Shanon Balser – Page 2

Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting

February 26, 2015 by Shanon Balser Leave a Comment

There was this day where I was watching my weight. Scary. My daughter and I started having a conversation about what I would love to eat if I could eat anything in the whole world. We started designing ethereal dishes… but the one that I remember the most, and the one that we ended up making, was a layered chocolate cake, 3 tiers mind you, filled with peanut butter filling, frosted with peanut butter frosting, with chopped peanut butter cups adorning its very peanut buttery sides. We finished it off with salted caramel drizzled all over in a beautiful magical design. I’ve only made it once… it was last fall and I think I can still feel the richness of the cake in my veins. I will make it again…but until I do I think it’s appropriate to post the recipe for the frosting.

Kate loves when I make this frosting–and it goes well with so many things. We like to glaze banana bread with it.. frost peanut butter bars, brownies, cakes or cupcakes or hey–it’s kinda great straight from the bowl.

If you make the cupcakes while the kids are at school you won’t have to share the bowl when you are done frosting them. 🙂

Peanut Butter Frosting

Peanut butter meets powdered sugar and lives happily ever after..

Author: Shanon

Recipe type: Frosing

Ingredients

5 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter chunky or smooth--you're the boss here
2 cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt
⅓ cup milk–or enough to create the consistency you desire

Instructions

Mix until creamy
Frost with a knife or put it in a cake decorating bag and swirl it up!

Apricot Glazed Pork Chops with Sweet Chili Sauce

February 25, 2015 by Shanon Balser Leave a Comment

First. Let’s be very clear about those words up there in the title “sweet” and “chili”. They are both there. What this means is that the sauce for this dish is both sweet and a bit spicy. It’s also delicious. Let’s see… that makes sweet, spicy and delicious. Let’s add easy because I cook these in my crock pot.

I have six kids. At one point I bought a giant wipe board to keep their weekly schedule straight. I remember finishing writing one week’s schedule down, complete with color coding, stepping back and wondering how in the world I would get them all to where they needed to be. Enter the crock pot. This lovely little invention allows me to run the kids everywhere they need to be and still bring them home to a home-cooked meal. Can I make a confession here while I’m at it? I’m not a fan of carpools. Rarely, selectively, I entered into shared ride. Don’t get me wrong. A carpool seems like a great idea and it can be a lifesaver but, for me, I cherish the time I have with my kids in the car. You would be surprised what you find out about your kid when you have a bit of one-on-one time after school. Sometimes it would only be a few minutes between drop-off points, but I have had the best time with my kids just hanging out in the car. We listen to the music they love and sometimes even crank up the volume. We talk about school, love interests, friends, worries, excitements. We pretty much cover the spectrum. It’s been a pleasure to be their chauffeur.

Let’s get back to the crock pot. This is a tasty slow cooker meal. Feel free to just finish it on the stove-top or in the oven but if you are looking for a warm meal that is hours away in carpool years… grab out your crock pot. I like to pair it with cooked baby carrots and dirty rice. You will need bone in pork chops, sliced onions, apricot preserves and

sweet chili sauce. We love Mae Ploy.

Brown pork chops in 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet. Get a nice little golden color on each side. This usually takes about 3 minutes per side. Salt and pepper them to your liking. Place the chops in a crock pot and top each with a heaping tablespoon of apricot preserves, a teaspoon of sweet chili sauce and top with sliced onions. Now… this is your dish. If you want to cook your carrots with the pork chops go ahead. That’s the beauty of a slow cooker. Here they are in the dark abyss of the crock pot 🙂

Add about 1/4 cup water to the bottom of the crock pot and set your cooking time. Some days I start mine in the morning and let them cook on low for about 6 hours. Sometimes I am running very late and throw the crock pot on high for 3-4 hours. Slow cooking is pretty basic but it will vary from crock pot to crock pot. Most important is that you let the chops cook until the inner temperature reaches 160°. This has never been a problem for me since most of the coaches my kids have played for usually don’t end practice on time. Anyone else experience this? Again we are back to the beauty of slow cooking. Those chops really aren’t going to burn, so relax and do some pinning while you wait for your little athlete or dancer…

Keep that sweet chili sauce near the table just in case someone wants a bit more spice on this sweet and tender pork chop.

