Root Beer Pulled Pork by Beth

Ingredients:
2-3 lb. pork roast
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. paprika
2 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 liter of Root Beer
Bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce

Assembly:
Rinse the roast with water and pat dry with paper towel.  Mix seasonings (brown sugar, paprika, salt, and pepper).  Rub the seasoning mixture all over the roast.  Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Sear the pork roast on all sides then place in crock pot.  Completely cover roast with root beer (you will not use the entire 2 L).  Cover and cook on low for approximately 8 hours.  Remove roast from crock pot and allow to cool enough until able to handle.  Shred the pork into pieces, removing fat, and place into large bowl as you work.  When done shredding all the meat, add BBQ to your desired level of sauciness.  I also used some of the root beer broth to help moisten.  This part is dependent on your own taste.  Transfer from bowl to gallon size Ziploc bag.  Lay flat in freezer.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely.  Transfer to glass dish and warm up in microwave or in large saucepan on stove top.  Serve on hamburger buns.

*If you use a boneless pork loin roast, the meat will be harder to shred (although healthier).  Fattier cuts will shred much easier.

Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake by Amy

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups multi-grain penne pasta, uncooked
1 package (9 oz.) fresh spinach leaves
1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 teaspoon of dried basil leaves
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
1 jar (14 oz.) spaghetti sauce
2 oz (1/4 of 8 oz. package) cream cheese, cubed
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided - 1/2 cups
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

Assembly Day:
1.  Cook pasta in large pot as directed on package, omitting salt and adding spinach to the boiling water for the last minute.
2.  Meanwhile, cook and stir chicken and basil in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat for three minutes.  Stir in tomatoes and spaghetti sauce; bring to boil.  Simmer on low heat for three minutes or until chicken is done.  Stir in cream cheese.
3.  Drain pasta mixture; return to pan.  Stir in chicken mixture and 1/2 cup mozzarella; pour into 9x13 foil pan sprayed with cooking spray.
4.  Freeze.

Serving Day:
1.  Thaw completely.
2.  Remove plastic wrap and foil before placing pan in a preheated oven - 375 degrees.
3.  Bake for 20 minutes or until heated through; top with remaining cheese.  Bake three minutes or until mozzarella is melted.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos by Jackie

adapted from recipe on  Pennies on a Platter
Yield: 10-12 taquitos

Ingredients:
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup green salsa
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp fresh, chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp green onions, sliced
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Mexican flavored cheese
10-12 small flour tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Assembly:
In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic.  Once combined, stir in the cilantro and green onions.  Add the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly. Spoon 2-3 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can.  Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone.  Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt. Flash freeze taquitos in a single layer on a baking sheet until hardened. 
Place in Ziploc freezer bag and freeze flat.

Serving Day:
Bake from frozen. Preheat oven to 425˚F and bake for 20 minutes.  Cover loosely with aluminum foil if browning too quickly.

Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole, if desired.

Meatloaf by Amy Sauve

This is a rerun.  Find recipe and leave comments at this link:http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/2010/08/meatloaf-by-amy-sauve.html

P.J.'s Chicken by Beth

Ingredients:
2-3 lbs. whole chicken, cut up (or use combination of chicken legs & thighs)
Salt and pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Assembly:
Cut skin and fat off of chicken, rinse with water, and place in single layer in greased 9x13 baking dish.  Salt and pepper chicken.  In small bowl, mix the soups.  Cover chicken with the soups and sprinkle cheese on top.  Cover and freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely.  Bake, uncovered, at 300 for 3 hrs.  Serve over rice.

*For the rice, bring 3 cups water to a boil.  Add 1 T. butter and 3/4 tsp. salt.  Stir in rice.  Reduce hear, cover and simmer for 20 min.  Let stand covered for 5 min or until water is absorbed.  Fluff with fork.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs by Jackie

*This is Jen's original recipe with a few adjustments to assembly and serving instructions.

Ingredients:
36 - 1 oz. frozen homestyle meatballs (I used Deluxe Meatballs from GFS.)
1 large can of pineapple chucks and juice
1 jar of Kikoman’s Teriyaki Baste and Glaze (Kroger brand works too.)
2 cups of frozen 3 pepper and onion blend
1 bag of  rice

Assembly:
Pour pineapple chunks and juice, teriyaki glaze, frozen vegetables and frozen meatballs into a gallon size Ziploc freezer bag. Freeze flat.

Serving Day:
Option 1: Cook from thawed:
Thaw completely. Pour meatball mixture into a 9x13 baking dish.  Bake covered at 350 for 30-45 mins. Serve over the cooked rice.

Option 2: Cook from frozen:
Pour frozen meatball mixture into slow cooker.  Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, or on high setting for 4 to 5 hours, until done.

Serve both options over prepared rice.

Serving Day ~ Rice:
Stove Top Directions:
Add rice and 3 1/3c. water in a saucepan.  Add butter and salt if desired (I use 1 tablespoon butter and 3/4 tsp. salt).  Stir and bring to a boil.  Lower heat to simmer.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until all water is absorbed.  Remove from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes. 

