Master Cooking Day(s) - Using What's in the Garden & Freezer

Essential Foods:
3.5 pounds Grass-Fed Ground Beef
2 pounds Pasture-Raised Ground Pork
2-4 pounds Grass-Fed Beef Short Ribs
1-2 packages Free-Range Chicken Boney Pieces
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs (gluten-free if you are intolerant)
2/3 cup raw milk
4 large free-range, organic eggs
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4  cup fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups uncooked macaroni
56 ounce, crushed or diced tomatoes
2 cups tomato Sauce
16 cups Beef stock/broth
2 cans Canellini Beans
2 Teaspoons Italian Seasoning
48 meatballs
11 carrots, sliced
7 onions, diced
12  celery stalks, chopped
5 cups green beans, fresh or frozen
18 cloves diced garlic
1 small green pepper
4 pounds diced tomatoes
1 cup diced zuchinni (opt)
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1 pound Kielbassa or polish Sausage Cut into bite size pieces
(I used 1/2 pound pasture-raised Pork Polish Sausage and 1/2 pound grass-fed lamb brats)
2 Teaspoons dried oregano (or 4 teaspoons fresh)
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 slices bread, diced (use 4 gluten-free since these loaves are usually smaller)
1/4 cup whole raw milk
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 t dried)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3-4 slices bacon
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 bay leaves
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and finely diced
3/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Essential Equipment:
Large Stainless Steel Stock Pot (2-3 gallon size)
13x18 baking sheet with sides
Cup Cake Pan
Small bowl and large bowl
Favorite Knife, tongs, ladle, large, long handled wooden spoon
Cutting Board
Cast Iron Pan
Zipper Bags
Tiny Cookie Scoop (like an ice cream scoop), opt

Recipe List:
My Favorite Meatloaf
Beef & Chicken Stock
Italian Meatballs
Italian Meatball Soup
Sausage Stew

Day One Through Three

1. Day one: thaw meat for bone broths
2. Day Two and Three: Make bone broths (chicken and beef) -  Freeze only what you are not going to use for the Soup and the Stew.
3. Day Three: Take meat out of the freezer and thaw in the refrigerator

Day Three - Putting it together

1. Make Meatloaf and the Tomato Sauce, Cool, package and freeze (we packaged in 2 serving sizes)
2. Make the Meat Balls, Cool
3. Assemble Italian Meatball Soup, cool, package and freeze (we packaged in 2 serving sizes)
4. Assemble Smoked Sausage Stew, cool, package and freeze (we packaged in 2 serving sizes)

Congratulations! 

You now have 20 meals for two or 10 meals for four

in your freezer.

Italian Meatball Soup

This recipe actually comes in two parts.  First we have to make the meatballs and then the Soup.  Today we are making 16 servings of both dishes so some can go into the freezer for quick meals.  Frankly I believe that we consume to large of portions of meat in the US diet.  I think 3-4 of these meatballs per serving it more than enough.  That way a person can consume more vegetables.  Be aware of this as you portion your servings and you will have enough meatballs for spaghetti also.

Italian Meatballs
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs (gluten-free if you are intolerant)
2/3 cup raw milk
2 large free-range, organic eggs
1 pound pasture-raised ground pork
2 pounds grass-fed ground beef
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper.

Wisk bread crumbs and eggs together in a small bowl.  Add the bread crumbs and stir. In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, meat, Parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper, onion, garlic, until combined.

Using a small cookie scoop (looks like tiny ice cream scoop) form meatballs and place on baking sheet with sides to catch the fat. 

Bake at 350 degrees until the meatballs are just done (about 20 minutes turning once at 10 minutes).  Be careful to not over cook so the cheese melts out of the meatballs and they fall apart.  Remove from the oven and cool.

Italian Meatball Soup
18 Servings

2 cups uncooked macaroni
56 ounce, crushed or diced tomatoes
2 cups tomato Sauce
16 cups Beef stock/broth
2 cans Canellini Beans
2 Teaspoons Italian Seasoning
48 meatballs
4 carrots, sliced
2 onions, diced
4 celery stalks, chopped
4 cups green beans, fresh or frozen

Cook macaroni according to package instructions. Drain and set aside. Combine crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef Broth, undrained beans, Italian seasoning, meatballs, carrots, onion and celery in a large stock pot. Bring to a rolling boil. Turn down to medium and cook for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender but not mushy.

Allow soup to cool completely. Stir in cooked macaroni and frozen green beans. Package the soup in meal sized portions. Large plastic freezer containers and freezer bags work well. Seal, label and freeze.

