Once a Month Cooking

I did a marathon day of cooking on Thursday. On Wednesday, I found a great deal on ground chuck at Kroger. I was at the right place at the right time when the butcher marked down everything that was nearing expiration dates. I was able to get (3) 5 pound packs of ground chuck for $5.62 each. They normally are priced at $11.45 each. I also used a $5/$15 meat purchase coupon (received in mail from Kroger) to save even more, making my total $11.86 for $34.35 worth of meat! Whenever I find a great deal like that, I go on and cook it all at once. The following is a recipe for "All Purpose Ground Meat Mix" taken from the book Frozen Assets. Check it out at your local library. I make this basic meat mix and then use it in many casseroles and other recipes. Having pre-cooked beef on hand is such a time and sanity saver.
ALL PURPOSE GROUND MEAT MIX
*5 pounds ground meat (beef or turkey)
*2 cups celery, chopped
*1 clove garlic, minced
*2 cups onion, chopped
*1 cup green pepper, diced
*1/2 teaspoon pepper
*1 teaspoon salt (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Brown meat in a large pot. Drain. Stir in celery, garlic, onion, green pepper, salt and pepper; cover and simmer about 10 minutes until vegetables are tender but not soft. You can use this mixture immediately during your cooking session or freeze in two-cup portions for later use.
SUGGESTED USES
TACOS: Add one package taco seasoning to 2 cups All-Purpose Ground Meat Mix. Freeze. To serve: thaw and heat; prepare tacos as you normally would or use on baked potatoes or for taco salads
SLOPPY JOES: In a large skillet, place 2 cups Ground Meat Mix, one can tomato soup, 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon prepared mustard. Stir. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Freeze. To serve: Thaw and heat; serve on hamburger buns or toasted English muffin halves.
***Mix can also be used for stuffed peppers, chili, spaghetti and baked ziti. See book, Frozen Assets, for these recipes and more.
***By looking at the pictures, you can see the bounty of food I was able to prepare. I used 10 pounds of beef and made the All-Purpose Mix. From that I was able to bank several meals for my freezer. Here is a list:
*(7) packages 2 Cups each All-Purpose mix
*(1) package Taco Seasoned Meat
*(3) packages Sloppy Joe Seasoned Meat
*(10) beef enchiladas [1 entree]
***With the other 5 pounds of beef, I was able to make the following:
*(2) meatloaves
*(2) lasagnas
*(2) spaghetti pies [see recipe HERE]
That is about 18 meals made from 15 pounds of beef (that cost less than $12). I am fortunate to have a deep freezer. If you are limited on freezer space, you can still benefit from once-a-month cooking. Just prepare the All-Purpose mix and store in freezer bags. Laying them flat and stacking them should make the best use of space. No matter how much freezer space you have, don't forget to label each package and write a master list of what you have. Share your cooking strategies with me. I would love to try some new recipes.