Freezer Tip: Flash Freezing

Hello! Just thought I would do a quick post on Flash Freezing. I'm not certain that's the correct term, but I use it a lot. I also use this method of freezing quite a bit for items I don't want to freeze stuck together. That way I can use one or two pieces at the same time, but they can all be stored together.

Freezer Tip: All Things Citrus

How to freeze all things citrus.

Welcome to another Freezer Tip post. Some of these posts may be obvious and/or common knowledge. But as some of you may know, I started this blog for my children. So they that could reference it when they move out and if they ever wanted a recipe for a dish they liked. So these little tips may be useful, someday.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Strawberry Rhubarb pie a la mode.

Oh warm weather, here you come with your beautiful bounty of fruits and vegetables. What's that I see? Rhubarb? Hello lovely, why is it that your season is so short? Tart, tangy burst of flavor. So yummy.  Mixed with berries and surrounded by buttery pastry. Strawberries and rhubarb and one of those combinations that sing summer to me.

Pack lunch faster- FREEZE IT!

To make my mornings easier I make items for bentos to freeze. If I'm in a hurry I can just grab something from out of the freezer. I listed some posts below of other items that freeze well.

This is

Teriyaki chicken drumsticks

Chicken patties, I made some of these into meatballs-  ground chicken, shredded carrots, ginger, salt, pepper.

Pizza Rolls

These are a fun alternative to traditional pizza. They are fun to pull apart for the kids and easy to make. Just use any pizza dough you like. I use the standard dough I put in my bread machine. I do add garlic salt and Italian seasoning to the dough for another layer of flavor. I also tried this with store bought dough- the cans of pizza dough in the refrigerated biscuits section. They turned out fine but you could tell were made with store bought dough. I made a batch of these for dinner and another batch to flash freeze (before cooking) for later.

Smoothies and kids in the kitchen

As Diva gets older I'm letting her do more in the kitchen. She's still not allowed to use the stove or knives without me in the kitchen. But she's cooking more, slicing and stirring more. I love having the kids in the kitchen. Not as much as I used to when we had a bigger kitchen. Our kitchen now is so tiny, it's hard to have more than one adult in there at a time. But I want to include my children as much as possible. I want those memories for them.

Processing Groceries/Shortcuts/Freezing

I thought I would share some things I do before/after grocery shopping to make my week go a little easier. I don't wash and cut everything up but I do try to take the time and process items to make things go smoother or help items last longer.  These tips may not work for everyone, but might for some! (If you use coupons and are good with that, awesome. Don't forget to take them with you, I'm horrible about that.)

1. Make a menu. For all meals- including lunches to pack, snacks and have a leftover night. When planning a menu, I keep in mind that my family doesn't really like leftovers.  So I plan meals that I can use leftovers in or make extra of items to put in the next nights dinner as a shortcut. Examples- roasting peppers? Roast extra, peel and have ready for the rest of the week. Roasting a chicken? Plan a soup for the leftover meat and bones. That way, you're using the bones for stock right away and you don't have 4 bags of roasted chicken carcasses in your freezer waiting for stock day, not that I know anything about that. Making something with ground beef? Brown a couple extra packages. I did this last night. I browned three packages of ground beef. I made two batches of Red Sauce and one batch of taco meat. We had baked Ziti last night, I froze a batch of sauce for later and tonight we'll have tacos. Grilling chicken or meat? Grill extra for sandwiches/wraps/to top salads. Making a roast? Pork or beef- you can shred the extra meat for burritos or soups. (Anytime I can make extra of something to freeze that won't change the flavor or texture later, I do it. Waffles, pancakes, muffins, flash freezing cookie dough etc. If it won't freeze well but will keep for a couple days, I put it in the fridge until needed.)
2. Meats- if there is a good deal on meats or family packs, I'll buy them. Make sure you have freezer bags, paper or food sealer bags and a sharpie- I puffy heart sharpies. Today it was chicken. I got 2 huge packs of chicken breasts on sale and 2 packs of drumsticks. I divided them into 6 bags with enough servings for a meal. A couple of the bags I labeled and put in the freezer as is. For the remaining bags, I put marinades into them, labeled them and put them in the freezer. I marinaded some with a quick Sesame Ginger sauce and the others I use Italian dressing and a Tomato basil marinade. For a quick meal, I let a bag of chicken thaw in the fridge overnight, then grill/broil/roast. Easy.  I also got a deal on a meatloaf mixture of veal, pork and beef so I'll make two meat loaves one night for dinner and freeze the other for later. Nothing has to go to waste because if it does you're wasting money! Believe me I know about this, I'm horrible with vegetables going bad.
3. Vegetables, fruit and herbs. I don't pre cut vegetables for the week. I do find that wrapping my herbs or leafy vegetables like spinach in a paper towel makes them last a lot longer. The only time I cut vegetables is when I have time the night before I need them for a stir fry or  a roast. If certain items are on sale like mushrooms I'll buy them, saute them in butter, freeze in bags and they are ready for a sauce or meal later. One thing that helps me is making a list of what I have and putting it on the fridge. Whatever fresh veggies and fruit I have I make a list and check it through out the week. Because I end up buying extra for snacks and I forget we have them. If you have berries, apples/fruit that is really ripe and you aren't using it freeze it. It can be put in a smoothie later. For berries wash them and lay them on a cookie sheet to freeze. Once frozen put them in a bag to store. Peaches, apples and bigger fruit should be cut up, if you want toss in some lemon juice and water. Freeze like you would the berries. Ripe bananas can be frozen whole and thawed for banana breads/ pancakes/muffins/cakes later, they will be watery when thawed but are perfect for cooking with. Herbs can be cut up and put into an ice cube tray with water and frozen. Throw cubes into sauces when needed. You can also dry herbs if have more than you are going to use. (For a fun snack cut bananas and freeze them with grapes, berries and other fruits in a cookie sheet. Once frozen put them in little bags for a fun frozen treat.) 
4. I also soak some of my fruit and veggies in a vinegar/water mix, let them dry, then put them away. This helps kills mold spores and everything lasts longer.
5. If I buy cereal I put it into the containers I have, break down the boxes/bags and recycle. Same for any packaging, flour, sugar etc, there's so much excess!
6. Use what you have. I'm working on this and getting better. Check the deep freeze and the pantry. Plan meals around what you have, then go BACK and double check to see if you already have lentils, oats or whatever- hiding out somewhere.
7. KNOW what you have. Make a list of items you have in your freezer. I use a wipe board. List what you have and cross it off/erase it when used. That way it's easy to tell what you have and how much without having to open it up and digging through everything. I also make a list of fresh produce so I know what I need to use. On that list I put snacks for the kids that are in the fridge- carrots, apples, cheese etc. So if they ask for something I have options for them.
8. Go grocery shopping before the weekly trash/recycling pick up. That way when you repackage items, or take things out of boxes you can clear that clutter and have it curbside right away.
9. I'm sure I'm missing something but there you go, that's what I do

