetti Sauce

2009-06-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

So by now you know I love to be thrifty and feed my family delicious food. I was staring at my pile of White Beans in my freezer pondering on another way to use them. My kids don't love eating beans everyday, so I've been getting sneaky. We're also famous here in Happy Valley for record-breaking zucchini gardens. So I've been looking for ways to use my frozen, shredded zucchini, as well. Here's what I discovered yesterday.

I decided to try to hide some beans and zucchini in my marinara sauce, and it worked...and was delicious!

Delicious, Nutritious Spaghetti Sauce
You'll need:
#10 can of Contadina Spaghetti Sauce from Costco (for less than $4)
2 cups Freezer White Beans, blended until smooth (use the Freezer White Beans recipe from my Thursday, November 6, 2008 posting)
1-2 cups shredded zucchini

Pour spaghetti sauce into large bowl. Add blended white beans and shredded zucchini. Stir until well blended. Makes about 14 cups of delicious spaghetti sauce.

The beans add flavor (extra garlic from the recipe) and tomato sauce-like texture. The zucchini absorbs the flavor of the sauce and looks like seasonings. It is delicious and SO good for you! Serve over noodles, or use in the Meaty Lasagna recipe. Freeze in 1 cup or 1 pint jars, and thaw when ready to use. Enjoy your high-protein, high-fiber spaghetti sauce!

Yummy Garlic-Cheese Bread Rolls

2009-06-07T16:38:00.001-07:00

My friend Wendy Williams gave me the fabulous idea for this recipe. Her creativity in the kitchen never ceases to inspire me. I whipped these up this week, and they disappeared very quickly! My husband stashed a few for the next day, and they reheated beautifully in the microwave.

Garlic-Cheese Bread Rolls
Use my Pizza Dough Recipe from the January posting.

You'll also need:
Butter or margarine (I like country crock in the tub...it spreads easily)
California Garlic Seasoning (Wendy recommends the kind from Costco, I used Kroger brand)
Parmesan Cheese and Mozzarella Cheese (or whatever kind sounds good to you!)

Make pizza dough. Divide into two pieces (you can make one pizza and one batch of rolls if you'd like...or you can cook one batch and freeze the other). Roll dough out on a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll until dough is less than 1/2 inch thick. Spread a thin layer of butter/margarine all over dough. Sprinkle California Garlic Seasoning Blend over butter. Sprinkle thin layer of cheese over butter mixture. Roll up the dough jelly-roll/cinnamon roll-style. Cut into rolls (I cut them about 2-inches thick), and place on rimmed baking sheet or stoneware. Repeat with other piece of dough. Preheat oven to 350F. Let rise until about doubled in size. Bake until cooked through, about 15-30 minutes (it takes 11 minutes in my convection oven). Makes 24-30 garlic-cheese bread rolls. Serve with ranch or marinara dipping sauce. This also makes a great companion to Minestrone soup, or fresh salad.

If using after freezing dough, remove from freezer and let thaw and rise until doubled in size (4-6 hours). Bake at 350 until cooked through, 15-30 minutes.

Sweet and Sour for the Freezer

2009-06-07T16:09:00.000-07:00

My friend Lisa Joy is seeking out a great Sweet and Sour recipe, so here it is! I'll give you all two to choose from, and you can decide which you like the best. You can make the sauce and freeze it alone, or you can freeze your cooked meat and raw veggies in the sauce.

Sweet and Sour Sauce
(from Make-A-Mix, by Eliason, Harward, and Westover)

2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 and 1/4 cups pineapple juice
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp. soy sauce

In saucepan, combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup pineapple juice until smooth. Stir in remaining juice and remaining ingredients. Cook and stir until smooth and slightly thickened.

Note from Avalie: You can freeze the sauce, or serve it immediately.
When ready to serve, simply thaw the sauce and reheat.

Here's the next recipe. My family prefers this one.

Deborah's Sweet and Sour Chicken
(from Once-A-Month Cooking by Wilson and Lagerborg)
Sauce:
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 eight-oz can pineapple chunks (reserve juice)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 cup coarsely chopped celery
1 cup coarsley chopped onion
3 cups cooked, diced chicken
1 cup coarsley chopped green bell pepper
1 four-oz can mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 eight-oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in white vinegar, juice from pineapple chunks, soy sauce, salt, garlic, paprika, ginger, celery, and onion. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, stirring constantly until thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in pineapple chunks, chicken, bell pepper, mushrooms, and water chestnuts. Put in an 8-cup freezer container and freeze.

To prepare before serving, thaw chicken and put in a baking dish treated with nonstick spray. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350 F oven for 45 minutes. Prepare rice according package directions. Serve chicken over rice.

Note from Avalie: I omit the paprika and freeze the sauce without the chicken and veggies in it. We use this sauce over my Fried Chicken Chunks.

Enjoy!

Breakfast Casserole

2009-05-26T08:46:00.000-07:00

This is a great brunch potluck item, or a great way to use leftovers for a delicious breakfast that will feed a lot of people. Just so you know, you can use just about any meat or veggie in this casserole. It is very flexible. If the combination sounds good to you, it will probably taste good to you, too. Bacon, asparagus, steak, chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes...the list goes on. Just remember to cook your meat thoroughly before baking, and use veggies that are soft (or else you'll have crunchy veggies in your casserole).
I've had a lot of requests for this recipe, so here it is!

Mix together:
3 cups Biscuit Mix (see recipe below)
1 cup water
Spread biscuit dough on greased 9x13 pan

Combine in separate bowl:
8 eggs
8 oz ground sausage, browned and drained
1 cup cubed butternut squash
1 cup cubed green pepper
1 cup cheese
1 onion, diced
1 cup cubed ham

Mix well, pour egg mixture into 9x13 pan over biscuit dough. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes, or until biscuit dough is cooked through and eggs are set.

Serve with salsa.

Biscuit Mix (makes a lot!)
8 and 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup powdered milk
1/2 cup dehydrated whole egg
1/4 cup baking powder
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
2 and 1/2 cups shortening

Measure all dry ingredients, mix well. Cut in shortening until well mixed. Store in airtight container for up to 6 months.

Freezer French Fries

2009-05-13T18:24:00.001-07:00

Potatoes are on sale right now (10 lbs or more for less than $2). To capitalize on this bargain, I like to buy a few bags and process them all for the freezer. The trick to freezing potatoes is to realize that the texture will be different once you freeze them. But if you notice, most fries that you buy are frozen (even Wendy's, McD's, etc use frozen fries). So the texture change works in your favor for french fries (it doesn't work as well for mashed potatoes). Here's how you can do it at home...saving money and calories in the process! Pair this recipe with the Easy Pleasing Meatloaf (2008 post) or Home-Grilled Hamburgers made with my Hamburger Patties Recipe (2008 post) and Italian Rolls (I'll post this next) for Hamburger Buns, and you're in for a treat.

