looking for recipes that can freeze and thaw in minutes
 

Looking for something I can make (looks great and taste great) that will freeze and will thaw and be ready for company in a matter of minutes, We have decorated our outside with thousands of Christmas lights (about a block long) and people are wanting to come see and stop by to visit. The lights are awesome and these are friends that I have coffee and lunches with. We are all "up there in age" with several diabetics in the group. I will have coffee and hot chocolate to drink. Thanks, I always know this board is where to go for help.

These freeze very well and make a large batches:
Ritz Cracker cookies
1 can sweetened condensed milk, 1 box of chopped dates & 1/2 cup chopped nuts(optional)
1 box of Ritz crackers
Cook milk, dates and nuts in pan on low heat until filling is rather slimy looking. Spread 1 tsp. on top of a cracker & place on a ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 minutes at 325 degrees. cool then frost with a wee bit of powdered sugar frosting. These freeze well and makes alot.

Almond Bark cookies
1 pkg. white almond bark
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups dry unsalted roasted peanuts
2 cup small marshmellows
3 cups rice krispies
Melt almond bark in microwave until smooth, then stir in the rest of the ingredients. Mix and drop on wax paper.
These freeze well.
These might be some different ideas to use.

I think the trick you might be looking for. To thaw quickly, you need to make small batches. Not a small recipe, small amounts to freeze. Think of a big round bowl of frozen soup. that will take a while to thaw, even if you microwave. Now think of a gallon Zip-loc bag, with a couple of cups of soup, frozen flat. Because more surface space is available to heat, it "should" thaw faster than the bowl. Hope that helps! And makes sense LOL! Good luck with the recipe.

Ritz crackers sound good. I usually make pecan crispies but there is so much sugar in them that I try to not make too often although they love them. Almond .... not too sure about, sounds really sweet. Thanks for the idea....

I do make alot of soup and have soup parties here. Kind of noted for it.. Thinking more along an after dinner treat. It would be night before the lights can show up. Wishing for a little snow to make it more of a celebration. Thanks for the suggestion though. I do use the zip lock bags, have done so for years. I should buy stock in zip bags for what I use. haha

Make mini meatballs, cook, then freeze in small batches in ziplocs and then warm/reheat in whatever your favorite sauce is.

How about little fruit hand pies. Use a biscuit cutter to cut pie crust into circles, fill one with preserves and put another on top. Crimp the edges and bake. They freeze well and should thaw quickly because they're small. Pop them in a warm oven. With ice cream if your really good friends come over.

A friend gave me the idea to freeze soups in ice cube trays, then empty the tray into a ziplock. You can "nuke" enough for a hot bowl of soup in about 2-3 minutes at the most. I have also done the soup in a ziplock trick frozen flat, then when ready to thaw, but the whole bag in a pot of tepid water for about 10 -20 minutes then it will bend enough to get it out of the bag with less mess. I have even frozen spaghetti in a gallon bag, folded in half. (Folding it makes it easier to get it into a pan of water to thaw). When I make bean soup, we have cornbread with it, (I think it might be a law, lol!), so I make a 9" x 13" pan of cornbread, cut it in squares, then put four squares in a quart ziplock to freeze and can "nuke" them in 30-45 seconds to get fresh as "just made" cornbread, or we put it frozen under the hot bean soup to cool it a little. After the cornbread is frozen, we stack it in a corner of the freezer, so it does not get crushed by other things. (The two of us can't eat a whole cornbread, so this saves a lot of waste.)

Oh, and for those dear diabetics, beans and cornbread is easy to digest and will not kill their blood sugar. If you eat something with baking soda in it with beans it also removes the toxic resulting "gastric air" problem. Cornbread or any quick bread will do the trick.

What about mini biscuits or scones? You can make them sweet or not. Offer with butter and jam. A couple minutes in the oven will have them tasting fresh baked. Or you can freeze the unbaked dough, it thaws quickly and bake fresh in the time it takes to make the tea and coffee.

Crackers and nice cheese, do not need the freezer.

Seasoned roasted nuts are always good.

You already have some suggestions for savories. Meatballs are always a favourite around here. As are shrimp rings with seafood sauce. Canned smoked oysters are a standard offering to.

Mincemeat and buttertarts are always good and thaw quickly. If you buy the ready to bake tart shells they go together very quickly.

I find that at most gatherings there are almost equal savory and sweet goodies. I like having a choice. Last night I was at an event, there was homemade baking and candy all of which the hostess could freeze. Garlic coil and another sausage, shrimp and sauce, vegies and dip, chips and dip a cheese ball, assorted cheeses and crackers.

Oh and she served mulled apple juice (nonacoholic)

Quick breads like- pumpkin, blueberry...serve with cream cheese (icing). These breads freeze well.