Sloppy Joes

Before you run away... Hear me out... Sloppy Joes are no longer just for the kids. They have now become a high class dish. Didn't you get the memo? Well, you are getting it now. These are absolutely fabulous. No more opening a can of sauce and tossing in the ground beef. This brings things up to a whole new level. Try it, you will love it. Oh yeah, by the way... This recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman.

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2-½ pounds Ground Beef
• ½ whole Large Onion, Diced
• 1 whole Large Green Bell Pepper, Diced
• 5 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1-½ cup Ketchup
• 1 cup Water
• 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Chili Powder (more To Taste)
• 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
• ½ teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes (more To Taste)
• Worcestershire Sauce, To Taste 
• 2 TablespoonsTomato Paste 
• Tabasco Sauce (optional; To Taste)
• Salt To Taste
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• Kaiser Rolls
• Butter

Preparation Instructions

Add butter to a large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until brown. Drain most of the fat and discard.

Add onions, green pepper, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, or until vegetables begin to get soft.

Add ketchup, brown sugar, chili pepper, dry mustard, and water. Stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Also add tomato paste, Worcestershire, and Tabasco if desired. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Spread rolls with butter and brown on a griddle or skillet. Spoon meat mixture over the rolls. Serve immediately.  

Freezer Meal Day 13- Grilled Ham and Cheese

I got to spend the day with my sweet sister yesterday.  She is in the hospital with acute kidney failure.  They will be doing a minor surgery on her today to get some answers.  If you all could remember her in your prayers it would be greatly appreciated!

Moments like these, whether big or small, are exactly why we need to prepare now with freezer meals!  Something always comes up, whether its a sick child or other family member, too many places to be at once and cant get dinner going, or you just feel too lazy to cook.  These freezer meals have saved me a lot of stress and time!

Here is another yummy freezer sandwich that goes along with the PB and J for the Masses that I posted earlier.

Grilled Ham and Cheese

Bread

Sliced Cheese ( I used American)

Sliced Ham

Butter (softened)

Wax paper (if desired)

With two slices of bread, add a slice of ham (or more if desired) and a slice of cheese (I used a couple slices). Put sides together and spread the outside with butter.  In a fry pan or on a griddle, grill (at low to medium heat) both sides until golden and the cheese is melted. Allow sandwiches to cool and wrap individually with wax paper (if desired). Put in freezer bags.  Label and freeze

To Thaw:  remove a sandwich from the bag (still wrapped with wax paper) and microwave on high for 30-45 seconds.  You can also grill them again until thawed and crisp again. ( I nuked it first then grilled it.  It was awesome!)

Freezer Meals Day 12- Pigs in a Blanket

It's kid friendly week here at Mommy's Kitchen Creations!  Today I've got a super easy one for you.  My kids like to call these mummys, because their grandma made them these for Halloween.  They are nice to just pop in the microwave and heat them up.

Pigs in a Blanket

1 pkg Crescent rolls

2 small pkgs Lil' Smokies

Preheat oven according to package directions (for the crescent rolls). Un-roll crescent rolls and combine 2 triangles together to create a square.  Pinch seams together.  Cut 5 rows lengthwise and then one cut in half cross wise, to make 10 pieces.  Wrap each piece around a link and place on a cookie sheet.   Bake according to crescent roll package directions. 

To Freeze- when cooked, allow them to cool and place cookie sheet in the freezer. When frozen, transfer to a freezer bag. Label and freeze. 

To Thaw: Toss in the microwave and heat through.  You can also bake them according to package instructions, and just add about 5-10 minutes for thawing time.

Freezer Meals Day 11- Chicken Tenders

It's kid Friendly Meals Week this week.  All week I will have some fun freezer meals that are great for those crazy day lunches, or even dinner... for your little ones.  Every time we decide to eat out my kids tell me they want chicken and french fries.  So today, I have some chicken fingers for you that you can freeze ahead of time and have ready to microwave at a moments notice. 

