Freezer Meals

In my last post I mentioned the frenzy of freezer meal making I recently went through.  My motivation was realizing this summer is going to be warmer than usual and since we don't have air conditioning, I decided to cook the stuff that would really heat up my house a.k.a. meat.  We're lucky enough to have a freezer chest that we only stock with meat and cheeses so I was able to cook up meat that we already had. 

I made over 40 meat portions for meals and it really didn't take that much time.  I made everything in 7 nights only working for 2-3 hours.  And since I cooked the meat overnight in order to avoid heating the house during the day, there was some work the next morning when I shredded the meat but it didn't take more than 30 minutes.  I also have 2 crockpots which really made things easier.  It was nice to be able to have BBQ beef and pulled pork cooking at the same time.  I also prepped all of the veggies beforehand.  I chopped all of the peppers and onions at the same time and pulled them out of the fridge when I was ready.

I froze everything flat in Ziploc freezer bags to make it easier to store the meals.  By freezing everything flat, you're able to stack things sideways or on top of each other.  This allows you to fit more meals in your freezer.

When you defrost the food, place the freezer bag into the fridge the night before to allow time to defrost.  Reheat the food and serve.

In honor everyone else who doesn't have air conditioning and tries to avoid heating up an already hot house, I thought that I would share some of the recipes with you.


                                                                 BBQ Beef

             1  2-3 lb. lean chuck or bottom round roast

Sauce:

1 1/2 cup   ketchup
            1   chopped onion (or 1 cup if pre-chopped)
   1/4 cup  brown sugar
   1/4 cup  red wine vinegar
     2 Tbs.  brown mustard
     1 Tbs.  Worcestershire sauce
      1 tsp.  liquid smoke flavoring
      1 tsp.  hot pepper sauce
   1/2 tsp.  salt
    1/4 tsp.  black pepper, I prefer freshly ground
    1/2 tsp.  garlic powder

Place the beef roast in the crock pot with the fatty part facing up; this allows the fat to baste your roast while it's cooking.  In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients for the sauce.  Whisk together well.  Pour the sauce over the roast.  Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until tender.  Remove the roast and shred the meat.  Place the shredded meat back into the sauce in the crockpot.  Stir to coat the meat. 

Allow the bbq beef to cool.  Transfer to a gallon freezer bag; I use Ziploc.  Squeeze all of the air out of the bag and seal it.  Lay the bag flat on a cookie sheet or cutting board; shmoosh the bbq beef until it's even and flat inside the bag.  Put the cookie sheet/cutting board into the freezer.  Once the bbq beef is frozen, remove the cookie sheet/cutting board and store in the freezer.

                                                       Dressed-Up Sloppy Joes

            1 lb.  lean ground beef
                1  medium onion, chopped (or 1 cup if pre-chopped)
                1  green pepper, chopped (or 1 cup if pre-chopped)
         1 Tbs.  minced garlic, I use the pre-minced store bought garlic
       3/4 cup  ketchup
          1 tsp.  mustard
         3 Tbs.  brown sugar
    1 1/2 tsp.  red wine vinegar
       3/4 tsp.  Worcestershire sauce
            3 Tbs.  tomato paste
 1/3-1/2 cup  water to reach desired consistency
                      freshly ground pepper to taste

Brown the ground beef with the onion, green pepper and garlic.  Season to taste with salt.  In a bowl mix the remaining ingredients except the water.  Whisk together.  Pour into the hamburger mixture.  Stir to combine.  Stir in 1/3 cup of water.  Add more water if desired.  Cover and turn heat to low.  Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Take off heat.

Allow the sloppy joes to cool.  Transfer to a gallon freezer bag; I use Ziploc.  Squeeze all of the air out of the bag and seal it.  Lay the bag flat on a cookie sheet or cutting board; shmoosh the sloppy joes until it's even and flat inside the bag.  Put the cookie sheet/cutting board into the freezer.  Once the sloppy joes is frozen, remove the cookie sheet/cutting board and store in the freezer.

Source:  slightly adapted from Our Best Bites


                                                   Easy Crockpot Pulled Pork

   1  large  Vidalia onion, sliced thin
     2 Tbs.  brown sugar
     1 Tbs.  paprika
      2 tsp.  kosher salt
   1/2 tsp.  freshly ground black pepper
 1  4-6 lb.  boneless pork butt or shoulder
   3/4 cup  apple cider vinegar
      4 tsp.  Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp.  crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp.  sugar
   1/2 tsp.  dry mustard
   1/2 tsp.  garlic salt
   1/4 tsp.  cayenne pepper

Rinse pork roast under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. 

Placed the thinly slice onions in the crock pot.  In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, paprika, kosher salt and pepper.  Mix well.  Rub mixture all over the roast.  Place the roast in the crock pot on top of the onions.

