Eating out of Freezer

Overstuffed.  Good thing I delayed purchasing the box of phyllo for baklava that I want to make for scheduled guests.  As it is, I had to remove an ice cube tray and most of my frozen cold compresses to cram all the food I bought into the freezer.  

The freezer makes for fast food, or really easy to prepare food since I virtually never buy prepackaged meals.  There's kosher meat when it goes on sale.  Two whole chickens and a quarter turkey breast take up a lot of space and have become special occasion entrees.  I've accumulated beef, stackable in the packaging, though for shabbos and other special occasions.  For more daily fare, fish is probably nature's fast food.  It comes frozen at sea.  I almost never buy at the fish counter anymore.   Also comes in crunchy fillets.  Just thaw a day in advance, season, and mostly made in skillet or broiled.  Lots of meals that way.  The next level are ersatz meats.  Beyond Burger or Gardein products go directly from freezer to skillet.  Frozen vegetables go on sale.  Pour the desired amount into a dish and microwave, or pour similar amount into boiling water for a few minutes.  While I prefer fresh vegetables, the added convenience, versatility, and long usable life of frozen makes it worth keeping some around.  And it comes in flexible plastic bags that can be positioned in nooks.

We keep one or two cartons of ice cream in the door shelf.  Ample butter and Earth Balance which makes the best pareve butter substitute for baking.  And some leftover phyllo, just enough to try making strudel, though not enough for baklava.  And we have easy boil pasta, in the form of ravioli or pierogies that make for a quick meal.  And frozen Tabachnick soups that we should eat more frequently than we do, but goes on sale periodically.

As we get to the festive eating of the Holy Day Season, it is my intent to consume some of this a meal or two at a time, several times a week.  Menu planning mostly done when I open the freezer door, though Holy Days and guests get more thought.  But I really need to re-freeze some of my cold compresses.