Spend one afternoon making a bunch of these, and you'll save tons of time and money in the long run. 

Chicken Tenders

1 1/2 lbs Chicken Tenders

1 1/2 C. Flour

2 Eggs beaten

1/4 C. milk

1 C. Bread Crumbs

1 C. Panko Bread Crumbs

1 Tsp Season Salt

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sprinkle raw chicken with salt and pepper.  In a small shallow dish, add the flour with a dash of salt and pepper.  In another shallow bowl add eggs and milk. Beat well.  And another shallow dish, mix together the bread crumbs, season salt, salt and pepper. 

Coat tenders with flour and then dip in the milk/egg mixture. Then coat with the bread crumbs.  Place the tenders on a cookie sheet and bate at 375 for about 15 minutes. 

To Freeze:  After baking, allow them to cool.  Put cookie sheet in the freezer and freeze the tenders. When frozen, transfer to a freezer bag.  Label, date and return to the freezer.

To Thaw:  remove desired amount of tenders and heat in the microwave (about a minute for 3 or less tenders) in the oven (375 for about15 min.) or deep fry them on medium until golden brown. 

Chicken Freezer Meals

Here is a quick glance at my previous chicken freezer meal recipes.


Baked Chicken Bacon Alfredo

Egg Rolls

Chicken Parmigana
Chile Lime Chicken Burritos

Cheesy Chicken Penne with Sundried Tomatoes

Crock Pot Creamy Southwestern Chicken

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Homemade Tamales

Chile Lime Chicken Tostadas
Chicken Soup

Sour Cream Enchiladas

Freezer Meals Day 10- Chicken Stuffed Pablanos

Man oh Man! My husband rocks!  He was on a roll tonight!  As a little disclaimer... I haven't officially frozen this dish or the previous post, to get exact thawing times etc... but I can't see any reason why they wouldn't freeze and thaw just fine.  So sorry about that, but hey... it's my blog and I can do what I want.  And I want to post this recipe now!

Don't let the wrinkly nasty looking pepper fool you.  I never did like the way they photographed.  They always look so gross.  But taste so good!

Chicken Stuffed Pablanos

8 large Pablano Peppers (seeded, ribbed and broiled)

16 oz block Monterey Jack Cheese

1 recipe of Mystery Dish Chicken (cooked) (recipe below)

Cut heads off of the peppers.  Remove all seeds and ribs. Broil Peppers on high until skin is blistered.  About 5 minutes. Remove from oven and place in a plastic Ziploc bag and seal.  Allow peppers to sweat/cool for 5-10 minutes.  Remove waxy skins.  (it should slip right off). Stuff peppers with a slice of cheese and desired amount of chicken.  Bake at 250 for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

To freeze-  Before baking, place stuffed peppers on a cookie sheet or plate and freeze.  When frozen, toss them into a freezer bag, label and freeze.

To thaw, bake at 250 for 35-45 minutes or until cheese is gooey and melted.  You can also speed things up and just toss them in the microwave for 1-3 minutes.

Chicken Marinade-

3 tbsp lime juice

3 tbsp water

1 ½ tsp salt

½ pablano pepper (seeded, ribbed and finely chopped)

1 tbsp prepared minced garlic (not the dried minced)

1 tbsp sugar

2 lbs of chicken (raw and diced)

2 tbsp olive oil

 In a medium bowl combine marinade ingredients.  Toss in chicken.
Stir to coat.  Let sit 5-10 minutes.

Heat olive oil into a frying pan.  Bring to medium heat. Toss in chicken, discarding the liquid. Cook for about10 minutes or until cooked through.

Freezer Meals Day 9- Mystery Meal

Sweet mother of Abraham Lincoln this dish is good.  I tell you what, I think I am just going to turn this blog over to my husband.  His food is absolutely amazing!!  I've been in a "I don't want to cook cause my kitchen is a mess" mood this week.  I cleaned it all up and made some tamales earlier this week.  By the end of the tamale run, not only was my kitchen a mess, but so was the rest of my house.  I've never been good at cleaning as I go.  A trait I am trying to acquire.

