Due to our hectic modern lifestyles, many cooks don't have the time to spend in the kitchen that they would like, but still want to provide good home cooked meals for their families. This is when our freezers can be put to good use. Many meals and dishes can be made ahead and frozen for use on a busy day. They just need to be thawed and reheated, and will taste as fresh as the day they were made. A wise cook will prepare enough for 2 dishes when they have time to cook, serve one the same day and place the other one in the freezer. This is a fine way to provide a good meal for your family on a busy day, and also save the expense of picking up fast food or ordering in.

I plan to do a series of recipes that work well as make ahead dishes and meals. When you are ready to use them, just remove them from the freezer and place them in the refrigerator to thaw. It's best to do this the night before you plan to use them, or in the morning before leaving for work. When you come home, just pop them in the oven or reheat on the stove. In a pinch, you can also thaw them in the microwave, although this isn't a recommended method. Some parts of the dish can become overdone.

The following recipe makes about 6 pints of cooked ground beef mixture that can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months in air-tight containers. Be sure to label and date the containers when placing them in the freezer. The beef mixture can be used to whip up a meal in just a few minutes. Recipes for using the beef mixture will follow.

Ground Beef Mix

4 pounds ground beef
2 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped celery
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
28 ounces of ketchup

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, celery and garlic. Cook until tender, stirring often. Add crumbled ground beef and cook until ground beef is lightly brown and no longer pink. Drain excess fat.

2. Add all remaining ingredients. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and place meat mixture in refrigerator to cool.

3. Once beef mixture is cool, pack in airtight containers and freeze.

The following recipe is simple and makes a Manwich type of sandwich.

Ground Beef Filled Buns

3 cups Ground Beef Mix, thawed
8 hot buttered buns

1. Heat thawed mix in a saucepan over low to medium heat until thoroughly heated through.

2. Serve between hot buttered buns.

The following recipe makes good use of leftover vegetables.

Ground Beef Noodle Casserole

2 cups Ground Beef Mix, thawed
1 1/2 cups dry noodles, uncooked
1 cup canned or leftover vegetables of your choice
1/2 cup grated cheese of your choice
1/2 teaspoon oregano

1. Cook noodles in boiling water according to package directions. Drain.

2. Heat thawed mix in skillet over medium-low. Stir in oregano. Stir in the vegetables and noodles. Sprinkle cheese over the top.

3. Reduce heat to low and cover tightly with lid. Heat until the cheese melts. Serves 4 to 6.

Ground Beef Mix Stuffed Bell Peppers

1 cup cooked white rice
2 cups Ground Beef Mix, thawed
1 cup canned corn
8 bell peppers, cored and seeds removed

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Combine rice, thawed mix and corn. Mix well.

3. Fill each bell pepper with mixture. Place upright in a glass baking dish. Place in preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Serves 8.