Every freezer should have this in it, in 2-cup portions! Many, many recipes call for chopped, cooked chicken. So what do most people do? They run to the store and buy a can of chopped, cooked chicken. That gets me to wondering...WHY???? Do you have any idea who expensive that stuff is? Not to mention dry and tasteless. No no no...here's what we're going to do. Make our own!
If you like dark meat, use legs and thighs. If you like white meat, use breast meat. Either way, it's SO much cheaper and tastier than that canned stuff.
Here's what I do - you make your own modifications - throw boneless skinless breasts into a large saucepan or skillet, cover with cold water, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Rinse with cold water when done and cool. Then chop it up and freeze it in 2-cup increments - or more, or less, depending on the recipes you use it in and the size of your family. You will always have a quick dinner on hand!
Tonight I'm assembling all the ingredients for Chicken-a-la King so that Glen can prepare a hot meal for the kids after their soccer practices, since I'll be out. Why order out for pizza, when you have the main ingredients for a simple hot meal in the freezer?
Oh, yea, don't ask me for my Chicken-a-la-King recipe...it's Glen's. He loves to make it, and I let him. ;-)
Other recipes I use this in:
Quick Chicken Curry
Chicken Casserole (a nice substitute for tuna)
Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken Salad
Chicken Soup
Chicken Stew
I'll bet you can come up with dozens more! Why not leave me a comment and tell me what you do with chopped, cooked chicken?
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Carmelized Pork Medallions
This recipe freezes and reheats amazingly well and so quickly - plus it's fancy enough to pull out when you have unexpected company and want to impress!
1 pound pork tenderloin cut into 1/2" slices.
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. orange juice
1 Tbsp. molasses
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Spray skillet with oil, heat over medium heat. Cook pork slices 6-8 minutes turning occasionally until pork is light brown and no longer pink inside. Drain if necessary. Stir in remaining ingredients, cook until mixture thickens and coats pork. Serve.
This is how I prepared this recipe for the freezer...
I cook the pork slices, but undercook them slightly. I quadruple the sauce - mixing it together separately in a bowl. When the pork slices cool a bit, I throw them into a quart sized ziplock freezer bag and then pour in the sauce. Suck the air out, flatten out the bag (for easy stacking in the freezer and quicker thawing) and freeze. To reheat - thaw and simmer for a few minutes. You'll have enough sauce to spoon a bit over rice. Yum!
I made this for dinner the other night, and then put 3 more meals of it in the freezer - because pork tenderloin was at Sam's Club for 2.88 per pound - so I bought 4 pounds!
1 pound pork tenderloin cut into 1/2" slices.
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. orange juice
1 Tbsp. molasses
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Spray skillet with oil, heat over medium heat. Cook pork slices 6-8 minutes turning occasionally until pork is light brown and no longer pink inside. Drain if necessary. Stir in remaining ingredients, cook until mixture thickens and coats pork. Serve.
This is how I prepared this recipe for the freezer...
I cook the pork slices, but undercook them slightly. I quadruple the sauce - mixing it together separately in a bowl. When the pork slices cool a bit, I throw them into a quart sized ziplock freezer bag and then pour in the sauce. Suck the air out, flatten out the bag (for easy stacking in the freezer and quicker thawing) and freeze. To reheat - thaw and simmer for a few minutes. You'll have enough sauce to spoon a bit over rice. Yum!
I made this for dinner the other night, and then put 3 more meals of it in the freezer - because pork tenderloin was at Sam's Club for 2.88 per pound - so I bought 4 pounds!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Freezer dinner for 9/15
BBQ'd pulled pork on baked potatoes with broccoli or a tossed salad.
BBQ pulled pork: I pulled 2 pounds of precooked pork shoulder (butt) out of the freezer that I had vacuum sealed 3 months ago, thawed it out, shredded it, and then heated it on the stove with some BBQ sauce.
Baked potatoes - not from the freezer! Make 'em fresh.
Jonathan prefers this as a sandwich, so I also grabbed a package of hamburger rolls that were in the freezer simply in the store packaging - they thawed great, then I simply popped them in the toaster.
Broccoli - I buy the frozen family size Bird's Eye broccoli crowns from Sam's, honestly - if you steam them properly, they taste just like fresh! I don't bother blanching and freezing my own right now, I just don't have the time.
This is one of the easiest and most economical dinners to make that they whole family likes, but it's also great for company! Next time pork shoulder goes on sale, buy 10-12 pounds, cook it, and freeze it in meal-sized portions! No one will know it came from the freezer.
BBQ pulled pork: I pulled 2 pounds of precooked pork shoulder (butt) out of the freezer that I had vacuum sealed 3 months ago, thawed it out, shredded it, and then heated it on the stove with some BBQ sauce.
Baked potatoes - not from the freezer! Make 'em fresh.
Jonathan prefers this as a sandwich, so I also grabbed a package of hamburger rolls that were in the freezer simply in the store packaging - they thawed great, then I simply popped them in the toaster.
Broccoli - I buy the frozen family size Bird's Eye broccoli crowns from Sam's, honestly - if you steam them properly, they taste just like fresh! I don't bother blanching and freezing my own right now, I just don't have the time.
This is one of the easiest and most economical dinners to make that they whole family likes, but it's also great for company! Next time pork shoulder goes on sale, buy 10-12 pounds, cook it, and freeze it in meal-sized portions! No one will know it came from the freezer.
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