Freezer cooking for my niece!

I have been doing freezer cooking as part of my menu planning for many years. And about a year ago, I introduced it to a friend, with whom I've cooked many months' freezer meals. Over the last few years, I've amassed some favorite recipes, and tips of the trade. So when I was asked by a niece to cook up some freezer meals for her, I jumped at the chance. I love the challenge of keeping cost low, ingredients fresh, and convenience high!

I compiled a "menu" of items that included noodle sides (for one of her children), some crock pot meals, some fully cooked meals, and some frozen cookie dough for sweets. I didn't have to make it all in one day, so I grouped them according to products, and all totalled, only spent around 4 hours from start to finish!

The main dishes include beef (5), pork (1), and chicken (4). Crock pot meals (4) and fully cooked (6). Ten main dishes (one being soup), and three sides, as well as some frozen cookie dough.

Spaghetti Pie

Calzones

Chicken Tortilla soup

Salisbury Meatballs

Plain meatballs

Garlic Herb Pork Roast

Honey Garlic Chicken

Sesame Chicken

Beef Burgundy

Chicken Marsala

Spicy Thai noodles

Spicy Garlic noodles

Parsley Parmesan noodles

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookie dough

The day of prep, I assemble all the ingredients needed.

 I label all of the containers with name, and cooking instructions. When I do freezer cooking for myself, I don't use disposable pans, but rather reusable metal pans that I've purchased just for this use. But being this cooking was for my niece, I had to go disposable.

After everything is pulled, labeled, and ready, it's prep time. Crock pot dishes are loaded into ziplocs:

Recipes that are fully cooked are prepared, cooked, cooled, and frozen. I love making my own meatballs, as I know what is in them, and can control salt content. I have a base recipe, as well as an Italian recipe.I will share the recipes soon!

Not to bore you with thirty pictures of the prep, I will stop here. I was able to produce all of these meals for approximately $175.00 (my estimate before actually adding up receipts). And in only 4 hours. Had I been doing these for myself, it would have been even cheaper. I wouldn't have had an expense in disposable pans, and I would not have had to buy beef at the grocery store (sticker shock at the expense!), much more expensive than when I am using the beef from our freezer (we buy an entire half, saving approximately 20% from grocery store prices!) But even at these prices, 10 main dishes, 3 sides, and 3 boxes of cookies - for a family of 5 - for $175.00. Not a bad price! Hopefully my niece will be happy as well!

I will put together a budget freezer cooking month soon as well. I am picking up our beef this weekend, so I've been trying to clean out the freezer. Soon I will need to restock it!

Happy weekend. Enjoy your day. Grab another cup of coffee!
Cheers!

A Saturday morning ritual

Every Saturday morning starts with a strong cup of coffee (chicory this morning!) and some menu planning. I love planning out the week, picking recipes, and getting geared up to cook. This Saturday has a little bit of a twist, as I am doing some freezer cooking for my niece, so I am pulling that "menu" together, finding the recipes, and writing up shopping lists, and a "to-do" list of food prep, pan sizes, etc. So it's kind of like my weekly planning on steroids!

My "desk" this Saturday morning, hard at work!

Hopefully I'll remember to take some pictures - and have a full blog on this by early next week. Today is prep day, tomorrow will be cooking. I'm delivering to her next Friday on my way to pick up our half a steer. Excited to be able to cook for my family that is not near! What a fun way to be able to do it. And helping her out in the process!

So it's time to finish up, head to the store, and start prepping veggies. Lots to do today! Have a wonderful weekend, and have another cup of coffee!

Cheers!

Stocking a Pantry!

I was asked by some readers to blog about a stocked pantry, as I'm always able to whip something up in a pinch. So today I thought about what makes my pantry "stocked". And I realized it's a number of things! My pantry was not stocked up in one outing to the grocery store. What I've done is build it over the years, based on what we use the most.

• The most important thing to remember is that there is no magical list of what to have in your pantry. It has to be based on your family's habits and tastes. You need to have things YOU use in your pantry, not what some magazine article (OR BLOG!) tells you. I would suggest you sit down with 7-10 of your family's favorite go-to recipes.  From those recipes, create a master list of ingredients needed on hand, along with some other basics, and you have your master list! 
• Once your master list is done, keep a copy in your purse. Take it with you shopping,  and watch for those basics on sale. Stocking up on your basics when they are on sale will save you a lot of money in the long run. I also keep a copy on my kitchen counter when I'm cooking. If I use the last of something, I immediately add it to the weekly shopping list so I don't forget! 
• Find one or two special spice blends that your family likes. Spices that are versatile, that can be used in a variety of dishes. They can be life (and time) savers in the kitchen! I have two go-to spice blends. One is Tastefully Simple's Onion Onion. It is a great all-around seasoning, especially in soups and on roasts or other meat. Another is Slap Your Mama cajun seasoning, which we use on roasted potatoes (regular and sweet), on veggies, in dips and soups.... We could put it on everything. 

