The Daily Dish Recipes

I’m trying to make light of this, my comments are below the story.

According to Rebecca Harris of the Erie-Times News , a man entered a garage through an unlocked door yesterday morning and stole all the makings for a couple of pizzas and some chicken nuggets. It was all worth about $80.

He had even parked his car at the end of the home’s driveway. Stupid criminal or not, he took five pounds of pepperoni, eight 1-lb bags of shredded cheese, two pizza shells and five lbs. of chicken nuggets.

*sigh* I kinda feel bad for the guy because obviously he was hungry, or his family was?
He was charged with criminal trespass, burglary and attempted theft by unlawful taking (yeah I guess he didn’t leave the house). Oh, and he was out on parole. That doesn’t make life very easy either.

Anyway, my thoughts about the story are funny, but also serious. If you keep a freezer in your garage, be sure you keep the garage door down and any other doors locked. If you keep your garage door up, someone see’s the freezer and they know its there. If you keep it closed - nobody knows its there. Oh, and can I mention now that your garage is actually the worst place in your home to have an extra freezer. It requires more energy to run because of the heat in the summer months, it also has the potential to cause food to spoil easier and more quickly. The basement is a much better option.

Thoughts?

Oh, the pure agony. Most of us have been there if we practice freezer cooking. You are standing in the kitchen, you have sweat pouring down your face, you forget which towel you have used to wipe the sweat away, your stove top and oven are working overdrive, you have food, ingredients and a huge mess all over the counters and you aren’t even half through with your freezer cooking session. How do you possibly beat the heat of freezer cooking in Summer months?

It’s too late for me to tell you what I usually do, but for planning for next summer, I have some advice. Plan ahead.

And while I plan to give you some advice on planning ahead, I have some relief for those of you who didn’t realize how bad it would be, and what you can do for the rest of the summer to help aleviate the heat and the long sessions in the kitchen.

Planning Ahead - If you can, plan ahead. During the late Winter months, and all through the Spring - I am usually found making a bit more than I need each time. Rather than doubling or tripling a recipe, sometimes I go further than that. If you have a large spare freezer, this will work for you and don’t hesitate to fill it up. Of course I also recognize that not all of you have a spare freezer, so I have some tips for you and those of you who didn’t plan ahead.

No Storage Room - No Planning Ahead - All hope is not lost for you. There are several options. When you are preparing a nightly meal for your family, double the ingredients or if you are daring - triple them. Then store the second and third meal in the freezer for the following week. Use zip top baggies to store, because they allow for more room and can be stacked easily.

You might also consider meals made up of cold ingredients - cold pasta salads, cold sandwiches, raw veggies and my favorite tip in the summertime - make your meals in the crockpot. That little kitchen appliance doesn’t produce much heat which allows for the use of even multiple crockpots at the same time with no change of temperature.

We use three different crockpots during any one freezer cooking session. It allows me to prepare more meals at one time, and keeps the heat down. Check out garage sales, freecycle and other resources for used crockpots. Clean well and add to your collection. You can use as many crockpots as you have spare outlets in your kitchen. Just be careful not to blow a fuse. Also remember that if you own a toaster oven, it doesn’t produce as much heat as the conventional oven does. Depending on size, you might be able to use it to prepare a meal or two during a freezer cooking session without using up a lot of heat.

If you do decide to use your kitchen oven, try to find a couple of dishes that need to cook at the same temperature, for the same length of time. Put them all in together and add about 15-30 minutes of cook time, checking frequently after its standard cooking time to be sure you don’t overcook. If you precook these meals, they can be reheated in the microwave, even from a frozen state.

One last tip that helps me everytime - if you have extra fans in your house, no matter how small or how large, consider placing them in the kitchen while you are cooking. They will help tremendously and if placed correctly, might help push some of the hot air out of the kitchen.

If you have any tips to share on ways to beat the heat in the kitchen when you are doing a freezer cooking session in the summer, be sure to share.

Do you find yourself eating out more frequently on the weekends than anytime? Sometimes I think the weekends signify “be lazy” time for me. I put forth a ton of effort to be sure that I am preparing meals for my family, but I definitely know that on the weekend, it’s hardest.

We went to the lake today, packed a cooler of drinks, couple of bags of chips, granola bars and for whatever reason we didn’t bring anything else. I giggled because honestly, we would have brought sandwiches with us and stayed there to eat. But we totally didn’t think about it.

We did avoid the temptation to grab something fast, and instead opted to just grill when we got home.

Weekends are the perfect time to use freezer cooked meals, make quick and easy meals, or opt to pop a frozen lasagna into the oven. It still lets you be lazy while eating a great meal.

