Monday, April 19, 2010

Freezer recipes #1

Ready-to-go whole wheat pizza dough:
1 1/2 cups warm (115 degrees) water

2 packets ( ounce each) active dry yeast
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for bowl
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for kneading
2 cups whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled)

1.Place water in a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Brush another large bowl with oil.
2.In bowl with yeast, whisk sugar, oil, and salt. Stir in flours with a wooden spoon until a sticky dough forms. Transfer to oiled bowl; brush top of dough with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; let stand in a warm spot until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3.Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface. With floured hands, knead until smooth, about 15 seconds; divide into two balls.
4.Set balls on a plate (they should not touch); freeze until firm, about 1 hour. Then freeze in a freezer bag up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in refrigerator.
5.Divide each ball of dough into 4 pieces. Using your hands, stretch each piece into a 5-inch disk (if dough becomes too elastic to work with, let it rest a few minutes). Freeze shells on two parchment-lined baking sheets. Stack frozen shells between layers of parchment paper. Freeze in a freezer bag up to 3 months. Bake from frozen.
 
Pound cake:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, plus more for pan
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
With a mixer, cream butter and shortening together. Add sugar, a little at a time. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Stir dry ingredients together in a bowl and add to mixer alternately with milk, starting with the flour and ending with the flour. Mix in vanilla. Pour into a greased and floured tube pan and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, (or small loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes) until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  This recipe makes 2 good-size cakes.

Turkey casserole (Easy!):
1 pkg (6 oz) stuffing mix
1- 1 1/2 cup boneless skinless turkey breasts, cut or shred into pieces
14 oz broccoli florets (optional, in my opinion)
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package; set aside.  Mix chicken and broccoli in 13x9-inch baking dish.  Stir in soup, milk, cheese; top with prepared stuffing.  Bake 30 minutes.  Freezer version: do everything except stuffing ahead of time, freeze.  Then from frozen, top with stuffing and bake.  (can also be made with chicken)

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