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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 1984)
Page 4 Portland Observer, March 21,1984 Make ahead freezer meals by M ontne Stebbins O S U Extension Service “ I feel virtuousl” said my frient who had just told me about spend ¡ng p a rt o f her Sunday m a kin g some meatballs to put in the freezer. It is a good feeling to get ahead o f the feeding o f the fam ily sometimes. D o -ah ead meals take some o f the pressure o ff. I t ’ s kind o f like money in the b a n k . Y o u m ay not even know what you'll need it for but it's c o m fo rtin g to know it's th ere if something comes up. I'v e worked outside the home for so many years that I ’m more used to cooking big items on weekends and evenings than during the day. Even though I w ork h alf-tim e instead of fu ll-tim e now , it's a hard h ab it to break. It just seems right to do a big pot of stew or soup on a Saturday or Sunday. D o -a h e a d meals are especially helpful when I know I ’ m going to be in a h u rry . In fa c t, as soon as my kids were old enough to come home by themselves a fte r scho o l, they learned to fo llo w the directions to finish up the meal. There are many casseroles th at are fin e fix e d the night before, refrigerated and then baked fo r supper. T h e re are even several that need to set overnight to have flavors blend or the moisture ab sorbed. S tra ta , a s o u ffle -lik e casserole th a t can have a w ide variety o f meats and vegetables, is best if it stands o v e rn ig h t in the refrigerator so the egg and m ilk m ix ture penetrates the bread. The other time I just love having meals that are done ahead is when I have an ex tre m ely busy or tirin g day. It is so nice to come home, put som ething in the oven, sit d o w n , prop my feet up and read the paper. I t ’s like having ’ ’ maid service” or a resident cook. Even a h a lf hour o f resting can reju ven ate me. I t is sometim es d isco ncertin g fo r the other fa m ily m em bers, th o u g h . They may w orry that you've given up cooking and that they’ re going to starve or have to cook fo r th e m selves. N ot such a bad idea— makes them appreciate you more. It's also nice to have some o f the mess out o f the way when y o u ’ re having a party or luncheon. It gives you a feeling o f control and time to spend with your guests. I f do-ahead meals are so great, how can you get ahead w ith o u t working yourself to death7 You can do w hat my frie n d d id w ith her m e atb alls. She ju s t m ade a big batch, served some fo r d in n er and put the rest in the freezer. You can do this with or without sauce. Then you can vary how you use them. Every tim e you make a casserole for a meal, you can split it into two containers. Most casseroles make a large am ount anyw ay. Then freeze one and bake one. Some people line their casserole dish with fo il, so they d on ’ t have to do w ithout that con tain er a ll the tim e the casserole is frozen. T h is p rin c ip le applies to o th e r things besides casseroles, too. That b ran m u ffin m ix was p o p u la r because you could mix up a batch and easily have some fresh baked muffins any time you wanted them. I do marinated vegetables the same w ay. A big b atch o f m ushroom s, carrots or mixed vegetables w ill be re ad ily a v a ila b le fo r tw o or three weeks i f they a r e n 't eaten b efo re then. Fresh vegetables can be fixed when you have tim e availab le and then stored for a day or two. Carrot or celery sticks, spinach or leaf let tuce can a ll be prepared ah ead . I even like to wash spinach and sort it into the tender young leaves which I use for salads and the larger leaves which I cook for a vegetable. H e re are tw o recipes th a t are d e lig h tfu l to do ah ead . O n e is a casserole, sim ilar to a strata w ith a Mexican flavor. The other is a very light yeast biscuit that makes a large batch. The dough can be frozen and baked when you w an t to ad d a special touch to a meal. V IV A L A C H IC K E N I to 2 cups cut up, cooked chicken or turkey. A ounce can o f chi- ken can be used. 4 cups medium white sauce with some chicken broth an d /o r mushrooms to flavor it. O R I can, 10 ounces each, cream o f chicken and cream of mushroom soup. I can chopped green chibes, 4 ounces 18 com tortillas Vi cup cheese, grated C o m b ine m e at, w hite sauce ot soup and green chibes. Tear tortillas into bite size chunks and add to m ix ture. M ix lightly. Let sit covered in the re frig e ra to r o v ern ig h t. Bake covered at 3 5 0 * fo r I h ou r. A dd cheese fo r last 10 m inutes. Serve with taco sauce or salsa. F E A N ’S A N G E L B IS C U IT S 5 cups flour V* cup sugar 3 teaspoons baking powder I teaspoon soda I teaspoon salt 1 cup shortening 2 packages dry yeast M cup warm water 2 cups buttermilk melted butter or margarine S ift dry ingredients. C u t in shor tening. Dissolve yeast in warm water and add w ith b u tte rm ilk to d ry ingredients. Roll out Vi inch thick, cut with round biscuit cutter. Dip in melted butler or margarine, fold In h alf. Bake on cookie sheet at 40 0* fo r about IS m inutes o r u n til golden. Bake only what you can use fo r the m eal. F o rm the rest very close together on a co o kie sheet, freeze and then p u t in a freezer quality bag. W hen you want them, rem ove fro m the bag, p u t on a cookie sheet, let thaw, rise and then bake. Thaw in g and rising may be hurried by putting the cookie sheet into an oven that has been warmed to 200* and then turned o ff. It takes ab o ut IS m in utes. T h e n rem ove, preheat the oven and bake. 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