Fall makes me want to stock the freezer so I can plan for extra time around the fireplace once winter arrives. So, once we had one cool day near the end of this summer, I got an itch to start a little early. It’s nice to be able to grab something out of the freezer quickly when you come in from being out in the cold barn.
I’ve probably participated in about 5 or 6 freezer cooking days now and I learn something helpful each time. First, it’s important to get freezer-friendly containers. I’ve found that loaf pans, as well as 16 oz. and 32 oz. “Reditainer” brand containers work best for our size family right now. You can purchase the Reditainers on Amazon and I’ve found loaf pans are best priced at Target or your regular grocery store. I stock up on them when I can so I don’t have so much to purchase when it’s cooking time.
The next step is to find your recipes! I have some favorites that I always enjoy, but you can find TONS of recipes just by searching “Freezer Cooking” online. I kept a running list of recipes that I wanted to make and I pick 2-3 that I will make per cook day. My list includes about a dozen recipes right now, but so far I’ve only gotten through five. I will share two here and continue them in future posts as I cook them! So, here goes:
Day One: Red Chili and White Chicken Chili
Nothing screams “fall” like chili, so let’s get both of these recipes out of the way first!
- Red Chili: I LOVE the website AllRecipes.com and get a lot of ideas from there. After digging through several chili recipes, I came across one called “It’s Chili By George!!” I read a few reviews and adjusted the recipe slightly according to what others had found. Check out the recipes through the link and remember, you are cooking for several meals so you may want to consider doubling it (I did).
- White Chicken Chili: This recipe is SO easy and I discovered it thanks to my friend Kristin Andrews. It’s made in the crock pot so it’s a great recipe to start first and allow to cook while making a more “interactive” recipe. Here are the instructions for this recipe:
Ingredients
4 cans of white beans (1-pinto, 2-great northern and 1-of any other white beans)
2 packages of McCormick’s White Chicken Chili Seasoning
1 can of diced green chilis
1/2 to 1 onion chopped
1 can of beer
1 can of low-sodium chicken broth (optional)
2 chicken breasts
Rinse beans and pour into large crock pot. Also add chilis and onion to crock pot. Lay chicken on top of these in the pot. In separate bowl, mix beer and two packets of seasoning. Pour this mixture over top of the combo in the crock pot. If there isn’t enough liquid, add chicken broth or enough water to slightly cover the chicken and rest of ingredients. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Periodically check in to make sure there is still enough liquid. If looking too thick, add more water or chicken broth. In the last hour of cooking, remove chicken and shred it. I find it’s easiest to do this with two forks. The chicken is generally easy to shred at this point. Place the shredded chicken back in the crock pot and gently mix everything together. The chicken will soak up some of the liquid so again, you may need to add some more.
This meal is great served with shredded sharp cheddar cheese (don’t buy pre-shredded-the block of cheese you shred yourself has SO much more flavor!), sour cream and even tortilla chips. Have fun with it! Just a quick FYI: My crock pot isn’t large enough to double this recipe so I just make it in two batches or use two crock pots.
A few more freezer tips:
~Scoop into your freezer containers and let cool before you place the lids on and transfer to freezer
~LABEL! LABEL! LABEL! It’s so easy to lose track of what you have in your freezer. Make sure to label each container with the food and date of prep.