I am in love with my freezer. I have always used my freezer but it wasn't until recently that I fell in love with it. In the past I used it to store things like meat, frozen veggies, and ice cream but it turns out that is just the tip of the iceberg.

When I started reading blogs about a year ago I began to learn more and more about the freezer and its amazing capabilities. I had never thought before about making an extra casserole and storing it in the freezer, mixing up a big batch of cookie dough frozen to be dropped on a cookie sheet, or stocking up on cheese at rock bottom prices for a time when no cheese deals were to be had.

I have a gotten inspiration from several blogs that I follow like Once A Month Mom, The Finer Things, and Money Saving Mom to name a few. When they do their once a month cooking days I drool at how organized they are with meals lined up at the end of the day. There are also books that I have gotten great inspiration from like Don't Panic Dinner's in the Freezer, and Once a Month Cooking Family Favorites.

Little by little with the help of my online "friends" and books I am gaining confidence in my freezing abilities. What once was a bag of potatoes about to pass their prime is now mashed potatoes or twice baked potatoes cooked, wrapped, and waiting for me on a busy day. The leftover chicken I roasted is no longer sitting in the fridge begging for someone to use it, instead it is little packs of shredded meat perfect for stir fry, casseroles, soup, and more. The bones no longer get tossed since I use them for a savory stock that I store in the freezer. I am excited just talking about it!

Now what brings me to this topic tonight it the pie crust I made during my lunch. I wanted to serve quiche for dinner and trying to streamline the process I decided to make the crust early then fill and bake when I got home. I made my crust, filled and baked according to plan, and dinner was delicious. My problem now was that I had an extra baked pie crust. What do to? I was talking to my mom on the phone and she said something that was music to my ears.....FREEZE IT!

My mom has been freezing pie crust for years and says she always has great results when she pulls them out to cook with. Sometimes she even likes them better than fresh. So tonight I froze my first pie crust. I will keep you posted on how it works once I pull it out of the freezer to use...whenever that might be.

If you are interested in making a crust and freezing it here is the recipe I used.

Perfect Pie Crust

1 Cup Shortening
2 Cups Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Cup ICE Cold Water

Mix the shortening, flour, and salt with a pastry cutter until the dough looks like small peas. Take care not to over mix. Once you reach this point sprinkle with the cold water and combine with your hands to make a ball.

Divide the dough in two and roll out on a well floured surface. Put in pie pans and bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Once they are baked allow to cool completely, wrap well in plastic wrap, date and in the freezer they go.

Now that you have heard my love affair with the freezer what do you think? Do you use the freezer like this? Do you have great freezer meals to share? I would love to see what meals you store in the freezer.