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Wonton Soup

This is a quick lunch I put together because I already had Wontons in the freezer. I flash freeze them before cooking. I also had the meatball mixture in the freezer. I froze that in a ziptop bag, flattened it, then scored it with a chopstick into squares. Then broke off what we needed.  I also freeze broth in mason jars. Easy peasy!
What a lame Manic Monday post, but it's been crazy around here lately.

Curry Chickpeas (Pressure Cooker)

Hello everyone! I know I've been posting a lot of Instant Pot/ Pressure cooker recipes lately but bear with me. Not only is this little pot quick and easy to use, there are some jobs it just shines at. Braising, stews, soups, pot roast, anything that cooks with a wet environment. "Boiled" eggs come out perfectly tender and not dry. They also slip right out of their shells. There are so many recipes I want to try and convert to Pressure cooking. Not all can be done, but it's always fun to to develop new recipes and tweak old favorites like this one to see if it can be done better. I put this in the better column for sure!

Potato and Cheese Pierogi

 Pierogi time. I decided to make some Pierogi with the kids. These are savory ones with a simple potato and cheese filling. I know that some Pierogi have a sweet filling. I have never tried the sweet ones. I've only had potato and cheese ones,  some with potato, cheese, and jalapeno, and I think spinach, potato, and cheese. These are essentially dumplings that are boiled then pan fried in butter. I serve them with sour cream, sometimes with sour cream, caramelized onion, and chopped bacon on top. Right now we're sheltering in place so ingredients are minimal.

Red Curry Meatballs

Red Curry Meatballs wrapped in lettuce with a bunch of vegetables. So yum and Whole 30 compliant.

These Red Curry Meatballs are easy to make and Whole 30 compliant,but so full of flavor. Tender, spicy, and so good. They also freeze well for quick meals and to pack in lunches. I love meals that can do double duty and freeze well! It saves time and saves me when I don't feel like cooking but we all need to eat.

Crispy Chicken Thighs

Crispy Chicken Thighs

My favorite part of the good ol chicken is the thigh. Unless you can count the skin when it's crispy. The oyster if that was a choice. But for simplicity's sake, the thigh is my favorite. I've always been a dark meat girl. This crispy chicken combines both crispy skin and juicy dark meat. I buy the thighs on the bone. It's easy to de-bone them with kitchen shears or a boning knife. I save the bones, as shown in this post for chicken stock. After I process them I flash freeze so that I can pull out a certain number of pieces for soups, grilling, broiling, or my favorite way to have them is these is crisped up in a cast iron skillet as shown above.

Kiss Me Chocolate Chip Cookies... and freezing dough.

