Freezing Eggs

Whew!
Sorry I took a little Summer hiatus.
We had family visiting in town as well as my college roommate and
our lives have been a whirlwind of fun, family and fireworks.
We are also preparing for our pending move into Amish country in PA.
Hopefully I can get some posts written ahead of time so I won't be absent from
this blog during the move.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming....

Many people don't realize you can freeze eggs for later use.
But why would you want to freeze eggs?

- You bought too many eggs and they are close to expiring.

- You made a recipe using just egg whites or just egg yolks and don't want to waste the remainder.

- You live far from a grocery store and want to have eggs on hand in case of emergency.



To freeze eggs:

- Crack the egg and beat until just blended, then freeze individually or together.

- Muffin tins work well to freeze them individually, then pop them out and store in a ziploc bag once frozen.

- To use, simply thaw in refrigerator.

- If you froze them together, about 2 tablespoons of the slightly blended egg mixture will equal about one large egg.


*Note: You can NOT freeze eggs in the shell. The egg within will expand and crack the shell. Not good.

Pasta-bilities!

This is a good, solid make-ahead meal. It's not so fancy that picky eaters will turn up their noses, but complex enough to move beyond your basic spaghetti and meat sauce. This one is definately kid friendly. Vegetarians can omit the beef or can substitute sauteed crimini or portabella mushrooms for a heartier meal.



BEEFY (or NOT) BAKED ZITI (or NOT)

2 pounds ground meat
2 cloves (or 2 tsp.) garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt
4, 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
2, 8oz. pkg cream cheese
2 cups sour cream
12 green onions, including green part, chopped
16 oz. noodles (rotini, macaroni or ziti)
2 cups mozzarella or cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:
- In a skillet, brown meat. Add garlic, salt and tomato sauce; simmer about 10 minutes.
- Soften cream cheese and blend thoroughly with sour cream. Add green onions and set aside.
- Boil noodles until 3 minutes before packaged directions; drain.
- In 9x13" (or 2, 8x8") aluminum baking pans, layer noodles, cream cheese mixture, and meat sauce. Repeat layers.
- Sprinkle cheese on top.

To Freeze:
- Spray foil with non-stick cooking spray and cover casserole.
- Thaw in refridgerator.

To Serve:
Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes.
.

What makes it Swiss?

Swiss Steak is a method of preparing beef, by means of rolling or pounding, and then braising in an oven. The name does not refer to Switzerland, but instead to the process of "swissing", which refers to fabric or other materials being pounded or run through rollers in order to soften it.

Swiss steak is typically made from relatively tough cuts of meat, such as the round, which have been pounded with a tenderizing hammer, or run through a set of bladed rollers to produce so-called "cube steak". The meat is typically coated with flour and other seasonings and served with a thick gravy.

This recipe is great for a last minute meal since it goes straight from freezer to oven, with no defrosting time needed.

Make Ahead Swiss Steak

2 lbs round steak, ½" thick cut
¼ cup flour
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 tbsp oil
½ cup green pepper, minced
1 ¼ cup onion, minced
1 16-oz can tomatoes
1 tsp salt¼ tsp pepper


To Prepare:

Cut steak into 8 individual pieces, using a fork to pierce each side of each piece. In a small bowl, combine flour, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Top one side of the steak pieces with half this mixture, then use a meat mallet to pound the flour mixture into the steak. Flip the pieces over and repeat.

In large skillet, heat oil and brown meat for about 15 minutes, turning frequently. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover skillet and allow to simmer for 1 hour, adding small amounts of water as needed.

In a separate bowl, combine green pepper, onion, tomatoes, salt and ¼ tsp pepper, mixing well. Add to skillet, cover and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.

To Freeze:

Divide skillet contents in half (including tomato sauce mixture), and split between two, 8x8 freezer containers - foil is best so you can reheat right in container. Allow to cool, seal and label with cooking instructions.

To Reheat and Serve:

Remove from freezer while oven is preheating to 400F. Remove lid and bake for 30-40 minutes or until steak is tender. Serve with rice or noodles.

Savory Breakfast Muffins

I found this recipe online and tried it out. It was fabulous!
It was originally posted by Lightly Toasted on Recipe Zaar.

I love the idea that you have filling and hot breakfast ready in just seconds for those morning when everybody is rushing out the door. I am going to make a bunch of these (with ham instead of sausage) for ballet mornings at my house when I am prone to grab a bagel sandwich at McDonalds.

Savory Breakfast Muffins
makes 10 jumbo muffins

1 lb chorizo sausage or bulk breakfast sausage
2 cups Bisquick
1 cup cornmeal
3 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
1/4 c. chopped green or red bell pepper
1/2 c. finely minced onion
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese



To Prepare

1. Line muffin tins with paper liners, and set aside.
2. Fry, crumble and drain sausage. (omit this step if using ham)
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
4. Mix together bisquick, cornmeal, eggs, and milk.
5. Add drained sausage, and cheese, and stir well.
6. Ladle the filling into the prepared muffin tins, filling almost to top.
7. Bake for 11-15 minutes. Allow to cool completely.


To Freeze

- Store in freezer in a large airtight container. Or place each in a sandwich bag, and then place a dozen in a large ziploc bag.


To Serve

- Microwave on high for approx 90 seconds.