Preface with a funny story…

Before I elaborate about my latest freezer clean out creations, I have to share a funny story with you folks. This little story comes with a bit of unusual background that explains my freezer clean out heritage.

When I was a freshman in college, I went to live with my Mother. As a child of divorced parents, my sister and I spent years living with one parent or the other. We also spent years living with our grandparents. It was an unusual upbringing, but it made me who I am today. Truth be told, I had not lived with my mother since I was about 8 years old. When I was 16 years old…I upgraded my high school education in N.Y., graduated early and I moved to Texas to live with my Mother and attend college.

I had only lived with my mother for a couple of weeks, when she decided one day to clean-out her freezer and asked me to help her. “Sure”, I said. HA, little did I know the comical and unusual adventure that lay ahead for me.

Mystery finds from the deep freeze

My mom started by removing a multitude of unidentified items from their cold storage, opening countless packages that were contained in foil, plastic wrap and packaging that to this day…I still have no clue what it was. My mother would carefully open each package, look at the contents with a curious eye, give it a whiff, turn her head with puzzlement and as I winced in wondrous fear, she would ponder what we were going to make with it.

Freezer finds result in a unique dinner

We were having a guest for dinner that evening (my step-father’s co-worker). Apparently our guest was a good eater and not picky, so I’m guessing this is why my mother made him the ultimate guinea pig. I sat in quiet, yet curious fear what we were going to concoct with these piles of frozen mystery.

My mother decided before we began the freezer clean out, that our dinner menu would consist of beans, cornbread and a pie. Seemed like good southern foods to me. With that menu in mind, my mother would hand me a mystery package and instruct me to put it in one of the 3 assigned piles of beans, cornbread or pie. Oh Lordy, I was so scared to get any of the items mixed up and put it in the wrong pile. I feared awful creations with horrible tastes. But I had to trust my mother, she’s a good cook and wouldn’t create culinary disasters…or would she?

Trust your Mom and learn from her

I wondered how all these mystery packages would be transformed into something edible and enjoyable. I had to trust my mother and her culinary talents. It was on that day, that I learned these things from my mom…

• Label your contents before freezing to avoid mystery packages
• Be creative with your frozen treasures
• Be flexible with your menu
• Frozen food finds can taste good
• Waste not, want not means you won’t go hungry
• Freezer clean-out is kinda scary, but funny and adventurous

Oh, by the way….the meal that my Mom and I made from our freezer treasures was absolutely delicious! Our dinner guest said it was his best meal ever! Further proving, freezer clean out is a frugal and delicious adventure!

Now for my own freezer clean out

My freezer clean out and culinary creations have been 42 years in the making. So many of my own freezer adventures since that first, scary venture with my mom. So long ago, yet it seems like just yesterday. The funny memories still abound as I cleaned out my own freezer last weekend. Each package I removed from the freezer made me chuckle. But I had no puzzled wonderment, because all my packages were zip top bags labeled with their contents. It may have spoiled the element of surprise, but left me more prepared for my culinary tasks ahead.

Below are my frozen treasures along with the frugal and delicious creations I made with them. This is the ultimate in culinary trash to treasure!

Freezer Clean Out Creations #1 – “Fruit Juice”

Using 2 Full Bags of Fruit Scraps

• The 2 bags of fruit scraps contained a lovely assortment of apple peels, apple cores, orange peels, strawberry scraps, lime wedges, various grapes, melon pieces, and cranberries.
• I simply dumped both bags into my instant pot.
• Added a couple shakes of salt to enhance the fruit flavors.
• Poured in enough water to cover the fruit scraps.
• Set the instant pot to cook for 90 minutes.
• When the cook time was complete in the instant pot, the result was a combination of aromatic, flavorful liquid and cooked fruit mush.
• Then I ladled the fruit mush into a colander over a beverage pitcher to separate the liquid from the solids.
• I also strained the liquid again through a cheesecloth to remove any further undesirable fruit residue.
• I added a bit of sugar (less than 1/4 cup) and stirred until the sugar dissolved.
• Voila…the result is a totally scrumptious batch of fruit juice at almost no cost, by using what would normally be thrown away.
• P. S. my grandsons loved this juice and so did my husband!

