Chicken Potato Bake (a variation of pork chop potato bake)-submitted by Tish

Ladies,
I apologize for my lack of creativity this month. It has been quite stressful the last two weeks for my family and I haven't really had time to put everything into Freezer Friendz this month. This is a variation of Pork Chop Potato Bake from the past. Check the archives for the specifics. The only difference is that I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of pork chops. I seasoned and breaded and browned them just the same. In the past, people have really enjoyed this recipe so I hope you like this too. I promise to be more creative next month.

Pork Chops Hawaiian by Susan

Ingredients:
6 bone-in pork chops
1 Tbsp oil
2 c. beef broth
1 can (15 1/2 oz) pineapple
1/4 c. chopped green pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp vinegar
1/2 ketchup
1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp water
6 servings of rice

Assembly Day:
- In skillet brown pork chops on each side in oil (just to avoid sticking if needed).
-Pour off fat.
-Combine remaining ingredients - except cornstarch- in bowl, stir, and pour into skillet.
-Cover and Simmer for approximately 45 minutes, stirring now and then.
-Depending upon Minute Rice or White Rice cook so it is ready in 45 minutes.
-Mix water and cornstarch. Pour into skillet and stir until thickened.

To Serve Immediately: Serve pork chops with rice, we like the sauce over the rice as well.

To Freeze: Allow pork chops and sauce to cool. Place in freezer bag and store in freezer until ready to use. I chose to freeze the green peppers separately and add it to the mix when reheating.

Serving Day: Allow to thaw completely. Add green peppers. Stir and reheat. Serve with rice.

-If you don't like mushy green peppers I would suggest adding them during the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.

Cheesy Chicken Tortellini Bake by Wendy

Ingredients:
Pasta Mixture:
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 jar (16 oz.) white Alfredo Pasta Sauce
1 pkg (20 oz) refrigerated cheese-filled regular or spinach tortellini
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

Crumb Topping:
1/4 cup (1 oz) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

Assembly Day:
1. Chop onion. Heat oil over medium-high heat; add onion and garlic. Cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in pasta sauce, tortellini, chicken, milk, water, peas, black pepper and basil.
2. Pour into gallon size Ziploc bag and freeze.
3. Melt butter in microwave 30-45 seconds or until melted. Stir in bread crumbs and cheese; mix well. Spoon into sandwich size freezer bag.

Serving Day: Thaw mixture and topping. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spoon pasta mixture into 8x8 pan, sprinkle with crumb topping. Bake 15-20 minutes or until edges are bubbly and topping is golden brown.

Yield: 6 servings
Nutrients per servings: Calories 550, Total Fat 24g, Saturated Fat 12g, Cholesterol 110mg, Carbohydrate 54g, Protein 28g, Sodium 1150mg, Fiber 4g.
Cooks Tips:
Alfredo sauce in a jar can be found in the pasta sauce section of the supermarket. Do not substitute refrigerated Alfredo sauce; it may separate and curdle during baking.
To quickly snip basil leaves, stack the leaves and roll them up into a tight cylinder. Using a knife, slice the roll crosswise into thin strips. Then cut them using scissors.

Crunchy Onion Pork Chops by Mags

Original Recipe found HERE.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups (2 oz.) FRENCH'S® Original or Cheddar French Fried Onions
• 4 (1/2 inch thick) bone-in or boneless pork chops
• 1 egg, beaten

PROCEDURE:

PLACE French Fried Onions into plastic bag. Lightly crush with hands or with rolling pin. Transfer to shallow dish.

DIP pork chops into beaten egg; then toss in crushed onions. Place pork chops into disposable foil pan.


TO EAT TODAY:

For GRILL COOKING, prepare grill for indirect cooking over medium-high heat (400°F). Cook pork chops in covered grill 20 to 25 min. or until no longer pink in center.

