Chicken Broccoli

1 cup margarine
1 cup flour
8 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups cooked chicken, cut up
2 lbs. broccoli, cut up and lightly steamed
2 lbs. cheddar cheese, grated

Make white sauce; melt margarine in a large heavy pan.  Add flour, stirring constantly.  When it reaches the boiling point, add milk, mixing constantly with a wire whisk.  Heat until almost boiling, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Place cooked chicken into four 8×8 inch baking pans; sprinkle each pan with grated cheese; cover pans with foil; label and freeze.  You can also store this in zip top freezer bags, saving the grated cheese to sprinkle on the top at serving time.

To serve: Thaw.  bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or pour from freezer bag and heat in heavy pan on stove top.  Serve over cooked rice, spaghetti, or fettuccine noodles.

Servings: 16

Freezer Friday - Cheesy Chili

I have done all of the grocery shopping and menu planning for my Once A Month Cooking extravaganza.  I will post a menu and the recipes as I go, but let’s just say that I got 6 weeks (excluding Sundays when we usually grill out) worth of meals for $240!  This doesn’t include the staples that we will need weekly, or items for breakfast or lunch, but the hubby usually takes leftovers for lunch and the kids and I will eat sandwiches or soup most of the time.  Included in the $240 was diapers, coffee, Drano, hangers, and some other odds and ends.  It also included the freezer bags, pans, aluminum foil and cling wrap.  I was thrilled.  So, here is one of the recipes that will be on the menu - haven’t cooked this up yet but plan to today, it sounds yummy!

CHEESY CHILI

2lbs. ground beef

2 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cans (10 ozs each) diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained

1 can (28 ozs) diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cans (4 ozs each) chopped green chilies

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 lbs. processed cheese (Cheez Whiz or Velveeta)

In a large saucepan, cook the beef, onions and garlic until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Stir in the tomatoes, chilies and pepper; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes.  Stir in cheese until melted.  Serve immediately or allow to cool before freezing.  May be frozen for up to 3 months.

To use frozen chili:  Thaw in the refrigerator; heat in a saucepan or microwave.

Servings: 12