I don’t know if I am the only one that does this, but when I find meat on sale, I just can’t help myself. I stock up and then pray I can find room for it in the freezer. Usually there’s some maneuvering that takes place, but by the end everything will somehow fit. And then I go about my usual meal planning and completely forget the wealth of protein that I just found at the grocery or meat market. Days, sometimes weeks go by, and then I find myself standing in front of our deep freezer thinking “How did this happen?”
Well regardless of how it happened, I guess the more important question is; “What am I going to do about it?”
This starts a weekend’s long trek of searching for new recipes (and maybe a couple tried and true “Heather originals”) to use the meat that has taken up residence in my icebox.
First; “what am I to do with that pound and a half of ground beef that has been staring at me for days?” Well, luckily after an extensive search through my frozen vegetable bin (yes, I have a designated section of my deep freezer strictly for frozen vegetables) I also manage to find a small package of mixed veggies. Combine the beef and vegetables with some seasonings and top with fresh made mashed potatoes and you have my Shepherd’s Pie.
In case you would like to try it out, here is the recipe:
1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
8 ounces frozen mixed vegetables (such as carrots, peas, and corn), thawed
1-2 cups shredded Cheddar (Optional – depending on how cheesy you want the topping)
1 16-ounce package refrigerated or frozen and thawed mashed potatoes*Preheat oven to 350° F.
*Place the beef in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat until no trace of pink remains, about 5 minutes. Spoon off and discard any fat. Stir in the ketchup and Worcestershire. Add the vegetables and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Spoon the beef mixture into a baking dish.
*Spread the potatoes over the beef. Top with cheese and bake until cheese is melted.
After the ease of figuring out what to do with the ground beef, the next day I turned my attention to a ham shank that I had stuck in the refrigerator to thaw. Typically, my first reaction would be to throw it, along with some dried white beans and water into a Crock Pot. Ham and white beans are a cherished meal, at least to me in this house. The husband likes them too. But, the kids prefer to run the other way when they see them going in to the “Little Food Hot Tub”, as I refer to it from time to time.
So then, I was determined to try something new, but something that I felt might actually be eaten by more than just my husband and myself. This is where the weather comes in to play. With the remnants of Hurricane Gordon blowing over Kentucky, I suddenly found myself enjoying temps in the upper 60’s and low 70’s (a drastic change from the 90+ degree days of the past few weeks). And when the weather begins to change, my heart and stomach lean towards soup. After a little perusing on Pinterest, I decided on Cheesy Ham and Potato soup from Lil Luna.
I followed the recipe exactly, with the exception of boiling and chopping my ham shank beforehand, and it turned out phenomenally.
I will definitely be making it again soon.
(Photo cred: Lil Luna….I was so hungry I absolutely forgot to snap a picture of this scrumptious soup before diving in.)
So here I am, staring down the barrel at day 3…..what to make, what to make? Then, I recall a package of smoked sausage that had almost been forgotten in the bottom drawer. And admittedly the weather from the previous weekend had managed to get me totally in the mood for fall and comfort food. So with a quick scan of the rest of the kitchen, I find the other essential ingredients for a Midwest favorite: Hoosier Stew. Now, I don’t know the exact history of its creation, but I do know that this Indiana staple is delicious. I also know that everyone puts their own spin on it.
Here are the basics:
Smoked Sausage
Potatoes
Green Beans (fresh, frozen, or canned….you decide)
Onions
Butter
After that it’s pretty much up to personal interpretation. Some people add broth, some choose not to (I lean towards the latter). Some people add an array of seasonings, I on the other hand only add pepper, garlic salt, and just a touch of chicken base (think bouillon). One other change that I make to mine is that I add a touch of bacon grease to the butter when I am sautéing the onions and sausage. After that you just throw everything in the pot on medium-low heat and cook until your potatoes are tender. It really doesn’t get any simpler than that, folks.
So, in the spirit of not allowing anything to go to waste, day four ended up being the always loved “Leftover Day”.
