Cooking Through the Freezer (A Series)

The Freezer Situation

How did cooking through the freezer start? Years ago, I found myself off work for a few months. With free time on my hands, I decided it was time to confront a problem I had been politely ignoring for years: the freezers.

And yes—plural.

I have three of them. One in the refrigerator in the kitchen, one in a second refrigerator in the garage, and a full stand‑alone freezer in the garage. However, at this point, they operate less like appliances and more like long‑term food storage facilities. Although my cooking is seasoned with love, my freezer was feeling quite neglected. As shown in the photo above on the left, the freezer had grown icebergs over the years!

Inspired by Alton Brown (and a Bit of Delusion)

The inspiration for tackling this cold, frozen truth came from an episode of Good Eats. Alton Brown challenged himself to cook through every single food item in a house. He did it in nine days. Personally, given the quantity of freezer items and canned goods in my home, I estimate I could survive somewhere between six months and a small apocalypse without grocery shopping.

When Good Intentions Meet Real Life

At the time, I actually got off to a great start cooking through the freezer. I planned meals, used ingredients, and unearthed ancient freezer mysteries. I was making progress—until I returned to full‑time work. At that point my noble culinary intentions were quickly buried. Call schedules, long days, and sheer exhaustion took over.

A Love of Cooking… and Collecting Recipes

There’s another part of this story that may sound familiar: I love to cook. I really love reading recipes. Unfortunately, this often leads to a predictable sequence of events—discover recipe, buy ingredients, admire ingredients, then… move ingredients to freezer “for later,” where they remain indefinitely.

Retirement, at Last

Now, after retiring following 40 years as a physician and a working mom raising three children, I finally have what once felt like a mythical resource: time. I now have time to get organized, plan meals and open the freezer without fear or judgment.

The Challenge Begins

So I’ve issued myself a new challenge—one that feels both practical and slightly ridiculous. I’m going to cook through my freezer (and pantry), one meal at a time, using what I already have on hand. No martyrdom, no weird combinations just to prove a point—just real food, real recipes, and a sincere attempt to reduce the frozen chaos.

Along the way, I’ll be sharing the recipes here, as they come out of the freezer and onto the table. Some I will plan. Some I will improvise. All will move me one step closer to using up my vast inventory and only stocking up on basics.

Welcome to Cooking Through the Freezer.

• Cooking through the Freezer- Meats
• Cooking through the Freezer- Poultry
• Cooking through the Freezer- Seafood
• Cooking through the Freezer- Vegetables

Day by Day … Some recipes are yet to be posted but coming soon!

The days on this list are not consecutive days on the calendar as my husband and I have been traveling a lot since our retirement. However, when we are home we are steadily making a dent in the freezers and trying to adopt a mentality of shopping just for what we need and not having excess “inventory”.

• Day 1- Authentic Italian Meatballs (freezer find: package of ground beef)
• Day 2- Restaurant Quality Lamb Chops for cooking at Home (freezer find: one package lamb loin chops)
• Day 3- The Best Instant Pot Paella Ever (freezer find: boneless chicken breasts, frozen shrimp and andouille sausage)
• Day 4- Ultimate Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (freezer find: meatloaf mix from the freezer)
• Day 5- Chicken Enchilada Casserole (freezer find: package cubed chicken breast)
• Day 6- Beef in Mexican Mole Sauce (freezer find: Tri Tip steak)
• Day 7- Instant Pot Chicken breast with Gravy (freezer find: two bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts)
• Day 8- Oven Roasted Rack of Lamb (freezer find: Rack of Lamb)
• Day 9- Turkey Pesto Meatballs (freezer find: package of ground turkey, frozen cavatelli pasta to serve as a side)
• Day 10- Hot Chicken Sandwiches with gravy (leftovers from Day 7)- (freezer find: Bob Evans Mashed potatoes, individual size portions as an accompaniment)
• Day 11- Lamb gyros – leftover lamb from day 8, sliced very thin, tossed with Zatar seasoning and olive oil, sauteed for a few minutes to warm; served in mini naan with lettuce, tomato and tzatziki sauce
• Day 12- Corn Chowder New Orleans Style (Freezer find: package of Chicken Andouille sausage, used half)
• Day 13- Sloppy Joes (Freezer find: package ground beef)
• Day 14- Instant Pot Jambalaya (Freezer find: remaining half package Andouille sausage, frozen shrimp)
• Day 15- Stuffed Pepper Casserole (Freezer find: package ground beef)
• Day 16- Peking Duck Breasts (Freezer find: package of duck breasts)
• Day 17- Italian Meatball and Sausage Sandwiches (Freezer find: Turkey meatballs, Chicken Asiago Sausage)
• Day 18- Cassoulet with Duck, Pork and Kielbasa (Freezer find: Pork tenderloin, Turkey Kielbasa, Leftover duck)
• Day 19- Ribeye Steak with Italian green beans and German cucumber salad (Freezer find: two Ribeye steaks