Freezer cooking is a cooking method I started to utilize about 5-6 years ago. At that time in my life I was a working mom to one little girl and another one on the way – life was crazy to say the least. I don’t remember the exact moment I learned about freezer cooking but I can easily say now I can’t imagine my life without it.
In the early years of getting familiar with this “new to me” cooking style most of the recipes and information I found centered around large batch marathon cooking session and casseroles. I didn’t really know any better so I did what I could to keep my freezer filled to survive the daily grind as a working mom and of course the dreaded “what’s for dinner” question.
Since then I have grown leaps and bounds as a home cook and learned that freezer cooking is much more than canned soup casseroles and large containers of spaghetti sauce. Freezer cooking is a method that can bring real relief to busy parents by helping them prepare wholesome healthy foods when they have time so they can have it available during the week when they don’t.
When I was contacted by the Harvard Common Press to review Jessica Fisher’s new cookbook Not Your Mother’s Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook
I was right! Not Your Mother’s Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook
Jessica, in her unique voice, takes readers on an educational journey through the process of freezer cooking. She covers all the different methods of freezer cooking from big batch cooking to doubling up recipes during the week and breaks it down into simple steps that anyone can do. There is also a section dedicated to what foods can and cannot freeze. This information comes in very handy especially when you want to start adapting other recipes for freezer cooking. All of this and so much more is covered step by step just in the freezer cooking basics chapter.
The cooking plans chapter is amazing. Jessica put together 10 different freezer cooking plans. Each one has the recipes, grocery list, equipment needed, prep list, and a cooking plan to follow. Depending on what you need to stock up on you can choose from breakfast plans, meatless plans, beef plans, poultry plans, and others. This chapter ends with some very nice charts to keep you totally organized. Are you excited yet?
Next we have the recipes. Just like the book says these are NOT your mama’s make ahead and freezer recipes. You will find a variety of 200 family friendly recipes that are sure to please even the pickiest of palates. It was hard for me to choose which ones to make for this review because they all looked great.
Some of the recipes that caught my eye were the Soy- Balsamic Burgers, Stuffed Chicken Parmesan, Zesty Italian Melts, and all the super tasty Pizza Recipes. Honestly, each one looked like it could find a permanent place on my family’s menu rotation. However, this past weekend was a baking weekend so I opted to make the Whole-Grain Cinnamon Rolls and Wholesome Energy Bars. They were both super easy to make in my bread machine and the results were delish!
I was given permission to share both recipes for you to try out. Lucky you! Here they are.
Whole-Grain Cinnamon Rolls
Recipe © 2012 by Jessica Fisher and used by permission of The Harvard Common Press.
Packaging: Gallon-size zip-top freezer bags
Dough:
- 2 cups milk
- 4 1⁄2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 11⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 3⁄4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1⁄2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- 3 to 3 1⁄2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 3⁄4 teaspoons salt
Filling:
- 3 1⁄2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3⁄4 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
When ready to serve, you will need:
- 3⁄4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
- 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. If making the dough in the bread machine, combine the dough ingredients in the bread machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Program the machine for the dough setting and start it. If making the dough by hand, place the milk and butter in a medium saucepan and warm slightly. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the vanilla, sugar, and yeast. Stir and allow the yeast to proof for 5 minutes. Add the oats, whole-wheat flour, 3 cups of the all-purpose flour, and the salt. Stir to combine well. Turn the mixture onto a lightly floured surface and knead. Continue kneading for 5 minutes to create a smooth, elastic dough, adding more of the all-purpose flour as necessary. Transfer to a greased bowl and turn the dough ball to coat. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3. When the dough is ready, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to form a 12 × 15-inch rectangle.
4. Spread the softened butter over the surface.
5. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle this mixture over the butter.
6. Roll up the dough, jelly-roll fashion, starting from a long edge and pinching the seam to seal.
7. Cut the rolled dough into 18 slices, each about 2 ⁄3 inch wide, and arrange them on the prepared baking sheets 1 to 2 inches apart.
Freezing instructions:
Place the trays in the freezer and freeze the rolls until they are firm. Remove the trays from the freezer and place the rolls on their sides in the freezer bags, in stacks of six. Place the bags in the freezer immediately.
To thaw and serve:
The night before baking, remove as many rolls as desired from the freezer and place them in a greased 9 × 13-inch baking dish. You may need two pans if you bake all 18 rolls at once. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The rolls will thaw and rise in the refrigerator. In the morning, remove the dish from the refrigerator and let the rolls rest for 20 minutes at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the rolls until browned, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and cool on a wire rack. To make the icing, stir together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Glaze with the icing before serving.
Makes 18 rolls
I made the cinnamon rolls over the weekend then took them out Monday night and they were ready to cook Tuesday morning. Wow! I cannot think of a better way to wake up than to the smell of cinnamon rolls. The rolls froze perfectly which made it so easy to have these delicious homemade treats in the middle of the school week.
Wholesome Energy Bars
Recipe © 2012 by Jessica Fisher and used by permission of The Harvard Common Press.
Packaging: Gallon-size zip-top freezer bag
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1⁄2 cup oat flour
- 1⁄4 cup cornmeal
- Grated zest of 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 1⁄4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 cup dried cranberries
- 1⁄4 cup golden raisins
- 1⁄4 cup dark raisins
- 1⁄4 cup raw sunflower seeds
Directions
1. Combine all of the ingredients in your bread machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Program the machine for the dough setting and start it.
2. Grease a baking sheet. When the cycle is complete, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
3. Press the dough into a 1-inch-thick rectangle. Cut into 12 rectangles and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Allow the bars to rise for about 20 minutes.
5. Bake the bars for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool the bars on a rack.
Freezing instructions:
Place the cooled bars in the freezer bag and seal, removing as much air as possible. Freeze.
To thaw and serve:
Thaw the desired number of bars at room temperature. Serve at room temperature, or cut the bars in half horizontally, toast, and serve with butter.
Makes 12 bars
I decided to make these bars because I am always on the lookout for new energy bar recipes. The recipe, as you can see, calls for these bars to be made with yeast and in the bread machine – that intrigued me. The results were bread or even scone like and tasted delicious. They went perfectly with my morning cup of coffee. I thought the energy bars tasted the best toasted with a little butter as she suggests. And of course they froze perfectly.
Whether you are just starting out with freezer cooking or if you are a freezer cooking extraordinaire I am certain you will find information and recipes in the Not Your Mama’s Make Ahead and Freezer Cookbook very resourceful.
Not Your Mama’s Make Ahead and Freezer Cookbook by Jessica Fisher is due to be released on October 9th, 2012. You can pre-order it now at Amazon.
Disclosure: I was given a free review copy for this review. Amazon links are my affiliate links.
If you could let her know for me… Your review is the #1 reason I went ahead and bought this for myself this morning. Going to gift it to myself from Santa this year… **SShhh* Don’t tell…
But your review let me know that the book went the extra step to make sure it said freezer steps. And heating steps for dinner night. So thank you… For the review…