Turkey Tetrazzini

Got leftover Turkey?  We did!  We finally made the turkey we bought at Thanksgiving last year and it was a lot of leftover for us.  I found this freezer meal recipe so I made one for dinner and froze one for later.  You could also substitute chicken for the turkey.

1 lbs. uncooked spaghetti
1/2 lbs. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 c. chopped onion
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
3 cans (10.75oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
3 c. cubed cooked turkey
1 c. chicken broth
1/3 c. sherry or additional chicken broth
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
3/4 tsp. pepper
2 c. grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, saute mushrooms and onion in oil until tender.  Add the garlic, cook 1 minute longer.  Stir in the soup, turkey broth, sherry Italian seasoning, pepper, and 1 cup cheese.  Drain spaghetti; stir into turkey mixture.
3. Transfer to two greased 8-inch square baking dishes.  Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.  Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months.  Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until heated through.

To use Frozen Casserole:
Thaw in refrigerator overnight.  Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before baking.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until bubbly.

Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Casserole

I have found a new website that I love for recipes, Six Sisters Stuff.  I tried a recipe from their site last night and it was so delicious.  It could be used for dinner or breakfast.  I halved the recipe and put the other half in a freezer bag for a meal in a couple of weeks.  This recipe is perfect for leftover ham.  When I halved the recipe I used my 2 quart slow cooker.  It was enough for my boyfriend, myself, and lunch the next day. 

Ingredients:
1 (30 oz) package frozen hash brown potatoes, cubed or shredded
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1 (10.75 oz) can reduced fat cream of chicken soup
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 cups cooked chopped ham
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (6 oz) package, herb-seasoned stuffing mix

Directions:
Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Combine hash browns, dried onion, salt, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, cheese, and ham and place in slow cooker. Sprinkle stuffing mix over top, then drizzle melted butter over stuffing. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high 2-4 hours.

Cheesy Chilada Bake

This one has been a huge hit. I have made it many times and it perfect if you are making multiple meals. The most time consuming is chopping the produce and browning the meat. I made enough veggies and meat for 6 meals in an hour. It will probably take me about 30 more minutes to assemble the meals and I have 6 meals done in 90 minutes. I used yellow and orange peppers instead of green. Please note the serving sizes for this recipe.

Makes 4(9x13 pan)entrees,8 servings each

6 lbs. ground beef
4 green peppers, diced
4 medium onions, diced
2 tsp. minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
4 c. Picante sauce
4 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
4 (14.5 oz) cans pinto beans
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. salt
48 corn tortillas
8 c. Mexican cheese, shredded

1. Brown beef, peppers, onions, and garlic in large stockpot over medium heat until beef is no longer pink, about 30 minutes. Drain and discard fat. Stir in picante sauce, tomato sauce, beans, cumin, and salt.
2. Spread 4 cups of the mixture over the bottom of each baking dish. Cover the mixture with 6 corn tortillas, overlapping the edges as necessary to fit in a single layer. Spread 1 cup of cheese over the tortillas. Repeat each layer, finishing with cheese topping.
3. Wrap each dish entirely in plastic. Top with foil, label and freeze.

To cook:
1. Completely thaw one dish in fridge.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. Remove plastic wrap and foil from baking dish and replace foil. Bake for 40 minutes, or until center is hot and edges are bubbly.

Apple Pie Filling for the freezer

Got more apples?  Use this recipe to save them for the middle of winter when a nice warm pie sounds delicious or you need a quick homemade dessert.  This is one of the few recipes I'm going to post that I have a not try and never will.  I don't like cooked fruit, especially apples.  My boyfriend wanted to use some of the apples from his apples tree for pie filling.  Sounds like a challenge for me to find a way to freeze pie filling for future use.  This recipe is also very easy to cut down to the amount of apples you have.  The ingredients are all easily divided in to fourths.

Yields: enough for 4 piesIngredients:

•           16 cups apples, peeled and thinly sliced

•           4 tablespoons lemon juice

•           4 cups white sugar

•           1 cup cornstarch

•           4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

•           1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

•           1 teaspoon salt

•           8 cups water

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and set aside.

2. Pour water into a Dutch oven over medium heat. Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add to water, stir well, and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

3. Add apples and return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples are tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.

4. Ladle into 4 freezer containers or gallon freezer bags, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Cool at room temperature no longer than 1 1/2 hours.

