If you are like me, there are 2 things I basically drop in the busy summer months - baking and my hobby which is sewing. Even when I had good intentions of trying to keep up, it never happened. Summer is busy with kids being home from school (mine are grown and gone now), gardening, vacations, camping, walking, garage sales, farmer's market, picnics. etc.
But when the last of the garden has been harvested and the days are crisp and cool, I like to start doing some extra cooking and baking in preparation for winter. We love to entertain, so with a little preparation on my part now, it makes having friends over, even on last minute notice, so much easier.
Here are some things I do to start filling my freezer to make entertaining less stressful over the winter months:
1. Stock Up When Items Are On Sale & Freeze:
Did you know you can freeze milk? Once a month our grocery store gives 10% off, so I stock up on milk for the month and freeze it. You would never know the difference, just thaw in the fridge overnight. But many times we thawed it in water in the sink when we forgot to take it out the night before. Also stock up and freeze things like butter, shortening, puff pastry, and other ingredients you use in baking such as chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Who wants to make a trip to the store in the middle of baking day?
2. Make Things You Can Freeze Unbaked:
Remember the refrigerator muffin batter that was kept in the fridge for a month? The reason that was so popular is you baked them as you wanted them. Following this principle, you feel better about serving something to your guests that just came out of the oven as opposed to something you warmed up in the microwave. Here are my favourites to stock up in my freezer and bake fresh for company:
Cinnamon Buns
So make some cinnamon buns, I use my bread machine to whip up the dough for another time-saving tip, and once they are made and cut, freeze them on a cookie sheet. Now you just have to put them in the fridge the night before in a pan and they will thaw and rise overnight. Bake fresh cinnamon buns in the morning without getting up in the middle of the night.
Pie Dough
I have a really Easy Flaky Pastry Dough Recipe with my Secret Ingredient. Making pie is a lot of work, but not when you have the dough already made. Just thaw it in the fridge the night before your pie-making day. You can even make pie fillings and freeze, now you are really organized.
Cookie Batter
Whip up some cookies batter recipes that you can roll into a log and freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge, slice, and bake.
Pizza Dough
Here is my Pizza Dough Recipe I make using my KitchenAid mixer. Just throw the ingredients into the bowl, mix with the dough hook for 10 minutes, then transfer to another oiled bowl & let rise for 45-60 minutes. One batch makes 2 Large Pizzas, so punch down the dough, divide into 2, and wrap in cellophane and freeze. As soon as you get the one dough rising, you can start another batch. The machine does all the work. This is easy to whip up while you are doing other things.
3. Cook Once - Eat Twice
Whenever you are cooking, whether it be a pot of chilli, or homemade soup, make extra or even a double batch. You will hardly notice the extra work, and then you have some great comfort-food for standby. So stock up on some freezable containers like aluminum pans, freezer bags, or ziplock storage containers.
Some great suggestions to freeze are: Soups, Stew, Chilli, Spaghetti Sauce, Lasagna, and Casseroles,
Tip: you can put soup and spaghetti into ziplock bags, lay them on their side on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once frozen they can be stored upright like row of books on a shelf. One medium sized freezer bag easily holds 2 portions.
4. Keep Things Organized:
It is easy for them to get forgotten because you can't see them. So now is the time to take a moment to get your freezer organized. Keep things sorted "like with like." Here is a suggestion on how to group items:
Breads & BunsFrozen FruitBaking IngredientsFrozen MealsFrozen BakingBe sure to label everything that goes into your freezer!
I share more tips in my Free eBook which you can download here.
5. Keep Some Easy Stand-By's You Can Kick Up A Notch:
There are a few things I like to always have for drop-in visitors and for when you don't have time to bake. Why not make a list of things you can whip up at the last minute and keep it on a recipe card. That way when you do get unexpected guests, you won't be flustered, you can refer to your card.
For example:
Croissants in your freezer can be thawed and used for breakfast, or to make a fancy bread-pudding dessert.
Vanilla Ice Cream is another great standby - which you can serve with waffles and cooked berries as breakfast for your guests, or floats for dessert with either pop, or my favourite... coffee. You haven't lived until you tried hot coffee over ice cream.
So start now! Just add one extra thing each week to your schedule that you can make and freeze. You don't have to schedule an extra afternoon either, just do it on a day when you are home or while you are already in the kitchen making supper. With just a little extra planning, you are won't notice it so much "now," but your life will be easier "then!"
Elvie Look: Your Professional Organizing Coach who is helping people get organized with her easy tips and suggestions. These systems help the busy mom, businessman or woman, entrepreneur or student learn the keys to organizing in simple, actionable and manageable steps. She teaches how to get organized and maintain your organized space while carrying on your normal busy life. She is the author of "21 Steps From Chaos To Calm and "One-A-Day" Tips http://elviesessentials.com/