Meet The Freezer Friendz!

Looking for a way to simplify dinnertime in your home?
You've come to the right place!
Our freezer cooking recipes are sure to take the headache out of evening meal prep.
We invite you to leave comments after you try a recipe, as well.
We'd love to know what you think!

Monday, May 31, 2010

Sun Dried Tomato Chicken by Jen

Ingredients:
KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing & Marinade
6-8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Assembly:
PREHEAT grill to medium heat. Pour dressing over chicken in resealable plastic bag. Seal bag; turn to evenly coat chicken with dressing. Refrigerate to marinate. Remove chicken from marinade; discard bag and marinade. GRILL chicken 5 to 7 min. on each side or until cooked through (165°F). Set the timer in the kitchen for 5 min. on each side so you don't forget to turn the chicken. Don't overcook the chicken - grill just until the juices run clear. If you choose not to grill outdoors, just place the chicken on a baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 20 min. or until cooked through (165°F).

Instructions for Freezer Friendz:
Thaw chicken breasts in the freezer bag. Remove chicken from marinade; discard bag and marinade. GRILL chicken 5 to 7 min. on each side or until cooked through (165°F). Set the timer in the kitchen for 5 min. on each side so you don't forget to turn the chicken. Don't overcook the chicken - grill just until the juices run clear.
If you choose not to grill outdoors, just place the chicken on a baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 20 min. or until cooked through (165°F).

Polynesian Turkey Burgers by Tish

**Submitted by Tish from the 30 Day Gourmet Freezer meal site!**
Servings: 6 (8 if you make the burgers smaller)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds of ground turkey (I use the 93% lean, not the 99% lean so they will stay more moist during cooking)
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1 T. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder (NOT garlic salt - it would be too salty with the soy sauce)
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 cup of sweet and sour sauce (divided)
1 cup of crushed pineapple, DRAINED

Assembly: Combine turkey, bread crumbs, soy sauce, spices, and 1/4 cup of the sweet and sour sauce. Shape into 6-8 burgers.
For sauce: combine 3/4 cup of sweet and sour sauce with the 1 cup of drained, crushed pineapple.

Freezing: 1. Freezer raw burgers in Ziploc freezer bag to cook later OR 2. Cook burgers on grill, stovetop, or broiler and cool completely before placing into freezer bags.
Sauce: pour into a quart size freezer bag and label and freeze with burgers

Serving: Thaw burgers and sauce and cook OR warm the already cooked burgers. Warm the sauce on the stovetop or the microwave. Serve with or without sauce on top.

The kids can always add a piece of cheese and ketchup and skip the sauce if they want.

****I recommend grilling the burgers SLOWLY over LOW heat to help maintain their moisture****
ENJOY!

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Missy's Chili

Heat these ingredients in soup pan and let simmer:
1 can Kroger Diced Salsa Style Tomatoes Fire Roasted
2 cans chili beans (do not drain)
1 can black beans (drained)
1 quart tomato juice
1 tbsp chili powder

This time (6-1-10) I used 1 1/2lb hamburger and not the 3 kinds listed below.

Combine the following ingredients in your skillet and cook thoroughly:
I used 1/2 lb. of the following meats:
•hamburger
•turkey
•venison
1/2 onion
1 4oz can diced green chilies
1 tbsp chili powder

To freeze: Follow above directions completely and place into a Ziploc bag and freeze.

Serving day: Thaw, warm on the stove, and serve. I have had problems in the past with my bags leaking while thawing so I place the freezer bag in a large dish for this process.

Extra Notes: My family enjoys chili that's spicy. For this recipe I toned down the use of chili powder so your family can enjoy a more mild meal OR you may heat this in your pan and spice-it-up-a-bit to your liking! I have also stretched this meal by adding cooked elbow macaroni/pasta spirals which the kids really like. Enjoy!!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Bavarian Pot Roast by Mel

Ingredients:
3-4 lbs. pot roast
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
3 whole cloves
4 medium apples, cored and quartered
1 small onion, sliced
1/2 c. apple juice
3-4 Tbsp. flour
2-4 Tbsp. water

Directions:
1. Trim excess fat from roast. Lightly rub meat with oil. Dust with salt, pepper, and ginger. Insert cloves into roast.
2. Place apples and onions in crock pot and top with roast.
3. Pour in apple juice. Cover and cook on low 10-12 hours.
4. Remove roast and apples to platter.
5. Turn crock pot to high. Make a smooth paste of flour and water and stir into crock pot. Cover until thickened.

