Southwestern Pot Roast by Katie

Ingredients:
3 lb. roast
8 small red potatoes, halved
1 lb. bag baby carrots
1 jar (16 oz) salsa

Directions:
Place potatoes in the bottom of a slow cooker. Coat roast with flour and place on top of potatoes. Place carrots around the roast. Pour salsa over roast. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Serve or freeze in freezer bag.

Serving day:
Thaw. It's already fully cooked so just reheat in microwave, oven, or even back in the slow cooker (this might be best to keep from drying out). Tear apart roast with fork and enjoy!

Chicken Taco Quiche by Katie

This is a Taste of Home recipe. (Makes 2 quiches - 6 servings each)

Ingredients:
2 unbaked pastry shells (9 in)
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 envelopes taco seasoning, divided
1 cup salsa
2 cups (8 oz) shredded chedder cheese
8 eggs
2 cups half & half cream
2 tbs. butter, melted
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
1/2 cup sliced ripe olives (which I did not add)

Assembly:
Line unpricked pastry shells w/ a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake @ 400 degrees for 4 minutes. Remove foil, bake 4 minutes longer.
In a small bowl, combine chicken and one envelope taco seasoning; spoon into pastry shells. Top w/salsa and cheese. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, butter and remaining taco seasoning. Stir in chilies and olives. Pour over cheese.

Cover and freeze one quiche for up to 3 months. Cover edges of remaining quiche loosely w/ foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake @ 400 degrees for 35 minutes or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

To use frozen quiche:
Remove from freezer 30 minutes before baking (DO NOT THAW). Cover edges of crust loosely w/ foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake @ 400 degrees for 70-75 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

* It would be perfect with chips and salsa, or we pair it with Dorito Salad here at the Pokopac house!
Enjoy!

Hearty Sausage Soup by Katie

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 (1-lb.) pkg. Hillshire Farm® Smoked Sausage (any variety), diced
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups celery, sliced
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced
1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. beef flavor instant bouillon
1 tsp. thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. marjoram leaves
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 cups water
1/2 (1-lb.) pkg. pasta nuggets, uncooked

Assembly:
In large Dutch oven, melt butter. Add Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage and next six ingredients. Cook until sausage is lightly browned. Stir in bouillon and seasonings. Add water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes. Prepare pasta nuggets according to package directions; drain. Stir into soup; heat through. Garnish as desired. Refrigerate leftovers.
(This is a Hillshire Farm recipe.)

Freezing Instructions:
Prepare as above, until directed to add water. Reduce water amount to just one cup. Spoon prepared mixture into a freezer bag, squeeze out all air and freeze. Prepare pasta. (I only cook it about 4 minutes when freezing it.) Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Allow excess water to drain off. Freeze in a separate freezer bag.

Serving Day:
Thaw. Place soup mixture and 3 cups of water into a Dutch Oven. Bring to a bowl. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes. Stir pasta into soup; heat through. Enjoy!
(I actually forgot to add the pepper with the seasonings. So feel free to add it to your bowl of soup, if desired.)

Serving size: 6-8 servings

Cheesy Salsa Chicken & Pasta by Katie

Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. mini penne pasta
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1 jar Thick & Chunky Salsa-we use med/hot, but I made this with mild for the faint of heart :)
1 c. frozen corn, thawed
1 large green pepper , cut into short strips
1 c. Mexican style shredded cheese

Assembly:
Cook pasta as directed on package. (If freezing, only cook for 3-4 minutes. Drain and freeze in Ziploc freezer bag.)
Heat nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on med-high heat. Cook chicken. Stir in salsa, corn and pepper. (If freezing, spoon into Ziploc freezer bag.) Freeze. If not freezing, follow directions below.

Serving Day:
Thaw. Bring chicken mixture to a boil. Simmer on med-low heat 10 minutes. Stirring occasionally. Drain pasta. (or warm up frozen pasta) Add to chicken mixture; mix lightly. Sprinkle with cheese. Remove from heat; cover. Let stand 1 minute or until cheese is melted.
Enjoy!

RLCA Breakfast Sandwiches by Katie

My mom is a cook at RLCA (aka: Round Lake Christian Assembly), this one of our favorites from camp. We spend a lot of time up there during the summer and thought we'd bring a little something back to share with you! I ordered all the ingredients from her and then just assembled the sandwiches. Everything is already pre-cooked!

Ingredients:
Thomas English Muffins
pre-cooked sausage patties
pre-cooked scrambled eggs
American cheese slices

Assembly:
Layer sausage patty, egg, and cheese on English muffin. Top with remaining English muffin half. Wrap in foil. Freeze inside freezer bag.

Serving Day:
Thaw. Because they are already pre-cooked, you just need to warm them up.

Option 1: Keep in foil and put on a cookie sheet and warm in oven.

Option 2: Remove foil and warm up in microwave. It doesn't take long, maybe 20-30 sec. depending on your microwave.

Enjoy!

Lemonade Chicken by Katie

Ingredients:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
6 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder

Assembly:
Place chicken in freezer bag.
Combine the lemonade, soy sauce and garlic powder and pour over the chicken.
Seal out air and freeze flat.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely.
Pour into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Uncover. Spoon juices over chicken and cook another 10 minutes uncovered.
Enjoy with a salad and your favorite side!

