Hope MOPS Presentation

We had a great time today sharing about freezer cooking at the Hope Church MOPS group in Mason. It was so nice to meet all of you! We hope you left with some new ideas to try.

If you have any questions that we were unable to answer at the meeting today, please leave them here in a comment and we will do our best to respond promptly to you.

Mostaccioli by Amy Sauve (Repeat from June)

Ingredients
1 pound of ground beef
1 cup of chopped onion
2 cloves of minced garlic
Salt and pepper for flavor
4 cups of meatless spaghetti sauce (I use 2 jars of Three Cheese Prego.)
1 cup of water
16 oz. of Mostaccioli pasta
1 - 8 0z. package of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese

Steps:
1. Cook the pasta (2 minutes less than the directions on the box).
2. While pasta is cooking, brown beef, onion, salt, pepper, and garlic. Drain the mixture.
3. Return the beef mixture to the pot. Add the sauce and water. Simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Combine cheeses in a separate bowl.

Assemble:
1. In a 9x13 dish, layer noodles, sauce mixture, and cheese mixture. Repeat layers.
2. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Freeze:
1. Assemble dish in a foil pan.
2. Cover with saran wrap and then heavy duty foil.
3. Freeze for up to 1 month.

From the Freezer to the Table:
1. Completely thaw dish.
2. Remove saran wrap and foil.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cover for the last 5 minutes if dish is getting too brown.

Potato Oven Omelet by Wendy

I've made this one before at this time last year and thought it would  be great to have on hand.  Use it the morning of Black Friday so they don't have to worry about breakfast while you're out or use it when company comes in town or when you go out of town for Thanksgiving.  Since it is frozen it travels well.  Please reply to the original post:  http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/2009/12/potato-oven-omelet.html .

Creamy Bow~Tie Pasta with Chicken by Missy

Ingredients:
3 cups (8 oz.) Farfalle (bow-tie pasta) uncooked
4 cups broccoli florets
3 Tbs. Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 tsp. minced garlic ( I bought it in the tiny jar.)
2 cups tomato-basil spaghetti sauce
4 oz. (1/2 of 8 oz. pkg.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1/4 cup Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese

Assembly:
Boil pasta and broccoli about 5 minutes. Drain completely and transfer to freezer bag. Meanwhile, heat dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken and garlic; cook 5 minutes. Turn chicken over, continue cooking 4 to 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Add pasta sauce and cream cheese to chicken in skillet; cook on medium-low heat 2-3 minutes or until cream cheese is completely melted, mixture is well blended and chicken is coated with sauce, stirring occasionally. Transfer chicken to a separate freezer bag. Freeze both.

I experimented with cooking the chicken. I cooked 1/2 like the recipe and the other 1/2 I placed in the crock pot (already cut in half) with the measured amount of dressing/garlic per meal. I removed the c.breasts as soon as they were cooked through. I placed 6 pieces of chicken in the freezer bag and added the sauce, 1cup of broth (created in the crock pot)and cream cheese into the bag and placed into freezer. All of the breasts looked the same after cooking. The crock pot chicken did cook in a folded and goofy position.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Throw pasta and broccoli into hot water to heat back up. Taste for desired tenderness. Reheat sauce and chicken in a non-stick skillet. Remove chicken and keep warm. Add sauce to pasta, mix well. Transfer to bowls. Cut chicken crosswise into thick slices; fan out chicken over pasta mixture in each bowl. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese.

ENJOY!!!

Shredded Salsa Beef over Rice by Jackie

**Recipe adapted from Don't Panic, Dinner's in the Freezer

Ingredients:
1 1/2-2 lbs beef chuck roast
1 Tblsp. oil
1 onion, chopped
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies
1 c. chunky salsa
2 Tblsp. brown sugar
1 Tblsp. soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2-1 c. water

Assembly:
Place oil in skillet and brown beef on all sides. Place beef in crockpot. Add remaining ingredients and enough water to barely cover roast. Cover. Cook on low 10-12 hours until beef is tender. Remove and shred, using 2 forks to pull apart. Return meat to crockpot and stir to combine meat and liquid. Cool. Freeze flat in Ziploc Gallon-size freezer bag. Freeze enough rice for 6 servings in Ziploc quart-size freezer bag.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Reheat slowly in pan. Serve over cooked rice (see directions below).

Directions for cooking rice on stove top: Pour contents of rice bag into pan with 3 1/3c. water. Add butter and salt if desired. Stir and bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Remove from heat and stand for 5 minutes.

Directions for cooking rice in microwave: Pour contents of rice bag into microwave safe container with 3 1/3c. water. Add butter and salt if desired. Stir and cover. Cook on MEDIUM (50%) power for 20-25 minutes. Remove from microwave and let stand for 5 minutes.