By the time tamale day is over, I'm wiped out and don't feel like cleaning.  3 days later...I turn into a tornado. (after everyone and their mom has seen my messy house and I'm so embarrassed I finally decide to do something about it) I put the kids to bed and plow through the house cleaning every nook and cranny. Anyway... still feeling like I don't want to cook, my hubby decided to get creative tonight.  I had a few different dishes that I had on the list to try for this week, but just wasn't feeling it.  So we decided to switch gears and let Trever take a wack at a new dish.  And of course he passed with flying colors.  There are quite a few steps to this one, but they go pretty quick. Especially if you have the rice made up ahead of time. 

So here is the deal... We are not sure what to call this.  So we are going to have a contest.  Not sure what the winner will get.  Maybe just the satisfaction of naming one of my dishes.  We will see. But leave a post with your desired recipe name. Trever and I will choose and let you know. The contest will run until next Saturday the 14th.  Be sure to check in daily for all of the fun names!

Mystery Meal

Rice

½ pablano pepper seeded, ribbed and finely chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

1/8 large onion finely chopped

Salt to taste

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp olive oil

3 cups cooked rice *

1 tbsp lime juice

Heat oil in a pan, add pepper, garlic, onion, salt, and sugar. Saute until tender. 3-4 minutes.  Stir in cooked rice.  Add 1 tbsp lime juice.

Chicken Marinade-

3 tbsp lime juice

3 tbsp water

1 ½ tsp salt

½ pablano pepper (seeded, ribbed and finely chopped)

1 tbsp prepared minced garlic (not the dried minced)

1 tbsp sugar

2 lbs of chicken (raw and diced)

2 tbsp olive oil

 In a medium bowl combine marinade ingredients.  Toss in chicken.
Stir to coat.  Let sit 5-10 minutes.

Heat olive oil into a frying pan.  Bring to medium heat. Toss in chicken, discarding the liquid. Cook for about10 minutes or until cooked through.

Jalapeno Cream Cheese (we just used half of this recipe and saved the rest for another meal)

1 8 oz package cream cheese

8 oz sour cream

2-3 jalapenos (ribbed and seeded) **

Salt to taste    

2 tbsp sugar

1/8 large onion finely diced

3 tbsp lime juice

1-2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Soften cream cheese and blend in a blender well. 

additional ingredients needed

1/2 cup monterey jack cheese shredded

1 cup tortilla chip pieces

Layer

in a 9x9 (you can do a larger pan to make it thinner if desired) aluminum pan, put rice in the bottom, packing it down firmly. Add cooked chicken to the top of the rice.Top with jalapeno cream cheese. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese

Cover with foil and label.  Freeze

To thaw, Bake covered at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until heated through. Uncover and broil on high for 3-5 min. until cheese is golden.

If making fresh... just skip to the quick broil to crisp the cheese.

Top with tortilla chip pieces.

* Day old rice is best, but if it's fresh, after steaming/cooking it... spread it onto a cookie sheet and bake at 250 for 15 min. This will dry it out a little bit and keep it from clumping so much.

** Each Jalapeno has a different heat content from what I've found.  Also it depends on how well you clean out the ribs and seeds.  Make sure to clean them out well (I like to use rubber gloves to avoid catastrophy) I would start with one.  Taste it and add more according to tastes.  Trever added 3 and it wasn't spicey at all, but again, it just depends.

Freezer Meals Day 8- Poppy Seed Chicken

I found this recipe from my friends blog. I have to admit, when I looked at it, I thought... where is all the seasoning? But I tried it as is anyway.  WOW, no seasoning required.  It's Fabulous!  The crackers really give it a nice flavor.  I did season the chicken with salt and pepper when I cooked it, but that's it. 

