Mexican Manicotti by Beth

**Take note this recipe requires a little assembly and THEN sitting in fridge overnight**

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef, raw
16 oz. can refried beans
1 t. chili powder
1-1/2 t. oregano
8 oz. pkg. manicotti shells, uncooked
2-1/2 c. water
16 oz. jar salsa
16 oz. tub sour cream
1 c. Mexican blend shredded cheese

Assembly:
In a bowl, combine the raw meat, refried beans, and seasonings.  Spoon into uncooked manicotti shells.  Arrange in tray from box and place in gallon freezer bag. 

Day BEFORE serving:
Thaw salsa and cheese baggies.  Do not thaw manicotti.  In bowl, combine water and salsa.  Arrange frozen manicotti in 9x13 pan.; pour salsa/water over shells.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Day OF serving:  Remove pan from refrigerator 30 min. before baking.  Cover and bake at 350 for 1 hr.  Uncover; spoon sour cream over the top.  Sprinkle with the cheese.  Bake 5-10 min. longer or until the cheese is melted.

Grilled Chicken with Pesto Bow Ties by Jackie

This recipe was slightly adapted from the recipe originally made by Debbie in 2010.  You can find her recipe at this link:  http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/2009/09/grilled-chicken-with-pesto-pasta-by.html

Ingredients:
6 chicken breasts
1/2 bottle Italian dressing
1 box bow tie pasta
1 recipe Pesto (see recipe below)

Pesto (from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)
1 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup firmly packed parsley springs with stems removed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup walnuts
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup milk

Assembly:
Combine the chicken breasts and Italian dressing in gallon-size freezer bag.  Freeze flat.

Prepare pesto:  Combine all ingredients, except the oil and milk, in a food processor. Cover and process until a paste forms. Gradually add the oil and process until the consistency is like soft butter. Transfer the pesto to a mixing dish and whisk in about a quarter cup of milk. Freeze in pint size Ziploc freezer bag.

Serving Day:
Thaw chicken breasts and pesto in the refrigerator. Leave the pesto covered until you are ready to use it, or lightly coat it with olive oil (this keeps the pesto from turning brown).

Grill the chicken breasts (or bake in the oven).  Slice the breasts into strips. 

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. When the pasta is done, drain and return to the cooking pot. Add the pesto directly to the pasta and stir until the pasta is completely coated. Place chicken on top of the pasta.

Monterey Burgers by Wendy

Ingredients:
1 med onion
2 lbs. ground round
4 Tbsp. (or 1/4 cup) barbecue sauce
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 lb. (or 2 cups) shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
8 hamburger buns

Assembly:
Finely chop onion. Combine onion, ground round, barbecue sauce, cheese, salt and pepper in bowl; mix well. Divide mixture into 8 equal portions. Form each portion into a flat patty.
Place 2 levels of 4 patties each on freezer paper or wax paper. Place in gallon size plastic resealable freezer bag. Lay flat in freezer to freeze.

Serving Day:
Heat in pan or on grill over medium-high heat, turning once, until done: 5 minutes per side for well done. Serve on hamburger buns.

Marinated Pork Tenderloin by Amy

Ingredients:
1 cup Coca-Cola
1/4 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey mustard
2 small Granny Smith apples, chopped
4-6 green onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Salt and black pepper
1 to 1 1/2 pounds whole pork tenderloin

Assembly Day:
1.  Combine Coca-Cola, beef broth, vinegar and mustard in large bowl and mix well.  Add apples, onions, garlic, cinnamon, ginger, salt and pepper to Coke mixture and mix well.
2.  Place pork tenderloin in large plastic ziploc bag.  Pour Coke mixture over pork, turning to coat.  Seal bag and marinade in freezer (or in refrigerator for 3 hours if you want to cook it on the assembly day).

Cooking Day:
1.  Thaw completely.
2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees  Remove pork from marinade, discard marinade.  Place pork in roasting pan.  Cook pork about 25-30 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
3.  Remove pork from oven and transfer to cutting board.  Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before carving.  Serve with applesauce and your favor side dish.

Sesame Teriyaki Chicken by Jen

Ingredients:
24 oz. bottle of Sesame Teriyaki Sauce/Marinade
3 lb. bag of boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 6-7 halves)

Assembly:
Mix marinade and chicken breasts in large Ziploc freezer bag.
Place in freezer until ready to grill. Or thaw chicken, then refrigerate 30 min. to marinate.

Serving Day:
When chicken is thawed, heat grill to medium heat. Grill chicken 7 min.; turn over. Grill another 6 to 8 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF)