Annalise Thomas - The Make-Ahead Kitchen: 75 Slow-Cooker, Freezer, and Prepared Meals for the Busy Lifestyle

To my children

May you always love good food, appreciate healthy
home-cooking, and enjoy the little things in life.
And, of course, may you always find
love and JOY in the kitchen!

2016 Annalise Thomas

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form whatsoever, whether by graphic, visual, electronic, film, microfilm, tape recording, or any other means, without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief passages embodied in critical reviews and articles.

The opinions and views expressed herein belong solely to the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions or views of Cedar Fort, Inc. Permission for the use of sources, graphics, and photos is also solely the responsibility of the author.

ISBN 13: 978-1-4621-2559-3

Published by Front Table Books, an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc.

2373 W. 700 S., Springville, UT 84663

Distributed by Cedar Fort, Inc., www.cedarfort.com

Cover and page design by M. Shaun McMurdie

Cover design 2016 by Cedar Fort, Inc.

Edited by Justin Greer

contents

acknowledgments

I want to thank my family for your patience in the craziness of cooking/baking/photographing/writing this book, and my friends, extended family, and blog readers for your willing tastebuds, honest critiques, and endless encouragement.

Your love and support has made me who I am today, and this journey wouldnt have happened without each one of you. Thank you for being on this wild ride with me and being such a big part of making my dreams come true!

general notes

I use the scoop-and-sweep method for measuring flour in all of my recipes. Dip your measuring cup into your flour to gently overfill the cup and then sweep across the top with a straight edge (a butter knife or spatula handle works well for this!). But heres a note on that, that will apply to some of you: If you dont go through your flour very quickly in general, you will need to fluff your flour. The easiest way to do this is to stick a clean whisk in the container and stir a few times. That will keep the flour from being so heavy it alters the results of your baking! (And that is also why European cookbooks use weight measurements. Its much more accurate!)

Whenever a recipe calls for butter, I am referring to salted butter. I am one of the old-school team who likes salted butter best. I have yet to ever come across a recipe that turned out too salty because of using salted butter! Maybe someday I will convert to the unsalted team, but for now I am all about that salt.

Recipe yields: Please dont hate me on this one but you know I just cant promise that a recipe will make exactly 47.5 cookies, right? I have no idea how many tastes you will need to take of that delicious cookie dough, or exactly how big your scoop is. So, take my yields as a general idea and go from there. If you need 100 of the Hawaiian Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies, youre gonna need to make a few batches and count what you have, k? We like cookie dough in this house. I can never seem to keep all of our fingers out of the bowl long enough to get an accurate cookie count!

Check your oven temperature. Or watch whatever youre cooking or baking closely as it gets close to the end. Some ovens run as much as 25 degrees hotter than others! Keep an eye on yours and you will get a feel for how to adjust recipes. Always go by the doneness indicators of a recipe more than the time. Shorter or longer is fine, as long as the end result turns out the way you want!

This is by no means a gluten-free cookbook, but you will find several recipes with gluten-free variations on them. Not everyone struggles with gluten allergies or sensitivities, but Im sure we all at least know someone who does. I love to have a stash of tried-and-true gluten-free recipes in my pocket so that I can spoil the people I love that have sensitivities too. My gluten-free recipes are all tested to be great for everyone. Even those with no sensitivities will love these goodies (and often not even realize theyre different!). Also, you will find a symbol (gluten-free =; gluten-free alternative = ) on all recipes that are naturally GF, so you know right away!

introduction

Life is crazy. It is full of busy, and there are so many things that can add stress to your days. Cooking should not be one of them; sharing food should bring you together. Often we are rushed into grabbing the first thing we can find, or giving in to expensive ready-made foods when our families are hungry, and we lose out on the joy of really savoring our food.

This is where a make-ahead cooking lifestyle comes in. With a little bit of thought and planning, delicious home-cooked meals can be ready for you to enjoy when you and your family need them. All it takes is a few minutes here and there (when you have time!) and some room in your fridge and freezer.

Not all of the dishes in this book are freezer meals. Some are, but others are just as simple as a wonderful salad you can prep a few days in advance or delicious steel-cut oatmeal you can throw into the slow cooker before bed, waking up to the most amazing aroma and breakfast ready for you in the morning.

However you like to spend your time in the kitchen, I promise that you can make your food-life a little easier and a lot more fun with even just a few of the recipes in this book. My dream is that each one of you will learn to love cooking wholesome, made-from-scratch meals for you and your loved ones to enjoy.

Thank you for letting me join you in your kitchen. Im so happy to be here!

Breakfasts

breakfasts

maple bacon overnight cinnamon rolls

As if you needed more reason to make these cinnamon rolls than the name alone. Maple. Bacon. Overnight Cinnamon Rolls. Enough said!

FOR THE DOUGH:

2 cups evaporated milk

cup butter

cup sugar

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

4 cups flour, divided

teaspoon baking powder

teaspoon baking soda

FOR THE FILLING:

cup butter

cup firmly packed brown sugar

cup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

FOR THE FROSTING:

4 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons strong brewed coffee

1 tablespoon maple flavoring

pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

In a large dutch oven, heat the milk, butter, and sugar together over medium heat until the butter is melted and the milk is steaming and just starting to form little bubbles around the edges. Move the pot off the heat and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

When the milk mixture has cooled down to just barely warm (after an hour or so), stir in the yeast and 4 cups of the flour until just combined. Cover with a clean towel, move the pot back onto a burner, turn the heat on LOW for 23 minutes, and then turn off and let rest for an hour. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining cup flour and the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.