Baked Potato Soup by Jackie

Ingredients:
1-(2lb.) bag hash brown potatoes, or 6 left over baked potatoes (remove skin and chop)
1/2 c. celery, chopped
1/2 c. chopped onions
1 1/2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans chicken broth (21 3/4oz. total)
2 c. milk
1 garlic clove, pressed
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 c. light sour cream
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1-8 oz. package diced ham or 6 slices of cooked and crumbled bacon

Assembly:
Mix celery, onion, chicken broth, milk, garlic, sour cream, ham, salt and pepper in a gallon size Ziploc freezer bag.  Add  potatoes and mix. Remove all air from bag, seal and lay flat on a cookie sheet to freeze. Place cheddar cheese into pint size freezer bag and freeze.

Serving Day:
Place thawed mixture from gallon freezer bag into 6 qt. pan. Simmer for 15 minutes.  Sprinkle cheese on top of each serving. 

* This recipe is adapted from Pampered Chef "Main Dishes" Cookbook.

Turkey/Pork Tenderlion by Jen

Ingredients: 
1 whole turkey or pork tenderloin (both halves)
1 1/2 t Garlic powder
3 t Onion powder
1 t Rosemary
3 t Thyme
1 1/2 t black pepper
1 1/2 t cayenne pepper
2 T Kosher salt
2 T Paprika
2 T sugar 

Assembly: 
Mix all the seasonings.  Marinade the pork tenderloin in the sauce for an hour or more, up to 6 hours, in the refrigerator.

Serving Day:
Cook until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
GRILL: Grill for approximately 20-30 mins, turning every 5 mins.
or   
BAKE: Preheat oven to 325.  Bake in pan for approximately 50-60 mins. 
or
BROIL: Place in a pan 4 inches from heat.  Broil for approximately 20-30 min. turning every 5 mins.  

Stromboli by Jen

*adapted and changed from kraftfoods.com

Ingredients:
1 can (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust
9 Mozzarella Cheese Slices

6-8 oz. thinly sliced honey ham
6-8 oz. thinly sliced oven roasted turkey
6 green onions, chopped fine
1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning


Assembly:
1. Unroll dough on parchment paper. Place ham & turkey on dough leaving 1/2 inch to the edge; sprinkle with chopped onions, & cheese.

2. Roll up jelly roll fashion, starting with the long side. Pinch seams to seal & tuck ends under. Place seam side down on baking pan.

3. Wrap in aluminum foil before freezing. 

Serving Day:
Thaw Stromboli, unwrap from aluminum foil and discard foil. Leave parchment paper on cookie sheet, then Bake at 350 for 26-30 mins. or until golden brown.  Cool slightly before slicing; slice into 2 to 3 inch pieces.  Serve warm.

NOTE: I doubled this recipe to feed 6 adults.  

Fire Roasted Tomato Bisque

This recipe is from: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/fire-roasted-tomato-bisque

One day I went to Panera Bread with friends and tried their tomato soup and I was in love!!  The problem was I can't recreate a dish (I wish I could), so I began searching online.  I ran across this recipe on FoodandWine.com and thought it sounds hearty and delicious.  I made this adding extra vegetables and haven't turned back!  I make it in big batches and freeze it in portions my family will eat.  I pair this with a chicken parmesan grilled cheese or grilled cheese with roasted mushrooms and onions smothered in smoked chipotle Gouda!  

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 medium carrot, finely chopped
• 3 celery rib, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
• Two 14 1/2-ounce cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 1/2 cup garlic or cheese croutons, for garnish (optional)
• 
  

Assembly:

Chop the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic cloves.  Melt half of the butter in a large stock pan.  Add the vegetables, continue stirring until soft and brown, but not burnt.  Add flour and stir for about a minute until the flour is fully incorporated.  Add the broth or homemade chicken stock, roasted tomatoes, tomato paste and sugar.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cover until vegetables are soft.  
Once the vegetables are soft, use an immersion blender to blend to the consistency you desire.  I prefer on the chunky side, so I blend less.  Continue blending if you prefer smooth.  Lastly, add the heavy whipping cream, 2 TBSP butter and salt and pepper.  

