Making The Most of What You Have

With all the great sales on meat right now (4th of July weekend), I have really got to thinking about freezer cooking. Although I already have menus planned for the next two weeks, I am always planning ahead and gathering ideas. One strategy I used to use quite a bit is to cook extra of whatever I am making and freeze it. Granted, some foods don't freeze well. Some things I find work great for the freezer are:

cornbread
muffins
meatballs
cooked ground beef
cooked chicken
beans
bananas (freeze them whole, still in the skin) - to use for smoothies, pancakes, muffins, bread, cake, etc.

There's a really great book about freezer cooking called Cook Once, Eat for a Week. There are other books that help you cook for an entire month but I'm not up to that level quite yet :)

Besides freezing, I also enjoy making my own spice blends and mixes. This is a HUGE money saver. I have found some of my best recipes in the book The Complete Tightwad Gazette. This is not a cookbook, per say, but throughout the pages you can find lots of great ideas for saving on groceries as well as recipes. Some of the recipes I have used from this book with great success are:

Cream Soup Mix
Hot Cocoa Mix
Ranch Dressing

Another great spice mix I created is for Jamaican Jerk Seasoning. I love Jerk Chicken but it's normally too spicy for me so I made up a seasoning that is a bit milder than the usual Jerk seasoning but with all the flavor. This is great on any kind of meat and great for the grill!

Jamaican Jerk Seasoning

1 Tbsp. ground allspice

1 Tbsp. thyme

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamom

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. sugar

Combine all in an airtight container and mix well. Store away from heat and light. This makes enough for 1 recipe of Jerk Chicken (with the following recipe) or you can use it as a sprinkle or rub for any meats you'd like.

Jerk Chicken

4 chicken breasts, trimmed of fat

1 recipe Jerk Seasoning

1/4 c. olive oil

1/4 c. soy sauce

3/4 c. white vinegar

1/2 c. orange juice

juice of 1 lime

1 c. chopped white onion

3 scallions, minced

Place chicken in a shallow baking dish. Combine rest of ingredients and pour over chicken. Marinade at least one hour. Cook on grill. Or if you prefer, you can bake, crock pot or broil.