There are any number of Bisquick "Impossible" recipes you can make ahead and reheat in the oven, toaster oven, or microwave. I make several of them in muffin tins (using my homemade gluten-free baking mix) for hubby to take to work in his lunch, and this recipe is one of his favorites. This recipe can easily be divided into two loaf pans if you need smaller servings, or in a 6-cup muffin tin if you want individual servings - which I wrap in pop-up foil sheets for freezer-to-toaster oven reheating. -Grainlady

PEPPERONI CHEESE BAKE

2 c. Original Bisquick
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. water
1/2 t. Italian seasoning
1/2 package (3-1/4-oz size) sliced pepperoni, cut in half (you can also use cooked ground beef, sliced deli ham, etc.)
1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese (2 oz.)
Sliced ripe olives, if desired
Pizza Sauce, heated, if desired (I use homemade Marinara sauce)

1. Heat oven to 400-degrees F. Generously grease bottom and sides of square pan, 9x9x2-inches.
2. Stir Bisquick, Parmesan cheese, water, Italian seasoning and pepperoni until moistened; spread on bottom of pan. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Top with olives (if using).
3. Bake uncovered 18-20 minutes or until edges are light golden and cheese is melted; cool slightly. Serve warm. Serve with pizza sauce. 6-servings.
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Other things I often have in the freezer:

-Enchiladas

-Sloppy Joe meat + homemade burger buns

-Homemade Bean Burgers+ homemade burger buns

-Homemade chili (in single-servings) - can be used as-is, as a topping for a baked potato, or as the base for a taco salad

-Pre-cooked seasoned and sliced chicken and beef (make your own or commercial) - quick topping for a dinner salad, stir-fry, fajitas, taco...

-Ham Buns (homemade dinner rolls with sliced deli ham inside) I package them 2 buns to a package - pop-up foil sheets - and they reheat quickly in a toaster oven.

-Precooked taco meat (enough for 1 meal per package)

-Dinner Rolls (2-per pop-up foil sheet) - add to the oven while reheating the meal, or in the toaster oven

-Cornbread (2-per pop-up foil sheet)

-Chicken/beef/turkey and rice

-Salmon or tuna cakes

-Meatloaf (we like to reheat meatloaf slices in a skillet until it's slightly crispy)

-Turkey, dressing, potatoes

-Pizza

-Stuffed peppers

-Storganoff meat (cook the noodles or rice as needed - you might find the packages of 1-minute microwave rice handy, or stock your freezer with packages of pre-cooked rice)

-Fried Rice (without an egg)

Here is a link that might be useful: Bisquick Recipes

What do you like? Most anything really could be frozen. Ham, turkey, soup, stew, chili, casseroles, meatloaves, meatballs, hamburgers, taco meat, pasta dishes, roasts, ribs, chops, pulled pork, etc. How about doubling up what you're cooking the next couple weeks and freeze the extra? Then you don't have to do "special" cooking for it. A little extra effort each day and your freezer should be full.

I guess I am looking for a variety of casseroles so I literally only have to put them in the oven in their throw away pan and won't have to do dishes. After I posted earlier I thought about cabbage rolls or lazy cabbage rolls.

Grainlady-The pepperoni cheese bake- do you cook then freeze or freeze then cook

I bake/cook then freeze. -Grainlady

I'm a big fan of Taste of Home "freezer pleasers". I have a few these cookbooks. They are recipes were you make two. The idea is you eat one meal now and freeze the other. If you go to their website you can search for recipes.

What about using a crockpot? If you put in a liner there is little or no clean up. One of my new favs in the crock is stuffed shells. I buy ready made frozen stuffed shells. Put some frozen in a lined crockpot. Pour on sauce. They will be done in a few hours.

What about marinated chicken parts, raw and frozen that you can pop in the oven? Add some potatoes and veggies at the last minute.

Italian beef with its au jus can go into the microwave. Serve with good hard long bread and don't forget the gardinere to spice it up.

Enchilada casserole on a bed of raw or par cooked rice.

Pre-cook some pasta, freeze in a zip bag and reheat in very hot water and serve with your favorite sauce.

Stuffed peppers in the oven.
Chicken pot pies.
Pot roast is an easy reheat too. Serve with biscuits.

Homemade mashed potatoes freeze well but add the heated milk after defrosting.

If you have a foodsaver, remember you can boil in the bag after defrosting. And the "steamer" bags also cook up chicken breast very nicely for a chicken salad. Fish fillets work nicely too.