To bake:

Thaw in a bowl in the frog overnight.  Place in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer to reheat and ENJOY!  If you think last minute I want Tomato Bisque, place the bag in cold water to help quickly begin the thawing process enough that it can be broken into chunks.  In a sauce pan, add enough water to cover the bottom, place the chunks in, cover with a lid.  Stir occasionally until its thawed and warmed through, then ENJOY! 

Bacon-Wrapped Pork Loin by Beth

http://thecookiewriter.com/bacon-wrapped-pork-loin

Ingredients:

4 lb bonless pork loin

8 slices bacon, uncooked

Salt and pepper

3 garlic cloves

1 tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. red chili flakes

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tsp. dry mustard

1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp. honey

Assembly:
Combine the garlic, ginger, chili flakes, soy sauce, mustard, vinegar, and honey in small bowl. Whisk together until combined, set aside.  Place pork loin in foil pan; score the meat; season with salt and pepper.  Pour sauce evenly over the pork loin. Drape the bacon slices over the top of the roast, tucking ends under the side of the meat.  Cover with foil lid and freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw in fridge.  Preheat oven to 375.  Bake for  1-1 hour 30 minutes, uncovered, or until meat thermometer reads 160. Cover near the end of cook time to prevent bacon from burning, if necessary.  Allow roast to rest for 10 min before slicing. 

BBQ Spareribs by Beth

Ingredients:
8-10 lbs. pork spareribs
seasoned salt
garlic powder
12 oz. Coke
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. ketchup
1 c. BBQ sauce
1 t. ginger
1 t. liquid smoke

Assembly:
Sprinkle both sides of ribs with seasoned salt and garlic powder (like a rub).  Place ribs in large stockpot with enough water to cover (cut to fit, if needed).  Over medium-high heat bring the water to boil and cook for 1 hour.  Remove from water and allow to cool.  Wrap ribs tightly in heavy duty aluminum foil.  Place in 2 gal size plastic bag.  In qt. size freezer bag, add the remaining ingredients.  Seal and squish around contents to mix them well.  Lay BBQ sauce bag inside larger plastic bag with ribs.  Freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw ribs and sauce.  Preheat oven to 350.  Place foil packet of ribs on large baking sheet with sides (I used my jelly-roll size stone).  Open up foil and pour thawed sauce over the ribs; reseal.  Bake for 30 min.  Open up foil; spoon sauce over the ribs; return to oven uncovered for another 30 min.  If desired, remove several times in that last 30 min to baste the ribs with the sauce.  There will probably be leftovers.  I spent the time to take the meat off the bone and had pulled BBQ pork another night!

Stromboli by Jen

*adapted from kraftfoods.com

Ingredients:
1 1/2 can (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
12 Mozzarella Cheese Slices
1/2 cup chopped red peppers
20 slices Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
20 slices Smoked Ham

Assembly: 
Heat oven to 425°F.  Unroll pizza crust on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Pat out dough to 15x10-inch rectangle; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Layer remaining ingredients lengthwise down center of dough.  Fold dough in half over filling; pinch edges together tightly to seal. Cut small slits in top of dough to vent. 

Serving Day:
Thaw, Bake 15 to 18 min. or until golden brown. Cool slightly before cutting to serve.  

Slow Cooker Honey Parmesan Pork by Jackie

Adapted from: http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/slow-cooker-parmesan-honey-pork-roast/

Ingredients:

1 3-4 lb. boneless pork loin roast

⅔ C grated Parmesan cheese

½ C honey

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. dried basil

1 Tbsp. dried oregano

2 Tbsp. chopped garlic

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

Assembly:
Place pork roast in a gallon size Ziploc freezer bag.  Mix remaining ingredients in bowl and pour over roast.  Lay flat to freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely.  Place roast in slow cooker and pour juices over the top.  Cook on low for 5-6 hours.  Serve as is or pour sauce over each slice.

