Lovin' From Our Oven: Freezer How To...

I started doing this because my family is small and we found that a lot of food went to waste. I don't stake claim on the idea but I can share how I do it and what recipes have worked well for me:)

Soup or Chili- let the leftovers cool completely and pour them into a freezer baggie. Lay flat in the freezer. When you are ready to have that soup or chili for dinner again, set the baggie out until it softens a little. Place it in the Crock Pot to heat it back up. It depends on the amount of soup or chili but I find that roughly 6 hours on low or 4 hours on high usually works. Check it and watch for the first little while and adjust if needed. Vioala!! A 2nd homemade meal for basically no work:) You can heat it in a sauce pan but I find that it taste more homemade when it heats slowly in a crockpot.


Pull bag out and let soften on the counter...


Reheat in CrockPot (or saucepan)

Serve!! I LOVE soup in a bread bowl:)

Anything that can be made in a casserole dish or 9x13 baking dish- such as...lasagna, enchiladas, funeral potatoes, my recipe for BBQ baked beans, cranberry chicken, etc...can be done like this- (We split recipes for a 9x13 pans into two 8x8 pans, but you can always double the batch of whatever you are cooking to use for a larger family.)
Prepare the pan you are baking now as you usually would. Then prepare a second pan by spraying it with cooking spray, then lining it with saran wrap leaving a couple inches laying over the edge of the pan (I prefer a double layer) then spray the saran wrap with cooking spray again. Place your recipe ingredients in the pan. Cover and freeze. Once frozen, uncover and use the edge of the layer of saran wrap that is under the dish to "pop" the frozen entree out of the pan. You know have a frozen meal in the shape of the pan you will cook it in. Place the frozen entree in a freezer baggie and return to freezer. When you are ready to use it pull it out of the freezer and place it in the pan you previously froze it in. Bake according to recipe directions.
This allows you to have the freezer ready meals without putting your pans out of commission and avoiding the the wasted money on disposable aluminum pans. Though, you could use those as well if that's what you would prefer.


Spray both pans with cooking spray...


Line the pan for the dish you will freeze with plastic wrap, leaving plenty hanging over the edge and spray again...


Fill dish (this one is lasagna) and cover with plastic wrap, and freeze...


Remove from freezer, uncover and use under layer of plastic wrap to pop the meal out of the pan...


Remove all plastic wrap and transfer to a labeled freezer baggie. Return to freezer.

When you are ready to have your meal...remove from baggie and place back in the pan previously used for freezing. Bake as recipe directs :)

Kits- I will also make "kits" and freeze them. These are partially prepared foods that can be finished quickly another night. Further directions will be included in the individual recipes for "Kits"

Chicken Parmigiana Kit


Kit contains Marinara, cheese slices, and...


already breaded chicken ready for a quick fry and bake...

and in about 25-30min. you have a DELICIOUS dinner:)

Dough-I refuse to spend big money on things like Rhoads Rolls (they are delicious but can be made at home and frozen for way less) Make your OWN!!! I make a large batch of bread dough. Bake some and then freeze the rest. Cut some into roll size, mini loaf size (for soup bowls) full loaf size, and pizza dough size. Mix your dough and let rise. Pound down once then cut to needed size and freeze. When you are ready to use them...set them out in the appropriate pan cover with saran wrap that has been sprayed with cooking spray to prevent the dough form sticking as it defrosts and rises. This takes a few (3-4) hours but depends on the temperature of your home. Once dough has risen to appropriate size, bake as usual. For Pizza Dough and cinnamon rolls, set out to defrost for 2-3 hours. Roll out and top roll and/bake as needed.