Freezer Foods Friday Guest Post Audra from Rediscovering Domesticity

Today on Freezer Foods Friday it is my pleasure to introduce you to Audra from Rediscovering Domesticity.  She's just the cutest thing... a mom of two and what she didn't mention below is that she taught music K-12 for 9 years!  Really girl, when you have talent like that, you should be telling people!  LOL   I only took piano lessons for ever, not a drop of talent in me though!  LOL    Anyway, you guys should really check out her blog.  She's got some great tips.  I'm going to head back over there and check out her post on making pages for your blog here.   

So, I'm going to turn it over to Audra now and let you fall in love with her too!

Oh - I am positively excited to share my story with you! I am thrilled that Sweet Jeanette invited me to share on her fabulous blog! Honestly, Sweet Jeanette is the one who inspired me to jump in and try my hand at batch cooking.

So, who am I?  My name is Audra.  I am a 30-something wife and mom of 2 sweet boys under the age of two.  I was a public school teacher for nine years and recently made the move to stay at home just before having my boys.  I am learning how to not just STAY at home, but to THRIVE at home!

Now,  I am intimidated by once a month cooking.  I just know in my core that I am not organized enough to do it!  I have learned, however, that I certainly CAN do batch cooking.  Since being inspired by Sweet Jeanette to keep trying, I am becoming quite good!

My first attempt at batch cooking was nothing impressive at all.  I was making a certain dish for dinner and decided to just make extra and freeze it.  No biggie.  I tell you, that extra meal was a life saver one night when I had two screaming kids and no desire to cook at all!  Could I do it again?

You betcha!



My next task was to create a meal for a friend who just had a baby.  Why make just one Spaghetti Pie when I can make THREE?  I just cooked extra when I found some spare toddler-free moments.  I had one to take to my friend, one for my family's dinner, and one for the freezer.

Ok - one more scenario for you.

I opened my refrigerator and discovered a big package of ground beef that I had forgotten about.  It wasn't spoiled but it NEEDED to be cooked.  No biggie!

Isn't my helper adorable?

I divided the meat into four portions - enough for four meals. I put each portion in its own pan and browned.  I ended up with four meals from just a half hour of my time!  I made:

• Meat Pie
• Sloppy Joes
• Beefaroni
• Beef Stroganoff

Yes, I used Hamburger Helper.  Do what works for you and your family!

When I was done, I used this handy pitcher, lined with a freezer bag, to easily pour and store. After I freeze my meals flat, I can stack them upright for more storage room in my regular freezer (oh, how I long for a deep freeze....).  Remember - LABLE YOUR FOOD!!!!



The countertop full of meals made me smile.  I was able to give one of those meals to a friend who had her toddler in the hospital with an illness.  I didn't have to go out shopping. I didn't have to cook. I just pulled it out of my freezer and put it in hers!

So, as you can see, batch cooking isn't as hard as it sounds! If I can do it with two little ones under 2, so can you!

Thanks Audra.  My hubby would love everything you made!

Freezer Foods Friday - Guest Post Myrtle's Turtles

 Oh Boy!  Today you're in for a treat on this Guest Post!  My blog-friend, Myrtle, from Myrtle's Turtles is sharing a "two-fer"!  And when I think of "comfort food",  one dish I think of is chicken pot pie.  You can serve the "base" for the chicken pot pie as a soup, or chowder, for one meal, and then a pot pie for the next!  I love double-duty dishes!   So, without further delay, let's get right in to Myrtle's guest post!


Hi everyone, I am so happy to visit this yummy part of blog world. Here is a little about myself. I am a former elementary school teacher who has decided to stay home to raise my 4 children (5 and under). Our life is very busy and has it's share of ups and downs. I try to sweeten it by giving my children meaningful experiences that don't cost much and a decent meal made with my own loud-sometimes-messy-always-willing-to-try-something-new kind of love. Hope you enjoy the recipe!

I love having dishes in the freezer for those days of shopping for the holidays and busy weeks with the kids. It is nice to know you have a meal ready to go that everyone will enjoy. We recently made this for our Kitchen Club at church. One of the members called the next day to say how much the family enjoyed it. I try to put as many vegetables as I can for the kids.

Pretty isn't it? I love it when food looks this good!

You can use any kind of chicken you want. We used thighs at the Kitchen Club.

I thought about making a Chicken Chowder and then a Chicken Pot Pie. I use the Chicken Chowder recipe to make my chicken pot pie. Now I have more 'splaining to do because usually I cook/bake from scratch, but sometimes I use a base for my chowder. (Also, they were on sale.) I hope you enjoy making them.

 Ingredients:

The Soup

3 tablespoons of butter

1 large Shallot minced

2 medium carrots diced

1/2 head of broccoli

4 fresh corn (cut)

1 cup of fresh peas

3 cans of clam chowder (buy a good quality one)

2 cups of milk

sprinkle of celery seed (or you can use 2 celery sticks if you like)

3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme

salt and pepper to taste

1 large garlic clove minced

4 Chicken legs or Two chicken breasts

The Pie Part

2 cups of Bisquick mix (I make my own in bulk. I use it for bisquicks, my cowgirl casserole, and pancakes.)

1 cup of milk

3/4 cup of grated cheese

1/4 cup of flour

Put butter in a large heavy pot and melt over medium heat. Add shallots, carrots, corn, broccoli, garlic, salt and pepper and cook until tender. Add clam chowder, milk, garlic, celery, fresh peas and chicken. Cook until it has thickened a bit and the chicken is cooked.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove the chicken and cut it up. Return the chicken to the pot and stir.

Divide the soup into two containers. Serve some of the soup as it is and reserve some for freezing.

Pot Pie Part

Mix the Bisquick mix, flour and grated cheese together. Make a well in the middle and add the milk. Stir with a fork and form it into a ball. If it is very sticky add a little more floor. It should feel soft and a little sticky not wet. Turn dough onto a work surface and shape into the shape of your dish making sure it is not more than 1/2 an inch.

Use a sharp knife (it will make them rise higher) to cut the dough into diamonds. Place the dough on the dish.

Your pot pie is ready for freezing. There are several options when it comes time to bake your pot pie. You can just place the dish in the freezer as is. If you want your dough to rise higher you can half bake them and then freeze. Or you can bake the whole thing and freeze it and reheat.
Let the pot pie defrost in the refrigerator. Don't forget to brush with some melted butter. Place in a very hot oven (425) and bake for 15-18 minutes (until the tops are golden brown.)

From our kitchen to your table.

Heard around the table...

"Mom you are the best maker." Kiran 3 years old

"Amazing." Greg 40 somehting

"Can I have some more biscuits please?" Cohen 5 years old

"Yummy, Yummy for my tummy!" Kiran

Pin drops, crickets chirping, pregnant pauses. Hannah 2 years old (Think she liked it!)

Thanks for the visit Jeanette!

Myrtle from Myrtle's Turtles