Friday, December 7, 2012

Cheddar-Broccoli Chicken Bake

Cheddar-Broccoli Chicken Bake
 
3 cups shredded chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 cup dry stuffing mix
1 package frozen broccoli florets, cooked
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
In a 9×13 pan (or split the dish into two smaller pans) layer the chicken broccoli, soup mixture and cheddar cheese. Then sprinkle dry stuffing mix over the top.
 
To freeze:
Cover dish in  aluminum foil and cover with lid. When you’re ready to cook just cook on 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until bubbly.
 
Review: This was simple and delicious

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Easy Chicken Pot Pie
 
3 cups shredded chicken
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/4 c milk
1 package frozen, mixed vegtables
1 c diced potatoes
2 refrigerated   Pillsbury pie crusts
2 deep dish pie crust
Mix all ingredients together and divide into two 9 inch pie crust. Place the pie shell over the top of the mixture. Cook on 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until crust has browned.

To Freeze:
Do not cook  pie instead wrap pie pan in aluminum foil and place in a ziploc bag. Once ready to  eat deforst in fridge for 24-48 hours. Adjust cooking time as  needed

Review: This took 60-70 minutes to cook as my potatoes  were  raw, but once it did it tasted  great. I had my pot pie in the fridge so that it could deforost. 

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Cake Batter Pancakes

Cake Batter Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup yellow cake mix
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 cups milk (I used vanilla almond milk)
assorted sprinkles

Directions:
Combine flour, cake mix, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl and mix.
Add 1 cup of milk (Start with 1 cup of milk and add more if needed), egg and vanilla extract and stir until smooth. (You want the batter to look like regular pancake batter; not too thin, not too thick.)

Preheat a skillet on medium heat.
Fold desired amount of sprinkles into batter. Pour batter in 1/4 cup measurements onto skillet and let cook until bubbles form on top, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 minute more. Serve with vanilla glaze.

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
assorted sprinkles
Mix milk, extract and powdered sugar until glaze forms. You may need to add a little more sugar or water/milk to reach desired consistency. Mix into glaze and drizzle on pancakes.

Review: Everyone in my family loved them. My son was very  excited to have pancakes with sprinkles for breakfast on his birthday! These will be a family tradition from now on!

Freezer Chicken Enchiladas

Freezer Chicken Enchiladas


4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

16 oz. cheddar or jack cheese, shredded

2 (4 oz.) cans Ortega diced chilis

5 (10 oz.) cans enchilada sauce

2 packages of flour tortillas

Directions:
With a mixer, beat the cream cheese with the green chilis and 1 can of enchilada sauce.
Pour cream sauce over shredded chicken in a bowl. And stir to combine.
In the bottom of 2 foil baking pans (I purchase these at Dollar Tree 2 for $1.00) pour 1 can of enchilada sauce and spread evenly to cover bottom of pan.
Now take your tortillas and fill generously with the creamy chicken mixture and roll up.
Place rolled enchiladas in pan seam side down and cover each pan of enchiladas with sauce - 1 can for each pan.
Sprinkle top of enchiladas with cheese.
Cover each pan with a double layer of aluminum foil.
To bake - Preheat oven to 350° and bake unfrozen for 45 minutes or 70-90 minutes if frozen.

Frozen enchiladas will hold in freezer for 4-6 month.

Review:
Have yet to make these as they were prepared as a freezer meal. I will update once we have baked these.Iwill say the filling was yummy!!

Cheesy Italian Chicken



Cheesy Italian Chicken

 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
2 cups Monterey Jack Cheese

Mix all ingredients together in freezer bag. Seal well and freeze. As always please make sure you use a good quality freezer bag to insure quality freezing.

To Cook:
Thaw completely in the fridge before putting in your slow cooker.
Cook in slow cooker for 6-8 hours. Stir often so the cheese doesn't stick to the bottom/sides.
Serve over rice or noodles.
You may want to add a dash of milk to thin the sauce, after it has been cooked some and you see how thick it is.