Microwave Directions:
Add rice and 3 1/3 c. water to microwave safe container.  Add butter and salt if desired (I use
1 tablespoon butter and 3/4 tsp. salt).  Stir and cover.  Cook on Meduim (50%) power for 20-25 minutes.  Remove from microwave and let stand covered for 5 minutes.

Baked Ham & Cheese Sliders by Jen

(Re-run from Jackie)

Ingredients
12 slider buns
3/4 lb. thinly sliced deli ham
6 oz. sliced Swiss cheese
3/4 c. melted butter
1 1/2 T. yellow mustard
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. poppy seeds (I cut back a little bit based on comments)
1 T. dried, minced onion

Assembly Line baking pan with buns. Remove tops of buns and set aside. Layer ham evenly on all buns. Layer cheese evenly on all buns. Place tops of buns onto the sandwiches. In small bowl, mix butter, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds and onion. Pour mustard mixture evenly over buns.

Serving Day Preheat oven to 350. Place in oven directly from freezer (REMOVE PLASTIC WRAP FIRST). Bake covered for 40 minutes. Uncover. Bake another 5 minutes.

**Can use Kings Hawaiian rolls in place of slider buns.
***This makes a great appetizer for parties too!

Herb & Garlic Chicken by Jen

Ingredients:
12 oz. bottle of Herb and Garlic 30 min. 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)

Chicken Cacciatore by Jackie

Ingredients:

2 lb. chicken breasts or tenderloins, cut into 1" cubes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cracked pepper
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. marjoram leaves
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed rosemary
1/2 tsp. thyme leaves
1 cup chopped onion
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into thin strips (about 1 1/2 cup)
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 can (8oz.) tomato sauce
spaghetti

Assembly: 
Place raw chicken cubes in gallon-sized Ziploc freezer bag.  Sprinkle with the salt and pepper.  Mix, making sure all pieces are coated.   Add all remaining ingredients, except the spaghetti.  Mix well.  Lay flat to freeze. 

Serving Day: 
Thaw completely.  Place in slow cooker.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours.  Serve over cooked spaghetti.

Freezer Cooking for One or Two

I had a great time sharing about freezer cooking with the West Side Joy Belles tonight.  What a great group of women!  Thank you for the invitation to share with you.

One of the things that came up at tonight's talk was about freezer cooking for one or two.  There are lots of recipes that can easily be divided into portions for smaller families. 

• If you make soup, divide it into a few quart size freezer bags or flash freeze it in muffin tins. 
• Sloppy Joes can be flash frozen in muffin tins as well. 
• Shredded meat for sandwiches can be frozen in pint or quart size bags. 
• As you look at the recipes you enjoy making, think about if you could divide it into two smaller casseroles instead of one big one.  Eat one and freeze one for later.  You may need to lessen the baking time if you use more shallow dishes. 

I am so excited about tonight's discussion!  The possibilities are endless.  You could start a freezer swap with other women who have one or two to cook for as well.  A swap could add lots of variety to your meals and allow you to cook some of those favorites that you may have decided are too big for just one or two.  Perhaps a swap is not your thing.  You could share the smaller portions you make with others.  What a great way to provide meals to someone who lives alone and is unable to cook for him/herself!

Let us know if you find ways to include freezer cooking for one or two in your life.

Saucy Beef Tips by Beth

Ingredients:
2 lbs. stew meat, raw
10.75 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
10.75 oz.  can tomato soup
1 envelope Lipton Beefy Onion soup mix

Assembly:
Place all ingredients in gallon size freezer bag.  No need to mix up.  Lay flat in freezer.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely.  Pour in crock pot and stir to combine.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Serve poured over noodles.

Pork Noodle Casserole by Wendy

This came from Taste of Home, Freezer Pleasers Cookbook.  The recipe is by Barbara Beyer of Two Rivers, Wisconsin.  This is great served with warm rolls.

Ingredients:
3 cups cubed cooked pork
1 can (14 3/4 oz) cream-style corn
1 cup chicken broth
4 oz. process cheese (Velveeta), diced
2/3 cup chopped green pepper
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 jar (4 1/2 oz) whole mushrooms, drained
2 tablespoons diced pimientos
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 oz. uncooked egg noodles

Assembly:
In a large bowl, combine the pork, corn, broth, cheese, pepper, onion, mushrooms, pimientos, salt and pepper.  Add noodles;  gently toss to coat.  Pour into Gallon Freezer Bag and freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely.  Transfer to a greased 2 1/2 qt. baking dish.  Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until noodles are tender, stirring every 20 minutes. 

Yield:  6 servings

Slow Cooker Country-Style Pork Ribs by Amy

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds country-style boneless pork or beef ribs (I used pork with a small bone in some of the pieces.)
• 1 (16 ounce) bottle of barbecue sauce (I used 2 cups of Montgomery Inn sauce.)
• 1 large onion - sliced
• 6 garlic cloves - minced
• 1/4 cup of honey or to taste
• Salt and pepper

Assembly:

1. Place ribs in Ziploc bag and sprinkle salt and pepper over ribs.
2. Mix barbeque sauce, honey, onions, and garlic in bowl.
3. Pour over ribs.
4. Freeze bag.

