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Farm Kitchen:  Need freezer food ideas  |
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babysmama
True Blue Farmgirl
931 Posts
Elizabeth
Iowa
931 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 19 2008 : 07:27:52 AM
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I need some good recipes for foods/desserts that freeze well. I have four months to go before this baby arrives and I want to have the freezer stocked with foods that we can just pop in the oven. The only recipe that I make often to freeze is lasagna and banana bread so I need other ideas. I also would love an easy cinnamon roll recipe that I can stick in the freezer before cooking - at what point do you stick them in the freezer - before the second rise? Thanks so much!!
-Elizabeth |
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AFMom
True Blue Farmgirl
100 Posts
Erica
North Dakota
USA
100 Posts |
Posted - Jan 19 2008 : 07:34:27 AM
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Hi Elizabeth,
I know that soups and chili freeze well and are quick easy meals. You can also make sugar cookies (bake them and all) and freeze them, then just thaw them for awhile and eat them....easy, that is how we get through Christmas. Like you said, Lasagna is a good meal to have on hand too. Maybe you could experiment with a few of your favorite dishes by making them, freeze them and heat up in a week to see how they taste..then go from there. Hugs, Erica |
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Canadian farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
482 Posts
Lori
Ontario
Canada
482 Posts |
Posted - Jan 19 2008 : 09:34:25 AM
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How about stews, soups, home-made pasta sauce, casseroles and pot pies? I haven't frozen MaryJane's chicken pot pie (from the magazine) but I make it all the time, and it probably would freeze well. You could also cook ground beef ahead, and freeze it in bags so it's ready to add to recipes.
I make my own dinner rolls and biscuits and freeze them, but have never left them frozen for more than a couple of weeks, as sometimes breads don't stay good in the freezer for a long time.
Muffins and bars do well, though, and most cookies.
You are smart to get some meals ready before the baby comes. I did this, too, and it was so nice to have good, home-cooked food when I was so sleep deprived!
Lori |
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summerbreeze
True Blue Farmgirl
277 Posts
Laura
WA
USA
277 Posts |
Posted - Jan 19 2008 : 09:43:19 AM
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There are several great cook books you can get from the library. "once a month cooking" is great. You may want to pop the title into amazon and see what else comes up.
Laura
You only live once,if you do it right once is enough. |
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simplypaige
Farmgirl in Training
15 Posts
Paige
IN
USA
15 Posts |
Posted - Jan 20 2008 : 5:32:22 PM
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I purchased the farmgirl connection cookbook a while back and had to try MaryJanes spaghetti pie. She said it makes 2 and that they freeze well. I tried it and it was hands down delicious. Even better after frozen. Each "pie" makes enough to feed 4-6. The recipe is as follows, 12 oz. of spaghetti,1/2 c. parmesan cheese, 2 c. cottage cheese, 3 c. spaghtti sauce, 1 c. mozzarella cheese, 3 T. butter, 2 eggs well beaten. Heat oven to 350. Cook spaghetti and drain. Stir butter into hot spaghetti then parmesan cheese and eggs. In 2 buttered pie plates form "crusts" by pouring the spaghetti into the bottom of pie plates. Next spread cottage cheese evenly over each crust. To each pie layer 1 1/2 c. spaghetti sauce over cottage cheese. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the tops. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes.
She also said if you put them in the freezer to put them in uncooked. Let them thaw and cook as normal. I have made these at least 3 times already and I do at meat to the sauce. They are great |
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AliShuShu
True Blue Farmgirl
150 Posts
Alison
Charlotte
NC
USA
150 Posts |
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
Posted - Jan 22 2008 : 09:01:25 AM
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I like to make up a meatloaf and freeze it uncooked. I can just pop it into the oven and it only takes about another 20 minutes to cook it from the frozen state. But you end up with a great Sunday dinner without much fuss.
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
my blog: http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
My Website:
http://www.freewebs.com/lisamariesbasketry/index.htm |
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sharij01
Farmgirl at Heart
3 Posts
Sharon
Hallstead
PA
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2010 : 3:53:41 PM
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| I lost my receipe for bottomless chicken pot pie that was featured in one of last years issues does anyone have that you could post for me .thanks so much |
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natesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1735 Posts
angela
martinsville
indiana
USA
1735 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2010 : 5:43:24 PM
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I make breakfast burritos and freeze them. You put scrambled egg, cooked bacon, cheese, and whatever else you like on a burrito wrap and roll it up with the top and bottom folled into the inside. Then lay out on pans with the end of the flap down and freeze overnight. I add red pepper flakes and diced drained tomatoes to the eggs as I scramble them, gives them a mexican flavor.
