Life has been a bit hectic lately, which explains the lack of posts. I'm not planning to stop this blog any time, but I am just going to update at my own pace for a while. Anyway, I discovered something awesome today that I had to share.
Because life has been a little hectic, I've been looking for ways to simplify meals. The last month has consisted of either eating out or eating a (gasp!) frozen dinner. Those little throw-on-the-skillet meals are great for busy life styles.
Anyway, I'm learning how to utilize the freezer to make my meals quick and easy when I just don't feel like spending a half an hour to an hour in front of a hot stove. I'll update as I think of new meals. I've seen a few blogs say you can freeze meals, but they rarely give details. Even Martha skimps on the details of how to freeze something well, so I'm going to try to help you out as I learn.
Tonight I froze my stuffed shells recipe. Here's how:
- Cook the shells
- Stuff the shells with cottage cheese mixture
- Place each one on a cookie sheet lined with freezer paper
- Flash freeze (place in the freezer, uncovered for at least thirty minutes)
- Once frozen, place in a freezer bag, label and date (it will last for two months)
- The day before cooking, remove from freezer and let it thaw in the fridge
For the sauce, you may either:
- Just open a new jar when it comes time to cook it
{or} - (if you already opened a jar) Spoon the marinara sauce into ice cube trays and freeze. When sufficiently frozen, place in a freezer bag, label and date
Pretty easy, huh? Who knew? I think this will be one of my answers when I'm preparing for a particularly difficult week.
