So, to say that right now I am feeling overwhelmed, well that would be an understatement. am loving working on the magazine, and I can not wait to show it to all of you. I am excited about my new blog, which I have been wanting to do for almost a year now, but have been too scared. I am planning to move to WordPress, mainly because I dislike not being able to respond to each of you when you leave a comment. This blog will be down tonight, and then will be back up either tomorrow or Sunday. I will not be moving to WordPress until sometime next week, but this weekend begins the process.
With everything going on, I need a bit of help from all of you. I want to make and freeze a few yummy meals for my family this weekend, but I am in need of some new recipes. I would love for you to leave a comment with your favorite freezable meal, and for every recipe that you leave, I will enter you to win an Off Hand Design clutch bag. I adore the stripes in this bag, and it is perfect for the knitter or sewer who wants to carry their project tools.
I know that I have seriously lacked much in terms of creativity this week, and I appreciate you hanging in there with me. I am excited to get to all our Halloween posts next week, and I hope that you all have a great weekend.
Update: Congratulations to Vanessa, who was chosen through the random number generator.
I can not say thank you enough to all of you for your amazing recipes, and kind words. I am looking forward to a week of cooking.
{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }
I know about magazines,blogs, and fear…just jump in like you are doing. The water isn't always fine but much better than the fear.
and now for the Italian Chicken soup recipe. It freezes really well.
Ingredients:
2 chicken breast
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 red pepper
2 stalks of celery
2 carrots
Italian spice mix or rosemary,oregano,thyme etc to taste.
1/3 cup of rice
chicken or vegetable stock
In a separte pan, boil the chicken breast in water until cooked. Set aside to cool
saute onions, when clear add garlic, then add celery,carrots, and red pepper. Let saute for about 10 to 15 minutes on medium heat. Until they have a nice color. Add herbs or Italian herb mix. Add chicken or vegetable stock let boil until vegetables are done, about 20 minutes.
Add 1/3 cup of rice and cook until done. Shred the chicken into small pieces and add to soup. Freeze it like this. Upon reheating spinkle parmesean cheese on top, only if you want.
Here's to all of your new endeavors and Bon appetit.
Oh Yummy, Thank you!
Oh Heather, Stress is never a fun thing. I wanted to send you a little comment HUG now, and I will think of a recipe to post later in the day.
I really can't wait to see the new Blog, I'm sure it will be amazing.
(Although this one is pretty darn fantastic as it is.)
Hugs to you…my friend.
Honestly, please let me know if I can help in any way.
wow…and I was just thinking how on earth does she manage to produce so many amazing projects with such consistency…I hadn't noticed a lack of creativity at ALL!
Here is my chicken, asparagus, cheese recipe…I usually freeze these. I make them with whatever is in season. I'd probably use kale, spinach, carrots now. or they can just be veggie cheese. These make nice gifts too.
http://www.sowabisabi.com/2009/06/chicken-asparagus-cheese-pie.html
I'd like to switch over my blog too for the same reasons…so I'll be watching how this process works. I use wordpress for a couple of other blogs that I write for and I really like it. Typepad seems popular too. How did you choose?
oh..and thanks so much for the link to my cottage scones post;)
blessings~
I don't have a meal to share, but I wanted to offer some support anyway! Hang in there. You give so much to the world, Heather. We're cheering for you! xoxox
oh my this bag. the colors are just so perfect.
so- freezables?
we like to make stuffed cheese shells with red sauce. I like to make this one for my new mommy/daddy friends. here is a link
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=428921
Green enchilladas (w/ or w/o meat). I used ground turkey. Brown the turkey with garlic and onions, drain if needed. If you are going to go veg just saute up bells, mushrooms, and any other veg that you like.
grate cheese, a mix of orange and jack is good
here is the secret ingredient- cream cheese. sounds wierd but so good.
heat tortillas and ench. sauce.
poor a bit of the sauce in your baking dish, and start stuffing and rolling your enchies. (fill with turkey/vegies, a little cheese and a slice of cream cheese). Roll and repeat.
poor remaining green sauce and grated cheese.
freeze from this point or cover and bake at 350 until sauce is bubbling (about 30min) uncover and bake about 5-10 more minuts so cheese gets melty on top.
top w/ cilantro and avocado slices. enjoy!
another good one that I just thought of is to mix up the filler for a quiche- then poor into a zip top bag and lay it in the freezer inside a pie pan- this will allow it to freeze to the shape you will want it in. then when you are ready put the pie crust in the pan and the frozen filling, bake.
