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Best Freezer Meatloaf and Meatballs

October 28th, 2007 by The Cooking Guy   Subscribe To Our Feed

For those of you who are super busy and don’t have time to make dinner each night, than freezer cooking is for you.  It is a great way to get a delicious, nutritious and fast meal on the table.  I have a wonderful, tasty and easy recipe for Meatloaf and Meatballs that will have your family asking for more.

These two recipes are great freeze-ahead meals. They require the same ingredients, so you can make two meals in one.

Here is what you will need to get started.

Meatloaf
Ingredients:

• 1 lb hamburger
• 1 package onion soup mix
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
• 1-2 tablespoons of ketchup
• ½ cup of oatmeal or crushed saltine crackers

Steps:
Mix all the ingredients together and mash into desired shape. For the Meatloaf, you could make it into a really large doughnut with a hole in the middle.  Because you can cook from the frozen state, the hole in the middle helps it cook evenly.  Or you could shape it into the traditional loaf shape.  Then freeze in a gallon sized plastic bag.  Always make sure you use freezer bags when freezing meals.  Generic or other plastic baggies will not keep the food as fresh.

When you are ready to prepare your meatloaf, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Put it in a large pie pan or square pan; this allows the grease to drain away as it is cooking or if you are using a loaf shape, put it in a loaf tin.  Cook for one hour if thawed and about one hour and ten minutes if frozen.  After it is done cooking, simply lift it up out of the pan, slice and serve.

Meatballs
If you are making meatballs, shape the balls with a Meat Baller and bake. Bake on 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes or until the middle is no longer pink.   Let cool and freeze the cooked meatballs.  Again, freeze in freezer plastic bags.  When you want to serve them they just need to be heated up.

Meal Suggestions:  
Here are some suggestions on how to use your Meatballs.

• Brown gravy over rice or mashed potatoes.  This makes a super quick and easy dinner.
• As a stew with a packet of stew seasonings and some potatoes and carrots.
• Rolled in Barbeque Sauce is also delicious.
• Thaw your meatballs and place in slow cooker with a small jar of grape jelly and I bottle of ketchup and let simmer for a few hours.
• Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Sweet and Sour sauce over rice
• Or any way that you already use Meatballs

Obviously, this recipe is for one meal.  Double or triple if you want to freeze additional servings for later use.

Planning a Mega Freezer Meal Day

October 25th, 2007 by The Cooking Guy   Subscribe To Our Feed

The great thing about freezer cooking is you only have to think about what’s for dinner once or twice a month.  You can, of course, plan one big day to make a months worth of food or plan a few days throughout the month to make a weeks or two worth of food.

Either way, here are a few simple ideas to follow as you plan your big cooking day.

Tips for making your day easier
Make sure you plan every meal you want and write out the ingredients on a master list.  Check your pantry or refrigerator for the ingredients.  Don’t forget about the stuff like salt, pepper, spices, mayo or lemon juice.  A recipe may call for only two teaspoons so you think no big deal, but if you are making five or six of them you suddenly have 12 teaspoons you have to worry about and you might not have enough.

Do not go shopping on the cooking day.  Save all the energy you can.  Depending on how many meals you make, your shopping trip may be quite long.  Double and triple check your list to make sure you don’t forget something.  You don’t want to be running to the store in the middle to get something you forgot.

Get yourself a treat to nibble on during the day.  You won’t be sorry you bought the bag of chocolate or potato chips.  Your day will be long, so a little indulgence goes a long way.

Prep as much as you can the day before.  Grate your cheese (or buy pre-grated cheese); precook your chicken and hamburger for those meals that call for cooked, cubed, chopped or shredded meat.  Chop your vegetables such as onions, celery, carrots ect.  Anything that can be done a head of time is going to save you’re a ton of time and stress on your big cooking day.

Get a good night sleep the night before.  You are going to need all the rest you can get.

Scrub down your kitchen the night before so you can start with a clean area.  Empty the dishwasher, dish strainer and garbage so you can fill it up as the day goes on.

Wear comfy shoes.  Your feet will hurt by the end of the day anyway, but they might hurt less with a good pair of shoes.

Try to group your meals, for instance, by doing all the hamburger ones first then the chicken or whatever.  It really does go faster and saves time.

Have an open garbage sack or garbage next to your cooking area for a quick toss.

Some things that may make your day a little better might be putting on your favorite CD or Movie.  Also, doing your cooking with a friend is much more fun and makes the day go faster.  Even if you are both doing your own recipes, it just makes it more fun to have a friend doing it with you.

