Loaded Freezer

[creativemom]

In the months before Christmas I normally start loading my freezer with homemade cookies and candies as well as mixed drinks. I'm ready to go at a moments notice! Last week I went to a store in Green Bay called U Bake, they have cookies, baking supplies, and frozen baked goods of all kinds premade in dough form and frozen. Suddenly I started thinking I can do this for less!!! Why didn't I think of this before??? :slap: My basement freezer has a couple frozen turkeys, a lassagna, a casserole, and now it includes::::::
Homemade cinnamon rolls---(all I need to do is place the frozen cinnamon rolls on sheets, cover them and let them rise out in the open through the night then they'll bake up the next morning!)
Dough premade into rolls and flash frozen
Now I'm thinking of cookie dough and muffin dough. I love the thought that when it's cool and we have time right now I can prepare and then we can have homemade cinnamon rolls or regular rolls compared to those tube brands. (Seriously there is nothing better than HOMEMADE!!!) :applause: Do you have any freezer tips, recipes???? What do you keep in your freezer?? :flower:

 

[Cathymac]

Excellent idea and tips! I love the idea of homemade cinnamon rolls waiting in the freezer, ready to thaw, bake and eat! I've only made cinnamon rolls once and I cheated and used frozen biscuits for them, but they were very good!

I'll think on this and see what I can add to my extra fridge freezer or our big freezer that lives in the shop at Mom's.

 

[Terrylee5151]

I make the Cinnabon Cinnamon rolls and I am going to try to freeze some of these and see how they turn out.

 

[Winged One]

It's not so much of a getting ahead tip at the start (although it can be if you want to), but when we do slices of lemon or orange or lime for drinks here, I usually have a few leftover. So I pop them into a freezer bag and they are ready when needed again (and they are already frozen so the drinks only need 1 cube of ice too!!). I usually try to have a stash of these ready before I expect lots of visitors too, but that depends on organisation in advance.....

Also, with bottles of wine that we don't finish, I sometimes use the remains in cooking or else might freeze it in icecubes (and then put into a freezer bag when frozen). These cubes can be very handy for a little dash of flavour when you are cooking without having to open a whole bottle.

I do dream of the day when i can get a chest freezer though and have a proper stash of goodies in it (I have problems dealing with vegetable gluts at times in my little one).

 

[luludou]

I love the tip about the citrus slices!! (I use the one about wine too). ..... gotta call Mom to tell her about this one!

 

[InstantMom]

Not sure I have any helpful freezer tips, CreativeMom - I just want to come over to your house for dinner! :rotflol:

 

[SparkleNana]

Great ideas, Winged One! And -- I have a problem with "vegetable gluts" in my freezer too. I have SUCH good intentions when I buy all those vegetables. They just don't really look that delicious when I open the freezer at my house!

 

[HouseElf]

Best made = homemade almost everytime! :flower: Goodluck filling your freezer!

 

[luludou]

Ok, here's my list to-do for filling the freeezer before christmas:
- Spaghetti sauce
- Chili
- Italian sausages (cooked and cut in slices to add to pasta, rice....)
- Fudge
- Maple candy
- 3 types of cookies / desserts
- Ground beef & oignons (cooked for last-minute meals)
- Ham (cooked and cubed)
- Chicken (cooked and in pieces)
...

 

[AuntJamelle]

Great idea about flash freezing the bread roll dough! I will have to try that!

We eat alot of chicken at our house, so when I can I try to cook up and shred a bunch of it, then portion it out into freezer bags for quick jump starts on meals.

My favorite chicken flavor comes from the rotisserie chicken at the grocery store, but unless I catch one that has been marked down, I don't buy them.

BUT - I have discovered a way to get almost as good of flavor at home!

ink:

Just use the dry rub of your choice on fresh/thawed chicken (with skin or without - although thighs are my fav piece to use this way). Spray a pan or large baking dish with cooking spray and put in the chicken.

Roast in the oven at 275 for 1 1/2 hours. Oh so yummy!

It is so tender! If you can protect the roasted meat from all those who come sniffing it out, it can be cooled, shredded or chunked and put in the freezer.