Freezer French Fries

Ingredients
Potatoes (Any kind will work. Try different varieties and see which type your family likes best.)
Oil (Canola, Vegetable, or Olive all work great...it just depends on your preference)
Salt and seasonings (Johnny's Seasoning Salt, Mrs Dash, Kosher Salt, Garlic Salt are all fun to try)
Ziploc Freezer Bags

Label Bag with date, "French Fries: Bake at 425F for 30-40 minutes, or until cooked through." Peel potatoes, if desired. Slice your potatoes into desired size. We like to make "steak fries" by slicing them about 1 inch wide, 1/4 inch deep, and 4-5 inches long. You can make them any size you like. Put sliced potatoes into ziploc bags, in a family-sized portion. These fries (like all fries) do not reheat well, so cook enough for one sitting at a time. Add oil to the bag. You'll want to add enough oil so that the potatoes are coated with oil, but not so much that there's more oil than potatoes. This is the oil that your fries will be "frying" in while they're in the oven. I'd estimate that for a gallon-sized bag of fries, I add about 1 cup of oil. Zip up the bag and shake, so all fries are coated with oil. Then open the bag and add seasoning to taste. Place immediately in the freezer. Best to lay flat to freeze, so you can put it right onto your baking sheet when you're ready.

Baking Directions:
No need to thaw. Preheat oven to 425. Remove ziploc from freezer, remove frozen contents from bag and place directly on rimmed baking sheet (we use stoneware) or casserole dish. Bake at 425 for 30-40 minutes, or until crispy on the outside and flaky in the middle, turning fries over mid-way through baking.

Fabulous French Bread

2009-05-13T18:18:00.000-07:00

Here it is...the famous French Bread recipe! No oils or fats (except the glaze), just a few pantry staple ingredients, and you're good to go. Turn spaghetti or soup night into a special event...without running to the store. As a matter of fact, with my convection oven, I can make, raise, and bake this faster from scratch than I can run to the store with my kids and get some from the bakery! Here you go...

Delicious French Bread
Kathy Summers and Avalie Muhlestein

Ingredients
3 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees F)
2 Tbsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
7-8 cups bread flour
Optional Ingredients for Baking:
cornmeal for greased pan
1 egg white, beaten, with 1 Tbsp. water for glaze

Put warm water in mixing bowl, add yeast and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Let rise for 5 minutes (make sure it gets bubbly). Add salt to yeast mixture and stir. Add 5 cups flour (make sure to stir flour in its container to fluff so it is not too dense). Stir vigorously until well blended. Add 1-2 cups flour, ½ cup at a time, until dough pulls cleanly away from sides of bowl. Knead dough on floured work surface until dough is smooth and elastic (or use KitchenAid Mixer to knead). Shape into 2 loaves.

To Freeze: Freeze each loaf separately in Ziploc Gallon freezer bag (put in freezer immediately and check after a few hours).

Baking Directions
Remove loaf from freezer. Thaw on baking sheet (we prefer stoneware) (you can put cornmeal on the pan if you like). Let rise until double in size. Slash the top of the loaf with four diagonal slashes, ¼ inch deep. Brush the loaf with egg white glaze, if desired (this gives a nice glossy finish to the bread). For a harder crust, place a pot of boiling water on the lowest rack of the oven (make sure to use an ovenproof pot). Preheat oven to 400. Bake 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes on wire rack. Enjoy!

(Handmade Breads pg. 52)

Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes

2009-03-14T20:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I LOVE mashed potatoes. But I want them ready when I get home from being at church meetings, volunteering, etc. I also hate watching them boil because I have a little climber who wants me to hold him every minute I'm standing in front of the stove. So I developed a way to get the potatoes cooked without me standing over the stove! This way you can do all of the prep work before leaving for the day, without worrying that the potatoes will turn brown! Pull out your slow cooker and your mixer, and you're good to go.

Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes
Potatoes, cut in 2-inch cubes (peel if you want to)
Water to cover potatoes
Salt
(you'll add other stuff...milk, sour cream, butter, garlic, etc)

Wash, cut (and peel, if desired) your potatoes, place the pieces in your crock pot. Fill your crock pot with enough water to cover the potatoes. Add 1 tsp salt (if desired). Cook on high 3-4 hours, or low 8 hours or until potatoes are easily pierced by a fork. Drain liquid (you can use it to make potato bread or add some back to the potatoes instead of milk...the liquid is very high in nutrients). Place potatoes in mixer (or a big bowl if you're mashing by hand) and mix. Add milk, butter, garlic salt, sour cream, or whatever else you like in your mashed potatoes. Mix until they're as smooth as you like them. Serve and enjoy!!

Tasty Pizza Dough

2009-01-21T22:04:00.000-08:00

Once again, I'm giving you a big recipe. I like to make this dough, cook one, and then freeze the other. Make sure to stretch the dough into the shape of your pan before you freeze it, so when you pull it out to cook it, you can throw it right into the pan, put the toppings on, and bake it. You'll save time and frustration. Rolling out frozen dough is NO FUN. :)

Pizza Dough:
3 cups warm water (110-120 degrees)
2 Tbsp. yeast
1 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. light olive oil
1 cup whole wheat flour
6 to 7 cups flour

Grease your pans (I like to use 3-4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a jelly-roll style pan with edges so I get that crispy texture on the bottom of the crust).

Put water in mixing bowl, add yeast and stir. Watch for yeast mixture to start bubbling.

Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and olive oil to yeast mixture. Stir.

Add whole wheat flour and 3 cups of flour. Stir

Add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until your dough pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl.

Knead dough (you can use your KitchenAid or Bosch for this part, too)
Dough should be smooth, but not hard to knead.

Divide dough into two equal portions (or more if you want to make individual pizzas). Stretch into greased pan for cooking. If you plan to freeze, roll out dough to size of pan, place waxed paper or parchment paper on a cookie sheet, and place dough on paper. Place in freezer until hard. Wrap in foil or plastic wrap and return to freezer until ready to use. When ready to cook, pull dough out 1 hour before cooking time, and place in greased pan. Watch for it to begin rising, you'll know it is time to put the toppings on!

Top the dough with pizza sauce, cheese (we like to use a mixture of mozzarella, cheddar, colby jack, Parmesan, and Romano), and toppings. If you want a stuffed crust, simply roll string cheese (pulled into 3-4 pieces) into edges of the crust. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes, until crust is browned on bottom (Convection oven: 425 for 10 minutes). Let cool for 5-10 minutes, then enjoy!

Cheesy Breadstick Variation:
Roll out dough, top with butter/margarine, Italian Seasoning, Garlic Salt, and cheese. Before baking, use pizza cutter to cut 1-2 inch strips in the dough. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes, until breadsticks are browned and cheese is melted. Serve with marinara dipping sauce. Great way to spice up your spaghetti dinner!

New Waffle Recipe--Dry Mix and Freezer Directions!!

2009-01-21T21:45:00.001-08:00

Here's some delicious waffles to try. I double the recipe, we eat some and freeze the rest for later. I've converted the recipe to include food storage items, so you can create a dry mix, if you want. Happy Waffling!! :)

4 oz flour (yep, you weigh it instead of using a measuring cup)
4 oz whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp egg powder (or 3 eggs)
1/4 c. plus 1/8 c. dry milk powder

Mix dry ingredients in medium mixing bowl. You can put this mix into a plastic container and add water and vegetable oil when you're ready to cook it. Or you can continue on...

Then, in another bowl, mix
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 and 3/4 cup water (omit 1/4 cup water if using fresh eggs)

Pour wet ingredients into bowl with dry ingredients. Mix until smooth.
Pour on hot greased waffle iron, and cook according to waffle iron manufacturer's directions. Enjoy! If you have some to freeze, place them on a cookie sheet in the freezer until they are hard. Place frozen waffles in a gallon-sized Ziploc freezer bag. Label with date. To reheat, remove from freezer, reheat in microwave or toaster oven (my kids like them soft from the microwave, but I prefer them crunchy from the toaster oven).