Poppy Seed Chicken

5 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups crushed buttery round crackers (like Ritz)
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup butter, melted
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Recipe taken from Pickle Boat Recipes

2. Place the chicken into a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, stir together the condensed soup and sour cream. Pour over the chicken. In a separate bowl, stir together the crushed crackers, poppy seeds and melted butter. Sprinkle over the chicken and sauce.

3. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top of the casserole is browned and the sauce is bubbly.

Freezer Meals Day 7 - Honey Lime Enchiladas

Fussy teething baby means no commentary today.  Just try them, they are good! :)

Honey Lime Enchiladas

6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked (seasoned with salt and pepper) & shredded (I used a rotisserie chicken)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound Monterrey jack cheese, shredded ( used cheddar)
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream (I left this out)

Whisk the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken in a Zip-lock bag. Let it marinate for at least a 1/2 hour. Longer is better. Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan.
Fill the tortillas with chicken, saving marinade, and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Lay rolled tortillas in the pan. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade (if there is any). Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

Recipe adapted from Dinner on a Dime

Freeze in a foil pan covered in foil, before cooking.  To thaw, cook at 350 for about 45 min, remove foil and cook another 30.  Or thaw on the counter and cook as directed above. Remember to label your foil!

Beef Freezer Meal Recipes

Here is a list of some of my Beef recipes that can be turned into freezer meals.  Enjoy, and don't forget... stock up now for a rainy day!!

Hearty Beef Stew

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

Mini Corn Dogs

Green Chile Burritos

Mashed Potato Beef Bake

Taco Soup

Chalupa 

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Flatbread Tacos

Easy Stroganoff

Freezer Meals Day 5- Cheeseburger Soup

It's called Cheeseburger Soup but it has a little twist to it.  I wasn't totally blown over with this one, but the kids really liked it.  I'm going to make it a little differently next time, just to make it easier.  I like the toss it it, boil it down and scarf soups.  So I am going to try to simplify it just a bit.  I'll have my notes at the bottom.

My Mother-in-law made this one using gluten free flour and said that it worked great.  So those of you gluten free-ers out there, give this one a try!

Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 lb. ground beef        
4 cups potatoes, diced                                  

1/4 cup flour

3/4 cup onion, chopped
3/4 cup carrots, shredded    (I sliced baby carrots)                         

16 oz Sliced American cheese                                                                

3/4 cup celery, diced                                      

1 1/2 cups of milk

1 tsp dried basil                                               

1 tsp. dried parsley flakes                              

4 TBSP butter, Divided   

1 box chicken broth  

Salt and Pepper to taste                            

sour cream (as a garnish)

In a 3 quart saucepan, brown beef; drain & set aside.  In the same saucepan saute' onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 TBSP butter until veggies are tender, about 8 minutes.  Add broth, potatoes & beef; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining butter.  Add flour; cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly.  Add to soup; bring to a boil.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Reduce heat to low.  Add cheese, milk, salt and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts.  Remove from the heat; blend in sour cream.  8 LARGE servings.

Cool soup, Pour into gallon or quart sized freezer bags. Label and date. Lay them flat on a cookie sheet to freeze flat, so that it's easier to stack in your freezer.    To Thaw, fun under hot water, and heat over the stove or in the microwave.  You can also toss it in the crock pot on low (from frozen) and let it sit for about 8 hours.

MY NOTES:  Next time I would just steam the vegetables (and the one tbsp of butter) and about a half cup of water in a smaller pot or skillet.  Make your "roux"  the flour and butter in your larger pot.  Melt butter and add flour.  Whisk to a paste, and cook for 1 minute. Then add milk. Stir and cook until thickened. Then add the rest of the ingredients. cook for another 8-10 minutes to get the veggies nice and tender and marry the flavors.  also, season your meat with salt and pepper when you are browning it.  It will give it a better flavor.