Enjoy playing chauffeur tonight. Talk to the kids. Listen to the kids. Dinner is waiting.

Apricot Glazed Pork Chops with Sweet Chili Sauce

Let the crock pot do the work...you have more important things to do. This is a yummy slow cooker meal.

Author: Sweet Suppertime

Recipe type: Main Dish

Ingredients

Pork Chops--you choose how many
sliced onions
½ cup apricot preserves
sweet chili sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Brown pork chops in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. 3 minutes on each side works out nicely. Salt and pepper the chops on each side to your desired taste.
Transfer the chops to a slow cooker/crock pot.
Spoon one tablespoon of apricot preserves on top of each pork chop.
Add 1 teaspoon of sweet chili sauce to the top of each pork chop.
Top each chop with sliced onions.
Add a scant ¼ cup of water to the bottom of the crock pot and cook according to your crock pot's instructions.
For 6 chops I cook 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low. I can tell mine is done because the meat starts to fall from the bone. If you are worried, just take the pork's temperature. It should read 160°.
Baste during the cooking process if you are around.

Kitchen Printable- Kitchen Word Cloud

February 23, 2015 by Shanon Balser Leave a Comment

click here to download our printable!

The Giant Cookie

February 20, 2015 by Shanon Balser 2 Comments

My husband had to leave on a business trip for a couple of days. So…. I did what any lonely housewife would do. I invited The Doobie Brothers, Boston and The Eagles over to make cookies. Actually that’s not completely true. I invited them to make cookie. I turned up the sound and mixed, stirred, whipped and rolled to “Listen To The Music”, “Lyin’ Eyes”, and “More Than a Feelin'”. There’s not much that can beat a great classic rock playlist. It’s fun. And since this cookie is fun to make, fun to look at and fun to eat it all worked out. I just wish they could have gotten better pictures.

This dessert is known simply as The Giant Cookie. I’ve been making this for over 20 years and it has remained a favorite at our house. Since I started posting to this blog Keven, my son, has been begging me to post this Giant Cookie recipe. He has an ulterior motive. He just wants to eat the spoils of blogging. Ahh Keven…

This is one of those recipes you can whip up pretty quick and get impressive results. I have made it often for my kids and their friends on many a weekend night. It usually supplied the sweet while the bean dip provided the salty.

For this delicious dessert you will need a batch of cookie dough, a small box of instant chocolate pudding, cream cheese at room temperature, refrigerated whipped topping, whole milk and sugar. Allow the whipped topping to thaw in the refrigerator to keep it from going runny.

Preheat your oven to 350°. On a 15″ baking stone or any large sized baking sheet, roll cookie dough to within 1 1/2″ of the sides. If you go too close to the edge of the pan you will be cleaning up dough that expands and runs off the edge as it bakes. I am working with about 2 cups of cookie dough here. If you don’t want to make this homemade recipe (which is fabulous for this) pick up a tube of your favorite refrigerated cookie dough.

Put your beautiful Giant Cookie in the oven and set a timer for 14 minutes. It is usually perfect at 15. While the cookie is baking combine 1 8oz package of softened cream cheese with 1/3 cup granulated sugar. Mix until it is perfectly blended and creamy. Set aside. By the way… this makes a great fruit dip. Add a little lemon zest or melted caramel. This stuff is delicious. Go ahead and lick the spoon…

Now empty a small package (3.9 ounce) of instant chocolate pudding into a bowl. I like to have the pudding down in the bowl first since instant pudding can clump a bit. In fact instant pudding gives me a bit of anxiety–so this is my solution. Put it in the bowl first. Measure 1 1/2 cups cold whole milk and with a wire whisk ready slowly pour the milk over the pudding while stirring it with the whisk. Continue to stir for about 2 minutes or until the pudding is a lovely creamy texture. Put this in the fridge. Lick the whisk. 🙂

Well, the cookie is about done. Grab it out, leave it on the pan, set it on a cooking rack and patiently wait for it to cool.

