Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Creamy Burrito Casserole

This one is a freezer cook's classic. It is a standby in our group. But we don't follow the instructions. We like the flexibility of just having the burritios without the creamy! So, we just freeze the burritos and add the sauce only if we want to before cooking.

Creamy Burrito Casserole

2 Lb ground beef
1 cup onion
1 packet taco season (or more if you want it)
1/2 cup water
16 ounces refried beans
10-12 burrito sized flour tortillas
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 ounces sour cream
Optional garnishes: chopped green onions, sour cream, chopped tomatoes,olives, salsa, guacamole

Directions:Preheat oven to 350*. Spray 9x13 casserole dish w/cooking spray. Cook ground beef, onions and peppers until done; drain Add water and refried beans Mix soup with sour cream in a separate bowl. Put meat/bean mixture into tortillas, top with a little cheese (you need to save some cheese for the top.) Wrap like a burrito, and place seam side down in casserole dish. Put the remaining sour cream mixture on top of the burritos. Sprinkle cheese over top and bake, uncovered, at 350* for 20-30 minutes After cooking, garnish with optional toppings as desired NOTE: This casserole is delicious and freezes well. If you want to freeze, freeze before baking.

Tator Tot Casserole

a classic. :)

Tator Tot Casserole
Serves/Yields: 6-8 Prep.

1 lb. gound beef
small onion, chopped
1 can Cream Mushroom Soup
1/4 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
16 oz. pkg frozen mixed vegetables
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (medium or sharp)
Tator Tots

Brown gound beef and drain. Sautee onion until translucent. Mix. In bowl mix soup, milk, sour cream. Stir until well blended. In 9'x13' freezer/oven pan layer ingredients evenly as follows:
1. Ground beef/onion mixture.
2. Frozen Vegetables (break up any clumps of vegetables)
3. Soup/milk/sour cream mixture.
4. Cheddar cheese.
Top with layer of tater tots.

Cover with plastic wrap and then pan lid or aluminum foil and freeze. Freezes about 6 months.

To heat: Preheat oven to 350'. Bake UNCOVERED 35-45 minutes until tater tots are brown and casserole is bubbly.

Source: SNRPMom from organizedhome.com

Bottle Cap Chili (really Chunky Chicken Chili)

Some recipes have a story that must be told. There's always surprises when you are cooking in bulk and the last time I made Chuky Chicken Chili, that was certainly the case. And so now we have another recipe that we had to rename. :)

Last fall, I made a big batch of this chili for the group. I asked DH to please dump the beer into the pot so that it can finish cooking. He gladly did so, but in the process of doing that, he dropped a cap into the pot. Makes you wonder if all the beer made it into the pot? He figured we could fish it out when we were packing the chili for the freezer. uh-huh. Try to remember to do that after a couple hours of crazy bulk cooking! Naturally he forgot until the meals were well into the freezer. I was mortified! We had new people in our group that might not find this so humorous. So at the meeting, I jokingly said that whoever finds the bottle cap in their chili will get my last pan of a dish that was a total disaster (won't even feed it to the dog criteria. Yes, there are some of those and we have to joke about them!). A few days later Tina called to tell me that she was the winner! lol

So here's the recipe for you. It came from my friend Mer who is a wonderful cook and used to be a freezer cooking cohert with me 6 years ago! Thanks for the great recipe, Mer!

Bottle Cap Chili

1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 - 10 oz can Rotel
2 - 15 oz cans black beans with the liquid
1 - 15 oz plus 1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1 - 12 oz. bottle of beer
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp cummin seed
1 T chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
olive oil

Heat oil, saute chicken, add garlic, pepper, onions & cummin. Simmer 5 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, oregano, rotel, tomato sauce, and beer. Cover and simmer 20 mins. Add beans, simmer a bit longer.

(note: when I make this in bulk, I put the chicken in the slow cooker, covered with salsa. Then I shred the chicken. I still saute the veggies but add the chicken to the pot after they are finished. and this recipe makes a lot!!!)

And don't worry, bottle caps are not included in this batch!

Lunch Menu for October Exchange (Recipe Included!)

We are meeting tomorrow at Tina's for our October exchange! Here is what we are having for lunch:

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage
Spinach Salad with Apples and Red Onions
Pumpernickel Bread

Recipe for Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage:

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
4 to 6 sprigs sage leaves, cut into chiffonade, about 2 tablespoons
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock, canned or paper container
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup (3 turns around the pan) heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
Coarse salt and black pepper
1 pound penne rigate, cooked to al dente
Romano or Parmigiano, for grating
Pumpernickel or whole grain bread, as an accompaniment

Preparation
Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.

Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the pan. Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.

Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish the pasta with lots of shaved cheese and sage leaves.

Serve pumpkin sausage pasta with pumpernickel or whole grain bread.

A Rachael Ray recipe!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Lemon Glazed Chicken Breasts

Yields: 3 servings

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup flour
1/2 t pepper
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 T soy sauce

Cooking day instructions: Pound chicken breast to 1/2 inch thickness. Mix flour and pepper together. Dredge chicken through flour mixture. Lay breast flat on cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and flash freeze for one hour.

Mix together butter, honey, lemon juice, and soy sauce. Place in quart-size freezer bag (mixture will be watery). Freeze glaze, using freezer bag method. Place frozen chicken breast in separate freezer bag and freeze.