I also freeze muffins and any left overs from dinner in margerine bowls and freezer containers as individual servings.
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
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natesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1735 Posts
angela
martinsville
indiana
USA
1735 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2010 : 12:09:49 AM
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I just came across an idea that I'm definitely gonna be using. When you go to the store pick up a few whole chickens, some roasts, ribs, potaoes, onions, carrots, and barbeque sauce. At home cut veges as you would for puttin them with the roasts and chickens, then blanch for 4 minutes and put in a sink of cold water. In gallon bags drop the unwrapped chickens and raosts and ribs, one to a bag, except the ribs, put a servings worth for your family per bag. Next add some of the veges to all bags. Finally put barbeque sauce in each rib bag and your favorite seasonings in the chicken and roast bags. Squeeze out air and freeze. Now you can pull out a bag and it has a meal ready to throw in the crockpot while it's still frozen. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or till done. You will want to add water to the pot as well, they recomended 3-4 cups, but that sounded a bit much to me. I think I will see how full 2 cups gets the pot first, then decide if it needs more. The site said that any and all crockpot meals can be frozen this way, I think I will sit down and go through all my crockpot favs and see about puttin together a bunch of these meals for our place!
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
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mrsamy
True Blue Farmgirl
167 Posts
Amy
Milwaukee
WI
USA
167 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2010 : 04:44:31 AM
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I rely on freezer meals all year! We are crazy busy with therapy, school, work, scouts, church, etc. I love Once A Month Cooking and Don't Panic, Dinner's in the Freezer. Check 'em out of the library or super-cheap on Amazon. I went through both and put post-it flags on all the meals that don't require ANY cooking on the preparation day so I can through a bunch of meals together when I don't have much time. Both books have a variation of Cranberry Chicken that I make multiples because EVERYONE loves it. It's my go-to for taking to new mommas, sick friends, and folks who just need a break!
Prayer costs nothing, but is worth the most. |
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kairosdreaming
Farmgirl in Training
24 Posts
Melissa
Pineville
North Carolina
USA
24 Posts |
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MerryHeartSister
True Blue Farmgirl
158 Posts
Christy
Tuscaloosa
Alabama
USA
158 Posts |
Posted - Jul 25 2010 : 04:59:15 AM
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Spaghetti Pie sounds fabulous!
I just had a baby and my freezer meals have been fabulous. You can google these recipes since most came from Recipezaar.com and such.
Mexican lasagna
Spinach and Sausage Lasagna
Enchiladas
Broccoli Rice Casserole
Meatloaf
I also bought onions, broccoli and carrots wholesale. I put packs of steamed veggies with packs of marinated chicken for stirfry in a 2 gallon ziploc bag. Meat and veggies in separate bags inside. I did the same with fajitas with packs of bell pepper and onions instead of steamed veggies. |
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momdrinkstea
True Blue Farmgirl
180 Posts
Elizabeth
Ozark
AL
USA
180 Posts |
Posted - Jul 25 2010 : 8:40:23 PM
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You can make almost any recipe you already like into an
easy-freezable layered dish. I grease a foil pan, put the
starch on the bottom, top it with a cooked meat, add veggies,
and then sauce over all. Foil over the top and freeze!
You may have to make extra sauce, or thin it out a bit, so that
you can cover all the veggies. Works great!
Fast and easy!
I pull out what I want for the next day at night to thaw in the fridge.
Then just pop it in the oven before dinner and bake! If you like, in the
last 15 minutes, remove the foil lid, top it with shredded cheese, and let it melt.
Good luck with the baby!
Congratulations!
-Greenhaven Gardens
"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." - Albert Einstein |
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momdrinkstea
True Blue Farmgirl
180 Posts
Elizabeth
Ozark
AL
USA
180 Posts |
Posted - Jul 25 2010 : 8:42:39 PM
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P.S. www.abebooks.com has every book title I've ever looked up,
and is usually much cheaper than amazon or even eBay.
FYI!
-Greenhaven Gardens
"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." - Albert Einstein |
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CathyM
True Blue Farmgirl
344 Posts
Cathy
Tulsa
OK
USA
344 Posts |
Posted - Jul 27 2010 : 3:17:49 PM
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I go to the farmer's and get a bunch of onions, garlic and peppers then spend time to mince, dice, chop and slice them all up, every once in a while sticking my face in the freezer  to stop the stinging and tears in my eyes lol. As I do all that I measure out the onion into 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and 1 cup Ziploc baggies. I label a slightly larger bag with the amount in each bag (ex. 3 single 1/8c baggies will be placed in a larger bag that says 1/8c sweet onion) then place all the bags in the freezer in a 1gallon bag that say sweet onion or whatever onion your using, on it. I do this for every type of onion I chop. then when I need onions of a certain size and amount just pull them out of the freezer and use, it's so fast and no more tears every time I need onions. For the peppers I do the same thing as for the onions. For the garlic I chop it all up add to a canning jar with just enough extra virgin olive oil to cover, put it in the fridge and use when needed. Both the onions and garlic taste fresh chopped and it takes less time to get everything in the pan.
