mini chocolate croissants: freezer recipe

I have been enjoying the benefits of preparing great food in advance and storing it in the freezer.  It is called 'freezer cooking' and has been saving me valuable time and money, as well as being able to pull amazing things out and in a flash wowing my guests.  Recently, I tried a chocolate croissant recipe that was well worth the effort.  My kids called them an awesome dessert, but I just had to have a few with my morning coffee, making them breakfast!  This recipe makes 64 mini rolls, but only about 50 made it to the freezer.  This is one of those recipes that I don't mind the kids polishing off quickly so I can try it again ;)

Mini Chocolate Croissants

2 TBSP. Yeast

1.5 cups milk

3/4 cup butter

1 tsp. salt

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

7 cups flour

1/2 bag chocolate chips

Melt the butter in the milk in a saucepan.  When it is warm, not hot, pour it into the yeast and sugar.  Let set for 5 minutes.  Add eggs, mixing well.  Add salt and then the flour 2 cups at a time until well blended. (I use a Kitchen Aide mixer)   Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces.

Roll out one portion of the dough into a circle about 12" in diameter.

Here is where little hands can help (but be sure you have extra chips or you will run short).  Cut the circle of dough into  16 pieces like a pizza.  Add chocolate chips to each triangle and roll them up from the outside in, placing each crescent roll on a greased cookie sheet.  (Because these are mini sized I used 3 cookie sheets total.)

Set the cookie sheets in a warm place and let rise 2-5 hours or until doubled in size.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Place on a cooling rack to cool and then sprinkle with powdered sugar.  After flash freezing them, I do it on the cooling rack, then put into a gallon sized plastic bag for storage in the freezer.  Take out of the freezer and let them defrost for 15 minutes before serving, or if you want you can heat them up for a few seconds in the microwave and serve warm.  I grabbed 3 on the way out the door this morning and ate them in the car with my latte...HEAVEN!!!!!

Banana Bread French Toast Sticks - freezer meals

Ever heard the saying, "Necessity is the Mother of invention?"  Well for me, Necessity is the Mother of new recipe!"  I was making our new standard Pumpkin Pie French toast sticks for the freezer last week and I made a planning error:  DO NOT MAKE THEM WITH THE KIDS AROUND!!! Take it from me!  I could hardly keep ahead of them as I pulled them off the griddle.  I finally sent them all away and started on a second batch, but was out of pumpkin puree.  I improvised and think these are just as great, if not better, than the original recipe.  Here it is:

BANANA BREAD FRENCH TOAST STICKS

Ingredients:
2 bananas
1 can of carrots
12 eggs
1/2 cup milk of your choice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. each of cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla
2 loaves of bread
powdered sugar (optional)

Mix in a blender the can of carrots (drained), milk, banana and 6 eggs.  Pour into a large bowl.  Blend up the rest of ingredients and add to the first mix.  (The reason I do it separately is because my blender wouldn't hold all of the batter so I divide it into two batches.)

Dip individual slices of bread into the batter and cook them on a griddle or frying pan, turning once for each side. 

***In  my previous post on Pumpkin Pie french toast sticks I was baking them in the oven.  I have found that if just do them normally in slices on a griddle it is faster and easier to clean up saving you more time and effort.  I can fit 6 slices on the griddle and take them off laying them directly to a cutting board where I cut them into sticks with a pizza cutter. 

Place the strips onto a baking rack to cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  (This is usually when they start disappearing one by one as the kids 'help' sprinkle powdered sugar on them). 

When my baking rack is full I place it in the freezer to flash freeze them (about 30 minutes).  Then you can store them in gallon freezer bags without them sticking together. 

Take out your desired amount of French Toast sticks and warm in the microwave, toaster or oven.

Tuesday is freezer meals day- French Toast sticks, smoothies, pizza pockets and egg sandwich patties!

Mondays are my 'catch up on the house' days, Tuesdays are my 'catch up on the freezer meals' days.  I have found that if I put some time preparing snacks and meals in advance I save time later.  This week I made 120 French toast sticks, 18 pizza pockets, 10 smoothie packs, 20 breakfast egg patties, and 14 carrot juice ice cube packs for smoothies.  Total in time it took 2 hours and has saved me tons of time later on in the week.  The best part is that the  kids (and my husband and I) have really good choices that take little time from freezer to table.