Award-Winning Wheat Bread

2008-11-23T14:17:00.000-08:00

Yep, it really did win an award. This bread won 1st place in our Stake Preparedness Cook-Off. It makes great rolls, bread, pizza, cinnamon rolls, and breadsticks. It's light, delicious, and nutritious. You'll love it. Give it a try!

Whole Wheat Bread
(Yield: 3 large loaves. You can split the recipe in half or third if you don’t need that much bread. Also makes awesome rolls, cinnamon rolls, breadsticks, etc. Or better yet, make the whole batch and share some! Dough freezes well in Ziploc freezer bags. Just freeze before rising, remove from freezer a few hours before you’re ready to bake it, let it rise, and you have fresh bread.)

Ingredients
3 cups warm water (110 to 120 degrees)
3 Tbsp Instant Active Dry Yeast
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Salt
2/3 Cup Olive Oil
2/3 Cup Honey
6 Cups Whole Wheat Flour (if you grind it yourself, you need to add 1 Tbsp Wheat Gluten per cup of Whole Wheat Flour)
1-3 Cups All-Purpose or Bread Flour

You can make this by hand, or you can use your Bosch or KitchenAid with the dough hook. Pour warm water into large bowl, sprinkle yeast on top of water, add brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Let stand for 1 to 5 minutes, to make sure that yeast is active and bubbling. If yeast does not rise or bubble after 5 minutes, discard and start again or use dough for breadsticks or pizza dough. Add salt, olive oil, and honey to yeast mixture. Stir well. Add 6 cups whole wheat flour (and gluten, if you need it) to yeast mixture. Stir until combined. Add all-purpose or bread flour ½ cup at a time until dough is smooth and elastic, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. This dough should not be hard to knead. Remove from bowl and knead (or use mixer to knead for 3-5 minutes). Shape into loaves, rolls, or roll out for cinnamon rolls or breadsticks. Put in greased pan (or use stoneware, my personal favorite). Let rise until double in size. Bake loaves at 350 degrees for 40-55 minutes, depending on size of loaves. If baking in a convection oven, bake loaves for 25 minutes. Bake rolls for 15+ minutes (depending on size of rolls). Bake pizzas at 500 degrees for 10 minutes (I’ve only tried this in a convection oven, so I don’t know how it works in a standard oven).

Baked French Toast and Challah Bread

2008-11-23T14:12:00.000-08:00

Hey All!
Here's one of my favorites. I just remembered it because I'm making it today.

Oven-Baked French Toast
Everyday Food Magazine, adapted by Avalie
4 Large Eggs
1 and 1/2 cups milk (can use church cannery dried milk reconstituted)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
4 thick slices challah bread or other egg bread (recipe for Challah bread below)
2 Tbsp melted butter

In a 9x13 baking dish, whisk together eggs, milk, 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla, and salt.
Arrange bread in dish in a single layer; let soak 15 minutes in refrigerator.
Turn bread over; cover, and refrigerate until most of the liquid is absorbed, at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
Preheat oven to 350.
Brush a rimmed baking sheet (I like stoneware better) with butter.
With a spatula, carefully transfer soaked bread to sheet.
Bake until French toast is set in center and lightly browned on the bottom, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve or cool and freeze in ziploc freezer bags.

To reheat frozen French toast, heat in microwave or toaster oven until warmed through. Serve with syrup, powdered sugar, or jam. SO TASTY! This is as fast as Eggo Waffles to reheat from frozen. Way better for you, and WAY better tasting (not to mention very cheap to make!) I make one or two batches of Challah Bread, and it makes LOADS of French toast. I just cook up a few dozen pieces, then freeze them. My family can help themselves to a great meal out of the freezer whenever they want it!

Challah Bread (we use it for French Toast)
Handmade Breads by Kathy Summers --this is an AWESOME BOOK! (Ordering info: see below)

You don't need a mixer to make this delicious bread. I have to admit, I do use my KitchenAid, since we make bread multiple times each week.

1 and 3/4 cups warm water
2 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup light olive oil
4 large eggs
6 to 7 cups bread flour (or unbleached flour)

Spray large baking pan with non-stick cooking spray (I use stoneware baking pans)
Measure warm water (110 to 115 degrees F) into a large mixing bowl
Sprinkle the yeast over the top of the warm water, add the sugar and stir until they dissolve.
Add salt, oil, and eggs to the yeast mixture. Stir.
Add 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture. Stir vigorously.
Add 1 to 2 cups more flour, approximately 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until the dough pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl.
Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead in 1/2 to 1 cup flour until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. The dough should not be hard to knead.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the dough into two pieces for two loaves, or three pieces for one large braided loaf. Roll each piece into a loaf shape (or long ropes if you are going to braid it). Place on a greased baking pan.
Let the dough rise until almost doubled in size
Brush the top with a beaten egg, if desired.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove from pan. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before cutting.
If making into French toast, cut into 1-inch thick slices.

Handmade Breads by Kathy Summers (one of our friends from Hawaii)
Ordering Information:
963 Holoholo Street
Kailua, Hawaii 96734

Vegetarian Dish

2008-11-18T10:56:00.000-08:00

I adore French Onion Soup. So when I found a recipe for it, I thought I'd give it a try. Then I discovered that it can be frozen. Yipee! I'm still working with it a little. I don't think its salty enough. I'm going to make another batch today, and I'll let you know what I discover. Meanwhile, here's the recipe:

French Onion Soup
6 onions, sliced thin
4 Tbsp Butter
1/4 tsp. Salt
4 cups water
1 can beef broth
1 tsp. dried thyme
French Bread
Gruyere or Swiss cheese

Melt butter over med-low heat in 12-inch skillet. Add onions and salt to cook. When onions are tender, and begin to carmelize (45 minutes), reduce heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, 15 minutes more until turn deep golden brown. Transfer onions to another pot. Add water, beef broth, and thyme.
Heat to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450.
Bake French bread for 10 minutes
Place oven-proof bowls on pan. Spoon soup into bowls.
Top soup with bread, then grate Gruyere or Swiss cheese onto bread.
Bake 12-15 minutes, until cheese has melted and begun to brown.

To FREEZE: Ladle soup into individual freezer containers (plastic or pint mason jars), let cool. Place slice of bread in plastic ziploc bag, grate cheese into another ziploc bag. Seal cheese bag, place inside of bread bag, label. Put lid on soup, tape bread/cheese bag to soup container. Freeze. When ready to reheat, thaw soup in refrigerator or microwave. No need to thaw bread and cheese. Then follow last two instructions in recipe. Bread and cheese will take longer to brown from frozen. Enjoy!

Apples

2008-11-07T15:48:00.000-08:00

Boy, do I love desserts! Here's my favorite Apple Crisp recipe. It's my own creation...inspired by many of my favorite pie and crisp recipes, and (of course), it's great for the freezer. You can make a bunch of crisps in disposable pie tins, cover them with foil, and put them away in your freezer for special occasions.

Avalie's Delicious Apple Crisp

FILLING:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon
4 cups peeled and sliced apples
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. nutmeg (optional)

Avalie's Famous Crumb TOPPING (makes enough for 3+ crisps):
2 cups oats
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup cold margarine/butter

Peel and slice apples, pour lemon juice over apples. Mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg (if desired) in a small bowl. Pour sugar mixture over apples and mix until coated. Pour apple mixture into pie tin or small casserole dish.