Serving Directions: Thaw completely. Warm on the stove or in the microwave. Top with shredded Parmesan Cheese

Sausage Stew

Serves 4-6

2 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium Onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 cup fresh green beans, snapped to 1 inch pieces (or use frozen)
1 clove diced garlic
1 small green pepper
1 cup diced zuchinni (opt)
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Cook the above for 2 minutes

Add 1 pound diced fresh tomatoes (or 14-16 oz can diced tomatoes)

Cook 1 minute

Add the above to a crock-pot along with:

1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1 pound Kielbassa or polish Sausage Cut into bite size pieces
(I used 1/2 pound pasture-raised Pork Polish Sausage and 1/2 pound grass-fed lamb brats)
2 Teaspoons dried oregano (or 4 teaspoons fresh)
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
and vegetables above

Simmer for 30 minutes.  Mix 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (gluten-free folks use your favorite flour blend) with the remaining 1/2 cup chicken stock and add to pot, Stir.

NOTE:  At this point you can simply place all in Crock-pot for 4-5 hours on low and serve.  OPTION TWO:  Do not add the flour.  Can in your pressure canner vs freezing for quick meals without having to thaw anything.

Cool and freeze in zipper bags (2 servings per bag)

Label with cooking instructions (Thaw, cook 3-4 hours on low in crock-pot), Name of dish and the date.

Keeping Fresh Herbs

DRYING FRESH HERBS
On probably more than one occasion you have not used all of the fresh herbs you received in your box and you hated to see them go to waste. Never fear most herbs can be easily dried or frozen for use at a later time.
Herbs that have low moisture content will dry better than those with high moisture content. For herbs with high moisture content freezing is the best way to keep them for future use. These herbs will retain more of their flavor when frozen: basil, parsley, cilantro, and chives. Herbs that are ideal for drying are: sage, mint, thyme, oregano, rosemary, and dill. The process is easy and is not time consuming.
The first thing to remember is moisture will cause herbs to mold and rot so if you rinse them be sure to pat them dry and let them sit for a bit before tying them into bunches. Inspect the branches and remove any leaves that look unhealthy. Also take off the leaves on the bottom one inch of the branch. Bundle 4-6 branches together at the stem and tie them with a string or rubber band. The stems will shrink as they dry so be sure you have it tied tightly. Hang the bunch of herbs upside down in a dry, airy room (the laundry room or bathroom would not be a good choice) for about 2 weeks. They are ready when the leaves will crumble easily in your fingers. Always store the entire stem in an airtight container like a jar or zip lock bag because they will retain a lot more flavor if they are not crushed until you are ready to use them. Fresh dried herbs should keep for about a year. When they start to lose their color they are also losing flavor.



FREEZING HERBS
The best way to preserve herbs that have high water content is to freeze them. Moisture in the leaves will often cause the herb to mold before it becomes dry enough to store. While the leaves will become limp when frozen they will retain their flavor. Some of the herbs that are best frozen are basil, chives, cilantro, mint, and tarragon. Herbs that have been frozen will retain their potency for several months.
Wash and pat or spin dry the leaves and lay them on a cookie sheet that has been covered with parchment paper. Freeze over night and then store in an air-tight container in the freezer. If you plan to use the herbs in soup or stew chop the herbs and put them in ice cube trays, cover with water and freeze. Store the cubes in a plastic bag in the freezer.

THYME IDEAS

THYME IDEAS
We often hear that people don’t know what to do with the fresh herbs so here are a few ideas to help you use the fresh thyme this week.
• Use fresh thyme leaves when you season steak or pork chops before grilling
• Put sprigs of fresh thyme in the cavity of a chicken before roasting
• Add fresh thyme leaves to vinaigrette or creamy dressings
• To easily remove fresh thyme springs from soups or stews tie them in a bundle with twine before you put them in
• Add fresh thyme leaves to bread crumbs before breading fish
• Add fresh thyme leaves to softened butter and use it for making garlic bread, or herb butter is a great addition to grilled steaks
• Add fresh thyme leaves to scalloped potatoes or use them as a topping for baked potatoes
• Make herb infused oil or vinegar and give it as gift
• Add fresh thyme leaves to sautéed or roasted vegetables

Cooking from Storage

How awesome it is to have things in my freezer or my shelves that I can whip up a quick meal when I need it.

Today, for supper, we are starting with Chicken Livers.  We raise our own chickens every year.  I would NEVER, NEVER, NEVER eat liver from an animal that I didn't raise, or didn't know how it was raised.  While the liver of animals is a very healthy organ for us to consume it IS NOT HEALTHY unless it comes from an animal raised in a healthy way.  My chickens are raised on grass and bugs and supplemented with ORGANIC grains.

When we butcher our chickens we reserve the livers in 8 ounce packages which is perfect for the two of us and put them in the freezer.

Also from my storage:

• Green onions raised this spring, chopped and frozen
• Potatoes from my garden
• GF All-Purpose Flour Mix  (My new all-purpose flour mix: Mix together 3 cups brown rice flour, 3 cups tapioca flour, 2 cups sorghum flour or Almond flour, and 1 part millet flour)
• GF Cream of Soup Mix (see previous post)
• Dried Shitake Mushrooms (very healthy for you...pratically medicinal)
• Homemade Chicken Stock, in the freezer (Check back tomorrow for this)
• Raw Milk
• Cucumber Salad that I have in the refrigerator (Check back tomorrow for this)

NOTE:  Since I'm cooking for two, I use two small crockpots and this works well for me.


