A Big Batch of Filling- Freezer Cooking

Now I am going to show you what to do with those leftover crusts from the uncrustables sandwiches... 

I save them to make filling!  I get a lot of compliments on my filling and it is so moist!  It is really simple to make, too.  Here is what you need:

6-7 loaves of white bread
3-4 medium onions
3-4 stalks celery
8 sticks margerine

I know!  That is a lot, right?  I like to make my filling in my electric roaster in a HUGE batch so that I have some to freeze for later. When I have some stocked in my freezer, it makes a quick side dish that is way cheaper and so much tastier than that boxed stuff (not to mention I can pronounce all of the ingredients!) So, I go to our local discount bread store and grab a lot of bread.  

I get to work (and put the kids to work) cutting the bread into cubes - it does not always fit in the roaster.  I let it sit out for awhile so that the cubes are not so soft.  If I am making a large noon meal, I will cut it in the evening and let it sit out overnight with the lid cracked a bit to let some air into the roaster.  You can cut up those leftover crusts, too!

Then I cry my eyes out and peel the onions.  I cut the onions and celery into big chunks...

...and my trusty, old food processor chops it all up for me!

This is probably how a normal person would chop them.

I don't like onions.  Or celery.  So I practically puree it to disguise them.

In my big skillet, I melt 8 sticks of margarine 

I mix in my veggies and let them simmer for a few minutes.

I also dump some parsley in there to give it some color.

Then I pour it all over the bread cubes.

I give it a good stir.  It doesn't seem like it coats every bread cube, but it works out just fine.  I cook it at 200 degrees for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. Do NOT crank that temperature up.  Trust me.  It burns.

It cooks down quite a bit, so you should be able to add any extra bread that didn't fit in no time.  All of the bread in that first picture cooked down to this:

Oh, it is so yummy and delicious!  You can eat it right away...

...or freeze it for later.  It is a quick side dish- just pull it out of the freezer and warm it up!  I like to use the microwave to get it thawed and then I pop it in the oven in a baking dish at 350 for 10-15 minutes just to make the edges a little crispy (but if you leave it in the oven too long it will dry out and you'll need lots of gravy).  I have also squished it into filling balls to freeze.  This would be great to pull out just a few at a time for smaller households.

I am hoping that my little cooking tips can help someone save a little $ while feeding their family healthier foods!  I would love to know if anyone makes this, so just leave a comment to let me know if you do!

Eggplant Parmesan (Freezer Cooking)

One of the best ways to save money (and have better food) is to preserve fresh vegetables when they are in season.  I love to have eggplant already breaded and frozen for a fast, easy meal in the winter.  If you don't have a garden giving you lots of lovely, purple eggplants you can pick some up for cheap while they are in season at a local farmer's market.  Out of two very large eggplants, I got enough for four meals! 

Start out with a fresh eggplant, peel it, and chop the very ends off (that is the most bitter part).

Then slice it about 3/8" thick- yes, I know that seems awfully precise, but 1/2" is too thick and 1/4" is too thin.

Sprinkle both sides with a little salt- the seeds will turn brown very quickly- this is normal and you do not have a rotten or mutant eggplant.

Pour a little oil in a frying pan- just enough to evenly coat the bottom of the pan- and turn it on med-low heat.

Get everything else ready while the oil is heating.  You will need a bowl for eggs- I beat two of them thoroughly- and a bowl for bread crumbs.

Coat the slices evenly by dipping first in the eggs (that picture was blurry and I figure that you are smart enough to figure that out) and then in bread crumbs.

 Fry in oil until golden brown, flipping them to cook each side, of course.  The oil will get all yucky and bubbly after a few batches, so you might need to add/change oil partway through cooking.

Place the cooked slices on a paper towel covered plate to absorb the grease.

When they cool off, you can lay the fried eggplant slices flat in a freezer bag and save them for later.  When I cook them, I place the frozen eggplant in a baking dish that has a little tomato sauce spread on the bottom and spread a little more on top of the eggplant.  I bake it at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until it is thoroughly cooked and soft (if you don't cook it long enough it will be bitter).  I sprinkle mozzarella on top for about the last 10 minutes and serve it with spaghetti.

Here is how I prepared it fresh, though!  I took a tomato from our garden and put thick slices on top of the eggplant, topped with a little oregano (I just used sauce on half of them for those of us who are a little bit picky).

I baked it for a half hour and then added mozzarella.

  Here was the final result...

Doesn't it look pretty?

I know a lot of people that say they have never eaten eggplant- to be honest I was intimidated by it at first, too.  If you are brave enough to give this a try, let me know how it turns out!

Pretzel Buns

When I am feeling particularly ambitious, the kids and I make homemade soft pretzels.  They like playing with the dough to make different shapes and sometimes we use them as buns.

This is a recipe meant to be like those pretzels you get at the mall.  They are awesome!  Here is how we make them...

Sprinkle yeast onto the warm water.  (Ooooh... fascinating!)

Stir to dissolve.

Add brown sugar and mix that up, too.

Then add the salt and stir. (Must be getting boring already!)

Pour everything over into the mixing bowl (or you could have done it all in there to begin with, but I wasn't thinking.)

Add in the flour... one cup at a time.

Let the mixer do the work.  It should sorta' clean the sides by the time it is all mixed up well.

