Chicken Taco Quiche by Andrea

This month I repeated a favorite Katie made for our group. I used all mild ingredients, so if you like more spice or heat, you can add it to your liking. Enjoy!

Chicken Taco Quiche by Katie

Beef & Tortellini Marinara by Andrea

Ingredients:

1 lb. beef stew meat

2 T. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 jar marinara or spaghetti sauce

2 c. beef broth

1 bag frozen green beans, cooked

1 can Italian diced tomatoes

2 envelopes spaghetti sauce mix

1 T. dried minced onion

1 t. coarsely ground pepper

sprinkle of parsley and rosemary

9 oz. refrigerated cheese tortellini

Assembly:

Brown Beef in oil until no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Transfer to crock pot. Stir in rest except the tortellini. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or until meat is tender.

Stir in tortellini. Put in bag to freeze or cover and cook 30 minutes more to heat tortellini through.

From frozen: Defrost and warm until all is heated through about 30 minutes.

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.

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

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.

Breakfast Sandwiches by Andrea

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat English Muffins
sausage patties, bacon slices, Canadian bacon slices
scrambled eggs
cheese slices

Preparation:

Open, butter and toast English muffin halves. Cook meat and cool. Mix eggs, season to taste and ladle 1/4c. into greased plastic snack cups. Microwave @ 2 min. each until cooked through. (I did 5 at a time because I had 5 cups.)

Assembly:
Layer breakfast meat, egg, and cheese on English muffin. (You each have 5 of each type of meat. The bag is labeled with which type it contains.) Top with remaining English muffin half. Wrap in foil. Freeze inside freezer bag.

Serving Day:
These can be cooked from frozen.
Option 1: Keep in foil and bake at 350 for about 20 min.
Option 2: Remove foil and wrap in a paper towel to heat in microwave for 1-2 minutes. (Maggie tried the defrost setting for 5 min, also.

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Chicken by Andrea

Ingredients:
chicken tenderloins
Bacon slices


Instructions:
Lay out tenderloins on 1/2 a slice of bacon. Roll up and skewer or use toothpicks to hold together. Freeze for later or grill to desired doneness.


Note: This was hard to determine servings for. I used @ 2 lbs of chicken per entree, which by serving size should feed @ 8. Please let me know if there was enough food so I can adjust if I make it again.

Beef Noodle Casserole by Andrea

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 bag frozen Mirapoix (onions, peppers)
1 1/2-2 c. ketchup
1/2 stick butter
1 12oz. bag egg noodles
1 pkg cream cheese
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 can cream of mushroom
garlic powder & salt to taste
3 c. shredded cheddar

Instructions: Brown ground beef and salt to taste, drain. Saute green pepper and onion in small amount of butter or oil @ 10 min. Combine with beef and add ketchup. Simmer in large pot for 15 min.
In a separate pot, cook noodles according to pkg. directions and drain. Return to pot and add 1/2 stick of butter, cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, soup, and seasonings.

Grease 9x13 pan and place noodle mixture in pan. Layer the ground beef mixture over noodles. Cover with foil and bake or freeze.
To bake on assembly day, cook covered at 350 for 20 min. Add cheese and cook uncovered until cheese melts.
To cook later, defrost and cook same as above. (May take longer if straight from refrigerator.)

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.

Pesto Chicken Pasta by Andrea

This is a freezer recipe from TOH Simple & Delicious. The recipe makes 2 casseroles so I made an extra recipe and split it among all 4 families to make sure there was enough for each family.

Ingredients:

• 1 package (16 ounces) pasta
• 6 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded Italian cheese blend
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 1 jar (15 ounces) Alfredo sauce
• 1 jar (10 ounces) prepared pesto
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the chicken, cheese blend, spinach, tomatoes, Alfredo sauce, pesto and milk. Drain pasta and add to chicken mixture; toss to coat.
• To bake immediately: Pour into 2 greased 8" pans. Mix bread crumbs, Parm. cheese with oil and sprinkle over the top. Cover and bake the casserole at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly.
• To freeze: Transfer to 2 ziplock bags. In a small baggie, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and oil, mix.
• To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Pour into well greased pan. Sprinkle with topping mixtures. Cover and bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each).

Teriyaki Beef by Andrea

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. flank steak

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T. white wine

1 T. sesame or olive oil

1/2 c. soy sauce

6 T. sugar

1/2 t. pepper

1 green onion, chopped

1 bag frozen stir fry vegetables

rice

Assembly:

Cut thin strips of steak against the grain. Mix all other ingredients in gallon bag. Add meat and marinate for 1 hour or freeze.

Serving Day:

Defrost meat and vegetables. Discard marinade. Stir fry 2-4 min in hot wok or skillet turning to brown on each side. This works best if you do a few pieces at a time. Next stir fry veggies to desired doneness, then return meat to pan to mix and heat through. Serve over rice.

Fried Rice with Ham by Andrea

Ingredients:

1/4 c. oil

6 c. cooked short grain rice (sticky or sushi rice)

1/3 + c. soy sauce

4 eggs, slightly scrambled

salt & pepper mixed into eggs, to taste

1 1/2 c. diced ham

12 oz. frozen diced vegetables

Directions:

Heat oil over med. high heat in a large skillet or wok. Add in rice, breaking up any clumps. Once warmed, drizzle soy sauce over and mix in. Scrape bottom of pan frequently to rice from sticking. Make a hole in rice and pour eggs in center, allowing them to set before mixing into rice. Add in ham and vegetables and allow them to heat. Eat immediately or spread on a cookie sheet to allow to cool some before spooning into freezer bag.