SIDE NOTE: This is a perfect way to do BBQ on the grill, once you take the chicken out of the oven you can brush on the sauce of your choice and then put the chicken on the grill for a couple minutes on each side. This avoids the whole "burned on the outside, but raw on the inside" BBQ chicken thing that can happen sometimes...

Anyway, this cooking method produces flavor that is great for casseroles, pot pies, quick chicken tacos, etc.

Oooooh, speaking of pot pies - I bet we could premake those bad boys too and freeze them!

:-D

Frozen pie crusts too, maybe...

Frozen garlic bread? I often freeze leftover hotdog or hamburger buns to use later for making garlic bread. When needed I sit them on the counter to thaw and then spread with a softened butter I've mixed up with garlic (powder or fresh minced) and some Italian seasoning.

I bet you could pre-make up the garlic butter, spread it on the bread and freeze it just like that. Maybe with wax paper between slices?

Really, if you just mentally walk down the frozen foods aisle at the grocery store you can probably get tons more ideas on possible things to make up yourself and freeze.

The stores do all that stuff so we pay for the conveinence. Personally, the only thing I will probably never make myself is puff pastry. Buying a box of the frozen kind is so easy and produces such great results each time. I'm afraid to try and make it from scratch!

Has anyone tried and had success? Easy or hard to do?

 

[jinglemom]

Once while in the bakery section at the grocery store, They had some pumpkin muffins that looked really good. When I decided I would buy them, the store employee told me they were still a little frozen, as they had just put them out. I would have never known the difference. I have been wanting to make several types of muffins (sneaking in some wheat flour) and keep them in the freezer for the kids to bring to school for a snack.

 

[Winged One]

I usually have some garlic bread in the freezer alright - or if I am short on space, I will make up the garlic butter when I have lots of nice fresh garlic and herbs, and freeze that in a roll of greaseproof paper to cut off slices as needed.

I usually have some vegetables that came in a glut from the plot stored - at the moment, there are 4 bags of cabbage (meal sized bags), about 8 of brocolli and a tub of broad beans (I flash froze those, so can grab just a few from the box rather than having to measure out portions when freezing).

Whenever I roast a chicken, I use the bones for making stock (sometimes I boil the chick with the veggies and make the stock in one go, but usually roast and make stock later with older veggies and things like carrot peelings from earlier). And then I keep that in useful portions in the freezer too (great for soups and risottos).

Apart from some fresh meat and fish, I also try to do a reasonable cooking session on a Sunday. I am normally making a nice family dinner anyway in the afternoon (usually a roast of some sort), so I use the time to also do a double batch of Monday's dinner (spaghetti bolognaise, lasagne, chilli, smoked haddock and brocolli pie, shepherd's pie, various kinds of curry). All dishes that taste much better on day 2 when the flavours mingle (and I can reheat quickly after getting in from work). And the second half of it goes into the freezer for another night the following week. And some dishes that we eat straight away also get done in doubles - like mac'n'cheese or chorizo and potato bake. Mac'n'cheese (I do it with bacon pieces and lots of vegetables in the sauce) can go into the oven with some extra cheese grated over the top for a very easy dinner that works fine from the freezer.

And if I have leftover breadcrusts, I will often just whizz them in the food processor and make crumbs, which I freeze for stuffings when I want them. (We don't eat a lot of bread, and I HATE buying crumbs in the shops). I don't do them in the oven beforehand though - I prefer soft breadcrumbs.

 

[creativemom]

Right now my husband is home due to an accident. I've been loading my freezer! So far we've got casseroles, cooked chopped chicken, cooked ground beef, frozen chopped fruit and veggies (flash frozen on a sheet first) and then bagged, desserts, ice cream cakes (homemade because I got a fantastic deal on ice cream this week), homemade soup, lassagnas, cookies, muffins.
I LOVE the idea of freezing lemons what a great idea!

I can't wait to get doing christmas candies! Those are always a hit around there.

 

[wantabe]

I would love some of the recipes talked about in this thread! Anything that has been tried and proven to freeze good. I have never made whole meals to freeze ahead. The only thing I have frozen is cooked hamburger. That little bit was a big help, but I would like to try whole meals. Thanks in advance!! :applause:

 

[Winged One]

My recipes are all in metric rather than cups and oz's (European measures) - and some are even done on "feel". But if you want them, let me know which ones you like and I'll put them up.