New with a few questions

[tarajean56]

Hi! I am so new to meal planning...heck, I'm new to cooking. My family's eating habits are in a sad state. With DS eating table food, and a small budget, its become clear that I need to get my act together!!

I've gotten so many good ideas just from lurking around here, but I have a few quick questions:

1. I have a chicken pot-pie recipe I want to try, and I thought I'd double it so I could put one in the freezer. All the ingredients are cooked, then you put the uncooked cornbread crust on and then place it in the oven. Would I freeze it after putting on the uncooked crust, or after cooking the whole thing? Then, to use it after freezing, does it need to thaw, or can I put it right in the oven? I also saw that some of you line the dish with aluminum foil or parchment paper, then after the food is frozen, take it out of the dish and "wrap it up." How do you wrap it up? : I'm so cooking challenged....

2. Does anyone have a good recipe for eggplant parmigana that I could make a bunch of and freeze for quick use? Again, I need help on the freezing and then re-cooking process. I'm preggo and loving eggplant parmigana (this week ).

Thanks, you all are so awesome. I'm serious. I read your plans and recipes, and I just think, "how in the world do they do this." I'm hoping it will get easier with practice!

[wife&mommy]

Hi Tara. For the recipe you mentioned I would probably bake it and then freeze. Then just reheat after it thaws when you take it out next time. As for the wrapping what I do is put a very oversized piece of foil in the pan before I bake it. Then bake then I will wait for it to cool a little, put in the fridge for an hour or so to cool more and then I stick it in the freezer (still in the dish) and let it get a little hard. Then I'll wrap the remaining foil around it and pop it out of the dish to let it finish freezing. Make sure you use freezer strength foil. I know others will have different suggestions for you but this is how I usually do it. Makes it easy because then you can just use the same pan to reheat it in. Also a lot of times if I am making a casserole type thing like that I will actually just put the contents in a baggie and freeze it flat. Then when I'm ready to have it again I would thaw those, put in the dish and then add the topping like you mention (you'd have to make it fresh) and then bake.

[tarajean56]

Thanks!!