The media-stereotyped images of frazzled new parents grabbing at trail mix in the middle of the day or night do not give me comfort. We will be new parents, yes but I keep reminding myself that it is just us and we will be together at home. When you're a frequent home-cook, a kitchen production system is already enmeshed into your daily life on some level, and you need that continuity to feel grounded. So whether you're also expecting, or cooking for the future, I thought I'd round up a post about stocking the freezer with food, which I'm doing a bit at a time. I started freezing some baked goods like always, but a bit more. Once a stack of cakes and loaves was in there, I moved on to make some tomato sauce with August's Roma tomatoes and chicken broth with a bag of bones and vegetable scraps, then half of this week's homemade hamburger buns, you know, building a supply (update: will make more buns again this week cuz we ate them; I have loved burgers at home in this pregnancy).
Banana Bread
The no-brainer of freezing. Mini loaves are my friend here, as they allow for rationing and rotating.
Blueberry Muffins
I've been making these muffins all summer with blueberries and now that fresh berries are gone, I have already dipped into the blueberries I froze to make more.
Zucchini Bread
The ones in the freezer now are lemon-almond scented, not chocolate, but, another quick bread that can be placed on the counter overnight and ready to heat for breakfast and snacks.
Plum Torte
The Marion Burros recipe has been a staple with plums in September. I always split the original recipe and make 2 and freeze one. I make them skinnier by dividing the batter into two tart pans. They are great for breakfast, afternoon tea, and dessert.
Cookie Dough
Any kind will do, but I recently made oatmeal cookies from Food52 and froze up many of the dough balls. Now, to forget about them for a month.
I can't wait to pull this out in the winter. We are making this probably this weekend when the temp seems more agreeable. The hardest part is actually freezing it and not just eating it all that day or on the days after. It will be thawed for pasta tossing and my favorite: the Italian peasant meal of scraping some warmed ragu onto toasted bread topped with parmesan.
Chicken Broth
And planning on some of this soup, too. Having chicken broth on hand is extremely helpful. I freeze it in ice cube trays then pop out and bag it, and some larger amounts in jars.
More Soup
I roasted an acorn squash, then dumped the flesh into sauteed onions simmered with chicken broth, water, added a little milk, and blended and blended a la this kinda thing. Then we had two cups and I cooled and froze the rest. Will probably do so again because I love squash soups.
The only one I make unless a recipe calls for something different. Sauce at the ready, that is all. One step closer to meatballs, which I also have on the list.
Bread and Rolls
I have been buying Bread Alone whole grain sliced which is so hearty and nutty when it's deeply toasted and slicked with butter and salt. I've also made Alexandra's peasant bread and King Arthur's burger buns when I have time for yeast. I always put half of the baked buns or loaves go into the freezer. Making homemade buns for homemade cheeseburgers at home has completely trumped going out for them. I make the buns in KAF's recipe a little smaller and do the whole thing in my stand mixer.
Hopefully I'll have more to add over the month, so follow along on the Instagram. xxoo
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