Here comes some serious fun. Now that the cookie is cool, spread your delicious cream cheese mixture over the top of the cookie. Get this right out to the edges. That way no one dodges the edge pieces. My son always takes the middle piece. Always. Now–here’s a great tip. Now that the cream cheese base is down–cut the cookie. Cut it in whatever shapes or sizes you want. I like using a pizza cutter for this part. The genius of cutting this dessert now is that when you are all done there is no reason to run a knife through all your hard work. That just disrupts the appeal of something this enticing and delicious. Simply loosen a few pieces so that people get the idea.

After pre-cutting your cookies, spread the chocolate pudding on top of the cream cheese mixture. The pudding is thick by now, so give it a stir and spread it on. Fill a decorating bag with a small container of whipped topping, like cool whip. This topping is great to use for projects like this because it holds its form so well. Decorate to your hearts content.

Sprinkle with chocolate shavings if desired. Loosen a couple of pieces like we talked about, turn up the music and dig in. Simple, unique and incredibly delicious.

This makes about 20 large pieces which will serve 10 people nicely or… one 15 year old.

The Giant Cookie

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

25 mins

This is a sure fire hit for your family and a wonderfully unique party dessert...

Author: adapted from The Pampered Chef

Recipe type: desserts

Serves: 20

Ingredients

2 cups prepared cookie dough
1 8oz package cream cheese
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 small package instant chocolate pudding (3.9 oz)
1½ cups cold whole milk
1 small container whipped topping
chocolate sprinkles if desired

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°
Roll Cookie dough, about ¼ inch thick on a 15" round stone or a large baking sheet. Keep the dough 1½ inches from the edge so the cookie has room to expand.
Bake 15 minutes, checking after 13 minutes. Don't over bake 🙂
While the cookie is baking combine cream cheese and sugar and mix to a smooth consistency.
Set aside.
Pour instant pudding mix in the bottom of a bowl and, while stirring with a wire whisk, add 1½ cups cold milk.
Whisk ingredients for about 2 minutes until the pudding is smooth and glossy.
Refrigerate.
When the cookie is done remove it from the oven, leaving it on the baking dish/stone, set it on a wire rack to cool.
When the cookie is cool spread with cream cheese mixture.
Pre-cut the cookie into desired sizes.
Spread with pudding mixture.
Fill a decorating bag with whipped topping (Cool Whip style) and decorate the top of your giant cookie.
Sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles if desired.
When serving just loosen a couple of the pre-cut slices and people will get the idea that the dessert is already cut.
Enjoy this fun and unique dessert.

link

Pre-cutting a dessert – – – Keeping it beautiful

February 18, 2015 by Shanon Balser 1 Comment

I love a good kitchen tip. They save time, money and frustration.

I get frustrated when I have made/decorated something and it looks soooooo pretty and then I have to cut it before I even get to present it at a party or event.

So–before you ice or decorate something–cut it. Finish icing it. Decorate it to perfection. Take it to your party and gently pull a few pieces loose so that guests get the idea. Your masterpiece will stay intact while it disappears!

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

February 13, 2015 by Shanon Balser Leave a Comment

Butter. Chocolate. Chocolate. Chocolate. Melt, mix, bake, eat. Well–you get the idea.

I love this cookie because it does NOT start with a mix. The flavors of chocolate are smooth, not grainy. And because you just keep adding and adding the chocolate chips and chunks; every bite is a delight! They store really well for a few days, staying soft and delicious for eating or sharing! I live with some seriously chocolate loving people and each of them are pretty opinionated about the type of chocolate they love most. This recipe satisfies all their varied tastes. What makes the dough so yummy? The base is made with butter and melted semi-sweet chocolate chips. Shall we make a dozen or two?

You will need semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, any other chocolate chunks you might have or love, butter, sugar, eggs, baking powder, all purpose flour and vanilla. Can we just say here how happy those jars of chocolate make us? Seriously. I get a bit giddy looking at this photo. Okay–I am a little less giddy for a minute–I forgot to photo the sugar.

In sauce pan over lowest heat melt 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips with 3 tablespoons of butter. You will be using 2 cubes of butter at room temperature so just chop off 3 tablespoons to put with the melting chips. This just makes the chocolate easy to work with and melts it to a smooth texture. Keep an eye on the chocolate mixture. Sometimes I just turn the burner off and on while I am getting other ingredients ready. Stir it occasionally. Remove from heat and stir until smooth.

