Delicious homemade frozen meals, need some ideas

That would be my way to go. Spooning over some fruit compote - we usually have a couple of jars of Bonne Maman in the cupboard just for this.

As for the filo parcels, I’d also cook the filling and freeze in uncooked pastry.

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Shepherds pie or chicken pot pie freeze well and are nice and homey to come back to.

I often marinate chicken parts or fish so they’re ready to roast and very flavorful without much effort when I need them.

Anything braised works similarly well - defrosts and rehydrates in the braising liquid.

Vegetables - I’ve had cabbage and cauliflower last more than a month in the fridge, ditto carrots and onions, potatoes a few weeks. Frozen broccoli is softer than I like but great in a pinch or for soup. Frozen cauliflower also works for soup or cauliflower cheese.

For dessert - I’ve been on an olive oil cake kick of late, either that or pound cake freeze very well whole or in slices (wrapped well). Top with some ice cream - or jam and quick custard, sorta trifle. We get shelf stable whipping cream here if you like that and have access to it.

BUT… since you’re taking the train back, you could also pick up something you enjoyed or something special in your last days of vacation, and have that when you get home. I like to bring back at a couple of meals with me - I rarely want something from the freezer when I get home from a trip, and it’s a nice extension of the holiday. (Take a small insulated bag depending on the duration of the train journey.)

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Lava cakes are a great thing to have in the freezer than bake them up all warm and gooey.

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Edit, realize this is off-topic since it isn’t homemade. Of course, you could freeze an already home-cooked cassoulet, and warm it the night you return.
Since you live in France, maybe there is a good quality cassoulet that is canned? There’s a company in Quebec that makes duck products , including rillettes, a cassoulet with duck confit, a duck chili. The cassoulet is fairly expensive for canned goods, I think I paid around $27 for the canned cassoulet that feeds 2-3 people as a main , but it is a nice splurge item I buy at Xmas, for a quick, delicious meal. This is the company here in Canada, I would think someone sells something similar in France https://www.lescanardises.com/shop/page/2/

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Funnily enough, I’d just come to the site with a similar idea, having literally just watched a TV cookery programme which included a sort of cheats cassoulet. Basically, a tin or jar of confit duck, tin of flageolet beans, passata, onion, seasoning (and presumably anything else you had in the kitchen to throw in an pimp it up)

I’ve certainly bought tins of very decent cassoulet and confit duck from Carrefour supermarkets.

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Great minds? :grinning:

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@Phoenikia @Harters

Unfortunately, mister at home don’t like beans, I usually have a can around for days that I don’t want to cook and alone. But a good recommendation. :laughing:

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A sound idea! Thanks.

Good idea. Actually, I think I would have eaten a lot of typical French festival food that I would want other cuisine.

I’ll give some thinking on vegetables. Thanks for all the suggestions.

A few interesting points.

The flavor of some vegetables and spices intensifies in the freezer. Onions in particular can become stronger after they have been frozen. Some books suggest the use of dehydrated onions, but you also could cut down on the amount of onion in the recipe. The flavor of bay leaf and blended curry powder also seem to become stronger.

(Michael) Roberts is an acclaimed California chef, so it follows that his approach to freezing is somewhat more precise and exacting than that of others. His advice is to make soups and one-dish meals, then separate the sauce or liquid from the meat and vegetables before freezing them. The texture may be somewhat superior on thawing, but this method may be a bit confusing, especially for the purpose for which you intend to use the frozen foods.

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3 posts were merged into an existing topic: What’s for Dinner #52 - the Continuous Feasts Edition- December 2019

I think that most soups and moist braises freeze and com out about as good as knew. You don’t mention scale, but any variety fo chili can be portioned, and get out some cornbread and cheese and sour cream and lettuce while it’s thawing/simmering: done.

Also chicken cacciatore freezes very well and is scalable to any amount. (I recommend bone-in chicken things.)

The duck confit suggestion above is very fetching and fancy–and pricey–but the only problem is that it’s usually contrasted with fresh greens in some salad, and you spoke of that produce being an issue. But SOMEONE must be selling lettuce and dried cranberries or the like on January 1. These are the times that end me up at Walmart…

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1 Jan isnt the issue - naf arrives home at 10pm on New Years Eve.

Actually, the trip probably isn’t an issue now, our 18 Dec train is cancelled and refunded due to the on going strike. Unless some miracle happens with the transport, we are probably staying home. Mr. naf has talked to his office the possibility to cancel partially his days off and to postpone to next year.

Thanks everybody, the ideas will be used for next trips, as many of our train trips end up at 10 pm at home with an empty fridge, just not festive meals.

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Actually, right now, the garden has some lettuces and arugula. But no, on New Year’s day, usually nobody is selling things.

:cry::cry::cry:

My cat is the happiest with the news, he hates travelling and the hide and seek game before the trip becomes more and more sophisticated. :smile_cat::kissing_cat::smirk_cat:

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Ah. Different from the UK then, where supermarkets would generally be open.

Smart little buggers, aren’t they? I’m glad the kitteh will be happy.

Same here in the States, depending on the state. Massachusetts, most everything is open except banks and the Post Office and government offices…a stray supermarket might be closed (Trader Joe’s, I believe)