ONE MORE THING:  Always Always Always label your freezer meals.  So many times I've said "I'll remember what that is" when tossing leftovers in the freezer.... yep, did you know that they don't looked the same after about a week in the freezer? 

Freezer Meals Day 4- Southwest Stuffed Zucchini

I love yesterday's Burritos so much that I decided to try the filling in a zucchini boat. The family reviews we not very favorable.  My kids just aren't huge zucchini fans, unless it's fried.  My husband, didn't like mixing southwest with Italian.  I didn't like it with the ground turkey very much.  I'm still trying to acquire the taste of the ground turkey... but I really like the concept and I think I would really like it with ground beef. 

I had a few friends be the taste testers for it, to see what they thought of it.  So, if you tasted this one, feel free to leave your honest feedback in a comment.  If it's a total thumbs down recipe, I'll put a warning sign up at the top for ya how's that? I would eat it again though. 

Southwest Stuffed Zucchini

1 Jar White Corn and Black Bean Salsa

1 lb Ground Beef (or Turkey)

Shredded Cheese (optional) I used cheddar, but any kind will work

4-5 Large Zucchini

Slice off ends of Zucchini and then slice in half.  Remove the pulp, leaving 1/4 space from the edge and bottom. In a pot of boiling water, add zucchini and boil 3-4 minutes Remove and add filling

Filling:  Brown meat and then add salsa.  Add to the boiled zucchini.  Top with desired amount of cheese. Place them side by side on a cookie sheet or on a plate (whatever will fit in your freezer) and freeze them for about 3 hours, or until frozen.  Combine them into a freezer bag. Label and return them to the freezer.

To thaw: You can microwave on high for a few minutes, or you can bake them at 350 for about 10-15 minutes or until cooked through.

Freezer Meals Day 3- Jake's Burritos

Can I just say that these have got to be the best burritos that I have ever tasted! No lie, and I am the burrito Queen. Hey, I can whatever makes me sleep at night right? And they are super easy too.  When I first heard there was ground beef in them, I was thinking, I'll pass! I tried them anyway and even writing about them is making my mouth water.

Our buddy Jake made these for us.  He told me about this unknown treasure.  Actually, apparently a lot of people know about this one but I somehow missed the meeting on it.  It's a Wal Mart brand, white corn and black bean salsa.  Can we say heaven?  It's sooo good!

Jake's Burritos

1 Jar (Wal Mart Brand) White Corn and Black Bean Salsa

1 can Black Beans

1 Lb Ground Beef or Turkey

Shredded Cheddar Cheese (if desired)

Tortillas

Brown the beef in a skillet and then add beans and salsa.  Heat through.  Fill tortillas with meat mixture. Roll into burritos and place in a baking dish.  Top with cheddar cheese (if desired) Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted.  Serve warm

To Freeze, place burritos into a foil baking dish and top with cheese.  Cover with foil and plastic wrap (if planning on freezing for longer than a month or so) and label. Freeze for about  3 months.

To thaw:  Remove plastic wrap but keep foil on.  Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until thawed.  Then remove foil and bake for another 25-30 minutes. (you can also thaw on the counter and cook as directed above)

Freezer Meals Day 2- Minute Burgers

I have to give the credit to this idea to my Mother-in-law.  Genius! We love hamburgers but hardly ever eat them because I have to remember to thaw the hamburger meat, make it into patties, grill it, etc.  Or remember to buy the patties at the store.  It also seams that by the time I remember to get it all ready in time, the buns have gone stale.  I'm exhausted just thinking about all of the coordinating.  And don't get me started on toppings.  Lets just say I eat my burger for the toppings.  I have to have Lettuce, tomato, onions, pickle etc. or id rather eat cereal for dinner.  Lame and spoiled I know, but hey that's me! For some reason, 9 times out of 10 I chose my meal around the condiments I'm craving instead of the dish.

These burgers are perfect to pull out and toss in the microwave.  They are done in about a minute and my kids love em!  A double plus for me.

