Become a Freeze and Eat Connoisseur

Step 5: Stock
You've shopped, chopped, sautéed, and stir-fried, so what's next? Stocking the freezer with your many dishes. Stock your freezer however works best for your family. Some possibilities include organizing your shelves by meat or food type. For example, you could arrange your beef dishes on one shelf or group Italian meals together. If you've tripled certain recipes, it's a good idea to have large plastic storage containers on hand so you can fit the whole dish in one container. If you do this for each recipe, you can simply stack the large containers one on top of the other without taking up too much space.

Although it may seem like a lot of work the first few times, once you get a system down, you'll become a freeze-and-eat connoisseur. Then, one hard-working afternoon will result in enough meals to fill a few weeks worth of hectic evenings. So no matter how busy your schedule, you can always have a delicious dinner on the table in no time.

Gramma’s Goetta

INGREDIENTS
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
8 cups water
2 ½ cups pinhead oatmeal
1 large onion, diced
4 large bay leaves
3 teaspoons salt
pinch of pepper

1. Put water into pan and bring to boil. Add salt, pepper and oatmeal.
2. Cook for 2 hours, stirring often. Keep lid on while cooking at low heat.
3. Add meat, onion & bay leaves. Cook 1 hour, stirring often.
4. Pour into bread pans. When it’s cooled, store in the refrigerator.
5. When served, cut a slice from the loaf, then fry in a pan with hot bacon fat until well browned.

With the time you save freezing-and-eating, you can take your pre-made creations and use them in other recipes, saving yourself prep time. Here are two from Allison Fishman for the goetta recipe above:

Breakfast Bread Pudding
By Allison Fishman

INGREDIENTS
8-10 pieces sandwich bread
1 teaspoon dry mustard
6 eggs
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound of goetta

1. Shingle bread slices in a greased 13” x 9” pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt, mustard & worcestershire; whisk together and pour over bread.
3. Sprinkle bread with cheese and crumbled goetta.
4. Cover and chill until soaked, about 4 hours.
5. Heat oven to 350°F and bring pudding to room temperature; bake 45 minutes or until set.

Sausage Bread
By Allison Fishman

INGREDIENTS
1 package pizza dough
½ Tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 pound goetta or Italian sausage
½ cup grated Romano
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 cup grated mozzarella
¼ cup torn basil
1 egg yolk beaten

1. Preheat oven to 350°F; pat dough out onto a greased cookie sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, combine crumbled goetta or sausage, parsley, basil, Italian seasoning, and Romano cheese; stir well.
3. Leaving a 1 ½” border, distribute filling evenly on dough; sprinkle with mozzarella; roll up, jelly roll style and let rest on sheet seam side down; tuck sides under and brush with egg yolk.
4. Cook 25-30 minutes or until browned.
5. Let cool so that you can handle and slice with a serrated knife. Serve and enjoy.

Alternative Entrees
Try these entrees for diners with special dietary needs. These dishes are dairy and gluten-free and are a great complement to meaty meals.

Stuffed Poblano Peppers
By Deborah Fewell

Serves 6-10
Prep time: 30 minutes
Bake time: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS
12 Poblano peppers
1 bag (16 ounce/2 cup) lentils, cooked according to package directions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 bunch (about 1/4 pound) Swiss chard, tough stem end removed, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
2 cans (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained Salt and pepper, to taste
1 jar (24 ounces) marinara sauce, optional for topping
1 bag (7 ounces) shredded soy cheese, optional for topping

1. In a large pot with a steamer, steam peppers for 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut off tops and remove seeds. Set aside.
2. Heat a large skillet with one tablespoon of olive oil. Add garlic and Swiss chard. Sauté until Swiss shard is wilted and garlic is fragrant.
3. Stir in fresh oregano, drained tomatoes and cooked lentils. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Cool slightly before filling peppers with mixture.
5. Place peppers in a greased 9"x13"x2" pan.
6. Pour marinara sauce over stuffed peppers and sprinkle shredded soy cheese on top.
7. Wrap pan tightly with foil and freeze.

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Place frozen peppers in the oven covered with foil. Bake for 20 minutes.
2. Remove foil. Bake for 15 more minutes or until heated through.

Tip: Poblano peppers can be substituted with red or green bell peppers.

Redskin Potato Gratin
By Deborah Fewell

Serves 6-8
Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds red skin potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons potato starch
2 cups soymilk
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 package (10 ounces) soy cheese, shredded and divided

1. Coat a 9"x13"x2" pan with olive oil spray. Add potatoes and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add garlic and onion. Sauté for 5 minutes until onions are softened.
4. Sprinkle potato starch over the vegetable mixture. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
5. Add soymilk. Bring to a boil, and then remove from heat.
6. Stir in vegetable bouillon cube, yellow mustard and shredded soy cheese, reserving 1/2 cup cheese for topping. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
7. Pour mixture over potatoes.
8. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup soy cheese over topping and add a grind of black pepper.
9. Cool completely. Tightly cover pan with foil and freeze.

1. Heat oven to 350ºF.
2. Remove foil from frozen potatoes.
3. Microwave at full power for 5 to 7 minutes. Re-cover with foil and place in oven. Bake for 30 minutes.
4. Remove foil and bake for 20 to 25 more minutes, or until topping is bubbly and golden brown and potatoes are tender.
5. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.