Serving Day:

1. Thaw bag.
2. Place contents in slow cooker.
3. Cook in slow cooker for 7-8 hours or until tender.
4. Serve with mashed potatoes or hash browns - Enjoy!

Repeat of Chicken Tetrazzini by Amy

You can find this recipe and leave comments at this link:  http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/2010/04/chicken-tetrazzini.html

Potato Bacon Chowder by Beth

Ingredients:
1 lb. bacon, cut up
2 c. onion, chopped
4 c. potatoes, cubed
2 carrots, grated
can of corn, drained
2 c. water (use part bacon grease for extra flavor)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 c. sour cream
2 c. milk
1 t. salt
pepper, to taste
2 t. parsley

Assembly:
Fry bacon in stockpot and drain.  Pour water in the same pot (to get flavor from the bacon).  Add potatoes and onions and cook until potatoes are tender.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Pour into gallon size bags (2 bags works best).  Freeze flat.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely.  Heat up in stockpot, but do not bring to boil. Or, pour in crock pot and heat slowly throughout the day.

Weeknight Lasagna Toss by Jen

from: Kraftfoods.com (4 servings, 2 cup each - I did this recipe 1 1/2 times for our group)

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 jar (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1-2/3 cups water
1/4 cup Italian Dressing
2 green peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
12 oven-ready lasagna noodle, broken into quarters
1 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Assembly:
Brown meat in large saucepan; drain.
Add next 5 ingredients; mix well. Bring to boil. Stir in noodles; cover.
Cook on medium-low heat 10 to 15 min. or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese; cover. Let stand 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

Note: Substitute 12 regular lasagna noodles, broken into small pieces, for the oven-ready noodles. Increase water to 2 cups and cook 30 min., stirring occasionally.

To Freeze:
Prepare meat mixture and pour into ziploc bag. Make sure you add 2 cups of water if you use regular lasagna noodles. In another 2 ziploc bags, place broken lasagna noodles and cheese.

Serving Day:
Thaw, pour bag of meat mixture into a large skillet. Bring to boil. Stir in noodle pieces; cover. May need to add 1 more cup of water if skillet is too dry. Cook on medium-low heat 30 mins or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese; cover. Let stand 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

Scrumptious Beef by Jackie

This recipe is adapted from the original recipe in Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook.
Ingredients:
2 lbs. stew meat, raw
8 oz. canned mushrooms, drained
1 1/3c. beef broth
10 3/4 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg. Lipton dry onion or beefy onion soup mix

Assembly:
Mix all ingredients, except stew meat in a gallon Ziploc freezer bag.  Add meat and mix.  Lay bag flat to freeze.

Serving Day:
Option #1:
Thaw completely.  Place in slow cooker.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Serve over rice or noodles.

Option #2:
Thaw enough to remove contents from Ziploc and place in slow cooker.  Cook on low for 10-12 hours.  Serve over rice or noodles.

Freezer Friendz:  The rice that I gave you is regular long grain rice.  I put instructions on your bag about how much water to add.  Bring to a brisk boil.  Turn heat down very low.  Cover.  Simmer 15-18 minutes.

Pepsi Pot Roast by Amy Sauve

Ingredients:
3-4 lb. pot roast
1 envelope of dry onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
12 oz. can Pepsi or other cola

Assembly:
1. Place meat in ziploc bag.
2. Top with onio soup mix, mushroom soup and Pepsi.
3. Freeze.

Serving Day:
1. Completely thaw bag.
2. Pour content of bag into crock pot.
3. Cover. Cook on High for 6 hours.

*You can peel and cut potatoes to put in the crock pot during the cooking time.

Chicken Tortellini Casserole by Beth

Ingredients:
1 pkg (18-19 oz) frozen cheese filled tortellini
8 oz.  Mexican blend shredded cheese, divided
2-3 c. cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
¾ c. onion, chopped
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
1 T. chicken bouillon granules
1 ¾ c. chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can (4 oz) mushrooms, drained
½ c. sour cream

Assembly:
Put frozen tortellini in boiling water for about 3-5 min, drain.  Place in bottom of greased 9x13 pan.  On top of noodles, sprinkle ½ c. cheese and then chicken.  Cook onion in saucepan with butter until tender, add flour.  Gradually whisk in bouillon and chicken broth and bring to boil over medium heat.  Boil for 2 min.  Add soup, mushrooms, sour cream and 1 c. cheese.  Pour sauce over chicken/noodles, sprinkle with remaining ½ c. cheese.  Cover pan with a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil.  Freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely.  Bake at 350 for 45 min. or until golden and bubbly.

Taco Soup by Jen (Rerun)

via Julie Clark's Taco Soup

This is a rerun from 2008. See the following link for cooking instructions:
http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/2008/07/julies-taco-soup.html