Plan to eat out or bring home take out.  The last thing you want to be doing is cooking another meal.  It is worth the investment of eating out.

Don’t overload your freezer with hot food.  This could cause your freezer to defrost unthawing out all of your other frozen foods.

At the end of the day, count your meals and sit back and relax while you think of all those nights you are not going to have to cook.

If you are looking for an economical way to vacuum pack your food, I would recommend that you check out The VacUpack Vacuum Packing System.

Why not breakfast for dinner?

October 22nd, 2007 by The Cooking Guy   Subscribe To Our Feed

There are days when I come home and think “what am I going to make for dinner?”  It’s been a long day and I don’t feel like cooking, but I have a family to feed.  Who says you can’t have breakfast for dinner?  Traditionally breakfast foods are served in the morning, but there are so many quick and easy things to make that why not use those same delicious recipes for dinner?  I have a few fun ideas for the not so traditional dinner.

Pancakes or Waffles
The great thing about pancakes and waffles is you can make them one hundred different ways. You can add fresh or frozen berries, chocolate chips, peanut butter, bananas and walnut or cinnamon and raisins. The possibilities are endless.  Not only can you add what you like, but you can make them into fun and appealing shapes your kids will love.  Using a cookie cutter or adding your own artistic flare, cut them into shapes.  Some of the shapes my kids love are turtles, Mickey Mouse, hearts, flowers, trucks or dinosaurs.  Other animal shapes work great too if you can create them.  I have a bag full of cookie cutters.  I get them at thrift stores or cheap dollar stores.  Top them with raisins, fruit, jelly, peanut butter or chocolate chips to make them come alive.

French Toast
French toast can also be cut into fun and amusing shapes.  My kids love them cut into sticks so they can dip them in their fruit yogurt.  I make my special sauce by opening a package of flavored yogurt.  The kids think I whipped up something special just for them.

Fruit
Fruit is always a wonderful and healthy addition to your meal.  You can throw it into mixes, puree it, slice, make it into sauces or make a wonderful, healthy and delicious smoothie your kids will go crazy over thinking they got a sweet treat.  The wonderful thing is they are getting so many vitamins and nutrients from this one little smoothie.  Throw in your favorite fruit with some ice cubes and orange juice and ta-da! You have an awesome drink.  You could even add your favorite yogurt or milk for extra calcium.

Eggs
Green eggs and ham anyone?  A fun way to get your kids to eat things like eggs is to throw in a little food coloring.  To add variety, I occasionally make breakfast burritos using the colored eggs.  Who knows, this may be the magic trick to get your kids to eat eggs.  It’s worth a try right?

Fruit Rolls
Another great idea is to take a pita pocket or flour tortilla and spread the inside with your favorite jelly.  Next top or insert with your favorite fresh fruit.  Close pita or roll up the tortilla for a perfect sweet and healthy meal.

Hamburger and Potato Masterpiece
My kids love anything with catsup.  One of our favorite breakfast ( or should I say dinner ideas) is cubed potatoes with cooked hamburger.  This is a very easy and practical way to feed the family.  You could even use left over hamburger from the night before.

I know for me these ideas have worked like a charm.  It is a fast and creative way to get dinner on the table.

Common Cooking Substitutions

October 18th, 2007 by The Cooking Guy   Subscribe To Our Feed

Have you ever started the cooking process and soon realized you don’t have all the ingredients you need?  While there are not substitutes for everything you might need, there are many simple substitutes you can make from what you already have.

Don’t give up, because here is a list of Food/Cooking Substitutions that can be used in a recipe.

Dairy

• 1 cup sour cream =1 cup of plain yogurt or 1 cup evaporated milk plus 1 tbsp. vinegar
• 1 cup sour milk or buttermilk = 1 tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice plus enough milk to make 1 cup. Let stand 5 minutes before using.
• 1 cup buttermilk=2/3cup plain yogurt plus 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup whole milk= ½ cup evaporated milk plus ½ cup water
• 1 lb. butter = 2 cups evaporated milk beaten slowly. Pour into container and chill. Or, 1 cup buttermilk, 1/2 cup salad oil and one tsp. salt

Chocolate

• 1 oz unsweetened square= 3 Tbsp coco plus 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 oz milk chocolate square=3 Tbsp coco plus 1 Tbsp butter and 3 tsp sugar

