Freezing and Thawing

The weather here in Michigan has been unbelievably harsh. As a transplanted Marylander, I've been enjoying the moderating affects of global warming, but this winter has been full on Michigan frozen wonderland. For a few days we couldn't even do laundry because the temperatures were so low the dryer failed to dry things in less than three runs. Vacationing from doing laundry is pleasant until you're vacationing from clean underwear. Thankfully we're back out of the single digits.
My sister has always been one of my favorite human beings. From the first time I spotted her alive and breathing in the hospital nursery I was a big fan. However, we are separated by five and a half years, and that always made relating difficult when we were children. Adulthood has brought us much closer, but there are still times when I wonder if we'll ever really understand each other.
One of my big rituals when preparing to give birth is to stock the freezer with at least a month's worth of dishes--me being me I get carried away and the "month" is actually three months, but this time we have a much smaller freezer. In order to store Christmas provisions, we eat the freezer empty the month before. I was really stuck as to how I was going to get the maximum out of such a minimal space. The usual cook until you drop approach would only have resulted in a chaotic overflow of food we'd have had to eat right then. That's when my sister stepped in.
When my niece was on the way, Karen was finally close enough for me to run down and cook until her freezer was groaning. The entire day was great, and I loved knowing that I'd made her first month with my niece a little simpler. Now that I'm the one expecting, Karen decided to repay the favor, only not with cooking, but with a freezer. It was one of those moments where you feel completely understood and loved. My beautiful freezer is sitting out in the garage waiting for me to get busy.
In honor of such a grand space--that baby has 9 cubic feet--I bought two new cookbooks. Fix, Freeze and Feast has turned out to be surprisingly well done for those of us who are familiar with the pitfalls and pleasures of once-a-month cooking. The authors have dishes that are as easy as measuring ingredients into freezer bags and then thaw and heat. They look delicious. I'll let you know which ones turn out to be better than the lack of effort suggests. The other book, Cook's Illustrated Make Ahead Meals, reflects my desire to upgrade our culinary efforts. I figure a few of their more complex meals will round out the line-up of old favorites and new speedy recipes. All that remains is to make up the shopping lists and get cooking. I love cooking.