Freezer Pans!! Wow!!

Freezing meals just got easier! Look at these Pans!

Convenient foil pans come in 9 different sizes.

Freeze meal-size ~ from single serving to family size. 

Don't get stuck with too many leftovers.

Freeze exactly the size you need for the meal!

Microwaveable! (Yes! These really are microwaveable containers!!)

Inexpensive enough to make them Disposable - clean-up is a breeze!

Durable enough to make them Re-Usable when cleaned carefully.

Environmentally friendly - Recyclable.

You can get them HERE.

 Nine different sizes. 3 Round. 6 Rectangular.

 Round Pan servings sizes:

3 cup, 6 1/4 cup, 9 1/2 cup.

Rectangular Pan serving sizes:

2 cups, 2 3/4 cups, 4 3/4 cups, 6 cups, 8 cups, 12 cups.

The largest rectangular pan. 10 x 13. Holds 12 cups.

10 to 12 servings.

I put Chicken Ham Roll-Ups in this one.

 This one is 8.5 x 12.5. Holds 8 cups. 6 - 8 servings.

I filled this one with Chicken Enchiladas.

Maybe my favorite pan. The picture doesn't do it justice.

6.5 x 12.5 it is as wide as one manicotti. It holds 6 cups but

I filled it with a row of Cheese Manicotti. Fit perfectly.

This one is 6 x 8. 4 3/4 cups. 3 - 4 servings.

I put Honey Lime Chicken in this one even though I could

have put it in a plastic freezer bag.

I like being able to take it from freezer to oven.

  

So cute. 5 x7. 2 3/4 cups. 2 or 3 servings.

I put Oriental Rice Pilaf in this one which means it will

be more like 4 or 5 servings. It is a side dish and 

will go further than a main dish.

 Can this one be my favorite, too?
It is the perfect little single serving pan.

Although it would probably make two small appetites happy.

It is the smallest of the rectangular pans.

4 x 5. 2 cups. 1 or 2 servings.

I made a few Cheesy Lasagnas in this size pan.

The largest of the round pans.

10 inches. 9 1/2 cups. 7 - 9 servings.

I filled it with Maple Almond Beef. Soooo good!

 

Lovely 9 inches. 6 1/4 cups. 5 - 6 servings.

Perfect for Steak and Vegetable Pie.

Bird's Nest Pie, Cowboy Casserole
 and Beef & Broccoli are my other favorites. 

The smallest of the round pans. 7 inches. 3 cups. 2 - 3 servings.

Actually when I fill this one with Caribbean Shrimp,

it is more like 5 or 6 servings.

Sometimes I serve it with rice and eggrolls and 

sometimes I serve it as a salad.

We add the hot shrimp to individual salads at the last minute.

I love these pans. I can usually use each at least a couple of times. I love that they have lids and that I don't have to cover them with foil. I love that I can bake them or MICROWAVE them. (!!!!!!!!!!) Yes. Really. I know...weird.

I love that I can get exactly the size I need.

You can get them HERE.

I also love the labels. Peel and stick. No writing anything. Get them HERE.

And. The software I used to generate the labels has all the recipes and made my grocery shopping list for me. I didn't have to calculate anything. I just clicked on the recipes I wanted to make and viola! Recipes, Shopping List, and Labels. Sigh. Software is HERE.

You can even find a book that will tell you everysinglething you need to know to make 30 Meals in One Day. Yes. Thirty. One day. Here.

Easiest, clearest, simplest method. Best recipes. I don't think there is a single one my family does not like. Well. Except for Calico Beans. But that's just because they are bean snobs. Maybe if I left out the butter beans.

Freezing Rhubarb

I have a lovely rhubarb plant that I planted by the downspout at the corner of my house years and years ago. With no tending at all, other than to pull off stalks every year to make something rhubarb luscious, it has become a large, healthy plant that provides way more rhubarb than I can eat in the months that it produces.

Rhubarb is great any time of the year but not available except in the spring and summer. However, it freezes beautifully and is even easier to use in recipes when you can pull it from your freezer.

