Mark Bittman and I are so in tune. The Minimalist Cook (also wrote "How
to Cook Everything", a cookbook we recommend around here frequently)
writes in the NY Times today about discovering frozen vegetables.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/16/di...er=rssuserland

Sheldon, among others, was commenting on this same topic recently. I've
certainly had good results with frozen spinach, and find that frozen
green beans make pre-schoolers very happy. Safeway's organic frozen
veggies are also a great value compared to fresh organic produce out of
season.

But Bittman expands my thinking with recipes for chicken in a pot,
pepper fried rice, and penne with ricotta and peas.

Most of the time I don't buy produce out of season (making some
exceptions) so I just wouldn't cook with fresh red peppers at this time
of year, as Bittman does. THere's plenty of tasty winter produce here
in California to tide us over until March or April. But frozen produce
is also a lifesaver when you have an ongoing family health crisis and
people still need to be fed (without calling for takeout). Our
emergency dinner for the kids involves frozen store brand ravioli
dressed with olive oil and parmesan cheese, frozen peas or green beans
served with either butter (peas) or lemon juice and olive oil (beans),
and fresh "baby" carrot sticks. Fruit and a small cookie for dessert.
The teenaged babysitter can handle putting this meal together when
necessary.

Bittman suggests another way for cooking frozen green beans that I plan
to try.

Hope this gives you some good ideas for midwinter meals.

Leila

Dog3 wrote:
> "Leila" > wrote in
> oups.com:
>
>> Mark Bittman and I are so in tune. The Minimalist Cook (also wrote
>> "How to Cook Everything", a cookbook we recommend around here
>> frequently) writes in the NY Times today about discovering frozen
>> vegetables.
>>
>> http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/16/di...266296400&en=5
>> 18bc4adba6683f7&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland
>>
>> Sheldon, among others, was commenting on this same topic recently.
>> I've certainly had good results with frozen spinach, and find that
>> frozen green beans make pre-schoolers very happy. Safeway's organic
>> frozen veggies are also a great value compared to fresh organic
>> produce out of season.
>>
>> But Bittman expands my thinking with recipes for chicken in a pot,
>> pepper fried rice, and penne with ricotta and peas.
>>
>> Most of the time I don't buy produce out of season (making some
>> exceptions) so I just wouldn't cook with fresh red peppers at this
>> time of year, as Bittman does. THere's plenty of tasty winter produce
>> here in California to tide us over until March or April. But frozen
>> produce is also a lifesaver when you have an ongoing family health
>> crisis and people still need to be fed (without calling for takeout).
>> Our emergency dinner for the kids involves frozen store brand ravioli
>> dressed with olive oil and parmesan cheese, frozen peas or green
>> beans served with either butter (peas) or lemon juice and olive oil
>> (beans), and fresh "baby" carrot sticks. Fruit and a small cookie
>> for dessert. The teenaged babysitter can handle putting this meal
>> together when necessary.
>>
>> Bittman suggests another way for cooking frozen green beans that I
>> plan to try.
>>
>> Hope this gives you some good ideas for midwinter meals.
>>
>> Leila
>>
>>
>
> Very interesting read Leila. Thanks for posting the link. The recipes
> to the right of the article are also interesting. I liked the pepper
> fried rice and the penne. The other 2 were great also.
>
> Michael

Yep, nice article. I much prefer frozen if I can't buy fresh in season.
Fresh out of season is way to expensive - sorry but I'm not paying $3 for a
tiny bunch of asparagus in February. It also kills me they charge twice as
much (at least here) for "trimmed" fresh bunches of broccoli. It may be a
convenience for busy people but I'd throw the stalks in the freezer and use
them later to make veggie stock. Much less costly to buy frozen florets
when it's out of season.

Jill

"Leila" > wrote

> Sheldon, among others, was commenting on this same topic recently. I've
> certainly had good results with frozen spinach, and find that frozen
> green beans make pre-schoolers very happy. Safeway's organic frozen
> veggies are also a great value compared to fresh organic produce out of
> season.