Freezer directions:
Thaw completely. Heat thoroughly. This can be done stove top or in a slow cooker. (Meat is already cooked). Remove roast and apples from broth, and thicken broth with flour/water paste on stove. (I did not thicken the gravy before freezing)

Baked Chicken by Mel

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. butter
2/3 c. Bisquick
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4-6 chicken breasts (I prefer to cut them up)

Directions:
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter in 9x13 pan. Mix Bisquick, paprika, salt and pepper. Wet chicken and coat with dry mix. Place chicken in pan. Bake covered for @ 30 minutes. (optional: soak chicken in salt water overnight before preparing--makes it very juicy)

Freezer directions:
Prepare as above. Thaw completely and bake per instructions.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Martha Stewart Macaroni and Cheese by Amy

Ingredients:
1 pound short pasta, such as cavatappi or macaroni
Salt
6 Tbs. butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk or half and half (that's what I use)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
3 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
3 cups very coarse fresh breadcrumbs

Steps:
1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water 1 to 2 minutes less than package instructions. Drain, rinse with cool water, and return to pot.
2. Meanwhile, heat 4 Tbs butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Add milk, cayenne, nutmeg, and 2 tsp salt; bring to a simmer. Cook, whisking, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in cheeses until smooth. Pour over pasta; toss to coat.
3. Melt remaining 2 Tbs butter; toss with breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over pasta.
4. Preheat over to 375 degrees. Cover with foil. Bake until bubbling, 40-45 minutes.

Freezer Preparation:
1. Divide macaroni mixture into baking dishes ( 2 - 8x8 pans).
2. Cover with breadcrumbs.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and foil. Freeze up to 3 months.

Freezer to Oven:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place frozen dishes on a baking sheet; remove plastic. Cover with foil. Bake until bubbling, 60 to 70 minutes for large dishes, 40 to 50 minutes for small dishes. Remove foil; continue baking until golden, 5 to 10 minutes more.

Crock Pot Barbecued Pork (adapted from Fix-It and Forget-It) by Amy

Ingredients:
2-3 lb. boneless pork roast or tenderloin, cubed
1 large onion, chopped
16 oz. bottle barbecue sauce
salt and pepper
Assembly:
1. Place meat in slow cooker. Sprinkle salt and pepper over pork. Add onions and sauce.
2. Cover. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours.
3. Use 2 forks to shred meat.
4. Serve on sandwich rolls with sauce.

Freezing:
1. Allow barbeque to cool completely.
2. Place barbeque in a freezer container (Ziploc bag).

Freezer to Eating:
1. Thaw barbecue completely.
2. Place in sauce pan. Warm up barbecue over medium heat. Add more sauce if barbecue is dry.
3. Serve on sandwich rolls with sauce

Colorado Style Beef Enchiladas by Tish

** This is from a new cookbook I recently found called "Don't Panic-Dinner's In the Freezer"

Ingredients:
1 1/4 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion (about 3/4 cup), diced
3-4 T. taco seasoning
1/2 t. salt, or to taste
1/4 t. pepper, or to taste
1 small can of green chiles, chopped
1 6-8 oz. can of green chile salsa (or any picante or salsa can be substituted)- I used mild picante salsa
1/4 - 1/3 cup water
Vegetable oil, for quick frying
12 corn tortillas
1 pound of grated cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese, divided

Sauce:
1 - 15 oz. can of mild red chile enchilada sauce
1 - 15 oz. can of mild or medium green enchilada sauce ( I used mild)
1/3 cup of sour cream
3 T. milk

yields 6-8 servings

Cooking Day Instructions:
Brown meat and onion in skillet on medium heat. While meat is browning, prepare sauce (see below).Drain meat and return to pan; add dry taco seasoning, salt, pepper, green chiles, green chile salsa (or salsa of your choice), and 1/4 to 1/3 cup of water. Mix well, cover, and simmer on very low heat for 15 minutes. Check meat mixture to see if most of the water has been absorbed. The meat should remain moist. Adjust seasonings at this point, if desired.
Cover and keep warm.

For sauce:
In a medium bowl, combine red and green enchilada sauces, sour cream and milk. Whisk till well blended and smooth. (you can add more sour cream or milk, if you prefer a less intense sauce)

In smaller pan, add 3-4 T. oil and heat over medium heat until hot. Using tongs, work quickly and dip each side of the corn tortillas in the hot oil (no more than 1-2 sec. per side). Promptly place tortillas on plate lined with paper towels to drain any excess oil.

Assembly and Freezing:
In a prepared 9x13 dish, pour 3/4 of the sauce on the bottom of the pan to cover it. Top with a single layer of tortillas. Top tortillas with 1/2 of the meat mixture, then sprinkle with some of the cheese. Repeat tortilla, meat, and cheese layers. Pour remaining sauce over top and top with remaining cheese. Cool completely. Then wrap pan in heavy aluminum foil and place in 2 gal Ziploc bag or wrap tightly in plastic wrap.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Bake @ 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes (or till cheese is bubbly and dish is heated all the way through. Can be served with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream and/or guacamole.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Family Friendly Fast Stew by Andrea

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 can whole corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
1 can beans, drained
1/2 c. ketchup


Assembly: Brown and drain ground beef. Add in rest of ingredients. To eat on assembly day, cook in crock pot or heat through on the stove. To freeze: combine all ingredients in gallon freezer bag and freeze.

To cook from frozen: Defrost and heat either in crock pot or in a pan on the stove.

Notes: This recipe was given to me for its flexibility and versatility. It can be adapted to suit your family preferences. You can use any flavor of tomatoes, even crushed. You may use 2 cans of creamed corn instead of the whole can, and you may use any kind of beans. It is also fine to leave it in the crock pot all day or heat it through quickly on the stove.