Freezer Clean Out Creations #2 – “Veggie Stock”

Using 2 Full Bags of Vegetable Scraps

My favorite culinary holiday happens about once every month when I get to make veggie stock…Yeh!! Freezer clean out meant time to make veggie stock again. It’s so frugal and delicious. It’s so simple and easy. Put all the vegetable scraps into the instant pot, set to cook, strain and strain again. Then divvy the flavorful liquid into ice cube trays and containers or zip top bags. Off to the freezer with the precious and flavorful vegetable nectar-at the ready when needed.

Here’s a link to my blog showing how to make homemade veggie stock. https://frugalanddelicious.com/homemade-vegetable-stock/

Freezer Clean Out Creations #3 – “Donut Bread Pudding”

Using 2 Full Bags of Donut Pieces

Don’t throw away those last couple of donuts left in the box. Cut them into one inch pieces and put them into a freezer bag. When you have enough donut pieces, remove them from the freezer. Make a custard mixture, put those donut babies into the custard mixture to soak up all that custard. Put it in a greased casserole dish. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Then into the oven to bake. The result is the most delicious batch of donut bread pudding. Below is my recipe for this deliciousness! And an extra special recipe for a bourbon vanilla sauce to spoon over top of the donut bread pudding when serving it-YUM!

Donut Bread Pudding Recipe

Ingredients

• 12 cups Leftover stale donuts-cut into 1″ pieces
• 1 Quart Milk (4 cups)
• 5 Eggs
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 1-2 Pinches Salt
• 2-3 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 Cup Butter-melted
• Cinnamon and Sugar mixture for sprinkling on top

Directions

• In a very large bowl or plastic container, place pieces of leftover donuts.
• In a separate mixing bowl, add the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt and cinnamon to make a custard.
• Using a wire whisk, blend all the custard ingredients together.
• Pour mixture over the donut pieces and press and/or stir the donut pieces into the custard mixture.
• Allow to set and soak up the mixture for about an hour or so. It is very important for the donut pieces to absorb the custard mixture properly.
• Pour the donut and custard mixture into a greased 9×13″ baking dish.
• Drizzle the top of the mixture with melted butter.
• Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the butter.
• Place in a water bath and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour (sometimes longer)-until mixture is thoroughly set in the center. Knife test if necessary.
• Remove from oven. Serve warm or cold.
• Refrigerate any leftovers.

The donut bread pudding needed a sauce. I happened to have a partial can of evaporated milk in the refrigerator to use-up, so I created this recipe for a bourbon vanilla sauce. Recipe below….

Bourbon Vanilla Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup salted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons evaporated milk
• 3 tablespoons bourbon
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Directions

• Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat.
• Whisk in sugar, evaporated milk and bourbon.
• Simmer until thickened, whisking often-about 3 minutes.
• Remove from heat, add vanilla.
• Cool slightly.
• Spoon over top a piece of donut bread pudding before serving.
• Refrigerate any leftovers

Note: Double or triple the recipe depending on how much sauce you would like.

Freezer Clean Out Creations #4 – “Shrimp Stock”

Using 2 Little Bags of Shrimp Tails

My family laughs at me when I gather the shrimp tails from the dinner plates (after dinner), put them into a zip top bag and freeze them. But they sure don’t make fun of me when I transform those little shrimp tails into the most delicious shrimp stock and use it as a base to make an incredible batch of New England Clam Chowder for them. It’s totally worth this little bit of effort to obtain such a flavorful soup base at virtually no cost.

Here’s how easy it is to make homemade shrimp stock…

• To the shrimp tails, I added about 2 cups of water, a few shakes of Old Bay seasoning, a tsp. of celery seed and some chopped chives that I had leftover from dinner the night before.
• Bring the shrimp tails, seasonings and water to a boil, then allow to simmer for about 15 minutes.
• Let the shrimp stock cool slightly and then strain through a paper towel or cheesecloth.
• Place the shrimp stock into a freezer bag and save for later or use immediately to make a flavorful fish soup or clam chowder.

