Freezer Cooking

I'm joining two friends to try out freezer cooking. We are all making three (family sized) servings of four different meals plus one side dish. Tonight we are getting together to "swap" meals. These are the four I have in our freezer-

Turkey Taco's

This recipe is my invention- but really yummy! I also use this meat for taco salad and yesterday I even threw it in a basic mac and cheese recipe for a quick pasta dish.

Pulled Pork We already ate our serving of this, and I must say it was really good. This is a great summer slow cooker recipe.

Rub:

boneless pork shoulder (about 4 to 41/2 pounds- I used two roasts for 3 families)

4 tablespoons kosher

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

1/4 cup paprika

2 to 3 sprigs thyme, leaves only

4 cloves garlic

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Scant 1 tablespoon cayenne (I used way less)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Cook on low in slow cooker for 10 hours. Chill in fridge, remove fat and shred. Mix in favorite bbq sauce and bag to freeze. To serve: Defrost in fridge overnight, reheat on low in skillet or in microwave and served on buttered, toasted buns. Yum!

Freezer Mashed Potatoes

This is a new recipe I'm going to try- I'll add roasted garlic.

Garlic Lemon Chicken

This is a Karlson family recipe I can make with my eyes closed. It is my go-to summer recipe when entertaining because it always turns out and everyone seems to like it (and it is easy!). This works for any type of chicken but I usually use bone-in or boneless breasts.

Marinade:

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/3 olive oil

3 (or more) cloves of garlic, minced

1 T. soy sauce (gives chicken great color)

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

One Tablespoon fresh (or teaspoon dried) of each:

Basil

Oregano

Thyme

Rosemary

I really like how this turns out with fresh herbs- but I used dried because we are freezing it and herbs turn black in the freezer.

Marinate for a few hours then grill.

Marinated Tri-Tip Steaks

Marinade:

Garlic salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1/4 c. Kikkoman teriyaki sauce

1/4 c. soy sauce

1/4 c. red wine

This is a new recipe- I hope the girls like it!

I have been cooking up a storm this week (and my kitchen now needs a serious deep cleaning!). Next week I'm looking forward to kicking back and just pulling dinner out of the freezer!