So, I decided to follow this advice and make a casserole from scratch and freeze it for later.  I doubled the recipe so I could have more on hand for a later date when we’re just too pooped to cook a real meal.  I’m getting all set to work my magic and feel all thrifty and domesticated, when I realized I don’t have a clue on how to freeze a casserole for later use.  Just typing it makes it sound even more ridiculous, because really, how hard could it be?  Apparently too hard for me!

So here I am, Googling “how to freeze casseroles” and realizing that my poor grandmother would probably roll over in her grave if she knew I didn’t know how to freeze a simple chicken and spinach casserole.  Truly, cooking from scratch has become a lost art.  Back in the good old days people didn’t have lasagna in a box or a bag with a full meal inside that you could throw in a slow-cooker.  People had to actually cook, you know?  So they made their own convenience foods by cooking extra and saving it for later for when they were sick or a neighbor needed a helping hand.

I’m really pursuing this whole freezing-food-for-later thing.  It will save me a lot of money on convenience foods, not to mention a lot of time in the future.  Making a bunch at once means only having to clean pots and pans once, rather than again later.  And if I’m making some today, why not double it?  It doesn’t take any extra time!  Plus, by making the food from scratch I know exactly what goes into it, which is loads healthier.  I can avoid the extra fat and salt that is often added, and get rid of all those nasty preservatives that get dumped in too.

While I’m sure that some would read this and shake their finger at me for not knowing how to freeze my own food, I’m sure many others could totally relate.  I know my generation has been raised on convenience foods, starting with the nasty Salisbury steak TV dinners available 15 years ago, and then evolving into the complex pastas and pizzas and stir-fry dishes that line the freezer aisles.

I’m hoping eventually to make my own homemade bread and jam…mmm….I have a lot to learn before then though if I don’t even know how to freeze a casserole properly!