Freezer Meals Part 1

In the endless hours I've spent browsing pinterest (Yes I have a problem!) I've seen many posts talking about freezer meals, and while it's something I'd heard about before I'd never really considered. But after seeing the pictures and the stories I decided it was something I had to try for myself! I picked out a few of the meals that sound the best to try it out, and we'll see how it goes. If they're really good, I might just have to pick up the book "Dinners in the freezer" (not to sound like an advertisement, but it's only $8 on amazon if you're interested). A few tips I learned along the way, first off, don't buy pre-frozen chicken! I don't know exactly what I was thinking, but next time I will buy the regular chicken so it can marinade while freezing and frozen more, but I hope they still turn out alright for me. Also write the directions on the bag before filling it, it's so much easier (I learned this after the teriyaki chicken, so those bags are a bit messy, sorry!). Also I added a bit more meat to each bag than is asked in the recipe because we love meat in this family! I haven't cooked any of these meals yet, I'm saving them for when Nik gets home so I have easy meals that require little cooking, but I fully intend on doing a post after we've tried some with pictures and how we liked them :) The only thing I wish I could change in all of this is my freezer size!

The best way to do this is to buy everything you need and do it all in one go. Cut up all of the veggies, mince the garlic, label the bags, put the meat and veggies in, let out the air, seal, lay flat and freeze! Pull the bags out the night before you want to use them so they can thaw (Or if your fridge works like mine, a few days before you're going to use it!)

Teriyaki Chicken 

• Medium-Large bag of carrots
• 1 red onion cut into chunks
• 2 large cans of pineapple (undrained)
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 cup of Teriyaki sauce

Split between the two bags, seal, mix, lay flat and freeze. Directions for the bag: Add an additional 1/4 cup of teriyaki sauce to crock pot. Cook low for 8 hours or high for 4, serve over rice.


Sweet and Tangy Meatballs

• Approximately 36 meatballs (homemade or not)
• 16 oz grape jelly
• 20 oz bbq sauce

Split between the two bags, seal, mix, lay flat and freeze. Directions for the bag: Cook on low 2-4 hours, serve over hot rice with a side of veggies.

Sausage and Peppers

(The next two I forgot to get pictures of thawed so I had to pull them out frozen to get a picture)

• 6 italian sausages
• 2 green peppers
• 1 red pepper
• 1 red onion
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 cans of italian diced tomatoes
• 2 T. italian seasoning

Split between two bags, seal, mix, lay flat and freeze. Directions for the bag: Add a drizzle of olive oil, cook on low for 6 hours and serve over noodles or crusty bread with mozzarella cheese.

Savory Chicken

• 4-6 chicken breasts
• 2 cans of stewed tomatoes
• 4 Tbs white wine (or extra chicken broth)
• 1 large onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 cup of chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste, 2 bay leaves
• 4 cups of broccoli (added while cooking, don't put in bag!)

Split between two bags, seal, mix, lay flat and freeze. Directions for bag: Cook on low for 6-7 hours, add broccoli during the last 30 minutes and remove bay leaves before serving.

Mason Jar Salads

I don't know if it's just me, or if everyone gets like this, but I get tired of the same old thing every week for lunch, so I wanted to mix it up a bit this week. I decided to try out something I saw where they layer salad ingredients in a mason jar in one day, and they're good all week to take to lunch, eat at home, etc. I found three different recipes to try out, but after making them all realized my mason jars were too small! These recipes are rather large, so unless you want to split them up into multiple jars, make sure you get big ones, with wide mouths. All you have to do when you're ready is shake them up and eat! I thought they were all pretty good, but I wasn't a huge fan of the Greek Pasta Salad, but I think that might just be because it had too much mint for my liking. The other two were quite good though, and were a great meal paired with some bread! I might have to try this sort of thing again but mix it up with some different veggies, maybe add some meat or something, and you should too! Just make sure the wet ingredients stay on the bottom, the greens on the top, and separate the two with some veggies so nothing wilts :)

Caprese Pasta Salad

• 2 tbsp basil pesto (homemade or store-bought)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 ½ oz fresh mozzarella, chopped into bite sized pieces
• 2 oz cooked penne pasta
• ½ cup fresh spinach leaves
• ½ cup fresh basil, chopped

Layer as listed, starting with the pesto.

Chickpea Salad

• 2 tbsp easy lemon vinaigrette (see below for recipe)
• 1 cup chickpeas
• ½ cup sun-dried or oven roasted tomatoes
• ¼ cup spring onion, chopped
• ¼ cup red onion, chopped
• ½ cup olives, chopped
• ½ cup fresh spinach

Layer as listed, starting with the vinaigrette.

Greek Pasta Salad

(Yay! An actually decent food picture, or at least I think so)

• 2 tbsp easy lemon vinaigrette (see below for recipe)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• ¼ cup red onion, chopped
• 1 cup cucumber, chopped
• ½ cup feta, crumbled
• 2 oz rigatoni, cooked
• ½ cup mixed greens
• ½ cup fresh mint, chopped

Layer as listed, starting with the vinaigrette.




Easy Lemon Vinaigrette

(will make enough for 3-4 mason jars)

• Juice from one large lemon
• ½ cup olive oil
• Good pinch of salt
• Couple of grinds of black pepper

Shake all ingredients together in a small container and refrigerate until ready to use. Shake again before using.

Are you ready for some Football?