Review: I have yet to make this as I prepared it as a freezer meal. Update will be posted once I have completed the recipe.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Italian Beef Sandwiches





 Italian Beef Sandwiches from here

1 large roast (fat trimmed if needed)

1 package Good Seasons Italian dressing

1/4 cup vinegar

1 Tbs. sugar

1-2 cans chicken broth (I used 1)

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 package brown gravy mix (mixed with 1 cup water)

1 green pepper, sliced

1 small jar pepperoccinis with juice or half of large jar.

Poke the meat with a fork or knife and put it in the crockpot. Mix all the ingredients and pour over the meat. Let it marinade overnight or cook it right away on low for 8-10 hours. Or, on high and cook it for 5-6 hours

Review: This recipe is a family favorite!! We love the way it tastes. My husband even takes this to work and shares with the guys :)

Freezer Meal: Divide into 2 equal  size containers and freeze. When ready to eat  thaw meat and reheat. Top French rolls with Italian beef and a slice of Provolone cheese. Place under broiler until cheese melts. Serve.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN CORDON BLEU



SLOW COOKER CHICKEN CORDON BLEU
recipe from: AllRecipes.com


6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 cup milk
4 ounces sliced ham
4 ounces sliced Swiss cheese
1 (8 ounce) package herbed dry  bread stuffing mix
1/4 cup butter, melted
Mix together the cream of chicken soup and milk in a small bowl. Pour enough of the soup into a slow cooker to cover the bottom.
Layer chicken breasts over the sauce.
Cover with slices of ham and then Swiss cheese.
Pour the remaining soup over the layers, stirring a little to distribute between layers.
Sprinkle the stuffing on top, and drizzle butter over stuffing.
Cover, and cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours, or 2 to 3 hours on High.

Enjoy!

Review:  Made this today. It was oh so good.  Watch the cook time as I have previously made something similar and it burnt.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Southern Yank Pulled Pork BBQ

Southern Yank Pulled Pork BBQ 



Ingredients
1 cup bottled barbecue sauce
3/4 cup ketchup
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup water
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco, or to taste
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 (3 pound) pork shoulder roast


Directions
Mix together the barbecue sauce, ketchup, onion, celery, water, garlic, honey, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, hot pepper sauce, salt, and black pepper in a slow cooker until thoroughly combined. Place the pork roast into the mixture, spoon sauce over the meat, and set the cooker to Low. Cook 7 to 8 hours; to serve, shred the meat with 2 forks, and serve with sauce


I used 1 tsp of tabasco as my family  likes things   mild. Overall this tasted great. 

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds


Roasted Pumpkin Seeds



Ingredients

  • pumpkin seeds
  • melted butter or oil (olive or vegetable work well) enough to coat the seeds) We used olive oil
  • salt to taste* (other seasonings you can try: seasoning salt, onion powder, garlic salt, etc.)


Instructions

  1. Rinse pumpkin seeds. Use your fingers to remove all the pulp. Drain pumpkin seeds and discard pulp. Spread out on clean dish towels to dry overnight.
  2. Preheat oven to 325° F.
  3. Toss pumpkin seeds in a bowl with the melted butter, margarine or oil. You can let them sit for a 30 minutes to soak up the butter. Spread pumpkin seeds in a single layer on baking sheet.
  4. Sprinkle seasonings of your choice over the seeds.
  5. Bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown. Stir occasionally. Cool pumpkin seeds before eating. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 months or refrigerate up to 1 year. 

  1. NOTE: If pumpkin seeds start to ‘pop’ or make a popping sound, then check on them, it means they are probably done

Review:

These tasted great. I seasoned  my first batch i n garlic salt and my second in sea salt. This is one of my favorite fall  snacks!