No apology necessary, friend. I'm going to post a recipe for pumpkin black bean chili on the ol' blog today — I'll email it to you too! Its made in the slow cooker, and makes a massive amount, so plenty for the freezer. Deep breaths. +Chelsea
I am the queen of freeze. I often will cook 4 or 5 things in one day for freezing individual meals.
Here are a few of my faves that warm up wonderfully…lasagna, chicken and eggplant parmesan, soup, chili (YUMMMMMM), and curries. My husband is Pakistani so we eat a lot of Indian/Pakistan food and it's better warmed up than fresh. Let me know if you want any curry recipes…
Eggplant or chicken parmesan (done the same way)
Cut eggplant into 1/4 -1/8 inch slices
dunk in eggwash (egg and a splash of water)
coat with panko or breadcrumbs (i add parmesan cheese, pepper, salt, basil, oregano, garlic and onion powder to mine but you can do whatever…it's fine on it's own too)
fry in butter and olive oil until crispy-ish
line up in deep dished baking pan and pour whatever tomato sauce you wish (i do jar and homemade…depending on time).
Slice up mozarella and put on top. Bake covered at 350 until done. Take off cover/foil and let bake a few extra minutes to get the cheese bubbly. You could even broil for a minute or two but watch it closely.
Delicious!
Cut into 5-8 servings and freeze.
Good luck with the move over and I hope it all goes smoothly.
A good freezable recipe for us is a bolognaise because I can turn it into either a quick and easy lasagna, a shepherds pie or spagetti bolognaise – hope that helps??
Have a lovely, lovely weekend,
Nina xxx
This is my go-to casserole recipe – I've made it at least once a month for years. I usually make it with tuna fish to add a little protein in, but this is just the vegetarian version here. If you're making a small-ish batch, you'll only need half the amount of veggies.
Veggie casserole
Ingredients:
macaroni noodles (enough uncooked noodles to cover the botton of your pan, twice)
3 Cups spinach
2 Tbsp butter or olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, sliced in rounds
1 yellow squash, sliced in rounds
1 block cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 onion, minced
salt & pepper (to taste)
*optional: 2 tomatoes, diced
*optional: 1 small eggplant, sliced in rounds
Directions:
Boil and drain noodles. Mix with butter (or olive oil), garlic, salt, pepper, & onions (tomato optional).
Grease sides of baking pan with butter or olive oil. Create layers thusly (noodles, cheese, veggies, cheese) *repeat until pan is full or you run out of ingredients. Cover with foil & freeze (or proceed to baking).
Keep covered and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until cheese is bubbly in the pan and a bit browned on top.
Hi Heather, I think you have been very creative this week! I also think that freezing a chili would be nice..the one on Cookus Interruptus is very good. I used organic dark meat turkey instead and added a little curry. You could also make it vegetarian also! Hang in there Heather. Love, Kyndale
http://www.cookusinterruptus.com/index.php?video_id=146
oh, god. heather? this week has been you lacking in creativity? oh my…my blog has a lonnnnngg way to come then!
good luck with the juggling! i couldn't hack it and took a blog break. i can't wait to see your new blog home. in the meantime, here is a very easy, well balanced, freezable meal. i am linking to the recipe for impossible pie on my blog:
http://whichname.blogspot.com/2008/07/recipes-la-nonna.html
nicola
http://whichname.blogspot.com
You shouldn't be apologising, your blog is SO inspiring and I've loved every post this week. I want to choose a good recipe to share with you, so I'll give it some thought and write tomorrow – hope that won't be too late but it looks like you have a lot of good ones already.
The bulgur and red lentil soup in this article is excellent very quick to make and freezes beautifully: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/13/FD5S15313V.DTL
Good luck with the change over. It sounds like you are busy busy busy!!
Here is one of our favorite meals. I use 3 cans of beans (kidney, black and navy)and omit the peppers for our family's taste.
http://www.recipezaar.com/Vegetarian-Black-Bean-Chili-203877
carlamo (at) ymail (dot) com
Queen of Freeze here.