I think that author was a victim of eat locally grown produce in season
thinking. Yeah, that means I don't eat vegetables all winter. I mean,
that's great if you live in a temperate climate of some sort, but ... ain't
nothing growing here now! Except house farms, but that's another
story. At any rate, I would be lost without frozen vegetables and I
can't imagine why they would be snubbed. Nice baby brussels sprouts,
corn, broccoli florets, peas especially, I could go on and on. They
are all delicious to me. Right out of the freezer at the supermarket.

nancy

Dog3 wrote:
[snip]]
> The recipes to
> the right of the article are also interesting. I liked the pepper
fried
> rice and the penne. The other 2 were great also.

Good article, good recipes, but who wants fried rice with nothing but
bell peppers? He could have taken some shrimp out of the freezer, too,
and an egg out of the 'fridge....

-aem

Michael wrote:

> Very interesting read Leila. Thanks for posting the link. The recipes to
> the right of the article are also interesting. I liked the pepper fried
> rice and the penne. The other 2 were great also.

I couldn't get to the recipes without subscribing (which I don't want to
do). Would you please post them, especially the chicken in the pot recipe?

Bob

Bob wrote:
[snip]
> I couldn't get to the recipes without subscribing (which I don't want
to
> do). Would you please post them, especially the chicken in the pot
recipe?
>
All they want from you in order to register is an e-mail address. You
can make one up using hotmail or yahoo or google and then never look at
it again. Or not. Just so you know. When I registered a few years
ago I was of course expecting to be added to many spam lists but it
didn't happen.

-aem

Bob > wrote in message
...
> Michael wrote:
>
> > Very interesting read Leila. Thanks for posting the link. The recipes to
> > the right of the article are also interesting. I liked the pepper fried
> > rice and the penne. The other 2 were great also.
>
> I couldn't get to the recipes without subscribing (which I don't want to
> do). Would you please post them, especially the chicken in the pot recipe?
>
For future reference you can use www.bugmenot.com to bypass mandatory
registrations.

One time on Usenet, "Bob" > said:
> Michael wrote:
>
> > Very interesting read Leila. Thanks for posting the link. The recipes to
> > the right of the article are also interesting. I liked the pepper fried
> > rice and the penne. The other 2 were great also.
>
> I couldn't get to the recipes without subscribing (which I don't want to
> do). Would you please post them, especially the chicken in the pot recipe?

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/16/dining/161mrex.html

Recipe: Chicken in a Pot

Published: February 16, 2005

Time: About 90 minutes

1 large chicken, about 5 pounds, cleaned and trimmed
4 cups stock or water
1 large onion, whole and unpeeled
1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms, optional
1/2 cup pearl barley
1 pound frozen chopped green beans
1/2 pound frozen corn
1/2 pound frozen diced carrots
4 tablespoons butter, more or less
Salt and pepper
Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish.

1. Put chicken in a large pot, and add enough stock and/or water to come
about halfway up its sides. Add onion and, if you're using them, the
mushrooms, and bring to boil over high heat. Partially cover, and adjust
heat so liquid simmers gently.
Advertisement

2. After about 30 minutes add barley and continue to cook. The chicken
will be done about 30 minutes later. (Cut into it to make sure; the
juices will run clear, and there will be only a trace of pink at leg
joint.) Remove it to a platter and keep warm. Remove onion, and discard.

3. Add vegetables to pot, with butter and some salt and pepper, and
raise heat to high. Cook until mixture is thick and most of the visible
liquid gone. (If this happens before vegetables are tender, add some
water or stock and continue.) Carve chicken, and serve with vegetable
mixture. Garnish with parsley.

Yield: 6 servings.