My husband does take leftovers to work each day for his lunch and I also try to eat leftovers (if we have some) for lunch the next day. But, it is inevitable that, there will always end up being one day a week that we need to do leftovers to make sure we aren’t throwing things away. This is also the day that if the kids don’t like the idea of having leftovers, they can have PB&J, a ham sandwich, or some bacon (our little 4yr old on the spectrum wouldn’t survive without his bacon). I don’t force them to eat the leftovers, but I also hold fast to the belief that I am not a short order cook.
I’ll have to admit, day five has me super excited about the latest treasure I have unearthed. I know the protein I decided to tackle next is not something that everyone just has randomly hiding in their fridge or freezer. But it is something that I believe everyone should try once in their life.
So what is it you might ask?? Lamb of course. Ground Lamb to be more precise. There are plenty of dishes the world over that are specifically created for Lamb (Kefta Kabobs, Lebanese Rice, Moroccan Chili, etc.), but I often like to substitute it for a more well-known meat here in the US. I like to refer to lamb as “Beef’s Gamey Cousin”. And, with tonight being gymnastics night, meaning the husband is going to take #3 (she’s our third out of four kids) to practice and then dinner afterwards, I get to be a bit selfish with my meal planning.
I opted for an old standby that I ran across a few years ago on Nutmeg Nanny. It’s called Lamb Bolognese.
And it’s also a great way to sneak in some veggies without the kids knowing. I mean who doesn’t like getting their kids to eat vegetables on the down low? Here’s the link if you want to try it out.I am not promising you will 100% appreciate lamb as much as I do, but this is undeniably a good way to, shall we say, “get your feet wet”. But also, if you just are not feeling adventurous, you can always substitute beef or even ground pork or ground chicken in on this one.And that brings me to the final day of my freezer cleaning expedition. I found a pork loin that managed to get shoved to the back of the top shelf.
You know the scenario, when the husband is trying to help you put groceries up and just keeps placing things in the front and shoving things to the back? Yes, that is the situation that I am talking about. I guess this is the time that I also need to let you in on a little secret…..pork and I don’t get along.
Not to say that I don’t love pork, because trust me, I do. In fact I think as a whole, pork is my favorite protein. I just also happen to have the absolute worst time cooking it. Instead of going for the ole standby Roasted Pork Loin, I began recipe searching. During what seemed like a never ending pursuit, I happened to stumble on a Korean dish called Bulgogi. I adore Asian food and cook it often, but have to say I have never attempted Korean.
Another interesting tidbit about me, if I decide to cook a themed/regional main dish, I make sure that the side dishes are of the same theme/region. So to go along with the Bulgogi, I made a Spicy Cucumber Salad called Oi Muchim and some Kimchi Fried Rice. For anyone wondering what Kimchi is, it can most simply be described as a spicy vegetable dish with at least one pickled or fermented vegetable (typically Napa Cabbage). As with any new recipes, I knew one thing for sure, they could either be real good or real bad.
The results were a bit mixed.
The Bulgogi had flavor, but I felt like it fell a bit flat. You know, like it needed something else. The rice ended up pretty good, but I wish I would have put more kimchi in it. As kimchi is a spicy dish on it’s own, I was hesitant to use too much and end up a fire breathing dragon. Lastly, the surprise of the three, the spicy cucumber salad. I’m not going to lie, this was the dish I was the most concerned with. But it ended up being the fan favorite.
For those of you that want to attempt these dishes, here are the links: Basic Bulgogi, Oi Muchim , and Kimchi Fried Rice.
So there you have it. A week’s trip through the frozen tundra that is my deep freezer. Yes, there is still plenty of meat that needs to be cooked, however that list has at least been shortened by 5 items. And the journey I took this week also allowed me to add a few new recipes to my “will make again” pile, which to me is always a victory.
What are your go to freezer favorite meals? Share the recipe with me in the comments!