Here is a recipe for shredded beef. It can be used for my famous shredded beef tacos…you know
Get a crock bot
Throw in a side of tritip
cover with water almost
2-3 beef boulien cubes
tablespoon of dry mustard
some cumin crushed stuff…you know all powdery
some chili powder
dash cayenne
can of crushed tomatoes…get the kind with chilis
or get a can of chilis they small woman
now a cup of fresh salsa
cook all day.
freeze portions
fry up those taco shells…cause no use livin' la vida no fat
put some soy cheese in there…I know that is how you roll…
enjoy
So happy for you Heather, can't wait to see it!
Hi Heather–good luck with all your projects! Here's a fall go-to that we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.
Pumpkin Chili
I do it in the slow cooker, but it could be done on the stove too.
ground turkey 2 lbs (or ground chicken, or chicken breasts to shred later) –browned or thrown right in
1 can pumpkin (or fresh)
2 cans rotel tomatoes & chiles
2 cans black beans
sauteed onion (one or two)
garlic–a few cloves
1 tsp tumeric
1 tbl. cumin (or more)
1 tbl. chili powder (I like ancho)
1 cup chicken stock
Throw all ingredients in slow cooker at low for 6 hrs or so. 1/2 hour before you are ready, throw in a bag of frozen corn.
(then freeze or eat what you want)
Optional toppings/sides:
corn bread
blue corn chips
sour cream/plain yogurt
avocado slices
cheese
Goodness, I see no lack of creativity here!
Good luck with your move!
I think this is a great recipe, I found it on our Soup Swap.. I have made it 3 times and it is fantastic!
I just double the recipe and cook it in my crock pot. The leftovers freeze very well..
Oh, I substitue kale for the spinach, (once used collards)- I think they have more body then the spinach and I like it that way..!!
http://dontcallmebecky.typepad.com/rebekah/2009/10/soup-swap-mediterranean-lentil-soup-with-spinach-slow-cooker-recipe.html
Butternut Squash Soup
•1 TB olive oil
•2 cups onions
•2 teaspoon curry (or more)
•2 apples (granny smith), peeled and chopped
•3 cups stock
•1 cup apple juice
•2 medium butternut squash
Boil squash whole and unpeeled for 5 minutes. Cool, then peel and chop.
Sauté onion and curry. Add stock, squash, apples. Simmer for 25 minutes.
Puree, then add apple juice.
Mexican Lasagna
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 1 pound yellow onions, chopped
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 2 cans corn, drained
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped (I loathe cilantro so I skip this step)
• ¾ cup tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups prepared enchilada sauce
• 1 pound jack cheese, shredded
• 1 dozen 6-inch corn tortillas
Heat oil and sauté onions until they start to brown. Add black beans, corn, cumin, cilantro and tomatoes. Mix well to combine.
In a 13” x 9” pan, spoon ½ of the enchilada sauce. Cover with 4 tortillas, half of the veggie mixture, and delete of the cheese.
Repeat, starting with remaining enchilada sauce. Make a top layer with remaining tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining third of the cheese on top.
— cover with foil and pop in the freezer –
Bake at 350° for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Uncover for last 10 minutes to let cheese brown. Let sit in pan for 10 minutes before serving.
You amaze me. Now if only there were more time and more money in our lives to get us together! Have to rack my brain for a recipe that I know you will be able to serve.
I make about 30 batches of my chicken soup between Sept and May…
Bring 4-6 boneless chicken breasts, carrots, celery, bell peppers (all colors but green in this house) in chicken or vegetable stock to a boil.Simmer and remove chicken after about 30-40 minutes. Shred or chop chicken, throw back in the pot. In another pan, saute garlic, onion, and whatever fresh or dried herbs sound good. I love rosemary, thyme, basil and oregano… When nice and caramalized, add to pot of soup. When carrots are tender. Remove from heat, cool and then freeze in portioned containers. I usually heat up and serve over noodles. I know you will have to use gluten-free there, so whatever works in your house. I can't get enough of this stuff. Will try and think of some other recipes and email to you. Hope all is well there. Getting ready for the big 2nd birthday on Tuesday and 30th birthdays for Scott and I! It's such a busy week! And by the way, your blog is great. Can't wait to see the new one. I love the bag you're giving away too. Love you! xoxo Jamie
I know that you already know about this one, but the pot pie that I wrote about is super-freezable, just don't put the crust on top until it has thawed…right before you bake it.
