Make Ahead Oamc Meatloaf Food

SALSA MEATLOAF (OAMC)

Steps:

• Mix ingredients for loaf together and place in a loaf pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until almost done.
• Top loaf with sauce and bake 10-15 minutes longer.
• ** for OAMC: complete steps 1 & 2 but bake until done. Defrost overnight, top with sauce and then bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until sauce bubbles. OR bake from frozen for 1 hour at 350 degrees, top with sauce and then bake for 30 minutes or longer until sauce bubbles.**

MAKE AHEAD OAMC MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Mix cracker crumbs, ground beef, onion, egg, salt, pepper, and 1/2 can of tomato sauce in large bowl.
• Divide into two small or one large loaf pan.
• Pat mixture into loaf pans evenly.
• Go wash your nasty hands, ewww!
• Cover top of each loaf with rest of tomato sauce (you may use ketchup as well, if so you will only need a small can of tomato sauce. My family doesn't like the sweetness of ketchup in this dish.).
• Cover with heavy duty foil, label, and freeze.
• When ready to make, thaw loaves completely.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bake thawed loaves 1-1/2 hours (depends on if you are using the large or smaller ones.).
• Enjoy!

MAKE-AHEAD OAMC PRE-CHOPPED ONIONS FOR SENSITIVE EYES

Steps:

• YOU DON'T NEED TO ADD WATER! ALL YOU NEED IS ONIONS! The Zaar wouldn't let me submit the recipe with just one ingredient, so I just put down "water" because it wouldn't alter the nutrition facts, and there will be some residual water in the freezing and thawing processes.
• TOOLS YOU NEED: safety goggles, a very sharp knife that can handle tough foods, a cutting board, a mini food chopper or a standard food processor, and freezer bags. I use gallon-size Hefty One-Zips. OPTIONAL- Allergan tear drops or other natural tears, rubber gloves.
• If you have a food processor, you can probably chop all the onions at once. Me, I use the mini food chopper for this. It looks like a tiny version of a food processor with a blade that rotates. You can pick them up for $10-15 at most department stores, a very nifty must-have for urban foodies with limited space and budgets who lack a dishwasher. Safety goggles are also integral because though you may look silly doing this, it's worth it to avoid that horrid burning pain. Swim goggles also work in a pinch! Onto the process:.
• Put on the goggles to prevent getting eye burn.
• Lay the onions out on the cutting board. With the sharp knife, cut the ends off of each onion and peel each one. This step can be a pain, which is why the rubber gloves are an optional tool because if you have cuts on your hands the onion can burn.
• If you use a strong food processor, you can just throw the peeled onions in and pulse until they are chopped to the consistency you like. Store in the freezer bags, making sure you label it with the date you packed it. I use a gallon size bag for this amount of onions, sometimes two gallon-size bags.
• Use the tear drops in case the goggles slip or you feel any burning after cleanup!
• If you use the mini food chopper, cut the onions into pieces that will fit in the chopper's cup, then pulse until chopped, and repeat until you use up all the onion pieces, spooning the chopped onion out into the freezer bags.
• If you're cooking with onions the same or next day, put some aside (see next step for amounts.).
• When a recipe calls for a "small onion", I use 1/4 cup. If it calls for a "regular" onion, 1/3 cup. "Large" onion = 1/2 cup. Otherwise, just follow what the recipe says for the amount of chopped onion if they give you an actual measurement.
• FOR FUTURE USE AFTER FROZEN: Simply open the freezer bag and measure out what you need with the cups or spoons. You may need to add just a wee bit extra to make up for frost crystals taking up space. You can thaw it out over a couple hours or overnight, but I prefer to microwave for about 30 seconds then blot off the excess frost and water.
• The onion usually lasts indefinitely once frozen, but I find that after about 6-7 months it starts to lose potency from freezerburn. This is why it's important to label the bags with the dates you packed them.
• This method will work for any kind of bulbous onion, I do this with shallots and white onions the most often every few months.

SHEPHERD'S PIE - MAKE-AHEAD, FREEZE AHEAD, OAMC

Steps:

• In large pot, brown beef with onions (I boil my beef, drain to reduce fat content, then add onions I've already sauteed).
• Mix remaining BASE ingredients in large bowl.
• Add beef and onions.
• At this point I placed 1/3 of meat mixture in a cassarole dish, added 1 cup of each frozen veggie and layered on 1/3 of mashed potatoes.
• Bake at 350F for an hour, or until heated through.
• While dinner is baking up, I pack up the cooled remaining meat mixture dividing meat mixture left into 2 labeled gallon ziplock bags.
• Divide remaining veggies into labled 2 qt freezer bags.
• Divide remaining mashed potatoes into 2 labeled gallon freezer bags.
• For convenience, I actually staple the bag of meat mixture, veggies and mashed potatoes together into 2 dinner groups to make it all easier to find in my freezer. Obviously, staple above the zip on the bag when stapling together. :-).

MAKE AHEAD WRAPS - OAMC

Steps:

• Combine rice, southwest seasoning and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 35-40 minutes, or until tender.
• Remove from heat, and cool.
• Place black beans and pinto beans into a colander or strainer, and rinse.
• Transfer to a large bowl. Add corn, onion, spices and salsa, and toss to mix.
• Mix in rice and cheese.
• Divide the mixture evenly among the tortillas, and roll up.
• Freeze wraps in single layer on lightly greased cookie sheet.
• When fully frozen, wrap individually; place wraps in large zip-top freezer bags; freeze.
• TO SERVE: Unwrap wraps (that even sounds funny to me) from foil or plastic wrap that you used for freezing.
• Wrap in a paper towel.
• Cook in microwave until heated through (about 2 minutes).
• Or thaw wrap (remove plastic wrap if used in freezing), put foil, and bake at 350F for ten minutes.

MAKE-AHEAD CHEESY BACON MINI MEATLOAVES

Steps:

• Whisk eggs and milk in large bowl until blended. Add all remaining ingredients except bacon; mix lightly. Shape into 6 (1-inch-thick) patties; wrap bacon slice around edge of each patty.
• Wrap individually in plastic wrap; place in freezer-weight resealable plastic bag. Seal bag. Freeze up to 3 months.
• Heat oven to 375ºF. Unwrap frozen patties; place on rimmed baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 40 to 45 min. or until done (160ºF).