Adventures in Freezer Cooking - Honey Glazed Chicken

Freezer Cooking Update #3! This one was my favorite so far! I defrosted the package and then I cooked it in the skillet. The original directions say to cook it in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or so, but I had other plans.

Honey Glazed Chicken Recipe

• 1- 1 1/2 lbs of chicken
• 1/4 cup Margarine -- Melted
• 1/8 cup Soy Sauce
• 1/2 cup Honey 
• Directions: Prep, put all ingredients into gallon freezer bag, lay flat, and freeze. Take out of freezer the night before you want to cook and put bag into casserole dish and into the fridge to thaw overnight. Cook when ready, serve with rice.

I had cut this one into tenderloins like some of my other ones, since it cooks faster. I decided to cooking it on stovetop in the skillet so it would cook faster.  I melted some butter for the bottom of the pan, took the tenders out of the juice and cooked them on high for a few minutes on each side, then poured in all the marinade juices on and cooked over medium heat until the chicken was cooked all the way. It was a pretty sweet tasting recipe, so I put soy sauce on the white rice I cooked on the side to balance it out. I guess this could be remedied by adding a little more soy sauce to the marinade, but I liked it the way I cooked it.

It's totally kid-friendly, my hubby loved it,  and best yet, with minute rice and cooking in the skillet,  this meal took less than ten minutes to cook!  To "veggie it up", I would image you could stir fry from snap peas and onions and such in some olive oil first and then after a few minutes throw the ingredients of the bag in. 

It doesn't get any better than that! Indulge in the pictures of my leftovers my husband will enjoy for lunch tomorrow! Mmmm!

Adventures in Freezer Cooking

So as we all know, pinterest is pretty addicting. When I stumbled upon the idea of "freezer cooking", I was intrigued. The idea of prepping ahead of time for dinners sounded appealing, not so much for the summer when I am on vacation from school, but once school starts up again, gold.

So here's my first attempt. I give most of the credit to two blogs I found on pinterest, and used their recipes almost exactly. Links here and here.

I would like to say this took an entire afternoon. I played Rain Man so I could have some background entertainment as I prepped all this food. In total, it took about 3 hours.

The recipes and their ingredients I made were the following:

ALL RECIPES SHOULD USE ABOUT 1-1 1/2 pounds of chicken, whatever pieces you want. It either needs to be raw and this will be the first time you freeze it, or frozen and never thawed.

Salsa Chicken (A family and life group fave)

• 1 large jar of picante salsa
• 1-2 packages of taco seasoning
• Cooking instructions: Crockpot on Low for 6-8 hours. Serve with chips or tortillas, and I love black beans on the side.

Teriyaki Chicken

• Medium – Large bag of carrots
• Red Onion into Large Chunks 
• 2 large cans pineapple (undrained)
• 4 Garlic Cloves 
• 1 cup teriyaki sauce
• Cooking instructions: Cook in crockpot on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Sesame Chicken

• 1 cup soy sauce
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 2 Tbsp. ketchup
• 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted 
  Cooking instructions: Cook on stovetop or at 350 degrees until juices run clear. Serve with cooked rice and steamed veggies.

Herb-Wine Chicken

• 1 cup Red Wine
• 2/3 cup Vegetable Oil
• 2 Cloves Garlic -- crushed
• 1/2 Lemon -- (sliced thinly)
• 2 Tablespoons Minced Parsley
• 1 Teaspoon Thyme
• 1 Teaspoon Basil
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon Pepper  
• Cooking instructions: Cook at 350 degrees until juices run clear. Note: This recipe was pretty low in viscosity because of the wine, so be careful of spilling before you place it in the freezer.

Honey Glazed Chicken

• 1/4 cup Margarine -- Melted
• 1/8 cup Soy Sauce
• 1/2 cup Honey 
• Cooking instructions: Cook on stovetop? or at 350 degrees until juices run clear.

Lemon Garlic Chicken 

• 2 Cloves Garlic -- chopped
• 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Chopped Parsley
• 3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
• 1/8 Teaspoon Pepper
• Cooking instructions: Cook at 350 degrees until juices run clear. 

