Synopses & Reviews
Our mothers—and grandmothers—put up food in the freezer to economize on time and money. In a recessionary environment and in a world of dual-job families, theres even more reason to do so today. But we dont have the same tastes as our moms. We eat a wider range of foods, drawing on a variety of ethnic and global cuisines, we include more produce and grains in our diets, and we use fewer processed and fatty foods. Jessica Fishers
Not Your Mothers Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook is the perfect guide for economical home cooks with any or all of these new tastes in foods that take well to freezing.
Competing books on freezing sell strongly and steadily. Typically, they are based on a very specific plan—cooking for a family of four for a month ahead in an afternoon of work in the kitchen, for example. They offer orderly plans with decent, if largely unimaginative, food. Not Your Mothers Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook offers two advantages over these books. First, Fisher lays out lots of easy-to-follow guidelines for diverse families with varying needs and desires, taking into account how long you want to spend in the kitchen—there are 2-hour, 4-hour, and daylong plans—as well as how far out ahead you want to cook for, the size of your household, the size of your freezer, your budget, and even your taste for one-dish meals versus multi-course meals. The emphasis is on facilitating flexibility without sacrificing clarity and ease-of-use.
Second, Fishers 200 recipes deliver flavorful and healthy food in abundance. She takes readers beyond moms beef-pork-chicken triumvirate, with lots of ideas for lamb, fish, shellfish, and vegetarian main courses. There are homey and family-friendly dishes, like Cheddar Cheese Soup with Zucchini, Broccoli, and Carrots, or Crumb-Topped Cod Fillets, fancy dishes for company, like Seasoned Steak with Gorgonzola Herb Butter, and lots of globally inspired creations like Salsa Verde Beef, Red Lentil Dahl, and Hoisin-Glazed Salmon. While the emphasis is on dinner, there are breakfast and brunch recipes, too, and plenty of ideas for breads, quick breads, and desserts that freeze well. Ample sidebars address such matters as finding good freezer bags and containers, labeling frozen food, whether to invest in a new freezer, and how to thaw safely.
The authors story—cooking for a family of eight, including six home-schooled children under ten, and serving as the creator and writer of the popular blogs Life as Mom and Good Cheap Eats—fits the topic and the book perfectly. Fisher is a woman who knows all about budgeting time and money efficiently, at the same time serving up delicious food with warmth, love, and an appreciation for the pleasures of the table.
Review
andldquo;Besides being vibrant, flavorful, and healthy, these recipes make it easy to put a good, homemade meal on the table even when you have no time to cook. Way to go, Ellie!andrdquo;andmdash;
CARLA HALL, chef, author, co-host of
The Chew and#160;
andldquo;I have long been a fan of Ellieandrsquo;s balanced approach to food and I love the recipes and stunning photos in this book! The fact that they are all make-ahead is a huge help for busy people who want to eat healthy.andrdquo;andmdash; GINA HOMOLKA, author of The Skinnytaste Cookbook
and#160;
andldquo;Cooking at home can be easy but itandrsquo;s challenging to make the right food choices. There is so much to choose from and so many decisions to make. . . . With Ellie Kriegerandrsquo;s new book, she leads you on a clear path to good eating that strikes a great balance between healthy and delicious. She teaches self-sufficiency through simplicity and makes anything from a yogurt parfait to a homemade braise doable. Give it a try!andrdquo;andmdash; ALEX GUARNASCHELLI, chef
Synopsis
Take advantage of one of the most useful appliances in the kitchen -- the freezer -- with 200 recipes for delectable breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Fisher shows how anyone can easily make and freeze up to two week's worth of meals using the method of batch cooking that saves both time and money.
Synopsis
In today's fast-paced society, TV dinners and fast food can easily take the place of good home cooking.and#160;But with the help of one of the most underused appliances in most people's kitchen -- the freezer -- anyone can make and preserve about two weeks' worth of delicious home-cooked meals in a matter of hours. Jessica Fisher' s Not Your Mother provides the key to doing so. Fisher outlines 200 recipes for delectable breakfasts, lunches, and dinners through the method of batch cooking that saves both time and money. This cookbook puts a modern spin on the age-old idea of freezing meals for later, and appeals to today's diverse tastes, providing recipes for not only chicken, beef, and pork, but also fish, shellfish, and vegetarian main courses. Fisher also details how to go about using the freezer to its full potential, giving information on the best freezer bags and, most importantly, how to thaw food safely after it has been frozen.
Synopsis
Make-ahead recipes fromand#160;the longtime Food Network star and best-selling author
Synopsis
Make-ahead recipes fromand#160;the longtime Food Network star and best-selling author Ellie Krieger, New York Times best-selling and multi-award-winning author, has written a cookbook devoted to the kind of recipes that her fans have been waiting forandmdash;make-ahead meals. For those who are always short on time when it comes to cooking, Ellie is here to help. Her recipes, which range from breakfast bakes to soups to casseroles, can all be prepared in advance, so putting food on the table becomes that much easier. There are storing and reheating instructions for each recipe, tips for prepping, and even a whole chapter devoted to Flavor Makers like Pesto and Roasted Garlic that transform ordinary meals into extraordinary ones. As with her other books, all of Ellieandrsquo;s recipes are healthy and come complete with nutrition information. But that doesnandrsquo;t mean they sound like diet food! Just look at the Manhattan Clam Chowder, Chicken Tamale Pie, and Pasta Primavera Bake, to name a few. You Have It Madeand#160;provides satisfying, good-for-you meals that can be whipped up in no time.and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
About the Author
JESSICA FISHER is a busy mom of six children, ranging from kindergarten to high school. Homeschool mom by day, freelance writer and blogger by night, she writes two popular blogs, LifeasMom.com and GoodCheapEats.com. Jessicaandnbsp;has written online for The Kitchn, Life Your Way, Money Saving Mom, $5 Dinners, and Simple Mom and in print for more than 85 regional parenting publicationsandnbsp;in the U.S. and Canada. She lives with her husband and children in San Diego, California andandnbsp;is an avid home cook. She is also the author ofandnbsp;Not Your Motherand#39;s Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
This Is Not Your Motherand#8217;s Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook
Quick-Start Guide
Instructions for Big-Batch Cooking
The Basics of Freezer Cooking
Cooking Plans to Fit Your Needs
Creating Your Own Cooking Plan
Bountiful Beef
Crowd-Pleasing Poultry and Seafood
Sure-Fire Pork and Sausage
Meatless Marvels
Soupand#8217;s On
Perfect Pizzas
Back for Breakfast
Breads, Muffins, Scones, Rolls, and Then Some
Desserts When You Crave Them
Measurement Equivalents
Index