Freezer Cooking 2016 Recap...

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AuntJamelle

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I've been giving a lot of thought to how filling the freezer went in 2016. How much I did, what I made, how often it got used as intended, what didn't turn out, etc.

Thought it would be good to have a place to chat with others on this topic! Nice to have a chance to share lessons learned!
 
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AuntJamelle

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SO!

I did a pretty significant amount (for me, anyway) of freezer cooking in 2016. Most of it was done in sessions on the weekends in the months of September and October. Then we began to use the meals in November running through to now when we are just finishing up the last of it.

One of the big things I want to change next year is how much I make and what I make. Trying to do such a high level of freezer cooking with the HGP going on at the same time was difficult. Let alone crafting projects I was also working on at the same time. I've mentioned in another thread that my goal is to be done with majority of crafting no later than end of August this year. We'll see how that goes! :)

Any recipes I mention below I know I have posted on the boards here somewhere, but if anyone is interested in them just let me know!

As to what I make again...

WE'RE NOT TRYING THAT AGAIN (at least not as a freezer meal!):

Shepherd's Pie - I tried freezing a recipe we really liked when made fresh and served right away. Unfortunately, once thawed and cooked there was a really high amount of liquid in the pan making it extremely soupy. Will not be making this for the freezer again. I thought I had read that this type of recipe does well as a freezer meal, but sadly, this particular one I tried was NOT!

Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas - Once again, I would make this again, just not to be frozen. Flavor was great, but the flour tortilla shells just did not survive the freezing process well. Very soggy, gummy, etc.

Veggie Jumbo Stuffed Shells - Now I KNOW that I made this for the freezer in 2014 and we liked it but this time around we really did not. Not sure what I did differently but we felt they were really bland. I also didn't cook the carrot bits long enough and they were super crunchy. Oops!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup - I've made and frozen this before successfully but this year it just did not seem to turn out right after thawing! I would make it again, just not to be frozen.

Way Out West Wontons - This was a new one I tried where you fill wonton wrappers with a Mexican flavored ground beef mix. The idea being that you fry the frozen wontons later. Frying from frozen resulted in burned outsides and cold insides. I also tried thawing first which left me with gloppy wontons that stuck together in the bag. They did fry better but overall the end result wasn't so good that I would go to the trouble to make this recipe again.

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER (is in the freezer!):

Creamy Beef Taquitos - This is one both DH and I like a lot. You make and freeze the yummy filling and then it can be thawed quickly in the microwave before filling and cooking it in tortilla shells brushed with a bit of oil. Good weeknight dinner! I do a roast in the crockpot and shred with my KitchenAid paddle attachment to make the shredded beef. We have also done this as a version using chicken breast, but DH prefers the beef.

Crockpot Beef and Mushrooms - Probably my favorite freezer meal! No cooking required the day of freezing and takes just minutes to throw together. The only catch on this one is that it has to thaw in fridge a full 24 hours and it cooks a long time in the crockpot, but not long enough that I can start it in the morning before leaving for work. So it has to be a weekend meal. But still a good one!

Pioneer Woman Mashed Potatoes - I tried making these as her site directs and freezing this year and overall I was happy with the results. Not exactly the same as making fresh of course, but it was very nice to have a quick option to pull out to go with other meals. The previously mentioned Crockpot Beef and Mushrooms for example! They did get watery when thawed, but when well stirred and after adding a bit more butter they were still really yummy!

Oven Chicken Fajitas - Another keeper! Tried and true! Meat in marinade in one bag, sliced onions and bell peppers in other bags in the freezer all equal a really good meal with minimal effort. It's nice that there is no cooking required day of freezing either as the strips of meat are frozen raw in the marinade.

Swedish Meatballs with Dill - This was my first year making these and they were great. I baked then froze and it just took about 10 minutes tops to rewarm them in a 350 oven, no thawing before either. Then I just put together with a sauce (see below). I think meatballs in general just freeze really well!

Beefy Mushroom Gravy - This was a new recipe as well (it came with the Swedish Meatballs) and it was great! Easy to make, thawed it in the fridge and heated up on the stove and it was perfect! Will definitely make this one again!

Mini Chicken Turnovers - I used purchased puff pastry but made the filling. They were a hit at our dinner party although DH thought they were bland. But we agreed that could be easily solved with the right dipping sauce to go with them. I will most likely make them again.

Mini Bacon Pinwheels and Pioneer Woman Holiday Bacon Appetizers are both tried and true appetizers for the freezer and none go to waste! So are Pioneer Woman Cheddar Puffs! Will definitely keep this in the rotation!

Herb Cream Cheese Pinwheels - I tried something new this year and took a longstanding recipe I use for rolls at Easter and Thanksgiving (Herb Cream Cheese Crescents) and turned it into an appetizer. I spread the filling over a rolled out sheet of thawed puff pastry and then rolled the whole sheet up jelly roll style. Then I sliced into cross sections to make the pinwheels. They were really good. The only thing I would do differently next time is to brush the pinwheels with egg/water before flash freezing. They didn't have a nice color when baked - very pale - and I think that would make them look much more tempting!

Italian Pastry Rollups - This was another new one I tried. Very simple and quick to do. Results were completely eaten at our dinner party. DH and I felt they just really tasted like pizza rolls but we didn't dislike them. I would probably add finely chopped pepperoni or sausage next time to amp up the flavor. Maybe a stronger blend of Italian cheeses too.

Butternut Squash Lasagna - Second year making this one now and we still love it. Lasagnas do freeze well!!!

OVERALL LESSONS LEARNED:

- Make less! So many times things came up at the last minute and we didn't use meals as I had originally planned. In some cases it meant a meal was "lost" due to being thawed in the fridge too long before I got around to being ready to bake it. Most often it meant the meal just stayed in the freezer and now we are in the midst of January, ready to start eating rabbit food, and the freezer is still holding a decent amount of fattening holiday type foods. LOL

- Be pickier about WHAT I make! Probably sticking pretty closely to the above list of winners and only trying 1 or 2 new things. Because you never know if you don't try, right?

How about others? How did freezer cooking go for you?
 

Ahorsesoul

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I need to organize the freezer better. I need one area to hold all the freezer meals so they would be easier to find. Right now I do my big freezer clean in Jan. I'm thinking I should move this date to Oct and then do a mini clean in Feb.
 
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Minta

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I did a couple bags of crockpot beef. I scored several London broils for very cheap so I cubed them up and divided them onto bags, pour broth in a large measuring cup added seasonings, stirred well and poured some into each bag and froze. In the morning I just took the bag out of the freezer, cut the bag opened and dumped into the crock pot.

At the end of summer I hit up the local produce stand and got a lot of bell peppers that were marked down. Was able to get 4 bags of cut up peppers for the freezer. I still have 1 1/2 bags left.

I did make and freeze a bunch banana and zucchini breads in large and small loaves. This was very handy when I needed something for the kids lunches or after school snack. I would just pull out a loaf the night before and it would be thawed by morning.

That was as far as I got. I didn't have room in the freezers for the meals. I am thinking about doing a freezer clean out around Aug/Sept so I can clear a shelf off in the kitchen freezer for a couple trays. I have a basket in the chest freezer that would be perfect for bagged up meals.
 
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luludou

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My freezer was full and still lots in there. I think I need the freezer meals for november & december.. that is when I'll use them up more. I want to clean freezer in February (when I can put stuff outside) AND it has to be almost empty by August so I can start prepping for the upcoming season.

AJ - I really appreciate the détails of your freezer cooking :)