Appetizers/Snacks

Freezer Meals

With my first baby on the way, I spent a few weekends over the past month making a ton of food to stock up my freezer with easy meals for the first few weeks after the baby is born.

I also stocked my freezer with bread, rolls, wraps, pita bread, and bags of frozen veggies and fruits and my pantry with essentials like whole-wheat pasta, quinoa, brown rice, tuna, beans, canned tomatoes, and non-refrigerated almond milk so I can keep grocery store trips to a minimum.

Tip: Before you get started, make sure to have lots of resealable bags (gallon and quart), wax paper, and foil baking dishes on hand, and label everything, including with the instructions for cooking for heating.

Here a look at some of the items I made:

 

Baked Pork and Shrimp Egg Rolls

These egg rolls are such a huge hit every time I make them. Not only do they taste like the real thing, but they’re baked, so you don’t feel as guilty eating them. I adapted the recipe from the egg roll wrapper package. You can make the full batch with all pork or all shrimp or divide it in half and make some of both (as detailed in the recipe below).

 

Baked Pork and Shrimp Egg Rolls
Yields 20
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Prep Time
45 min
Cook Time
12 min
Prep Time
45 min
Cook Time
12 min
Ingredients
  1. 20 egg roll wrappers
  2. 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
  3. 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  4. 2 cloves garlic, minced
  5. 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  6. 1 carrot, shredded
  7. 1 small red pepper, julienned
  8. 2 cups Napa cabbage, shredded
  9. ¼ cup chicken broth
  10. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  11. 1 tablespoon sugar
  12. 1-2 tablespoons sesame oil
  13. ½ lb. ground pork, cooked
  14. 12 extra large shrimp, cleaned, cooked, and minced
Instructions
  1. In a large skillet, stir-fry the ginger and garlic in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add green onion, carrots, and red pepper, and cook for 2 minutes over high heat.
  2. In a bowl, combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, and sugar. Add that mixture and the Napa cabbage to the skillet, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes, until veggies are soft. Add sesame oil, cool for at least 15 minutes, and strain.
  3. Divide into two separate bowls, and add cooked shrimp to one and cooked pork to the other.
  4. Lay out an egg roll wrapper with a corner pointed toward you. Place about a 1/4 cup of the mixture in the center of the wrapper. Fold the bottom corner up to cover the mixture, and then the left and right corners toward the center. Brush the top corner of the wrapper with water, and roll the egg roll toward the top corner to seal.
  5. Place on a greased baking sheet seam side down.
  6. Continue with the remaining wrappers and mix.
  7. Bake at 400 F for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through.
  8. Serve with sweet and sour or duck sauce.
Notes
  1. *To freeze: Place unbaked egg rolls on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Transfer to freezer for at least 1 hour. Remove from freezer and place immediately in a large resealable bag to freeze. To serve, defrost on a baking sheet, and then bake according to recipe directions.
Seasoned to Impress https://seasonedtoimpress.com/

Soft Pretzels

I’m stuck in my house because of snow and bored out of my mind. So what better time to try some new recipes I’ve always wanted to try? I’ve made bread and pizza doughs many times, but I’ve never attempted soft pretzels before. This recipe from Alton Brown has a ton of great reviews, and I see why. It’s perfect and surprisingly pretty easy. I didn’t change a thing. And they work perfect to slice in half for sandwiches.

Soft Pretzels
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Ingredients
  1. 1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
  2. 1 tablespoon sugar
  3. 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  4. 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
  5. 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  6. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  7. 10 cups water
  8. 2/3 cup baking soda
  9. 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
  10. Pretzel salt
Instructions
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the water, sugar, kosher salt, and yeast. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and melted butter. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls cleanly away from the side of the bowl, approximately 5 minutes. Place the dough in a large bowl sprayed with cooking spray, and then cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
  2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.
  3. In a large pot, bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil.
  4. Place the dough onto a lightly oiled work surface. Divide into 8 equal pieces, and roll out each piece into about a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the baking sheet.
  5. Working one pretzel at a time, carefully place into the boiling water, and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from the water using a large flat spatula, and place on the baking sheet. Brush with the egg/water mixture and sprinkle with salt.
  6. Bake until dark golden brown in color, about 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Seasoned to Impress https://seasonedtoimpress.com/