Marinaded Steaks

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons dried basil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon tabasco (I used TexJoy)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic 
• Cooking instructions: Grill!

Note: many of these are called "dump" recipes. The idea is that you fill the bag with all of the necessary ingredients, then simply "dump" the ingredients into a glass dish to cook at 350 degrees until the juices run clear. 

The Journey
First, I labeled all of the bags. I wrote down what I was cooking and whatever way I planned to cook them. In reality, I could have done most of these recipes in quart sized bags since I made all of them in servings for 2-3 people. But, I used all gallon bags and folded over the extra space.

Then, I made all of the sauces/marinades. I know this meant a lot of dirty dishes, but it was worth it because I felt like I did each step completely before moving forward. Then, I cut all the chicken. I bought mostly boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 5 pounds for 10-11 meals. I cut alot of them into tenderloins or small pieces to cook faster as well. I probably could have bought just a little bit more, but I hate having too many leftovers. Good to know for next time.

Once I cut up all of the chicken (there were a few steaks as well, already put away in the freezer) I divvied up all of the chicken and put it into the respective bags. I pressed out all of the air from the bags, and leveled out the bags so they would lay flat.

 

 The mess of a kitchen afterwards.

I did have one of those moments of horror when I was scared it wouldn't fit...but there it is! All 12 bags in a small nook of our freezer....woohoo!

Update #1: Last night I cooked the first recipe, sesame chicken. It was marvelous. The night before, I took the bag out of the freezer and put it in a glass dish to thaw overnight. When I was ready to cook it, I "dumped" the chicken into the pan, and cooked it for about five minutes until the chicken was at 165 degrees,  instead of cooking it in the oven.

It did cook down the sauce to a thick, tasty consistency, but was just a tad salty for my taste. (David, of course, loved this extra salty flavor, for those of you who know him.) I really liked that this is an unbreaded variation of a comfort food Chinese recipe that I love.

Serve it up with some steamed veggies and voila! Dinner in about 10 minutes with no prep on the day of cooking! Totally worth it!

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Update #2 Herb Wine Chicken
Don't have a picture for this one. I made the herb wine chicken for a quick lunch this weekend, but it would have been much better accompanied with a pasta with a light sauce (maybe like a olive oil/lemon/garlic sauce). I do have to say, since it was marinated in red wine, the chicken was a, well, purple color...which is an odd color for chicken indeed, but still tasted good. It was okay, but definitely not my favorite meal I've made.


I'll post updates on the other recipes here or on facebook....enjoy!

An end to the hiatus...and a reflection on the past

Welcome back! It's been a long time. Writing this is like awkwardly running into an old friend that you know you should have kept in contact with but haven't. (We've all had that moment.)

But of course, you can't apologize to a blog.

Well, summer is here! The reason behind such a long hiatus was teaching my first year of high school! It was an adventure...shall I venture to call it an odyssey: a long, eventful, and adventurous journey. Looking back, I learned so much...maybe even as much as (I hope that) my students learned in my class. Things I can look back and reflect on as lessons I learned this year:

• There are always exceptions to the rules. For a rule-follower like me, the recognition that life and decisions in life are not either "black or white" has been a difficult concept that I am still working through and trying to understand. 
• Always look on the bright side. Education is a field which is always changing and evolving, and with that comes newness on a frequent basis. I saw a lot of hesitance to change this year, and life and teaching was much easier with a positive viewpoint on all aspects of education: students, coworkers, etc. 
• Don't try to impress people...or yourself. Well, I'm a people pleaser, which I'm sure does not surprise most of you who know me. All of this translates into "I make my life much harder on myself because I worry about how other people perceive me and my work ethic."
  A mantra for my struggle: Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men....it is the Lord you are serving". For all the things that go unnoticed as a teacher, for all of the hard work on my team that can sometimes feel unmatched, I have to remember that what I do is done for the glory of one person, not for my own pride. 
• You can share the gospel in unconventional ways. In teaching public schools, it is not a freedom that I have to share the Gospel with students directly. This was especially a struggle while trying to teach ethics, correct student behavior, teach religions, and motivate the students. I found myself wanting to quote scripture during moments of discipline, causing me internal conflict on how to stay true to what I believe without crossing a ethical line imposed on me through public education.
  But you can share the Gospel indirectly. This is my most important journey in teaching: sharing the love of Christ with students without ever saying His name. It is one of the most challenging adventures in my life, but I know that regardless of how confident I am in my abilities as a teacher, I am called to teaching. By putting others first, being honest and easy to work with, respectful of authority, and genuinely caring for students, I know that they will see something different in me. My hope this is that I may plant a seed to be watered by another, and that I become a reference point for a teacher exhibiting her faith. 