While the butter and chocolate are melting over that very low heat, take the rest of the butter along with 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar and beat it at medium speed, scraping down the bowl a couple of times, until the mixture is nice and creamy. That’s just pretty.

Add the ever-so-slightly-cooled chocolate mixture, 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the creamed butter and sugar and continue beating until it is combined. Don’t forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Beat on low speed until everything is well mixed. I accomplish this by turning the mixture on and off until the flour starts to incorporate and then turn the machine to medium and mix for about 1 minute.

Time to add all those chocolate pieces we have been talking about. Fold in 1/2 each of milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Notice those chocolate chunks in that jar at the right up at the top of this post? Top your cookies with a few those if you have something similar. Cut up a chocolate bar if you need to. Ahh now you see the folly in naming these Triple Chocolate Cookies. Quad Cookies didn’t sound that great. 🙂

Drop cookies by rounded tablespoonfuls on an ungreased or parchment lined cookie sheet. Place the cookie balls about 2 inches apart.

Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 10-11 minutes. Try not to over bake them. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Store up to 5 days in an airtight container. Or just leave them on the cooling rack–they aren’t ever going to make it to that airtight container….

I can’t help think how great these would taste with a peppermint drizzle at Christmastime….

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

30 mins

These triple chocolaty cookies make the perfect late night snack. Make sure you have milk in the fridge....

Author: Sweet Suppertime

Recipe type: Cookies

Serves: 42

Ingredients

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips for melting
½ cup additional chocolate chips
½ cup white chocolate chips
½ cup milk chocolate chips
a handful of whatever kind of chocolate chunks you can get your hands on. Cut up a chocolate bar pieces work great.
1 cup softened butter, divided
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2½ cups all purpose flour
1¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°
Line a baking sheet with parchment
Over very low heat melt 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips with 3 tablespoons of your softened butter. Stir occasionally being careful not to overheat the chocolate. Stir until smooth and set aside to cool slightly.
While the chocolate and butter are melting, cream together butter and sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Add slightly cooled chocolate mixture, eggs and vanilla to the creamed butter and sugar.
Mix until well blended.
Starting on low speed, add 2½ cups flour, 1¼ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda and ½ teaspoon of salt..
Increase speed to medium and mix for about one minute.
Fold in all remaining chocolate chips, reserving a few for the tops of the cookies if you wish.
Drop by rounded tablespoons on an ungreased or parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake 10-11 minutes being careful not to over bake.
Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Store in an airtight container.

Fabulous Fish Tacos

February 10, 2015 by Shanon Balser 2 Comments

For our family, no trip to California is complete without a trip to Wahoo’s Fish Taco. Most often we frequent the restaurant in Laguna Beach. The menu is unique, fresh and delicious. The atmosphere is fun and friendly. By the reactions we have gotten over the years, most eating establishments are not accustomed to having a family of 8 walk through the door. The folks at Wahoo’s have always been more than kind and so it has become a place we love to visit when California makes a bid for our vacation time.

Lately our trips have become few and far between so it became apparent that I would need to come up with some type of fish taco to satisfy the cravings of this family in between jaunts to the beach cities.

So this is what I have come up with. It’s become just popular enough around here that one of my daughters dubbed Friday as Fish Taco Friday at her house. Nothing will ever replace Wahoo’s in our hearts or our palate but this comes in a close second.

You will need two tilapia fillets, mild flavored olive oil, cajun seasoning, small corn tortillas, an avocado, a bag of coleslaw, a jalapeno, a lime, radishes, green onions, cilantro, mayonnaise, sugar and if you are feeling a little spicy–a bit of buffalo sauce.

Rinse tilapia fillets and pat dry. Place on a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle the top lightly with olive oil and spread the oil evenly over the fish. Sprinkle with creole or cajun seasoning. Place in a 350° oven for about 20 minutes, turning and seasoning at the halfway point of baking. You want that delicious spice all over that fish! The fish should flake apart nicely with a fork when it’s done.