So what do you wind up doing when the weekend laziness kicks in and you just don’t want to be bothered to cook?

We are a pasta eating household. It is one thing that all five kids agree on. They all love most pasta and are even willing to try new versions. This Manicotti recipe is one that I pulled off a package of something - maybe Manicotti noodles. But it is often requested, and I love to make it.

Manicotti with Cheese Filling

8 oz. manicotti shells, uncooked
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
15 oz. ricotta cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs. chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 large jar of spaghetti sauce

On the stove, cook the manicotti according to the package directions; drain. Allow to cool in a single layer on a piece of wax paper to keep the manicotti from sticking together. In a bowl, combine the Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and ricotta cheese. Add the parsley, salt and pepper and mix well. Fill the manicotti noodles by spooning the cheese mixture into the manicotti noodles. In a 9×13 baking pan add a layer of spaghetti sauce and then lay the manicotti in a single layer over the sauce. Cover with the remaining sauce. Using aluminum foil, cover the dish. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 40 minutes. You can sprinkle more Mozzarella over the top and allow to heat for an additional 2-4 minutes. This is so good and when we make it, we often make two pans - one to bake now, and one to freeze for later.

I am so busy giving all of these tips on what to do or expect out of your freezer cooking sessions, that it never occured to me that I should probably explain what containers don’t work. There are certainly a long list of do’s and don’t’s to learn, many of which will probably be self-taught, because well - we all learn better making our own mistakes. However, let’s talk about some of the containers that really do not work well for freezing those once a month cooking meals.

Plastic Bags - Unless they are specifically freezer bags, they are not worth using for freezer cooking. There are several reasons why, but the most common reason is that they are not reliably air tight (despite what they look like or advertise). Airtight containers are a MUST for freezer cooking. Plastic bags include zip top, snap close bags, bread bags, produce bags or shopping bags. (yes I have seen the shopping bags used before - terrible idea!)

Plastic Jugs - Milk and Juice jugs are not good for freezing things. If you are trying to freeze a liquid such as iced tea or some other beverage, usually it will become very watered down when it thaws. In addition, the plastic jugs are not reliable in the case of expansion and being unsure of how much liquid can possibly fit in there and still expand isn’t enough. I have seen more than one plastic jug actually break apart or get a hole from freezing, only to go undetected and leak all over the kitchen floor. Not a pleasant experience. Trust me.

Cardboard - Cardboard is not realiable for many reasons. It is not air-tight and this can cause food to go bad rapidly. This also includes juice or milk cartons as well.

Dairy Container - It is really not safe to reuse any type of container that has had a dairy product in it. Typically no matter how hard you try to clean it, there is still minute bacteria growing all over it. Put food in there and it is sure to be contaminated. Not to mention they burst also!

I don’t recommend freezing glass of any type with the exeption of a pyrex dish. They seem freezer safe and I have had a lot of experience freezing mine and I have NEVER had a problem. Assembling casseroles is a breeze in a pyrex dish, so it works well. A better alternative would be disposable pans, which typically can get multiple uses, and I have lots that have been used three or four times already. Buy in bulk at a bulk warehouse and you’ll get your money’s worth.

Have you had any experience that have led you to understand that something might not freeze well in that type of container? Feel free to share any personal stories with us.

You have seen them cropping up all over, I’m sure. Those locations that boast meal planning at its best? So what exactly is the deal with these franchises that make freezer cooking or making meals easier?

The premise of the different franchises, is to get you into the store, help you prepare a set number of dinners for your family, to then take home and freeze. Sound familiar? Seems as if it is something you could do right from your own house.

After investigating two such locations, I found several things I plan to share with you in a moment. At both locations (different franchises owned by different companies), I was called a week ahead of time and asked to schedule my time slot. I was then given a menu to choose from and had to pick what I wanted to make and how many servings I would need. (a family of seven doubles the normal size). A few days later I walked into one of them and was greeted by several staff members. A few seemed less than knowledgeable and were unable to answer some of my questions. One lady took over immediately and began giving us all a quick course in meal preparation. That part was pretty cool, because I learned a few things. We were sent to stations to prepare our meals. At each station I went to, I found an instruction sheet on assembling that particular meal, and all of the ingredients were right there for me. At the end of the entire session, I took home 8 fully prepared meals to place right into my freezer. It was however at a price.

