Brrrrr....it's cold in here!!

The ancient Romans venerated the Penates, a group of lesser deities that protected the household.  They had gods for the roof, the floor and even the pantry.  If , the Ancient Romans had the modern miracle of refrigeration, they surely would have had the deities for that as well.  Keeping with the theme of this month's blogs, I am now going to help you with the stocking of your freezer.  But, firstly I would recommend stocking up on good freezer plastic bags and aluminum foil.  Of course, this list is just the essentials:

Frozen lemonade concentrate

Frozen orange juice concentrate

blueberries

raspberries

strawberries

 peas

 corn

assorted veggies

green beans

ginger ( just take some fresh ginger root, put in a baggie and freeze)

vanilla ice cream

ground beef (make sure to put in extra baggie to prevent freezer burn)

chicken breast - boneless and skinless (make sure to put in and extra bag to avoid freezer burn)

chicken thighs - boneless and skinless (make sure to put in extra baggie to avoid freezer burn)

Whole chickens

Shrimp

Bread

Really good Vanilla ice cream

Your favorite ice cream

nuts

pie crust

Chicken stock (my homemade)

Beef stock (homemade)

Marinara (homemade)

Bacon 

Although I have previously listed chicken stock, beef stock and marinara in your pantry items, If I end up with left over stock and sauce at the end of a recipe, I like to buy plastic containers to freeze the leftovers in to be used later.

As far as the frozen ginger goes, it can be stored, unpeeled for 6 months.  It is very handy to have around for Asian cuisine, but also  it makes a great tea, or lemonade which works as an anti-inflammatory, and also aids in relieving nausea.  You will not get the same flavor or effects for dried ground ginger.

Also, be careful on choosing frozen, pre-cooked meals.  They tend to have a lot of hidden salt.