Minute Burgers

1 Tbsp Onion Powder

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

3 lbs Ground Beef or Turkey (uncooked)

Sliced Cheese (if desired)

Combine ingredients into a large bowl.  Mix well.  Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet and press firmly spreading the mixture across the entire cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Cut into squares.  (the size of the buns you will be using) Place (cooled) cookie sheet with meat in the freezer for about 3 hours or until frozen.  Also freeze the buns separately.  When both the buns and the patties are frozen, combine them together and add a slice of cheese to each burger if desired. Wrap hamburgers individually in wax paper. Then put them in freezer bags. I did 4 into a gallon sized bag. Label and date the bags.

To re-heat, microwave in the wax paper for 1 to 2 minutes.  Don't over cook or the bread will get hard. Top with your favorite condiments and serve. I would suggest cooking the meat for about a minute first, then add the cheese and bread, wrap it in the wax paper and do another 30 seconds.

Freezer Meals-Day 1 Fajita Tacos

It's Freezer Meal time here at Mommy's Kitchen Creations!  And Boy oh Boy am I excited!  We are going to have 30 days of Freezer meals for ya.  I've decided to really challenge myself with my blog this month.  It's easy to let the day get away from me sometime and forget to post a recipe.  In an effort to get more organized in my life, I thought this would be a great may to stretch myself.  Each week will feature a main ingredient or theme. This will help you buy in bulk and save some time.  This week will be centered around BEEF! It's what's for dinner!  If you aren't a red meat fan... this is your lucky day, each meal is easily substitutable for either chicken or ground turkey.

For all of you Arizona-ites out there, you know it's only a matter of time before it starts to feel like you start melting!  Don't get caught in the middle of summer with nothing to cook for dinner. Cooking over the hot stove all day is no fun when it's 115 degrees outside.  Plan your meals now before the heat hits.

If you are totally apposed to turning on your oven in the summer, and are about to tell me to get lost, keep reading.  Some of these meals, you can re-heat in the crock pot, or microwave.  For the ones that require the oven... just stick them on the back porch for about 10 seconds in the middle of august.  Not only will they be thawed but will be cooked clean through! Ok seriously though, here is what you need to do. 

Get yourself a roaster oven. You know, one of those big ol' crock pot looking things that you see everywhere at church functions.  They are basically a portable oven.  The one that I got was $60 and it uses 70% LESS energy than your oven.  Get the big ol' sucker though, don't go for the little ones, otherwise your pans won't fit.  I got a 22 quart and it fits my 11x9 pan in it.  I've also used it to mass produce tons of meals.  It's seriously one of the best investments I've made! LOVE IT!!! If you are worried about it taking up too much space, it can also double as a bath tub for your kids on the weekends. Hehehe

Fajita Tacos

1 lb fajita meat sliced (or slice your own steak into thin strips)

3 Bell Peppers sliced (I like 1 of each- red, green and orange)

1 Large Onion sliced

1 Tbsp Corn Starch

1 1/2 tsp Chili Powder

1 1/4 tsp Salt

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Sugar

3/4 tsp Chicken Bullion

1/4 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Onion Powder

1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

Tortillas

Cook meat until no longer pink.  Toss in all other ingredients and cook for a few minutes, until vegetables are fork tender but not soggy. 

Add desired amount to a tortilla and fold in half. In a skillet or griddle add 1 tbsp butter or oil.  Grill fajita on both sides until crisp.  Slice into desired size pieces or leave as it.  Freeze on a cookie sheet ( to keep them from sticking together)  Then transfer to freezer bags.  Label and date.

To reheat... Microwave until cooked through (about 2-3 minutes) or re-grill on medium low heat until heated through and crisp.  You can also heat in the oven. (I haven't done this yet, but would say 375 for about 10 minutes.)

Hearty Beef Stew

This is my mom's recipe.  It is so good!  We will often can a bunch of jars at a time,  It makes to the fastest meal in the west.  And one of the best I might add.  I've also split this recipe into two freezer bags and just frozen them.  It makes for a fabulous crock pot freezer meal.  This recipe, makes quite a bit of stew.

