I've got an APB out for good recipes that freeze well.
Since the beginning of the year, I have phoned the Phoenix Albertsons to make sure that my Dad has groceries. He doesn't eat, he feels like crap, then he eats less, then he feels worse....I've checked into it, he's six blocks away from the Meals on Wheels boundary. Luby's will deliver to other areas, but not to his.
It is my general plan to go to Dad's and cook my ass off for a few days. And freeze it all. I am tired of worrying about it, tired of wondering. And that's a Christmas gift he'll enjoy for weeks afterwards.
He told me my older brother (finally got a freaking clue and) bought some crockpots and has been boxing up dinners for him. I asked "So Dad, is Fred a good cook?" "Not really," he admitted.
My recipe parameters are-
Suitable or adaptable for diabetics (this means that I am making cabbage potato pancakes, not potato pancakes)
Sans poultry. Working in a processing plant for a few months just does that to a body.
Suitable to freeze in small portions.
I think I plan to make many things, as opposed to huge quantities of a few things.
Variety improves appetite, so I need things that are adaptable-for example-mini meatloaf/meatballs/mix also go with spaghetti, soup, sandwiches. It can also step into Salisbury steak land.
He'll eat a lot of different types of food, as long as it feels hearty and homemade.
I appreciate any recipes and ideas you can pass my way!
10 comments:
Freezing latkes is not so much a recipe, as a technique -- after frying them and draining them on paper towels, lay the laktes on a cookie sheet without stacking them and freeze. When they are frozen, you can throw them into a ziplock bag. To reheat, again lay them flat on a cookie sheet and put them into a fairly hot over (400? 425?) and reheat, then blot them on paper towels again. I haven`t done this, but my relatives do it all the time and you can`t taste the difference. Here`s my cousin Marian`s recipe, which I think is the best (and, obviously, you can reduce the proportions; this makes enough for a very large party)
10 pounds potatoes, shredded and liquid squeezed out
9-12 eggs
4 large onions
5 t. baking powder
4 T. salt
Flour (enough to make it hold together)
Pepper
Lots of oil (at least a half inch in the pan).
The trick to having less greasy latkes is to use more oil, which seems counter-intuitive, but works -- if you just film the bottom of the pan, they soak it all up. Make sure the oil is hot before you start. I can fry 3 pans at a time if I have assistance in draining them, but it`s not fun -- 2 is much more manageable.
Amy B's Latkes
JM, I make a nearly-meatless pasta sauce that works well for noodles or thin pasta. It has portobello mushrooms and just a bit of turkey Italian sausage, cooks up pretty quickly and freezes very well. If you're interested in the recipe, LMK and I'll send it to you.
Yes, Barbara, that sounds like something he would like. Portobellos are good for a meaty taste.
B
I'm catching up here.
"Hideous train wreck of highlighter hues" had me laughing pretty hard.
Mmmm...that lavender shawl will be elegant and pretty. Sometimes less IS more. :)
Recipes -- have I missed some restrictions? Can he eat dairy/cheese? I have a nice penne pasta casserole with a tomato sauce, italian sausage, roasted vegetables (lots) and cheese. You could skip the cheese. It freezes great.
Bets,
I have the best pork pot roast crock pot recipe. I'll email it to ya. It freezes great!
Libby
PS. I LOVE the shawl!
I'm game for the ideas. I think I can mix whole wheat and regular pasta to lower the glycemic numbers.
B
bets, just FYI, if Meals/Wheels isn't close enough to deliver daily, you should be able to make arrangements to pick up the meals weekly for him. That's what I do. The daily deliveries were very inconvenient for me, I was usually tied up with something that prevented me from getting to the door and they would not leave it. So I pick up the week's meals for Jean every Monday. 4 are frozen and 1 is the meal of that day. So check it out.
Bets - this is a "standard" in our neck of the woods. Easy, tasty and a meal in itself! Just portion it out for a couple of meals. I play with the seasonings a bit. It freezes really well. I used to always have an ice cream bucket full in my freezer.
Hamburger Soup
The Best of Bridge (Page: 129)
Don't be deceived by the name - this is a family favorite and a breeze for entertaining. This recipe makes 18 soup ladles and freezes very well.
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 medium onion,finely chopped
1 - 28 oz. can tomatoes
2 cups water 500 mL
3 - 10 oz. cans consomme
1 - 10 oz. can tomato soup
4 carrots, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
3 sticks celery, finely chopped parsley
pepper to taste
1/2 cup pot or pearl barley 125 mL
Brown meat and onions. Drain well. Combine all ingredients in large pot. Simmer covered, at least 2 hours, or all day. Serves 10.
They say that a dog is a man's best friend. I don't think so. How many friends have you had neutered?
Barbara's Portabella Pasta Sauce
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :30:00
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion -- chopped medium
2 cloves garlic -- minced fine
1 can Italian plum tomatoes -- 28 oz, diced
1 can tomato sauce -- 15 oz
1 can tomato paste
2 tbsp Italian parsley -- chopped coarsely
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp black pepper -- coarsely ground
1 whole bay leaf
2 ½ links Italian sausage -- turkey, not beef
2 ½ whole portabella mushrooms -- cubed, 1/4 in
Heat oil in a large heavy Dutch oven. Add onion and sauté over low heat, stirring as needed, until tender and golden, about 5 min. Add the garlic, sauté 1 minute more. You may need a bit more oil to keep onion and garlic from sticking.
Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste. Fill the tomato sauce can with water and add. Add parsley, salt, basil, oregano, pepper and the bay leaf, divided in two. Heat over medium-low heat.
In a large skillet, squeeze the sausage meat out of the casings, break up into crumbles and brown lightly. You may have to add a bit of olive oil, since the turkey sausage has very little fat.
When the sausage is done browning, add the cubed mushrooms and cook over low heat until the mushrooms soften and darken. Add a half cup of the tomato mixture to the pan, stir carefully, and cook a couple of minutes longer. Add the meat-mushroom mixture to the Dutch oven. Add another bit of the tomato mixture to the pan and cook a minute or so to thoroughly deglaze the pan. Return sauce to the Dutch oven.
Simmer uncovered over low heat, stirring occasionally until sauce is thickened, about 1 hour 15 minutes. You may wish to cover the pan but leave an opening for steam to escape; the sauce needs to thicken.
Serve over cooked pasta of your choice. A cup or so of sauce makes a good serving size, and this mixture freezes very well.
NOTES :
Canned plum tomatoes - if you prefer to buy whole stewed tomatoes, be sure to cut them up before adding to the sauce
Turkey Italian Sausage - our packages come with 5 links, each weighing about 1/4 lb. so I use 2 1/2, about 2/3 of a pound
Portobello mushrooms - I use 2 or 3 depending on size; you want 2-3 cups of chopped mushrooms in 1/4in 'squares'
Bri's potato cakes (from Martha Stewart Living)
Makes 6
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for tin
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon packed dark-brown sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus 6 sprigs for tin
1 small red onion, sliced into six 1/4-inch-thick rounds
4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, coarsely grated
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Generously butter a large (six 1-cup) muffin tin. Sprinkle each cup with salt, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon sugar; drizzle each cup with 1/2 teaspoon of each vinegar. Put a rosemary sprig in each cup, and cover with an onion round; set aside.
2. Toss potatoes with chopped rosemary and egg yolk in a medium bowl; season with pepper and 2 teaspoons salt. Divide among cups; dot with butter.
3. Bake until potatoes are tender and well browned, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool 5 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge of each cup to loosen; invert, and serve.
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