Misti's December Meal Preps

Salisbury Steaks with Brown Gravy:
6 "steaks", thaw
In a skillet over medium heat, cook patties, a few at a time, until browned on both sides, spoon off fat. Cover with brown gravy. Serve with....

Freezer Mashed Potatoes: 2 8x8 pans of mashed potatoes.
Dot with butter. Reheat in oven or defrost, remove from pan & reheat in microwave oven.

Cashew Chicken:
Reheat. Add cashews to mixture. Serve with rice.

Beef and Broccoli Calzone: I followed the recipe and didn't cook the calzones. I was going to bake them half way through the cooking process but I didn't want to stay up all night waiting for them to rise, etc. So here is the cooking instructions:
Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Unwrap calzone and place on cookie sheet. Loosely cover with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Allow to rise, but not double. Cook 20-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven until golden. Slice and serve.

Chicken-and-Wild Rice Soup

2 T butter
3 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 med onion, chopped
1 (8 oz) package sliced fresh baby portobello mushrooms
2 t minced garlic
4 (14 oz) cans roasted garlic-flavored chicken broth-if unavailable, use regular broth-double the minced garlic
3 (6 oz) packages roasted chicken breast chunks
1 1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed and drained
1 (8 oz) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 cup uncooked wild rice
1 t salt
3/4 t freshly ground pepper
2 cups whipping cream
Garnish: toasted slivered almonds

Melt butter in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add celery & onion; cook mins or until almost tender. Add mushrooms and garlic; cook 2 minutes. Combine mushroom mixture; broth, and next 6 ingredients in a 5 quart-slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 5 to 6 hours or until rice is tender. Stir in whipping cream. Garnish, if desired.

Makes: 12 1/2 cups. This is a Big Batch-Company's Coming Recipe.

Rosemary Roasted Chicken & Potatoes

6 oz. (3/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
2 tsp. dried rosemary leaves, divided
1 tsp. pepper, divided
1 whole roasting chicken (3-1/2 lb.)
6 Tbsp. KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing, divided
2 lb. red potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
6 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, crisply cooked, drained and crumbled
2 green onions, sliced (about 1/2 cup)

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Mix cream cheese, 1 tsp. of the rosemary and 1/2 tsp. of the pepper. Starting at neck of chicken, use handle of wooden spoon or fingers to carefully separate skin from meat of the breast, thighs and legs of chicken, trying not to tear the skin. Spoon cream cheese mixture under skin; use fingers to push and spread some of the mixture out to thighs and legs. Place chicken in shallow baking pan. Brush with 2 Tbsp. of the dressing.

TOSS potatoes with remaining 4 Tbsp. dressing, remaining 1 tsp. rosemary and remaining 1/2 tsp. pepper in separate 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake chicken and potatoes 1-1/4 hours or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF), stirring potatoes every 30 min.

TRANSFER chicken to large serving dish, reserving juices in pan. Let chicken stand 10 min. before serving. Meanwhile, add bacon and onions to potatoes; mix lightly. Spoon around chicken in dish. Spoon off and discard fat from reserved chicken juices in pan. Serve chicken and potato mixture with reserved juices.

Broccoli Cheese Coup

1 cup carrot, finely chopped
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup green pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh broccoli, cut in small pieces
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
1/4 cup flour
1/2 t paprika
1/2 t salt
4 oz Velveeta cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese

In stockpot, heat first 6 ingredients to boiling; reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Combine milk, four, paprika, and salt in a bowl. Add to broth mixture. Cook until thick and bubbly. Add cheese and stir until melted. Freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw. Heat soup in saucepan until hot. Do not boil Serve with your favorite bread.

This soup is excellent with shredded, cooked chicken added.

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken enchiladas baked in a cheesy white sauce.

1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
2 T butter or margarine
2 cups cooked chicken or turkey
1-4 ox can green chili peppers, chopped
3 T butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
1 t ground coriander
3/4 t salt
2 1/2 coups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
6 oz (1 1/2 coups) Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
12 6 inch tortillas

Recipe yields 12 enchiladas

Cook onion and green pepper in 2 T butter until tender. Combine onion mixture in a bowl with chicken and chili peppers: set aside.

