Filling the Freezer

Oh no, my freezer inventory is getting low! This realization struck me this weekend, and now I'm going to have to do something about it, especially with school coming up in 3 weeks. I didn't get to the venison meat pies last week, so that is high priority today. Here's the rest of my game plan, which I'll put into action over the next two weeks.

Bake cookies, probably chocolate chip cookies and molasses sugar cookies, flash freeze, and bag. When I need a few cookies, say for S's school lunch, I just pull them out of the freezer bag, put them into a container and pop into the lunch bag. By lunch time, they will be thawed and just as fresh and soft as when first baked. I'll do this with some brownies too, and maybe rice krispie treats.

Hamburgers, both cooked and raw. I'll form the patties, and 1/4 lb patties will be grilled or baked, then cooled, flash frozen, and bagged, but the bagging is a little different. Put one hamburger in a sandwich bag with one regular size hamburger roll, then put several bags into a gallon freezer bag. When we need a quick burger as we run out the door, it takes 1 - 1 1/2 minutes to heat the burger and about 15 seconds to heat the bun in the microwave. For the raw burgers, I'll make gourmet 1/3 lb burgers, mixing in flavorings. There are hundreds of recipes out there, here's one such website: http://www.cheese-burger.net/tag/gourmet-burger-recipes. These cost a pretty penny at the store when you can find them (really can't here in the Upper Midwest), but they cost very little to make them yourself and really liven up burger night.

Meatloaf, uncooked. I'll just mix, form, and flash freeze a couple of meatloaves, then bag in gallon freezer bags. When we want meatloaf, I'll pull one out of the freezer the night before, put it in a baking dish, and let it thaw in the fridge, then bake as usual.

Scalloped potatoes. I will use 8x8 pans for our scalloped potatoes because that's a good size for our family. Line the pan with plastic wrap or double thickness foil with lots of extra on the ends, then grease the plastic wrap with shortening or spray with nonstick spray. Layer in sliced potatoes, sliced onions, shredded cheese (nondairy cheese for us with my dairy allergy!), medium white sauce, then repeat all the layers one more time. Put in the freezer, and when frozen, pull out of the pan, wrap the long ends of plastic wrap over the top, and put in a gallon freezer bag. To cook, I'll pull this out of the freezer, pull off the wrap, put it back in the pan I originally froze it in, and let it thaw in the fridge, then bake for an hour at 350. Some people have experience with the raw potatoes blackening, but for some crazy reason I have not. One solution is to blanche the potato slices - drop in boiling water for a minute, then drain. Another solution is to par-bake (half bake) or fully bake the dish then freeze it. If you do that, remember to use double thickness foil and not plastic wrap!

We're out of convenience foods like onion petals, boneless buffalo wings, and armadillo eggs, but I'm probably going to have to do some canning this week, so those will have to wait for another day!

Scalloped Potatoes for an 8x8 pan, double recipe for a 9x13 pan
1 lb potatoes (about 3 medium), cleaned, peeled, and thinly sliced
1 recipe medium white sauce, warm (recipe follows)
1/2 onion, thinly sliced or chopped
1 c. shredded Colby cheese (I really like cheddar almond or rice cheese for nondairy)

Layer 1/2 of all the ingredients in a greased or lined 8x8 baking dish - potoates, then onions, then cheese, then white sauce over top, then repeat.
Cover and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and continue baking until nicely browned, about 15 minutes.

Medium White Sauce
2 T all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper or black pepper
2 T butter or margarine
1 c. whole or nondairy creamer (going to be trying this soon with soy creamer!), warmed

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and pepper, then set aside. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Gently whisk in the flour, salt, and pepper until the mixture is perfectly smooth. Whisk in a small amount of the warm milk until smooth, continuing to cook over low heat. Cooking this mixture is what will get rid of any flour or glue-like taste! Continue to slowly whisk in the warm milk until all of the milk has been added, then continue to cook over medium-low heat, whisking slowly/gently but constantly, until the mixture thickens and it is just under boiling, approximately 8 minutes. Especially when using milk and not an alternative, do not let the mixture boil!
Recipe from *The Blue Ribbon Country Cookbook* by Diane Roupe.