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:)

Menu Plan Monday - my first one:)

I decided to jump on the bandwagon, so to speak, at I’m an Organizing Junkie and participate in Menu Plan Monday.  Unfortunately I don’t have links for the recipes below (ok,ok, I know that mac and cheese and hot dogs isn’t a recipe, lol!), but I will post the recipes for them as the week goes on (Southwestern Casserole has already been posted).  I wasn’t exactly what to do on this blog so please bear with me.  I am most likely going to post a recipe a day, but will also share my menus for each week.  Maybe you will find something you will enjoy, if so, please leave me a comment.  Thanks for stopping by!

Monday- Hot dogs and mac and cheese

Tuesday- Chicken Taco Quiche

Wednesday- Kielbasa Bow Tie Skillet

Thursday- Southwestern Casserole

Friday- Chicken Helper

Saturday - Roundsteak casserole

Sunday - BBQ Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf, new potatoes and baby carrots, biscuits

I know, I know, we cheat on some of the nights.  The family gets busy and we do like some easy meals sometimes.  I will try and post some of these recipes this week so if you want to try your hand at making them you can.  Take care:)

My family is Breakfast crazy

Seriously!  My daughters and husband LOVE breakfast.  They would eat eggs, pancakes, hashbrowns, bacon, etc…for every meal, I swear!  It is our Saturday morning ritual to go out for breakfast at Perkins.  Don’t get me wrong, I like breakfast too but at least half of the time I get an entree of some kind (like today I got the Sweet Chile Chicken wrap which was fantastic).  Hubby surprised me today by ordering pasta - not something he normally does when they have the Tremendous Twelve.  So, to celebrate breakfast on Saturdays, this might be the day I choose to post a breakfast recipe.  This one I got from Taste of Home - my ALL time favorite magazine!  So here it is, enjoy!

Breakfast Pizza

Ingredients:

• 2 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 cup egg substitute
• 2 tablespoons fat-free milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons diced sweet red pepper
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 prebaked thin Italian bread shell crust (16 ounces)
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions:

In a large nonstick skillet, cook the hash browns, cumin and chili powder in 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat until golden. Remove and keep warm.
    In a small bowl, beat the egg substitute, milk and salt; set aside. In the same skillet, saute the onions, peppers and garlic in remaining oil until tender. Add egg mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat until almost set. Remove from the heat.
    Place crust on an ungreased 14-in. pizza pan. Spread salsa over crust. Top with egg mixture. Sprinkle with hash browns and cheese. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Yield: 6 slices.

I haven’t tried this one myself, but know that it will be added to the menu in the near future.  Will let you know how it turns out.

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:)