Wishing you the best and I hope you have some help during recover.

Here are two of my favorites:

Chicken Tetrazzini

â¢4 cups cooked diced chicken
â¢salt and pepper
â¢8 ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained
â¢6 tablespoons butter
â¢8 ounces sliced mushrooms
â¢1/4 cup all-purpose flour
â¢1 cup light cream or half-and-half
â¢2 cups chicken broth
â¢1/4 cup dry sherry
â¢1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
â¢ground sweet paprika, optional
Heat the oven to 425ð. Butter a 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish.
Cook spaghetti or noodles according to package directions.
Meanwhile, in skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat; sauté sliced mushrooms until golden. In a saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter; stir in flour, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir until smooth; add chicken broth and cream. Cook, stirring, until sauce is thickened. Add chicken, cooked mushrooms, and sherry; heat through. Place noodles or spaghetti in a buttered baking dish; pour on sauce. Top with Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 425ð for 15 to 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
serves 8

Baked Ziti

1 pound dry ziti pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce or homemade sauce
6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
2. In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted

Okay this may sound dumb but I thought you couldn't freeze dishes with cream in them something about it separating.
Those both sound yummy.

I made my shepherds pies today had a bag of potatoes going bad. There was so much mashed I ended up making chicken pies with mashed topper too. (4 freezer meals done)

Still mashed left over so trying gnocchi for the first time.

teresa-Tomorrow is lasagne day so will try the Chicken Tetrazzini while I am making my pasta dishes. Will prolly make that ziti dish too but with different noodles

pkramer-Would love the Enchilada casserole recipe.

debrak- can't get that link to work and my crock pot will be to heavy to lift.

Anyone have any Rice casseroles?

As cynic mentioned, you can freeze nearly anything. I freeze mashed potatoes in muffin tins and then just heat them up in the microwave when I want them quickly.

I make and freeze pasties (meat pies) unbaked and then just bake then when I want them. I also freeze what the kids called "calzones", but they're more like homemade hot pockets, just a round of bread dough (I always make homemade but frozen works) rolled flat and then filled with nearly anything. Fold the dough over and seal the edges, then bake and freeze. The grandkids like pizza sauce, Canadian bacon, pepperoni and cheese. Amanda always liked chicken with broccoli and cheese and I made breakfast types too, with eggs, cheese, bacon, sausage, whatever.

Muffins and soups freeze well, I freeze chicken rice soup and I have frozen cooked rice in packages to use later. Chicken divan freezes well, as does Spanish rice. My cabbage rolls have rice in them too, as do chicken or beef enchiladas.

I freeze meals for my stepmother and have found that there isn't much that doesn't freeze well. I've frozen items with cream and with cheese, but I have found that some things like seafood chowder will separate a bit. I figure if I can buy it frozen at the grocery store I can probably freeze it at home and it'll be OK.

Don't forget breakfast, waffles and pancakes freeze and reheat well in the toaster and I make homemade pop tarts with pie crust and fruit filling and freeze them.

Heal quickly.

Annie

Annie is spot on, CL! Go to the store and look at frozen meals to get an idea of what recipes will freeze well. Cream may separate if frozen on it's own, but making a cream sauce with flour to thicken prevents cream separation.

Recently I noticed in my package of store bought frozen mac and cheese that the company put the cheese sauce in one half of the package and put the al dente cooked macaroni on the other side. The directions had you mix the cheese into the elbows after heating in the microwave and then continue heating until hot. No mushy pasta this way! I use the same technique with rice. Rice frozen by itself will not be mushy when heated; it's the ice crystals in the sauce that cut into the rice and make it mushy. I put a small sheet of wax paper over the rice, then put the cooled sauce/gravy on top of the wax paper, then freeze the meal. It's easy to remove the wax paper when the food is partially thawed.

Just remember to cook the pasta only until al dente when making the tetrazzini or ziti (or any pasta recipe to freeze) and you'll have good results.

All the best,
Teresa

Great idea with the waxed paper!! I was in the store yesterday looking for ideas. Breakfast won't really be an issue as hubby has cereal everyday.

I try to keep cabbage rolls, stuffed peppers and stuffed eggplant in the freezer for quick, one-dish meals.

Oh yes, I've actually frozen leftover baked beans and scalloped potatoes. The beans were OK, the potatoes were too.

I'm glad you posted this, though. I need to make my stepmother some meatloaf this weekend, I make it in muffin tins so she gets one individual meatloaf and one individual mashed potato and she adds whatever vegetables suits her.

Annie