Freezer Apple Pie Filling

Did you know that you can freeze applesauce and apple pie filling?  I didn't!  My mother-in-law was in town and we decided to make applesauce and apple pie filling with apples I picked from an apple orchard.  I wasn't in the mood to go through all the work of canning when it would only make about 10 jars of applesauce and pie filling.   That's when I found out that you can freeze applesauce and apple pie filling. I was a little unsure about it, but after tasting my frozen applesauce, I'm a big fan.  Frozen applesauce that has been defrosted in the refrigerator taste the same as if it had never been frozen.  

Below are the instructions for making and freezing apple pie filling.  The recipe I used was from Easy Frugal Living.

Ingredients:
24 cups thinly sliced apples
4 tablespoons lemon juice ( used some lemon juice mixed with sprite to keep em white!)
5 cups sugar (I used 2 cups brown and 3 cups white)
1 cup cornstarch 
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 cups water 

Directions:
1. Peel apples and cut into thin slices.  Place apples in a bowl with lemon juice and set aside. 
2. Pour water into a large cooking pot, over medium heat. Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add to water.  Stir well.  Bring mixture to a boil.  Boil for 2 minutes.  Stir constantly. 
3. Add apples and return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples are tender. This took about 30 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes. 
4. Scoop 4 1/2 cups into freezer ziploc bags. Cool at room temperature.
5. Place in freezer.  Apple Pie Filling can be frozen for up to a year.  

I can't wait to taste my first homemade apple pie on Thanksgiving day.  What are your favorite things to make with apples? 

Freezer Breakfast Burritos

I'm lucky enough to have awesome aunts.  One of my aunts lives nearby and has an amazing garden.  I got a ton of vegetables from her garden including squash, tomatillos, green peppers, green chilies, tomatoes, zucchinis, and egg plant.  After canning a batch of delicious salsa and chili sauce, I still had lots of vegetables left over and couldn't eat them fast enough.  They were starting to go bad.  I took inventory of my stuffed refrigerator and came up with a way to stock my empty freezer- Freezer Breakfast Burritos.  These were so simple to make and so tasty.
I have always been one to follow a recipe exactly and don't like to have to experiment when making food.  However, through experience I am learning that most of the time when cooking there are so many ways to make a meal taste delicious and if you don't have all the ingredients, just improvise.  That's exactly what I did when making these breakfast burritos.  I pulled off all the veggies off my counter that needed to be used ASAP and grabbed things out of my refrigerator that would be good in a breakfast burrito.

The indigents included:
* Tomatoes
* Green peppers
* Green chilies
* Onions
* Cilantro
* Avocado (we had lots leftover from dinner that we needed to use up)
* Sausage (I bought a ton at Winco from $1/ pound- always check the meat that is reduced for quick sale)
* Hamburger (which was left over from tacos)
* Eggs (I used 1 1/2 dozen)
* Shredded Cheese
* Tortillas (I used 16)
* Hashbrowns/potatoes (I didn't use these, but I would next time)

The ingredients aren't that important.  Just use what you have and what you like.  For those who have a garden, this is a great way to use your garden vegetables.

Directions:
1.  Saute peppers, chilies, and onions.  Cook meat.  Combine sauteed vegetables and meat.  Then add eggs. Scramble all together.  Once the eggs are almost done, add tomatoes, cilantro, avocados, or any vegetable that doesn't need to be sauteed.  When everything is cooked to perfection, add cheese.  Let mixture cool completely.   Scoop desired amount in tortillas.  Wrap tortillas up into a burrito.  Then wrap burritos in tin foil or saran wrap.  Place in large freezer bags.  Enjoy frozen breakfast burritos for days to come.  You can place burritos in the oven or microwave.  We cooked the frozen breakfast burrito in the microwave for 1 minute.  They are a great on the go breakfast food.

My husband was in a hurry to school this morning.  I grabbed a breakfast burrito out of the freezer.  Unwrapped the foil and cooked the burrito for 1 minute.  Wrapped it with a paper towel and sent my husband on his way.  I got a phone call from him a few minutes later saying that it was amazing.  His only suggestion for improvement was to add potatoes next time.