Tasty Bites: Stromboli

By Beth

A friend of mine recently organized a Freezer Meal Swap (see my last post on Adventures in Freezer Cooking). Four busy moms each prepared four of the same recipe and then we met to swap them and each went home with four dinners that are already prepped and in the freezer.  I prepared a Stromboli for each family.  Here is a Stromboli tutorial for you! I was inspired by this and this recipe.

Start out with frozen bread dough or your favorite basic dough recipe. Thaw the dough and allow it to rise according to the package directions, or use your own dough.  I used this dough and it is really easy and fool-proof.  Here is the beautiful, bubbly, risen dough ready to be spread.

Spread the dough in a rough rectangle and then roll it out in all directions into a larger rectangle, approximately 18”x12.”

Layer ½ lb of sliced mozzarella or provolone, followed by about 10 slices of Genoa salami, a couple of handfuls of pepperoni (I found 22 pieces to be just about perfect!) and a couple of handfuls of diced ham (about 30 pieces).

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Tasty Bites: Adventures in Freezer Cooking

By Beth

Have you ever tried freezer cooking?  Freezer cooking can fit into any lifestyle.  It can involve a very small or a very large investment of time, but this investment that can save time and money on busy days when you do not have time to cook. Stocking up a stash of homemade convenience foods also gives you complete control over the ingredients based on your family’s taste preferences or health concerns. You can prepare freezer meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even snacks. Now is a great time to think about doing some freezer cooking to help ease the busyness of the upcoming holiday season!  Here are some common freezer-cooking strategies:

Batch Cooking – Putting together a few meals with the same ingredient. For example, chicken is on sale, so put together several meals featuring chicken and put them into the freezer.

Cook Once, Eat Twice – Plan your meals so that you make two of each recipe. Eat one that night for dinner, put the 2^nd into the freezer for another night. Double the recipe of pancakes one morning that you have time to cook them, freeze the leftovers in bags containing the number you would need for each breakfast and reheat them in the toaster oven or microwave on a busy morning.

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