FREEZER MEALS

Well I have jumped on the freezer meal bandwagon... its very popular now. I have read about it on other blogs  for a while and I found wonderful ideas on PINTEREST. It really makes sense. For those of you who aren't familiar, you buy in bulk and create many meals in which you then freeze in plastic containers, freezer bags or both. I did some casseroles and crock pot meals. I love my crock pot. I use my crock pot both in the summer and the winter. Its FABULOUS! I froze all my crock pot meals in freezer bags. Flatten bags the best you can, press the air out, and stack in freezer. (I have 2 refrigerators with freezers and a chest freezer) This freezer is just crock pot meals. My kitchen freezer has my freezer jams, waffles, ice cream, and things I use often. My chest freezer has large things like meats, frozen pizzas, frozen vegetables,  and heat and eat lunch and snack items.

 I got the ideas and recipes here:

http://melissafallistestkitchen.blogspot.com/2011/09/freezer-cooking-slow-cooker-meals.html

She really did a nice job explaining in detail how to prep, freeze and cook when you use it.

I completed 12 crock pot meals in bags and assemble 4 casseroles. This will be so helpful for when I need something fast on those busy days or days I work.  Now what to make with those pie crusts?...

One of my family's favorite casseroles is lasagna. Its delicious on cold days and its  not hard to make either.

Lasagna

1 lb gr beef or sweet Italian sausage

(sometimes I mix half beef with half pork)

1 clove garlic, minced

1T Italian seasonings

1 1/2 tsp salt

1- 16 0z can tomatoes

2- 6oz cans tomato paste

lasagna noodles (non cook noodles)

2 eggs

3 C Ricotta cheese

1/2 C grated PParmesan cheese

2T Italian seasoning

1T Parsley

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 lb  fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

Set noodles aside. Brown meat. Drain. Add next 5 ingredients but only . Simmer uncovered 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Beat eggs, add remaining ingredients but only 1/2 of shredded mozzarella. Put some sauce in bottom of 13x9x2 inch pan (just enough to coat). Layer noodles 3-5 (enough to cover bottom of pan) in bottom, spread 1/2 ricotta mixture, 1/2 meat sauce, rest of shredded mozzarella cheese. Repeat but then add fresh mozzarella slices to top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. (you can refrigerate or freeze at this time- bake for 45 mins if refrigerated. If frozen, thaw overnight then bake 45-60 minutes). Let stand 10 mins. Serve. 10-12 servings.

I am refrigerating my lasagna for a couple days. I wrapped top with foil and then placed lid on top of my baking dish.

My second casserole is Manicotti. I used a disposable/ bakable/ freezable Ziploc container  to store this one.

Manicotti

1/2 lb Italian sausage, browned and drained

1 clove garlic

1tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried parsley

1- 15 oz can stewed Italian tomatoes

1- 6 oz paste

Manicotti noodles

3 C Ricotta cheese

2eggs

1/2 C Parmesan cheese, grated

2T Italian seasonings

8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown meat and drain. Add next 7 ingredients. Cook 30 minutes, Cook noodles as package directs. Beat eggs, add ricotta, Parmesan, 1/2 mozzarella, and seasonings. Mix well. Fill each pasta with cheese mixture. Place/ layer in baking dish. Cover with meat sauce. Cool. Place lid and wrap with foil. Freeze up to 2 months.

(photo from Pinterest)

This is another casserole I made. Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti- YUMMY!!!!!

I doubled the recipe. We ate one for dinner yesterday and I froze the other. After cooking all day, I forgot to take pictures of this dish before my family devoured it. Everyone loved it.

You can find the recipe here:

http://www.mommyskitchen.net/2008/06/old-fashioned-chicken-spaghetti.html

CHINESE NEW YEAR- YEAR OF THE DRAGON

At midnight on January 23, 2012, Chinese people around the world will welcome the new year, ushering in the Year of the Dragon.

  My youngest and I celebrated a little in our home yesterday.  As I looked in the fridge/ freezer to see the ingredients I had on hand, I decided to use the bunch of Bok Choy I purchase earlier this week and  frozen chicken broth. Based on those ingredients  I researched recipes on the Internet and decided to make a light and filling soup. I decided to make egg rolls along with it. (I did have to run to the store to pick up a few more things to make the rolls). While at the local store I could not pass up the fresh rolled sushi so I picked up a couple veggie rolls. Dinner turned out delicious. It was pretty easy too. I apologize, I did not take pictures and I am using photos from the web.