Cover and let rise somewhere warm.  It should double in size- how long this takes depends on how warm it is, but about a half hour to an hour is about right.

Then, get ready to make pretzels!  You will need to mix up the baking soda bath...

...and flour your rolling surface really well...

...and DO NOT FORGET TO GREASE YOUR COOKIE SHEET!  (If the all-caps make you think I am yelling at you- I AM!  I have forgotten this so many times and it is a bugger to get them off of the tray.)

Knead the dough slightly, just until it isn't sticky anymore.

Pinch off bits to roll out- a ball about 2 inches across is a good size.  Roll into a long rope about 1/2" thick and 18 long.  (My 6yo did a good job photographing this step for me!)

Twist 'em, twist 'em, twist 'em like a pretzel! (Sorry, wrestling cheerleading flashback.)

Dunk it in the baking soda bath real quick.  (Keep stirring this bath from time to time in between dunks.)

Then flop it onto the cookie sheet.

They need to rise again to get nice and puffy- about 10 minutes should do the trick. Pop 'em into the oven.

While the pretzels are baking, get your butter ready.

Melt and stir in some sugar - that is key!

All done!  I took these out a smidgen early- you can let them get a little darker if you want.

Dip in the butter (faster than brushing it on).

Sprinkle with Kosher salt (or you can dip them again in a cinnamon-sugar mixture and just gobble them up.  Mmmmmm...)

They are soooooooooooo goooooooooooooood!

With these, I sliced them down the middle and filled them with leftover turkey, bacon, and cheese. About 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven and we had yummy pretzel melts for supper.

A quick thank you to my two lovely assistants...

And now for the recipe...

Soft Pretzel Buns

Pretzels:

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 package active dry yeast

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup bread flour

3 cups all-purpose flour

Baking soda bath:

2 cups warm water

2 Tbsp. baking soda

Toppings:

coarse salt- I use Kosher salt

4 Tbsp. melted butter

1-2 Tbsp. sugar

Sprinkle yeast on lukewarm water in mixing bowl.  Stir to dissolve.  Add brown sugar and salt.  Stir again.  Add flour, one cup at a time, and mix well.  Let rise until doubled (at least a half hour.)

Prepare a baking soda bath with 2 cups of warm water and 2 Tbsp. baking soda- stir often.

After dough has risen, pinch off bits of dough and roll into a long rope and shape.  Bake at 450 degrees about 10 minutes or until golden.  Dip in melted butter and sprinkle with salt.

Bread Pudding

Bread pudding is something that my mom made quite a bit when we were growing up.  It is a great way to use up bread that is not so fresh, or those icky end pieces. You can serve it warm or cold, and it is also perfect for breakfast or a dessert.

Bread Pudding

6 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups milk
8 slices of bread
spreadable butter
cinnamon

Start with 6 eggs (aren't they so pretty?  They are darker blue and green than it shows in the picture.)

Crack the eggs in a 2 quart casserole dish and beat well.  Add sugar and vanilla...

Mix well and add 2 cups of milk.

Stir together.  Spread margarine or butter on the bread and cut it into quarters.

Push the bread pieces into the egg-milk mixture one at a time.

Sprinkle the top with cinnamon.  Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour... it will get all puffed up and nearly firm.

Pretty easy, right? Enjoy!

Chicken and Waffles

Chicken and waffles is a very common meal around these parts. I can remember the first time I met someone who was not a "local" and had never had chicken and waffles. I was shocked and horrified! I thought everyone ate chicken and waffles.

It is really just good, homemade waffles topped with cooked chicken and gravy. You can figure out how to make the cooked chicken and gravy on your own, but here is my awesome recipe for homemade waffles (seriously, only the best of my recipes for you guys!):

Waffles

1 cup flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup milk
3 eggs (separated)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Mix the dry ingredients together.  Add milk and egg yolks (beaten).  Stir in oil and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff.  Fold the egg whites into the batter.  Pour batter onto hot waffle iron and cook until golden brown.

I suppose that you can make these for breakfast as well.  I bet they would be great to freeze and pull out on busy mornings.  Sadly, not too long ago one of my kids said, "You mean you can eat these with syrup?"  Umm... I guess we eat chicken and waffles more than syrup and waffles.  =)

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Tandy Cakes

Here is one for all of you chocolate/peanut butter lovers out there! ;)

I love homemade tandy cakes! I think these are so moist and delicious because I bake them in a greased 10" x 15" glass baking pan. Here is the recipe:

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup milk
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1/3 cup peanut butter
12oz. bag milk chocolate chips

Beat eggs and sugar together. Add vanilla and milk; mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix again. Stir in melted butter. Batter will be a little lumpy.

Pour into a greased 10” x 15” glass pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the top and edges begin to turn golden brown. You will see popped air bubble marks all over the top, too.

Let cool about 15 minutes, then spread peanut butter over the cake. Melt chocolate chips in a microwavable plastic dish on 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds. Pour the melted chocolate over cake, spreading evenly. Cool completely and cut into squares. (You can freeze the plastic dish and then twist it to remove the bits of chocolate stuck to the sides- no wasting chocolate! That is just WRONG!)

***EDIT***Please note that this calls for a 10" x 15" pan! A regular 9" x 13" cake pan won't work, so please don't use that size and then call me to tell me that I have ruined your life with a failed recipe from my blog. (You know who you are! But I love you anyway!)