Combine oats, flour, sugars, margarine/butter in KitchenAid mixer (or cut-in with a pastry blender) until resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over cobbler(s).
BAKE: Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes, or until apples are tender. Serve alone, or with whipped cream or ice cream. Refrigerate leftovers. Reheats great in microwave.

TO FREEZE: Finish assembling crisp, cover with foil, label, and freeze.

TO BAKE FROM FROZEN: Preheat oven to 375. Bake, covered, 1 hour, or until apples are tender.

VARIATION: Put a pie crisp in the pie tin, fill with apple mixture, and top with crumb topping. Now you have an Apple Crumb Pie. Bake 375 for 1 hour, until pie crust is baked. Delicious!

Dry Beans

2008-11-06T16:36:00.000-08:00

Okay, it's time to tackle dry beans. I was inspired by my sister-in-law in Seattle who asked for vegetarian freezer meal ideas. Plus, everyone's trying to find easy ways to stretch their food budget dollars. I can't think of a better way than to incorporate dry beans into your meals! They're inexpensive, readily available, and have an almost eternal shelf life! :) Of course, now we need to figure out how to use them. So all of us have used canned beans before, right? I've spent the last few weeks figuring out how to make our dry beans as convenient and easy to use as the cans, without the expense. I got started with the book Make-A-Mix by Eliason, Harward, and Westover. Then I adapted the ideas for crock pot, and created my own kidney bean recipe. So pull out your crock pot and a few simple pantry items, and you'll be ready to go. It takes a little time, but your crock pot does all of the work. You just need to throw it all in and let it cook.

Here goes:

Freezer White Beans
Soaking Water
2 lbs Great Northern Beans
10 cups water
1 cup dried chopped onion (or one large onion, chopped)
1 Tbsp garlic (or more if you like it a lot)
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp. Black Pepper

Wash, sort, and rinse beans. Soak beans overnight. Drain and rinse beans. Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Cook on High 2 hours. Then cook on Low 8-10 hours (until tender).
Turn off crock pot. Let beans cool 1 hour. Label freezer containers (you can use mason jars, ziploc freezer bags, or plastic freezer containers available in the canning section at the grocery store) with contents, date, and quantity. Measure beans into containers, close, and freeze. To use, thaw in refrigerator or microwave. Use in recipes that call for canned white beans.

I like to measure the beans into 2 cup measures. That's about the right size for my family, and pretty close to a 14.5oz can.

So, yep, you guessed it! You can do this with ANY bean. The only thing that changes is the quantity of beans and seasonings in the recipe, since each dry bean will inflate to a different size after soaking, and each bean needs different levels of flavor to not taste chalky.

Freezer Kidney Beans
Soaking Water
6 cups Kidney Beans
10 cups water
1 cup dried chopped onion (or 1 large onion, chopped)
3 Tbsp. garlic
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. Kosher Salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Wash, sort and rinse beans. Soak overnight. Drain, rinse beans. Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Cook on high 2 hours then on low 8-10 hours. Cool 1 hour. Measure into labeled containers, seal, and freeze. To use, thaw in refrigerator or microwave. Add to recipes that call for canned kidney beans.

Freezer Pinto Beans
Soaking Water
6 cups dried pinto beans
10 cups water
2 cups dried chopped onion (or 3 onions, chopped)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Wash, sort, and rinse beans. Soak beans overnight. Drain, rinse beans. Combine soaked beans, water, onions, garlic, butter, Kosher salt, and pepper in crock pot. Cook on High 2 hours, then on Low 8 hours. Let cool 1 hour before putting in freezer containers. Measure in to labeled containers, seal, and freeze. Great subsititute for canned pinto beans, or use it in any Mexican dish...mash and fry them for great refried beans, or use them straight on your favorite burrito.

Chili Con Carne

2008-09-16T15:15:00.000-07:00

Chili Con Carne

1 lb. beef round, fat trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (or substitute ground beef)
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large green pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 large yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 large banana pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 large jalepeno pepper, finely chopped
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 15-oz can tomato sauce

1 6-oz can tomato paste
2 15-oz cans kidney beans
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 bay leaf

Preheat oven to 350. Combine meat and garlic in a large sauté pan or skillet and cook over medium heat until meat is browned; drain liquid. Add onion, all of the peppers, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, paste and kidney beans to the meat. Stir until well mixed; add spices. Pour mixture into a 2 ½ quart casserole. Cover and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool, freeze in clean containers (mason jars or plastic freezer containers). Reheat in the microwave when ready to serve.

Savory Apricot Chicken

2008-09-16T13:36:00.000-07:00

Savory Apricot Chicken

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
1 Gallon Ziploc Freezer Bag
2 lbs Chicken Breast
1 cup apricot preserves
1 can chicken or vegetable broth
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
FREEZER DIRECTIONS
1. Label bag with cooking directions, recipe name, and date.
2. In a gallon-sized Ziploc freezer bag, combine the jam, broth and soup mix. Mix together.
3. Add chicken breast to bag
4. Squeeze out air and seal bag.
5. Freeze.
COOKING DIRECTIONS:
1. Place bag in refrigerator to thaw 24 hours ahead.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Place chicken pieces in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour apricot mixture over chicken and bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Serve with rice and vegetables.

Chicken Pot Pie

2008-09-16T13:34:00.000-07:00

Gram’s Chicken Pot Pie Updated
www.kraftfoods.com
(Adapted for Freezer by Avalie)

WHAT YOU NEED:
1 Disposable baking tin
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
1/4 lb. (4 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (1/2 of 17.3-oz. pkg.), thawed
1 egg, beaten

FREEZER DIRECTIONS:
1. Cook and stir chicken in dressing in large skillet on medium heat 5 min. or until done. Stir in vegetables, soup and VELVEETA. Spoon into greased disposable 9x9 baking pan.
2. Unfold pastry sheet; place over chicken mixture. Fold under edges of pastry; press onto top of baking dish to seal. Brush with egg. Cut several slits in crust to permit steam to escape. Cover with foil and freeze.
3. Place pot pie in refrigerator 24 hours in advance, if possible.
4. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Bake 30 min. or until crust is deep golden brown. Let stand 5 min.
5. If cooking from frozen, bake (covered with foil) until middle is heated through. Let stand 5 minutes.

CONVENTIONAL DIRECTIONS:
HEAT oven to 400ºF. Cook and stir chicken in dressing in large skillet on medium heat 5 min. or until done. Stir in vegetables, soup and VELVEETA. Spoon into greased 9-inch square baking dish.
UNFOLD pastry sheet; place over chicken mixture. Fold under edges of pastry; press onto top of baking dish to seal. Brush with egg. Cut several slits in crust to permit steam to escape. Place on baking sheet.
BAKE 30 min. or until crust is deep golden brown. Let stand 5 min.

Got Zucchini?

2008-08-25T16:44:00.001-07:00

Our little garden is bursting with Zucchini and Yellow Squash. So I've been collecting great recipes for zukes. As far as freezing goes, your choices are a bit limited. Try cubing the zucchini to use in soups or casseroles. Pre-measure and freeze. You can shred the zukes, then measure into freezer bags. I usually freeze in 3 or 4 cup measurements, so I can make my Zucchini Bread with them. Or, you can make the Zucchini Bread and freeze it. Quick breads (breads that aren't given time to rise...and they usually don't include yeast as an ingredient) freeze wonderfully. Just make sure you let them cool completely before freezing.