Link:
http://glimpsesintothelife.blogspot.com/2009/10/comfort-and-joy.html
I hope that you are having a wonderful start to your weekend.
Hugs, Julia
oh you bet we're going to hang around this amazing space of yours! just be sure you carve out some time for yourself. I don't freeze much but I do roast lots of chicken (usually 2) at a time and tear it up for meals all week. I mix it with beans and salsa for tacos, with store bought pasta sauce and parmesan cheese for pasta, mix with mayo and pickles for sandwiches, add stir fried broccolli and teryaki sauce for chinese, etc….
hope this helps.
I'm trying to think of gluten free options–
We love butternut squash soup with bread:
roast some butternut squash (you can freeze it at this stage)
then add some water/chicken broth and curry powder, with some cinnamon. Yumm!
Also, I make and freeze a lot of quiche/ fritattas-
for the latter,
fry 1 potato and 1 onion sliced thin in olive oil in a non stick pan
add about 4 eggs and cook over low heat, as if making an omelet
I like to also add herbs (thyme, basil) and greek olives, plus some kind of cheese- parmesean or feta is delicious.
Once the eggs are set but not firm, place under the broiler on low until golden brown (about 10 minutes, but watch closely).
This is DELICIOUS heated up with a salad– yum yum. You can use any leftover grain in place of the potatoes– rice, quinoa, etc.
Also, Mark Bittman has a great recipe for a kale pie. I'm not sure if I can include it b/c its in his cookbook but I can email it to you… kale and onions and hardboiled eggs, yum!
We have a pan of frozen pasta to bake when we need it in the freezer right now! It is super easy to make, and you can really put what ever you want in it!
Baked Pasta
You will definitely need:
veggies (I always use an onion)
one large can of diced tomatoes, drained
one jar of sauce or two cans of tomato sauce
vinegar and chicken stock or red wine
one box of pasta
2 cups grated mozzarella
Start by making a tomato sauce (you can use a jarred sauce to save time, but I usually make a large batch that we eat on for dinner that night, then boil extra pasta to freeze like this for later.) Our sauce usually starts out with veggies: onions, garlic, carrots, diced and peeled eggplant, zucchini, rainbow chard. I start the onions first and cook until the just start to caramelize, then I add everything else in a logical order and saute until they are tender. If you eat meat, add it and brown after the onions – we really like a natural chicken Italian sausage. De glaze the pan with a bit of vinegar and chicken stock or wine; once you've done that – add a can of diced tomatoes (drained) and either a jar of pasta sauce or a couple of cans of tomato sauce. Then season to taste with salt, pepper, basil, thyme, oregano. Let this cook for a while over low heat.
Boil a box of whole wheat (or corn) elbow macaroni (or what ever shape pasta you like); shave about two minutes off of the cooking time. Drain pasta and mix into sauce.
Pour sauce/pasta mixture into a greased 9 by 13 casserole dish and top with grated mozzarella cheese. I usually need about 2 cups – but it's really how ever much you want.
Pop this in the freezer. Thaw before heating for best results. Bake uncovered at 350 for 20 minutes or until cheese melts and sauce get bubbly.
We also love to freeze our stew for later, and I've made chicken pies that froze well too, but both those are definitely for omnivores, and I can't remember if you guys eat meat! I know you need gluten free though, so hopefully this one will work.
Here's a favorite of ours and it freezes really well. Make one to eat and one to freeze!
Turkey Tetrazzini
1/2 cup thinly diced onions**1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour*****2 cups broth
1 tsp. salt*****1 cup milk
pinch pepper*****1 can cr. mushroom soup
8 oz. pkg spaghetti***3 cups. chopped turkey
1/2 cup grated sharp cheese
Brown onion in butter. Stir in flour, broth and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Add mushroom soup. (or cream of chicken)
Put layer of cooked spaghetti in buttered baking dish. Then layer with meat and noodles until dish is full. Cover with the creamy mixture and grated cheese. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Freezes well.
I would still read your blog even if you just post pictures and not write a word. So don't worry about that.
