Frozen Meatballs

I’m happy to report that the fridge arrived last night! Everything was insulated well, so the food casualties were minimal- YAY! Needless to say, last night I was a cooking machine! I sliced up eight chicken breasts and cooked them in the crock pot. I even cooked and froze 1 lb of bacon (we’ll see how that turns out). I had 2 lbs sausage, 1 lb ground bison, and 3 lbs ground turkey on my hands. What to do?

I browned and froze the sausage and some of the turkey in 1 lb portions to use later in spaghetti sauce, chili, casseroles- really the options are endless! I may be doing this on a more regular basis!

By the time I was finished with all the cooking, I was pooped. I crashed at 10pm, and Zach was kind enough to the divide up the cooked chicken from the crock pot and freeze.

I did try one really exciting new recipe (thanks Martha Stewart). I’ve become obsessed with making double batches of cookie dough and freezing perfect little individual cookie dough balls- this way, I can just take out a couple to bake at a time (that is, if we don’t eat the entire stash of frozen cookie dough balls!). What’s better than a warm cookie, fresh from the oven?! Seriously- try this idea.

Ok- back to the Martha recipe. MEATBALLS! Ok, so I took a ton of creative liberties, but they still smelled awesome! I also made a double batch of these, but the following recipe is for a single batch.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb lead ground beef (I used 1 lb ground bison and 1 lb ground turkey)


• 2 slices of bacon or 2 ounces, finely chopped (I used kitchen scissors for
  this- what a great idea!)


• 1/4c chopped fresh parsley


• 2 garlic cloves, minced (I usually buy the jar- best shortcut ever)


• 3 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese


• 1 Tbs plain dried breadcrumbs (I used Italian breadcrumbs because that’s
  what was in my pantry)


• 1 large egg


• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg


• ½ tsp coarse salt


• ¼ tsp pepper

1. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients.


2. Scoop out about a tablespoon of the mixture and roll into a ball. But feel free to
   make them any size you want!


3. Arrange a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour.


4. Once frozen, transfer to an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag. Be sure to write the cooking directions and date on your container or bag.


5. To cook frozen (no need to thaw!) meatballs, take straight from freezer and cook about 15 min in 400 degree oven. OR simmer, covered, in liquid until cooked through. About 10 min depending on size.

The meatballs should be used within the next 3 months. I plan on using them in soups and sauces!