Here's a new one we tried today. It's from Everyday Food Magazine (by Martha Stewart), September 2008 edition, pg 68. We grow all of these veggies in our garden, so the soup is very inexpensive to make.

Late-Summer Vegetable Soup
4 ears corn, husks and silks removed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) vegetable or chicken broth
2 large zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
8 ounces green beans (stem ends removed), cut into thirds (you can use frozen if you don't have any fresh ones)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 cup orzo

1. Cut off tip of each ear of corn. One a time, stand ears in a wide bowl. With a sharp knife, carefully slice downward to release kernels. Discard cobs; set kernels aside.
2. In a 5-qt pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 3-5 minutes.
3. Add broth and 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Add zucchini, green beans, corn, tomatoes (with juice), and orzo; cook, uncovered, until orzo is tender, 8 to 11 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

To Freeze: Ladle 1.5 cups into each of six resealable plastic bags. Store flat in freezer, up to 3 months. Before reheating, thaw in refrigerator (in a pan or bowl so it doesn't leak in your fridge).

Or, eat your zukes right out of your garden. Here's an idea...

Garlic Zucchini (great side dish)

1-2 Medium Zucchini
3 Tbsp. Butter
1 Tbsp. Garlic
1 tsp. Kosher Salt (do not use regular salt)

Slice Zucchini into desired size. You can cube it, or leave it in circles. Melt butter in medium pan, add garlic and sliced zucchini. Cook 1-3 minutes, until zucchini begins to soften. Turn over and cook 1-3 more minutes. Remove from heat, put on serving plates. Sprinkle with Kosher Salt.

Salmon

2008-08-16T21:04:00.001-07:00

Savory Salmon
(A little nod to my Pacific Northwest roots)
(Cooking Light Complete Cookbook, adapted by Avalie)
1/2 c. Soy Sauce
1 T. Vegetable Oil
1 T. Lemon Juice
1/8 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. Black Pepper
1 clove Garlic, minced (we double this)
4 (6-oz.) Salmon Fillets

1. Combine Soy Sauce, Oil, Lemon Juice, Salt, Pepper, and Garlic in large ziploc freezer bag. 2. Add fish to bag; seal. 3. Squeeze out air and freeze.

To prepare: Remove bag from freezer and allow to thaw in refrigerator (24 hours works best). Prepare grill. Remove fish from bag, discard marinade. Place fish on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Note: This recipe also works great with frozen fish. You can freeze the frozen fish in the marinade, or simply let the fish thaw in the marinade. Just make sure you marinade the fish for at least an hour. The salmon that is frozen in the marinade has a lot more of the marinade flavor, since it is marinading so long. We love it this way. Delicious salmon goodness! MMMM!

Pork

2008-08-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

Café Rio-Style Pork
(updated from L. Rhoton)
3-4 lbs pork roast
2 ½ cups Dr. Pepper or Coke (NOT DIET!)
1 12 oz bottle taco sauce
1 ¾ cup brown sugar
Juice from 3-4 limes
½ tsp. chipotle chili pepper seasoning
1 Tbsp. cumin

Combine in slow cooker. Cook Low 8-12 hours, or until shreds easily. Shred pork. Divide into family-sized portions and place in freezer bags. Let cool. Remove air from bag, seal, and freeze. When ready to eat, reheat in microwave. Serve on salad, tortillas, or chips.

Saucy Pork Chops
(Fix It and Forget It Cookbook, adapted for freezer by Avalie)
4 pork chops
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. oil
2 cups ketchup
½ cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. hickory flavored liquid smoke
1 cup onions, chopped

Season chops with salt and pepper, and garlic powder. Brown on both sides in oil in skillet. Drain. Combine ketchup, brown sugar, liquid smoke, and onions in freezer bag. Squeeze around to mix sauce. Add browned pork chops. Squeeze air out of bag and seal. Freeze. To cook, let thaw in refrigerator overnight. Pour contents of bag into slow cooker. Cover. Cook on Low 7-9 hours, or High 4-5 hours. Great with rice, fries, or potatoes.

Sweet Pork Roast
1 can Coke
1 tsp. garlic
¾ cup ketchup
½ brown sugar
¼ cup barbeque sauce (we like Bullseye best)
¼ cup Coke

Pour 1 can Coke on 3-6 lb pork roast. Cook on Low 15-24 hours. After roast has cooked, shred with coke still in pan. Drain Coke and fat. Mix rest of ingredients together. Pour over shredded pork. Cook another 1-2 hours. Serve on toasted buns. Or cool and freeze in Ziploc freezer bags in dinner-sized portions. To serve from frozen, simply remove from freezer bag and reheat in microwave.

Kalua Pig (Luau Pork)
(my recipe from living in Hawaii and experimenting with my crock pot)
6-8 lb pork roast (bone in is fine)
1/8 to ½ cup Kosher salt (depending on how salty you like it...start with less and increase)
3 cloves minced garlic
½ cup liquid smoke
1 cup water

Rub salt over roast. Set roast in slow cooker. Add other ingredients to slow cooker. Cover. Cook on Low 6-12 hours, or until meat shreds easily with fork. Shred meat. Serve over rice. Or cool and freeze in Ziploc freezer bags in dinner-sized portions. To serve from frozen, simply remove from freezer bag and reheat in microwave.

Ground Beef

2008-08-04T15:46:00.001-07:00

Meatball Mix
(Make-A-Mix Cookbook, pg 44)

4 lb. lean ground beef
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup dry bread crumbs
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 cups milk

Preheat oven to 375. Combine all ingredients (I like to use my Kitchenaid mixer to keep by hands clean). Blend well. Shape mixture into 1 to 1½ inch balls (I use the medium scoop from Pampered Chef). Place balls on ungreased baking sheet (or mini muffin pans) and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until browned.Remove immediately and drain on paper towels. When cooled, put about 20 meatballs each into four 1-quart freezer containers, leaving ½ inch space at top. Seal and label with date and contents. Freeze. (Reheat in microwave.) Use within 3 months. Makes about 80 meatballs.

Easy Pleasing Meatloaf
www.kraftfoods.com
2 lb. lean ground beef
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 cup water
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce, divided

Non-Freezer Directions:PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Mix all ingredients except 1/4 cup of the barbecue sauce.SHAPE meat mixture into oval loaf in 13x9-inch baking dish; top with remaining 1/4 cup barbecue sauce.BAKE 1 hour or until cooked through (160ºF).

Freezer Directions (by Avalie):MIX all ingredients together in Ziploc Freezer Bag, squeeze out air and close bag.FREEZE.When ready to eat, THAW meatloaf in refrigerator and BAKE 1 hour or until cooked through (160ºF).OR BAKE frozen meatloaf, covered, for 2 hours or until cooked through (this method can produce a drier meatloaf).

Seasoned Ground Beef
(my recipe)
3-4 lbs ground beef
4 cloves minced garlic
1 medium onion, minced
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning

Brown ground beef, drain fat. Add garlic and onion to pan, return to heat. Simmer until garlic and onion are soft and transparent (2-3 minutes). Add Italian Seasoning and stir until mixed. Remove from heat. Divide into labeled quart-sized freezer bags (I like to freeze in 1-lb portions, since many recipes call for this amount). Let cool. Remove air from bag and freeze. When ready to use, reheat in microwave or thaw in refrigerator. Or use it in your slow cooker recipe frozen, and add an hour to your cook time.Add this to any casserole, soup, or any other recipe that calls for ground beef. If your family doesn’t like garlic or onions, simply omit them.