--
J.J. in WA ~ mom, vid gamer, novice cook ~
"You still haven't explained why the pool is
filled with elf blood." - Frylock, ATHF

I buy frozen organic berries, too - my Atkins-obsessed husband eats
them with Splenda and cream. The kids also love canned peaches (not
organic) even if they're in "light syrup". The store brand goes on sale
regularly and provides a nice pantry treat in winter. Canned peaches
are no substitute for fresh - they're a dish in of themselves. Perfect
kid food, not for everybody!

Leila

Dog3 wrote:

> Very interesting read Leila. Thanks for posting the link. The recipes to
> the right of the article are also interesting. I liked the pepper fried
> rice and the penne. The other 2 were great also.


The penne recipe I've been making for years, it's supreeeemely easy and
quick (like me!), "fancy" enough to serve to company. Add some red pepper
flakes for spice (and color) if you so desire...

Another quick dish using frozen green beans is to stir fry them with some
ground pork. Add soy sauce, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, chili oil, sesame
oil, whatever. Garnish with sesame seeds Served over rice it's quite
tasty. Shrimp also work well with this, as does diced chicken...

I've been using a lot of frozen veg this winter, they are on sale often. My
freezer is fairly full of them in fact. I like the little frozen whole
onions, it beats the tedium of dealing with the fresh ones...

Like the article sez, there is no diff between say Bird's Eye and store
brand frozen vegetables. My store often has them on sale for the same
price. You will however pay a lot more for the fancy "side dish" types of
things with butter sauce, etc....

--
Best
Greg

Matthew Venhaus wrote:

> Bob > wrote in message
> ...
> > Michael wrote:
> >
> > > Very interesting read Leila. Thanks for posting the link. The recipes
to
> > > the right of the article are also interesting. I liked the pepper
fried
> > > rice and the penne. The other 2 were great also.
> >
> > I couldn't get to the recipes without subscribing (which I don't want to
> > do). Would you please post them, especially the chicken in the pot
recipe?
> >
> For future reference you can use www.bugmenot.com to bypass mandatory
> registrations.


It's always been my practice to post the whole article (if it's Usenet; on
message boards this is sometimes prohibited). It's a PITA when you have to
register to read the article and it's a PITA to use bugmenot. Lots of folks
will just skip the article, thus diminishing the utility of one's post.

On the occasions when I don't post a whole article I will provide a precis
of the article for the readers, it's simple common courtesy. Nothing bugs
me more than someone simply posting a URL without giving me a reason as to
why I should bother to click it on.

--
Best
Greg

Nancy Young wrote:

> I think that author was a victim of eat locally grown produce in season
> thinking. Yeah, that means I don't eat vegetables all winter. I mean,
> that's great if you live in a temperate climate of some sort, but ...
ain't
> nothing growing here now! Except house farms, but that's another
> story. At any rate, I would be lost without frozen vegetables and I
> can't imagine why they would be snubbed. Nice baby brussels sprouts,
> corn, broccoli florets, peas especially, I could go on and on. They
> are all delicious to me. Right out of the freezer at the supermarket.
>

I in fact prefer frozen Brussel sprouts, the fresh ones can really be hit -
or - miss as to whether they are bitter or not...

--
Best
Greg

Leila wrote:

> I buy frozen organic berries, too - my Atkins-obsessed husband eats
> them with Splenda and cream. The kids also love canned peaches (not
> organic) even if they're in "light syrup". The store brand goes on sale
> regularly and provides a nice pantry treat in winter. Canned peaches
> are no substitute for fresh - they're a dish in of themselves. Perfect
> kid food, not for everybody!


I find myself eating a lot of canned pineapple lately...