The Pumpkin Pie french toast sticks were yummy. (I made them while I was making dinner Sunday night.) I took 1 can pumpkin, 1 can of sweet potatoes and mashed them thoroughly. I split the mash into two bowls. The first bowl got my waffle mix added to it and as I made the waffles for dinner I worked on the french toast, too. Add 1 dozen eggs, 1/2 cup milk (I used almond), 1 tsp. vanilla and 1/2 cup brown sugar to the mash. Mix well. Stir in 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. of nutmeg. Take 1.5 loaves of bread (about 42 pieces) and split the slices into thirds. Take each strip and dip it in the batter then place it on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes, flip and bake 3 more minutes on the other side. I flash froze the batches in the freezer on a baking rack and then combined them into a gallon size zipper bag. Reheat the sticks in the toaster oven or microwave.

Tuesday I made pizza pockets for the first time, they were fabulous. Here is the link to that recipe:
http://naturallyhomemade.blogspot.com/2012/05/pizza-pockets.html

Then I made smoothie packs from 3 cartons of strawberries, 1 bag frozen blueberries, and 1 bunch bananas.  (I juice 5 lbs. of carrots once a week and freeze them in 1 cup portions.  I also save leftover watermelon juice and freeze it the same way to add in our smoothies instead of ice.)  Here is my favorite Green Monster smoothie recipe: http://naturallyhomemade.blogspot.com/2012/05/green-monster-smoothies.html


 

Next, I decided to use up the rest of the diced veggies by making breakfast sandwich egg patties.  Just take 10 eggs mix well, add 2 cups of spinach (sauteed with chopped turkey bacon and onions, and cooled) and sprinkle the veggies and bacon into eggs.  Bake in a greased rectangular cake pan at 375 for 20 minutes.  Take out of oven and let cool.  Cut into squares and freeze in plastic bags in the freezer.  To eat, reheat the patty in the microwave and serve on a toasted English muffin with a slice of cheese....delicious!



When I was finished with the 'freezer' cooking the kids came in and showed me the toad they found in the sandbox....they were busy too!

pizza pockets-freezer meals

These were crazy good!  Even the baby boy crawled up his high chair, grabbed one off a plate and proceeded to eat the entire thing!   Money Saving Mom.com is the page where I found the idea. (http://moneysavingmom.com/2012/05/4-weeks-to-fill-your-freezer-homemade-pizza-pockets-day-8.html) I adapted the filling to my family and what was in my freezer.  We used a turkey polish sausage, cheese, spaghetti sauce and veggies to fill them.  I marked the 'no cheese' pockets with an X for my dairy free girl.

Dough:
2 Tbsp. dry active Yeast
2 cups warm water
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. Olive oil
5 cups flour

Filling:
1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 turkey polish sausage link cut into slices like pepperoni
diced veggies
shredded cheese

Mix the first 3 ingredients in your kitchen aide or mixer.  Leave to sit and dissolve for 5 minutes.  Slowly add the flour, salt, and lastly oil.  The dough will pull together and be slightly sticky.  (I left mine to rise for an hour while I ran to the store to get shredded cheese ;)  Arrange your filling ingredients on the counter near your floured rolling surface.  Pinch off dough and shape into a ball in your hand, mine were about the size of a clementine orange.  Roll the ball into a flat circle with a rolling pin.

 Add a spoonful of filling/cheese to the center and fold over dough closing up the side and pinching seams.  Place on a baking sheet and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.  Let cool and store in a container or bag in freezer.  Reheat in toaster oven or microwave.  Makes 16-18 pizza pockets depending on your size.

Chocolate covered Cherry Banana Bread (Dairy free)

Who doesn't love banana nut bread?  How about chocolate?  I added my favorite two foods together one day and now I wonder what took me so long to figure this out!!!  I just use my Grandma Seyer's recipe for banana bread, left out the nuts, added dried cherries and 2 Tbsp. of Cocoa and poof....chocolate covered cherry banana bread is the BOMB!  (This is what I like to make now when taking a meal to someone instead of brownies, because it is so much healthier.)

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY BANANA BREAD

1 stick of softened butter

 (or 1/2 cup shortening for dairy free version)

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

4-5 ripe bananas

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 TBSP cocoa powder

handful of cherries, cranberries, or nuts (optional)

Mix butter (or shortening) and sugar until fluffy.  Add bananas one at a time, mixing well after each.  Add eggs  and vanilla, blend.  Combine the dry ingredients into a bowl, slowly add them to the banana batter.  Fold in your berries or nuts.  Spoon into 2 greased loaf pans and bake at a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes.  (Prepare honey butter while you wait.)

 Remove from oven to cool.  Cut and enjoy!