Bok choy or pak choi is a Chinese leafy cabbage. It is very low in calories but rich source of vitamin C, and vitamin A. I think it truly is delicious. I love it in soups, salads, and stir fry. (image from google).

(image from google)

SOUP

3 cups of chicken broth

10 leaves of chopped bok choy

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 garlic clove, minced

1 chicken breast, cooked, chopped

dried mushrooms, rehydrated according to package (optional)

Bring broth to boil in medium saucepan. Add mushrooms. Stir in seasonings. Add chicken and bok choy. Simmer for up to 10 minutes or until leaves are dark green, wilted, and tender.

serves 4-6 people.

(image from google)

A lot of grocery stores sell EGG ROLLS already made up but, if not, you can always find them in your freezer section or of course make them on your own. There are many recipes and step by step directions on the Internet if you want  to attempt this. If you make your own, the veggie filling can be roasted on a cookie sheet in oven and the wrappers can be purchased in your Asian ethnic food aisle. You can use the stems left over from your bok choy  as part of your filling. I  baked then fried these in a pan on the stove in sesame/ veggie oil. YUM!

CARAMEL APPLE DESSERT PIZZA

This is one of my favorite apple recipes. I used to make this pizza all the time. I have not made it in years (maybe 5 years). As I was going through some old recipes I came across it again and made it the other day for dessert. Everyone loved it...just as they did years ago. My original recipe came from The Pampered Chef (home parties).

I bake mine on a pizza stone but you don't have too. You can use a pizza pan of any style. The original recipe calls for Granny Smith apples, I use any tart cooking apple (Gala, Pink Lady, Fugi, etc...). It truly is a yummy dessert pizza. Goes great with a cup of hot mulled cider.

CARAMEL APPLE PIZZA

1 pkg of refrigerated sugar cookie dough

1/4 C creamy peanut butter

1 8oz block of cream cheese, softened

1/2 C packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 medium- large apple, cored, sliced thin. (removing skin is optional)

1 C lemon lime soda

ground cinnamon to taste

1/4 C caramel ice cream topping

1/2 C chopped peanuts.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove cookie dough from tube and roll out onto cookie sheet using floured rolling pin. Bake 12-15 mins. or until golden brown. Cool 10 mins. then remove from sheet surface (so does not stick). Cool completely. Combine peanut butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in small mixing bowl. Mix until smooth; spread over top of cookie. Wash, dry, peel, core, and slice apple. Dip each slice into lemon lime soda (keeps from turning brown). Arrange (dry) slices over top of pizza. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Heat caramel topping in microwave for few seconds, then drizzle on top. Sprinkle with peanuts.

A Garden Fresh Dinner

This is one of my favorite things to make with fresh green beans. It is so yummy and comforting. Its ham, green beans, onions, and potatoes. I add extra ham for my husband (he doesn't eat the green beans) but will eat everything else. I only make this in the summer and fall. Its more delicious when you have all fresh ingredients (like in the summer), it just doesn't taste the same when you make it other times of the year.

Ingredients:

6 medium red skin potatoes washed and cut into 2" chunks

1 lb green beans washed, snapped and cut into 2 inch length

1 large sweet onion, chopped roughly

1 1/2 lb of peppered ham and/or bacon, chopped roughly into chunks

1 cup  water

salt and pepper to taste

How To Make:

Brown bacon with onion for 5-7 minutes. Add ham (if using both) and brown a little more. Add water,  potatoes, and beans and allow to cook down. Simmer for 30+ minutes until fall is fork tender. Stir every 5-10 minutes. Do not allow water to evaporate. Serve with cornbread.

Now, what to make with my peas...

Easy Skillet Beef Strogonoff

Hello, sorry it has been a while since I have posted. I had a computer crash, and after purchasing a new computer and trying to get things set up, I contracted a virus that wiped everything out. I was without a computer off and on for over 3 weeks. Still trying to get things up and running. I am missing my old HP photo processing software. Tying to adjust to the Canon photo stuff. Oh well, it will take time.