--
Best
Greg

"Dog3" wrote:

> I rely heavily on certain frozen veggies during the winter. I have yet to
> experiment with canning. We can usually get decent fresh brussel sprouts,
> carrots, potatoes, celery and a few root veggies at the supermarket but
> just about everything else is lousy. I buy frozen spinach, asparagus,
> broccoli, cauliflower, green beans etc. They are fine as long as they are
> not cooked to death. Tomatoes (several varieties) are purchased in the
> can. I also buy frozen fruits like peaches, strawberries, raspberries,
> blueberries. They usually wind up in my smoothies at night
>


Here ya go Michael, all kinds of frozen fruit in up to 30 pound tins:

https://www.reasonsprairiepride.com/page9.php

This place is what we in the Midwest call a "meat locker", a processing
place that sells bulk meat and vegetables. You can order a whole cow or
two, they will process it for you and even store it if you wish. You can
also bring in your own Elsie or Porky or pet deer and they will process it
for you...

AFAIK they became popular before home freezers were common. And up until
1940 or so many farm folk didn't even have electrical fridges, as there was
little rural electric service...

The meat (beef and pork) is local so it is very good quality. This
particular place also features exotic imports like elk, venison, ostrich...

I remember those big 30 pound "lugs" (actually big gold cans) of cherries
that my mom used to buy...some were for pies and some were for just
eating...good stuff!

Any other Midwesterners here familiar with meat lockers?

--
Best
Greg

Gregory Morrow wrote:
> Another quick dish using frozen green beans is to stir fry them with
some
> ground pork. Add soy sauce, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, chili oil,
sesame
> oil, whatever. Garnish with sesame seeds Served over rice it's
quite
> tasty.

Yes. Or, stirfry fermented black beans and garlic, chopped, for a few
seconds, then the pork, a bit of soy and wine, then the green beans,
and finally a bit of water to make it saucy.

-aem

Dog3 wrote:

> "Gregory Morrow"
> <gregorymorrowEMERGENCYCANCELLATIONARCHIMEDES@eart hlink.net> wrote in
> ink.net:
>
> >
> > Matthew Venhaus wrote:
> >
> >> Bob > wrote in message
> >> ...
> >> > Michael wrote:
> >> >
> >> > > Very interesting read Leila. Thanks for posting the link. The
> >> > > recipes
> > to
> >> > > the right of the article are also interesting. I liked the pepper
> > fried
> >> > > rice and the penne. The other 2 were great also.
> >> >
> >> > I couldn't get to the recipes without subscribing (which I don't
> >> > want to do). Would you please post them, especially the chicken in
> >> > the pot
> > recipe?
> >> >
> >> For future reference you can use www.bugmenot.com to bypass mandatory
> >> registrations.
> >
> >
> > It's always been my practice to post the whole article (if it's
> > Usenet; on message boards this is sometimes prohibited). It's a PITA
> > when you have to register to read the article and it's a PITA to use
> > bugmenot. Lots of folks will just skip the article, thus diminishing
> > the utility of one's post.
> >
> > On the occasions when I don't post a whole article I will provide a
> > precis of the article for the readers, it's simple common courtesy.
> > Nothing bugs me more than someone simply posting a URL without giving
> > me a reason as to why I should bother to click it on.
> >
>
> Well, I posted 4 recipes which were unrelated to the original article that
> was posted. IMO it is much better to post a snippet of the article and
then
> the link. Either way, it doesn't seem to matter much if you post a link or
> the article. I suppose if the media wants to get bitchy about copyright
> infringement over posting the entire article, we will hear about it
>


Yup...I am still waiting for the _New York Times_ to sue me over articles of
theirs I've copied to Usenet. Often whenever I've done so on other groups
some academic crank - type has to get all on my case about "copyright
infringement" and such ;-)

--
Best
Greg

Dog3 wrote:

> "Gregory Morrow"
> <gregorymorrowEMERGENCYCANCELLATIONARCHIMEDES@eart hlink.net> wrote in
> ink.net:
>
> >
> > Dog3 wrote:
> >
> >> Very interesting read Leila. Thanks for posting the link. The recipes
> >> to the right of the article are also interesting. I liked the pepper
> >> fried rice and the penne. The other 2 were great also.
> >
> >
> > The penne recipe I've been making for years, it's supreeeemely easy
> > and quick (like me!), "fancy" enough to serve to company. Add some
> > red pepper flakes for spice (and color) if you so desire...
>
> Oh stop. Dams is the ng trollop :-)


I think we need a Male Division :--p


> > Another quick dish using frozen green beans is to stir fry them with
> > some ground pork. Add soy sauce, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, chili
> > oil, sesame oil, whatever. Garnish with sesame seeds Served over
> > rice it's quite tasty. Shrimp also work well with this, as does diced
> > chicken...
>
> This sounds really good. I wonder if peanut oil would be good. Just
> speculating.


Sure. In any case sesame oil is just a flavoring agent, not a cooking oil
per se. A few dabs of chili oil goes a LONG way, just add it to the peanut
or whatever oil...


> > I've been using a lot of frozen veg this winter, they are on sale
> > often. My freezer is fairly full of them in fact. I like the little
> > frozen whole onions, it beats the tedium of dealing with the fresh
> > ones...
> >
> > Like the article sez, there is no diff between say Bird's Eye and
> > store brand frozen vegetables. My store often has them on sale for
> > the same price. You will however pay a lot more for the fancy "side
> > dish" types of things with butter sauce, etc....
>
> My freezer is stuffed. I've got steaks, ground meat and all kinds of
> veggies. I've also got Marie Callander's pot pies. Maybe 20 of them. The
> big ones. They are good in a pinch and especially if you are sick.
>

I got Stouffer's mac 'n cheeze for 99 cents last nite for a friend last nite
(our grocery store is adjacent to our local groggery - how conveeeeenient!),
I picked up a few for myself. I've not tried any of their stuff before but
at that price...

I've still got diced red and green bell peppers from the autumn farmer's
market in the freezer...I should really use those soon.

--
Best
Greg

Following up my own post, I use the "petite whole green beans" for
this. We like them better than the cut-type, and I don't think the
french cut beans hold up to more than the lightest cooking.

-aem

aem wrote:

> Gregory Morrow wrote:
> > Another quick dish using frozen green beans is to stir fry them with
> some
> > ground pork. Add soy sauce, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, chili oil,
> sesame
> > oil, whatever. Garnish with sesame seeds Served over rice it's
> quite
> > tasty.
>
> Yes. Or, stirfry fermented black beans and garlic, chopped, for a few
> seconds, then the pork, a bit of soy and wine, then the green beans,
> and finally a bit of water to make it saucy.


Fresh long or "snake" beans are good for this too in place of green beans...

Oh I forgot to add that brown sugar is another ingredient one can add. Adds
a nice sweetness to the spice...

--
Best
Greg

Leila wrote:
> Mark Bittman and I are so in tune. The Minimalist Cook (also wrote "How
> to Cook Everything", a cookbook we recommend around here frequently)
> writes in the NY Times today about discovering frozen vegetables.
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/16/di...er=rssuserland
>

"Who'd ever eat frozen vegetables?" Archibald Gardiner Monks, when asked
to be an investor in the start up now known as Bird's Eye Foods. A.G.
was still using an ice box at the lake house when this was proposed to
him, so I guess I can understand the no.

I buy them and use them when fresh in season isn't an option. Decent
article. Thanks for sharing.