Optional:
Serve as a filling for tacos, burritos, chalupas. Serve with your favorite taco toppings.

Chorizo & Black Bean Chili by Andrea

Ingredients:

• 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 2 1/2 cups chopped onion, divided
• 1 1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper
• 1 1/2 cups chopped red bell pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 links Spanish chorizo sausage, browned
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained
• 3 (14-ounce) cans diced
• 1 (8 1/2-ounce) can corn, drained
• 1 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Preparation:

Remove 2 chiles from can; finely chop. (I have put these into a separate bag so you can decide how hot you want your chili.)

Heat a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chiles, 1 3/4 cups onion, bell peppers, garlic, and chorizo; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add chili powder and next 7 ingredients (chili powder through corn), stirring to combine. At this point it can be bagged to freeze.

From Frozen:

Defrost and add as much chipotle chilies (from baggie #2) as your family would enjoy.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer, covered, 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat;  stir in chocolate (from baggie #3).  Add salt and pepper to taste.  This is good topped with sour cream.

Beef Vegetable Soup with Potatoes by Amy

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained

2 - 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes

2 carrots, sliced or cubed

2 onions, sliced or cubed

2 potatoes, diced

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

12 oz. can V-8 vegetable juice (or more)

1 1/2 - 2 cups sliced celery

2 tsp. beef stock concentrate or 2 beef bouillon cubes

2-3 cups vegetables (frozen)

Assembly:

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 12 hours or High 4-6 hours.

*If you want to freeze, cook in slow cooker after soup is thawed.

Cooking Day:

1. Thaw completely.

2. Pour into slow cooker. Cook on Low 12 hours or High 4-6 hours.

Chicken Mozzarella Roll-Ups by Wendy

Found this at Ziploc.com
Ingredients:
6 small (4 oz. each) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 pcs roasted red peppers (available in jars), about 2" x 5", ribs and membrane trimmed, patted dry (I substituted 1 orange pepper, cooked to softened, in the microwave and cut into strips.
2 cups canned, plain tomato sauce, divided
18 large, fresh basil leaves, rinsed and patted dry
6 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese, (I substituted Italian cheese mix)

Assembly:
1. Place chicken breast on a cutting board and pound thin until 1/4" thick, with rolling pin, meat tenderizer or the bottom of a heavy skillet, being careful not to tear meat, until it is the shape of a 4" x 8" rectangle.

2. With long 8" side edge toward you, layer each piece with 3 basil leaves, 1 piece of roasted red pepper (or my 2 slices of orange peppers), and 2 tablespoons of the shredded mozzarella (reserve remaining mozzarella for later). Roll one long edge towards other long edge to enclose fillings - like a wrap - making sure the edges overlap slightly. Fold in the loose ends and secure with toothpicks on each side.

3. Pour 1 cup of the tomato sauce in a 9 x 12 baking dish that's at least 2 inches deep, and distribute sauce evenly over bottom of dish. Sprinkle with Oregano or Italian Seasoning for a little more flavor.

4. Place the rolled chicken breasts, seam side down, in the baking dish. Top each roll with the remaining 1 cup tomato sauce (about 2 Tablespoons each).

5. Sprinkle the remaining 6 Tablespoons of shredded mozzarella (1Tablespoon each) over the top of each chicken roll. Cover with plastic wrap and foil, then place in freezer.

To Serve: Thaw completely. Remove plastic wrap and cover with foil. Bake 375 degrees for 30 minutes then uncover and bake until cheese melts and browns on top.

3 Cheese Lasagna by Andrea

This is a repeated recipe.

I did update the directions to recommend keeping this covered while cooking. You may remove foil in the last few minutes to brown the top, if you wish.

3 Cheese Lasagna by Andrea

Apricot Glazed Pork Roast by Mel

Ingredients:

1 can chicken broth

1 jar Apricot preserves

1 large onion, chopped

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

4 lb. boneless pork loin roast (I like to slice it first)

Directions:

Mix broth, preserves, onion, and mustard in 31/2 quart crock pot. Add pork. Cook on low for 8-9 hours.

Sauce:

Mix 2 Tbsp. water and 2 Tbsp. cornstarch until smooth. Remove pork from cooker. Stir cornstarch mixture into broth. Cover and cook on high for 10 minutes, or until boils and thickens.

Freezer Instructions:

Defrost completely. Reheat and serve.

Notes:

A 4 pound roast will serve 12-14 people. I used 2 pounds per family.

