Summer is upon us. That means the kids are out of school and if you have kids like we do- they are ALWAYS hungry. This prompted me to give some freezer cooking a try.


I decided to start small with a few breakfast and lunch meals. Easy things that can be pulled out and microwaved when each kid wants to eat. I made breakfast burritos, french toast, and whole wheat blueberry & cinnamon roll pancakes for breakfast. For lunch it was egg rolls and buffalo chicken rolls. 


Granted this adventure cost me a few hours and some dirty dishes but a lot less than I was thinking. Pretty amazing results. The added plus about this is not only am I saving money but I know what my kids are getting in their food. I will post recipes throughout the week. Stay tuned! 

Fruit Jello-Shots

Cut an Orange (or lemon or lime) in HALF and gut it

 Mix the jello shot (1 cup hot water, box jello, 1 cup various liquors)

 Stir till dissolved

 Add the jello mix to the half peel and refrigerate for 3 hours or more

 Once solid, slice and serve!

5 Minute Black Forest Cake

This is a super easy and yet delicious cake to make. It uses a cake mix and frosting for ease but you would never know it came from a mix!

1 box chocolate cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 packets single serve instant coffee
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup amaretto
1 can cherry pie filling
1 tub chocolate frosting

Pre-heat over to 350 degrees. Grease a spring form pan and then lightly flour the inside.

Heat up the water in a microwave cup for 1-2 mins. Stir in both packs of coffee. In a bowl mix together the coffee, cake mix, eggs, oil, and amaretto. Place in spring form pan. Bake in oven 35-45 minutes or until done.  Let cake cool then remove from pan. With a sharp, serrated knife slice the cake in half lengthwise. Place can of pie filling on the bottom half of cake. Place the top half of cake back on top of it. Frost then serve. Refrigerate any left over cake. ENJOY!

Pork Tamales

I decided to try my hand at making some. They turned out amazingly well! A little labor intensive but well worth it.


Pork:
2 lbs pork (I used a big cut of pork Carnita)
1 tsp cumin 
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 cup tequila (optional)

Mix spices and rub on pork. If using tequila pour over pork. Bake in the oven at 325 degrees for 2-3 hours. Pork should be tender. Cool and shred or cube. Set aside.
*This can be done up in advance. I did mine the night before and kept it in the fridge overnight.


Tamale Dough:
4 cups mesa
4 cups lukewarm water or broth (I used half water and half chicken broth)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup vegetable shortening

In a large bowl combine mesa, baking powder, and salt. Add the water or broth and mix with your fingers until a soft dough forms.

In a small bowl beat the shortening so it is smooth and fluffy.

Add the shortening to the dough and beat until well combined and dough softens.

Tamales:

Pork 

Chili sauce or salsa (because I had kids eating these we used a medium red sauce for half and a mild green sauce for the other half)

18-20 corn husks

Tamale dough

Combine pork and sauce so all pieces all coated nicely. Place Corn husks in a bowl and soak in water for several minutes then rinse them. Lay a husk down flat and open. Place an even layer of dough over the husk. Then place pork down the center of the dough.

Take the two sides and fold the tamale length wise so the dough touches. Use you fingers to seal the dough keeping the pork inside. Then roll the corn husk around and fold in ends.

Place tamales in a steamer. If you don't have a steamer you can use a pan with a rack on the bottom. Add just enough water to cover the bottom but not touch the tamales. I have a double pan that works perfect for steaming. 

Cover the steamer or pan tightly. You can use a cloth under the lid if needed to create a tighter seal. Steam for 1-2 hours. 

Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls

We love cinnamon rolls in our house but with our hectic lives they usually come out of a tube. That is why I decided to conquer making these. I founds this fabulous recipe and let me just say, they were a HUGE hit!