Optional Glaze: 

After removing meat from slow cooker, strain juices and put into a small sauce pan.

In small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 1/4 cup of chicken broth together.

Stir mixture into the juices.  Stir until thickened, over medium heat.

Maple Sausage Breakfast Casserole by Beth

Ingredients:
12 slices of bread (or 8 pack of hamburger/hot dog buns)
1 lb. maple flavored pork sausage
1 lb. shredded cheddar cheese
9 eggs, divided
milk
1 tsp. salt
dash pepper

Assembly:
Spray 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Brown sausage, drain well.
Place 6 slices of bread (or 1/2 the package of buns torn into pieces) on bottom of pan.
Sprinkle 1/2 of the sausage and 1/2 of the cheese on top. Repeat the layers of bread, sausage, and cheese.
In measuring bowl, add 3 eggs.
Pour enough milk into measuring bowl (with eggs) to equal 3c. Add remaining 6 eggs and seasonings.
Whisk together until smooth.
Pour egg mixture evenly over top of casserole.
Cover and freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely in refrigerator.  Place in casserole in COLD
oven; turn oven to 350.  Bake 45-60 minutes or until golden brown.

Freezer to Table~ Italian Sausage Soup by Wendy

Adapted from Taste of Home A+ Recipes from Schools Acrossed America.


Ingredients:
1 pound Italian Turkey Sausage
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup shredded carrot, (or 1 medium carrot-chopped)
1 celery rib, chopped
8 cubes, chicken bouillon
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
2 1/4 teaspoons Italian Seasoning Mix
3/4 cup uncooked orzo pasta


Assembly:
Cook sausage, onion, carrot and celery over medium heat, until sausage is no longer pink.  Drain off fat.  In gallon size Ziploc bag:  Add Meat Mixture, bouillon, tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic and Italian Seasoning to bag.  Close bag and let out all of the air.  In sandwich size bag, measure out pasta.  Put gallon bag and sandwich bag into another gallon bag to freeze.


Serving Day:
Remove soup from plastic storage bags.  I cut them open with scissors.  Place frozen soup in pan with 8 cups water on Medium High.  Cook until thawed and bring to a boil.  Add the Orzo pasta and cook until pasta is tender.  Serve.  This is great served with a salad and bread sticks.


Makes:  10 servings, I do not half.  I freeze 1 meal per family.

Corned Beef in the Crockpot by Jen

Happy St. Patrick's Day!! 

Ingredients:
6 carrots, cut into chunks (or bag of baby carrots)
2 onions, chopped
2-3 lb. corned beef brisket with seasoning packet
12 oz. bottle beer (Guinness)
2 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup water

Assembly:
Combine all ingredients in a gallon Ziploc bag. Freeze until ready to cook.

Thaw entire bag. Dump contents in Crockpot, cover and cook on low setting for 10-12 hours.

Remove corned beef from Crockpot and cover with foil until ready to serve.

To serve, cut corned beef across grain into thin slices. Remove vegetables from slow cooker with slotted spoon and serve with corned beef. Serve cooking juices over the food, if desired. Offer additional mustard on the side; I myself prefer honey mustard.

If you have a newer, hotter cooking Crockpot you might want to check it after 8 or 9 hours. Although, with this much liquid, there shouldn't be much problem with anything burning.

Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

Meat:  Ranch House Pork Chops
6 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
10 oz. can Cream of Chicken Soup

Assembly Day:
Place chops in freezer bag.  Mix seasoning and soup in a bowl and then pour over chops in freezer bag.  Freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw chops completely.  Place pork chops with mixture into a crock pot and cook at HIGH for 4 hours OR on LOW for 6 hours.