Boneless Pork Loin Roast with Herbed Pepper Rub by Jackie

Adapted original recipe from Pork: The Other White Meat

Ingredients:
1 (3lb.) boneless pork loin roast

Herbed Pepper Rub:
1 1/2 Tbsp. cracked black pepper (original recipe called for 2 Tbsp.)
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. dried rosemary
2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Assembly:
Pat pork dry with paper towel. In small bowl, combine all rub ingredients well and apply to all surfaces of the pork roast. Place in Ziploc freezer bags. Lay flat in freezer.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Place roast in a shallow pan and roast in a 350 degrees F. oven for 1-1 1/4 hours (18-20 minutes per pound), until internal temperature on a thermometer reads 150 degrees F. Remove roast from oven; let rest until temperature reaches 160 degrees F., about 10 minutes before slicing to serve.

Freezer Cooking Tips/Ideas From Our Readers

Hello Readers,

We've really enjoyed sharing what we know about freezer cooking with you. Now it's your turn to share. We'd love to hear some of your favorite tips/ideas/recipes that we may not have heard of before. Just for fun, how about you post a comment and teach us a thing or two. :)

Have a wonderful weekend!
Your Freezer Friendz

Mexican Dinner Dip Remix by Mags

Mexican Dinner Dip - by Mags

This was originally posted in June 2008, but is so far back in the archives, I thought I'd just repost it instead of linking.

This works well as a dinner or as an appetizer for a party!

Ingredients:

• Deep square aluminum pan OR deep round Corning Wear dish OR shallow 9x13 pan.
  
• 1 lb. of ground beef
• 1 pkg. taco seasoning
• 1 bag shredded cheddar
• 1 can refried beans
• 8-10 oz. of your favorite salsa
  
• sour cream
• large bag of your favorite taco chips (I like "Scoops!")
  
• Optional: chopped tomatoes and shredded lettuce
• Optional: substitute taco shells for the taco chips

Procedure:

1. I used a deep square pan for a thicker dip. You can also use a 9x13" pan for a shallow dip -- either works fine!
2. Grease your pan!
3. Spread out the refried beans to be the bottom layer.
4. Brown and drain the ground beef. Add in taco seasoning and water according to taco pkg. directions.
5. Spread out the ground beef on top of your refried beans.
6. Spread the salsa out on top of the ground beef.
   
7. Spread out whole bag of cheddar cheese on top of beef.

To Bake Immediately: Bake at 350 for 10 minutes covered with aluminum foil. Then bake for 10 minutes uncovered until cheese is melted.

To Freeze for later: Cover with a couple layers of plastic wrap and foil, and freeze. On cooking day, thaw first, (remove any plastic wrap!), then bake at 350: 10 minutes covered with foil and 10 minutes uncovered until cheese is melted.

Add globs of sour cream on top of dip - or you can have people add this to their own plates. Scoop out big spoonfuls of the meal (be sure to get all of the layers!), and use your taco chips to dip!

You can also add chopped tomatoes, onions, or shredded lettuce to make taco salads. You could scoop up the mixture into taco shells for a fancy taco as well!

This is one of my favorites from growing up - my younger brother was in to cooking in junior high - this was his recipe! Enjoy!

Taco Soup-Submitted by Tish

**This is a good one to save for a crisp Fall or cold winter day!! I used mild reduced sodium taco seasoning, because I was afraid to make it too spicy for the others in the group. My family and I like all things spicy, so we spice ours up more:)**

This recipe is out of the first volume of "Don't Panic-Dinner's in the Freezer", bu Susie Martinez, Vanda Howell and Bonnie Garcia.

Original Recipe yields 4-5 servings (so I increased it by 1 1/2 times)

Ingredients:
1 1/5 pounds of ground beef (I used 85% lean)
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 1/2 pkgs. of mild (or choose the spice-level you like) taco seasoning- I used mild reduced sodium type.
2 Tablespoons of Tastefully Simple Garlic-Garlic- or you can use garlic powder to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 (15oz) cans of diced tomatoes
1 1/2 (15 oz) cans of whole kernel corn
1 1/2 (15 oz) cans of kidney or red beans (you could also use navy beans and/or black beans)
1 (15oz.) can of water

1 small bag of Frito corn chips, shredded cheese, jalapenos, sour cream, and/or hot sauce- if desired as toppings on serving day.

Cooking Instructions:
Place chopped onions and beef in large skillet. Top with garlic-garlic seasoning or garlic powder, taco seasoning, and black pepper. Cook till meat is completely done. Drain well and set aside.
In a gallon size Zip lock Freezer bag, add all canned items (UNDRAINED) and the one can of water. Add drained beef/onion mixture and seal, removing as much air as possible. Also, gently knead bag to mix all ingredients. Lay flat on cookie sheet to freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Then pour into a large saucepan/stock pot/crock pot and simmer for 30minutes-1 hour till hot and bubbly.
Top with Frito Corn chips, shredded cheese, jalapenos/hot sauce, and/or sour cream if desired.

