Deep Freeze

Tip of the Day: Have a little basil to boost your bluesy mood!

So, finally got to the Pinterest freezer recipes! After going to the store, through the cuboards (yep, I did that backwards) and realizing I was missing over a half dozen of the ingredients I needed for the recipes that woman did, I decided to wing it! Yeah, I'm good like that;-) Oh and we bought the wrong cheese for the quiche! Mom and I decided to whip out the trusty ole' Better Homes cookbook and Fix It and Forget It Lightly cookbook that I got when we first got married. I thumbed through and found recipes that matched the ingredients we had on hand and substituted things we didn't have. What did we come up with you ask?

First up, Turkey Meat Loaf from the Fix It and Forget It Lightly cookbook. Which means crock pot cooking for those of you that might not "get" it! This was a great Christmas gift from my lil' ones! There are a lot of recipes from dinner to dessert that I can vouch for. I had not tried this particular recipe yet. We had to make adjustments because it called for 1 1/2 lbs of ground turkey. I don't know if anyone has ever noticed but they do not sell it that way at the store. It comes in 1lb packages only! So, anyhoo-we didn't adjust enough, it was too wet and my mom had this brilliant idea of adding bread crumbs (boo, on bread crumbs! Just sayin'). Not that there is anything wrong with bread crumbs but substituting ingredients is ok, adding another ingredient may not be the best idea. Anyway, with a mix of ketchup, mustard and brown sugar sauce (simple) it tasted a whole lot less dry! Tip: Poultry dries out faster than beef! And, Potatoes are absorbent. 

 Shred 2 small Potatoes (we used red; they were bogo); chop 2 small red bell peppers (no green at store), chop 2 small onions finely. Set aside.

 Combine 1 1/2lbs of ground turkey, 2 egg whites, 1/3 cup ketchup, 1 Tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce, 1 tsp dried basil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper (feffin is what we call it) with hands. Then, add other ingredients and combine with hands again. Tip: Whip egg whites before adding.

 Shape and place in crock pot on low for 3-5 hours. Check and adjust time as needed. Turn off. Add the sauce of your choice and let stand.not feel shame and guilt

To freeze, let stand for 1 hour or until cool enough to handle. Cut in half and scoop out with flipper onto foil. Wrap tightly, write date and food name on foil with permanent marker and place in freezer bag. Makes 2 meat loafs.Tip: Press all air out before zipping it.

On eatin' day, remove from freezer, place on low in crock pot heat for approximately 1 hour, or thaw and heat in oven for approximately 1/2 hour or pop in microwave and fake time!

Sometimes, I feel like I've been in a deep freeze most of my life. Images of the past frozen in my head. For those folks out there that don't have this "problem" and say, "I can't remember when I was 5 or whatever age", they don't get it. What don't they get? Any of it! They do not get how you could remember that far back or why. Like we that do this choose to! Please! Do you really think I want to remember when I was harshly disciplined or molested? Okay, so my point is that it has taken me a lifetime to accept, not feel shame and guilt and forgive. Kind of like the thawing process.

I am thaw now.