Crock Pot Sloppy Joes
(Fix It and Forget It Cookbook, adapted for freezer by Avalie)
3 lbs ground beef, browned and drained
1 onion, finely chopped (dehydrated is fine--just add extra water)
1 green pepper, chopped (dehydrated is fine--just add extra water)
2 8-oz cans tomato sauce
¾ cup ketchup
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. chili powder
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. garlic powder

Combine all ingredients (except rolls) in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hours, or High 3-4 hours. Divide into meal-sized portions for your family and put each family-sized portion in quart-sized freezer bag. Let cool. Remove air from bag and seal. Freeze. When ready to eat, remove bag and reheat in microwave. Serve in rolls or on baked potatoes.

Hamburger Patties
(my recipe)
4 lbs ground beef
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
1-2 eggs
Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl with your hands (or put half at a time into a ziploc freezer bag and squish it around) until well mixed. Shape into patties, place each pattie in Ziploc freezer bag, separating each layer with waxed paper (to keep them from sticking together). Remove air from bag and seal. Freeze laying flat, so patties keep proper shape. When ready to grill hamburgers, do not thaw. Simply place frozen patties on grill, and cook until cooked through. If pan-frying hamburgers, thaw first.

Taco Meat
(my recipe)
4-5 lbs ground beef
Taco Seasoning
Water

Brown ground beef, drain fat, add taco seasoning and water. Follow directions on taco seasoning package for proportions and simmer times (each brand is a little different). Package 1-3 cups (depending on how much your family eats in one meal) of cooked taco meat into labeled quart-sized Ziploc freezer bags. Let cool. Remove air from bag, seal, and freeze. When ready to serve, simply remove from bag, and microwave until heated through. Makes great burritos, tacos, and taco salads.

Meaty Lasagna
(Simply Casseroles Cookbook, adapted for freezer by Avalie)
1 lb cooked, seasoned ground beef
1 28-oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 6-oz can tomato paste
½ tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 16-oz container Ricotta cheese or Cottage Cheese
2 cups (8-oz package) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, divided
1 16-oz package lasagna noodles, uncooked
Disposable 13x9 foil lasagna pan, multiple loaf pans, or foil for “phantom container method” (see tips on Intro to Freezer Meals Posting for details)

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and Italian Seasoning. Mix until well blended. In another bowl, combine Ricotta/Cottage Cheese, half of mozzarella, and half of Parmesan. Mix until well blended. Place 3 uncooked lasagna noodles lengthwise on bottom of baking dish; break a noodle in half and set it at end of dish to fill entire length. Spread 1/3 of ricotta mixture over noodles. Using a large ladle, spoon ¼ of meat sauce over cheese. Repeat layers two more times, alternating pattern of noodles. Top the last cheese/sauce layer with noodles (there may be a few noodles left over) and remaining meat sauce. Place remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses in a freezer bag. Wrap top of lasagna in foil, label, tape bag of cheese to pan, and place in freezer. When ready to bake, thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours. Bake lasagna, uncovered, for 35 minutes. Sprinkle on remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, and continue to bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and browned.

Beef and Gravy
(my recipe)

In small or medium saucepan, heat:
1 lb Seasoned Ground Beef --see recipe above (or one can of ground beef)
(add 2 Tbsp Minced Garlic and 1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning if using unseasoned beef)

In small bowl, combine:
1 Tbsp Kitchen Bouquet
2 Tbsp Flour
1 Cup Water

Mix together until well blended
Slowly pour mixture into saucepan with Seasoned Ground Beef
Simmer, stirring constantly until sauce thickens into gravy.
Remove from heat.
Serve over rice, noodles, baked potatoes, or anything else that sounds good to you!

Crock Pot Potato Casserole
(Cheri Robinson, adapted for freezer and Crock Pot by Avalie)
Put into Crock Pot:
1 lb Seasoned Ground Beef --see recipe above (or one can of ground beef from cannery)
1 tsp. Lawry’s Seasoning Salt
5 Potatoes, cubed
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can Milk (use soup can to measure milk)
1 cup baby carrots
1 cup frozen peas

Cover. Cook on Low 7-9 hours, or high 4-5 hours. Casserole is done when potatoes are fork-soft. If frozen peas fall apart, try adding them during last hour of cooking.OR Mix all together (omit ½ can milk) in large casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Taco Soup with Black Beans
(Fix It and Forget It Cookbook)
1 lb Seasoned Ground Beef (see recipe above)
28-oz can crushed tomatoes
15 ¼ - oz can corn, undrained
15-oz can black beans, undrained
15-oz can red kidney beans, undrained (or pinto work great, too)
1 envelope dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
1 envelope dry taco seasoning
1 small onion, chopped

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on Low 4-6 hours. Pour into clean jars or freezer containers. Cover, leaving at least 1 inch headspace. Freeze. When ready to serve, heat in microwave or on stovetop. Serve with cheese, chips, and sour cream.

Great Chicken Meals

2008-08-04T15:38:00.000-07:00

Fried Chicken Chunks
(my recipe)
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, thawed and cubed
2-3 Tbsp. Cornstarch
2-3 eggs, beaten
Oil

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Coat chicken cubes in cornstarch, dip in egg, immediately fry in oil, turning after 1-2 minutes. Cook on both sides, until chicken is no longer pink in middle. Drain on paper towels. Let cool. Place in freezer bags. Freeze. When ready to eat, reheat in toaster-oven or microwave. Serve with rice and sweet and sour sauce, orange sauce, plum sauce, or other asian-style sauce.

Mushroom Chicken
(Pampered Chef)
2 lbs frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 cup milk
8 oz. carton fresh mushrooms, sliced (or one can sliced mushrooms)
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2-3 cloves fresh garlic, pressed/minced
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Grated Parmesan cheese

Place all ingredients except frozen chicken and parmesan cheese into gallon-sized freezer bag, mix well. Add frozen chicken. Squeeze air out of bag and freeze. Chicken will marinate as it defrosts in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Pour contents from bag into baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 45 minutes (30 min for tenderloins). Grate cheese onto chicken after baking. Serve with pasta or rice.

Caesar Chicken
(Pampered Chef)
2 lbs frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins
1 (16 oz) bottle Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing
2-3 cloves fresh garlic, pressed/minced
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Place frozen chicken in freezer bag; add garlic and one bottle of dressing. Coat chicken well. Squeeze air out of bag and freeze. Chicken will marinate as it defrosts in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Pour contents from bag into baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 45 minutes (30 min for tenderloins). Grate cheese onto chicken after baking. Serve over cooked pasta with grated cheese. Try it as a wrap. Make Chicken Caesar Salad, using 2nd bottle of dressing. Note: the oils from the dressing will separate a little as it cooks. Use a slotted spoon when serving.

Mexican Chicken
(Pampered Chef)
2 lbs frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins
16 oz jar mild or medium salsa
2-3 cloves fresh garlic, pressed/minced
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 can black olives, drained and sliced
Grated Monterey Jack cheese

Place all ingredients except frozen chicken and cheese into gallon-sized freezer bag, mix well. Add frozen chicken. Squeeze air out of bag and freeze. Chicken will marinate as it defrosts in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Pour contents from bag into baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 45 minutes (30 min for tenderloins). Grate cheese over chicken after finished baking. Serve with corn bread, rice, and steamed veggies. Or try it in a tortilla, or on a salad.