Serving day instructions:

Allow chicken breast and glaze to thaw. Place chicken in baking dish, pour glaze over chicken breast, and bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Glaze will thicken as it cooks.

Orange Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Makes: 8 servings

1 1/2 pounds beef skirt steak or flank steak
1 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
3 T teriyaki sauce
2 T soy sauce
1 T minced fresh garlic
12 ounces fresh broccoli florets

ONE If desired, place meat in freezer until partially frozen for easier slicing. Trim fat from meat. Thinly slice meat across the grain into bite-size strips.

TWO In a large bowl toss together beef strips, marmalade, hoisin sauce, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, and garlic.

THREE In a medium saucepan cook broccoli in boiling water 5 to 6 minutes until crispy tender; drain and cool.

FOUR Preheat a wok or large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add meat mixture to hot wok. Stir-fry 4 to 6 minutes or to desired doneness. Add cooked broccoli, heat through.

FREEZE AHEAD: Place all ingredient, except broccoli, in a freezer bag and freeze up to 2 months. Defrost completely in refrigerator. Add broccoli and continue according to Step Three.

Recipe from Super Suppers Cookbook by Judie Byrd.

Quiche In A Bag

1 Cup cooked meat -- diced or browned
3/4 Cup vegetable -- blanched, thawed
1 Cup Cheddar cheese
1/4 Cup onion -- diced
1 3/4 Cups Milk
4 eggs
1/8 Teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 Cup flour (whole wheat works fine)
2 Teaspoons baking powder

Combine meat, vegetable, cheese and onion. Place this mixture in a gallon Ziploc bag. With a mixer or blender combine milk, eggs, Tabasco sauce, flour and baking powder. Mix well and pour into the bag with the meat/vegetable mixture. Seal bag label and freeze.

To serve thaw completely. Shake bag well and pour into a spray treated or greased deep dish pie plate or quiche pan. Sprinkle with paprika if desired.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes until lightly browned on top and well set in center. Cool about 5 minutes before serving

Sassy Spinach Quiches

Makes 2 quiches, 4 servings each

1 box (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach
1 package (15 ounces; 2 crusts) refrigerated pie crusts, such as Pillsbury
1 large onion (for about 1 cup chopped)
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 large eggs
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/3 cup half-and-half
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the spinach on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high for 2 minutes to thaw. Remove the spinach from the microwave and place in a colander to drain. Press well to remove excess water. Set aside.

Place one crust in each of two deep-dish pie plates, following the directions on the package to form edges. Peel and coarsely chop the onion and divide it between the two crusts. Scatter half of each cheese over the onion in both pie crusts. Set aside.

Break the eggs into a medium-size mixing bowl and whisk until light and foamy. Add the flour and vigorously whisk to blend well. (All of the lumps may not disappear.) Add the half-and-half, Worcestershire sauce, basil, garlic powder, pepper and reserved chopped spinach. Stir well to mix.

Ladle (or spoon) half of the egg mixture into each crust. Bake, uncovered, until set and lightly browned, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let the quiche rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Do-ahead: Cool to room temperature and cover tightly with foil. Can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw frozen quiches in the refrigerator for 24 hours and reheat, uncovered, in a 325-degree oven for 20 minutes, or until heated through.

Start to finish: 15 minutes preparation, 45 minutes unattended baking time, 10 minutes resting time.

Per serving: 483 calories (59 percent from fat), 32 g fat (16 g saturated), 214 mg cholesterol, 17 g protein, 33 g carbohydrates, 1 g dietary fiber, 429 mg sodium.

Pork Chops with Apple and Herb Dressing

Makes: 6 servings

Nonstick cooking spray
4 cups corn bread stuffing mix
2 cups canned apple slices, undrainted
1 1/2 cups finely chopped celery
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
2 t dried sage, crushed
1/2 t black pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup butter, melted
6 pork loin center-cut chops, cut 1 to 1 1/4 inches thick
1 T seasoned salt

ONE Preheat over to 350 degrees. Coat a 13x9x2 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

TWO For dressing, stire together suffing mix, undrained apple slices, celery, onion, sage, and pepper. Add broth and melted butter; toss to coat. Transfer dressing to the prepared baking dish; top with chops. Sprinkle chops with seasoned salt.

THREE Bake, covered, for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 to 15 minutes more or until chops are done.

FREEZER METHOD: Prepare through step TWO. Cover with plastic wrap and foil. Freeze up to 2 months. Defrost completely in refrigerator. Preheat oven. Remove plastic wrap and foil and continue according to Step Three.

Recipe from Super Suppers Cookbook by Judie Byrd.

Maple-Mustard Chicken

Makes: 4 servings

2 T Dijon mustard
2 T maple syrup
2 T honey
2 t freshly squeezed lemon juice
1- 3 to 3 1/2 pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2 T vegetable oil

ONE is a large glass or stainless-steel bowl stir together the mustard, maple syrup, honey and lemon juice. Add chicken pieces, turning to coach. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 6 hours.

TWO Drain chicken, reserving mustard mixture. Preheat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken pieces on both sides. Turn heat to low. Pour mustard mixture over chicken. Cover and simmer gently for 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

THREE To serve, place chicken pieces on a large serving platter. Pour pan juices over chicken.

FREEZER OPTION: Place chicken pieces and mustard mixture in a freezer bag and freeze up to 2 months. Defrost completely in refrigerator. Continue according to STEP TWO.

Recipe from Super Suppers Cookbook by Judie Byrd