Ok, so all this said - I will outline for you what I think a stocked pantry might include. This is to give you an idea of what I am talking about. And honestly, this is not at all what my pantry looks like. Because I cook mostly from scratch, I have shelves of multiple flours, various types of rices and pastas, dried grains, beans, and veggies, and an extensive spice rack, items that most of you would not need. And that's OK. Because it's your pantry, not mine!. But here are some suggestions:

Spices: garlic salt, powder, and pepper (all good general seasonings); parlsey, basil, oregano (Italian cooking); cumin, cilantro (Mexican cooking), and your chosen specialty blends. 

Refrigerator: eggs, milk, butter and margarine, cream cheese, hard cheeses (parmesan, cheddar, mozzarella), bottled Italian dressing (amazing marinade and pasta salad dressing!), canned crescent rolls (great in a pinch for breakfast OR dinner), jarred minced garlic, tortillas, and condiments (vinegar, lemon juice, worcesheshire sauce, mustard, ketchup, mayo, and salad dressing.)

Produce: apples and bananas (great for breakfast or desserts), potatoes (I always have both regular and sweet), garlic (yes, I have multiple forms of garlic in my kitchen!), onions, carrots, and celery.

Dry goods: Canned tomatoes (petite diced, sauce, and paste), canned beans (great for soups, mexican dishes, and chili!), canned veggies, dry pasta (spaghetti type, elbow macaroni, and a specialty like penne) and rice, taco and ranch seasonings, jarred spaghetti sauce, a cake mix or two, a couple of pudding mixes, cream soups, peanut butter, chocolate chips, and some canned stock or bouillon (both chicken and beef). 

Freezer: ground meat, italian sausage, chicken breasts, and shredded cheeses. 

Staples: flour, sugars (brown, powdered, and regular), dry milk powder (again - great to have in a pinch), salt and pepper, and seasoned salt.  

This pantry sets you up to whip up spaghetti pie, any Mexican specialty (enchiladas, burritos, etc.), various soups - chicken noodle, chili, taco, minestrone, or lasagna, easy desserts, and a whole lot in between. It has the ingredients needed for some quick meals, including easy crock pot recipes in a variety of tastes. But these may not be your tastes. That's why it's important to create your own master list. And remember it's a list that will continue to change. Good luck! 

Creative use of leftovers - a saving grace!

It has taken me years to get to the point in my cooking where I no longer have to have a recipe to make dinner for my family. MANY years. Years of pushing by a dear friend, who insisted I stop following recipes! I still follow recipes once in awhile, but I've really gotten comfortable pulling ingredients together for dinner.

This week was a prime example. Wednesday night I had about 45 minutes to cook and eat dinner between Zumba and Bible study. And I didn't realize until half way through the work day that I hadn't planned anything.

In the fridge I found:
1/3 box of velveeta
leftover chili from our chili dogs
leftover chopped onion (also from the chili dogs)
leftover cooked bacon (that NEVER happens - someone didn't see that in the fridge!)

I have made cheeseburger soup many times with velveeta, so I thought I'd try a spicy bacon cheeseburger soup.

I started with a simple roux - melted a stick of butter with some onion, salt and pepper, and then stirred in flour, cooked it off, and started adding milk. Once the base was a little thinner than I wanted, I added the cubed velveeta, stirring it until it melted and thickened the soup. Tossed in the spicy chili (basically hamburger and onion in a spicy tomato paste) and chopped bacon, and viola - an amazing soup! I had cleaned four partial leftovers out of the fridge, and with the fresh bread from the night before - had created a wonderful quick dinner for the family. Everything happened so fast, that I didn't even get pictures!

The key is to not be afraid.. Not everything works. But sometimes you find a diamond - like I did in this soup. So it's always worth the try!

One staple....three meals!

One of my favorite menu-stretching strategies is taking a staple item, and stretching it into multiple meals for the week. I'm known for planned "leftovers" transformed into other dishes. While I am Blessed with two men who both love eating up leftovers, I also want to keep things fresh, not making them eat the same meal for days in a row!

I love to start the weeek with a large ham on Sunday, traditionally baked, served with potatoes and veggie. There is something so comforting about baked ham on a cold day! Day two is scalloped potatoes and ham, or ham and noodles, an old family favorite that my mom used to make. Both dishes start with a simple white sauce, added to ham and cooked egg noodles, or poured over thinly sliced potatoes, onions, and ham. But my FAVORITE in a ham week is day three. I take the ham bone and either slow cook it on the stove all day with either mixed beans and lentils for ham and bean soup, or with dried red beans, to become red beans and rice. Three totally different meals, all based off one ham. Keep this in mind next time ham goes on sale! Always good to have a ham in the freezer, when you can stretch it into three meals!