Crock-pot Chicken Livers for Two
8 ounces Chicken Livers
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons GF Flour, divided
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 slices bacon, diced
2 green onions with tops, chopped
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons raw milk
2 oz Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
2 Tablespoons white wine

• Mix 1/4 cup flour and pepper in a small bowl.  Cut chicken liver into bite-size pieces, add to flour in bowl and toss to coat well. 
• Fry bacon pieces in large skillet; remove when brown into crock-pot.  Add flour-coated chicken livers and green onion to bacon fat in skillet; saute until lightly browned but not cooked through.  Remove livers and onion into crock-pot.
• Pour chicken stock into skillet and stir into dripping.  Whisk in 2 tablespoons flour.  Stir until thickened.  Add wine and pour into crock-pot 
• Cover and cook on high for 45 minutes and then on low for 2-3 hours.
• Serve over mashed potatoes, noodles or rice.

Crock-pot Creamed Corn for Two
8 ounces frozen sweet corn
2 ounces creamed cheese
2 tablespoons Butter
1 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoons raw milk
Salt and Pepper to taste

• Place corn in small crock-pot. 
• Dice Creamed Cheese and butter.  Add to crock-pot along with remaining ingredients. 
• Cook on high for 45 minutes.  Reduce to low and cook another 2-3 hours.

NOTE:  This made enough for three servings for us, so one serving was placed in a glass bowl with lid and put in the freezer.  My husband takes these little meals to work with him.

TONIGHTS MEAL:  Chicken Livers with gravy served over mashed potatoes, Creamed Corn Casserole,  Sliced Tomatos (in season),  Cucumber Salad, large glass of raw milk.

Making Gluten-Free TORTILLAS and Chicken Enchiladas

Having to cook gluten-free has been life changing.  First, I feel so much better than I did before.  Being sick effected me physically AND mentally.  Second, it makes me have to think about my food and finally I have to make most things from scratch (which I was pretty much doing anyway).

Today I actually made Gluten-Free Tortillas.  They weren't pretty and a tortilla press is on my wish list, but they ARE tortillas and not bad, if I do say so myself.  It was a royally messy job however, so I'm really hoping that the tortilla press comes off the wish list and into my kitchen sooner than later.

My Tortillas were rolled out by hand and fried on my pancake griddle proving that anything can be done if you want to bad enough.  I had some left-over roast chicken to use up and company coming for dinner.  I wanted to make Chicken Enchiladas.  Since I can't afford the price of Gluten-Free Tortillas and besides out here in the boonies there aren't stores that carry that kind of thing, I had to make my own.  I have to thank the Gluten Free Cooking School Tutorial on making Tortillas for giving me the courage to even attempt this feat in the first place.  Recipe can be found at that site.

The next project was..................Cream of Chicken Soup.  Again I'm on my own since I can't use 'canned' stuff anymore.  Here's my recipe for the Cream of Soup Mix that I made today.  I think you'll love it!!!

1 cup powdered milk
3/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons onion flakes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container.  To make 1 can of cream soup, mix 1/3 cup of dry mix with 1 1/4 cups chicken stock.  Cook in sauce pan until thick.  Add 1/4 cup mushrooms, chicken, etc, etc. to make the type of mix you want.  For cream of tomato I would use tomato juice in place of or in combination with the chicken stock.  This makes enough for 9 cans of soup substitute.  I doubled it and put it in a glass jar on my pantry shelf with a label telling how to fix up a 'can' firmly attached to the jar.

Now that the soup mix is safely on my shelf and the Tortillas made I was ready to create the Chicken Enchilada's.  Because I had so much left over chicken and we love Chicken Enchilada's I made enough for dinner with company, some for Mike's lunches, another meal and enough of the chicken mix (I only had 16 tortillas) to use for several other meals which I safely tucked (labeled and dated) in the freezer.  Serve with a SUPER SALAD.

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

3 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided
2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese
3 cups chopped, shredded, roast chicken
2 cups sour cream
Equivalent of 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/8-1/4 cup diced Jalapeno Pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 (8-inch) Flour (Gluten-Free) Tortillas, warmed

1. Prepare Cream of Chicken Soup in a large sauce pan.  Reserve 1 cup soup.
2. Add 2 cups cheddar and the Monterrey Jack Cheese, chicken, sour cream, soup, Jalapeno Pepper, onion, pepper and salt.
3. Spoon about 1/2 cup off center on each tortilla; roll up.  Place seam side down in a buttered 12x9x2 inch baking dish.  Pour reserved soup over top.
4. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese.  Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.