It's football season! Regardless of the team you root for, or sometimes even if you're a football fan this probably means some football parties. That usually brings to mind all sorts of classic football foods, dips, chips, wings, etc. and I wanted to try some interesting spins on the classics. The most interesting ones I could find were a White pizza dip and a One pan sticky thai chicken wings. The thai wings do have a bit of a kick just to warn you! I wanted to do some form of dessert for the post too, and as it was my husbands buddy's birthday recently, I decided to bake him up a treat and he requested some Red velvet cheesecake brownies (I sneaked a few, they are amazing! ) so I thought I would add that to the post as well :) Getting down to the tail end of the deployment now and I'm just trying to figure out what all posts I'll be doing, so if anyone has any requests for something please ask!



White Pizza Dip

• 1 pint grape tomatoes, tomatoes cut in half
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 (12 ounces) blocks cream cheese, softened
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, freshly grated
• 8 ounces provolone cheese, freshly grated
• 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese and more for garnish
• 4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped thyme leaves
• 1/2 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano leaves
• crackers, bread or chips for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil then place tomatoes on top. Sprinkle with olive oil and salt, then roast for 20-25 minutes, until bursting. Set aside.

While tomatoes are roasting, mix softened cream cheese with about 7 ounces each of provolone and mozzarella, then and parmesan. Stir in fresh herbs, garlic and roasted tomatoes, mixing well to combine. Transfer mixture to an oven-safe baking dish (mine was 6 x 4 round). Sprinkle with remaining provolone and mozzarella. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until top is golden and bubbly. Serve immediately with crackers, chips or toasted bread. I used dried herbs rather than fresh, as my fresh herbs went bad way too quickly, but it was still pretty good, I really liked it.

Sticky Thai Chicken Wings

• 2.5 pounds chicken wings
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce (found in the asian area of your grocery store)
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup lite canned coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced
• 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon-sized knob of ginger, grated
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 4 green onions, sliced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Pat chicken wings completely dry then season with salt and pepper. Combine chili sauce, vinegar, coconut milk, sugar, garlic, ginger, peanut butter, soy sauce and lime juice, mixing with a fork. Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Add chicken wings and sear, about 2-3 minutes per side until they get nice and brown. Remove wings and set on a plate, then reduce heat to medium-low. Add chili sauce mixture and bring to boil. Let simmer for 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly. Add wings back into the sauce, tossing to coat. Place skillet in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove and spoon the sauce over top of the wings, then garnish with peanuts, cilantro and onions. 

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 ozs dark chocolate (coarsely chopped)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsps food coloring (red)
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 8 ozs cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1 large eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease.
Using all but last 4 ingredients: In a small, heatproof bowl, melt butter and chocolate together. Stir with a fork until very smooth. Set aside to cool for a few minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and red food coloring. Add in the chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Batter should be red. If a brighter red is desired, add an additional 1/2 tsp food coloring. Add flour and salt into the bowl and stir until everything is just combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Pour into prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Last 4 ingredients: Prepare cheesecake mixture. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Drop in dollops onto prepared brownie batter. Gently swirl two batters with a butter knife. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until brownies and cheesecake are set. A knife inserted into the cheesecake mixture should come out clean and the edges will be lightly browned. Cool in the pan completely before slicing and serving, either at room temperature or chilled.

UK

This week I decided to go British with my menu! I am a huge fan of many british tv shows, including Torchwood, Merlin, Sherlock and last but definitely not least Doctor Who, so I decided to try out some british foods. One I had made and tasted before: scotch eggs, which are a hardboiled egg covered with ground sausage, breaded and fried, but I wanted to try something I had never had before, Toad in a Hole. The name might sound funny, but it's really just sausages baked in a yorkshire pudding, and I got the idea to do it from one of the latest doctor who episodes "The Power of Three" wherein the Doctor says, "Who do you think invented Yorkshire pudding?.... Pudding, yet savory. Sound familiar?". After hearing how he had invented it, well who could resist trying it? ;)

All in all it was a very enjoyable meal, although very very rich and full. I would not suggest cooking all 3 for one meal! Separate them, add a vegetable or salad or something and together it'll make a nice meal :) Enjoy!

Scotch Eggs

• 1 pound pork sausage meat
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2/3 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1 quart oil for deep frying

In a medium bowl, mix together the pork sausage and Worcestershire sauce. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a separate bowl; mix into the sausage.
Divide the sausage into four equal parts (You can try to stretch this farther and do 5 or 6 eggs like I did). Mold each part around one of the hard-cooked eggs, rolling between your hands to shape. Place the beaten egg and bread crumbs into separate dishes. Dip the balls into the egg, then roll in the bread crumbs until coated. Shake off any excess.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or deep fryer to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C), or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil turns brown in 1 minute. Lower the eggs carefully into the hot oil. Fry for 5 minutes, or until deep golden brown.

Toad in a Hole

• 1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
• 1 scant teaspoon Kosher salt
• Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp melted butter
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 lb of bangers (an English sausage made with pork and breadcrumbs), or good quality pork or beef sausage links (in casings)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour with the salt and a pinch of pepper. Make a well in the center of the flour. Pour in the eggs, milk, and melted butter into the well and whisk into the flour until smooth. Cover and let stand 30 minutes. Coat the bottom and sides of an 8x12 or 9x9 casserole dish with vegetable oil (we use high smoke point grapeseed or canola oil). Place a rack in the bottom third of the oven and put the empty dish on the rack. Preheat the oven with the dish in it to 425°F. While the oven is coming to temperature, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a skillet on medium high. Add the sausages and brown them on at least a couple sides. When the sausages have browned, and the dish in the hot oven, pull the oven rack out a bit, put the sausages in the casserole dish, and pour the batter over the sausages. Cook for about 20-30 minutes or until the batter is risen and golden. Enjoy!