I love serving this with corn muffins and a salad too!
Hope you all enjoy it and remember to spice it up more if you are like us and like your food hot and spicy!

Ground Beef Stroganoff Casserole by Wendy

Ingredients:
1 (8 oz.) pkg. Medium noodles, cooked
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 lb. hamburger
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon. black pepper
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup diced mushrooms-fresh or canned-drained
1 (10oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can water
1 cup sour cream
parsley to garnish

Assembly:
In skillet heat hamburger and onion until no longer pink. Drain grease from pan. Add flour, salt, black pepper, garlic, paprika, mushrooms, soup and can of water. Mix well and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat stir in 1 cup sour cream.

To Cook day of:
In a 2 quart casserole dish put in noodles and top with beef mixtures. Garnish with parsley. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until bubbly.

To freeze:
Pour noodles in a square foil pan. Top with beef mixture. Garnish with parsley. Freeze.

To Serve:
Thaw completely and uncover. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until bubbly.

Yield: 8 servings.

Rerun Mustard Marinated Chicken Breasts by Jackie

Please follow this link to the recipe and leave your comments there.
http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/2008/04/marinated-mustard-chicken-breasts-by.html

Thanks! :)

Fast Fancy Chicken by Amy Sauve

Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup

1 stick melted butter

6 slices Swiss cheese (or 1 pkg. of shredded)

1/4 lb. sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup white whine

2 cups Pepperidge Farm Herb stuffing mix

Preparation:

1. Place chicken in greased 9x13 baking dish

2. Top each piece with a slice of cheese or cover with shredded cheese.

3. Lay mushrooms on top of cheese.

4. Mix soup and wine - pour on chicken.

5. Spread stuffing mix on top and drizzle with melted butter.

6. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Watch for browning of stuffing - cover with foil.

Serving Day:

1. Thaw dish completely.

2. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Watch for browning of stuffing - cover with foil.

French Dip Sandwiches by Andrea

Ingredients:

1 1/2- 2 lb. chuck roast

1 can French onion soup

1 can beef consomme

1/2 can beer (can substitute beef broth)

Slices Provolone cheese

Sub rolls or French bread, cut to sandwich size

Cooking day Directions: Pour all liquid ingredients over meat in a crock pot. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove and let cool if freezing.

Eating day Directions: Defrost and shred meat. Open French bread and top with meat and cheese. Reheat juices to use as au jus. Broil open face sandwiches on cookie sheet until cheese is melted and sandwich is heated.

Mexican Two Bean Chicken Chili by Wendy

Another delicious Pampered Chef Recipe
Ingredients:
1 Medium Zucchini, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz.) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (8 3/4 oz.) whole kernel corn, drained
2 cans (14 1/2 oz. each) chicken broth
1 jar (16 oz.) thick and chunky mild salsa
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 1/2-2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Optional toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, crushed corn or tortilla chips, sliced green onions and fresh cilantro leaves.

To Assemble to freeze: Chop zucchini. Drain and rinse beans. Drain corn. Add all to a gallon size Ziploc bag. Add chicken broth, salsa, tomato sauce, garlic, chili powder and cumin. Freeze flat in freezer. I gave everyone a 2 cup bag of cheese, an 8oz. container sour cream and a 1 cup Ziploc bag of crushed tortilla chips. So there were 4 pcs. total for this recipe.

To Serve: Thaw bag completely. Pour into 4 Qt. Pan. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
Ladle chili into soup bowls. Top with desired toppings.

Yield: 6 servings (10 cups)

Freshly baked cornbread, cornbread sticks and soft flour tortillas are also nice accompaniments.

Pesto Chicken by Jen

Ingredients:
6 Frozen chicken breasts
1 jar of Classico Pesto
1 box whole wheat pasta

Place frozen chicken breasts in dish. Next spoon pesto over the top of each breast. Freeze until ready to bake. Thaw 24 hours in refrigerator and then bake at 350 for 45 minutes covered. Serve with pasta, risotto or garlic mashed potatoes.

Freezer Friendz:
Thaw 24 hours in refrigerator
Place entire bag of marinaded frozen chicken in 9x13 dish.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes covered.
Serve with whole wheat pasta.

Note: When I made this for our family, I cooked pasta then removed the chicken breasts on to another plate and mixed the pasta with the pesto sauce and served the chicken on top of pasta.