Pull stalks from the outside of the plant. Pull gently and twist slightly and it should come right off. Don't cut them off, just pull them. The stalks grow from the center of the plant. The stalks on the outside will be more ripe and ready. Pull from the outside and always leave some still growing in the center.

Cut off the big, inedible leaves. Wash the stalks. Toss any that are soft or wilted.

Stalks should be firm and part red.

Line up the stalks and use a sharp knife to cut them all at once into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch slices.

Lovely.

Put the slices in freezer bags and store them in the freezer until you are ready to make rhubarb deliciousness. My favorite thing to make with rhubarb is Strawberry Rhubarb Jam and Raspberry Rhubarb Jam. However, Rhubarb Cobbler and Rhubarb Pie, especially Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, and Rhubarb Bread are favorites at my house.

Keeping rhubarb in the freezer makes it easy to make jam and pie or whatever, whenever you want to since it is ready and waiting as soon as other fruits come into season. Or better yet, it is ready and waiting for when you have time. Rather than being forced to make jam RIGHT NOW, you can put the rhubarb (and the strawberries and the raspberries, etc.) in the freezer when the fruit is ready and you can pull it out and make jam when you are good and ready!!

AND, with rhubarb in the freezer, you can make Rhubarb Bread, etc. in January if you want to. =)

Walking Tacos

Walking Tacos!

Here's a fantastic idea for your next picnic! It is equally fantastic for birthday parties and other special events, especially those that involve kids. You will need any combination of the following:

individual bags of your favorite chips

chopped or shredded lettuce

shredded cheese

corn

sliced olives

diced tomato

diced onion

chili beans

cooked, shredded chicken

cooked ground beef

cooked, shredded roast beef

Taco Salad Dressing (see below)

 Ranch Dressing

You can add to or take away from this list any way you like. Just include all the ingredients for a taco salad that you like the best.

Offer only one type of chip or offer a variety, such as corn chips, tortilla chips, Cool Ranch Doritos, Nacho Cheese Doritos, etc.

Arrange bowls of the ingredients in an easy to assemble order, such as, lettuce first and dressing last. Put each ingredient in a separate bowl with a lid. This makes for easy transporting, easy serving, easy clean up, and easy to stash leftovers in the refrigerator.

I prefer shredded chicken rather than ground beef since I don't mind chicken when it is cold. Ground beef...not so much. You could put hot ground beef in a thermos to bring it to the park, if you prefer it warm. At home, you could serve it from a slow cooker on the Warm setting. Or make it easy and just bring shredded chicken. Or leave out the meat for a vegetarian version. The salad is so good you won't even miss it!

Offer one or both dressings. Both are so terrific in these Walking Tacos. You can read that either way you want. Both as in either one is terrific. Or, both as in add them both!! Click on the Ranch Dressing link above for a fantastic Ranch Dressing recipe. The Taco Salad Dressing recipe that I love the best is made from equal parts Catalina or French Dressing ( My favorite is Fat Free Kraft Catalina Dressing) and Chunky Salsa. So, if you need 1 cup of dressing, combine 1/2 cup Catalina Dressing and 1/2 cup Chunky Salsa. Increase the amounts as needed. Yum!!

Don't forget the plastic forks. Pop one in each bag or provide a pile of them at the end of the assembly line.

Not only are Walking Tacos fun, great tasting, simple to serve, and simple to eat...but...perhaps the best part...ZERO clean up. Toss the bags in the trash! 

Striped Drinks

 Want to make something really fun for the holiday? Red, White and Blue for the 4th of July? Or other bright colors for a birthday party? Or school colors for a graduation party? How about striped drinks! They are easy and fun and tasty.


The stripes are all about the sugar. Choose 3 drinks with different amounts of sugar. Read the grams on the ingredients panel. Choose one with high sugar content for the bottom. (about 25 to 35) Choose another drink with a lower number for the middle. (about 15 to 20) Choose a sugar free drink for the top layer.