Grandma's Goulash by Katie

This is a combination between my mother-in-law's recipe and my mom's (and neither one really follow a recipe). So, I hope you all enjoy this Pokopac original!
Sorry for the late post ladies!

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef, browned (and seasoned to your liking)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
(sugar, tomato paste, and vegetable juice used in various amounts to attain desired sauce consistency)
cooked macaroni noodles

Assembly:
Brown ground beef and season to your liking. (I added a bit of garlic powder, salt, and Italian seasoning.) Add sugar, tomato paste, vegetable juice, diced tomatoes, and jar of spaghetti sauce to ground beef. Mix together. *(This is where I stopped and prepared to freeze.) Cook box of pasta, drain, and add to mixture. Heat through and enjoy!

Freezing:
*I prepare ground beef mixture and put it in a freezer bag, squeeze out the air, seal, and freeze flat. Cooked pasta can be added on serving day.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and combine with sauce. Reheat on stove top. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Chicken and Vegetable Soup by Katie

Ingredients:
2 large potatoes, diced
3 carrots, scraped and sliced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
1/2 of a med onion , diced
1 cup frozen peas
3 chicken breasts, boned, cooked and diced
1 1/2 quarts water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
spices to taste:
ground black pepper
thyme
parsley flakes
celery seed

Assembly:
Simply combine all ingredients, except frozen peas. (I did warm the water to get the bouillon to dissolve easier.)

Freezing Instructions:
Place the frozen peas in a small freezer bag. Combine all other ingredients in a separate larger freezer bag. Freeze both.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Pour into a large stew pan (except the frozen peas). Cover and simmer 30 minutes or until potatoes begin to disintegrate. Add frozen peas and cook 5 more minutes. Enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Casserole by Katie

Ingredients:
Chicken Breast-baked and cubed
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
16 oz. bag of egg noodles-cooked

Assembly:
Mix all ingredients. Place in Freezer bag. Freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw. Place into baking dish. Stir to mix ingredients up. Crumble potato chips and put on top of mixture. Put shredded cheddar cheese on top of potato chip layer.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

White Sloppy Joe by Katie

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3 T. milk
4 T. sour cream
1tsp. liquid smoke
salt and pepper to taste
* American Cheese Slices (optional)

Assembly:
Brown meat. Stir in soup, milk and liquid smoke and reduce to a low heat. Stir in sour cream and add salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

Serving Day:
Thaw. Pour in skillet and reheat. Serve on hamburger bun with American Cheese slice (if desired)

Ravioli and Cheese Bake by Katie

Ingredients:
1 jar (16 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10 oz) reduced sodium beef broth
1/4 cup Zesty Italian Dressing
18 oz. cheese-filled ravioli
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Assembly:
Combine spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, broth and dressing in freezer bag (or in a 9 x 13 pan). Add ravioli. Seal and freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw. Pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Cover with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until ravioli are tender. Remove foil. Stir. Sprinkle with cheese. Let stand 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Enjoy!

*This is a Kraft recipe.

BBQ Chicken Wings by Katie

Ingredients:
Chicken Wings
a bottle of your favorite BBQ Sauce

Assembly:
In a Ziplock bag, toss Chicken Wings in BBQ sauce. Freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Pour onto a foil lined baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes. Enjoy!

Pepperoni Pasta by Katie

Ingredients:
1lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 jar (28 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 can (4 oz) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 pk. (3 1/2 oz) sliced pepperoni
8 oz rotini, cooked and drained
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
4 oz provolone cheese, shredded

Assembly:
In a large skillet, cook beef, onion, green pepper and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add spaghetti sauce, mushrooms and pepperoni. In a greased baking dish, layer half of the rotini and beef mixture. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of each cheese. Repeat layers.
(I added an extra layer of pepperoni before the last cheese layer.)
*Optional: Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese. Cover and Freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Bake, uncovered at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Easy Pizza Soup by Katie

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
2 cans (26 oz. each) condensed tomato soup, undiluted
6 1/2 cups water
1 jar (28 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 tbs. Italian seasoning
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

Assembly:
In soup kettle, cook beef over med heat until no longer pink; drain.
Add soup, water, spaghetti sauce and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add cheese, stir until melted. (Yields 4 quarts/16 servings)
Divide into freezer bags. Freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes. Add additional cheese if desired. Complete meal with grilled cheese sandwiches or breadsticks.

Creamy Bow-Tie Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli by Katie

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
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups tomato-basil spaghetti sauce
4 oz. (1/2 of 8 oz. pkg.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, cubed
1/4 cup Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese

Assembly:
Boil pasta and broccoli about 4 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.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Throw pasta and broccoli into hot water to heat back up. 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.

This recipe is originally from a Kraft Food Magazine.

Josiah's Cheeseburger Casserole by Katie

This is a Pokopac family favorite! It use to be just plain Tater Tot Casserole until Josiah decided it would be better with Steak Fries.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef, browned
1 can cream of mushroom soup, condensed
American cheese slices
frozen Steak Fries

Assembly:
Layer ground beef in bottom of casserole dish, spread soup over beef, place single layer of cheese slices over beef and soup, top with a layer of frozen steak fries. Double wrap and freeze.

Serving Day: Thaw. Preheat oven to 350. Bake uncovered for approx. 30 minutes. (Until potatoes are crispy and casserole is hot and bubbly.) Serves 4-6