Here are the problems I did encounter:

One, the menus are full of many things my children will not eat. These are not exactly ‘family friendly’ establishments, though they definitely do offer some kid friendly choices. It seemed that the majority of the dishes tended to be on the more ‘exotic’ side, and that my kids are not. Cous Cous is not normally on our menu, though I really was curious to see what the hooplah was (there were like eight ladies at that station!)

Two, the cost to have someone else to purchase, set up and clean up all the mess is really not worth it. If you are not interested in JUST time saving, but also want to save money in the long run (which freezer cooking does!) than these franchises are absolutely not the answer. The total bill was over 3x’s what I think I would have paid for all the ingredients to make these meals myself.

Three, some of their dishes lacked seasoning and flavor, while if I had created them at home - I could have added. We did try seasoning up a few dishes during the warm-up procedure and that did work.

Four, you are in an unfamiliar kitchen, with unfamiliar people (unless you bring a friend, but even that is quite difficult because you are too busy making meals to chat much). At home I am able to multi task big time. I can throw in a load of laundry, pack a lunch, watch a television program and chat on the phone, all while I am cooking.

My overall opinion is this: If you want to try them out, I say go for it. If money is not an object and the ease of cooking really nice homemade meals quickly is the more important part, this will totally work for you. If you are more interested in saving money, learn how to freezer cook at home and do it all yourself. Clean up doesn’t have to be that hard if you just do it as you go. My freezer cooking sessions at home for about two weeks worth of meals, usually take about 4 hours. I spent 2 hours at one place and 2.5 at another and I only got 8 meals and paid a small fortune for them. Seems not worth it to me.

I’d love to hear your opinions good or bad. Many people love these places, so I’m eager to hear how it’s working for you.

Also for your benefit, here are a few of the well known franchises:

Meal Makers
Dream Dinners
Entrees Made Easy
Entree Vous
Cena To Go
Make & Take Gourmet
Super Suppers
Supper Thyme
The Dinner A’Fare
My Girlfriends Kitchen
Mr. Food no-fuss Meals

It is easy to notice the recent increase in the price of food. With the increase, there is a rise in the number of families exercising freezer cooking as a method to save money. When the economy turns sour, the prices go up and this affects families and budgets in ways that weren’t planned for.

Freezer cooking can help a family save thousands of dollars a year if used actively. The rising cost of food is what typically hurts a family budget, not the cost to prepare the food. If freezer cooking is excercised it goes without saying that obviously there is a meal plan in place. Planning is an important part of freezer cooking and as such, takes some time to get used to. Cooking sessions are time consuming, but warrant wonderful results. A freezer full of food is security for any sized family, and eliminates stress from time constraints, and daily meal planning. It seems relatively convenient to most mom’s to open a freezer and select a meal from the options inside.

Convenience is only one benefit of freezer cooking. Cooking ahead of time allows for meals to be prepared from scratch which is a large money saver. Statistics show that a family of four can save up to $1800 dollars per year by preparing meals from scratch, avoiding boxed and convenience meals, and eliminating restaurant eating.

In today’s economy it is important to make adjustments to accomodate a budget and a rising cost of living.

Yesterday I explained about foods that do not freeze well, and now I thought it would be important to also point out that there are several items that change during the freezing/thawing process.

Foods that change during the freezing process:

Sauces: Most sauces tend to thin out during the thawing process. Mostly due to the added water. You can try thickening them up with a little flour. Also if you notice that a thicker sauce tends to be too thick after thawing, you can thin with a little milk or water.

Flavorings: If you need to add onions, garlic or other things in a recipe, it is recommended to add these after you have thawed and you are ready to cook the dish. Seasonings lose much of their flavor in the freezing process. If you do add them ahead of time, you might add onion or garlic powder after you have thawed to further boost the flavor.

Gravy - Gravy is difficult to use after you have frozen it because the fat separates during the freezing process. You can blend the gravy or stir it once it has thawed to get it back to where you need it to be.

Veggies - These are mentioned in yesterday’s article. It would be wise to undercook them before you freeze them, so they can finish cooking when you are ready to prepare the meal for eating. If they are raw, they usually get a bit rubbery. You can however use them for cooking purposes at this point and you’d never notice the difference.

Cheese - They become more dried out during the freezing process. You can use them for grating or crumbling, but they will not slice.

There are many more, but this is a pretty good list to get started. Do you know of any others that are still edible but that will change during the freezing process?

As you know, I am a huge advocate of freezer cooking, and am interested in passing along my knowledge with all of you. I taught an entire series of classes at the local community center related to freezer cooking and the turn out was amazing. Many of the students are now friends of mine and we often meet to discuss successes and failures relating to our cooking.