Jessica

On 16 Feb 2005 11:45:39 -0800, "Leila" >
wrote:

>I buy frozen organic berries, too - my Atkins-obsessed husband eats
>them with Splenda and cream. The kids also love canned peaches (not
>organic) even if they're in "light syrup". The store brand goes on sale
>regularly and provides a nice pantry treat in winter. Canned peaches
>are no substitute for fresh - they're a dish in of themselves. Perfect
>kid food, not for everybody!
>
>Leila

When my daughter was a little tyke, we kept frozen peaches in the
house most days. They make a good, healthy dessert for young 'uns.


modom

Only superficial people don't judge by appearances.
-- Oscar Wilde

"Gregory Morrow"
<gregorymorrowEMERGENCYCANCELLATIONARCHIMEDES@eart hlink.net> wrote in
message ink.net...
>
snip>
> https://www.reasonsprairiepride.com/page9.php
>
> This place is what we in the Midwest call a "meat locker", a processing
> place that sells bulk meat and vegetables. You can order a whole cow or
> two, they will process it for you and even store it if you wish. You can
> also bring in your own Elsie or Porky or pet deer and they will process it
> for you...
>
> AFAIK they became popular before home freezers were common. And up until
> 1940 or so many farm folk didn't even have electrical fridges, as there
> was
> little rural electric service...
>
> The meat (beef and pork) is local so it is very good quality. This
> particular place also features exotic imports like elk, venison,
> ostrich...
>
> I remember those big 30 pound "lugs" (actually big gold cans) of cherries
> that my mom used to buy...some were for pies and some were for just
> eating...good stuff!
>
> Any other Midwesterners here familiar with meat lockers?
>
> --
> Best
> Greg
Ja, sure. Getting stuff from the locker in the summer was enough to kill
you. What I remember most is the nasty smell that had soaked into the
freezer paper. The smell was not noticeable in the cold of the locker but
you could pick up the smell on the way home. That was mostly from lockers
that were huge rooms with partitioned-off or wired-off spaces. The classy
places that had individual rooms or closets were a lot better. It's been a
long time. . .my deep freeze is 33 years old.
Janet

On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 10:42:18 -0500, "Nancy Young"
> wrote:

>
>"Leila" > wrote
>
>> Sheldon, among others, was commenting on this same topic recently. I've
>> certainly had good results with frozen spinach, and find that frozen
>> green beans make pre-schoolers very happy. Safeway's organic frozen
>> veggies are also a great value compared to fresh organic produce out of
>> season.
>
>I think that author was a victim of eat locally grown produce in season
>thinking. Yeah, that means I don't eat vegetables all winter. I mean,
>that's great if you live in a temperate climate of some sort, but ... ain't
>nothing growing here now! Except house farms, but that's another
>story. At any rate, I would be lost without frozen vegetables and I
>can't imagine why they would be snubbed. Nice baby brussels sprouts,
>corn, broccoli florets, peas especially, I could go on and on. They
>are all delicious to me. Right out of the freezer at the supermarket.
>
>nancy

I'm with you all the way!

I don't take this stuff seriously. This guy is a food writer, he has
to write about something to earn a living, He has the need to develop
a rarefied palate about such things and the time to do so. The big
problem with the "I don't eat produce unless it's absolutely fresh and
lovely" standard is that the number one priority should be getting
most people to eat more fruits and vegetables at all, not having them
obsess about in-season or top-quality!

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

I worked for the NY Times legal department for a couple of years,
before the rise of the internet...I wouldn't want those lawyers bugging
me. OK I could argue fair use but I'd rather just post the link and let
you know what it's about. I did use the RSS link that allows you to
read it without being "signed in" - did you try the link? Do you know
about those RSS links? I have a "New York Times Autolink Generator"
that makes this happen.

Hope the summary was enough information for you. Really the topic could
be discussed without even reading the whole article. Thanks to the
persons who posted the recipes, BTW.

Leila

I'm not super religious about copyright but again, because I worked in
the legal dept. and many of those same lawyers are still there, I
personally am careful about how much I quote from NY Times articles.
Not that they'd remember me or bother to go after me personally. It's
just a personal thing. You are free to differ.

Leila

Wow, I'm impressed. Too bad we don't have these in California. Why
should I buy a Sub-Zero when I could rent space in a commercial locker,
and they provide fresh local produce and game to boot? Love the sound
of those cherries.

Leila