Freezer Challenge Update -- Cranberry Bread & Chicken Soup
I joined the The Frugal Girl's freezer challenge earlier this week, so I thought I'd come here to share an update.
I defrosted cranberries for cranberry bread, only to discover that I was out of flour. Ten pounds of flour later and that plan was back in place. I'd pulled them from the freezer in the name of trying this recipe for cranberry-orange bread.
Did I have an orange? Nope! But I do have a can of orange juice concentrate that's been haunting my freezer door for at least six months. A simple substitution.
I was pleased to also find a bag of chopped walnuts, but they turned out to be rancid, which I luckily discovered before adding them to the batter. The "freezer challenge" is about preparing good food, not spoiled food.
The cranberry bread turned out tasty and it's perfect timing, as I'm having an old coworker to the house tomorrow morning.
My second from the freezer meal is this homemade chicken soup. The meat was from a half eaten Costco rotisserie chicken found hiding in the basement freezer.
Exhibit A:
Chicken soup is a simple enough meal, although it's not a quick process. It's fairly easy though, as you just dump the chicken into an Instant Pot, add water, a couple bay leaves and hit the "broth" button. Of course, you can also do this on a standard stove top.
You then wait for the chicken to cool enough to handle, before even starting the manual deboning process. Let's just say you have to be in a patient mood.
I'd normally add potatoes and peas, but I didn't have any. Instead I sautéed an onion and threw in a double amount of diced carrots. (Soup really is about using what you have on hand.) Hey, whatever works . . . .
Lastly I added dried parsley, seasoned salt, pepper, dill, a couple already squeezed lemon wedges, chopped ginger, a spoon of Better Than Bouillon, soy sauce and a bit too much turmeric -- which explains the golden hue.
I don't think I've ever repeated a soup recipe -- it's always a witch's brew! This makes it the perfect freezer challenge meal.
Now your turn, are you doing a freezer challenge?
Katy Wolk-Stanley
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
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I have the same method with soups and use what I have. This week was sausage and vegetables using three lingering white cheddar brats,sliced and caramelized. Some went into the freezer. I really need a freezer challenge to eat up the 1-2 servings of so many dishes thrown in the fridge freezer or chest freezer. The fridge freezer is really chaos.
I'm doing the freezer challenge too. Mine is close to being empty!
I'm defrosting the rotisserie chicken carcass I froze months ago as I write this. I'll be making chicken soup on the stove top this Sunday. It'll be good comfort food during the upcoming Nor'easter. I have a bag of frozen tortellini s in the freezer to add to it. Also carrots and celery already in the refrigerator plus some cooking onions. I uncovered two chicken breasts and a partially filled bag of breakfast sausage. Those and about five partially bags of frozen vegetables are all that's left. These will be used this weekend...sausages with eggs and the chicken for a meal. Now I can scrub down the interior of the freezer.
Good luck on riding out the nor'easter, Christine. My JASNA BFF in NYC isn't looking forward to it either.
Thanks A. Marie. I was looking at a map on the Weather Channel and was thinking of you. Apparently you'll be getting in New York state but not the strong winds. In any case, stay safe.
Getting RAIN...sheesh...my mind works faster than my fingers.
It is still 90 degrees in north central Texas cooling to mid 80's next week. No rain in 60 days. We long for a Nor'easter. Please send it to Texas.
So you want 60mph winds and 5 inches of rain in 24 hours?
No, you really don't.
I would if I could texasilver! Hope you get some rain soon.
I got out two big coolers and cleaned out the freezer in my basement last week. Everything is now up to date and (decently) organized but the freezer is CRAMMED. I froze garden produce throughout the summer, and I always have bread and many small size servings of soups and casseroles--a mainstay for someone who lives alone and likes to batch cook but also likes variety. (Also, bags of bones and veggie trimmings for stock, and quarts of already made stock as well.) The alternative would be to eat the same pot of soup for a week, then the same casserole, endlessly. The trick for this to work is to keep everything in rotation. I do a pretty good job of that, along with a deep dive reorganization a couple times a year to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. I threw nothing out on this last pass! So I'm giving myself an A+ though my freezer looks forbidding.
Cynthia, A+ for sure. Lucky you to have so many options for upcoming meals with little repetition!
Working on the freezer here as well. Last night's dinner was chicken parmesan using a partial bag of breaded chicken tenders, sliced provolone that got left open and was a little dry on the edges, and a partial jar of spaghetti sauce in the fridge. Served over a 50 cent box of angel hair pasta from the pantry. There were a few smaller chicken pieces in there and my daughter ate those dipped in bbq sauce with a side of pasta.
I think tonight I'm going to hit the easy button and bake some frozen pizzas with apple slices on the side.
Hopefully this helps open up a view into the middle layer of my chest freezer! i know the bottom layer is frozen water jugs, but not sure what else is hiding down there!
(For years I would treat January as my own freezer/pantry challenge, and try to see how long I could go without grocery shopping and work my way through the Thanksgiving and Christmas loss leaders. In 2020 I pushed it further and made it almost all the way through February without doing any real grocery shopping, so when Covid shut us down in March the pickings in my house were slim. Been kind of hoarding since then and I need to get back to my normal routine and stop worrying about not having enough)
I am doing the freezer challenge, but not at a fast pace. I have quite a bit of challenge just using up what I cook without putting leftovers in the freezer.