Baking

• 1 tsp baking powder= ¼ tsp baking soda plus ½ tsp cream of tartar
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch= 2 Tbsp flour or 2 tsp quick-cooking tapioca
• ½ cup brown sugar= 2 Tbsp molasses in ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup powdered sugar=1 cup granulated sugar plus 1 tsp cornstarch blended
• 1 cup self rising flour=1 cup all purpose flour, ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup sugar=3/4 cup honey
• 1 cup shortening=1 cup butter or margarine
• 1 cup cake flour=1 cup minus 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 cup corn syrup=1 cup sugar plus ¼ cup liquid
• 1 package yeast =1 cake yeast
• 1 package yeast =1 tablespoon dry yeast
• 1 cup honey=1 cup sugar plus 4 Tbsp golden syrup

Cooking

• 1 cup catsup or chili sauce=1 cup tomato sauce plus ½ cup sugar and 2 Tbsp vinegar
• ¾ cup cracker crumbs=1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 small fresh onion=1 Tbsp instant minced onion, rehydrated
• 1 cup tomato juice=1/2 cup tomato sauce plus ½ cup water
• 1 garlic clove=1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp lemon juice=1/2 tsp vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vinegar = 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cup broth = 1 bouillon cube
• Red wine=Pomegranate juice; 1/2 cup water plus 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• White wine=Apple, carrot or bell pepper juice, vegetable stock
• 1 egg short=1Tbsp vinegar

Spices/Herbs

• 1 tsp dry mustard=1 Tbsp prepared mustard
• 1 Tbsp prepared mustard=1/2 tsp dry mustard plus 2 tsp vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Allspice = 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon Pumpkin pie spice = 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/8 teaspoon allspice & 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 Tbsp herbs=1 tsp dried herbs
• ½ cup tartar sauce=7 Tbsp mayonnaise plus 2 Tbsp chopped sweet pickles

BTW here is a very interesting book on cooking substitution. It is very cheap (about $4) but has lots of valuable information.

Halloween Fun Recipes

October 15th, 2007 by The Cooking Guy   Subscribe To Our Feed

I have got some great Halloween Fun recipes to share. These have been past on to me from my mother in law who used them when my husband was a little tyke and we make them for our kids at Halloween. The first is a fabulous Halloween punch that is tasty and spooky. It looks like mud or swamp juice, my children prefer the swamp juice. We make this every Halloween and sometimes just for fun. So here is what you need.

Halloween Punch
Ingredients:

• one can of orange juice concentrate
• one can of pineapple juice
• one packet of grape kool aid
• one liter of 7-up
• dry ice
• a large bowl
• a two quart pitcher
• a ladle
• a wisk

Steps:
Mix the kool aid according to the directions on the packet. Do the same with the pineapple juice. Do not mix up the orange juice. Pour the two juices into a big bowl. Mix the orange juice concentrate and 7-up into the bowl as well. It will appear a sort of murky green black color. Then add the dry ice and enjoy.

For a tasty treat to go with your Halloween punch try a pumpkin roll for dessert. It is a swirl of deliciousness you that will love. So the make this you will need:

Pumpkin Roll
Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 c. sugar
• 2/3 c. pumpkin
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• ¾ c flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ginger
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• shortening or cooking spray
• Pumpkin Roll Filling
• 2 8oz Cream Cheese
• ½ c butter softened
• 2 c powered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Steps:
To make the pumpkin roll grease and flour a cookie sheet. Whip the eggs until they are thick and foamy about 5 min. Then slowly add sugar to the eggs. Next fold in the pumpkin and lemon juice gently. In a separate bowl sift together the dry ingredients.

Then fold the dry mixture into the egg and pumpkin mixture. Spread this on a cookie sheet all the way out to the corners. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. When the roll is done lift the edges with a damp towel. While the roll is still hot, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Now take a kitchen towel and slowly roll up the bread. Let it cool on a wire rack.
While the roll is cooling prepare the filling. Blend the cream cheese together. Now add the sugar and vanilla, blend well.

When the roll is cool, slowly and carefully unroll the pumpkin bread. Spread the cream cheese corner to corner then tightly, but carefully roll it up. Wrap the pumpkin roll in wax paper and cover in plastic and place in the refrigerator. When you are ready to serve slice the roll and sprinkle with powered sugar to dress it up. You can even make a stencil of a maple leaf or a pumpkin and sprinkle in the stencil to a design.

I hope these recipes will bring your family lots of Halloween fun.

French Cuisine (Part 2)

October 11th, 2007 by The Cooking Guy   Subscribe To Our Feed

The main course is usually built around meat. Don’t be surprised with a wide selection of less common meats such as lamb, rabbit, duck and goose. Lamb’s brain is a particularly interesting course that is worth the bravery. Meats are usually served with potatoes, gravy or other sauce to cover, and a light vegetable such as green beans. Other side dishes to the main course include escargot (snails). Escargot is served in a rich garlic and butter sauce that allows one to quickly overcome the mental block that surely exists with a first time bite of snail.