5. Seal and freeze. Can be stored for up to 12 months.

6. You can also make pies right away.

Orange Rhubarb Spread

Who doesn't have a bunch of extra rhubarb laying around?  Ok, well I don't but I know people or I can go to the farmer's market and get some for cheap.  I'm not a fan of rhubarb cakes or anything that has chucks of rhubarb in it so when my sister came across this recipe in my freezer meal cookbook I had to try it.  I think it has great flavor.  The orange juice offsets some of the sweetness from the 4 cups of sugar in the spread.  Dont let the color turn you off... my rhubarb was more green than red so it looks like pea soup.  I added a little red food coloring to make the color a little more presentable.

Ingredients

4 cups diced fresh or frozen rhubarb

2 cups water

1 can (6 ounces) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

1 package (1-3/4 ounces) powdered fruit pectin

4 cups sugar

Directions

• In a large saucepan, bring rhubarb and water to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 7-8 minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Drain and reserve cooking liquid. Cool rhubarb and liquid to room temperature.

• Place the rhubarb in a blender; cover and process until pureed. Transfer to a 4-cup measuring cup; add enough reserved cooking liquid to measure 2-1/3 cups. Return to the saucepan.

• Add orange juice concentrate and pectin; bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to a full rolling boil; boil and stir for 1 minute. Remove from the heat; skim off foam.

• Pour into jars or freezer containers; cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Cover and let stand overnight or until set, but not longer than 24 hours. Refrigerate or freeze. Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks and freeze for up to 12 months. 

Wild Rice Chicken Dinner

This is another freezer meal so please note the serving sizes.  I halved the recipe and made 2 - 8x8 pans.  I posted the original recipes but it is easy to adjust this recipe.  The green beans don't have to be thawed, mine were frozen and it tasted fine.  To make this recipe even easier, put the chicken in the crock pot in the morning, start the rice when you get home or make it ahead of time.  The rest of the recipe take about 15 minutes.  It is a fast recipes if you take a little time and planning ahead.


Serving size:
2 casseroles (6-8 servings each)


Ingredients:
2 pkg (8.8oz each) wild rice
2 pkg (16 oz each) frozen french-style green beans, thawed
2 cans (10 3/4 oz each) cream of celery soup, undiluted
2 cans (8 oz each) sliced water chestnuts, drained
2/3 cup chopped onion
2 jars (4 oz each) sliced pimientos, drained
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup 2% milk
1 tsp pepper
6 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup slivered almonds, divided


Directions:
Heat the rice according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, combine the green beans, soup, water chestnuts, onion, pimientos, mayo, milk and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes.  Stir in chicken and rice, cook 3-4 minutes longer or until chicken is heated through.


Transfer half of the mixture to a serving dish; sprinkle with 1/2 cup almonds.  Serve immediately.  Pour remaining mixture into a greased 13x9 pan, cool.  Sprinkle with remaining almonds.  Cover and freeze for up to 3 months.


To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the fridge overnight.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until heated through.

Basic Red Sauce

I never thought red sauce could be so easy to make.  I decided to take on the challenge of red sauce when two recipes I was making called for red sauce.  Little did I know, if it was this easy I would have been making this a long time ago.

Ingredients:
1 (12oz) can tomato paste
2 cups hot water
2 tbsp dried parsley
2 tbsp minced onion
1 tbsp minced garlic (about 9 cloves)
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 (28 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes

Directions:
Mix tomato paste and hot water in a large bowl until smooth.  Stir in parsley, onion, garlic, sugar, salt, basil, oregano, and thyme.
Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes; mix well.  Do not cook.
Measure sauce into appropriate portions for immediate use.  Divide remaining sauce evenly among 1-quart freezer bags for later use.

To use sauce:
completely thaw one bag in the refrigerator.
Use in a recipe calling for tomato sauce, or simmer in a saucepan over medium-low heat for 20 minutes and pour over your favorite pasta.

To us in a meat sauce, brown and drain 1 lbs lean ground beef for every 8 cups of sauce; add cooked beef to sauce and gently reheat. 

Vegetable Lasagna

I was a little unsure of this recipe.  I'm not a huge fan of most vegetables so I didn't know if I would like this one or not.  It looked amazing when I was making it.  You could add more vegetables if you would like.

Ingredients:
12 oz cottage cheese
1 egg; lightly beaten
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided 2/3 cup and 1/3 cup
2 3/4 c. red sauce (I made a homemade red sauce)
6 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 cups assorted vegetables in bite-size pieces (mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, onions, green and red pepper)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Mix cottage cheese, egg, and 2/3 cup Parmesan in a large bowl.
Spread 1/4 cup red sauce in the bottom of a 9x9 pan

Assemble in the order below:
Layer 1 -
2 uncooked noodles
3/4 red sauce
1/2 cup  vegetables
3/4 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Layer 2:
2 uncooked noodles
3/4 red sauce
1/2 cup  vegetables
3/4 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Layer 3:
2 uncooked noodles
1 cup red sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Wrap pan in plastic and the with foil and freeze

To cook lasagna:
1. Thaw in refrigerator or bake it straight from the freezer.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
3. Remove plastic wrap and foil from baking dish and replace foil.  bake for 45 minutes if thawed.  1 hour if frozen.  Remove foil and continue baking until lasagna is bubbling and cheese is browned.

