June Freezer Cooking

I love using my freezer to store my food. When we aren't going to use up some leftovers or other food that is in the fridge, I label it and toss it in the freezer. I also like to make food ahead of time and put it in the freezer to make my life easier later. For those of you that read my other blog, you know that I am actively looking for work outside the home, so I will need meals that come together easily when time and energy are low. (Update: job found-Hallellujah!) Jessica at Life as Mom is doing another freezer cooking month and I'll be joining with her to fill up my freezer with meals or parts of meals that will save me time and money. My husband will be taking his annual fishing trip to Wisconsin with his best buddy, his twin brother, his brother-in-law, and our two sons-in-law this weekend, so I figured that will be the perfect time to get some cooking done and stocking up our freezer.





Here's the plan:



I have about 10 pounds of chicken legs and thighs that I plan on putting in the crockpot. It will not only cook the meat until it's incredibly tender for lots of dishes like my chicken potpie but it will also make a wonderful chicken broth for soups, sandwiches, and other dishes.

I already have some cinnamon rolls in my freezer that I plan on using for easy breakfasts and desserts.

I'm going to be trying Rhonda's method for freezing pizza dough, along with a couple of other breads and roll recipes so that we can have homemade bread even if I haven't been home to make it that day.

I have some white beans in the freezer now but I want to add some black beans, lentils, and pinto beans to that. I can make my Tuscan White Bean Soup, Black Bean Chili with Red Onion Salsa , lentil cakes, refried beans, and salads. I have yummy recipes for a chickpea salad and a black bean salad that I will be sharing soon since we are in the warmer months, which is when we enjoy salads the most.

I also have a whole chicken that I plan on cutting up and marinating in the freezer for the grill. Mary Ann-I will do a tutorial on how to cut up the chicken :)

Since it's often just my husband and myself at home to eat, I will set aside some of the leftovers for our daughters or for the next day's lunch, and put the rest in the freezer. I will be putting some of the leftover soups in separate small containers in the freezer for taking to work for our lunches, too. Even after I find the right job,(found it!) we want to try and eat as little fast food and premade foods as possible. We've been eating this way for so long that I think it will affect the way we feel and we are going to need extra energy!

What I Did With 10 Pounds of Chicken Leg Quarters

When I find a great deal at the grocery store, especially on items that are generally more expensive, like protein products, I usually snatch it up. So, every 3 or 4 months, my local grocery store advertises a 10-pound bag of chicken quarters for $3.80, it's hard not to buy. Thirty-eight cents per pound for any kind of chicken is just hard to pass up, even though it's not my family's favorite part of the bird. So what can I do with it?



Well, bring out the slow-cooker, of course!



I rinsed the pieces off in the sink and put all 10 pounds of them into the crockpot. I added some celery, onion, carrots, salt, pepper, and a splash of apple cider vinegar. The vinegar helps to bring out the minerals and nutrition from bones and into the stock. I let it do it's thing until the meat on the bones were practically falling off, about 6 hours. I then took a large slotted spoon and took out the meat pieces, allowed them to cool, and then took the meat off the bones.
I put the bones back into the crockpot and let it continue to cook for another few hours, and above is what I was left with. I love the rich color of the broth!
I poured the broth and bones into a large colander placed over a large bowl to separate the two and above is all that was left, just bones and cooked-down vegetables. Oops! There's a large piece of stray thigh meat. That goes in the with the rest of the meat.

I now have a very large bag of cooked chicken meat that I put into the freezer and a large bowl of homemade chicken broth that I put into the freezer overnight so the fat can rise to the top. In the morning, I scrap the fat off and save it for sauteeing vegetables and meats. With my chicken and broth, I'm ready to make possibly some chicken pot pie.

Or, I could make some yummy chicken and dumplings. Do you have some favorite recipes that you use for cooked chicken? I'd love to hear! I'm always looking for a new recipe to use up what I already have.

I'm participating in Foodie Fridays and The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Cabbage Dishes

I currently have 2 and 1/4 heads of cabbage in my refrigerator right now, not to mention the bowl of coleslaw I made on Saturday. We love cabbage around here, and when it's only 18 cents a pound, I tend to get as much as I think we can eat. I have lots of ways that I like to use cabbage and I know not everyone likes it, plus the aroma that often lingers in the house after cooking it.

Coleslaw is one of our #1 ways of using cabbage. We also like it just as a side dish for whatever we are having for dinner, lightly steamed with a pat of butter and some salt. And, since we are in the month of March, we like to have a good Irish-style dinner on St. Patrick's Day, which is coming up tomorrow.



So, corned beef and cabbage with red potatoes and carrots are on the menu for this week, along with Irish Soda Bread-Yum!





I recently found a recipe for sauteed cabbage that I adapted from my Joy of Cooking Cookbook.





Sauteed Cabbage


One 2-pound head cabbage, outer leaves and core removed


4 slices bacon


3/4 cup chopped onion


1 teaspoon salt


1/4 teaspoon paprika





Shred or thinly slice the cabbage. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Add the cabbage to the bacon fat remaining in the skillet, adding the onion, salt, and paprika. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring until the cabbage is crisp-tender. Crumble the bacon and add to the cabbage and serve. Makes about 4 servings.





I've also made this hearty Ham, Cabbage, and Bean Soup a couple of times. Accompanied by a loaf of homemade bread makes it a complete meal.