For OVEN COOKING, place on cookie sheet and cook at 400°F for 20-30 minutes (until done)


TO FREEZE & EAT LATER:
Slide coated pork chops into freezer bag and press out all air. Seal and freeze.
On serving day, thaw completely and follow cooking instructions above.


VARIATIONS:
This can also be done with chicken - and with either, you can add 2TBSP of flour to the crushed onions as part of your coating. Use the Cheddar French Fried Onions for a cheesy alternative.

Enjoy!
:) Mags

Easy Pizza Pasta Casserole by Jackie

From Once A Month Cooking
Ingredients:
1 lbs ground beef
½ large onion, chopped
½ clove garlic, minced
½ tsp. crushed Italian seasoning
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 (26 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce
8 ounces rigatoni pasta, cooked and drained
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
4 ounces sliced pepperoni

Assembly:
Brown ground beef, onion, garlic and seasoning in oil. Drain. Stir in pasta, spaghetti sauce and 1 1/2 c. cheese. Place mixture in greased 9x13x2 inch baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Top with pepperoni. Cover and freeze up to 3 months.

To cook now: Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until heated through.

Serving Day: Thaw in refrigerator overnight and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, until hot.

After making this meal, I kind of wish I would have mixed more pepperoni in throughout the casserole to add flavor throughout. Just a thought you may want to try.

Sausage and Egg Casserole by Debbie

Ingredients:
1 pound lean pork sausage
6 eggs, slightly beaten
6 slices of bread, cubed
1 cup grated cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried mustard
2 cups milk

Assembly:
Brown sausage and drain. Combine all ingredients and pour into a greased 9x13 casserole dish. Refrigerate at least 12 hours, or overnight. May also freeze at this point.

Serving Day:
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. If using from frozen, thaw for 24 hours in the refrigerator before cooking.

Italian Beef Hoagies by Wendy

3 each - 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Provolone Cheese - separated into 3 small freezer bags.

18 hoagie rolls - 6 per large freezer bag = 3 large freezer bags

Make Ahead Ground Beef:
3 medium onion
3 pound ground beef or turkey
3 garlic clove, pressed

Chop onion. Place onions, beef and pressed garlic into a 12" skillet. Cook over med-high heat 15-18 minutes or until beef is no longer pink. Divide beef mixture into three portions.

Prepare and freeze:
To one portion of Make-Ahead Ground Beef (You will need to make 3 portions):

1 each green and red bell pepper, sliced
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 pkt. (1 oz.) onion soup mix
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning mix
Combine in large resealable plastic bag. Freeze for up to three months.

To serve:
Microwave packet on DEFROST (30% power) 8-10 minutes or until softened. Pour into 10" skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

• Sprinkle 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Provolone cheese over beef mixture.
• Cover with lid and simmer 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted.
• Spoon into 6 warm hoagie rolls.

Variation: I supplied everyone with 6 slices of provolone cheese

Yield: 6 servings per plastic bag. (This recipe is for 3 meals 6 servings each).

BBQ Chicken by Debbie

Ingredients:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle Kroger BBQ sauce

Assembly:
Combine the chicken and sauce in a gallon freezer bag. Store flat in the freezer.

Serving Day:
Thaw chicken completely. Bake in the oven or grill. Enjoy! (Sorry for the delay in posting. I just noticed this wasn't here.)

Taco Bake by Missy

What you need!
1 pkg. (14 oz.) KRAFT Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. (1-1/4 oz.)Taco Seasoning
Mix 3/4 cup Sour Cream
1-1/2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese,
divided 1 cup salsa of your choice

Make It!
HEAT oven to 400°F.
Prepare Dinner as directed on package. While Macaroni is cooking, cook meat with taco seasoning as directed on package.
Stir sour cream into prepared Dinner; spoon 1/2 into 8-inch square baking dish.
Top with layers of meat mixture, 1 cup cheese and remaining Dinner mixture; cover with foil.

