My New Best Friend

Did you know you can freeze Rice Krispie Treats? I didn't. Well, that is, until last weekend. I won't kid you or myself, I have a few massive sweet tooth's. Some have tamed themselves over the years, but I am a fan of dessert (come on, who isn't??). Living on my own and in environments where these sweets are not able to be shared really put a damper on any major creativity. I had to limit the recipe to produce an item that I alone could eat before it went bad. That is why it is such a novel idea to be able to produce what the recipe calls for and still be able to eat it all without any spoilage. How? Freezing.

Two weekends ago, I had a cooking/baking spree in the comfort of my Aunt's house where her kitchen is plenty stocked with equipment necessary for such moments. Condiments (worcestershire sauce, sloppy joe sauce, & bbq sauce), soft pretzels, rice krispie treats, biscuit mix (basically what you'd find in a box of bisquick), pizza dough, & pastry dough were bountifully produced. All the condiments were of a regular serving size found in the stores but do not contain onions! The soft pretzels produced a bakers dozen and were individually saran wrapped in two layers and frozen. The pizza and pastry dough was also saran wrapped and frozen in semi-flat discs appropriate to serving sizes for recipes on hand. And the biscuit mix simply needs to be used before the end of the year (I do not foresee a problem with that idea). But the Rice Krispie Treats posed their own problem.

Having the cereal donated to me by a family whose children decided they hated Fruity Pebbles (the knock-off brand), I found that it tasted rather stale but did not warrant a tossing. Remembering a great friend from Italy creating a masterpiece at Hostel Hee from Corn Flakes by following the Rice Krispie recipe and substituting the cereals, a light bulb went off. Fruity Pebble Treats was added to the list of recipes to make for the day. That only left one problem: I could not and would not allow myself to consume a 9"x13" Krispie Treat all by myself over the course of two days (before they really went stale). So I google searched "storing rice krispie treats," and the first hit was "How to Freeze...." Yes! That was the answer! In one of my freezer containers I simply layered a piece of wax paper in between two layers of the treats, placed the lid firmly on top, and popped it in the freezer.

Now, curiosity has gotten the best of me and I have weakened to having a taste test a week after their placement. According to the website, they would keep in that packaging for as long as 3 months. To consume after freezing, one would simply pull the quantity desired out of the package and allow to defrost for 15 minutes. So, last Friday, I pulled two out and placed them in a ziploc baggie. When I remembered having pulled them out an hour later, the one I consumed was as fresh as the day I made them! Success! (And yes, the consumption of the second one on Saturday still tasted as fresh and the one consumed Friday.)

I never thought I'd become so dependent on my freezer, but I have. I know this is not a new idea to be storing meals in the freezer or to mass produce and freeze for later. But now that I am on my own again, I want to be utilizing all resources for their maximum benefiting purposes. My freezer will soon be holding the key ingredients to easy fixin's for so many meals. A majority of it will all be made by hand, and within a semi-employed college student's budget. The most recent addition to the freezer was added last night and produced in the crock-pot yesterday... Sweet & Sour Chicken. Now, when I want a quick meal, all I need to do is heat up the single serving container and make a little minute rice. I'll have a meal in a jiffy.

Before I leave you for the day, I'd like to introduce you to my new best friend... The Freezer. :) I hope we all get along just nicely.