Start with a glass full of ice. Pour in the highest sugar content drink to fill the glass about 1/3 full. Next, carefully and slowly pour in the middle sugar content drink, being careful to pour it slowly onto an ice cube to keep it from mixing. Then carefully and slowly top off the drink with the sugar free drink, again pouring it slowly on an ice cube. And presto! Striped Drinks! Great way to decorate the table. So festive! So fun!

Freezer Meals for Lani

Lani came home from Utah State University for about 5 minutes. Really it was for the weekend but it seemed more like 5 minutes. I miss her. She shares an apartment in Logan with 3 other girls which means she shares the freezer space with 3 other girls. She wouldn't let me send very many meals home with her (because she didn't want to crowd out the other girls) but I did send enough to feed her a few meals.

This summer she works all day on a lawn crew and they work long, long hours. I'm sure the last thing she wants to do when she comes home is to cook something so I try to keep her freezer filled with good things to eat. She is vegetarian so every meal here is a vegetarian version.

Cheese Tortellini

Cheesy Potatoes

Broccoli and "Chicken" Alfredo

Eggs, Potatoes, "Bacon" and Cheese

Linguine and "Meatballs"

I put each meal in a single serving sized pan

(actually each will probably be enough for 2 meals for her)

Each pan has a tidy lid

and they are so very convenient because they are microwaveable.

Yes, you read that right.

Microwaveable freezer pans.

(The lids are NOT microwaveable - just the pans)

I made more than one of each,

but I sent one of each with her to school

and put the others in my freezer for

next time she comes home for 5 minutes.

But! It is just as easy to make family sized meals (how many are you cooking for? freeze meals that size). These pans come in 9 different sizes!

I also sent single serving bowls of 

Sloppy Joes

Asparagus Potato Soup

Spicy Sweet Teriyaki Noodles 

(minus the cucumbers. frozen cucumbers = bleh. add those later)

Ranch Taco Soup

And her favorite Egg Rolls.

Hopefully that will keep her for a little while.

Maybe if she runs out of meals in the freezer she'll come home again.

Even if for only 5 minutes.

Taco Salad with Doritos

Taco Soup Salad

Spicy, filling and delicious, Taco Soup Salad makes a wonderful lunch or dinner. Maybe you'd even like it for breakfast if you're like Lani, who likes dinner for breakfast. The truth is, this salad is just so wonderful whenever you eat it. 

Start with lettuce on a plate. You can choose whatever kind, size and shape of lettuce you like. I like Iceberg cut in small squares. I'm quite sure it will be grand with Romaine or Butter or any mix of greens. 

Add tortilla chips on top of the lettuce. I like to use Doritos. The regular cheesy kind of Doritos. If you like lots of spicy then you might want to try the Sweet and Spicy Chili Doritos. Very delicious. I suppose regular tortilla chips would be boring okay but I truly love the extra tasty, cheesy goodness of the Doritos. (Have you tried a Doritos Taco at Taco Bell? You should.)