BAKE
15 min.;top with salsa and remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

Prep Time: 15 min Total Time: 35 min Makes: 6 servings, 1 cup each

As you can see...i did not layer this dish. I mixed the noodles, seasoned meat, and sour cream together. After baking that for 30 min (or until warmed and bubbling) you will then add the salsa, cheese, and crushed tortillas chips until the cheese is melted (5-10 min.)...Enjoy!!

When freezing this meal I under cooked the pasta by about 3 min and added the seasoned/cooked hamburger and sour cream together. I then placed that into a freezer bag. I separately bagged the salsa and cheese and crushed tortilla chips and combined all bags into a large freezer bag. Just to let you know, if you taste the tortilla chips after the thawing process they may seem a bit chewy and stale...the baking process crisps them up...no worries!

Chicken Lasagna by Susan

Ingredients:
1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, cooked and shredded (I chopped in food processor)
1 yellow onion, diced
1 jar Pasta sauce, 24 oz
minced garlic, I used approx 3-4 cloves
olive oil
Lasagna Pasta, 3/4 lb
16 slices of Kraft Swiss cheese, (individually wrapped sandwich type)
10 oz shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 Tbs Table Salt
1 C Water
9" x 13" dish

Assembly Day:
1. Cook lasagna noodles according to the package directions. If freezing under cook a little so they don't end up mushy.

2. Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil in a deep pot until the onion is golden in color.

3. Add the chicken, salt and water. Cook on Medium until the sauce thickens a little bit. Add small amounts of water if it gets too thick, just be careful not to thin it too much.

4. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of the baking dish with olive oil to avoid noodles sticking.

5. Place a layer of noodles on the bottom of the dish. Spoon sauce over top of noodles. Place a layer of Swiss cheese on top of noodles. ( I folded each slice in half, separated, and used approx. 3 halves for each lasagna noodle.)

6. Place a layer of noodles on top of Swiss cheese and repeat 2-3 more times, or until the Swiss cheese is all used. (Typically I would finish the last layer and have 1-2 slices left, so I just added those to the top layer because it was not enough for an additional layer.)

7. On the last layer of noodles, top with sauce, and then cover with all of the mozzarella cheese.

To serve immediately: Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted, turning gold. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.

To freeze:
1. Cover with heavy duty foil and freeze.
2. If you thaw it completely before baking (it will take about 1 1/2 to 2 days). Bake at 350 degrees covered for 45 minutes. Check after about 30 minutes to be sure all is progressing well. Uncover for the last 5-10 minutes for the cheese to melt and brown.
3. There is a little more guess work in the unthawed area. I have researched that it could take up to 2 hours covered at 325 degrees. Uncovering the last 10 minutes to brown the top. (Keep a close eye on this and use your experience to guide you as it is an estimate.)
4. If you have a thermometer it should read approximately 165 degrees in the center.

Modified from http://www.ehow.com/ - The original recipe called for 2lbs of chicken shredded. Due to the amount being made I chopped it in my food processor. I don't know if the smaller chicken pieces seem to have made the sauce too thick so I reduced the amount of chicken to 1lb. Also, they suggested you use 8 full slices of Swiss on each layer, I felt that would be too cheesy and made the adjustments above to give more pasta pieces. *****In the directions it stated to only use Kraft sliced Swiss, individually wrapped kind, due to other brands/varieties not melting as creamily. I followed this suggestion*****

Bisquick Chicken Tenders & Mac-n-Cheese from Mags

Bisquick Chicken recipes from back of Bisquick box... :)

Ingredients:

• 6 fresh chicken breast cut in half or thirds length-wise (or use 12-15 chicken tenderloins)
• 1 1/3 cup Bisquick
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp. salt OR garlic salt
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 2 eggs - slightly beaten
• 6 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 boxes of your favorite macaroni-n-cheese.

Assembly:

1. Cut chicken breasts into strips length-wise.
2. Mix Bisquick, Parmesan cheese, garlic salt and paprika in a gallon-size Ziploc bag.
3. Crack 2 eggs in a bowl - lightly whisk with the melted butter.
4. Dip chicken strips into egg mixture.
5. Drop chick strips in bag and shake to coat.

