It has been a while since I have blogged about power cooking; which means that I have had to prepare meals with nothing in my freezer to assist for a while now.
This is how our freezer looked this morning...
Doesn't it just look sad?
Only one way to fix that...POWER COOKING! And power cooking, we did! I got to cook with Cindy (the Hot Mess Momma) and Jessica (missed you JFo and Krista!!). Jessica is the Chapter Advisor to one of our sororities on campus and was lovely enough to let us use the kitchen in the sorority house.
Let me just tell you that power cooking is amazing when you have industrial EVERYTHING! :)
So, on my menu today?
2. Sloppy Joes
Most people have a recipe for Sloppy Joes. Ours calls for BBQ sauce, ketchup, worcestershire, mustard, garlic, and onion. Brown your meat (we used ground turkey and it's delicious) and then add your ingredients. No real measurements just add until you like the flavor. The key is to cover the mixture with water and then let it cook out.
Place in freezer bags and then when you are ready to eat; thaw. heat. eat. repeat. :)
3. Sweet Pulled Pork
This was a new one for me. Well, I have made this pulled pork a ton of times and absolutely LOVE it...but I have never tried freezing it, so I hope it turns out okay.
STEP 1: Gather ingredients: Garlic powder, onion powder, BBQ sauce of choice, frozen onion, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and Dr. Pepper. The title is "sweet BBQ"
STEP 2: Mix ingredients. (With cute little su chef as an assistant). Now, here is where I must confess. As a "cook" I don't really measure and usually only follow instructions the first time around. BUT, I will say I make a pretty tasty dish and have had no complaints yet.
Today, I used these measurements:
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 medium onion - chopped
12 oz Dr. Pepper
Remaining ingredients "to taste" :)
You want this to be liquidity since it will be in a crock pot and the meat will absorb the juices. I added enough BBQ sauce to give it the consistency of crepe mix.
STEP 3: Taste. Radley didn't like the garlic. :)
STEP 4: If you are making this without freezing: place plain pork loin in crock pot; pour mixture over. Cook on low 4-5 hours. If you are freezing: place plain pork loin in zip lock bag; pour mixture over. Freeze. Thaw overnight and place in crock pot; cook on low 4-5 hours.
This made about 4 cups of "sauce" which covered 4 pounds of pork. If you freeze and think you need more liquid, then add your favorite BBQ to the mix.
I prepped the BBQ and Sloppy Joes (thanks, Mom) at the house before heading to "THE HOUSE" to cook.
The HMM and Jessica were already in action...
Seriously. New plan: build home. Have GIANT kitchen. Cook.
Even doing dishes was fun!
When we were done we each had 13 meals to take home and enjoy!
2 Sweet pulled pork, 3 Turkey Tetrazzini, 2 pounds Sloppy Joes, 2 Mealoaves, 2 Firecracker Casseroles, 1 Chicken Enchilada, 1 Brisket, 1 Ham and Hash Casserole....
Totaling to $2.29/person/meal. AMAZING!!! :)
Our math: $268 total spent/39 meals (13 x 3 families)/ 3 people per meal = $2.29
Some new tips:
1. Again. Frozen onions are a girls best friend.
2. Make friends with a sorority advisor. Use their kitchen! (Seriously can't thank you enough, Jessica)
3. Laugh. A lot. We just have so much fun doing while we are "working" that it doesn't seem like work at all.
4. Double bag. I know that it says "freezer bags" but somehow air gets in there and can cause freezer burn -- better safe than sorry.
5. Spread the love! Don't use all your meals in one month! We like to use about 1-2 per week so that they last until the next PC session.
6. Make the meals work for you! Cindy makes a killer meatloaf that can also work as meatballs or "bundles" (may do a whole post on my obsession with "bundling" food). So, I put on of the loaves in a ziplock to use as it works for us.
7. Keep your cooking partners updated: If you cook a meal and think it needs something or discover the cooking time is off make sure to send a quick email letting them know!
8. Gladware. Seriously - buy some of this to use for the casseroles. It is oven safe and can be used again. and again. Don't throw it out!!
That's all we got this time! Happy cooking!
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