A girl's best friend: The freezer.

One of the things I have become very fond of doing is freezing things. I like to cook a lot of food and then freeze it. That way I have lots of ready to eat meals or side-dishes that are just a thaw away. I am a particular fan of making soup, and this freezes very easily, which is probably why I started doing this in the first place. It's an easy thing to do and it saves you money and time. I try to have some bags of soup, pasta sauce, red chile, beans and maybe a loaf of bread on hand in the freezer at all times.

I came across a great “Make-Ahead Mac and Cheese” from Cook's Country that I tried out earlier this week. It's a recipe specifically desinged to freeze and reheat well. I must say it was delicious and I now have a baking dish of Mac and Cheese in my freezer that I can pull out some night I don't feel like cooking.

Today, however, I am making one of my new staples. I used to make a big pot of pinto beans and freeze out 2 or 3 quart-size bags. They were great as side dishes, or to go with my oft made huge New Mexican breakfasts, and you could turn them into refriend beans easily too. I never had much of a recipe for it other than to simmer with salt, oregano and maybe some bacon if I felt so inclined, for a few hours. And it always turned out just fine for me. But, I recently discovered the Homesick Texan recipe for black beans and I am never going back. Cooking from dried beans is so much more delicious than getting them from a can, and if you make a big batch one day and freeze it, it's almost as convienient. This recipe is pretty simple: carrots, onion, garlic, cilantro, tomato, lime, chipotles, broth and beans.

I have it simmering on the stove right now to go with the Green Chile Pie I am making tonight (one of my mother's staples. It's delicious.) with plenty leftover for Huevos Rancheros, fajitas, burritos, and some to go in the freezer for later.