A Sunday of Cooking...

[cheesecake17]

I was thinking of spending a long Sunday cooking and freezing some dishes for nights when I work late...

Here's what I've got on the list so far..I would love some more suggestions!

-eggplant parm
- black bean enchiladas
- pizza dough
- jalepeno cheddar scones (from smitten kitchen)
- baked ziti

[jnk]

This past Sunday I made "Greek" lamb meatballs
Turkey meatballs for my son's lunches
Lamb bolognese/ragu which took about 5 hours of cooking time but oh so worth it
and about a gallon of chicken stock which when being slid into the fridge, slid onto the floor where it spread everywhere. This little slip will now end up costing is about $2,000 for the new french door fridge we're about to buy to replace the side by side that occupies the one spot where we have a poor kitchen design.

[fmcoxe6188]

Ugh! Thats terrible and so disappointing! Sunday must have been the day to spill as when I was stocking my freezer with serving size containers of fresh made meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans to give to an elderly relative for meals for the week one dropped on the floor and lost its lid spreading it all over my kitchen floor. Definitely not as bad as fully spilled chicken stock-but still ugh....

[jeniyo]

made braised lamb shanks yesterday and will be eating this tomorrow and freezing half...

[1gardenmom]

Some things that freeze well for me...

Shrimp and Pork Dumplings
Individual Herbed Goat Cheese Tarts
Compound Butters for quick fish (I do love the Pistachio Basil Butter from Epicurious)
and always...cookie dough

[jfood]

Jfood getting ready to frost this cake:

http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipes/detail.asp?id=4754

with this frosting:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[Caitlin McGrath]

You can't miss with the Black Magic cake and classic ganache frosting. Recently recommended this to a friend wanting to bake her first from-scratch cake for her daughter's b-day. She did whipped ganache and sliced poached pairs between the layers, and frosted with whipped cream. Went over like gangbusters with adults and little kids alike, and she was amazed how easy it was to pull off.

[jfood]

The cake itself is the best that jfood has ever made or eaten. The frosting was great. The whipped cream and maybe some sliced strawberries wuld be nice next time.

[tcamp]

It is cold and rainy here so that is how I am spending the day today. On the agenda:

Shredded pork shoulder that was in the crockpot last night
Black beans in the crockpot currently
Cajun meatloaf
Zucchini bread
Chocolate chip cookies
Roasted veggie soup (clean out the veg bin)

[Emme]

-Sweet Potato and Chicken Burritos
-Meatballs in Sauce - easy to reheat
-Ratatouille
-along the lines of suggested salmon cakes, Salmon Croquettes
-Mini Quiches or Frittata
-Winter Veggie Chowder http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipefinder/winter-vegetable-chowder-ghk0308
-Polenta Casserole - layer cooked polenta with marinara, meat if desired, ricotta, herbs, etc.
-Tarragon Turkey and Rice - http://www.sheknows.com/articles/806062/page:3
-Pork Chops and Apples http://www.sheknows.com/articles/8060...

[jfood]

That was jfood's last weekend...

-Lasagne
-Cannelonni
-Marinara
-Bolognese
-Chocolate Cake
-Apple Pie

[cheesecake17]

Cannelonni- do you have a recipe?

[jfood]

Jfood uses Hazan's. It is a true labor of love and a full day, but well worth it. if you dot have the book, let jfood know and he will paraphrase to meet the CH standards.

[cheesecake17]

I don't have the book. I would love for you to post the recipe, but if I can't sub things to make it kosher, don't kill yourself over it.

[soypower]

If I had a whole day to cook, I'd make steamed pork buns. They freeze well and can be re-heated in the microwave. Someday, someday...

[The Dairy Queen]

I hope this isn't heresy, but I've always been curious about this char siu recipe from Cooking Light. It's pretty highly-rated and can be made in a crock pot. http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1160642 I thought I could then pair it with this recipe. http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/rec...

I'm sure it's not perfectly authentic, but if you're short on time, it could be a passable short cut.

~TDQ

[Jennalynn]

Mushroom Barley Soup with or without meat is my go to freezer meal.

[jeniyo]

i'm going to make braise some lamb shanks with some eggplants and veggies. We like braised meat in the house. so, next is short ribs...

maybe even eggplant moussaka? is it cold enough yet?

pasta sauce and meatballs or the beloved bolognese

the enchiladas is a good idea. do you have a recipe for this?

i second the scones, it's perfect with a hearty soup..

granola (don't forget breakfast!)

make the apple cake on smitten's kitchen. it keeps moist and yummy all week in the fridge

you can even make sandwich sized gourges and freeze them, fill with a chicken salad or even a crab salad and lots of greens.

[cheesecake17]

granola sounds good.. do you have a good recipe without maple syrup?

[jeniyo]

i'd have to go home and dig up my friend's friend's grandma's recipe but, you can always sub it with honey, molasses, brown sugar etc if you don't want to use maple syrup.

[Popkin]

I'd bake a bunch of potatoes. Then you can just heat, top and eat, or slice and quickly fry, or heat and mash, etc...