For sauce, melt 3 T butter and stir in four, coriander, and slat. Stir in chicken broth all at once; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1-2 mins more. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup of cheese. Stir 1/2 cup of sauce into chicken mixture.

Dip each tortilla into remaining sauce to soften; fill each with about 1/4 cup of chicken mixture. Roll up. Arrange rolls in a lined baking dish for freezing. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Freeze.

Serving day instructions:

Thaw completely. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Southwest Pasta Bake

From Light & Tasty

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
1 package (8 ounces) fat-free cream cheese, cubed
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound lean ground beef
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jar (16 ounces) picante sauce
1 can (8 ounces) no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 can (6 ounces) no-salt-added tomato paste
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
1/4 cup sliced green onions

DIRECTIONS
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in milk. Stir in spinach and oregano; set aside. In a nonstick skillet, cook beef and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the picante sauce, tomato sauce, tomato paste, chili powder and cumin; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Drain pasta; stir into meat mixture. In a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray, layer half of the meat mixture and all of the spinach mixture. Top with remaining meat mixture. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with olives and onions. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: Nutritional Analysis: 1 serving equals 333 calories, 10 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 41 mg cholesterol, 996 mg sodium, 38 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 26 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 3 vegetable, 1-1/2 starch

January Exchange

Here is what we are preparing for our January Exchange-we will post recipes.

Janet:
Greek Goddess
China in a Pot (Soup)
Lasagna

Jen:
Steak Soup
Rosemary Roasted Chicken & Potatoes
Brisket

Teressa:
Chicken & Cheese Soup
Cordon Blue Roll
Apple Butter Glazed Chicken

Tina:
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Crab Cakes
Pork Fritters

Misti:
Broccoli Cheese Coup
Chicken Enchiladas
Southwest Pasta Bake

December Exchange Preparations

Janet:



Tator Tot Casserole-1 9x13 pan-Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly.

Honey Sesame Pork Chops-1 bag-add sesame seeds (if desired). Cook in crockpot on high for 4 hours or bake at 350 degrees until juices run clear.

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti-2 bags-Thaw. Cook spaghetti/pasta. Add sauce to spaghetti. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.



Tina:

Larry's Big Fart Chili-Reheat on stove, microwave or crockpot.

Magnificent Casserole-1 9x13 pan-Bake at 375 covered. Uncover last 5 minutes. Bake until bubbly.

Parsley Parmesan Chicken-1 bag with 7 breast each-Bake at 350 degrees until juices run clear. Add Parmesan cheese, if desired.



Teressa:



Mexican Meatloaf-2 meatloaves each-Thaw and reheat in oven or microwave.

Mexican Manicotti-Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, covered. Uncover add sour cream, cheese, onions and olives, if desired. Bake 5-10 minutes more until cheese is melted.

Pretzel Crusted Chicken-1 bag of 6 breast-Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.



Jen:



Pork loin with Pineapple-1 bag with 2 pork loins (total 3 lbs) & 1 bag of ginger sauce-pork already has glaze on it. Directions for pork:
Place pineapple on baking pan. Place the pork in the broiler, about 4 inches from the heat; place the pineapple in the oven. Broil the pork until it registers 155 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the broiler (let rest at least 10 minutes before slicing; the temperature will rise to 160 degrees as the pork sits.) Turn the pineapple slices; cook until browned in spots, about 10 minutes more. Halve the pineapple slices; arrange on a platter with the sliced pork. Drizzle the pork with the pan juices; season with salt and pepper. Serve with the quick ginger sauce.

Pork Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce: 1 9x13 pan with 12-13 enchiladas. Thaw and Bake.

Chicken Bruschetta: 1 9x13 pan-Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour.

Misti: will post directions after I prepare your meals :-)

Great Leftover Ideas!

Need to shake up your leftovers? Here are some great ideas for those leftovers:


COOKED RICE: If you have enough leftover rice, you can make a wonderful rice pudding or fried rice. If you have a small amount, mix it into ground beef for your next meatloaf or into your meatballs. You can also add it to canned soup, such as cream of tomato, or mix it into a salad.