I'm back with another semi homemade/ perfect weeknight/ workday recipe.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb  lean ground beef (90% or more)

1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped

1 pint mushrooms, sliced *optional

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tbs flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 can cream of mushroom soup (reduced fat works)

8 oz sour cream (reduced fat works)

*cooked egg noodles approximately 1 cup per person*

Brown ground beef, onions until just cooked (not pink and onion softened). Drain excess grease. Add  mushrooms and cook until tender.

Add garlic, flour, salt, pepper, soup and sour cream and stir until mixed thoroughly. Do not allow to boil. Serve on top of egg noodles. Garnish with tops of green onions, chives, fresh parsley or other favorite herbs.

 Its not the prettiest dish but it is a good one to fall back on. Both my girls and my husband enjoy it. Its been raining here all day and no sign of letting up for a while- its a good dish to have on a cold damp day like today. I cannot wait until warm weather gets here... we like to grill out nearly everyday. Stay tuned.

What is for dinner tonight? Chicken and Dumplings

I'm back with an easy and yummy recipe. As promised, I will be posting at least one recipe each month to my blog site. All recipes will be easy and perfect for 'busy moms' like me to cook after a full day at work. No need to cook all day to get delicious results-I promise. As I have mentioned before, I consider myself a 'SEMI HOMEMADE' cook. I am just as busy as many moms out there and I know what  weeknights are like.

Chicken and Dumplings is one of my husband's favorite meals. He has always asked, "you cook so many different things, don't you know how to make chicken and dumplings?" To tell you the truth, I had always heard of this dish but, I had never ate it. My mother never prepared this for us as children. I guess I was deprived. I don't know. I have a good friend that makes FANTASTIC chicken and dumplings- she cooks all day. I don't usually have time or patience for that... I like delicious results at a faster pace.

This dish is perfect for a cold evening (much like we have been experiencing in NE Ohio for the last 2 months). It reheats well and is even more delicious the next day.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

6 chicken thighs

2 (10.7 oz) cans of condensed cream of celery soup

1 stalk of celery, diced

1 carrot, diced (optional)

1/8 of a large sweet onion, diced

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups of Jiffy biscuit mix

2/3 cup of milk

In medium soup pot over high heat, combine the chicken thighs with enough water to cover. Boil for 15-20 minutes. Drain some of the water from the pot,but  reserve 3 cups in the pot. Remove chicken from the pot and allow to cool (place on cookie sheet an din fridge for a few minutes). Add onion, celery, and carrot  into the reserved water within the pot and cook until tender. While veggies are cooking- pull chicken from bones into chunky pieces and return to the pot.
Meanwhile, prepare dough for dumplings baking mix with the milk.
Reduce heat to simmer, add the cans of soup, stir until mixed well. Season with salt and pepper. Drop spoonfuls of dough into pot, cover and cook for additional 20 minutes.

Make dumplings the size you prefer. My husband enjoys large full  dumplings. This part is personal choice.

January Recipe- Spaghetti with Crab Meat

I am going to try and post 1 recipe each month. I love to cook, eat, and entertain but I do work outside the home and I don't have time to make everything from scratch. I consider myself a SEMI- HOMEMADE kind of cook. I love quick and easy recipes that have few ingredients, especially on week nights.

Here is the printed recipe card. I changed the pasta from Angel Hair to Spaghetti, used canned tomatoes instead of fresh (due to not having them on hand),Parmesan cheese from jar,  and dried herbs instead of fresh (due to not having them on hand).

Get all your things gathered, prepped, chopped while the water for the pasta is boiling. It really is an easy recipe that can be prepared in 30 minutes. Once water is boiling you can start your sauce. The crab (fully cooked) is added at the end just to get warm.

Garnish the entire dish with Parsley and Parmesan cheese. It truly is delicious. Everyone will ask for seconds, I promise.