Apricot Chicken
(my recipe)
2-3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup apricot jam
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. powdered ginger

Combine all ingredients in a labeled freezer bag. Seal and squish around to mix. Squeeze out air and freeze. Chicken will marinate as it defrosts in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Pour contents from bag into baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 45 minutes (30 min for tenderloins). Serve with rice and stir-fry veggies.

BBQ Chicken
(my recipe)

2-3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
½ bottle BBQ Sauce (we like Bullseye)

Place frozen chicken and BBQ sauce in gallon-sized ziploc freezer bag. Squeeze out air, seal, and freeze. When ready to eat, let thaw in refrigerator. Pour entire contents of bag into baking dish and bake at 350 for 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. OR put entire contents of bag into crock pot, cover, and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until chicken is cooked through.

Introduction to Freezer Meals

2008-08-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

Freezer Meals Tips

by Avalie (the Freezer Meal Diva) :)

It’s never too late to learn! When I got married, I had lived in the dorms for almost my entire college education. I did not learn to cook, since my meals were served at the cafeteria (I remember calling my mother to find out how to cook spaghetti noodles). My sweet husband had worked in a bakery, so he had great baking skills (another area where I was at a loss) that he shared with me, and my little sister became a great resource (she has a Bachelor's Degree in culinary management). The only thing I knew how to do was follow directions (thanks to my high school cooking class and my mom). So I learned to follow recipes. I spent a lot of time at the side of women who I consider master chefs and bakers. I started out simple (with many mistakes…ask my husband about my first attempt at Chicken Parmeseana), and have moved to more complex recipes.

Over the past ten years I have been searching for ways to feed my family on a very limited budget (we were students for a LONG time), and ways to keep my sanity with four small children before dinner time. That meant learning to use inexpensive ingredients, grocery shopping once a month with a list, shopping the sales, cooking with food storage, using a menu calendar, and reading A LOT of cookbooks. This is what I have discovered. I hope it helps you.

Strategies
Once-A-Month Cooking (OAMC): Spend one or two days each month preparing all the dinners for the entire month. Website and book written on this strategy.

“Bargain Shopper” Cooking: Look at what meat and ingredients are on sale this week. Purchase large quantities of sale items that your family likes to eat, prepare the meals and freeze them.

Bulk Foods Cooking: Purchase large quantities of ingredients from warehouse store (#10 can of spaghetti sauce, 5 lbs of shredded cheese, etc), and assemble many of the same casserole at once (make 5 lasagnas…eat one for dinner, freeze 4 for later). If you’re going to make the mess, it’s not much harder to make a lot of something than to just make one. Plus you have a backup meal on hand for someone in need.

Styles of Freezer Meals:

Raw Ingredients: Freeze raw meat, shredded cheese, tortillas, (or other basic ingredients that would otherwise spoil if kept too long in the refrigerator) for easy, quick meals. The key to success with this style is to pre-measure the ingredients in handy sizes so they are easy to manage. One pound portions of meat or cheese are much easier to thaw and cook than a 5 or 10 pound package. Resist the temptation to just put the entire package in the freezer. You are more likely to use it if it is easy to prepare! This is a great style if you find a really good meat sale, or want to have some ingredients around for trying new recipes. Example: Ground Beef, Hamburger Patties, or Shredded Cheese.

Pre-Cooked: Meat is prepared, fully cooked, cooled, and then frozen. This type of freezer meal just requires re-heating, and usually takes the most prep work, but is the fastest meal when you’re ready to eat. Example: BBQ Pulled Pork or Meatballs.Marinade: Meat is frozen in its marinade, and is frozen raw. These meals are often designed for the crock-pot or the oven. These meals are quick to assemble, but take longer to cook when you’re ready to eat. Example: Saucy Pork Chops.

Assembled: Casseroles and side dishes are assembled and frozen in their cooking containers. Usually the meat (if there is any) is pre-cooked, as in lasagna, and the casserole needs to be heated through. These meals are great candidates for the “Bulk Foods Cooking” strategy because the casseroles often take a bit of work to assemble, so you might as well make multiple dinners at once. Example: Lasagna or Funeral Potatoes.

Basic Mixtures: Meat can be pre-cooked and seasoned for a variety of uses. For example, bake chicken with garlic salt, cool and slice into strips for salads, quesadillas, burritos, or casseroles. Freeze in quart size freezer bags, just a serving at a time, or with enough to throw in your favorite recipe. Another good example is to brown ground beef with minced garlic and onions, cool and freeze. Great with taco seasoning for Mexican dishes, or in tomato sauce for Italian dishes, or in soups, Crock Pot recipes, or other casseroles that call for ground beef. I like to freeze 1 pound per bag, so it’s easy for me to measure into recipes.

Uncooked Mixtures: Some mixtures are better frozen uncooked. This would include meatloaf, which freezes beautifully before it is cooked, but can become crumbly and dry if it is frozen fully cooked.

