Chicken Two: Two Different Meals With One Cooking Night

Chicken Parmesan

   In an effort to clear out any space in the freezer, I defrosted a three pound bag of chicken breasts.  Usually  I buy chicken on the bone since I can find a decent sale price, but I bought the big back to be convenient for camping season. With summer over it is time to cook up these birds.

   I planned to make Chicken Parm.  I made breadcrumbs out of oatmeal mixed with some Italian seasoning and garlic powder.  I sliced the chicken thin, dipped it in the egg and breadcrumbs and into the olive oil it went.     I made a few pans full, so I stored the extra in the oven to keep warm.

There's a whole lotta chicken cooking.

   As the chicken sizzled, I put the spaghetti water on to boil and made a salad.  I topped one skillet of chicken with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.  The rest of the chicken was for another meal.  Before cooking, I cut some of the chicken in smaller chicken strips.  Just don't tell the kids their chicken nuggets are really naked Chicken Parm leftovers.

We'll set these aside for nugget night.

   

Deep Thaw: Time to Defrost The Freezer

The freezer is full!

    My freezer is packed to the gills or rather the wings since I have a plethora of poultry. In case you have been on the edge of your seat wondering if I bought the extra freezer contemplated on in  The Big Chill, I have not. I know I could buy that extra chest freezer and find a place for it in the basement. However,  since I bought these turkey burgers for a summer camping trip I think it is time to clean out the freezer.

    My main motivation for the weeding of the freezer isn't so much that I'm concerned about freezer burn.  It has to do with the sales circular.  I keep hearing about great sales and specials from my couponing friend and there is no where to store the stuff.

   Okay so here we go.  I am not buying any more meat until we free up the freezer.  I bet we can get a week's worth of meals using up what we have on hand. First night is turkey burgers.  I will defrost the chicken too for the next day.  I usually buy whole chickens or thighs.  I got the big bag of breasts again to make it easier for the camping trip.

   Stand by for some creative meals.  I may have to stop at the store for some milk or bread, but dinner is coming from the freezer this week.  Brr! I better get started!

The Big Chill?

    We are getting ready for the long winter ahead.  I know it's not Little House on the Prairie and we can go to the grocery store instead of hitching up the wagon for provisions in town.  Dan has been splitting wood to stack up for the wood stove.  He's also got a five point deer that will give us plenty of meat to stock in the freezer.  This brings me to my debate: to buy the deep freeze or not to buy the deep freeze?
 
 We froze bags of peaches from our tree and a few bags of apple cider.  We have a refrigerator unit with the freezer compartment at the top, so there is just so much you can hold.  Dan suggested we get an additional freezer so we can save more of the peaches next year. If I was really ambitious I could blanch green beans and produce from the garden as well.  We did use much of what we had this year and shared produce with visitors, but there were a few eggplant that did not make it into the pot.  Maybe if I had extra freezer space I would be more inclined to cook them up to preserve for the winter months. 
 
 There's also the savings to be had if you buy in bulk.  There are two things holding me back here.  I picture a lone roast in the bottom of the deep freeze and me on my tippy-toes precariously balancing to reach it.  When I pull it out it turns out to be a roastcicle full of ice crystals after a 4 year storage in the bottom of the chest.  Also, I have heard that the electricity cost can end up outweighing or equalling out the initial food savings. 
  
 I'm going to need some help with this one before I can make a decision.  Please share your thoughts on the wisdom of buying an extra freezer verses staying with just our current unit.  I'll need opinions as well as important sounding research from Consumer Reports. Maybe you can thaw my extra freezer indecision.