Freezer Clean Out Creations #5 – “Blueberry Crumb Coffeecakes”

Using 1 Bag of Blueberry Filling and 2 Bags of Crumb Topping

I felt a need to make a blueberry crumb coffeecake with the bags of blueberry filling and crumb topping. This was a quick and easy task, by using a cake mix I had on hand that I purchased on sale. Just follow the recipe on the box to make a cake. To the box of white cake I used whole eggs instead of adding just the egg whites called for in the directions. I also added vanilla and cinnamon for additional flavor. And I substituted cold coffee (leftover from the morning) in place of the water called for in the recipe. Afterall, it is a “coffee” cake! LOL!

Pause for a moment to check out my new mixer!

Before continuing on to the next food creation, please allow me a moment to brag about my new and totally beautiful hand mixer. My old boring beige-ish hand mixer quit working, so my husband agreed to buy me a new one. The only request I made was that the new one have a “retro” look. Well folks, a few days later….this beauty was delivered to my front door. She is soooo, petty with her soft aqua color and swirly decorative details. This mixer is also much quieter that my former mixer. The 5 speeds are perfect and it does a great job mixing. I absolutely love this mixer!

Here’s a link, if you’d like to purchase this adorable mixer for yourself. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Brentwood-Appliances-HM-48BL-Lightweight-5-Speed-Electric-Hand-Mixer-Blue/351713712?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=876&&adid=22222222227301745545&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=374564561195&wl4=aud-430887228898:pla-794979443648&wl5=9013377&wl6=&wl7=9013377&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=112561772&wl11=online&wl12=351713712&veh=sem&gclid=Cj0KCQiAhP2BBhDdARIsAJEzXlFwAqan_FIqyTrCCywCLHwJCRpL3BulQkZccSjeGg3-ky6eCB0qZ1saAvXwEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Freezer Clean Out Creations #6 – “Chicken Vegetable Stew”

Using numerous partial bags of cooked vegetables, 1 package of leftover creamy chicken soup and 1 package of cooked chicken pieces

It was a cold, damp, dreary day when I decided to clean out my freezer, so I felt the need to make a big pot of chicken stew. This venture used up the leftover chicken soup, the leftover chicken pieces and numerous bags of cooked vegetables. And it was so easy, because I basically just put everything in a large sauce pot and heated it through. I added a few seasonings along the way, like minced garlic, fresh thyme, bay leaves and worcestershire sauce to amp up the flavors. This meal was super simple, super delicious and super frugal!

Freezer Clean Out Creations #7 – “Apple-ana Bread”

Starting with 3 Frozen Whole Bananas

Oh sure, I could have made a loaf of banana bread, but I chose to think outside the box a bit. I had a couple of soft apples in the refrigerator, so I added them to the banana batter. The result was an incredibly moist and flavorful loaf of apple-ana bread! I still had some crumbs leftover from the blueberry crumb coffeecake, so I added the remaining crumbs to the top of this loaf of apple-ana bread before it was baked. Such a delicious combination and a total bread winner!!

Here’s the recipe for the Apple-ana Bread…trust me, you definitely want to make this!! It’s so incredibly delicious!

Apple-Ana Bread Recipe

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 large)
• 1-1/2 cups apples-peeled and chopped (2 medium)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon-per your taste
• Crumb topping – optional
• Nuts-optional

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• In a mixer bowl, add bananas, egg, sugars, milk, vanilla and oil.
• Using an electric mixer or by hand, mix until well blended and creamy. (Note: the chopped apples will be stirred in later).
• Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
• Mix until just barely combined. Don’t overmix.
• Stir in chopped apples.
• Pour batter into a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan.
• Using a knife, draw a line through the center of the batter from one end of the loaf pan to the other. (This prevents the loaf from rounding too much in the middle)
• Sprinkle on crumb topping, if desired.
• Bake for 60+ minutes, until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Whew! In conclusion…

Yes, it was a lengthy task (or many tasks) from cleaning out my freezer. And yes, I cooked most of the day. But truth be told, I absolutely loved every moment. It’s so rewarding to take practically nothing and turn it into something wonderfully delicious. Best of all, my family loved and appreciated everything I made for them. Which did my heart and my wallet good!!

On that note…I’m off to go call my Mom and share my latest freezer adventure. I know we will both have a good laugh and reminisce of past freezer clean outs! I love my Mom, so blessed to have her and these silly, yet wonderful memories.

Take care folks, have a great day, be safe. Virtual hugs.

Chauncey

P.S. Do you have any funny freezer clean out stories?