Another one of my favorite menu stretchers is chili... Not chili soup, with noodles, which is a standard at my house, but meat and bean chili, that I cook in the crock pot all day. It's a recipe that my husband brought home from the mill YEARS ago, and is a standard in our family! It is good with beef or venison, and I love using leftover beef roast. I'll make a BIG roast on Sunday, and then make the leftovers into the chili for Monday. Another time saver is having chopped onion and green pepper in the freezer, either your own from your garden, or purchased. You can throw the chili together before going to work in the morning and dinner is ready when you get home!

Crock Pot Chili

2 - 16oz cans kidney beans, drained

2-14.5 oz cans tomatoes (petite diced, crushed, stewed, whatever your preference)

2 lbs. browned ground meat (or leftover roast)

2 med or 1 lg onion chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2-3 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp cumin

salt to taste

Put ingredients into crock pot in order listed. Cook on low 10-12 hours. 

So this chili (which could already be day TWO of the roast) is amazing - serve it with cheddar cheese, sour cream, corn chips, anything! But the beauty lies in the transformation of this chili into new meals down the road!

Chili nachos - simply put hot chili over tortilla chips, layer with additional goodies - cheese, onion, lettuce, black olives, etc. Or make it the filling in burritos - using soft taco shells!

MY FAVORITE way to use this chili? A southwest bowl. Cook up some brown rice (or white is fine). Open a can of black beans, and rinse them. Open a can of corn and drain it. Layer rice, beans, corn, and chili. Top with either ranch, or a homemade taco dressing, and VOILA. Instant yumminess in a bowl!

One dressing to try:

Southwest dressing

3/4 cup mayo

1/2 cup milk (can also thicken with a little sour cream per a friend!)

2 Tbsp taco seasoning *

* A recipe for making your own taco seasoning - http://saturdaymorningcoffeewithmissy.blogspot.com/2014/01/stocking-my-seasoning-pantryhomemade.html

The key to stretching your dollars...and making menu planning a little easier? Thinking ahead. Having some recipes in mind for those leftovers.

Cooking according to supply - my Buttermilk Blueberry Cake!

When I went to the store yesterday, I browsed all of the aisles (not many in our little mercantile!), to see what was on sale, and look for inspiration for the week's menus. I always do this - no matter what store I am shopping at. By having a well-stocked pantry, fridge, and freezer, I often have enough to cover, so all I have to buy in a given week is what is on sale!

As I entered the dairy aisle, I found buttermilk on clearance, as it was close to its date. Instantly I knew I had to have it, to treat my family to one of our favorite desserts, a buttermilk blueberry cake. I found the recipe years ago, and have made it over and over. And I knew I still had frozen blueberries from last summer, so I was set.

I don't bake a lot of cakes. Honestly, cookies are my specialty. But when I find a recipe like this, it is all worth the work!

Blueberry Buttermilk Cake
½ cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons white sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups fresh or frozen (and thawed) blueberries
½ cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with an additional tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

I often double the recipe (which I did today) and bake it in a 10x15 pan, baking for about 43-45 minutes. I prefer baking this in glass pans, but you can experiment! Enjoy....

Stocking my seasoning pantry..homemade mixes!

I love to find ways to make things I regularly use from scratch instead of having to buy premixed. I like being able to adjust flavors for my family's taste, control sodium content, and save some money/go green in the process. Two of the seasonings I regularly use are ranch and taco, and I've come to love my homemade seasonings. When I went to make a southwest sauce this morning, I realized I was out of taco seasoning, so I took the morning to put together some of my favorites, stocking my pantry for the coming weeks.

None of these seasoning "recipes" are secrets. And honestly, mine have been transformed over the years. I started with base recipes I found - either online, or from friends - and adapted them to our tastes. These kind of mixes are always changing, as our family changes!

Today's job was refilling my ranch and taco seasoning containers. So simple.
Assemble the ingredients. Mix.

I like to use old creamer containers for the mixes in my pantry. They are a great size, and being uniform means using the entire shelf space, and it's another way to recycle and reuse, something very important to me.

Making homemade mixes isn't for everyone. But it's something I do a lot. I love being able to control the flavor more, and the convenience of making them once a month, and having them on hand, is a huge savings.

Here are my current recipes, a place to start! Then, adjust them, for your own family's use! Enjoy~

Homemade Taco Seasoning

4 Tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp. dried oregano

2 tsp. paprika

6 tsp. cumin

4 tsp. salt

4 tsp. black pepper

Homemade Dry Ranch Seasoning

1 cup dry buttermilk powder

2 Tbsp. dried parsley

2 tsp. dried dill weed

2 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Both of these seasonings can be used instead of packaged, pre-purchased alternatives. As far as a quantity to use, it really is to taste. In my household, I use approximately 2 Tbsp. of mix to equal one packet. But start low, you can always add more! The ranch can be made into ranch dressing - using a little mayo and milk! It's fun to use and experiment.. I'll include some recipes to use these down the road. I use them all the time!