Cheesy Enchilada Casserole


Cheesy Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean) 
1 large onion, chopped or season with Onion powder or minced onion 
2 1/2 cups salsa 
1 can (15 ounces) black beans or red kidney beans, rinsed and drained 
1/4 cup reduced-fat Italian salad dressing 
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium taco seasoning 
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 
flour tortillas (8 inches) 
1 small can of drained corn, or about 1 1/4 cups of frozen corn (optional) 
3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream *Note: I used 1/2 cup 
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend 
1 cup shredded lettuce 
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro 

Directions
In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
Stir in the salsa, beans, dressing, sour cream, corn (optional), taco seasoning and cumin.
Spoon a generous layer of meat mixture on bottom of 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
Place a flour or corn tortilla on top of meat mixture. Layer with half of the meat mixture, and cheese. Repeat as many layers as you like.
The  final layer should be a healthy dose of grated cheese.
Cover with foil that has been sprayed with pam or other and bake at 400° for 25 minutes, or until hot & bubbly. 
Let stand for 5 minutes before topping with lettuce, tomato and cilantro. Yield: 8 servings.

Review:We are making this tonight for dinner, but I love how simple it is.  

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Crockpot Mongolian beef

Crockpot Mongolian beef
 

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 pounds beef flank steak, cut into stir fry sized strips
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 0.5 teaspoons minced ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 0.75 cup soy sauce
  • 0.75 cup water
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar
  • 0.25 cup cornstarch
  • 0.5 cup shredded carrots
  • 3 medium green onions, chopped

Directions:

Coat flank steak pieces in cornstarch. Add remainder of ingredients to crockpot and stir well to combine. Place flank steak into the crockpot and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-5 hours. Serve over rice or noodles, if desired.

Freezing Directions:

Coat flank steak in cornstarch. Combine remaining ingredients and place in freezer bag. Add steak to bag. Label and freeze, To serve: Thaw. Cook in crockpot on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours.

Review:
 I love that this can be frozen, it had good flavor.

Chicken and Biscuit Casserole

Chicken and Biscuit Casserole

1 tube of pilsbury biscuits
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup of Sour Cream
1/2 stick of butter, melted
1 can of peas
2 cups cooked chicken, (I boil mine and then shred it)
1 cup mild cheddar cheese
3 TBS milk

What to do now:
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix soup and 1/2 cup sour cream in 8-inch square baking dish. Stir in chicken, and peas, milk, and melted butter: flatten out, and sprinkle cheese evenly on top.

place  biscuits on top of the cheese you just sprinkled. Just layer them in a single layer. If you did buy the thicker biscuits I would probably flatten them out a little, or cut them in half so they are not as thick, they will cook better.

Cook for 35 minutes or until the biscuits on top are golden brown and the amazing mixture underneath is hot and bubbly.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Crock pot Cheesy Chicken and Rice


Crock pot Cheesy Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 large onion, chopped (I use Vidalia)
  • 1 -8 ounce box Zatarain's Yellow Rice Mix, cooked according to directions
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese
  • 1 - 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup (regular or fat free)
  • 1 -15 ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
Instructions
  1. Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker. Scatter chopped onion over top. Spoon cream soup over top of that. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours. A few minutes before serving, add in cooked rice, corn, and cheese. Stir to combine. Serve hot
Review: 
 This was just OK, it was a little bland and lacked flavor.  I did like that it was simple to prepare though. 

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Weekly Meal Plan-October15

This week I am preparing some  frezzer meals for a swap group I belong to. I will be making the following and preparing 3 batches (1for me and 2 for the swap members):



From the site above I will prepare goulash, and layered enchilida bake.



I will also prepare Cheesy Chicken Tater Tot Casserole as  a frezzer meal. This was hubby's idea, so you know he loved the recipe since we just had it last week!

Slimmed down loaded potatoe and buffalo chicken bake



Mangolian beef in the crockpot.

Chicken and biscuit  casserole



Chicken Parm Bake

Monday, October 8, 2012

Chicken Divan


Chicken Divan from here
Ingredients
cooked chicken breasts (I boil 1-2 and then shred it with a fork)
bag of frozen brocolli
2 cups (+/-) shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 tablespoon- 1/4 cup of mayo
curry powder to taste
cooked rice
Directions
1. Layer 13x9ish glass pan with broccoli, chicken and cheese.
2. In a bowl, mix together soups and mayo. Stir until uniform color. Add curry. Pour over broccoli/chicken/cheese.
3. Sprinkle a dash of curry for decoration.
4. Bake at 350ish for 30-45 minutes. (The longer you cook it the yummier it is.)
5. Serve over rice.

Review: This tasted great and was very filling. This was a recipe that was made as part of a meal swap and freezes well. 

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Pancake bites

I saw this idea on pintrest and loved it! Their directions where to  use your favorite mix, pour into muffin tins, add fruit, nuts, sausage, bacon... bake 350 for 12-14 min.Here is my  take on this:



Ingredients
5 cups of  krusteaz pancake mix
3 2/3 cups of water
(This made 24 pancake muffins). We had some for breakfast and I froze the remainder to have a quick breakfast on hand). 

Mix In's
1 ripe banana 
1/2 cup strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Spray muffin tins with cooking spray.

Prepare pancakes according to package directions. (My package of pancake mix simply required mix and water).

Pour 1/4 cup of batter into each segment of muffin pan.

Add your favorite mix in's we used strawberries, bananas  and mini chocolate chips. The pinner on pintrest also used blueberries, sausage and bacon. 

Review: I loved this recipe. Everyone got to eat breakfast at the same time (nobody gets stuck flipping pancakes). This is one of those things that freeze well for those CRAZY weekday mornings. The kids also enjoyed this one because it  was kid friendly and they got to help!

Chile Colorado Burritos



Chile Colorado Burritos





Ingredients:


  • 1 1/2 to 2 pounds stew meat or other beef cubed (top sirloin is great)
  • 1 large can mild enchilada sauce* (at least 19 oz.)
  • 2 beef bouillon cubes
  • 1/2 can refried beans (optional)
  • 5-7 burrito size flour tortillas
  • 1 cup or so of shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:

Put beef, bouillon, and enchilada sauce into a crock pot and cook on low for 7-8 hours**, or until meat is very tender.

When beef is done (very tender and flakes off when stirred), taste and add more salt, if desired.

Heat up refried beans in the microwave.

Put your oven on broil. On an oven-proof plate, or cookie sheet even, lay out a tortilla. Place on tortilla about 1/2 cup of the meat, drained by using a slotted spoon, and a spoonful or two of beans. Roll into a burrito 

Pour some of the remaining enchilada sauce from the crock pot over the burrito to cover it. Sprinkle with some cheddar cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly, about 2-4 minutes.


Serve.
Makes 5-7 burritos, depending on how full you make them.

Review:This is cooking now in the crockpot. We are excited to try this one tonight for dinner. 

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Easy French dip



Ingredients
1 (10.5 ounce) can beef consomme
1 cup water
1 pound thinly sliced deli roast beef
8 slices provolone cheese
4 hoagie rolls, split lengthwise

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Open the hoagie rolls and lay out on a baking sheet.
Heat beef consomme and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat to make a rich beef broth. Place the roast beef in the broth and warm for 3 minutes. Arrange the meat on the hoagie rolls and top each roll with 2 slices of provolone.
Bake the sandwiches in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, or until the cheese just begins to melt. Serve the sandwiches with small bowls of the warm broth for dipping.

Review: This tasted good. We loved the sauce for dipping.    I loved that it was simple to prepare!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Parmesan Chicken Bake

Parmesan Chicken Bake(adapted from Food.com)



Ingredietns:
6 chicken breasts
1 C light mayonaise or greek yogurt (I used Mayo)
1/2 c fresh parmesan cheese, plus more for the top
1 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray the inside of a 9x13 glass pan. Lay the chicken inside the pan.
2. Mix together the remaining ingredients and spread evenly over each piece of chicken, being sure to cover all the exposed raw meat (so it doesn't dry out.) Sprinkle on a bit more fresh parmesan over all the chicken.
3. Bake for 45 minutes. This dish is even better the next day, so just reheat in the microwave!

Review:
The kids liked the recipe. It was simple to put together and only took 10 minutes to prepare. Hubby said I could make it again!!

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Meal plan...4 meals 45 minutes

Hello,
 I loved having meals in the fridge that were just ready to cook! Here is another week of mostly prepared ahead and throw in the oven cooking! Enjoy!

Monday: From Freezer (  Chicken Divan)

Tuesday: From freezer (meatballs)

Wednesday:French dip sandwiches

Source: askchefs.net via Bernadete on Pinterest



Thursday: Chile Colorado Burrito



Friday:Chicken Parmesan Bake



Saturday:Crock pot chicken and rice bake



Sunday: Mini meatloaf




Check out Organizing Junkie for more great meal plan  ideas

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Baked Ravioli



Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 1-½ Tablespoon Minced Garlic
  • 1 teaspoon Thyme
  • ½ teaspoons Oregano
  • 1 can Stewed Tomatoes (14.5 Oz)
  • 1 can Diced Italian Flavored Tomatoes (14.5oz)
  • Salt To Taste
  • Pepper To Taste
  • 2 pounds Frozen Ravioli
  • ¼ cups Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 cup Shredded Mozzarella  
  •  
  •  
  • Directions
  • 1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.

    2. Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat.
    3. Add minced garlic and saute with salt and pepper for about 1 minute.
    4. Add thyme, oregano and tomatoes.
    5. Bring sauce to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer.
    6. Break up tomato chunks with a spoon as much as possible.
    7. Scoop most of the bigger tomato chunks out and blend (I used a magic bullet, but a regular blender would work too) till chunks are gone. (There will still be some chunks, but small ones, you don’t want any full sized tomatoes in your sauce).
    8. Return blended mixture to the sauce.
    9. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
    10. Meanwhile, cook ravioli in a large pot of boiling water, until they float to the top (pasta does not need to be completely cooked because it will continue to cook in the oven). You can use the package instructions for al dente.
    11. When it’s done, drain water from pasta.
    12. Toss pasta and sauce in a large bowl.
    13. Pour pasta into a 9×13 pan.
    14. Top pasta with Parmesan cheese, then mozzarella cheese.
    15. Bake for 20 minutes, until pasta is golden.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Chessy Chicken Tater Tot Casserole





Ingredients:
1 (32 oz.) bag frozen tater tots
1 (3 oz.)bag bacon pieces
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup milk
salt & pepper, to taste


Directions: 
Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.

Layer half of the frozen tater tots on the bottom of the slow cooker.

Sprinkle with 1/3 of the bacon pieces.
Now top with 1/3 of the shredded cheese.
Add diced chicken on top.  Season with salt & pepper.
Now add 1/3 of the bacon pieces and another 1/3 of shredded cheese.
Put the rest of the frozen tater tots on top.
Finish with the remaining 1/3 cheddar cheese and remaining 1/3 of bacon pieces.
Pour 3/4 cup milk all over the top.
Cover and cook on low about 4-6 hours.
Review: Who can go wrong with an all in one chicken and  potato dish that you can throw in the slow cooker!! Loved it! The best part is it can be made ahead and cooked when needed ( just leave out the   milk until ready to bake.)

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Ground Turkey Stroganoff

Ground Turkey Stroganoff


Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Brown ground turkey and onion in olive oil over medium-high heat. Drain off fat. Add seasonings, soup and milk. Cook over medium heat about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Add sour cream and heat through. Serve over egg noodles, rice or mashed potatoes.

Review: I added mushrooms and garlic to the turkey as  it was cooking. This dish is full of   flavor and supper comforting!

Teriyaki-R


Teriyaki-Ranch Chicken

Ingredients:
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
  • ½ cup teriyaki basting sauce
  • ½ cup light Ranch salad dressing
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • 1½ ounces bacon bits
  • 1 tablespoon parsley, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 °F.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts, and saute 4 to 5 minutes each side, until lightly browned.

Place browned chicken breasts in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Brush with teriyaki sauce, then spoon on salad dressing. Sprinkle with cheese, green onions and bacon bits.

Review: I really liked  this recipe. My  hubby and kids not so much.