TO SERVE: I like to serve my pasta in a large pasta bowl. I found the greatest Pasta serving set on QVC. Its a 6 piece set that contains a large serving bowl that  fits on a black iron footed stand, and four wide pasta bowls. If you are interested in the bowl set that I have,  here is the link.  They are clearanced, less than $30.00 for the set.

 http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.item.K25810.desc.Temptations-Old-World-5piece-Bowl-Set

FAVORITE ALE CHICKEN WITH CARMELIZED ONIONS



Hello, if you live in NE Ohio, like me, then your weather has been damp, cold, dreary and gray. Fall is really here. The leaves are turning (quickly) and apples, pumpkins, and sqash are plentiful. I want to share a fantastic "warm you up" recipe with you today. My husband and I got this pan with roasting insert for our birthdays in June. This ceramic baking pan works on stove top, oven, or grill in heat up to 500 F.
A link to the pan is here:
http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.CM_SCID.coll.item.K27287.desc.Technique-Flame-10-Round-Covered-Everyday-Pan
I cannot find a link to the upright chicken roaster. I have seen them online and at Walmart (camping/ grilling section) any simple "beer can" chicken rack should work.


INGREDIENTS:
3-4 lb. whole chicken, cleaned and dried
1Tbs. Vegetable oil
2 Tbs. brown sugar
2Tbs. paprika
1tsp. dry mustard powder
1 tsp. chili powder
2Tbs. coarse sea salt or kosher salt
2tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1 bottle of favorite ale
3 large sweet onions, sliced
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs of fresh thyme (optional)

                                      

Brush chicken all over with vegetable oil. Make the rub by combining brown sugar, paprika, mustard, chili, salt, and pepper. Rub the mixture all over the chicken, inside the cavity as well as all over the skin.  Preheat oven to 350 F. Place chicken roaster inside the pan and pour beer into the cup center of the chicken roaster dish. Place all remaining spices inside the beer. Place chicken ove rthe center of the chicken roaster. Season the onions with salt and pepper and place them all around the chicken. Roast until the internal temperature is 165 F. A 4 lb chicken should take around 75 minutes.

                                   
Allow chicken to rest/ cool 5 minutes. Carefully remove the chicken and serve with the carmelized onions. Pour drippings over chicken, potatoes and/ or vegetables.  
 
If you decide to make this recipe, let me know what you thought. I would love to hear from you. Thanks for stopping by.

BALSAMIC GLAZED CHICKEN WITH GRILLED VEGETABLE SALAD

Here is my new recipe this week.  Balsamic glazed chicken. I made this for dinner last night. I cooked the chicken in a grill pan on the stove. My outdoor grill has not been uncovered yet. Spring will be here very soon and that "puppy" will be put to use nearly every night for months. I love the taste of grilled/ charcoal grilled foods. Ok, enough about the grill and on to the recipe. I am a semi- homemade kind of cook, and when I came across this recipe I knew I had to try it. 

RECIPE:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 C olive oil, use some for vegatables too

1/4 C balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. Dijon- style mustard

1 red pepper, sliced thick

1 red onion, sliced thick

Mix ingredients in 1 gallon resealable bag and place chicken breasts in bag and turn to coat. Marinate for 2 hours -overnight in refrigerator. Remove chicken from marinade and discard bag.  Grill chicken on medium about 14 minutes or until cooked through. Turn chicken over half way through. Drizzle vegetables with olive oil. salt and pepper to taste. Add vegetables to grill and cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Add warm vegetables to bed of baby spinach. Dress with favorite dressing.  I also added a little crumbled blue cheese. Viola! This salad looked so "gourmet" it really could not have been easier or more delicious.

PAN ROASTED CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES

Here is another easy and yummy recipe I came across in my cookbooks. I made it this week and everyone enjoyed it. That is a good thing, it s hard to please everyone. I enjoyed it because it reminded me of summer flavors. I miss the grilled taste of meats and vegetables. We grill almost every meal when the weather here in Ohio is warmer. From Spring through Fall we use our grill. My husband has really become a good charcoal cook. He makes a mean BBQ chicken.

Sorry the pictures are not the greatest. I tried to get a decent picture to show all the yummy goodness. Make sure you cut your squash thick so that it does not get "mushy" while the potatoes are cooking.

