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.

Hearty Hamburger Stew by Mel

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 1/4 c. chopped onions

2 c. carrots, sliced (uncooked)

1 c. chopped green pepper

3 stalks celery, diced

1 can green beans with juice

1 can corn with juice

1 c. sliced mushrooms (canned is fine)

1 46oz. can tomato juice

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. celery seed

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Brown ground beef and drain. Mix beef and remaining ingredients in large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve or cool and freeze.

Freezer instructions:

Thaw and reheat.

Creamy Chicken and Spaghetti by Mel

Ingredients:

4 c. chopped chicken

8 oz. spaghetti cooked

3 stalks celery chopped

1 can cr. of mushroom soup

1 can cr. of celery soup

1 can chicken broth

1 lb. Velveeta cut up

Directions:

Mix all together and add cut up cheese. Put in 9x13 pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 min.

Freezer Directions:

Thaw completely. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.

Bavarian Pot Roast by Mel

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs. pot roast

1 tsp. vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

3 whole cloves

4 medium apples, cored and quartered

1 small onion, sliced

1/2 c. apple juice

3-4 Tbsp. flour

2-4 Tbsp. water

Directions:

1. Trim excess fat from roast. Lightly rub meat with oil. Dust with salt, pepper, and ginger. Insert cloves into roast.

2. Place apples and onions in crock pot and top with roast.

3. Pour in apple juice. Cover and cook on low 10-12 hours.

4. Remove roast and apples to platter.

5. Turn crock pot to high. Make a smooth paste of flour and water and stir into crock pot. Cover until thickened.

Freezer directions:

Thaw completely. Heat thoroughly. This can be done stove top or in a slow cooker. (Meat is already cooked). Remove roast and apples from broth, and thicken broth with flour/water paste on stove. (I did not thicken the gravy before freezing)

Baked Chicken by Mel

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. butter

2/3 c. Bisquick

1 1/2 tsp. paprika

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

4-6 chicken breasts (I prefer to cut them up)

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter in 9x13 pan. Mix Bisquick, paprika, salt and pepper. Wet chicken and coat with dry mix. Place chicken in pan. Bake covered for @ 30 minutes. (optional: soak chicken in salt water overnight before preparing--makes it very juicy)

Freezer directions:

Prepare as above. Thaw completely and bake per instructions.

Party Pasta Bowl by Mel

This is a repeat of one of our favorites. You'll find the recipe under my name from last year. Enjoy!

Cincinnati Chili by Mel

Ingredients:

1 pkg. "Cincinnati Recipe" chili mix

1 6oz. can of tomato paste

1-1/2 lbs. ground beef

6 cups water

spaghetti

cheddar cheese

Optional extras: onions, beans

Directions:

Combine chili mix packet, tomato paste, water and raw beef in large pot. Beat it with a fork to break up meat chunks. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1-1/2 hours.

Serve:

Serve over spaghetti, topped with cheese. Can also be served on hot dogs in buns for cheese coneys.

Freezer instructions:

Let chili cool, and skim fat off the top before freezing. Thaw and reheat to serve. If chili seems too thick, you can add some water to thin it while you are reheating.

Salsa Chicken by Mel

Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts
32 oz. picante or salsa
1 c. minute rice
Flour tortillas
Cheddar cheese
Optional assorted toppings: lettuce, olives, sour cream

Assembly:
Cook chicken and salsa for 10-12 hours on low (or 6-8 on high) in a crock pot. Shred chicken and add rice (uncooked), and cook for 30 minutes on HIGH.

Serving Day:
Serve on flour tortillas with assorted toppings of your choice.

Freezing directions:
Prepare as usual. Thaw completely. Reheat and serve.

Shepherd's Pie by Mel

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 can carrots (with juice for more gravy-opt.)
1 can tomatoes (with juice)
1 pkg. brown gravy mix
Mashed potatoes (can be home-made or instant)

Instructions:
Brown ground beef and drain. Add all other ingredients(except potatoes) and place in 9x13 pan. Top with generous amount of mashed potatoes (at least 6-8 servings). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Freezer instructions:
Same as above, but don't put potatoes on until right before baking on serving day!

Manicotti by Mel

Directions:

1.) Cook 1 box manicotti shells
(this recipe usually only fills 9-10 shells--some tear in boiling)

2.) Sauce

2 Tbs. oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium garlic clove
2 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 12 oz. can tomato paste
2-3 Tbs. brown sugar (I prefer sweeter sauce)
2 Tbs. chopped parsley
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper

Cook onion and garlic in oil about 10 minutes over medium heat. Add sauce and other ingredients over high heat to boil. Reduce to low for up to 30 minutes. (be careful--it can splatter a lot)

3.) Prepare Filling

2 c. ricotta cheese
2 Tbs. Parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 eggs
1 8 oz. package mozzarella cheese, finely shredded
2 Tbs. parsley

Combine all ingredients

4.) Rinse and cool shells
5.) Pour half sauce in 9x13 pan (I just do enough to coat bottom)
6.) Fill shells and arrange in pan
7.) Pour remaining sauce on top
8.) Bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees uncovered

Freezer Directions:
Under cook pasta by about 3 minutes. Prepare the rest as above. Thaw completely before baking.

