ELWOOD, Davis County — Jenny Ahlstrom Stanger didn't become a freezer meal expert overnight.
The Mormon mom and cookbook author learned the secrets of good freezing one dish at a time.
Today, she has 207 foolproof, freezer recipes to share — healthy recipes that can save a busy wife and mother not only time but dollars as well (up to $300 per month for the average family).
"This is the result of lots and lots of experimentation," Stanger said.
Stanger got started freezing meals because she simply didn't want to spend all of her time cooking. With four little girls and a busy life, she didn't want to run through the fast food drive-in lanes, either.
She discovered that by cooking with an eye to the future and freezing the surplus, she cut way down on time in the kitchen.
She also found that a few simple strategies made the food "come back" as tasty and appetizing as when she first cooked it.
"There are some tricks to it," she said. "With meats if you add a marinade first, it will come out juicy and flavorful. Block cheese will crumble if you freeze it but if you shred it first, it will be fine. With pasta and sauce, you always want to add a little water when you thaw it and you don't want to fully cook noodles."
Stanger doesn't freeze raw potatoes because they turn black, but they'll freeze just fine as mashed or cooked potatoes in a recipe with a sauce. She doesn't freeze foods with high water content like celery, lettuce or eggplant, but she's totally comfortable freezing German pancake and muffin batter, homemade bread, even caramel popcorn balls.
She has ideas for main dishes, soups, desserts and breads.
She also has some general recommendations for any freezing: Always label everything clearly, because once something is frozen it changes color and is hard to identify. Labels with instructions and expiration dates save on mistakes and help prevent loss.
She has recommendations for organizing a refrigerator freezer (you don't need a big freezer), safe storage and safe defrosting.
And for the Mormon cook, a list of substitutions for wines and alcohol are included in some recipes.
There are bulk recipes, emergency substitutions and helpful hints.
Stanger shares all that in her book "Fabulous Freezer Meals" just published by Walnut Springs Press (available at Costco and bookstores nationwide) or people can go to her website, freezerdinner.com, for ideas, recipes and tips.
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Pizza Muffins
2½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup diced pepperoni
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
4 green onions, chopped
1 egg, beaten
1½ cups buttermilk
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line 2 cupcake pans with paper muffin liners. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, basil, oregano and sugar. Mix in green onions and 1 cup cheese. In a smaller bowl beat the egg, then whisk in buttermilk. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine thoroughly. Spoon batter into paper-lined muffin cups until half full. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese on top of muffins. Bake at 375ºF for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the muffin comes out clean.
To make jumbo pizza muffins, use a jumbo muffin tin (sprayed with cooking spray) and increase the cooking time by a few minutes. Watch closely to make sure muffins don't overcook and dry out. Insert a toothpick to check doneness.
Cool muffins, individually wrap in plastic and freeze in a large zip-top bag. Place one or two muffins in a lunchbox and they will defrost and be ready to eat by lunchtime. Yield: 20 muffins.
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Peanut Butter
Granola Wraps
1½ cups peanut butter
1½ cups granola
½ cup chopped peanuts
3 tablespoons honey
8 medium (10-inch) whole-wheat tortillas
In a large bowl, combine peanut butter, granola, chopped peanuts, and honey; mix well. Spread tortillas with the peanut butter mixture so they are completely covered and the mixture is ¼ inch thick. Roll up tortillas and cut in half. Serve immediately, or wrap well and freeze. Let thaw in an insulated lunchbox until lunchtime. Yield: 12 servings.
To see more recipes from Jenny Stanger, go to MormonTimes.com. Click on "Entertainment" and "Books."
e-mail: haddoc@desnews.com