www.MurrayDesigns.etsy.com
Farmgirl Sister #710
"Not all who wander are lost"
JRR Tolkien
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MissLiss
Farmgirl Legend Schoolmarm
322 Posts
Melissa
Corona
CA
USA
322 Posts |
Posted - Aug 02 2010 : 5:39:46 PM
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I love to make double batches of cookie dough and just throw a roll of the raw dough in the freezer. I think you can do this with almost any type of cookie dough. I also think meatballs are great...cooked and all. Freeze them on a cookie sheet then transfer them to a freezer bag. That way you can take out as many as you want and don't have a mass of frozen meatballs. Meatloaf is great too...freeze before cooking. And I like soups (almost any kind can be thrown in to a freezer canning jar). I've also done pulled pork in the slowcooker (pork picnic ribs slowcooked in BBQ sauce until they just fall apart) and thrown that in the freezer as soon as it cooled. Then all you have to do is throw it back in the slowcooker for like an hour to reheat. Yummy! I'm expecting in two months and this was a great thread to start...right now I'm cleaning out the freezer so I have room to do what you're doing! Congrats and good luck!!!
Melissa ~ Farmgirl #724
Mother Hen to The Knitty Gritty Farmgirls of the Inland Empire
http://fabulousfarmgirl.blogspot.com/ |
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Peg Graham
True Blue Farmgirl
281 Posts
Peg
Chesapeake
Virginia
USA
281 Posts |
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Peg Graham
True Blue Farmgirl
281 Posts
Peg
Chesapeake
Virginia
USA
281 Posts |
Posted - Aug 09 2010 : 6:39:33 PM
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Here's an easy bread machine cinnamon roll recipe I found from CookingLight.com and comments from the ladies beforehand....
Another thought: We make big batches of pecan rolls for gifts at Christmastime, and bake them. Then we wrap them really well in foil, then put them in a freezer bag and freeze them. When we want a special treat, all we do is bake them at 325-400 (can't remember!) for about 20 minutes. They are sooooooo good! If you have the freezer space, it's worth it to make a few batches at a time. My bread machine (1 pound) can handle a 1 1/2 pound recipe for dough, and my KitchenAid mixer can do a double batch (8 pans) no problem. We get quite an assembly line going! One time we made 10 pans in one afternoon, and then I had our third baby a few days later, after some more days of baking other goodies! That was fun! (Serious nesting!)
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SINNABON CINNAMON ROLLS
1/4 cup butter -- melted
1/4 cup water
1/2 of a 3.4 oz. package instant vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
1 egg -- beaten
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread flour
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
Filling:
1/2 cup butter -- softened
1 cup brown sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon
Frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese -- softened
1/4 cup butter -- softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons milk
Rolls:
Place ingredients in machine following the specifications of that particular machine. Set for dough cycle. After complete on dough cycle, remove from machine and roll out to an approximate 17x10 rectangle.
Filling:
Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread softened butter over dough. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon mixture over top. Roll tightly from long end, pinching edges closed when completely rolled. Slice rolled dough into 1/2-inch slices (or larger if a larger bun is preferred). Place into greased cake pans or on a large cookie sheet. If using cake pans, use 3 9-inch pans. Let rise until doubled. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, until golden. Do not overbake.
Frosting:
Spread on very warm rolls.
You may add chopped nuts with the filling.
miles of smiles~Peg
My Blogs:
http://unforgettable-peggraham.blogspot.com/
http://knitapalooza.blogspot.com/ |
Edited by - Peg Graham on Aug 09 2010 6:40:48 PM |
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HealingTouch
True Blue Farmgirl
3448 Posts
Darlene
Kunkletown
Pa
USA
3448 Posts |
Posted - Aug 09 2010 : 10:37:20 PM
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I make stuffed peppers and freeze them. I put them in the crockpot with stewed tomatoes and cook on low several hours until done. Go to Bisquick.com...they have many recipes that are easy and quick...Impossible pies that form their own crusts, impossible hamburger pie, bananna muffins and cheesecakes. This is one of my favorite sites.
Congratulations and good luck.
Blessings, Darlene
Sister 1922
The road to a friends house is never to long! |
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Farm Kitchen: Need freezer food ideas |
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Need freezer food ideas
