Freezer recipes I

Disclaimer: If you are the type of person that obsesses over each and every exact measurement, these "recipes" will likely drive you nuts. I don't really measure anything, so these measurements are actually rough estimates. Don't say I didn't warn you.

BBQ Meatballs
This is something that I like to make in bulk. The first time I put these in the freezer I think I did 6 pounds. This recipe is only 1 pound, you will get 8-10 meatballs per pound.

1lb lean ground beef

1 egg

1/2 c oats

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp seasoned pepper (could substitute with some crushed red pepper flakes)

1 tsp minced onion flakes (could use actual onion if you love chopping)

1 tblsp garlic powder (could use minced garlic)

Another good addition is finely chopped green pepper if you have one around.

Sauce:

Bottle of ketchup (about 16 ounces)

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Big squirt of mustard (do you love my measurements yet?)

A few splashes of worcestershire (does anybody know how to pronounce that?) 

1/2 c brown sugar

Salt and Pepper

If you are wanting to cut down on the amount of sugar, use canned tomato sauce instead of ketchup.

Directions:

1) Mix meat ingredients in a large bowl. Stir until well combined. 

2) Mix all sauce ingredients in a separate bowl, stirring until brown sugar is no longer clumpy. 

3) Pour 1/2 of the sauce mixture into the meat mixture, and combine.

4) Form meat mixture into larger-than-golf-ball-sized-balls, almost the size of your palm. I usually freeze these in a square foil pan, and I can fit 9 in a pan which is just right for a typical dinner for our family. See picture on my previous post.

5) Divide and freeze the remaining sauce in quart ziploc bags. If you have 2 pans of meatballs, you need 2 bags of frozen sauce.

Use heavy duty aluminum foil to cover the pans of meatballs, and freeze the bags of sauce while they are laying flat instead of standing up, so you can stack them. Another tip, stack the foil pan of meatballs inside another empty foil pan of the same size. I'll explain later.

Cooking directions: It's best to let the meatballs thaw for a couple of hours before putting them in the oven, but it's not necessary. Leave foil covering the pan and bake at 300 degrees for about an hour (baking time depends on how much the meatballs were thawed). Take the foil off and if they look like they are getting almost done, pull the pan out of the oven and transfer the meatballs into that extra pan that I told you about. Discard the foil pan with the grease in it. When you have the meatballs in the second (clean) pan, pour a thawed bag of sauce over the meatballs and return to the oven to bake uncovered for an additional 20 minutes or until the sauce looks bubbly.

Swiss steak

This recipe can either be frozen in a foil pan for oven use, or in a freezer bag to be dumped into a crock pot. Your call.

1.5 lbs Round steak, cut into large bite sized pieces

1 15oz can of tomato sauce

1 cup water

1 small can petite diced tomatoes (optional)

1 white onion, sliced

1 green pepper, chopped

1 envelope McCormick's swiss steak seasoning

Combine all ingredients and freeze into your appropriate family sized dinner portions. I divided this in half. 

I froze this in a foil pan and baked in the oven for a couple of hours (covered). While It was very, very good (Adam carried on about it), I would guess the meat would be more tender if it were cooked in a crock pot on low most of the day.

Directions: Bake (covered) at 300 for about 1.5 hours (depending on thaw time) or in the crockpot on low for about 6 hours. During the last 20 minutes of cooking time, scoop some of the juice/sauce into a cup and add a large spoonful of corn starch to thicken the sauce, pour the corn starch mixture back into the pan and stir well. Serve over rice.

Excuse the poor quality iPhone picture I snapped while trying to feed the hungry masses. But now you know what it looks like. :)