Tips:
-Invest in good quality freezer bags and containers.
-Label all meals with meal name, cooking directions, and date assembled.
-Make a list of what is in your freezer, tape it to the freezer or inside a cabinet. Cross off items as you eat them.
-Decide at least the night before what you will eat for dinner. Pull out the ingredients and thaw frozen items in the refrigerator. Figure out what time you need to start cooking to have dinner ready on time. You can even set an alarm to remind yourself to start cooking. Let kids help pull out ingredients, sometimes it helps them get excited about the meal.
-Invest in a Crock Pot with a removable pan (Beware of the digital kind…there have been lots of problems and recalls with them. Go with the classic kind with the knob). They are a breeze to clean, since you can put the pan in the dishwasher. Or use Crock Pot plastic liners to prevent the mess in the pan.
-Each time you open the freezer, it lets in moisture and warm air. That means that meals that are in the back of the freezer will stay frozen longer. The closer items are to the door of the freezer, the more they will experience temperature changes and freezer burn.
-Freezer burn is caused by the dry air of the freezer. It dries out the meat and leaves it looking white (and tasteless). Freezing meat in a marinade or sauce will help prevent freezer burn because the air will never touch the meat.
-When freezing items in a plastic bag, try to squeeze all the air out before freezing. This will prevent freezer burn and give you a little more space in the freezer.
-Organize your freezer using plastic boxes. Keep bags of food in categories so they’re easy to find (one box for veggies, one for beef, one for chicken, etc).
-Thaw items on a dish or pan in the refrigerator. Freezing causes the bag to expand, sometimes causing little holes or cracks which can make a mess in your refrigerator!
-Don’t want to leave your pans stored in the freezer? Phantom Container Method to the rescue!! Simply line the pan with aluminum foil before you assemble your casserole. Then put the casserole in the freezer until frozen solid. Gently pull the casserole out of the pan and wrap in Ziploc freezer bag or other plastic wrap. Put the casserole back in the freezer until ready to use, then remove outer covering, return to pan (since it’s already in the right shape), and bake. (Super Baby Food Book by Ruth Yaron)
-Make your own baby food. Cook and puree fruits or vegetables that your baby can digest, then freeze in ice cube trays. When frozen, pop the cubes out of the trays and store in Ziploc freezer bags. When ready to eat, thaw in the refrigerator or microwave and serve to your little angel. (Super Baby Food Book)
-Meat CAN be cooked from frozen. Crock pots are great for this, because they won’t dry out the meat. Realize that your cooking time and temperature in the oven will need to be altered, and that you’ll need to watch the food carefully to prevent it from burning or drying out, while ensuring that it is cooked through.
-Create a menu calendar for your family. Include everyone in the planning.
-If your family doesn’t eat leftovers, learn to make the meals smaller. Instead of one 9x13 casserole, try putting it into two 8x8 pans, or two large loaf pans. This gives your family two meals for the effort of one…without the leftovers.
-When the produce overfloweth in your garden or kitchen, find a way to freeze it. Zucchini can be shredded, diced, or cubed—then measured and frozen in bags for use later in soups or zucchini bread. Peas and beans can be blanched and frozen for use in stir-fry, soups, or as a steamed side dish. Berries can be washed, then frozen on a cookie sheet (so they don’t end up in one big frozen lump), then transferred into freezer bags for use in smoothies, on cereal, or in baked goods. Bake winter squash and puree it, then freeze it to use later (this makes GREAT baby food!). Even potatoes can be frozen. Quarter, shred, or cube the potatoes, add oil and seasoning to the bag, shake, and freeze. Just realize that freezing changes the texture of produce, so it will be mushy when you thaw it. But when you’re baking it into a recipe, it usually doesn’t matter.
-Get some great cookbooks, and make LOTS OF NOTES in them. Write down freezer cooking time, changes to the recipe, and how much your family liked (or detested) the recipe. That way when you make it again, you can remember.-Learn to make bread, and freeze the dough. You can make the dough for two or three loaves at a time, bake one, and freeze the other two for later use. You simply need to thaw the dough for a few hours before you bake it.-Make pizza dough ahead of time, freeze it, and enjoy easy homemade pizza.
-Cheese can be frozen, it just changes texture. It freezes great if shredded before freezing. I freeze one pound in each bag, for easy measuring.
-Don’t forget dessert!! Next time you make cookies, double (or triple) the recipe. Drop balls of dough onto a cookie sheet, and put in the freezer for a few hours. Then put the frozen dough balls into freezer bags. Voila! You have homemade “Otis Spunkmeyer” cookies ready to bake! --If you like to eat the dough, try using powdered eggs (available in the Preparedness section at Macey’s Grocery in Utah or online) in your cookie dough in place of raw eggs. It is pasteurized, so you won’t get salmonella from eating the dough.
-Fruit pies freeze wonderfully. Make the crust, make the filling, put into pie tin, cover with foil and freeze. Or, you can just make the crust and freeze it. You can also just make the filling, put it into a gallon-size freezer bag and set the bag inside the pie tin. The filling will freeze into the shape of the pie tin, so when you add the crust, the filling will fit perfectly. I do this in the summer when the fruit is cheap (or free!) and plentiful.

How do I get started?
First, find a friend or family member to help! It’s way more fun.
-Make a list of the meals your family loves to eat.
-Decide which meals take the most work to make.
-Figure out how to create a freezer meal or mix for your meal: which parts freeze well, what can you do ahead of time, what needs to be done on meal day?
-Decide how many of that meal you would like to make.
-Check your freezer space and clean it out if needed.
-Make a list of ingredients you need to make the meals.
-Look at what you have and make a shopping list.
-Go for it!! Buy ingredients, assemble, bake (if you choose), freeze, and enjoy!!
-Start again, and work on filling your freezer (and your tummy) with great-tasting homemade food without the daily stress.

Other Ideas:
In a rut? Need ideas? Hit the freezer aisles at the grocery store or COSTCO and figure out how to make your favorite freezer convenience foods at home. Schwans is also a great place to get ideas (that’s where I got the idea to freeze my bread dough).

Homemade Mixes are a great, quick way to feed your family. Some are frozen, and others are dry (like pancake and cake mixes). Either way, mixes are a quick and inexpensive way to eat. Check out the recipes for Pancake Mix and Meatball Mix on the next post.

Breakfast Foods

2008-08-04T14:55:00.000-07:00

Oven-Baked French Toast
Everyday Food Magazine, adapted by Avalie
4 Large Eggs
1 and 1/2 cups milk (can use church cannery dried milk reconstituted)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
4 thick slices challah bread or other egg bread (recipe for Challah bread below)
2 Tbsp melted butter
In a 9x13 baking dish, whisk together eggs, milk, 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla, and salt.
Arrange bread in dish in a single layer; let soak 15 minutes in refrigerator. Turn bread over; cover, and refrigerate until most of the liquid is absorbed, at least 30 minutes and up to overnight. Preheat oven to 350. Brush a rimmed baking sheet (I like stoneware better) with butter. With a spatula, carefully transfer soaked bread to sheet. Bake until French toast is set in center and lightly browned on the bottom, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve or cool and freeze in ziploc freezer bags. To reheat frozen French toast, heat in microwave or toaster oven until warmed through. Serve with syrup, powdered sugar, or jam. SO TASTY! This is as fast as Eggo Waffles to reheat from frozen. Way better for you, and WAY better tasting (not to mention very cheap to make!) I make one or two batches of Challah Bread, and it makes LOADS of French toast. I just cook up a few dozen pieces, then freeze them. My family can help themselves to a great meal out of the freezer whenever they want it!

Challah Bread (for French Toast)
Handmade Breads by Kathy Summers
You don't need a mixer to make this delicious bread. I have to admit, I do use my KitchenAid, since we make bread multiple times each week.
1 and 3/4 cups warm water
2 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup light olive oil
4 large eggs
6 to 7 cups bread flour (or unbleached flour)
Spray large baking pan with non-stick cooking spray (I use stoneware baking pans)
Measure warm water (110 to 115 degrees F) into a large mixing bowl
Sprinkle the yeast over the top of the warm water, add the sugar and stir until they dissolve.
Add salt, oil, and eggs to the yeast mixture. Stir.
Add 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture. Stir vigorously.
Add 1 to 2 cups more flour, approximately 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until the dough pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl.
Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead in 1/2 to 1 cup flour until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. The dough should not be hard to knead.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the dough into two pieces for two loaves, or three pieces for one large braided loaf. Roll each piece into a loaf shape (or long ropes if you are going to braid it). Place on a greased baking pan.
Let the dough rise until almost doubled in size
Brush the top with a beaten egg, if desired.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove from pan. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before cutting.
If making into French toast, cut into 1-inch thick slices

Breakfast Burritos
(Cheri Robinson)
1-2 baked potatoes cut into cubes
2 eggs
2-3 tortillas
Green onion, chopped
Onion, chopped
Salsa
Cheese
Salt & Pepper

In a skillet, brown potatoes, onion, and pepper in butter or Pam cooking spray. Add eggs, cook. Add Salsa and Cheese. Pour into tortillas, wrap and eat or wrap in Saran Wrap and freeze. To reheat, remove plastic wrap and wrap in damp paper towel and microwave until warmed through. Option: add bacon, sausage, or other meat.

Pancake Mix
Not a freezer meal, but just as fast!
(Mix-A-Meal Cookbook, pg 36)
Combine:
8 cups white or whole wheat flour
¾ cup dehydrated shortening (or 1½ cups vegetable shortening)
¾ cup powdered milk
¾ cup brown or white sugar
2/3 cup dehydrated whole eggs
1/3 cup baking powder
1 scant Tbsp. salt

To Make Pancakes
Combine:1 scant cup Pancake Mix
1 cup water (if you used regular shortening, you might use a little less water)
Let stand a minute and cook on a hot, oiled griddle. Turn when bubbles break on top. Makes six 4” pancakes.