Side Dish:  Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
You do not freeze these.  You make the mashed potatoes on the SERVING DAY.
4 lbs. peeled, cubed potatoes
5 Tablespoons real butter
1 Cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
6 cloves of garlic
1- 1 1/2 cups warm milk
1 Tablespoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, or to taste

1. Place potatoes into a large pot of cold water. Place onto stove top over high heat and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, cook for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and transfer to the work bowl of a stand or electric mixer. Mix on low until potatoes are mashed then add butter, Parmesan, garlic, milk, salt and pepper. Season to taste if needed. For thinner mashed potatoes add more milk, slowly until your desired consistency.

2. Scoop mashed potatoes onto serving plates and top with pork chops and soup gravy from crock pot. Enjoy!

Honey-Glazed Pork Tenderloins by Wendy

- Adapted from Tasteofhome.com recipe by Diane Cotton of Franklin, NC

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. ground Chipotle Pepper (I used Pampered Chef Chipotle Rub)

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 pork tenderloins (I bought a 3 pound pkg. - but the recipe calls for 2 pound pkg.)

1 Tbsp. canola oil

1/2 cup honey

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. sesame oil (I did not use, because it was too expensive-I omitted this)

 

Assembly:

Combine the first three ingredients; rub over pork.  In a large ovenproof skillet, brown pork in canola oil on all sides.  In a small bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce and vinegar.

 

To Freeze:

In a Freezer safe bag, add cooled tenderloins and sauce together.  Freeze until serving day.

Serving Day:

Thaw completely.  Empty contents of bag onto an oven safe pan.  If you do not have an oven safe pan, a baking dish will work just fine. 

Bake uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until thermometer reads 145 degrees, basting occasionally with pan juices.  Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

 

 

Macaroni & Cheese by Beth

Ingredients:
16 oz. shell macaroni, cooked and drained
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
5 c. milk
16 oz. Velveeta cheese, cubed

Assembly:
Make sauce while macaroni is cooking.  Melt butter in large saucepan.  Combine flour and seasonings in separate bowl.  Add to melted butter (over medium/high heat) and whisk until smooth and bubbly.  Gradually add milk, whisking constantly.  While stirring, add cheese-one cube at a time.  Continue to stir until cheese is melted and sauce is thickened, remove from heat.  Dump cooked and drained macaroni in greased 9x13 pan.  Pour sauce on top.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Cool, cover, and freeze.
 
Serving Day:
Thaw completely in fridge.  Bake at 375 for approximately 40-45 minutes or until browned and bubbly.  Enjoy!

Tuna Melt Patties from Wendy

*Recipe adapted from Cool Kitchen Cooking by Pampered Chef

Ingredients
2 cans (6oz. ea.) water-packed white tuna, drained
1/3 c. finely chopped celery
1/4 c. green onions with tops, sliced
1/4 c. unseasoned dry bread crumbs
2 T. light mayonnaise
2 T. sweet pickle relish, drained
1 egg white
1 tsp. prepared mustard
4 English muffins, split
4 slices (3/4 oz. ea.) reduced-fat American cheese
Additional mayo and mustard (optional)

Assembly
Flake drained tuna.  Add celery, onions, bread crumbs, relish, egg white and mustard to tuna.  Mix well.  Form into 4 round patties, 1/2" thick.  Place in gallon-size Ziploc freezer bags.  Freeze flat.

Serving Day
Thaw completely.  Heat griddle.  Place muffins cut side down on pan and toast 1-2 minutes.  Remove from pan.  Set aside.  Lightly spray patties with vegetable oil.  Cook patties over medium heat for 6 minutes, carefully turning after 3 minutes.  Top with cheese.  Continue cooking 1-2 minutes, or until cheese is melted.  Spread muffins with additional mayo or mustard, if desired.  Top with lettuce and tomato and tuna patty. 

