Needing to find some time to chill

For the past few weeks, I've been dipping heavily into the stash of goods in the freezer.

Much of it was the gains of a phenomenal meat sale at Winn-Dixie a few months back: A Buy One, Get One Free Bonanaza that's, sadly, coming to the end of its run. There were some casseroles, a few batches of pinto beans, baked beans, collard greens. All manner of soups and chili. Red beans and rice.

Alas, it's gotten to the point that I can actually see the back wall of the freezer now. A few shelves are bare (except the bread shelf, and that's a rotating level of baked goods.) All of which means I'll have to schedule a Saturday cooking day, either this week or next week.

Basically, I get out the Crock-pots (all three of them), fire up the oven and the soup pot and do as much cooking as I can in one day. Everything is then packed up, labeled -- that's important. You won't remember those pork chops and noodles two months from now -- then stowed in the freezer. Going into baseball season and long, sunny days, when the last thing I want to do after work every day is cook, my freezer stash is invaluable.

The food will still be good. It'll still be homemade. The only difference is it will be reheating in the oven or microwave while I'm outside with the family, enjoying the sunshine.