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

Freezer Veggie Calzones

This recipe courtesy of Taste of Home magazine Veggie Calzones

1/2 lb    fresh mushrooms, chopped   1   medium onion, chopped   1   medium green pepper, chopped   2 Tbs    vegetable oil   3   plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped   1   can (6 ounces) tomato paste     1 cup    (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese   1 cup    (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese   1/2 cup    grated Parmesan cheese   2   loaves (1 pound each) frozen bread dough, thawed   1   egg   1 Tbs    water     1 In a large skillet, saute the mushrooms, onion and green pepper in oil until tender. Add tomatoes; cook and stir for 3 minutes. Stir in tomato paste; set aside. Combine cheeses and set aside. 2 On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into eight pieces. Roll each piece into a 7-in. circle. Spoon a scant 1/2 cup of vegetable mixture and 1/4 cup of cheese mixture over one side of each circle. Brush edges of dough with water; fold dough over filling and press edges with a fork to seal. Place calzones 3 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. 3 Beat egg and water; brush over calzones. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Cool desired number of calzones; place in freezer bags. Seal and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake the remaining calzones 18-22 minutes longer or until golden brown. Serve immediately. 4 To use frozen calzones: Place 2 in. apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 8 servings. To use frozen calzones: Place calzones 2 in. apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.   Servings: 8

Chicken Taco Quiche

This recipe is courtesy of Taste of Home Simple and Delicious February 2008 - I will be making this tonight so will keep you posted on how it turns out. 

Prep: 20 minutes

Bake: 35 minutes

2 unbaked pastry shells (9 inches)

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

2 envelopes taco seasoning, divided

2/3 cup salsa

2 cups (8 ozs) shredded cheddar cheese

8 eggs

2 cups half and half cream

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 can (4 ozs) chopped green chilies

1/2 cup sliced ripe olives

Line unpriced pastry shells with a double thickness of heavy- duty foil.  Bake at 400 ° for 4 minutes.  Remove foil; bake 4 minutes longer.

In a small bowl, combine chicken and one envelope taco seasoning; spoon into pastry shells.  Top with salsa and cheese.  In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, butter and remaining taco seasoning.  Stir in chilies and olives.  Pour over cheese.

Cover and freeze one quiche for up to 3 months.  Cover edges of remaining quiche loosely with foil; place on a baking sheet.  Bake at 400º for 33-35 minutes or until knife inserted in near the center comes out clean.  Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

To use frozen quiche: Remove from the freezer 30 minutes before baking (do not thaw).  Cover edges of crust loosely with foil; place on a baking sheet.  Bake at 400º for 70-75 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.  Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Yield: 2 quiches (6 servings each).

Frozen Assets….pure genius!

So, I went to the library this weekend.  We usually go once or twice a week but it has been awhile.  I have decided that I am going to get back into doing the freezer cooking - might not exactly do the Once A Month Cooking like I have in the past, but it doesn’t take a whole lot of extra effort to cook 2 of something and freeze one.  And the amount of time that is saved really does add up.

So, I checked out Frozen Assets by Deborah Taylor-Hough.  And I must say this woman is a genius. 

Honestly, these are recipes that anyone can make and eat and she gives a TON of tips.  I also have added her blog to my blogroll - check it out if you have a chance as there is a Yahoo group to join as well.

Happy Monday and thanks again for your support!  I would love it if you would comment, especially if you have some “foodie” type tips or recipes to share:)

Southwestern Casserole

So, I have decided that Fridays are going to be Freezer Fridays.  By this I mean that all recipes that I post on Fridays will either freeze well, or will make enough for two meals meaning you can freeze one.  I will let you know whether I have tried this before and will try and rate it 1-5 (one being the lowest, 5 being the highest).  Without further ado - here is the recipe for Southwestern Casserole:

1   package (7 ounces) elbow macaroni   2 lbs    ground beef   1   large onion, chopped   2   garlic cloves, minced   2   cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained   1   can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained   1   can (6 ounces) tomato paste     1   can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, drained   1- 1/2 tsp    salt   1 tsp    chili powder   1/2 tsp    ground cumin   1/2 tsp    pepper   2 cups    (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese   2   jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

1 Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in large saucepan or Dutch oven, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, beans, tomato paste, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Drain macaroni; stir into beef mixture. 2 Transfer to two greased 2-qt. baking dishes. Top with cheese and jalapenos. Cover and bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until bubbly and heated through. Serve one casserole. Cool the second casserole; cover and freeze for up to 3 months. 3 To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator for 8 hours. Cover and bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Servings: 12

I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but it is on my menu this week - I will try to let you know how it turns out.  I am looking forward to making these freezer recipes, and easy way to stock up the freezer with meals that just need to be heated.  Happy Friday:)

Note:  I finally made this last night (4/21) and my family really enjoyed it.  I did have a few cans of Mexicorn laying around and added that and for the seasoning I used a packet of chili seasoning.  To save on cost I also halved the hamburger and doubled the pasta - there still seemed to be plenty of meat, at least for me.  This one will definitely be making the menu again:)