1/2 head cabbage (about 1 1/2 lbs), cut into 1/2-inch strips


1 cup chopped yellow onion


2 cloves garlic, minced


2 carrots, chopped


1 mdium potato (about 1 lb.), peeled and cubed


8 cups stock, any kind


1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram


1/4 teaspoon dried thyme


1 bay leaf


Salt to taste


pepper to taste


2 cups cooked cubed ham


2 cans (15 ounces each) Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed





In large soup pot, combine vegetables, stock, marjoram, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until veggies are tender, about 30 minutes. Add ham and beans and simmer until flavors are blended, 30 to 40 minutes longer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf and discard. Serves 8-10. This soup freezes very well.

I hope these ideas about cabbage will spur you to cook with it more. The health benefits are amazing and is one of the most economical fresh vegetables in the store.



I'm participating in the $5 Dinner Challenge and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday


Cabbage graphic courtesy of Everyday Health.

Pancakes and Waffles

I love pancakes and waffles. My husband, not so much. He'd rather have a couple of eggs, over easy, thank you very much. But the rest of the family just loves pancakes and waffles. When my girls were younger I would buy the packaged, just-add-water kind of mix, but I remember one morning one of my daughters asked if I could make pancakes and I was out of mix. So, I got out my Pillsbury cookbook and found a from-scratch recipe for pancakes. The girls loved them. Fast forward a couple of years later, when I was learning about the benefits of whole grains and found a recipe for Whole Wheat Pancakes. We were hooked. They tasted so much better than the white flour variety and they kept the girls fuller for a much longer time, yet they didn't eat as much. Interesting, hmm?

Today my husband was in the mood for breakfast for dinner, so I made grapefruit halves, bacon, eggs (of course!), and waffles using my whole wheat pancake recipe. Yes, I know there are separate recipes in many cookbooks for pancakes and waffles but I've found that they are pretty interchangeable and I have used this recipe for either.

Whole Wheat Pancakes (and Waffles!)

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon soda
2 cups milk
1/4 cup oil or melted butter
2 eggs

For pancakes: Heat griddle to 400 degrees or skillet on medium-high heat. In large bowl, combine first 5 ingredients. Add remaining ingredients; beat (or stir) just until large lumps disappear. Lightly grease heated griddle or skillet. A few drops of water sprinkled on pan will sizzle and bounce when heat is just right. Pour batter, about 1/4 cup at a time, onto the hot pan. Bake until bubbles form and edges start to dry; turn and bake the other side. Makes sixteen 4-inch pancakes.

For waffles: Heat waffle iron. Follow instructions above for mixing ingredients together. Bake in hot waffle iron until steaming stops (my waffle iron has a light that tells me when it is done) and waffle is done to a golden brown.

We love to add all kinds of things to our waffles and pancakes: nuts, bananas, blueberries, chocolate chips, or apples and cinnamon.

This is another recipe I tried last week for pancakes or waffles. This batter can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. After a couple of days they will develop a slight sour dough flavor. This is what the batter looked like after one day in the refrigerator. There were a few bubbles forming from the yeast.


Make Ahead Pancake and Waffle Batter

2 1/4 cups unbleached flour (I used half whole wheat flour)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 package active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons)
2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter or oil
3 eggs

In large bowl, combine first 4 ingredients. In small saucepan, heat milk and butter until very warm (120 to 130 degrees). Add to flour mixture along with the eggs. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Cover and refrigerate up to 4 days, adding 2 additional tablespoons of sugar after the second day. Prepare as you would regular pancakes or waffles.

Nowadays we don't usually eat a whole batch of pancakes or waffles in one sitting, so I have been freezing them for when we want them again.

Cheesy Broccoli and Rice with Chicken

As I continue in my quest to fill up my freezer with made-from-scratch ready-made meals, I think I'm finding my rhythm and what works for me. I don't think I will ever do a OAMC (Once a Month Cooking) session but I will be doubling and tripling my recipes as I go along making meals and snacks for my family. In the picture above I have a Cheesy Broccoli and Rice with Chicken Casserole ready for the freezer. It really helps me to label exactly what is inside the dish, the date of when I put it in the freezer, and directions on heating it up. It's a make-over recipe from a more common recipe made with canned soup, white rice, and processed cheese. I instead used my homemade cream of chicken soup, brown rice, cheddar cheese, and homemade chicken broth. Just about all of the ingredients used in this recipe can be made ahead of time and frozen as well, and when you are ready to make this casserole, just mix everything together.

This picture is the one that was to go right into the oven. And here's the recipe that I used, which is adapted from Amy:

Cheesy Broccoli and Rice with Chicken

2 cups cooked brown rice (I make lots of this at once and freeze in small baggies)

2 cups cooked, diced chicken (I usually have cooked chicken waiting for me in my freezer)

2 cups chopped fresh or frozen broccoli

1 cup cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup (I make at least a double recipe and again, freeze it)

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for sprinkling over the top

1 1/4 cups milk or chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup bread crumbs

Mix together in a large bowl. Pour in a 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly.

Here is my recipe for Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup adapted from Tammy's recipe.

Yield:
3 cups (about 2 cans)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chicken broth*

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/4 teaspoon onion powder**

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder***

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt (or less; taste to test)

1/4 teaspoon parsley

dash of paprika

1 1/2 cups milk

3/4 cup flour

1. In medium-sized saucepan, boil chicken broth, 1/2 cup of the milk, and the seasonings for a minute or two (longer if using fresh onions or garlic).
2. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup of milk and flour. Add to boiling mixture and continue whisking briskly until mixture boils and thickens.
Additional Notes:
*I use the broth from my oven-roasted chicken. Refrigerate broth and then take fat off the top and save it for sauteing vegetables in! You can also use chicken bouillon + water for your broth.

**Or, diced onions (boil with broth for a few minutes)
***Or, fresh minced garlic (boil with broth for a few minutes)
Preparation Time:
5 minutes
Cooking Time:
10-15 minutes