Hearty Beef Stew

1 (5 lb) roast, cubed

6 large carrots sliced

4 large baking potatoes

1 large can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 (46 oz) can V-8

1 tsp Parsley

salt and pepper to taste

 For all methods of cooking:  Stir soup, V-8 and seasonings into a large pitcher. 

Crock pot: toss meat and vegetabless into a large crock pot. Pour over the liquid mixture.  Cook on low for 8 hours. (or on high for 4 hours)

For a crock pot freezer meal- toss all ingredients (raw) into two (gallon) freezer bags. Pour liquid mixture into both bags evenly.  Freeze. When ready to eat, toss in the crock pot and cook for 9-10 hours on low and 5-6 hours on high.  

For canning:  Put desired amount of vegetables and meat into each jar.  Pour liquid mixture into the jars leaving a half inch of head space.  Process in a pressure canner for 75 min (pints) or 90 min (quarts)  Remove and allow them to cool on a towel on the counter. 

Baked Chicken-Bacon Alfredo

I was sitting on the couch, recovering from a c-section and enjoying being pampered, when my mother-in-law brought be a plate of this dish. I seriously considered asking her to move in with us!  My house was so clean and every meal was absolutely divine!  This dish was so good.  The great part was, we froze the leftovers and ate them the other night.  They were even better the second time around.  Probably because I was off of the pain pills and had my senses back to full power. You can double the batch and freeze one, or toss the leftovers in a freezer bag and freeze it that way.  Either way, Fabulous!

Baked Chicken-Bacon Alfredo

8 oz. penne or bow tie pasta

1 jar Alfredo sauce or 1 recipe Alfredo Sauce

1/2 rotisserie chicken pulled apart into pieces (or 2 chicken breasts cubes and grilled)

6 oz. (1/2 package) bacon, cooked and chopped

1 14-oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/2 c. chopped green onions (about 1 decent-sized bunch)

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Preheat oven to 350.

 

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

When pasta is done, drain and stir in Alfredo sauce. Toss with chopped chicken, bacon, artichoke hearts, green onions, and 1/2 c. mozzarella. Season to taste.

Transfer mixture to an 8×8″ baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.

 

Recipe adapted from Our Best Bites

Mashed Potato Layer Bake

I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We did!  I've had some sick kiddos the past couple of weeks, so I apologize for not posting.  But hey, there's no one more important to me that my husband and children.

This year, my sister-in-law brought this delicious dish to our Thanksgiving dinner. No lie, I could have eaten the whole pan... yeah it was THAT good!  She got the recipe from Kraft. I like how simple it is to make and yet tastes like you slaved over the hot stove all day. 

To cook the potatoes, you can bake them at 350 degrees until tender or just cube them and boil them until tender.  I've even cooked potatoes in the microwave for about 5-10 minutes until tender. For the best flavor, I'd probably bake them. If you have the time that is.

Mashed Potato Layer Bake



3-1/4 lb. baking potatoes (about 7), peeled, chopped and cooked

 1/2 lb.  sweet potatoes (about 3), peeled, chopped and cooked

 1 tub (8 oz.) Chive & Onion Cream Cheese divided

 1/2 cup  Sour Cream, divided

 1/4 tsp. Salt

¼ tsp Pepper

 1/4 cup  shredded or grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

 1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese, divided

Heat oven to 375°F.

Place potatoes in separate bowls. Add half each of the cream cheese spread and sour cream to each bowl; season with salt and pepper. Mash until creamy.

Stir half the Parmesan into white potatoes. Stir half the Cheddar into sweet potatoes. Layer half each of the potatoes in 2-qt. clear casserole. Repeat layers.

Bake 15 min. Top with remaining cheeses; bake 5 min. or until melted.