I am always making CCC a million different ways, just search Chocolate Chip Cookie/s on here and you'll get a few hits. Can't help it. These are chewy soft yummies. And I had a ton of chips I needed to use up. When a few cooled I took them on a plate to Pixie girl- she took one, walked away took a bite and came back towards me, I told DH, "yup she wants one in each hand..." NOPE. She came over, put her arms around me and kissed me... then took the other cookie. I love that little baby.

Manic Monday- Freezing Smoothies

Smoothies, smoothies, smoothies. So easy peasy. Perfect for a quick snack or with a meal. Toddlers enjoy them also!
Our standard smoothie is very simple- 

Fruit

Ice

Water
Spinach

You can add nuts, milks, honey, yogurt, flax seed, oils, and more. We like plain yogurt and honey too.
But that's our standard.

Freezer Tip: Freezing fruits and vegetables before you can use them is a great way to have items ready for smoothies and a great way to save money because you aren't throwing food away!

Below is a list of things I've kept in the freezer for our smoothies-

2013 Bento 232-244 Take It Tuesday

 Welcome to another Take it Tuesday. If I was good at that kind of stuff I would have a linky party, but I don't know anything like that. So please link up your lunches on my Facebook page, or hashtag #peasblog #takeittuesday on Instagram and Twitter. I realize it's boring when I pack the exact same thing for all three girls but, here we are.

I had some roast chicken so I sliced it for the girls and made some Club sandwiches.This is a star themed lunch, I had Madonna's Lucky Star on my brain this past week.
Chicken Club Sandwiches, with chicken, bacon, tomato, and cheese.

Cucumber slices

Peach Applesauce
Yogurt Stars (my middle girl decided she didn't like these, me neither way too sweet.)
Cheese Stars

 Same as above.

A Bee, and a Mango Lassi

I have a bee story for you that is directly related to this post, more on that below. But first things first. Mango Lassi, perfectly refreshing. Not sickly sweet, and easy to make. The method below is just a method, adjust flavors to your taste. The lassi I'm writing about is a sweet, not salty lassi.

Mango Lassi with Tapioca pearls.

Salmon Chowder

Salmon Chowder
It's finally getting cooler around here. It was 38 degrees this morning. I will say that it's colder here at 38 degrees than it was at 38 degrees in Maryland because of the humidity. It just chills you through. I'm loving it so I can't complain. Bundling up, wearing layers, and boots. It's wonderful. I decided to make some Salmon Chowder. It's so easy and quick to make. The ingredients can be kept on hand, if the salmon is frozen. Even the vegetables can be flash frozen after being diced. Set the carrots, celery, and onion on a baking sheet and freeze them. Once frozen transfer them into a container or freezer bag. They do not need to be thawed before cooking. Just keep in mind they they will have ice on them. Be very careful putting them into hot oil.

Matzo Ball Soup

Matzo Ball soup, or as my friend calls it "Jewish Penicillin"

Matzo Ball soup. Comfort in a bowl. I don't know what it is but, this soup has been on my top three as far as comfort foods. Always. It's so good. Especially if I'm sick. Chicken noodle soup? Sure, if it's handy. Matzo Ball soup. All day. Every day, please.

Forget any other recipe for Matzo Balls you've seen on this blog. Because this one is perfect. It produces light, fluffy matzo balls that still have substance to them. So they are still "sinkers" and not falling apart. The texture throughout is tender. Perfection. I honestly don't know if the texture could be anymore perfect. The flavor, well, you're using Schmaltz. Fat is good flavor.

Pumpkin Butter and Pumpkin Butta (Instant Pot)

Pumpkin Muffins slathered with Pumpkin Butta? Yes, please.

PUMPKIN SEASON IS UPON US! I love pumpkin. Love seeing those cute little sugar pumpkins pop up in stores and at the Farmer's Market. Not that I go to the Farmer's Market a ton. I love sweet pumpkin treats and like to have them year round. These two recipes can be made during peak pumpkin season and kept in the freezer to be enjoyed later.

Dumplings/ Wontons

I remember when I was in sixth grade and we were latchkey kids. I would watch my brother and another little girl (both 3 years younger than me) after school. I would make snacks for us, nothing spectacular, mac and cheese out of the blue box, Thai style ramen noodles, eggs... things like that. I loved cooking even then. I remember frying up dumplings. after I wrapped them so carefully, we dipped them in ketchup- yuck, the ketchup part not the fried dumplings. Looking back on it a sixth grader frying up food in hot grease with no supervision probably not a good idea, but here I am unharmed. I guess since Chinese New year is fast approaching I thought I should get a head start. I made some dumplings to freeze and steamed some for lunch today. With a much better, though simple dipping sauce.

You can stuff your wonton wrappers with whatever you choose, I just used what I had on hand, nutella is always a good one for a sweet wonton... but I wasn't frying just steaming. The girls inhaled them. I didn't measure anything so... I am just going to list the ingredients and you can guesstimate.