Shepherds Pie Make Ahead Freeze Ahead Oamc Food

SHEPHERD'S PIE OAMC

Steps:

• In a dutch oven or stockpot, cook the beef over medium heat.
• About halfway through add the onion.
• Cook until the beef is no longer pink, drain off the grease.
• Microwave the carrots for 2 minutes.
• Add the gravy and veggies.
• Cool and put into 2 freezer containers. I put them in freezer bags.
• To prepare: Thaw frozen beef mixture in the refrigerator.
• Put into a greased 2 quart baking dish.
• Top with mashed potatoes, melted butter and sprinkle with paprika.
• Bake uncovered at 350F for 30-35 minutes or until heated through.

SHEPHERD'S PIE (OAMC)

Steps:

• Assembly Directions:.
• melt butter in a saucepan and fry the onion and carrots until golden brown.
• Stir in the flour and cook one minute.
• Gradually stir in beef broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
• Add the Worchestershire sauce, oregano, seasonings and corn.
• Cover the pan.
• Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
• Remove from heat and add cooked ground meat.
• Mix well.
• Freezing:.
• Line an 8x8 baking dish with heavy foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
• pour mix into baking dish and top with make ahead mashed potatoes.
• wrap with the foil and place in gallon sized freezer bag.
• Lable and freeze.
• To Serve:.
• Thaw.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until topping is brown and meat is heated through.
• To heat from the frozen stage, add 10-15 minutes more baking time.

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 SLOPPY JOES

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook sausage, beef, and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.
• Remove from heat and drain.
• Remove centers from the tops and bottoms of each bun. Tear removed bread into small pieces and add to skillet. Set buns aside.
• Stir remaining ingredients into the sausage mixture and spoon about 1/3 cupful onto the bottom of each bun.
• Replace tops and wrap individually in heavy-duty foil.
• Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until heated through or freeze for up to 3 months.
• Thaw frozen sandwiches in the refrigerator and heat as directed.

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.