To freeze for later:
Line up the strips in a 9x13" pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Or line up in a Zip-lock freezer bag.

Serving Day:
Cook on a sprayed foil-lined or sprayed baking sheet for 12-15 minutes at 450F (or until cooked through).
You can also pan-fry the thawed chicken breasts in a skillet.
Prepare Mac-n-Cheese as directed on box - serve on the side.

Enjoy!
:) Mags

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!

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 Roll-Ups-submitted by Tish

Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 lb. of ground beef, UNcooked
1/2 cup of pizza or tomato sauce
3/4 cup of grated mozzarella cheese
Italian seasoning to taste
salt and pepper to taste
dried Garlic-Garlic from Tastefully simple or garlic powder, to taste
6 strips of bacon, Uncooked

Assembly Day:
On waxed paper, press the hamburger into a 9x12 rectangle.I put the waxed paper into a jelly roll pan to make pressing it into a rectangle easier. Sprinkle on seasonings and spread on sauce and cheese. Starting at the long side, roll it up into a log. Cut into 6 pieces. Wrap each piece with a strip of bacon and secure it with a toothpick. Place the rolls on waxed paper on a cookie sheet and flash freeze till solid. Place in freezer bag and seal.

Serving Day:
Remove as many rolls as you need. Thaw completely. You may broil them for 15 minutes, or grill them (this is the BEST way to cook them, I think). ENJOY!

Options:
You can make this recipe lots of different ways. You can add pepperoni, onions, etc. to your roll-ups before you roll the meat up. You can substitute BBQ sauce and cheddar cheese for the pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese. You could sprinkle on some Lipton's dry onion soup mix, or dried Ranch dressing mix to the plain beef,spread some A-1 sauce over the beef, add some blue cheese or your favorite cheese for "grown-up" beef roll-ups. The possibilities are endless.

**Submitted in part from 30day Gourmet recipe collection***

Stromboli by Jackie

Ingredients:
1 loaf frozen bread dough
2 egg yolks, save whites
1 T. Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. oregano
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. pepper
2 T. oil
12 oz. Italian pork sausage
2 oz. turkey pepperoni slices
8 oz. Mozzarella or Pizza cheese
Italian seasoning

Assembly Day:
Thaw dough according to directions. Mix everything except meat and mozzarella. Roll dough out onto greased surface. Spread spice mixture on top, being careful to leave one inch of dough all the way around with no mixture on it. If the dough has wet mixture it on it, it will not seal. Cover with meat and cheese. Pull sides up, twisting to seal dough. Put on jelly roll stone or baking pan. Seal ends and wrap underneath. Beat egg whites. Brush on top. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. The Freezer Chicks have an awesome tutorial on how to make Stromboli at this link: http://freezerchicks.blogspot.com/2009/10/stromboli-step-by-step.html

To Freeze: Bake in 350 oven 15 minutes or just until barely golden. Cool completely on cooling rack. Double wrap in Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil. Freeze flat.

Serving Day: Thaw completely. Bake in 350 oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and the cheese is melted. If the top is browning too quickly and the inside is not finished, just lay a piece of foil over the Stromboli for the remainder of the baking time. Let cool 10 minutes. Slice in 1 inch slices. Dip in pizza sauce.

Mom's Pizza Sauce by Jackie

Ingredients:
2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
4 (6 oz.) cans water
¼ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. basil
½ tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. oregano
½ tsp. sugar
½ c. onion

Assembly:
Mix all ingredients in medium saucepan. Simmer until hot. The longer you let it simmer, the better the flavor. Cool completely. Pour 2 cups into pint size freezer Ziploc bags. Lay bags flat. Freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Heat in microwave safe dish.

