I'm back....sort of

It's official. I'm completely out of freezer meals that I had tucked away before my baby was born. It has been so wonderful not to have to worry on the days I really didn't feel like cooking or the days when the baby wouldn't let me.

I'm not feeling quite up to getting back into the regular routine. It's actually quite a bit of work to get ready for a cooking day. Plus, my new baby girl is only 4 months and, although we are working on it, she's not a consistently reliable napper. I would feel horrible if I spent all of cooking day nursing and entertaining a crabby baby.

And yet, I really miss having my freezer meals! So I'm just going to fit in bits of freezer cooking here and there. Since it's just me, there's no problem pushing back my cooking a few hours or a day if the baby is having a particularly bad day.

This week, I bought 10 pounds of potatoes and a couple packages of fresh chicken breasts. Yesterday I mashed up about 8 pounds of the taters (it was all that would fit into my biggest pot!) and I made a batch of Parmesan chicken breasts.




I used the Parmesan chicken breasts just like chicken tenders and served them for dinner along with some of the mashed potatoes and some gravy I whipped up.

And now I have a litle bit of a start on re-stocking my freezer.

{If you're reading this in a reader or by email, you might want to click through to the blog. I've made some changes that make me HAPPY!}

And a bonus baby picture because who doesn't love a cute baby?

Dinner in a Bag

I received a cook book and a Dinner in a Bag kit from my SIL, Christina, for my birthday this year. It is a very, very simple, yet tasty recipe, so I thought I would share it. It may or may not be something you would want to pre-assemble at Freezer Co-op, but regardless, it is a quick, easy meal made with staples found in most every kitchen.

In a sandwich zip bag:
1 cup elbow macaroni

In snack zip bag:
1/4 c. dried onion
3/4 t. salt
1 t. chili powder
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 t. sugar

In a gallon zip bag:
2 (15 oz. cans) stewed tomatoes
above 2 zip bags.

Label: 1 pound ground beef and contents of this bag. In a skillet, brown beef; drain. Add tomatoes, seasonings and 1/2 can of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Stir in macaroni; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until macaroni is tender. Uncover and simmer another 5 minutes until sauce is thickened. Serves 4.

Original recipe from the cookbook Recipes for a Full-Filled Life by Diane Fechter. Here is the address for the blog for anyone interested in a copy of the cookbook: http://recipesforafull-filledlife.blogspot.com/p/new-cookbook-is-available-
and-now-for.html

IL April 2011 Cooking Day

It's been over a week since the group cooked. Sorry for the delay in getting the summary posted.

For around $20, each mom got to take home to her family:
2 bags of Apricot marinade
16 Cheese Sticks
1 loaf of French Toast
1 bag of Monica's BBQ marinade
1 bag of Polynesian Honey marinade
and 2 Taco Bakes!

Check out my comments on the Taco Bake post to understand how we each got two and what we might do differently next time.

I'm not sure when the IL group will be cooking again. I am less than two weeks away from giving birth to my second child and I know things will be crazy in my house for a while. I'm giving myself permission not to make any plans and just play it by ear about when I'll feel like hosting a cooking session again. But rest assured, the meals I have squirreled away in my freezer won't last forever and I'll be contacting these ladies to start cooking again!

Until then, Happy Cooking!

WI April Cooking Day

Well, April was a flop! There were only going to be 3 of us cooking this month...me, Danielle (a sub), and Christina, my very pregnant sister-in-law. Mischa and I came down with a nasty flu the week before cooking and Christina called the night before to tell me that she could no longer move or stand comfortably. So, freezer co-op was cancelled on the 9th. But, since I had all of the groceries purchased already, I just made all 6 meals, for all three of us on my own.

Other news: Because my husband is tired of seeing all of "Do Not Eat--Freezer Co-op" stickers in our fridge (which were made for HIS convenience, I will just add) and to give Christina a chance to recoup after birthing baby #4, we will be taking a break for a month or two.

Below are some pictures of the new recipes we tried this month. I forgot to take pictures of the beef stroganoff & I will try to remember to take them before we eat it for dinner tonight.

Until next time...



Ham & Cheese Muffins (super yummy, by the way!)


Freezer Quesadillas


Stromboli

WI Cooking Day

Last week Saturday was Wisconsin's marathon cooking session where we made 10 recipes. Despite some bumps in the road in planning/participation, we made it through! Of course, I forgot to take pictures again, so I will try to remember to take pictures after the new dishes are prepared.

Saturday, April 9th will be our next cooking date. Our menu:

Cheese Manicotti
Chicken Quesadilla's
Yellow Spanish Rice
Ham & Cheese Muffins
Stromboli
Beef Stroganoff

Until next month,

Freezer Jam!

So, my local Piggly Wiggly had strawberries on sale for .99/pound container. Yes, really...only .99 cents! I bought 5 containers and came home to make some Strawberry Freezer Jam. This is the recipe I used:

FREEZER JAM

3 1/2 c. mashed strawberries
2 1/2 c. sugar
1 (3 oz.) pkg. strawberry Jello

Mix strawberries and sugar, let stand 1/2 hour. Bring mixture to a boil. Boil 5 minutes, stir in the Jello. Put in small jars. Cover. Cool. Freeze. Makes 2 pints.

Recipe found here: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1823,159190-255197,00.html

After using all 5 containers, I ended up with 8 cups of prepared strawberries, causing me to a little over double the above recipe. I ended up with 9 jars/containers of jam. I know that I paid between $2.99 and $4.39 per jar from the store, so the way I figure it, I have at least $30 worth of jam for a little under $9! This is so worth the hour it takes to make this super simple, super tasty recipe!

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:
2 T. vegetable oil
1 pound round steak, thinly sliced
2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
½ c. sour cream
¼ cup water
Flour, salt & pepper to dip steak in

Directions:
1. Thinly slice steak & coat with flour/salt/pepper. In a medium skillet, med-high heat, heat HALF of oil. Add beef and cook until browned. Set aside.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining oil and add onions & mushrooms and cook until tender.
3. Add soup, sour cream and water. Heat to boil and add meat. Cool, place in freezable container.

To prepare:
Thaw, heat & enjoy! Serve over 4 cups hot cooked medium egg noodles. (3 cups uncooked)