Anyway, I finished the quiche, broccoli and bean soup for lunch. This evening I think I will have the other energy bar I found in my pantry, maybe with some applesauce on the side. Then it will be time to take something else out of the freezer tomorrow.
I went to the dentist today. I had X-rays taken in addition to cleaning and a visual check by the dentist. There was a new receptionist there who was willing to run my bill past my insurance. I don't think she will get anywhere, but it will at least delay things in a month in which I've had a lot of big bills.
I walked there (about 15 minutes each way), and the walk took me past a LFL, where I picked up two books.
I'd hardly call my freezer challenge a "fast pace" either.
Hey, a delay in paying a bill is still a decent financial strategy!
Katy, your cranberry bread looks delicious. It reminds me of a quick bread that I make with maraschino cherries and pecans or pistachios. If anyone is wondering what to do with their maraschino cherries, try chopping them up and adding to batter for bread, muffins, scones or pancakes. So good.
What a good idea!
I haven't weighed in with a full FFT in a while, so here's FFT, Freezer/Garden Cleanout and Other Things Edition:
(1) The "Old McDonald Had a Farm" stock I made Sunday out of miscellaneous bones from the fridge freezer, and the Portuguese kale soup I made with the stock, some chorizo from that freezer, and other things, have done a lot toward clearing out that freezer. Now all I have to do is wipe the freezer down, which hasn't been done in quite a while. Ugh.
(2) My current hedge trimmer and future executor (a trusty friend about 15 years my junior) is coming over tomorrow to pick up his family's share of my 1/4 steer, which should make quite a lot of room in my upright freezer in the basement. I'll refer to him as "FE" hereafter (you know my fondness for abbreviations).
(3) I've also saved FE some items from a large assortment of British goodies that old friends sent me for my birthday. His teenagers should have no trouble disposing of the various biscuits and candies--and his wife, who is half English (her dad was born in Manchester), should appreciate the Yorkshire pudding mix. Hey, they've gotta have something to go with that roast beef. 🙂
(4) I've started some gentle garden clearance. I didn't want to do too much bending over for about a week after my vitreous detachment (see my previous comments), but my basil and cilantro were both down for the count after our series of night temps in the 40s, so I pulled those. I've also harvested the cilantro seeds, which are what we Yanks know as coriander. (The Brits actually refer to both the greens and the seeds as coriander, which is less confusing.)
(5) Frugal fail and well worth it: I ordered a t-shirt online with the terms "Gulf of Mexico," "Kennedy Center," and "Lake Ontario" stacked up, and the "F" in the first one, the "D" in the second one, and the "T" in the third one highlighted. I'm wearing this to our local lefty cultural fair tomorrow. (BTW, the Lake Ontario name change isn't going down at all well here in Central NY, even in the solid red counties bordering the lake. I'm hoping that this blunder on DT's part may change a few hearts and minds up that way.)
Ha! I love that shirt! Got my belly laugh for the day.
That is an excellent shirt!!!! Sorry about your eyes though.
I’ve been doing a reverse freezer challenge, freezing things that grow on the farm. So far, I have tomato sauce, plums, apple sauce, blanched green beans, cherries, dehydrated figs, and rhubarb. Soon, I’ll add nuts and membrillo.
Some things are going in jars: various jams, pears, pickles.
It’s a rainy day, so maybe I’ll follow your lead and take some chicken stock OUT of the freezer and make soup.
Membrilo - DARN it I have to pick my quince. it has started to rain, so the quince will be splitting. GAH. Ok, I can do this, even if I get wet. I'm not made of sugar....
Making membrillo is a great rainy day activity! Well worth the effort!
yeah but I gotta pick the quince and THAT is less fun, right?
Ha, that's funny!
I need to defrost the little upright freezer, but it's not quite empty enough to make it a not horrendous chore. Going to make another fish pie tomorrow that will use up several items and in a few days I will cook another batch of dog food for the pup with the delicate digestion. That will use up some frozen vegetables.
This has been a somewhat spendy month, as I bought a much needed all-weather coat and a pair of winter shoes. Also restocked our pantry with canned goods, cereal, shelf-stable milk, and bottled juice.
Today I spent $30 at the paint store getting paint to touch up the woodwork in the bathroom. DH got some work done on his car and got word from the mechanic that there is evidence of rodents having been under the hood, so I pulled the spare sonic critter scarer out of the cabinet and he installed it.
Hey, I made cranberry bread today too!! I made half as muffins for the freezer, and half as a loaf for now. I absolutely love cranberries!!
Ooh, I should make muffins!
The soup looks super yummy!
I am not doing the freezer challenge as mine is in pretty good shape. I am doing the opposite by freezing summer produce.
I am doing the cupboard challenge after finding part of a case of tomato soup that had an ex date of 2024. I did open and taste it, tastes like metal so I pitched the 4 cans. They were not even a normal color.