I had a moment last weekend when I just had to clean out the freezer. Someone (not mentioning any names), but it was definitely a man (still not mentioning any names), had transferred all of our freezer and fridge food from the old house to the new and it was a complete mess. I've been avoiding it but I just couldn't handle another bag of frozen corn falling on my feet when I went to look for something. So now the freezer is completely organized and up to date and I am pretty happy. I was a little dissapointed in myself on how I let some frozen casseroles and soups go to waste (I don't mess around with freezer burn- yuck). But I do love to freeze things- especially for fall and winter- and we all know that is right around the corner!
My mom and I did a bunch of freezer food last year and it was so nice to be able to pull things out for quick weeknight dinners. Once football season starts, it seems like we are on the road every weekend and I always hate buying fresh food that might go to waste by the time we turn right back around to leave town. I gathered some ideas- especially those that utilize fresh summer veggies, which is something I crave in the winter!
Some other freezing ideas:
-When I make a batch of cookies I portion out the dough as if I was going to bake them, but then I pop them in the freezer on a cookie sheet- freeze until they aren't sticky and then move them to a plastic baggie. Then you can have freshly baked cookies really quickly when the craving strikes! Stephen also steals them and eats them right from the freezer!
-Pesto is a great thing to freeze, this is my favorite recipe. I just saw an idea to portion your pesto in an ice cube tray, that way you can add one cube to pasta dishes, etc very easily.
-Pancakes and waffles. My Dad makes a big batch of belgian waffles then freezes them like the cookie dough idea- once you are ready to freeze in a bag you can put a piece of parchment paper in between each. You can take them right from the freezer, put them in the toaster and then microwave them for about a minute for a nice hot waffle! They are just as good as fresh.
-Soups and stews. Hands down my favorite thing to freeze! I have an amazing White Chicken Chili recipe that I freeze half of every time I make it in the winter. We might eat it once a week it's so good.
-Hamburger meat. I haven't done this before but it seems pretty brilliant- add it to a skillet for quick tacos, on top of nachos, or for a casserole.
What do you freeze?
5 comments:
I have been throwing tons of stuff in the freezer lately. We have been getting a CSA and instead of the veggies going to waste, I've been cutting them up and freezing them for soups this fall.
I really want to start getting better about using my freezer. I want to make like a ton of ground turkey and just keep it frozen so it saves me a lot of time during the weekday.
I am not good at freezing things. This has kinda inspired me. I would love to see your white chicken chili recipe. :)
Such practical inspiration, love it - especially love the pesto idea. Kxx
yum! i really want to start making my own spaghetti sauce. xo jillian - cornflake dreams
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