PASTA: Heat leftover pasta in a pan with some butter or margarine and Parmesan cheese...delicious side dish! You can also make pasta just like when it was fresh by dipping it boiling water until just heated through.

MEATLOAF: Crumbled meatloaf can be used in any meal calling for cooked ground beef, such as tacos.

BAKED BEANS: Use leftover baked beans to make chili.

BREAD: If your bread is getting a little stale, consider letting it dry out to make your own breadcrumbs. Or you can make crouton. Another option is to make french toast with day-old bread. Just follow your usual recipe, and then place the french toast on a cookie sheet and "flash freeze" in your freezer. When frozen, remove and place in a freezer-suitable container for easy breakfast any morning.

HAMBURGER/HOTDOG BUNS: Do you have just one or two buns left in the package? Freeze them each time you do, and when you have several saved up, make cheesy toast with them. Just remove them from the freezer, let them thaw slightly (no need to be fully thawed), separate the top from the bottom, spread with soft margarine or butter and top with Parmesan cheese. Broil until lightly brown in your broiler.

Another thing I do with leftover/slightly stale bread is to keep a freezer bag in the freezer and cut up the leftover buns and bread into cubes and put in the freezer bag. When I want to make stuffing, all the bread is ready and already cubed.

ROAST: Leftover roast can be used in a variety of ways, but my favorite way is to cook it in a crockpot with seasonings until you are able to shred it. I then use it to make shredded beef tacos. Another favorite is to cut it up into small chunks along with any leftover potatoes and carrots and fry in a skillet with butter and onion for a great roast beef hash.

STEAK: Much like the roast above, I enjoy using leftover steak by slicing it very thin, cooking it in a pan with sliced green bell pepper and onion, adding some fajita seasoning and making fajitas.

BAKED POTATOES: Never waste your extra baked potatoes! If you only have one or two, they are excellent cut up and fried in a pan. If you have several extras you can make stuffed potatoes by cutting them in half lengthwise and scoop out the pulp. Place the potato pulp in a bowl and add any of the following until light and fluffy: milk, margarine/butter, shredded cheese, cheddar cheese soup, chives, bacon, sour cream. Place the mixture back into the potato shells and top with additional shredded cheese, if desired. Place in oven until hot for yummy twice baked potatoes. If you prefer, freeze your twice baked potatoes in the freezer for a meal another day. Leftover baked potatoes are perfect for making Loaded Baked Potato Soup.

MASHED POTATOES: Make into patties, drench in flour and fry in butter. You can also add them to your bread dough for really moist potato bread.

TURKEY OR CHICKEN: Leftover turkey and chicken is one of the most versatile leftovers. By using just meat (removing bone and skin), you can make sandwiches with the meat sliced, chicken or turkey salad sandwiches, or even make enchiladas or tacos. Make delicious turkey/chicken noodle soup or chicken pot pie.

STALE CEREAL: Just about any corn-based cereal, even Capt. Crunch, can be used to coat chicken. Just crush the cereal well, dip your chicken pieces in an egg wash, and roll in the crushed cereal. Bake according to your favorite oven baked chicken recipe. Cornflakes can be used as casserole toppings. Raisin Bran for muffins.

HAM: You can use leftover ham for sandwiches, casseroles, added to scalloped potatoes, omelets, crepes, and quiche. You can use the meat and bone for bean, split pea or lentil soups.

Do you wear an apron?

I have become really tired of grease stains and wearing my house clothes to cook in - why should I have to change into a slob to cook or ruin clothes. I thought aprons were for really domestic divas, but I've come around to think that it's just plain common sense!

Jannylynn has cut me off from spending money on a fancy pants apron, but I think I really need one - I stumbled onto the kitchen madonna tonight & thought I would see what you thought.

Here's a picture of the kitchen madonna's work:

So do you wear an apron?

Where did you get it?

Is it a frilly one so you can feel pretty while you cook?

I think because I've cooked so long in my dumpy clothes (mmm doesn't that make you hungry?) that I want to be hot! No wait smokin' hot!

from tina...