Sweet Baby Rays B-B-Q Pork Chops by Wendy

This is great for the grill! Ingredients: 6-8 Fresh Pork Chops (depends how big they are) 1 bottle BBQ Sauce Assembly: Drop pork chops into a Gallon Size Ziploc Freezer bag. Pour in BBQ Sauce. Freeze for later or bake after 4 hrs. of marinating. If Frozen on Baking Day: Thaw bag. Cook on grill on Medium-Low for 30-40 minutes or bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes. Alternatives (by Mags): You can baste your vegetables as well - so add potatoes, broccoli, carrots or cauliflower around the pork chops and bake it all together. We like rice too - so whip up a box and serve it with the chops!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pockets-submitted by Tish

Yields: 12 pockets

Ingredients:
3- (8 count) tubes of refrigerated crescent rolls (I use the REDUCED FAT variety)
1/3 cup reduced fat or fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup of ham, cooked and diced (I use Bluegrass 95% fat free smoked ham)
2 cups of COOKED, diced chicken***
a little salt and pepper to taste

***NOTE from Tish: you can use chicken breasts only, but I like using a whole chicken - I think a little dark meat adds more flavor - you can even use rotisserie chicken to make it super easy to fix, just take the skin off and shred the meat)***


Assembly Day:
In a large mixing bowl, combine sour cream, Parmesan cheese, Swiss cheese, salt and pepper. Mix well, then toss in diced ham and chicken, coat meat well with sour cream/cheese mixture.

Option #1: Spoon prepared filling into labeled freezer bags, removing as much air as possible and then freeze. Just make sure to have 3 (8-count)tubes of crescent rolls on hand when you decide to defrost and make the pockets. Then when you are ready to make the pockets, thaw the filling completely and follow the directions below for assembly and baking.

Option #2: Open crescent rolls and leave 2 triangles together to form a rectangle. You might have to pinch the seams together on some of them. (You will only get 4 pockets from each tube of rolls. That is why you need 3 tubes of rolls to yield 12 pockets.) Spoon about 1/4 cup of COMPLETELY THAWED filling (if you froze the filling originally) close to the end of each rectangle. Then fold over the remaining crescent roll dough to form a pocket. Seal the edges all the way around by pressing them down with the tines of a fork. Place pockets on cookie sheets and bake at 375 degrees for 12-14 minutes or till golden brown. Cool completely, then place cooked pockets in labeled freezer bags or rigid containers and freeze.

Serving Day:
1)If you have already baked your pockets, thaw them completely overnight in the refrigerator, then microwave them on High for 2-4 minutes till hot.You might be able to put them on cookie sheets and rewarm them at 200-250 degrees for a few minutes till hot as well.

2)If you froze your filling only, thaw it completely and assemble and bake as detailed in option#2 above.

**Note: This recipe is from the 30Day freezer gourmet site - so the pockets should freeze well and re-heat well even if already cooked. I have not tried this recipe yet myself so I was afraid the rolls might get soggy if cooked then frozen and rewarmed. That is why I made the filling and froze it separately and am sending the crescent rolls onto you to assemble them for yourself.**

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!

Chicken Broccoli Shells by Jackie

Ingredients:
1 box Stove Top stuffing (chicken flavor)
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
2 cans cream of chicken soup
10 oz. box frozen chopped broccoli
1 12oz. box jumbo shells
Parmesan cheese (I used Kraft Natural White Sharp Cheddar, Swiss and Parmesan Cheese Block.)

Assembly:
Cook shells as directed on box. Prepare stuffing as directed. Mix stuffing, chicken, broccoli and mayonnaise well. Mix 2 cans soup and 1 can water. Pour a little on bottom of 2 - 13"x9" pans. Sit the rest aside. Lay cooked shells on waxed paper on table. Stuff chicken mixture into shells. Pour remaining soup on top of both pans. Sprinkle with cheese. Wrap well and freeze. (Hint: I use the medium size Pampered Chef scoop to fill the shells.)

Serving Day:Thaw. Bake covered 40 to 60 minutes at 350°. Or bake from frozen for 2 hours.