Breaded Ranch Chicken (resubmitted by Mel)

See earlier post by Debbie for recipe:
http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/search?q=Breaded+Ranch+Chicken

Quick Lasagna by Mel

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1 small onion
24-30 ounces tomato sauce (2 cans)
1 1/2 c. water
lasagna noodles
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 lbs. cottage cheese
1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese(sliced or shredded)

Assembly:
Put meat, spices and onion in skillet and cook on medium until meat is browned. Add tomato sauce and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently about 20 minutes.
Don't cook lasagna noodles. Assemble with uncooked noodles. (If eating on assembly day: While meat is cooking, cook noodles as directed on package. Drain.) In 9x13 pan, arrange layers starting with beef, noodles, Parmesan cheese and cottage cheese, lastly beef. Repeat layers. (I usually do 3 layers, using about 9 pieces of lasagna noodles)

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until bubbling. Cover lasagna with mozzarella an bake 5 more minutes until melted.

Chicken Casserole by Mel

Ingredients:
4 c. cooked chicken
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed
2 c. uncooked macaroni
2 c. milk
salt/pepper to taste

Assembly:
Mix as above. Freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely and cook as directed. Bake in 9x13 pan for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Tangy Pork Chops by Mel

Ingredients:
6 pork chops
2 medium onions chopped
4 celery ribs chopped
2 green peppers sliced into strips
2 cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 c. ketchup
1/4 c. cider vinegar
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 beef bouillon cube

Assembly:
1. Quickly brown chops in oil, set aside
2. Combine remaining ingredients in bowl
3. Spoon small amount of tomato mixture in bottom of crock pot
4. Place chops on top and cover with remaining tomato mixture
5. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours
6. Carefully remove chops and place on platter
7. (optional) Mix cornstarch and water and use to thicken sauce.
8. Place all ingredients in freezer bag together

Serving Day:
1. Thaw completely.
3. Reheat in microwave until hot
4. Serve over rice or with mashed potatoes

Serves 6

Beef Enchiladas by Mel

Ingredients:
1 lb. beef
1 can refried beans
1Tbs. cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 can enchilada sauce (I use red, but green spices it up a bit)
1 can tomato sauce
8 tortillas
16 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Assembly:
Brown ground beef and drain off grease. Add spices, refried beans, and 1/2 cheese. Spray 9x13 baking dish with Pam. Spread 2 Tbsp. of meat mixture in a line in the center of a tortilla. Fold over in half, and roll up. Place rolled tortilla in baking dish. In a separate bowl, combine tomato sauce and enchilada sauce, and pour over top of tortillas. Sprinkle top with remaining cheese. Cover and freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Pulled Pork BBQ by Mel

Ingredients:
1 pork roast
BBQ sauce of your choice (1 bottle per 2 lbs. of pork)
Hamburger Buns

Assembly:
Place roast in a crock pot and fill 1/3-1/2 with water. Cook on LOW overnight. Drain water and remove excess fat. Break apart roast with a wooden spoon. Pour sauce over pork and mix. Pour into gallon-size Ziploc bag and freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw. Heat and serve on buns. (Cole slaw is an optional topper if you want)

Our family prefers Montgomery Inn BBQ sauce.

Chicken Crescents by Mel

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 soup can of milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can 8 piece crescent rolls
pepper

Assembly:
Stew chicken, pull apart (or chop) and divide into 8 sections. Lay out each crescent, fill with chicken, sprinkle with cheese and seasonings (I used pepper), and roll up. Place in 9x13 pan. Mix soup and milk and pour over crescents. Sprinkle liberally with cheese. Can be baked immediately or frozen for a later date.

Serving Day:
Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20 minutes. I poke the crescent to be sure it is cooked.

Comment from Mel:
This is the original recipe, but for you ladies I added 2 extra crescents to be sure you each got enough. You can judge for your own family if 8 crescents would have been enough if you want to make this in the future. If you make it with 10 crescents, just increase the chicken. The other ingredients can all remain the same.

Party Pasta Bowl by Mel

Ingredients:
1 pkg. uncooked ziti
1 c. chopped onion
1 lb. ground beef
2-3 garlic cloves
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 jar (48 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 egg
1 15 oz. container ricotta cheese
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 c. fresh parsley (I use dried)
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, divided

Assembly:
Cook pasta according to package. Cook onion, beef and garlic over medium heat 8-10 minutes, then drain. Add seasonings, sauce and tomatoes. In small bowl, mix egg, ricotta, 1 c. mozzarella, 1/4 c. Parmesan, parsley and pepper. To assemble, place pasta in 9x13 baking dish (or slightly larger), add 6 cups of meat sauce and mix well. Spread cheese mixture evenly over pasta. Top with remaining sauce.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 1 hour. Top with remaining cheeses. Continue baking 10 minutes or until bubbly. (Yields 12 servings)