I love potatoes, but they take so long in the oven, that I find it very helpful to have some pre-baked.

[ipsedixit]

Stock

[cassoulady]

I would also wash salad greens, wrap in towels and put in plastic bag. Make a vinaigrette and store in a jam jar so you always can prepare a nice little salad to go with whatever you thaw.
I know when I work late, even washing lettuce can be daunting, so its nice to have it ready and waiting for you.

[cheesecake17]

Washed greens and dressing are always in my fridge. If I'm making a special salad dressing I usually make double or triple to keep for the week. Also, every so often I bring a jar of dressing to the office, that way all I have to do is bring in the lettuce.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Always prepare for freezing and later quick thaw and re-heating: french carrot (and potato and onion) soup, creamy celery soup, black beans cooked with dried African game meat, and more.

[scuzzo]

Make polenta lasagna. Make two layers of polenta (9 x 13 pan sized). Layer with cooked fall vegetables, Italian sausage, a red sauce and cheese.

[jeniyo]

that sounds great! do you make a sturdy polenta and make it casserole style? i got a little bis of mascarpone left. perfect for the polenta!

[scuzzo]

I would use two 9 x 13s making two layers, after setting up, layer stuff on one, then flip other pan on top, and make another layer of filling and top with cheese!

[bayoucook]

Stew. Spaghetti sauce. Pot pie or casseroles. Meatloaf. Stuffed cabbage...

[karykat]

Stew is a great idea.

I make the mahogany beef stew from the epicurious site (following the recommendations of commenters - a little less hoisin sauce and some more vegies.)

It's great frozen in individual portions. Serve over some noodles for a hearty easy winter meal.

Here's the recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[GretchenS]

I like to have the Deviled Salmon Cakes from Epicurious and the Chickpea Patties from the Boston Globe in the freezer at all times because they can be cooked from frozen and ready in about 15 minutes. (See links below, both recipes lend themselves to tinkering and are very forgiving.) Also indvidual portions of meatballs and sauce that can be thawed and reheated in the time it takes to cook pasta. Agree with having chicken stock going if I'm going to spend the day cooking, and some of it gets frozen in an ice cube tray to have small amounts to add to cooking as needed. Have fun!
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Deviled-Salmon-Cakes-107546
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/...

[The Dairy Queen]

I love the idea of these Salmon cakes and chickpea patties! Must try!

~TDQ

[valerie]

Meatballs, brisket, bolognese.

[The Dairy Queen]

Whenever I have a Sunday of cooking, I usually have some chicken stock going, and at least one chicken roasting in the oven. Also, I like to make a pot of wild rice for the week and a pot of beans. Except for the chicken, which I wouldn't freezen, most of that can be frozen, but I usually don't.

~TDQ

[Janet from Richmond]

Chili!!!

[HillJ]

pot of soup, acorn squash or carrot pumpkin come to mind
roasted peppers and potatoes, these reheat beautifully
a couple of quick breads ie: banana, sweet potato, lemon

enjoy your day of cooking, cheesecake17!

[cheesecake17]

carrot pumpkin soup sounds amazing! do you have a recipe?

[HillJ]

http://www.bitchincamero.com/mel/2008...

This version is my current favorite. Super simple, rich flavor. Enjoy!

[CreativeFoodie42]

I'm planning on making some crockpot pumpkin soup and apple sauce this weekend for freezing!

[HillJ]

Creative Food, pls. share your recipes!

[CreativeFoodie42]

The apple sauce is my boyfriend's mom's recipe (which is at home) but I will try to remember to post it this weekend. The pumpkin soup uses canned pumpkin, along with a chopped onion, couple of cloves of minced garlic, some EVOO, 14 oz chicken broth, a few spoonfuls of sugar, half a teaspoon of chopped fresh or dried thyme, some salt, and just a tiny bit of ground sage. I heat it up in the crockpot on low for 7-8 hours and then add about a cup of milk before serving (but obviously making sure the soup is warmed through with the milk). Ofcourse, you can increase or decrease the ingredients to your taste.

[HillJ]

Thanks Creative Foodie42! I'm going to add your version to my recipe file. I look forward to reading your applesauce recipe.

[CreativeFoodie42]

My pumpkin soup is in the crockpot as we speak. We made the apple sauce yesterday and it is SO easy. We peeled, cored and chopped twelve apples and added two and a quarter cups of water and a half cup of sugar. We heated it three hours on high. It ended up gorgeous. I thought we would need to immersion blend it at the end but it ended up being the perfect consistency. It will be a little liquid-y but let it cool and it will settle. Also, you can add a litlte more sugar if your apples are less tart but we used a mix of apples - some being very sweet so we kept it at a half cup. Hope you enjoy HillJ!

[HillJ]

Hi CF42! Thanks for sharing your recipe for crockpot apple sauce. I've been wanting to try an apple or pear & acorn squash sauce in my crockpot that includes fall spices (cinn, nutmeg, maple syrup, vanilla bean) and is served with pulled pork tender loin. Crockpots are fab tools for this type of cookery!