Filed under: bulk cooking, cookbooks, cooking, cooking ahead, dinner, freezer, freezer cooking, freezer meals, frozen assets, frugal living, ground beef, homemade, italian food, make-ahead, noodles, oamc, once a month cooking, pasta, recipes, saving money, vegetarian
This is one of those recipes my family can never get enough. I remember my youngest daughter when she was about three, holding out her plate with a huge smile and asking in a sweet little voice, “More yummy noodles, Mommy?”
Always such a pleasure when the kiddos enjoy an easy meal the grown-up folks love, too.
This recipe is reprinted with permission from my book, Frozen Assets: Cook for a Day, Eat for a Month (SourceBooks). (more…)
Filed under: bulk cooking, cooking, cooking ahead, dinner, freezer, freezer cooking, frozen assets, frugal living, ground beef, homemade, italian food, make-ahead, mealtime, oamc, once a month cooking, recipes, saving money, simple living, spaghetti
Just for fun, here’s one of my family’s favorite freezer-friendly recipes, Spaghetti Pie (reprinted from my book, Frozen Assets: Cook for Day, Eat for a Month, SourceBooks).This recipe can easily be double or tripled.
My original Spaghetti Pie recipe called for a full pound of ground beef, but now I only use half a pound per pie. I find half a pound to be more than enough. This recipe could also be made with ground turkey, Italian bulk sausage, TVP (texturized vegetable protein), or no meat (or meat substitutes) at all.
SPAGHETTI PIE (from: Frozen Assets)
(6 servings) (more…)
Filed under: bulk cooking, cooking, cooking ahead, dinner, freezer, freezer cooking, frozen assets, frugal living, ground beef, make-ahead, oamc, once a month cooking, recipes
MAKE-AHEAD MINI-MEATLOAF
- 12-ounces tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 cups dry bread crumbs
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup green pepper, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoons salt, optional
- 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
- 1/8 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed
- 4 pounds ground beef
- 1 cup ketchup
In a large mixing bowl, combine first eight ingredients. Add ground beef and mix well. Shape into balls and place in lightly greased muffin tins; flatten to fit (should make about 2 dozen mini-meatloaves). Spoon two teaspoons ketchup on to the top of each mini-loaf. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Cool completely; then remove from muffin tins. To prevent from freezing into a solid meatloaf-mass, freeze individually on cookie sheets and then place into freezer bags. Label and freeze.
To serve, thaw in refrigerator and reheat in microwave.
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Filed under: bulk buying, bulk cooking, cooking, cooking ahead, freezer, freezer cooking, frozen assets, frugal living, ground beef, make-ahead, oamc, once a month cooking, recipes
Freezer Meat Loaf
2 meals – 6 servings each
½ cup dry bread crumbs- ½ cup milk
- 1 cup minced onion
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 3 pounds ground beef
To Prepare:
- Mix together first 7 ingredients.
- Combine thoroughly with ground beef.
- Divide in half. Form into two loaves.
- Wrap with foil; label and freeze.
To Serve:
- Thaw completely; unwrap.
- Place in loaf pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 2½ hours, or until done.
- Drain fat.
- Serve sliced with brown gravy or catsup.
(This recipe can also be used to make meatballs. Cook meatballs before freezing.)
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Filed under: bulk buying, bulk cooking, cooking, cooking ahead, freezer, freezer cooking, frozen assets, frugal living, ground beef, make-ahead, mealtime, oamc, once a month cooking, recipes, simple living
One of the easiest ways to save money on your family’s grocery bill is by purchasing foods in bulk when they go on sale. When ground meat goes on sale, rather than just stocking up to store in the freezer “as is,” many cooks find it helpful to prepare meat mixes for using later in their favorite family recipes.
By preparing this recipe for All-Purpose Ground Meat Mix, you’ll be ready to fix any number of tasty ground meat recipes without needing to brown the meat, onions and spices each time you cook. Not only will this technique save you money, it saves time too.
The following recipe is from the book Frozen Assets: Cook for a Day, Eat for a Month by Deborah Taylor-Hough (SourceBooks).
All-Purpose Ground Meat Mix (makes about 12 cups)
This is a basic ground meat mix that can be used in many casseroles and recipes.
- 5 pounds ground meat (beef or turkey)
- 2 cups celery, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 cups onion, chopped
- 1 cup green pepper, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
Brown meat in a large pot (cook completely until no pink remains). Drain. Stir in celery, garlic, onion, green pepper, salt and pepper; cover and simmer about 10 minutes until vegetables are tender but not soft. You can use this mixture immediately during your cooking session or freeze in two-cup portions for later use.
Suggested Uses (be creative)
Tacos: Add one package taco seasoning to two cups All-Purpose Ground Meat Mix (follow package directions for amount of water). Freeze. To serve: thaw and heat taco mixture; prepare tacos as you would normally.
Taco Potatoes: Follow instructions for taco mixture (above), but serve the mixture over baked potatoes instead of tortillas or taco shells. Top with grated cheese, diced tomatoes, sour cream, sliced green onions, sliced black olives and salsa.
Easy Taco Salads: Follow instructions for taco mixture; place a layer of corn chips or tortilla chips on plate; spoon taco mixture over chips; add layer of shredded lettuce; add diced tomatoes, sliced green onions, sliced black olives, sour cream and salsa.
Sloppy Joes: In a large skillet, place two cups Ground Meat Mix, one (10 3/4 ounce) can tomato soup, two tablespoons brown sugar, and one teaspoon prepared mustard. Stir. Cover and simmer ten minutes. Serve ladled onto hamburger buns.
Can also be used for: Stuffed Peppers, Chili, Spaghetti, and Baked Ziti (further recipes can be found in the Frozen Assets book).
~Debi
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