Today’s smart cooks know that preparing meals in bulk to freeze is a great time saver. You can double or even triple your favorite recipes when the ingredients are on sale or in season and eat them later. It’s called Freezer Cooking or Once a Month Cooking (OAMC). The freezer is stocked with meals that require minimal effort for those days when your schedule is tight or hectic or you just want a night to relax.
Remember to label your frozen meals with the recipe name, instructions for thawing, if needed, and the cooking temperature and time. Try to use foil baking pans for the dishes ready to freeze; they are much lighter than glass baking dishes. Tightly cover with foil, label, and slip into a freezer bag and use a straw to suck out as much air as possible. Stock up on foil baking pans so that your frozen main dishes can be easily stacked with like-sized pans without wasting valueable freezer space. Wash the foil pans and reuse them with another meal to freeze.
Responsible kids who are old enough can even start dinner by taking a thawed pan out of the refridgerator and putting it in the oven at the correct temperature and then set a timer.
Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti
1 pkg. (7oz) spaghetti, broken
1 cup milk
2 cups chicken, cooked & cubed
ΒΌ tsp. each salt & pepper
2 cups (8oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the chicken, 1 cup cheese, soup, milk, salt and pepper. Drain spaghetti; add to the chicken mixture and toss to coat.
To make tonight:
Transfer to a greased 13x9x2 baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.
To freeze for later:
Cool and transfer to ziploc bag. I usually double bag or vacuum seal it to protect from freezer burn. Freeze. When you’re ready to eat it, defrost overnight in the fridge then bake as directed above.
This recipe can be tripled easily; bake one and freeze two.
Pork BBQ
1 pork roast
1 jar of favorite BBQ sauce
Put roast in crock pot with enough water to cover the bottom. Cook on 8 hours on low. Remove roast and shred. Drain liquid. Add sauce and heat for 30 minutes. Eat now or freeze for later. When thawed the BBQ can be microwaved on 50% power and it will be hot, juicy, and not over cooked on the top.
Salisbury Steak
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can golden mushroom soup
2 lb. lean ground beef
1 cup dry bread crumbs
2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (or one can mushrooms, drained)
Mix the 2 soups together in a small bowl. In another small bowl mix 1/2 cup of the soup mixture, beef, bread crumbs, egg, and onion. Shape firmly into 12 patties. In 2 large skillets over medium heat, cook patties, a few at a time, until browned on both sides, spoon off any fat, set patties aside. Divide the remaining soup and mushrooms between the two pans. Return the patties to the pans and heat slowly on low, turning occassionally until done, about 20 min.
To freeze for later: Place in square foil pans, cover tightly with heavy duty foil and freeze in freezer bags.. I get them out in the morning and put in the fridge to thaw. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 and bake until heated through.
This recipe can be tripled easily; bake one and freeze two.