As I reflect back on the year, it was a good year. I only said I wanted to quit about a thousand times (like any other first year teacher), but I know that I established meaningful relationships with my students, encouraged them, and stretched myself as a person. I look forward to a rewarding summer vacation that has begun, using this time and blog to refresh and reflect on the past year and look forward to the next.

Movies I Want to Rant About-August 2011

I'm not going to pretend to be a movie critic, but I do like to watch a lot of movies. I don't go to theaters much seeing as the typical age I see there is also the age I teach, so I am a big fan of redbox and catching movies I haven't seen on TV as they come on.

So here are a few recent movies that I've watched, whether they are new or not. If you have Netflix, maybe you can put some of these on your queue. Anyways, these were some of my favorite movies that I’ve watched recently, and a movie that I can’t wait to see. I’m going to keep it short and not ruin the movies for what they are. Enjoy.

Red Dawn (1984)


Okay so David recorded this one and I wasn’t sure what to expect, but hey, look at this picture! All these great 80s actors really made the movie…and you kind of have to take it for what it is.

So I’m totally into World War 3, post-apocalyptic movies, and this fits right in. The United States is invaded and a small town is taken over by the enemy, but not before a group of teens can run away to the mountains to escape and eventually fight those who have killed their families and fellow Americans.

It was entertaining. (Additionally, there has been a new version of this film made and should be released sometime this year.) This is for people like me that like those end of the world movies or anything to do with the 80s or Cold War.

Temple Grandin (2010)

So my father-in-law got this on Netflix and spent an entire weekend trying to get us to watch it. I did not want to. We finally ended up watching it, and it was AMAZING.

This is a movie based on a real woman who has autism and has spent a majority of her life being underestimated. Because of the way her autistic mind works, she was able to completely revolutionize the cattle industry, of all things. What I love about this movie is that she is portrayed as a real person and the way she used her photographic memory to get through everything in her life.

Definitely a must see, especially for those of you who are into psychology, sciences, indy movies, and those who work with people of special needs. Completely made me rethink autism.

Cold Mountain (2003)


Okay, here was another movie I tried to avoid for a long time, mostly because I am not a big fan of Jude Law or Nicole Kidman. But this movie was great and heart-wrenching. And the supporting roles such as Renee Zellweger and Donald Sutherland were entertaining and lovable.

Cold Mountain is a Civil War movie based on a young couple separated by war. Pretty predictable. But refreshingly, it was more of a perspective of a woman dealing with patience and growth and the small town atmosphere that changes during war. So instead of being a war movie it’s a movie about people and how war tears people apart. It was good, and great to watch with your spouse.

A Movie I’m exited about…
Ides of March (October 7, 2011)
Ryan Gosling and George Clooney.

If that’s not enough for you, think modern-day political thriller with a title that is most famously associated with the assassination of Julius Caesar. Which is a pretty intense phrase to use about the race to the presidency. Lots of big names in this movie for sure, and I think there is already Oscar hype on this one. A fight between idealism and realism, which is something I’ve struggled with politically for years. Just watch the trailer and get excited. Watch Trailer Here

In Time (October 28, 2011)

Justin Timberlake and Leonard from Big Bang Theory in a futuristic sci-fi movie in which time really is money. Looks like it'll be one of those ones you walk away from with lots of thoughts about life.   Watch Trailer Here