And when it comes to your big projects:
:: breathe
:: relax
:: make lists
it works for me. I am sure the end result will be terrific as everything you do
Mediterranean Chicken Recipe with Balsamic Vinegar Roasted Peppers
From Karina's Kitchen glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com
1 large sweet onion, sliced thin
3-4 large, ripe bell peppers, cored and sliced
1/2 cup organic balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup gluten-free chicken broth
4 fresh cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon dried basil
1-2 teaspoons Italian Herb Seasoning
4 fresh organic free-range split breasts of chicken, rinsed and patted dry
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Toss the onion and pepper slices in a large bowl. In a large measuring cup, fork-stir your sauce using: balsamic vinegar, olive oil, broth, chopped garlic, and herbs. Pour the sauce over the sliced peppers and onions and toss well to coat.
Place the split chicken breasts in the bottom of a baking pan sprayed with olive oil. Season with sea salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the balsamic onion and pepper mixture over the chicken and arrange them evenly. Use every last drop of sauce.
Loosely cover the pan with a piece of foil and place in the center of a pre-heated oven. Bake for 40 minutes or so. You want the chicken to be cooked through (no longer pink inside) and the peppers to be limp and soft. I checked the chicken after 30 minutes and spooned the sauce all over the onion, peppers and chicken breasts (to keep it moist) and continued to bake it until everything was melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Serves 4.
Corn Chowder – From SimplyRecipes.com Gluten Free section
INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 strip of bacon or 1 teaspoon of bacon fat (substitute 1/2 Tbsp of butter for vegetarian option)
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 large carrot, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1/2 celery stalk, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
3 ears of sweet corn, kernels removed from the cobs (about 2 cups), cobs reserved (see steps for taking corn off the cob)
1 bay leaf
3 1/2 cups milk, whole or low fat
1 medium Yukon Gold potato, or Russet, peeled and diced
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
METHOD
1 In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the bacon strip (skip this step for vegetarian option, just add more butter) and fry until the bacon renders its fat, but doesn't begin to brown, 3 or 4 minutes. Add the onion and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until soft. Add the carrot and celery and cook for 4 or 5 more minutes.
2 Break the corn cobs in half and add them to the saucepan. Add the milk and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a bare simmer. Cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes. Make sure the heat is as low as can be and still maintain a gentle simmer (on our stove we had to use the "warm" setting) to prevent scalding the milk on the bottom of the pan.
3 Discard the cobs, the bacon strip, and the bay leaf. Raise the heat, add the potatoes, red pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt, fresh ground pepper to taste, bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost fork tender.
4 Raise the heat, add the corn kernels and the thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Serves 4.
i almost forgot to post looking at the yummy recipes.
it is scary, but you will see that everything will transfer fine to wordpress! i wish you luck, and love wordpress.
i don't have a "recipe" instead just a tip. we love twiced stuff potatoes, and i make a bunch of them, and flash freeze them. they come in handy, and they are healthy, and you can decide what to put in them. after we bake them, we often sprinkle parsley or cilantro on them. (we love our stuffed potatoes witho our local roasted green chile).
I like to make split-pea soup….. though I never really measure anything.
I take a ham bone that I've saved from a previous meal (and tucked neatly away in my freezer), and put it in my giant crock pot with enough water to cover. Then I turn my crock pot on low, and add split peas, chopped onion, and carrots. I usually leave it overnight and check (and stir) it occasionally.
Once the peas are nice and mushy, I pull the ham bone out (and sometimes reserve some ham chunks to stick back in)… then I stir it really well and mash it through a sieve to make it nice and smooth. Then I add salt and pepper and some heavy cream (or whatever you'd like to make it creamy) to taste. Once it's cooled, it freezes REALLY well.
We love to have this on-hand in the cooler months. It sets up really thick, so when we re-warm it, we add a little water or more cream to thin it down.
I just stumbled across your blog today, and I have to say that I love, love, LOVE it!!!!!
I like to make up batches of soup to feeze. I make a chili, chicken soup, and a minestrone and freeze them in servings for one meal each.
It is that time of year for frazzled feelings, I think. I hope things slow down and become a bit less-frazzled soon!
Oh how we enjoy your blog! And look at all the new recipes you have to try! I don't freeze meals very often, but looking at this list of ideas I think I'm going to try it!
WHOOT! I just sent you an email. so sorry I hadn't seen this earlier. once I read a post I don't usually come back to it, that will teach me
thanks so much~