Broccoli Beer Cheese Soup

This is so yummy!  Mine serving of this never made it to the freezer.  Make sure that the cream cheese is softened.

Ingredients:
5 celery ribs, finely chopped
3 medium carrots, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp butter
4 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) chicken broth
4 cups fresh broccoli florets, chopped
1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water
3 cups (12 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1 pkg. (8oz) cream cheese, softened and cubed
1 bottle (12 oz) beer or nonalcoholic beer

Optional toppings: cooked and crumbled bacon, chopped green onions, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and salad croutons

Directions:
In a Dutch oven or large frying pan, saute celery, carrots, and onion in butter until almost tender; add broth, broccoli, red pepper, salt, and pepper.  Combine flour and water until smooth; stir into pan.  Bring to a boil.  reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes or until thickened and vegetables are tender.

Stir in cheeses and beer; cook until heated through and cheese is melted, stirring occasionally (do not boil).  serve desired amount with toppings of your choice.  Cool remaining soup; transfer to freezer containers.  Freeze for up to 3 months.

To use frozen soup:
Thaw in refrigerator overnight.  Transfer to a saucepan.  Cover and cook over medium-low heat until heated through, stirring occasionally (do not boil).

Sweet Asian Chicken

This is another freezer meal.  You basically make a marinade in a freezer bag, add the chicken and freeze.  I gave this as a gift and I included a bag of frozen stir fry veggies and rice to make a complete meal.  I also cut the chicken in to 1-inch pieces instead of leaving as whole chicken breasts.  Please note that this recipe makes 3 entrees which make 4 servings each.

Ingredients:
12 chicken breasts
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. lime juice
1/2 tsp. curry
3 tbsp. minced garlic
2 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:
Rinse and trim chicken as desired.  Divide chicken evenly among three freezer bags
Combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, lime juice, and curry powder in a medium bowl.  Divide marinade evenly over the chicken. 
Measure 1 tbsp minced garlic and 3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes into each bag.
Seal and freeze.

To use chicken:
Completely thaw one entree in the fridge.
Heat 2 tsp. of oil in a wok or a large skillet.  Stir-fry chicken over medium heat for about 25 minutes or until pieces pull apart easily or are no longer pink in the center.  Serve with noodles, rice, or sweet Asian coleslaw.

Italian Chicken Roll-Ups

Another very simple freezer meal.  Tastes similar to Chicken Cordon Bleu but probably a little healthier.  Not much to this one other than be careful what kind of freezer container you choose because the toothpicks can poke a hole in a freezer bag.

8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz each)
8 thin slices deli ham (4 oz total)
4 slices provolone cheese, halved
2/3 c. seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 c. grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. minced fresh parsley
1/2 c. milk 

Directions:
Flatten chicken in 1/4-inch thickness.  Place a slice of ham and half slice of cheese on each piece of chicken.  Roll up from a short side and tuck in the ends; secure with a toothpick.

In a shallow bowl, combine crumbs, Romano cheese and parsley.  Pour milk into another bowl.  Dip chicken rolls in milk, then roll in crumb mixture.

Wrap each of four chicken roll-ups in plastic wrap; place in a large freezer bag.  Seal and freeze for up to 2 months.  Place the remaining roll-ups, seam side down, on a greased baking sheet.  Spritz chicken with cooking spray.  Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until juices run clear.  Remove toothpicks.

To use frozen chicken: Completely thaw in the fridge.  Unwrap roll-ups and place on a greased baking sheet.  Spritz with cooking spray.  Bake uncovered at 425 degrees for 30 minutes or until the juice run clear.

Yield: 8 servings

Ham 'n' Cheese Quiche

This is a very easy freezer meal and works great if you have leftover ham.  Make one for yourself and give one as a gift.   Need an idea for a new mommy to be... freezer meals are a great gift (so I have been told).  It can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

2 pastry shells (9 inches)
2 cups diced fully cooked ham
2 cups (8 oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tsp dried minced onion
4 eggs
2 cups half and half cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:
Line unpricked pastry shells with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil.  Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.  Remove foil; bake 5 minutes longer.

Divide the ham, cheese, and onion between the shells.  In a bowl, whisk eggs, cream salt and pepper.  Pout in shells.  Cover and freeze one quiche for up to 3 months. 

