A Year of Blogging: March 6, 2011

March 6 is Frozen Food Day. I don't eat solely out of the freezer- there's a good blend of ingredients from the pantry and fresh things like proteins and vegetables. But the freezer comes into play a couple of times a week. If we're having Italian, I cook a couple of pieces of garlic bread. If we're having burgers, or something similar, I bake french fries or tater tots as a side. And then, there are the nights I'm too worn out to really cook, and I use the frozen ravioli or stuffed shells for a quick meal. The freezer is great for lunches too. I have an hour lunch. Since I work about 3 minutes from home, I am able to come home for lunch, grab a bite to eat, play with the dogs, and take my all important power nap. I get in a routine for lunches, and will eat the same thing every day for a couple of weeks, and then I get sick of it and want something different. Last week, while searching for Elio's frozen pizza (which I used to have all the time in NY and it is wonderful), I bought some french bread pizzas. I had that for lunch every day last week, and had Erich buy more at the store today, so I think that will be my lunch this week too. I have a lot of food in the freezer that I have prepared myself. In the fall I make homemade apple sauce and apple pies. I freeze the apple sauce in individual serving containers, and then I can enjoy it year round. I also freeze the unbaked apple pies. Then, whenever I want a fresh apple pie, I take one out of the freezer and bake it. Sometimes when I bake quick breads or cookies, I make extra and freeze them. Then when I need something for breakfasts for the week, I have a loaf of homemade bread without the work. Our freezer is good for stocking up on food too. Kroger had the skinless boneless chicken breasts on sale for $1.79 a pound today. They put this on sale frequently- but usually it is $1.99/lb. So I sent Erich to the store, and he bought 7 or 8 packages. This will keep us a couple of months, and the next time I see the price so low, we'll buy more. We stock up on steaks, pork roasts, frozen vegetables. The money we save by buying in quantities has more than paid for what the extra freezer cost. My most favorite frozen food is ice cream. Not just ice cream, but all the yummy treats. Ice cream sandwiches, Popsicles, Dibs. Dibs are wonderful. They are bite- sized pieces of ice cream covered in chocolate. A serving size is some incredibly high number like 26. I never eat that many- so I feel satisfied and like I'm dieting! I think, next to my dishwasher, my freezer is my favorite appliance.