*HONEY BUTTER, I usually serve this with honey butter when I want to really WOW my guests.  Just soften some butter and mix in honey in a small dish.  Put back into fridge to firm up.  It tastes so good on banana bread, muffins, and cornbread :)

Homemade Italian beef (Chicago Style :)

I was brought a meal one time by a local friend of mine after a medical thing I was recovering from, and it was good old Chicago Style Italian Beef.  It was glorious and I thought only moms with a dozen kids living on a farm in the NWburbs could possibly know the secrets of making it.  I thought it must have been so second nature to her that she had enough for her brood and mine as well, being the supermom she is.  Well, over the past 3 years we have ordered our free range cow from our darling local cowman and I too have mastered the art of Chicago Style Italian beef.  Come to find out it isn't a secret after all, just smart and easy cooking by those who care to try it.  I will save you the trouble of figuring it out and share the recipe in the spirit of true Southern hospitality (since I am not originally from here, hehe :)........Here it is:

INGREDIENTS for Italian Beef:

(psssssst...just so you know, I always make 2 because I want leftovers)

1 Beef pot roast

 (Arm roast, round roast, bottom roast, etc.  I choose by size not name, it is the one that is round or triangular, not flat and uniform in size like a chuck roast.  Chuck roast are too fatty.)

6-cups of Beef broth

Garlic Salt & Onion Powder to season roast

1 Tbsp. Minced garlic

INGREDIENTS for Garnish:

1 sliced onion

2 sliced carrots

2 sliced jalapenos

1 sliced green pepper

1 tsp. minced garlic

(all sauteed in olive oil for 7 minutes)

How to prepare the roast:

Season your roast with onion powder and garlic salt.  Pour beef broth into roasting pan.  Add roast and cook covered at 400 degrees for 1.5 - 2 hours.  Remove pan from oven and let cool.  When cool enough for the fridge, put in the fridge to rest for 2 or more hours.  At dinner time, I place the roast to a carving board.  Pour your juices into a saucepan straining out the fat (there shouldn't be much :)  Slice the meat as thin as you possibly can.  I use an electric knife.  Put aside in a bowl.  After you have brought your beef juices to a boil add your beef slices to warm them.  Scoop them out onto a bun (recipe follows) drizzle the Au jus onto your bread and top with garnish as desired.  Wondering what to serve with it....how about another sandwich???  Just kidding, sort of, we serve raw veggies and home fries.

How to make the rolls?  Well you could go to your local grocery store, but why stop wow-ing your dinner guests, I say!  Here is my recipe for the rolls:

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/4 cups warm water

1 cup warm milk

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. yeast

2 tsp. salt

6 cups flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water, milk, butter and sugar in a large bowl.  (I use my Kitchen Aide.)

Mix in the salt and slowly add the flour 2 cups at a time, being careful not to over mix the dough.

Sprinkle flour on top of your ball of dough to help you divide it into 12 equal pieces. 

Using floured hands pull of the pieces and roll into your hands into a hot dog bun sized piece. 

Once you have shaped your dough on your greased cookie sheet or seasoned baking stone, cover with a clean and damp dish towel for 25 minutes to rise.  Then, bake at an 375 degree oven for 15-20, or until your rolls are golden brown.  Remove them from the oven, let cool and cut down the middle.  Now you are are ready to make a totally homemade Italian Beef Sang'wich that any Chicagoan could be proud of!

Homemade Focaccia Bread

If you like Italian food you will love this recipe for Focaccia Bread to accompany it.  I start the bread while I am simmering sauce and by the time dinner is ready so is the bread.  I have been making it for about 2 years now and have always had it come out great.    I use my Kitchen Aide to do the mixing and I knead the dough right into the bowl saving me a big clean up later.  I always make 2 loaves at a time because it is such a hit.  My family gets very excited when they see me pull out the olive oil!

INGREDIENTS:

1 Envelope Yeast

1 cup warm water

1 tsp sugar

3 cups flour

2 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. Olive oil

STEP #1 : Dissolve yeast in warm water and sugar, about 5 minutes.

STEP #2: mix in salt and slowly add flour, then oil.

Step #3: Knead dough for 5-8 minutes, folding in halves.  If you are careful not to 'break' the dough, but fold it over and over it will rise higher and lighter. 

STEP #4: Let dough rest for about 20 minutes.

STEP #5: remove the ball of dough and press into a rectangle on a cookie sheet or baking stone.  Let rise for 20 more minutes.

STEP #6: Press your finger to indent the dough in rows up and down the loaf.  Drizzle olive oil, garlic, onion salt, etc.  across the bread.

STEP #7: Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Slice the loaf in half down the middle and then into 1-2 inch wide sticks. 

* They are great dipped in olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar~!