RECIPE:

2 large potatoes, unpeeled

1 medium zucchini

1 medium squash

1 large red onion

1 large red bell pepper

4 T olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 tsp. rosemary, divided

1/2 tsp. plus 1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1 egg beaten slightly

4 boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut potatoes, zucchini and squash in half lengthwise then cut crosswise. Cut potatoes into 1/4 inch slices and squashes in 1 inch slices. Cut bell pepper and onion into 1 inch chunks, Place vegetables into a Bar pan and toss with 2T olive oil. Press garlic over vegetables. Sprinkle with half the salt, pepper, and rosemary. Toss well and place around edges of pan. Combine bread crumbs, rosmary, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, set aside. Lightly beat an egg in a shallow dish. Dip chicken breast in egg and then into bread crumbs and arrange in the middle of the bar pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Makes 4 servings.

Italian Sausage Casserole

I just love casseroles in the winter. I found this recipe in a cookbook that has easier/ speedy meals for the working mom. It is a perfect cookbook for me. I have a large cookbook collection and have been very bad with using them lately. They are just sitting on a shelf in my pantry collecting dust. I made a goal for myself (since Novemeber 2009) that I would pick 1-2 new recipes each week. I have done fairly well keeping up with my goal.

I have made baked potatoe soup, seafood lasagna, cranberry/cornbread stuffed pork chops, baked salmon with honey glaze, pita pizzas, chicken salad, white chili, and pasta primavera to name a few. So far all have been a hit with the family. My oldest (15.5 years) is the pickiest and she has liked most of them. . She used to be a better eater than she is now, I wonder if teenage years have anything to do with this. :0 This contemporary casserole is a mixture of Italian and Frech cuisine. The savory custard dipped bread comes from the France and the other ingredients are definately Italian. I tried to get a picture before my family "dug in" but obviously that did not happen. This casserole is perfect by itself or perfect to serve with a mixed green salad with Italian cheeses and a vinegrette.

Meat Mixture:

1.5 lbs of Italian sausage links, casing removed

1 medium zucchini

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

1 medium red pepper, diced

1 jar (16 oz) Alfredo sauce. divided

Topping:

1/2 C milk

2 eggs

1 garlic clove, pressed

2 tsp. Italian Seasonings

1/8 tsp. salt

12 slices of firm Italian bread, 1-2 days old

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained

2 T fresh parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut sausage into 1/2 inch pieces and cook in frying pan until no longer pink and well browned. Remove sausage from pan and drain.

While meat is browning slice zucchini and mushrooms thinly. Dice red pepper. Add 1 cup Alfredo sauce to the pan and bring to boil. Stir in sausage and vegetables and toss until all is covered with sauce. Pour mixture in 2.5 quart oval or square baking dish mounding in center.

Whisk remaining Alfredo sauce, milk, and eggs. Add garlic, 1 tsp of Italian seasoning, and salt.

Cut crusts off the bread and dip into egg mixture, coating lightly; overlap bread in a circular pattern over sausage mixture. If using square pan go around edges, evenly spacing leaving center open.

Drain tomatoes and add remaining Italian seasonings. Spoon tomato mixture over the open center. Grate the cheese ove rthe top of the entire dish (bread and all).

Bake 30-35 minutes or until edges of bread are golden and toasted. Serves 8 people.

Giant Pumpkin Cookies

I did some baking today-YUM!

PUMPKIN COOKIES
1 box of Spice cake Mix
1 can pumpkin (standard size, not large)
1 egg
FROSTING
1 can cream cheese frosting
Mix all together, use large cookie/ muffin dropper and drop onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes until center is firm. Cool on rack and frost. Makes 18-20 large delicious cookies.

I learned this recipe Thursday morning on a local news channel and knew I had to try it sometime this weekend. I love to bake but not always from scratch- after all, I need some time to stamp. Got to love the 3-4 ingredient recipes.

I have been trying to cook 2-3 meals every Sunday so they can be heated throughout the week or frozen and cooked at a later date. So far so good... In the past few weeks I've made baked potatoe soup, seafood lasagna, regular lasagna, stuffed peppers, calzones, pepperoni rolls, enchilada casserole, chicken parmesan,sloppy joes, cake, cookies, rice krispy treats, chocolate covered pretzels, and pizza. This has been so helpful after work. Meals get cooked or reheated in time for everyone to make it to the after school activities. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week. Email me if you have questions about my products or my easy recipes.