Jessica Fisher - Not Your Mothers Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook

THE HARVARD COMMON PRESS
535 Albany Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02118
www.harvardcommonpress.com

Copyright 2012 by Jessica Getskow Fisher
Cover photographs copyright 2012 by Sabra Krock

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America
Printed on acid-free paper

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fisher, Jessica (Jessica Getskow)
Not your mothers make-ahead and freeze cookbook / Jessica Fisher.1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-55832-756-6 (alk. paper)
1. Make-ahead cooking. 2. Frozen foods. 3. Quantity cooking. I. Title.
TX652.F4985 2012
641.5'55dc23 2012004607

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Cover recipe: Spinach and Feta Manicotti with Lemon and Oregano,

Spine recipe: Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Asian Slaw and Tangy Barbecue Sauce,

Back cover recipes: Pork Chile Verde with Hominy and Carrots,

Book design by Ralph Fowler / rlf design
Cover photography and prop styling by Sabra Krock; food styling by Carrie Purcell

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Not Your Mothers is a registered trademark of The Harvard Common Press.

To my husband, Bryan,
who has truly been my partner in all things.
From kids to cookbooks (and everything in between), life has been such a joy to share with you.

When I was just a little girl, I dreamt of writing a booka cookbook, no less. Its amazing to me that so many years later that dream has come true. I could not have done it without the help of some wise and witty folk. Many thanks are due.

Thank you to the team at The Harvard Common Press, who embraced this project and patiently walked this rookie author through the paces: Bruce Shaw, for his enthusiasm for quality books; Adam Salomone, for the energy he brought to the project; Dan Rosenberg, for his encouragement and humor throughout the process; Valerie Cimino and Jane Dornbusch, who partnered with me to craft the best book possible; Pat Jalbert-Levine, for her amazing attention to detail and infectious enthusiasm; and the entire production crew for making it so spiffy and fun to look at.

Thanks to my agent, Alison Picard, for believing in the project and connecting me with such a great group of people.

Thank you to my wonderful readers at my blogs Life as MOM and Good Cheap Eats. You make writing and cooking fun! Thanks to those friends who tested recipes or offered counsel, including but not limited to: Aimee, Allie, Amy G., Amy McG., Amy N., Caroline, Cathy, Cristina, Crystal, Dawn, Erin, Jamie, Janel, JessieLeigh, Jessika, Joy, Lauren, Lynn, Mandi, Marilyn, Michelle, Patti, Phoebe, Prerna, Shaina, Sheila, and Tsh. Thank you to Mom and Dad, Jace and John, and endless friends for your willingness to be my guinea pigser, taste testers.

Special thanks to my six sweet children, who willingly made my project theirs. The Cookbook was a group endeavor, and Im so thankful for your excitement about itand your willingness to eat batch after batch of ice cream sandwiches until the recipe was just right. You make taste testing a joy.

Deep gratitude goes to my precious husband, who washed lots of dishes, flew solo on kid duty, cleaned up endless messes, orchestrated bedtimes, and cheered me on throughout it all. You are my rock. Thank you for encouraging me in all my wild dreams.

And ultimate thanks to Jesus, who gave me all good things.

This is Not Your Mother's Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook

Dinnertime. The word can evoke memories of lively voices, cozy suppers, and candlelight; images of forks chasing the last morsels of this or that on the plate; flavors blending in a happy symphony; satisfied hearts and tummies. Contentment.

But the notion of dinnertime can also bring to mind that frantic feeling when you come home tired, the dog is barking, the phone is ringing, and the entire household is clamoring, Whats for dinner? Stress.

You grope for an answer. Fast food? TV dinners? Canned soup? These are all quick fixes, but at what cost? All have excess sodium and additives, dubiously sourced ingredients, and questionable taste. What can you do to make mealtimes more enjoyable without resorting to less-than-best menu options? How can you make contentment, not stress, the norm at dinnertime?

Turn to your freezerwhat Alton Brown calls the most potent food-preservation device ever devised. That precious appliance can save your bacon when it comes to putting healthy, wholesome meals on the table in record time. Ive been preparing make-ahead and freeze meals for 15 years now, since I was a young high-school teacher with no one to feed but my husband and myself. Today I cook for a small army of eight: me, my husband, and our six children, aged tot to teen. And while I have my fair share of Calgon, take me away moments, mealtimes are usually pleasurable at our house.

Good eating has always been part of our family culture, from enjoying upscale Santa Barbara restaurants during our dating years to laughing as our first-born, at 10 months, devoured peach salsa from a spoon to grilling pizzas today on the backyard barbecue for a pack of famished children. For us, mealtimes are an event.

And while I love to cook, as a work-at-home mom, I also like to enjoy time with my family. Making many meals ahead of time allows me to have the best of both worlds. I regularly spend focused time in the kitchen, cooking up a storm and stashing the results away in the freezer for later use. The outcome? Perfect homemade convenience foods that serve us well, without undue stress.

In as little as an hour a week, you, too, can stock your freezer with make-ahead meals and meal components that are tasty, filling, healthy, and budget-friendly.

But dont worry: These are not your mothersor your grandmothersfrozen casseroles. Drawing on modern technology and a global food market full of diverse ingredients, the recipes that follow feature a wide variety of flavor profiles and cooking methods. They appeal to modern taste buds, and they can all be prepared in bulk to help you save time in the kitchen. These meals will put the lively voices and cozy suppers back into your dinner times.

Home cooks lead busy lives. Students, single parents, stay-at-home moms, work-at-home parents, working professionals, retired grandparentsall are looking for delicious meals that are easy and affordable. They crave tasty meals, but due to lack of planning, lack of knowledge, or lack of cooking mojo, they settle for less than the best. Deep down, lots of folks feel there must be a better and easier way to eat well. Many of our mothers practiced cook and freeze methods. Whether they engaged in a once-a-month marathon kitchen session or spent a harvest season preserving the surplus vegetables and fruits on hand, the cooks who came before us were known to stash meals and meal components away in the deep freeze.

Unfortunately, many of those dishes were forgotten in deep storage and developed a serious case of frostbite. Or, worse, they werent all that tasty to begin with. If you remember the heavy, starch-laden casseroles of yesteryear, you might say No, thanks to homemade frozen entres.

But times, technology, and tastes have all changed. And a freezer packed with ready-to-go breakfasts, lunches, and dinners can be a boon to any home cook. Taking a different approach to food preparation and storage could change your kitchen, your mealtimes, and your life.