My journey to creating a freezer cookbook is an unlikely one.  Just a year ago I didn’t have a working freezer and hardly ever froze food. The contents of my small and finicky freezer were few – partially frozen fruit, raw meat, and several unlabeled, aging ‘food products.’  So, when a publisher came to me to write a cookbook over the subject, I thought it was laughable.  But after a week or so of stewing on the matter, my mind was literally spilling over with ideas. What if I wrote a cookbook on freezing fresh, unprocessed foods, using seasonal produce to stock your freezer with food that will be sharable in the following seasons. I was imagining tastes of summer like peach pie, to be enjoyed mid winter, and healthy snacks available year around like apple sauce and frozen yogurt dipped berries. Suddenly, I had a whole new idea for a cookbook.  Luckily, the publisher liked my ‘new’ approach to freezing so we signed a contract and started out on this adventure!

The book is divided into several sections starting with a small manual like section of how to freeze.  These are techniques I learned along the way, that I thought might be useful to those also starting to stock their freezer for the first time – handling subjects like freezer burn, how to properly package freezer meals, and how to best freeze specific foods like fruit, grains, and cooked meat.   I also added some fun tips like how to freeze in jars for giving foods away as gifts or get well meals.   This section also gives you a break down on how long each food will last in your freezer so you can label your food correctly and not end up with unknown ‘aging’ food in your freezer like I used to!

After a little basic knowledge is given, the chapters are divided up into meal types – breakfast, pasta, meats, veggies, snacks, and desserts. I give my favorite recipes for the classic freezer meals like enchiladas and lasagna as well as new freezer recipe ideas like banana waffles, pork tacos with avocado crema, butternut squash ravioli, and salted caramel brownies on a stick.

The whole process of making this cookbook was out of my wheelhouse but a perfectly good challenge for me as a recipe developer and home cook. I took the basic skills I have gathered over the years, as well as my wisdom attained during culinary school, and applied them to the craft of freezing.  My family and friends are now better off because of it and I’m forever reaping the benefits of having a stocked freezer, especially as baby numero two is on the way!

Order Fast to the Table Freezer Cookbook on Amazon now.

Some Press on the Book:

In Style – Fast to the Table Freezer Cookbook Feature

Today.com – Fast to the Table Freezer Cookbook Feature

Salt Lake Tribune – Fast to the Table Freezer Cookbook Feature

Bon Appetit – Fast to the Table Freezer Cookbook Feature

She Knows – Fast to the Table Freezer Cookbook Feature

Here’s a little visual taste of what you’ll find in the book:

Cereal Milk Ice Cream Cake

Tomato Basil Soup

Salted Caramel Brownies on a Stick

Strawberry Rhubarb Freezer Jam

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

Slow Cooker Apple Sauce

Grape Slushy

Butternut Squash Ravioli