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Articles, How-To's and Interviews -
Personal Finances
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Written by Deborah Taylor-Hough
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 In many families, morning is a hectic and hurried time.
Frequently parents feel fortunate just to get everyone
out the door fully dressed each day. Serve a hot cooked
breakfast every morning? Not a chance. Breakfast (if
it's served at all) often consists of grabbing a toaster
pastry and a quick glass of juice as the family runs out
the door racing headlong to work and school.
I've discovered that taking an hour or two on an
occassional weekend to prepare breakfast items
for the freezer, takes much of the insanity out of the
weekday morning rush.
Waffles, Pancakes, French Toast
To prepare waffles, pancakes and French toast for freezing,
cook until lightly browned -- don't overcook. Then freeze
individually in a single layer on a cookie sheet or flat pan.
When frozen solid, stack together in a freezer bag. By
freezing these items separately, they won't stick together.
You can remove only the amount needed for today's meal --
whether it's one waffle or a dozen.
For reheating, just pop them (still frozen) into the toaster
on the pastry setting (low) just like you would do with the
boxed frozen waffles from the store. Heating in a toaster
keeps them firm, rather than limp and soggy -- which
often happens when these breakfast items are reheated
in the microwave.
Muffins and Quickbreads
You can make muffins and quickbreads ahead of time to
serve for easy breakfasts. Just bake your favorite recipes
as usual, cool completely, wrap in foil, label, and freeze.
You can also wrap individual muffins in plastic wrap and
then place the wrapped muffins into large zip-top freezer
bags. Muffins can be easily reheated in the microwave.
Serve with fresh fruit and juice for a delicious and easy
breakfast.
Breakfast Burritos
To get you started on the road toward simple breakfasts,
here's a recipe for easy Breakfast Burritos ... definitely
one my family's all-time favorite make-ahead meals.
12 eggs, beaten
1 pound bulk sausage, cooked (or crumbled links)
1/2 cup chunky salsa (your choice of heat)
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
24 flour tortillas (you can also use whole wheat) Scramble eggs in large skillet until done; stir in cooked
sausage and salsa. Warm tortillas in microwave 20 - 30
seconds or until warm and flexible. Place 1/2 cup egg
mixture into tortilla; roll burrito-style.
Freeze burritos in single layer on lightly greased cookie
sheet. When fully frozen, wrap burritos individually; place
wrapped burritos in large zip-top freezer bags; freeze.
TO SERVE:
Unwrap burritos from foil or plastic wrap that you used for
freezing. Wrap in a paper towel. Cook in microwave until
heated through (about 2 minutes). Or thaw burritos (remove
plastic wrap if used in freezing), wrap burritos in foil, and
bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes.
Optional Ingredients:
1 green pepper, finely diced
6 potatoes, shredded and fried until cooked through (or use hashbrowns)
Jalapeno slices
Small can chopped green chiles
1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 onion, finely diced
1 tomato, peeled and chopped
2 green onions, sliced with tops
I've even taken these frozen burritos with us when we've
gone camping. I just place the bag of frozen burritos into
the ice chest, and by the time we're ready for breakfast
the first morning, the burritos are fully thawed. Then I
simply reheat them in a large skillet over the campstove
or fire grate.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
--Deborah Taylor-Hough (free-lance writer, wife and mother of three)
is the editor of the
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and
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email newsletters. She's also the author of the bestselling
book, Frozen
Assets: how to cook for a day and eat for a month, and A
Simple Choice: a practical guide for saving your time, money
and sanity. Be sure to visit Debi online at "A Frugal, Simple Life":
http://hometown.aol.com/dsimple/
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