Marinated Pork Chops by Jackie

*This recipe is adapted from The Freezer Cooking Manual from the 30 Day Gourmet

Ingredients:
8 pork chops (I buy center cut half boneless pork loin and ask the butcher to cut it into chops)
2 c. pineapple juice (takes 2-46oz. cans to make 6 meals)
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
1/3 c. Italian dressing (takes 1-16oz. bottle to make 6 meals)

Assembly Day: Place all ingredients, except pork chops, in gallon size Ziploc freezer bag. Mix well. Place pork chops in bag. Seal and lay flat on cookie sheet to freeze.

Serving Day: Thaw completely. Grill pork chops until no longer pink inside. Discard marinade.

Pirate Pork Chops by Beth

Ingredients :
6-8 pork chops, boneless
1 medium onion, chopped
2 T. chopped garlic
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. oil
1/4 c. red-wine vinegar
1/4 c. orange juice
1/2 t. grated orange zest
3 T. packed brown sugar
2 t. ground allspice
3/4 t. ground pepper
1/2 ground thyme
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
5 dashes hot sauce
Assembly:
Trim fat off pork chop; pierce entire chop surface on both sides with fork; pound slightly with meat tenderizer.  In gallon size freezer bag, combine the remaining ingredients.  Seal and squeeze bag until ingredients are well incorporated.  Put chops in bag; seal.  Lay flat to freeze.
Serving Day:
Thaw in fridge several days before grilling to allow the thawed marinade to permeate the meat.  Grill on medium heat until there is no pink in the center.

French Toast Casserole from Jen (Re-Run)

Re-run from Jackie:
http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/2008/10/french-toast-casserole-from-jackie.html

Ingredients:1 Italian bread, 1 lb loaf
1 Cream cheese, 8 oz
1/2 c. Sugar, divided
1/2 tsp. Vanilla or almond extract
1/2 c. Pecans (optional), chopped
4 Eggs
2 c. Milk
1 tsp. Cinnamon
2 Tbsp. Butter, melted
Assembly:
Cut bread into one inch cubes (about 14 cups). Place half of the bread cubes in a greased 9x13 inch-baking pan. Place the cream cheese in a microwaveable bowl or measuring cup. Cover the container with plastic wrap and cook on 100% power for 30 seconds. Stir it with a spoon, cover again and cook another 2 minutes. It should be completely melted. Stir half of the sugar and all of the extract into the cream cheese. Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the bread cubes (it will not completely cover them). Sprinkle the nuts over the cream cheese layer. Top with remaining bread cubes. In a bowl, beat the remaining sugar, eggs, milk, cinnamon, and melted butter together. The egg and milk mixture will make about 3 cups for each recipe.
Pour the egg and milk mixture over the bread cubes. Slide the pan into a labeled two-gallon freezer bag, seal and freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw the casserole completely. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until browned. Allow to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes or so before cutting. Serve with warm syrup or purchased or homemade fruit toppings.

Crock Pot Pulled BBQ by Amy

Ingredients:

2-3 lb. boneless pork roast or tenderloin, cubed

1 large onion, chopped

16 oz. bottle barbecue sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar

salt and pepper

Assembly:

1. Place meat in slow cooker. Sprinkle salt and pepper over pork. Add onions and sauce.

2. Cover. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours.

3. Use 2 forks to shred meat.

4. Serve on sandwich rolls with sauce.
 

Freezing:

1. Allow barbeque to cool completely.

2. Place barbeque in a freezer container (Ziploc bag).
 

Freezer to Eating:

1. Thaw barbecue completely.

2. Place in sauce pan. Warm up barbecue over medium heat. Add more sauce if barbecue is dry.

3. Serve on sandwich rolls with sauce


***For this freezer meal, I froze the meal RAW. You will need to THAW the meal and start at Step 2 under the Assembly section. 

Baked Ham & Cheese Sliders by Jen (Re-Run)

http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/2012/06/baked-ham-cheese-sliders-by-jen.html

Ingredients :
12 slider buns
1 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.  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!