While the fish is cooking combine 3 cups of shredded cabbage (I like to just buy that convenient bag with the carrots in it), 3 radishes sliced thinly, 2 green onions sliced, 1 jalapeno seeded and diced finely and 3 tablespoons of chopped cilantro. Have half a lime at the ready.

Now let’s prepare the dressing for the slaw. In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup mayonnaise with 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/8 teaspoon celery salt and about 1/4 teaspoon lime zest. Don’t combine the dressing with the slaw and juice from the lime until the fish is done and you are ready to serve the tacos. If you want extra kick–add 2 tablespoons of buffalo sauce to the dressing mix and turn it into a buffalo slaw!

When the fish is done, flake it apart into lovely bite size pieces. Squeeze one half of a lime on your slaw ingredients and add the dressing, tossing to coat. Using a skillet and a small amount of oil, warm the tortilla shells. Or place 4-5 tortillas, wrapped in foil, into a 350° oven for about 10 minutes.

Place a slice of avocado on the shell with 3 bite size pieces of fish and top with coleslaw. Serve immediately. Hope this recipe gets you through until you can hit up your favorite beach city restaurant!

Fabulous Fish Tacos

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

[i]Sometimes you just need a really great fish taco... these are easy and sooo delicious! This makes 8-10 small tacos.[/i]

Author: Sweet Suppertime

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 tilapia fillets
olive oil
cajun or creole seasoning
avocado slices
corn tortillas
For the coleslaw
1 jalapeno seeded and diced
3 radishes washed and sliced thinly
2 green onions washed and sliced
3 cups shredded cabbage or bagged coleslaw mix
½ lime juiced and zested, use the juice for the salad and the zest in the dressing
For the dressing choices...choices
Sweet Slaw Dressing
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon celery salt
¼ teaspoon lime zest
Buffalo Style
add 2 tablespoons buffalo sauce to the Sweet Slaw Dressing

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°
Rinse and pat dry tilapia fillets.
Drizzle the fillets with mild flavored olive oil.
Sprinkle cajun or creole seasoning over the top of the fish. If you like it spicy--keep shakin.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes, turning carefully once and sprinkling the under side of the fish with seasoning.
While the fish is cooking, prepare the coleslaw and dressing.
In a bowl, combine cabbage, green onions, sliced radishes, seeded and diced jalapeno and cilantro. Toss together and set aside with ½ a lime. We will squeeze this lime at the last minute.
In a separate bowl, combine mayonnaise, sugar, lime zest and sugar.
Stir.
In a skillet, begin heating 8-10 small tortillas. This can also be done by wrapping 4-5 tortillas in foil and placing them in a 350° oven for about 10 minutes.
Flake the fish into bite size pieces.
Squeeze the lime half over the cabbage mixture and add the dressing.
Toss.
Slice an avocado and start making tacos!
Lay three pieces of fish on each tortilla.
Put a slice of avocado next to the fish.
Top with slaw.
Eat up!

Kitchen Printable- Just a Pinch

February 9, 2015 by Shanon Balser Leave a Comment

click here to download

Bandit Style Steak and Baked Bean Nachos

February 5, 2015 by Shanon Balser Leave a Comment

You’re right. You don’t really need a recipe for this.

However–you just might love having the idea of the flavors that make this appetizer a winner. My family tried a nacho appetizer like this one at a nearby restaurant and we LOVED it so much that we knew we would have to put together our own version. The combination of sweet baked beans with the savory steak just hits home.

This delicious dish is one reason that I like to have frozen slices of flank steak available in my fridge. It only takes a few minutes in my cast iron skillet to get it ready for the nachos. While it’s cooking I warm up the baked beans, slice up the onion and avocado and grate the cheese. I like using a couple of different layers of cheese. I firmly believe that no tortilla chip should come to this mouthwatering party undressed.

Lay down a layer of chips and cover them with a handful of grated cheese. Put it in your oven or microwave just long enough to get the cheese starting to melt. Add baked beans by spoonfuls on top of the cheesy chips and toss on your cooked steak bites. Now throw on another handful of cheese and pop it back in the oven or microwave until that top layer of cheese is melted. I usually use my microwave oven and this is why I like the fine grated cheese for this recipe–it doesn’t have to hang out in the microwave very long to melt. Top with onions and avocados, a dollop of sour cream and a drizzling of salsa or picante sauce. (I’ve been known to carmelize onions for this dish too–if you have the time it’s worth the taste).