Dessert is served after the main course. Variety here is endless as every kind of fruit and cake can be used to make an endless list of satisfying desserts. Tarts and mousse, flan and gratin, crème broulet, or even a simple fruit salad make wonderful desserts. Other splendors include black forest cakes, apples or pears on cake with a crème sauce, baked custards in a variety of flavors, or any other combination of baked goods, fruit, and a delicious crème sauce.

Dessert is followed up by a cup of coffee. Some sort of cookie, truffle, or a dark chocolate is usually served along with the coffee. Then a white or red wine is served to complete the meal from heaven.

Despite the apparent tradition of a long, tiring preparation day that must be done to prepare such meals, the French also know how to keep it simple. If the 5-7 course meal is too much, or time is short, there is a delicious alternative. Bread and cheese with a bottle of wine make a delicious quick meal, excellent for a picnic or a mobile meal, and filling as well.

French Cuisine (Part 1)

October 10th, 2007 by The Cooking Guy   Subscribe To Our Feed

Whether you are touring the intoxicating wine country of Bordeaux, dining in a romantic Parisian restaurant, or creating your own flan or crepe masterpiece at home, there are many ways to enjoy French cuisine.

The French simply know how to enjoy their meals, and they usually take plenty of time to enjoy them. A lunch will often last 2-3 hours….in the middle of the week! On Sundays meals with friends and family will last even longer. There are many different plates served and beautiful colors, smells, and textures served along with them. Mealtime is an opportunity to discuss a variety of topics while enjoying the taste bud splendors that different foods have to offer.

So what is so different about a French meal? How do they enjoy so many different plates in one meal? It’s all about the serving size. French meals will typically begin with a drink and an appetizer. A champagne or wine is usually served as the drink. For the appetizer, you will usually have some kind of vegetable based recipe. Serving cut raw vegetables with a dipping sauce is common. Sausages, cheese, or spreads to top bread are also common appetizers.

After some relaxed conversation and finishing off the appetizer, l’entrée, or the starter plate is served. This plate is usually a little heavier than the appetizer in that it is a full salad. It could also involve light meats or pâtés. The salad will of course be served with a vinaigrette of some kind. A light salad dressing is necessary so as not to get too full too early! After some more conversation and enjoyment, and before the entrée is completely finished (you wouldn’t want your guests or family members to be sitting there with no food on their plates!), the bread and cheese is served.

Bread is usually in the form of a baguette or some sort of sliced bread. At least three different kinds of cheese are served along with the bread. A very mild cheese such as brie or camembert is served along with a little stronger cheese such as Roquefort. Brie and camembert are both very soft cheeses that are best left out for a couple of hours before serving. Brie has a white crusty outer mold that can be eaten, but does not have much of a taste.

Camembert becomes runnier as it ages, making it easy to eat with bread or meat. Its outer mold is also white and usually discarded. The brie is the firmer of the two, so if a softer mild cheese is your choice, go with the camembert. The bread and cheese are foods that can be enjoyed throughout the meal. Going back to them between bites of the main course or salad or fruit is very appropriate as well as a delicious way to enjoy variety at lunch or dinner.

French Food

October 7th, 2007 by The Cooking Guy   Subscribe To Our Feed

It’s been about 10 years since my brother left the country of France. After spending two years there in various regions of the country, he has learned to enjoy the delicious variety of food they have to offer.

Each region of France has its own unique specialties and favorite foods. It’s kind of like the USA, where the food likely to be served in a Texas home is going to be different than the food served in a Louisiana home. There are little subcultures within the country’s culture.

During his stay, he experienced some very interesting foods in France that I don’t expect to taste at home, unless served at a French restaurant. The most interesting food ever served to him was in the town of Blois, France. This is in the Northern middle of France, southwest of Paris. It was at a friend’s house, and he wasn’t told what was being prepared. When they brought out the main course, he was told the meat was cerveau de l’agneau, which translated means lamb’s brain. As a side dish he was served escargot, or snails.

Other foods he ate were duck, rabbit, foie gras (fattened liver of duck or goose), new cheeses, and delicious desserts. He would have to say that his favorite places to get food in France were the patisserie (pastry/bakery shop) and the boulangerie (bread shop). On almost every corner in every town, these friendly little shops really know how to make a guy feel at home.

What are your favorite French foods?

Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipe

October 5th, 2007 by The Cooking Guy   Subscribe To Our Feed

I have the best slow cooker pot roast recipe.  My family goes crazy over this meal.  The meat comes out so delicious and tender that it is practically falling off your fork.  Because the recipe calls for different mixes, it is just packed with a fist full of flavor.  Plus it takes no time at all to prepare.

I love using my slow cooker because I just throw something together in the morning and forget about it.  At about 3 pm when my mind usually starts rolling through all the things I could make for dinner, I suddenly realize dinner is already made and will be done when I walk in the door.  Now what could be better than that?  It’s a fast, healthy and delicious meal that will practically put itself on the table.  I love it!

Here is what you will need for the pot roast.
Ingredients:

• 3-4 lb roast (you can use any kind of roast.  I always buy the cheapest which turns out wonderfully)
• 1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
• 1 pkg. brown gravy mix
• 1 pkg. Italian dressing mix
• 1 cup water (enough to just barely cover the roast)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Steps:
Add all of the dry ingredients to the bottom of the slow cooker and add the roast.  Cover with water. Remember not to add too much water because the slow cooking process will draw out moisture from the meat.  Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the roast.  Simmer on low for 8 hours.  Or if you don’t have 8 hours, turn on high for 4 hours.  When it is done, slice and spoon the drippings over the meat.
Tip: If the meat is not as tender as you would like, you can cook for a bit longer.  The longer it sits in the slow cooker, the more tender it gets.

You could add vegetables in with your roast, but I usually don’t to cut down on fat. If you do add vegetables to the slow cooker, add them to the bottom and top with your roast.

This meat is wonderful with mashed potatoes, steamed carrots and rolls.  Sometimes I will spoon some of the drippings over the steamed carrots for a little extra flavoring.  You could even used left over potatoes or instant to save time.

Other menu suggestions: Baked Beans, Potato Salad, Green Salad, Bakes Potatoes, French Fries or you could serve with anything your family loves to eat.

Rarely are there leftovers at our house, but for the times we do have leftovers, I make sandwiches the next day.

I hope you love this recipe as much as my family does.

Preparing to cook with your Kids

September 30th, 2007 by The Cooking Guy   Subscribe To Our Feed

Before you begin your cooking adventure with your kids, here are a few tips to get your kids comfortable in the kitchen.

These tips can help your kids become safe and responsible cooks. Once they become acclimated with the kitchen they will love to help and be involved.

Tasks
Kids love to be creative. They love to feel a sense of accomplishment. Delegate detailed tasks to each child before you start the cooking process so each one knows what they will be responsible for. This will make the cooking process flow smoothly.
If the child is old enough, don’t be tempted to criticize or take over. Give gentle reminders or instruction to help them continue learning.

Organize
Just as you would organize yourself before you cook, you will want to do the same thing with your kids. Being organized will help make cooking a fun and memorable experience. Plus, the kitchen will be less messy and easier to clean-up.

Patience
Cooking with your kids may lead to frustration, but remember to be patient. This is a learning process that might take time to develop.

It may take extra time to prepare the meal, but the benefits far out way the time it takes to clean up.

Preparations
Before you begin cooking make the following preparations with your kids to ensure safely.

Wear an apron to keep clothes clean.

Tie back long hair so it does not get into the food.

Roll up long sleeves. This will keep the sleeves from getting into the food.

Wash hands with lots of soap and water. Continue washing especially after handling food like meats.

Keep a damp towel or paper towels close for quick clean ups.

Have hot pads ready for hot dishes. Even things taken out of the microwave can be extremely hot.

Get out all the ingredients for the recipe. Let the kids help so they know where to find the common ingredients. Plus it helps the next time they need to get the same ingredient out. Put them on the counter to make sure you have all the ingredients you will need.

Get all your kitchen appliances, cook wear, bowls and utensils out.

If your child is not tall enough to reach the counter, get a stool for them to stand on.

Teach them what to do in case of an emergency, such as if they burn themselves, or if the food catches fire. Also have a first aid kit on hand.

Teach them how to handle sharp objects like knives and scissors. Once you use the knife or scissors, don’t put them in the sink to soak. Instead, lay them on the counter in a secure place until you are ready to wash them.

Clean as you go
You don’t want to have a huge mess when you’re finished, so teach your children to clean as they go. Put the dirty pots and pans or bowls in the sink to soak. You could even have a child designated as the washer. Put away all the ingredients and equipment you have used to help clear space so you have an open and clean area to continue the cooking process.

Cooking with your kids can be a great experience. Have fun and enjoy the memories being made.

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