These past few weeks can be summed up as an epic attempt to fill our freezer with as much ready-to-eat food as possible. I’ve frozen unbaked scones in little zip-top bags. I’ve filled about ten containers with Persian beef-rice stew and carrot-ginger soup and plenty of chicken stock. I’ve even baked and frozen whole loaf cakes, to defrost for unexpected company. A couple hours this morning and a long day in a low oven produced a batch of Lisa Fain’s chili, which is officially in the freezer.  Still on the cooking wishlist: This lovely eggplant tagine from Blue Apron, which my friend Rachel raved about and for which I have procured all the ingredients. (Stay in, baby, just a little bit longer!). Previously on the wishlist: cookie dough (rolled into balls and frozen unbaked, you know, for emergencies). It was a nice-to-have, but then I woke up at 5 and couldn’t fall back asleep and, well, the cookie dough happened. Thanks, kiddo.
But the whole cook-to-fill-the-freezer thing isn’t new. In truth, my attempts to fill our pantry began back in late summer, when I got to sneak a peek at the galleys of my dear friend Cathy’s book.
Do you know Cathy? She is Mrs. Wheelbarrow, canner, cheesemaker, charcuterie queen, and general goddess of the larder. She was one of the earliest contributors to my beloved Food52, and has penned some of my favorite recipes on the site. She teaches cooking classes out of her home, where I’ve learned to make canned tomatoes, salsa, and all sorts of other canned goodies, as well as goat cheese, feta, and even Camembert. She’s also a hostess extraordinaire, and I’ve been lucky enough to attend many wonderful parties courtesy of her and her husband, Dennis.
Now, after years of blogging, posting on Food52, and writing for Washington Post, New York Times, and more, Cathy’s finally got her own corner of the universe: a book, Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s Practical Pantry.
