Hoping to turn Jessica's rainy days into sunny ones!

I hope the weather where you are was as nice as it was here yesterday!  We had a great family day outside, playing and doing yard work.   We had a delicious meal on the grill (from the freezer, of course) and then took our first trip of the season to get ice cream.  Today is a much different feel - very rainy! 

Our family is excited about many more sunny days ahead.  Speaking of which - did you have a chance to read my post about Jessica?  If you missed it, make sure you pop over to take a look.  http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/2011/03/please-consider-helping-jessica.html  We'd love your support! 

Southern Living's Quick Turkey Chili by Amy Sauve

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped

1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 pound of ground turkey

1 Tablespoon of chili powder

2 teaspoons of ground cumin

3 Tablespoons of tomato paste

1 (28 oz.) can of diced tomatoes

3 cans of kidney (dark and light) and chili beans - 1 of each - rinsed and drained- except for the chili beans
2 cups of chicken broth
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper

Assembly:

1. Saute chopped onion in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat for 5 minutes; add garlic - 1 minute.
2. Add turkey, chili powder, cumin, salt , and pepper - cook, stirring often, until meat crumbles and is no longer pink.
3. Stir in tomato paste - 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.

Freezing day:

1. Let chili completely cool and place in gallon size bags.
2. Freeze flat.

Serving day:
1. Thaw completely.
2. Heat in a pan or in a crock pot - you may need to add more liquid - broth or water.

Saucey Mexican Chicken by Wendy

I had done this one in the past and it tasted very delicious, so I thought we'd have it again!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast halves
1-24 oz. Jar Salsa
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

To Freeze: Place frozen chicken in pan. Add salsa and beans. Cover with foil. Place a 1 cup of cheese in Ziploc bag and freeze everything.

To Cook from Frozen: Thaw completely. Bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes or until chicken is done (165 degrees). Top with cheese. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered or until cheese is melted.

To Cook on day of assembly: Thaw chicken, place in pan with salsa and beans and bake uncovered 40 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered or until cheese is melted.

Stove top assembly: Cook chicken in nonstick skillet on med-high heat 4 min. on each side or until browned on both sides. Add salsa and beans. Bring to boil; cover. Simmer on med.-low heat 5 minutes or until chicken is done (165 degrees). Top with cheese. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

Tastes great served over rice! Makes 6 servings.

Steak Fajitas by Erica

Ingredients:
1.5 pounds of tip sirloin sliced into strips
1 bell pepper sliced into strips
1 onion sliced into strips
1 packet of fajita seasoning
1 cup of water.
1 pack of tortillas
1 bag of cheese

Assembly: Place all ingredients except tortillas and cheese in gallon size Ziploc freezer bag.

Serving Day: Put 1-2 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet. Preheat skillet. Pour all ingredients into skillet. Cook until veggies are soft and meat is to your liking. Scoop into tortillas, add cheese if desired.

Ravioli Bake by Jen

Ingredients:
1 jar (16 oz.) spaghetti sauce, you may need more sauce depending on your taste.
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10 oz.) fat-free reduced-sodium beef broth
1/4 cup Italian dressing
1/2 lb. ground beef, browned
2 pkg. (9 oz. each) refrigerated or frozen cheese-filled ravioli
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Assembly: Brown ground beef. Combine first 4 ingredients in 13x9-inch baking dish. Add ravioli; toss to coat. Cover with one layer of plastic wrap and one layer of aluminum foil.

To Eat On Assembly Day: Heat oven to 375°F. Brown ground beef then combine first 4 ingredients in 13x9-inch baking dish. Add ravioli; toss to coat. Cover. Bake 50 min. or until ravioli is tender. Top with cheese; let stand 5 min. or until melted.

Special Extra: You can also use frozen ravioli - no need to thaw. For a delicious flavor twist, stir 1 Tbsp. pesto or 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil into the hot baked ravioli before topping with cheese.

Freezer Friendz: Thaw, bake covered 50 mins. Top with cheese and let stand 5 mins. or until cheese is melted.

Freezer Friendz has a space on Facebook!

Hey Chefs!
It's Mags - your background Tech Support! I may not be cooking with the group anymore, but I'm still snagging the recipes!
Just letting you all know that we've got our Facebook Page for Freezer Friendz all set up! You can LIKE us on Facebook and view the recipes there too! We hope you'll tell your friends about us - we appreciate the publicity!
Happy Cooking! :) Mags

Marinated Pork Chops by Jackie

*This recipe is adapted from The Freezer Cooking Manual from the 30 Day Gourmet

Ingredients:
8 pork chops (I buy center cut half boneless pork loin and ask the butcher to cut it into chops)
2 c. pineapple juice (takes 2-46oz. cans to make 6 meals)
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
1/3 c. Italian dressing (takes 1-16oz. bottle to make 6 meals)

Assembly Day: Place all ingredients, except pork chops, in gallon size Ziploc freezer bag. Mix well. Place pork chops in bag. Seal and lay flat on cookie sheet to freeze.

Serving Day: Thaw completely. Grill pork chops until no longer pink inside. Discard marinade.