Top the chips with steaming hot Taco Soup. I like this recipe for Ranch Taco Soup the best but really any Taco Soup recipe that you love will be wonderful here. I also like to use leftover soup for this salad. The soup is thicker the next day and the perfect consistency. Soup that is too thin will just make the lettuce float around on your plate. I like it loose enough to still flow down the chips but not so thin that it runs off.

~~~The truth is, when I make Taco Soup, I make 2 or 3 times the recipe. I freeze some for Taco Soup later, but I also freeze some in individual servings....just.so.I.can.make.this.salad.~~~

Top this with cheese. Cheddar and Pepper Jack are perfect here. I like to shred the Cheddar on the big side of my cheese grater and Pepper Jack on the little side. I also like to have the cheese shredded and ready to go before I start to assemble the salad so that the entire salad gets assembled before the chips have a chance to start getting soggy.

Then pour on the Ranch Dressing. You could use the bottled variety from the store but WHY would you?? the homemade variety is definitely worth the extra 5 minutes of effort. Make the dressing. Pour it on. Be generous.

Up close view from this side.

Up close view from the other side.

Seriously

good

salad.

Seriously.

More Freezer Recipes - Dinner is Ready!

More Main-Dish Salad Recipes - Lunch is Ready!

More Salad and Dressing Recipes - On the Side!

Ranch Dressing Recipe

Ranch Dressing

If you love Ranch Dressing, this is the recipe you want. Need. Must have! It is simple to make, doesn't call for anything you probably don't already have in your kitchen, and tastes better than any Ranch Dressing you could ever buy in a bottle. Oh, and it costs a whole lot less than the bottled variety, too. After making this you'll never want to go back to the stuff from the store.

Simple ingredients.

black pepper, parsley flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, garlic salt,

vinegar, mayonnaise, milk, sour cream (that didn't make the picture)

Put the milk and vinegar in the bowl first. Then add the rest.

Whisk it all together.

5 minutes to delicious, perfect dressing.

Smooth. Creamy. Great on everything.

Ranch Dressing

1 cup whole milk

1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon parsley flakes

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

In a small bowl, combine milk and vinegar. Let sit for about a minute to let the vinegar react with the fat in the milk. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth and creamy. Makes about 2 1/2 cups dressing.

Remember these Sweet Pork Tacos?

A perfect way to get this Ranch Dressing into your mouth!

AND

Tomorrow I will post a salad recipe.

Another perfect way to eat this dressing!

More recipes like this Ranch Dressing recipe can be found in the book,

On the Side.

More than 300 side dish recipes that go great with

the freezer recipes in Dinner is Ready!

Chicken and Broccoli Freezer Meal Recipe

Chicken and Broccoli

What a delicious dinner! AND...it came from the freezer. This is a wonderful recipe you can make several of, tuck them in the freezer, bring one out on a day you don't have time to cook (or just really don't feel like cooking), and not a soul will know it was frozen. It tastes every bit as good as if you made it today.

Use a bag (or box) of frozen broccoli or start with fresh broccoli. If you start with fresh broccoli you'll need to blanch it before you add it to the recipe to freeze it. This is not an issue if you are going to bake it today, but if you intend to freeze it, drop the broccoli into boiling water. After 2 minutes, drain and run cold water over it or plunge it into a bowl of cold water. Drain it very well and blot it with paper towels. Then add it to the recipe.

This is a great recipe to make a lot of. Freeze several pans since it will keep for at least 3 months in your freezer. If you use the 30 Meals in One Day Software just edit the recipe to make as many as you desire. A simple click and the amounts will be calculated for you. You can even change the serving size, so if a serving size at your house is bigger or smaller than the recipe says, you can adjust the recipe(s) to match your family exactly. Add the recipe to your shopping list and voila! Every single thing you need to make as many as you like are added to your Shopping List. How marvelous.

We love this Chicken and Broccoli at our house so I always make several. I also freeze several single serving sized pans (they come in NINE different sizes and all are microwaveable so they are so easy for her to heat AND disposable so she has easy clean-up and I never lose any pans I care about) since I like to send meals with darling daughter when she comes home from college. She is vegetarian so I replace the chicken with "chicken." I find it in the freezer section, oddly the vegetarian section is by the frozen breakfast foods at the grocery store where I shop. Weird. Whatever. Anyway, it comes in a bag and looks just like slices or strips of chicken. Not breaded or anything, although it is seasoned. I cut this "chicken" up and use it in any recipe that calls for cooked chicken, when I am making meals for her. I also replace the cream of chicken soup with mushroom or sometimes celery soup. Delicious. Lani loves this meal as much as we do. Perhaps you'll want to try it with the cream of celery soup as well.