Reheating Directions:

This is completely cooked, so it may simply be defrosted in the microwave in the freezer bag to keep it from drying out. Cook until defrosted, breaking the rice up some after every few minutes. You may eat it straight from the microwave or toss it in a hot skillet for a few minutes after microwaving. When I tested it out, I preferred it stir-fried 3-4 minutes in the skillet.

Chicken Potpie by Andrea

This is my recipe with directions from Taste of Home magazine on how to cook from frozen. This does take longer to cook than most of our dishes, but it DOES NOT need to be defrosted first.

Ingredients: 2 c. shredded cooked chicken
1 can cream of potato soup
1 can cream of chicken or celery
1 can mixed vegetables, drained
1/2 c. milk
1/4 t. thyme
1/2 t. pepper
1 refrigerated pie crust
1 egg, slightly beaten

Assembly:
Mix 1st 7 ingredients together and pour into a deep dish pie pan. Roll out pastry to fit top. Brush bottom with egg. Place over filling, egg side down. Cut slits and flute edges. Brush top with egg. Cover and bake or freeze.

To bake that day: Cover and bake at 400 for 35-40 minutes or until brown.

To bake from frozen: Cover edges with foil: place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 for 30 min. Reduce heat to 350; remove foil and bake 50-55 minutes longer or until golden.

Loaded BBQ Baked Potato Casserole by Andrea

Ingredients:
4 c. mashed potatoes
1c. shredded pepper jack cheese
4 oz. cream cheese, cubed
1/2 t. salt & pepper
3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz. light sour cream
4 oz. can green chilies
3c. shredded BBQ meat
3/4 c. BBQ sauce

Assembly:
Mix potatoes, pepper jack cheese, cream cheese, S&P, and 2 c. cheddar in large bowl. Microwave 4 min. Stir in sour cream and chilies. Spoon into greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with 1 c. cheddar. Arrange meat over top and drizzle with sauce. Cover with foil to freeze.

Serving Day:
Defrost and bake at 350 for 45 min. Although not specified, I would leave covered for most of baking time to keep meat moist. If you like your potatoes more firm, let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Tuscan Bean Soup by Andrea

Ingredients:
2 lb. Italian Sausage
3 T. garlic olive oil, divided
3 strips thick bacon
1 onion, chopped
1 bag frozen onion, carrots, celery
64 oz. chicken broth
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 c. water
3 T. tomato paste
1 1/2 heads garlic, chopped
3-4 sprigs fresh Thyme
1 bay leaf
3 cans cannellini beans
1/4 c. parsley, chopped
1/4 c. basil chiffonade
fresh kale

Instructions:

In large Dutch oven, break up and brown sausage in 1 T. olive oil (Squeeze sausage out of casing). Drain. In same pan, cook bacon until crisp, chop.

Saute onion with frozen vegetables in 2 T. olive oil until onions are translucent. Add chicken broth, tomatoes (mashed), water, tomato paste, garlic, thyme and, bay leaf. Simmer 30 minutes.

Next add beans, sausage, bacon, parsley and, basil. Simmer 20-30 more minutes, adjust seasoning and add kale, as desired.

Optional: Top with Croutons: thin sliced Crusty Bread, toasted in oven on both sides till lightly browned then topped with a combo of melted butter and Garlic 00, and good grated Parmesan. Return to oven to melt cheese. Can be held at room temp for several hours.

To Freeze: Prepare to assemble to adding bean, sausage, bacon, etc. Put in freezer bags. Blanch and freeze kale in individual bags to be added to soup later.

Serving Day: Simmer 20-30 minutes. Add kale and heat through.

3 Cheese Lasagna by Andrea

Ingredients:
8 oz. lasagna noodles
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
1/2 c. chopped onion
3 T. butter
1 can cream of chicken
1/3 c. milk
1 6oz. can mushrooms, drained
1/4 c. pimento, chopped
1/2 t. basil
1 1/2 c. cottage cheese, creamed
3 c. shredded chicken
2 c. shredded cheddar
1/2 c. grated Parmesan

Assembly:
Saute onion and pepper in butter. Stir in soup, milk, mushrooms, pimentos, and basil.

Layer noodles, sauce, cottage cheese, chicken, cheddar. Repeat layers. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or cover with foil and freeze.

Serving day:
Defrost and bake covered at 350 for 40 minutes.

Meatloaf by Andrea

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. ground chuck
1 onion, chopped
1 8oz can tomato sauce (divided)
1 c. Ritz crackers, crushed
1 egg
1 tsp. each salt and pepper
1 c. water
2T. each brown sugar, vinegar, & yellow mustard

Assembly:
Mix meat and onion with 4 oz. tomato sauce, bread crumbs, egg, S&P. Form in loaf shape and place in greased loaf pan. For sauce, mix remaining 4 oz. tomato sauce with remaining ingredients. Mix well with whisk or fork. Pour over meatloaf. (Can be frozen here.) Bake uncovered at 350 for 1-1 1/2 hours.

To prepare frozen:
Defrost both meatloaf and sauce. Remove loaf from alum. pan and place in a larger loaf pan. Pour sauce over top and bake uncovered 350 for 1-1 1/2 hours.