Buffy Barton in North Avondale needs some freezing tips. I could write a book on this, but luckily many people already have. The Ball Blue Book (Alltrista; $4.95) remains the food preservation bible while Frozen Assets (Champion Press; $14.95) and others deal with once-a-month bulk cooking. I'm not that pulled together, but I do keep a few frozen homemade meals ready for hectic days, frozen cubes of cream, coconut milk and reduced stocks for sauces, and a pie from local peaches for a taste of summer in February.

        As far as basic tips, keep in mind the freezer is not forever (unless you're Ted Williams). Butter keeps for a year, but many foods suffer after four months or less. Make sure food is labeled, dated, packed air-tight and follow specific guidelines for preparing fruits and vegetables. Be sure to set your freezer at 0 degrees or lower, or all your effort is for nothing.

        Following those rules, you can freeze anything — almost. The Fannie Farmer Cookbook (Knopf; $30) recommends you don't freeze potatoes, soft cheeses (still OK for cooking with), cream-based fillings, custards, eggy sauces or meringues, hard-boiled eggs, gelatin, cake frostings, fried or breaded food, and anything to be consumed raw, such as lettuce, radishes and cucumbers.

        And for heaven's sake, don't freeze a meal you didn't like the first time around. It won't taste better later.

        • Robert Collier in Covington forwarded 12 chicken lasagna recipes from www.allrecipes.com for Marion Howarth in Bridgetown. These are not your grandmother's lasagna recipes. Reviewers on the Web site rave about this version, but recommend precooking the lasagna noodles. Traditional lasagna is a better choice to freeze as cheese and cream-based sauces may separate.

White Cheese Chicken Lasagna

        1 onion, chopped
       1 clove garlic, minced
        1/2 cup butter
        1/2 cup all-purpose flour
       1 teaspoon salt
       2 cups chicken broth
       1 1/2 cups milk
       4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
       1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
       1 teaspoon dried basil
       1 teaspoon dried oregano
        1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
       9 lasagna noodles
       2 cups ricotta cheese
       2 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat
       2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
       1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
        1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping

        Saute onion and garlic in butter in large sauce pan. Stir in flour and salt; simmer until bubbly. Stir in broth and milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in 1/2 the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Add basil, oregano and ground black pepper. Set aside.

        Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread 1/3 of the cheese sauce in 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Layer noodles, ricotta, chicken, noodles, sauce mixture, spinach, remainingmozzarella and Parmesan cheese and noodles. Spread any remaining sauce mixture on top and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and grated Parmesan for topping. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Makes 10 servings.

        • Stacy Haas in Northbend was given 50 pounds of frozen cod. Cod,“the beef of the Atlantic,” is the most consumed variety of fish in the United States, and Stacy and her family are certainly doing their part. Here's a summer dish adapted from the Pike Place Public Market Seafood Cookbook (Ten Speed Press, $24.95). Make extra pesto and freeze in cubes for other dishes (or for the humor of watching family members unwittingly put pesto cubes in their drinks).

Cod with Pesto

        6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
       2 bunches fresh basil leaves (about 4 cups firmly packed leaves)
       4 sprigs flat leaf parsley
       2 tablespoons pine nuts
       2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
        1/4 teaspoon salt
       1 1/2 pounds cod, about 4 fillets
       1 tablespoon butter
        1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken stock

        Puree 4 tablespoons olive oil with basil, parsley, pine nuts and cheese in food processor until paste forms. Set aside. Brush tops of cod fillets with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Divide pesto among fillets, spreading evenly over top of each piece of fish.

        Melt butter and last tablespoon olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Place fillets in pan, pour white wine around, and simmer, covered, about 20 minutes or until cod just turns opaque throughout. Makes 4 servings.

Can you help?

        • Do you have a favorite recipe using sweetened condensed milk for Claudia Griffiths in Springfield Township?

        • Randi Eastland in Anderson Township wants a cold, uncooked pineapple salad recipe that has a streusel-like topping and cheddar cheese.

        • Marcia Hatter in Carthage would like to know how to make deep-fried onion straws like those at Big Art's.
       

        Send food questions, tips, recipe requests and recipes to Saucy Cook, c/o the Enquirer, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati 45202; fax: 768-8330; e-mail: foodlady@zoomtown.com. Please include name, neighborhood, e-mail and phone number.