One of the most common things I hear is that the meal they tried didn’t freeze well. During class I gave them a huge list of foods that don’t freeze well, yet some still continue to try and see if they might.

Some foods don’t freeze well, but are still salvageable after the reheating process because the food can be mixed up again and that ingredient might be mixed in again.

Here is a helpful list to get you going in your freezer cooking adventure.

Foods that don’t freeze well:

Cream: This is for just about any milk or cream related product. Milk and cream don’t freeze well at all, and it is safer and smarter to save that ingredient to mix in later if at all possible. Examples: Sour cream, cream fillings, frostings made with milk or cream.

Soft Cheese: Most soft cheeses do not freeze well. Cream cheese is one of such cheeses and it usually gets watery as it thaws or cooks. While sometimes it can be mixed back in and the taste not affected, it is recommended that you save that part for when the meal is thawed and you are ready to cook or bake. (other examples are blue cheese, goat cheese and any cheese that is softer and spreadable)

Greasy and/or Fried Foods: Have you ever tried to reheat French fries or chicken nuggets that have already been cooked? Fried foods tend to get soft and squishy when reheated and the grease is released during the process making the food taste less than desireable when reheated for a meal. Pizza is one such example of an item that gets even more greasy when reheated.

Mayonnaise: This is a bad idea in any item that needs to be frozen. The ingredients in the mayonnaise tend to separate during the freezer/thawing process and no matter how hard you try to mix it in, it doesn’t taste the same. It is recommended that you use a salad dressing instead, but you can also just add the mayonnaise when you are ready to actually cook the dish.

Cooked Vegetables: Cooked vegetables, as well as chopped up raw potatoes that have been put into a dish, tend to get very soft and mushy and sometimes even blend into the dish making it thicker and less appealing. The taste doesn’t change much, especially with a stew or soup, but it really doesn’t look very appetizing. One suggestion is to cook the vegetable in question (especially with potatoes) for only one quarter to half the length of time normally suggested. Then freeze immediately.

Watch tomorrow for a list of items that change somewhat during the freezing process, and offered up suggestions or solutions on how to fix the problem.

Freezer cooking is such a great way to save money and spend less time in the kitchen. It allows for more time spent with family, and there are so many ways you can accomplish this. The best tip I have ever received regarding freezer cooking is to have a freezer chest for storing these meals. It comes in quite handy not only for these meals, but also for purchasing items in bulk or on sale and being able to freeze for later use.

Here are a few basics of freezer cooking:

1.) Before you plan to actually have a freezer cooking session, spend some time gathering recipes, and finding out what freezes well, and what doesn’t. You might wish to put all the information into one location (often referred to as a Meal Planning Binder or Freezer Cooking Recipe Notebook). Be sure to figure out how much of each thing you will need and keep in mind whether you need to double, triple or even quadruple a recipe.

2.) You don’t have to spend an entire day or even a half day cooking to participate in freezer cooking. Another method, and suggested for first timers is to double a recipe each time you make it. Create one to eat immediately as dinner, and one to pop into the freezer for later. If you do this each time, you are slowly building up meals. This can be easier to do when you are short on time or lack the available space for a big cooking session.

3.) Sharing the cooking task with a friend, relative or neighbor is another great way to build up some delicious meals. Each time that you prepare a dinner for your family, triple the recipe. One for dinner that night, one for your freezer, and one for your friend, relative or neighbors freezer. She should be doing the same, so at the end of a week you will be giving her 5-7 meals, and she should be giving you the same. Be sure to communicate with each other so you don’t wind up with two or three frozen lasagnas because you both made it.

4.) Get the whole family involved. Ask them what meals they would like to see served and then have them help double and triple that recipe. Allow them to help you cook, or prepare things for the freezer. Often the kids will appreciate the hard work that goes into freezer cooking, if they are able to do a little hands on experimenting themselves.

5.) Take stock of what you have. In other words, go through your pantry, your refrigerator and your freezer taking notes on what you already have. Use these available items and incorporate them into a session. You don’t want to not make something just because you have already begun preparing meals for the freezer. That box of hamburger helper does not have to go to waste. In fact, you could add a bunch more noodles, some gravy or tomato sauce and a few other ingredients and stretch it into two meals. One for dinner, one for the freezer.

6.) It is important to realize that freezer cooking does take effort. You need to set aside some time to gather your recipes, meal plan and create grocery lists. And then it is time to actually prepare the meals. It is a rewarding thing to be able to feed your family healthy and only take a few hours every few weeks to do it.

If you have any questions regarding freezer cooking, don’t hesitate to ask. I am going to try to add some more articles this week on this very topic.