Freezer Foods Friday

hosted by mjpuzzlemom


I'm still on vacation and will be back next week!

I do the memes: Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie, Favorite Ingredient Friday hosted by Kathryn at Overwhelmed with Joy, Freezer Food Friday hosted by MJ at mjpuzzlemom, Scrumptious Sunday hosted by Meredith at Mercedes Rocks and Slow Cooking Thursday hosted by Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. Doing them all make great additions to help keeping me on track and finding so new recipes!

Freezer Food Friday~Macaroni & Cheese Spicy Style

hosted by mjpuzzlemom

1 package cheese and garlic croutons, coarsely ground (2 cups ground)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3 cups dry elbow macaroni
3 cups whole milk, room temperature
1/2 cup butter
1 small onion, minced
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons Frank's Hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
4 cups extra, extra, extra sharp cheddar cheese (16 oz. block), grated

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Toss crouton crumbs with melted butter and set aside.
• Prepare macaroni and drain.
  
• In large skillet melt 1/2 cup butter.
• Add onions and saute' until tender and slightly browned.
• Whisk in flour until smooth.
• Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until thick.
• Stir in hot sauce, salt and peppers.
• Stir in cheese until blended.
• Toss together the macaroni and 3/4 of the bread crumbs.
• Stir in cheese mixture until smooth.
• Pour into lightly sprayed 9x9 stoneware.
• Top with remaining crumbs.
• Bake 30 minutes.

We have it for dinner that night and then I put the leftovers in 1 quart freezer containers for future meals.

I do the memes: Menu Plan Monday hosted by aura at I'm an Organizing Junkie, Favorite Ingredient Friday hosted by Kathryn at Overwhelmed with Joy, Freezer Food Friday hosted by MJ at mjpuzzlemom, Scrumptious Sunday hosted by Meredith at Mercedes Rocks and Slow Cooking Thursday hosted by Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. Doing them all make great additions to help keeping me on track and finding so new recipes!

Freezer Food Friday ~Sweet & Zesty Meatballs

hosted by mjpuzzlemom
These are a great recipe for a potluck or buffet.
I always make too much on purpose because the leftovers freeze so well.

MEATBALLS*

2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion, finely minced
1/2 sleeve saltine crackers, crushed
1 teaspoon minced garlic from the jar
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 jumbo egg, beaten

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  
• In a large bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients and blend well.
  
• Shape into 1 inch balls.
  
• Place meatballs on un-greased cookie sheet.
  
• Bake 25-30 minutes until browned and baked through.
  
• For frozen meatballs, put the sauce in the crock pot first and then stir in frozen meatballs. They'll be ready in 3-4 hours.
  

*I sometimes cheat and buy the bags of meatballs from Costco or Sam's Club

SAUCE
3/4 cup Welch's grape jelly
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1 3/4 cups Heinz chili sauce
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin slivers

• In a large saucepan combine jelly, chili sauce and vinegar.
  
• Bring to a soft boil and simmer 5 minutes stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
  
• Layer meatballs, peppers and spicy sauce in crock pot.
  
• Warm meatballs in sauce for 3-4 hours before serving.

You can put all the leftovers in the freezer together. Be sure to thaw them thoroughly before reheating.

I do the memes: Menu Plan Monday hosted by aura at I'm an Organizing Junkie, Favorite Ingredient Friday hosted by Kathryn at Overwhelmed with Joy, Freezer Food Friday hosted by MJ at mjpuzzlemom, Scrumptious Sunday hosted by Meredith at Mercedes Rocks and Slow Cooking Thursday hosted by Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. Doing them all make great additions to help keeping me on track and finding so new recipes!

Freezer Food Friday ~ Vegetable Soup Base

hosted by mjpuzzlemom

I make this up when I have a produce drawer full of vegetables about to turn

12 cups water
6 teaspoons beef granules
1 large onion, chopped or 3-4 bunches green onions sliced
1 can Contadina tomato puree or 6-7 Roma tomatoes, chopped
6 ribs celery, chopped
6 carrots, fresh or wilted, chopped
4 cloves garlic or 4 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper

• Whisk beef granules, salt and pepper into the water and bring to a boil.
  
• Add the vegetables and simmer on a very low rolling boil for about 2 hours or so.
  
• Vegetables should be all but mush. If not mash them by hand or puree them.
  
• Pour into however many containers you want based on how many people you are feeding and freeze. Be sure to leave a bit a head space before freezing to allow for expansion.
• Thaw before preparing and then just add meat, pasta, rice etc... you might have to add more liquid based type of soup your making.
  

I do the memes: Menu Plan Monday hosted by aura at I'm an Organizing Junkie, Favorite Ingredient Friday hosted by Kathryn at Overwhelmed with Joy, Freezer Food Friday hosted by MJ at mjpuzzlemom, Scrumptious Sunday hosted by Meredith at Mercedes Rocks and Slow Cooking Thursday hosted by Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. Doing them all make great additions to help keeping me on track and finding so new recipes!

Freezer Food Friday Spaghetti Bolegnese & Meatballs

hosted by mjpuzzlemom

SPAGHETTI BOLEGNESE

2 large cans Contadina crushed tomatoes
1 can Contadina tomato sauce
11/2 pounds ground beef
3 teaspoons crushed garlic
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 small white onion, chopped
1 can chicken consomme or 2 cups warm water and 2 teaspoons Wyler's beef granules
2 carrots, cut into really small pieces
3 tablespoons Classico tomato pesto

• Brown the ground beef, onions, carrots and garlic in cast iron skillet.
• Mash carrots to a mush.
  
• Add the salt and pepper.
  
• Drain fat.
  
• In a large stock pot whisk together the tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato pesto, seasonings and consomme.
  
• Add hamburger mix.
  
• Bring to a simmer for several hours stirring frequently.
  
• Pour over prepared pasta and toss well.
• Store remaining sauce is quart size or gallon size ziploc bags depending on your family size. The bags will freeze in a flat shape so you can store more in the freezer.
  

MEATBALLS

2 pounds hamburger
1/4 cup powdered parmesan cheese
1/4 cup garlic salt
4 slices white bread
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon white pepper
2 eggs

• Beat eggs and soak bread in eggs.
• Sprinkle seasonings and cheese over hamburger meat.
  
• By hand mix together the bread and egg mixture with the hamburger mixture until it is all blended together evenly.
  
• Roll into 3/4 inch balls and place in storage containers not quite touching. I store them in Tupperware deli keepers.

In the future all you need to do is pull out however many meatballs you need and toss them in the sauce after it comes to a simmer. They'll be ready when the sauce is done.

I do the memes: Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie, Favorite Ingredient Friday hosted by Kathryn at Overwhelmed with Joy, Freezer Food Friday hosted by MJ at mjpuzzlemom, Scrumptious Sunday hosted by Meredith at Mercedes Rocks and Slow Cooking Thursday hosted by Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. Doing them all make great additions to help keeping me on track and finding so new recipes!

Freezer Food Friday ~ Chicken Pot Pies

hosted by mjpuzzlemom

• 6 cups shredded chicken (2 rotisserie chickens)*
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 celery stalks
• 1 small bag baby carrots
• 1 small bag frozen green beans or 1/2 pound fresh, cleaned and cut
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 12 oz. evaporated milk
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon Wondra flour
• 3/4 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 cup cooking sherry
• 1/8 cup parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Separate chicken from fat and bones and set aside. Heat oil in dutch oven. Saute' onions and celery until just tender. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and toss with chicken. Mix together chicken broth and milk and microwave until steamy, 2-3 minutes. In a large sauce pan melt butter. When foamy stir in flour, parsley and thyme until golden. Gradually whisk in the hot milk mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook until thick. Turn off heat and stir in sherry, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in chicken mixture and vegetables. Divide into 6-8 small French white Pyrex round baking dishes. Cover with lids and freeze.

When ready to bake, thaw and bring to room temperature. Cover with pie crust** and bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. With this recipe you don't end up with a bottom crust, but just think of how many calories you're saving.

*I usually make this when my local market has a buy one get one free on the rotisserie chickens.

**Pillsbury pie crust from the dairy section will make 2 pot pies with left over pieces for decorative leaves and such.

Freezer Food Friday ~ Chili

hosted by mjpuzzlemom

3 pounds hamburger
2 large white onions, chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans Rotel original tomatoes
2 - 4 oz. cans diced green chiles
3 cups V-8 juice
4 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 teaspoons jar garlic or 3 cloves fresh

In a large stock pot, brown the hamburger and onion together. Drain the fat off. Mix in all the other ingredients. Bring to a boil. Turn down to a low simmer for 3-4 hours. After dinner separate the remaining chili into 4 freezer containers, label and freeze for future meals.

Freezer Food Friday Spinach Stuffed Manicotti

hosted by mjpuzzlemom

MJ over at MJPuzzlemom recently left me a comment which indirectly let me find this wonderful new meme that the she hosts, Freezer Food Friday. I'll join in this week by recycling this great updated freezer recipe of mine for Spinach Stuffed Manicotti Shells.

1 1/2 pound ground beef
1 medium finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic or 2 teaspoons minced jar garlic
1 box chopped frozen spinach (thawed & drained)
salt & pepper to taste
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 can Contadina tomato paste
10 ounces beef broth (I use granules and make my own)
2 tablespoons Classico sun-dried tomato peso
1/4 cup butter
2-8ounce shredded mozzarella cheese packages
1 box organic pasta Manicotti Shells (prepared al dente, very al dente)

• Brown hamburger. Add garlic and onion about half way through. When the hamburger is browned, add spinach and heat through. Salt and pepper to taste. Drain off fat.
• Mix all other ingredients together except the shells and cheese and bring to a simmering boil. Add one third of the sauce to the meat mixture.
  
• Stuff the shells with the meat mixture. Continue until all shells are full. This recipe serves 4, but at this point since there are just 2 of us I try to think ahead and prep meals to freeze for easy cooking on the nights we're busy with appointments, but still need a home cooked meal. This Manicotti recipe is great for that. The shells come in a box with 2 layers of plastic protectors. I make sure to save one to protect the shells I'm going to freeze. I prepare the recipe like normal, but split it in half before baking and freeze half. As you can see it all slips easily into a gallon size ziploc bag. After removing everything, I roll the bag up and stick in the freezer door until the next time I prep the whole recipe.
• In a small greased casserole layer some sauce on bottom. Lay in half the shells, pour more sauce over top reserving half the sauce for the freezer. Put that sauce in a quart size ziploc. Top with the cheese. Cover with foil and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove fol and return to oven for an additional 20 minutes.
• In the gallon sized ziploc bag slide the extra tray of shells into it. Slide the bag of sauce on top of that as well as the second bag of mozzarella cheese. Zip shut and freeze. You now have a home cooked meal for another night.