To use from frozen: Completely thaw in the fridge.  Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking.  Cover edges of the quiche with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Let stand for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Flavorful Swedish Meatballs

This recipes makes lots of meatballs.  I cut it in half and still had enough for two or three meals.  The name says it all... these are flavorful meatballs.  I cooked my for a little too long but they still tasted yummy.


Ingredients:
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 c. ketchup
3/4 c. dry bread crumbs
2 tbsp dried parsley flakes
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1.2 tsp chili powder
2 lbs ground beef
1 lbs ground pork


Additional ingredients (per batch):
1 envelope brown gravy mix
1/2 c. sour cream
Dash each nutmeg and pepper
Hot cooked noodles


Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, ketchup, bread crumbs, parsley, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings.  Crumble meat over mixture and mix well.  Shape into 1-inch balls, about 6 dozen.


Place meatballs on greased racks in a shallow baking pan.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until no longer pink, turning often; drain.  Cool. Place about 35 meatballs into a freezer container.  May be frozen for up to 3 months.


To prepare Swedish meatballs: In a large skillet, prepare gravy according to package directions.  Add the remaining meatballs; cover and cook for 10 minutes or until heated through.  Remove from the heat; stir in the sour cream, nutmeg and pepper.  Serve over noodles.


To use frozen meatballs: Completely thaw in the refrigerator.  Prepare as directed.


Recipe yields 2 batches (35 meatballs per batch)

Coming soon...

FREEZER MEALS!  My sister has requested for her Christmas present from me is to make her freezer meals.  I will be making them next week and freezing them for her Christmas present.  Check back next week if you are interested in freezer meals.  I love them.  It is so nice to come home preheat the oven, put the dish in and 30 minutes (plus or minus) dinner is done.  They are great for busy nights.  To all my friends and family... if you have any interest in getting together to do freezer meals at some point this winter let me know... I have gotten good at finding recipes and organizing freezer meals. 

Manicotti

*** Please note the ingredient amounts for this recipe are to make 4 dishes with 4 servings each.  It will make 28 shells. ****

Who doesn't like some good Italian food?!?!  The mixture that goes in the shells is very versatile.  You could stuff jumbo shells or use it in lasagna.  Something else to try with this recipe is a homemade red sauce.  Since this recipes makes so many shells, some can be frozen for another time.  I added ground beef to this recipe to make it a like hearty.

48 oz of cottage cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 c. shredded mozzarella cheese ( about 12 oz)
1 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
2 - 8 oz boxes of manicotti (about 14 shells), uncooked
Red sauce or spaghetti sauce (amount depends on how saucy you want it)

1. Mix cottage cheese, eggs, mozzarella, Parmesan, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.  With your fingers or a spoon, stuff filing into manicotti shells

2. Spread 1/2 c. of red sauce in the bottom of each baking dish.  Place eight or nine manicotti in each dish.  Divide remaining red sauce evenly over the four dishes of manicotti.  If you want to freeze this recipe, do it at this point, then thaw and bake.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the noodles are tender.

Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu

This is another recipes that freezes well.  The first time I tried it I couldn't wait to have the leftovers for lunch the next day.  I loved the flavor of the ham with the chicken. 

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast (6 oz each)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 thin slices prosciutto or deli ham
1/2 c. shredded Asiago cheese
1/4 c. seasoned bread crumbs

Flatten chicken to 1/4-inch thickness; sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Top each with prosciutto and cheese.  Roll up and tuck in ends; secure with toothpicks. If you want to freeze this recipes, do it at this point.  Thaw and follow the baking instructions below.

Transfer to an 9 x 13 baking pan coated with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with bread crumbs.  Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until juices run clear. 

Pizza Spaghetti Casserole

I love this recipes.  It really tastes like pizza.  I haven't tried it with Italian sausage but I have tried it with regular and turkey pepperoni.  It is a very hearty recipes and is great for leftover.  This recipes also freezes really well.  Add some garlic or cheese bread as a side.

Base:
1lb. spaghetti noodles, cooked and cooled
1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
4 oz cheddar cheese
6 oz mozzarella cheese
3/4 tsp. garlic salt

Topping:
1 -32 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 - 14 ox jar pizza sauce
6 oz cheddar chesse
6 oz mozzarella cheese
Optional: Pepperoni and/or Italian sausage

Mix milk, eggs, cheddar and mozzarella cheese, and garlic salt in with the cooked spaghetti.  Mix well. Put into a greased 9x13 pan.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  Mix all topping ingredients together and spread on top of spaghetti mixture.  Top with additional ingredients like pepperoni.  If you want to freeze this recipe do it at this point and then thaw it in the fridge and bake.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  Let it sit for 10 minutes to set and serve.