Serve it to the waiting masses…. in my case that’s Keven, my adorable son. He’s had these three days in a row for his after school snack.

**if you are using canned baked beans, do yourself a favor and drain them really well, add a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar and warm them on the stove top to get rid of the “tin can” taste.

Bandit Style Steak and Baked Bean Nachos

These make such a great appetizer for any party or gathering. Currently my son loves them as his after school snack...

Author: Sweet Suppertime

Cuisine: Appetizer

Ingredients

tortilla chips
1 cup shredded cheese, divided
1 cup baked beans ( This recipe tastes best when the beans are a bit sweeter than usual. If I make them from scratch, I add a little extra sugar to my recipe. If I buy a can I add a couple of tablespoons of sugar to the prepared beans and bake the beans again to make sure that they are nice and thick. Runny beans just won't do for this recipe.
1 chopped green onion
1 avocado cut into chunks
a dollop ofsour cream
1 cup thinly sliced flank steak
salsa or chopped tomatoes

Instructions

Saute steak with salt and pepper in olive oil until desired doneness
Place tortilla chips on a large platter in a single layer.
Top with ½ cup cheese and place in the microwave or conventional oven until just melted.
Add baked beans, by spoonfuls, on top of the cheese.
Add cooked steak.
Sprinkle remaining ½ cup cheese.
Place in the microwave just long enough for the cheese to melt. This takes my microwave about 2 minutes on 70% power.
Top with sliced green onion and avocado chunks.
Add a dollop of sour cream garnished with sliced green onions and cheese.
Finish with salsa or chopped tomatoes and serve immediately.

Freezing Steak Strips

February 3, 2015 by Shanon Balser Leave a Comment

I’ll probably repeat this sentence a few times over the course of this blog. I don’t love working with meat. Let me rephrase that. I do not love cleaning up after trimming raw meat. It’s bothersome. I am ready to rock and roll and make something great and I am stuck cleaning and wiping and making sure no little bacteria’s have scampered off to reek havoc on the next dish I make. So I like to handle the raw meat once in preparation for using it for several dishes. Additionally if I happen across a great little flank steak on sale, but it’s not on the menu, I buy it and rather than freezing it whole or rearranging my menu plan, I prep it for easy use later.

My family loves steak sandwiches, steak nachos, steak fajitas, stroganoff, beef stir fry….well you get the point. I bet your family does as well. I’m making steak nachos in a few days, you will want to check back for that recipe!

This is how I suggest freezing steak strips. Take a minute and rinse the steak. Pat it dry and lay it on a parchment lined baking sheet. Pop it in the freezer for about one hour. This makes the meat just firm enough to slice easily with a sharp knife. Genius.

Remove the meat from the freezer and quickly cut it, cross grain, into thin strips. I like to leave them in long strips because it gives me the option to cut it further later, or use it in all its long marbled fat glory.

Now, lay the cut strips on your parchment lined baking sheet, in a single layer, and put them in the freezer until they are firm. This takes about an hour. Add any seasonings you might like; I freeze mine just as they are so that I keep the variety of future use wide open.

Put the frozen strips in a freezer bag and store them in the freezer until you are ready to use them. I like to use them within a few months. Let’s be honest… sliced prepared steak…busy schedules… this meat is not hanging out in the freezer for long. It’s easy to grab a handful and start cooking! According to the FDA steak can remain frozen for 6 to 12 months. Remove as much air from the bag as you can and if you know you won’t be using it in the near future overwrap it with freezer paper or double bag it. Remember, for this post we are not thawing a steak, slicing and freezing. We are working with a fresh piece of meat, freezing only until it becomes firm and then continuing the freezing process. Does that make sense. We don’t want to thaw, freeze, thaw freeze…. well you get the idea. If you have questions on this do some research on that FDA link.

**I use the parchment I have lined the pan with to put layers between some of the meat.