Oh...and for those of you who are opposed to using cans of 'cream of' soups, don't let that stop you from enjoying this great recipe. If it's the fat you are concerned about, replace it with the fat-free version. If it's any other reason, replace it with a homemade version. Perhaps I'll post a great recipe for the homemade version. It's not as convenient but boy howdy is it good.

Chicken and Broccoli

1 16-ounce bag frozen broccoli OR 1 pound fresh broccoli

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon lemon juice

pepper (as much as you desire)

3 cups cooked, chopped chicken

1 cup French fried onions

Thaw and squeeze water from frozen broccoli. If using fresh, drop cut broccoli into boiling water. Cook 2 minutes, drain, plunge into cold water. Drain, blot with paper towels. In a large bowl, combine soups, milk, mayonnaise, lemon juice and pepper. Mix well. Add broccoli and chicken. (Do not add onions until baking! They will turn soggy in the freezer.)

Bake now or spoon into freezer bag(s) or disposable freezer pan(s). This recipe makes 6 servings.

To serve: Thaw. Bake covered for 1 hour at 350. Uncover, top with French fried onions and bake 10 minutes longer.

This recipe comes from the book Dinner is Ready! , page 198. This book contains more than 150 recipes to freeze AND instructions for making 30 Meals in One Day!

Leissa and Chance's Wedding

Last weekend we had the privilege of catering a wedding reception for Susie's daughter, Leissa, and Chance, her handsome groom. The bride chose red, white and black. We tried very hard to make everything on the dessert table red and/or white and/or black. Isn't it all just so pretty? We had so much fun preparing for this event. We dismissed Susie to be the Mother of the Bride and perform her motherly duties, and relax and enjoy the party. My lovely daughter, Erin, came to the wedding and helped pull off the event.

Gorgeous Erin, assembling the Angel Food and Strawberry Skewers. 

Isn't she pretty? 

These are Chocolate Chunk Cheesecake Bites.

We found this recipe at www.zoomyummy.com 

Look under RECIPES. She has lots of cute and yummy things.

We added the cute little red hearts because of looooove. 

And because they are red. =D

We called these divine little bits of sweetness, "Hearts on Pillows."

We found these at www.zoomyummy.com , too.

She calls them Melting Moments.

Aren't they so cute?

Pretzel rods.

Dipped in caramel.

Dipped in white chocolate.

Drizzled with red candy melt.

Lots of pretzel rods.

Bowtie Cookies.

These have strawberry jam in the middle.

Recipe at www.zoomyummy.com.

Red and white and pretty.

So pretty.

Light.

Sweet.

Delicious.

Black and Whites.

Lots of Black and Whites.

They were cold.

They became much prettier when it warmed up a bit.

The cutest little mini parfaits you ever did see.

2 raspberries and a mini Oreo

White chocolate pudding

Raspberry Danish Dessert

White chocolate pudding

Oreo crumbs on the bottom.

Angel Food Cake and Strawberry Skewers.

Pre-chocolate drizzle.

Post-chocolate drizzle.

Lovely.

The wedding cake.

We didn't make it.

The teeny tiny spoons to go with the mini parfaits.

Plastic.

But they look like silver.

w.o.n.d.e.r.f.u.l.

Mini parfaits and teeny tiny spoons.

Black licorice.

Peppermints.

Red Vines.

Standing in a vase.

Drizzled Strawberry and Angel Food Cake goodness.

All displayed with the cake that we didn't make.

So pretty.

Black licorice wheels.

Added just the right amount of black to the table.

Chocolate Chunk Cheesecake Bites.

Aren't the black and white tags so cute?

Brilliant Erin made them.

Thank you, Erin!

Hearts on Pillows.

The lovely cake that we didn't make.

Pretzel rods.

We called them Sweet and Salty.

Because they are sweet and salty.

and because Pretzel Rods Dipped in Caramel and White Chocolate is...

waaaaaay toooooo looooong.

Red Vines.

Black and Whites.

Bowties.

Kool Korn.

Candy coated popcorn.

Made from Kool-aid.

Hence...Kool.

Kool Korn.

Clever, Susie.

Who can get enough of these cute little things.

They were the first thing we ran out of.

One little girl was running around with about 15 little spoons in her hand.

Erin stopped her, thinking that she had grabbed them from our prep table, told her,

"Sweetie, we need those."

She turned her cute little face up to Erin and with a mischievous grin said,

"This is how many I have eaten."

ha ha ha ha ha 

hahahahahahahahahahahaha

Erin and me.

With the goods.

Good day.

We were pretty tired when we got home.

Thank goodness I had dinner ready to eat.

From my freezer.

Chicken and Broccoli.

I'll post this fantastic recipe tomorrow.