In a two cup liquid measuring cup; combine the apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, sugar, dry mustard, garlic salt and cayenne pepper.  Whisk or stir with a fork to combine.  Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the roast.  Cover and refrigerate the rest of the vinegar mixture.

Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 10-12 hours.  Pour the remaining vinegar mixture over roast when there is only 1/2 hour cooking time left.  Cook for the remaining time.  Remove roast leaving the sauce in the crockpot.  Chop or shred the meat.  Put the meat back into the sauce.

Allow the pulled pork to cool.  Transfer to a gallon freezer bag; I use Ziploc.  Squeeze all of the air out of the bag and seal it.  Lay the bag flat on a cookie sheet or cutting board; shmoosh the pulled pork until it's even and flat inside the bag.  Put the cookie sheet/cutting board into the freezer.  Once the pulled pork is frozen, remove the cookie sheet/cutting board and store in the freezer. 

After you defrost and reheat the pulled pork, you can drain some of the sauce according to your taste.

Source:  slightly adapted from My Baking Addiction


All of these recipes are beloved by my family.  In fact, my sister hated sloppy joes and bbq beef until she tasted these recipes and now she's first in line when they're on the menu.  

Ella


© Ella's Place

Candied Butter

I have an obsession.  I like to make candy but not just any candy, good candy.  Which is why I only make it during the months of November and December.  If I didn't limit myself, I would look like the Goodyear Blimp.  Even when I do make it, I share it.  It's my way of saying "thank you for all you do for me and my family."  And if I'm honest, I like to see people enjoying what I've made.  It is my greatest joy when I discover other people are as addicted to my candy as I am.

I started making candy early this year.  I came to realize that although they are some of my favorite people, I rarely give candy to my family.  Why?  I live in Idaho and most of them live in Utah.  Plus, I have 5 children.  The roads start to become questionable for traveling in November and we don't like to travel for the holidays.  Did I mention that I have 5 children?  I can't imagine trying to take everything you need for a family of 7 while trying to keep Santa's contributions to the holiday a secret.  I can feel my neck muscles start to tense up just thinking about it.  So, we stay home!

But this year, we needed to travel down to visit with a cousin before he left to serve a mission for our Church.  We wouldn't get to see him for 2 years!  Since he's one of our favorite people, we made the trek down to Utah.  Remembering my lapse of candy generosity, I made some to share. 

My brother had made a request for toffee or (as I refer to it) candied butter.  It's quick and easy but can be tempermental.  I'd found a recipe somewhere that I liked to use.  I thought my toffee was pretty good or I did until I tasted the toffee I made this year.  The only way to describe it was light and fluffy with just the right amount of crunch; in other words, it was heaven!  It was by far the best toffee I had ever made!  But I didn't understand what I had done differently this year.  I used the same recipe I had used every other year.  The only difference I can think of was I used butter that had been slowly brought up to room temperature and I cooked it on a lower temperature this year.  Whatever it was, I hope I can replicate the results!  I thought that I'd share the recipe so that you could try it too.

Butter Toffee

1 cup sweet cream butter (2 sticks) at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbs. cold water


Grease a jellyroll pan with butter and set it aside.  In a heavy saucepan combine butter, sugar and water.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally*.  Do not scrape the sides of the pan!  Cook until the mixture has reached 290 degrees or the soft-crack stage**.  At this point, pour the mixture onto the greased pan.  Spread it out.  Chill and break into pieces. 

Enjoy!  But be careful, it is addicting.

Tips and Tricks

*       If you stir too much, the butter will separate itself and the toffee won't turn out right.

**     I do not use a thermometer to check the temperature, I use the cold water method.  I take a cup of cold water and drop in a small amount (less than 1/8 teaspoon) of the toffee to check for doneness.  By dropping the toffee into the cold water, you simulate what the toffee will look like once it's been cooled completely.  Take the toffee out of the cold water and eat it to see if it is done.  If not, repeat the process until it is perfect.  But be quick, toffee can change from good to bad in less than a few minutes.

***    After you have poured the mixture onto the pan, you can drop chocolate chips or cut up chocolate on top of the toffee.  Let the chocolate sit a few minutes; it will melt and then you can spread it all over the toffee.  You can even add nuts before the chocolate hardens. 

****   A word of warning, make sure to have your greased pan prepared before you start making the toffee.  The toffee only takes 15-20 minutes to make and requires your full attention.  You will not have time to grease the pan after you begin.  Or run after small children. 

*****  Do not taste the toffee unless it has been cooled.  It is very hot and will burn you.  It is also a good idea to have wear a long sleeve shirt to avoid burning yourself in case of an accident. 

****** Do not use margarine in this recipe.  It does not produce the desired delicious results.  Use only butter!!!  It may have more calories but it tastes SO much better.  And how can you make candied butter without the butter?

Ella

© Ella's Place