Make Ahead- Assemble casserole as directed, but do not add the cheese topping. Refrigerate casserole and cheese topping separately up to 3 days. When ready to serve, bake casserole (uncovered) as directed, increasing baking time as needed until casserole is heated through. Top with remaining cheeses and continue as directed.

Libby's Pumpkin Roll

I'm back!!  Two weeks ago, we had another precious spirit join our family.  We now have 5 beautiful daughters! I am so very blessed.  Recovery has been wonderful and I'm excited to cook again.  Although it was so nice having meals taken care of by my sweet MIL and friends. It really helped cut my recovery time down a lot. I've enjoyed soaking in all of the resting and snuggling with my little pumpkin.

That leads me into today's post.  What is the holiday's without pumpkin right? Like I said a couple of weeks ago, we had a pumpkin party with some friends and had some yummy dishes come out of it.  I'm still trying to track down a few of the recipes, so "pumpkin week" will turn into sporadic pumpkin recipes through out the month.

Today's recipe is the one I took to the party.  Leave it to me to make mine a dessert :)  I remember the first time I ate a pumpkin roll.  My dear friend Amber brought it over to my house one day when we were hanging out.  At that time, I had never even tried pumpkin pie, and had no desire to ever try anything pumpkin.  I ate a piece just so I didn't hurt her feelings.  Who knew that moment would change my life forever!!  I love pumpkin rolls!!!  Thanks Amber for showing me the brighter side of life.  (In so many ways)

Libby's Pumpkin Roll

CAKE

1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin

1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

FILLING

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Powdered sugar (optional for decoration)

FOR CAKE:

PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.

BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

FOR FILLING:

BEAT cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Re roll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

COOKING TIP :

Be sure to put enough powdered sugar on the towel when rolling up the cake so it will not stick.

FREEZING TIP:
I quintupled (x5) the recipe to be able to freeze a few. The amount of pumpkin you would use is the entire large can of pumpkin puree.To Freeze, just cook them according to the instructions and wrap in foil and plastic wrap and throw in the freezer.  Take it out and thaw for a little bit.  It's really good served cold.

Recipe from Very Best Baking

Italian Bread Bowls

First off- this will be my last post for a week or so.  We will be adding one more little princess to our family this coming monday.  As soon as I am up and around, I've got some fun pumpkin recipes for you to try. We had a pumpkin party last week and found some super yummy recipes to use pumpkin.  Things you would never think of!!! So I'll be posting those in a week or so. Everyone have a great Haloween weekend and be safe out there! 

I've been searching for a great bread bowl recipe lately.  I found one! I'm so glad it turned out.  It seemed that everytime I made them, they would rise out instead of up.  I found out that the key to that is adding more flour.  I add flour according to touch and look.  There are so many things to factor in when making bread, like humidityetc that would effect how much flour you should put in.  So every time I made my bread bowls, I would make them like I would a regular roll, just bigger.  The problem is, they needed to be more dense so that they would rise into a nice round loaf. 

I liked the information given in this recipe, because it helped explain a few things that I didn't catch onto before.  Good thing I found this one, because I was asked to make about 100 of these for a family reunion coming up in a couple of months. 

Italian Bread Bowls

Makes 6-8 bread bowls

1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast (use 1 tablespoon instant yeast)
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
7 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal
In a large bowl (or bowl of an electric mixer), dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. (You can omit this step if using instant yeast.)

Add salt, oil and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at medium speed after each addition until a soft but not sticky dough is formed (you may not need to use all 7 cups). This bread bowl dough needs to be a bit firmer than a roll/bread dough so that the bread bowls rise up instead of out.

When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes (or let knead in an electric mixer). Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Punch dough down, and divide into 6-8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a round ball. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal (or use silpat liners or parchment paper). If desired, slash the top surface of the bread bowl several times with a sharp knife or razor. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake in preheated oven for 15-18 minutes until golden brown and baked through.

Recipe taken from Mels Kitchen Cafe