Colorful Chicken Casserole

This is another recipe from Taste of Home: Freezer Pleasers. I did cube the chicken as the recipe states, but I would almost think large shreds would be better. We also left out the corn and it was just as good. This recipe originally called for a jar of mushrooms. I felt this was a bit much. This recipe makes 2 casseroles that serve 4- 5 people each.

1 c. chopped celery

1 c. chopped green (bell) pepper

3/4 c. chopped onion

2 tablespoons butter

1 c. chicken broth

1 c. frozen corn

1 c. frozen peas

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

3 c. cubed chicken (I prefer shredded), cooked

1 package (7 oz.) spaghetti or elbow macaroni (we used 8 oz. mac and then 8 oz. corkscrew)

1 c. (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

Saute' celery, green pepper and onion in butter until tender. Add the broth, corn (if desired), peas, salt and pepper. Heat through. Stir in chicken and pasta. Divide between two 2-quart baking dishes coated with cooking spray.

Cover and freeze one casserole up to 3 months. Cover and bake the second at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes longer or until heated through.

To cook the frozen casserole let sit on counter for 30 minutes prior to cooking. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until heated through. This can vary if your freezer is super cold.

Texas Potatoes

Here are two recipes for Texas Potatoes. My mother-in-law fixes this MANY times a year. The first version is from her mom, and the second she has altered a bit. We do prefer the second. I have to say I like to have it with extra cornflakes and butter. Coming tomorrow...my mom's Cheesy Veggie Soup.

Texas Potatoes - Elinor Bradley

4 lbs. shredded or cubes hashbrowns, thawed (we use the cubed)

1/2 c. butter

1/4 c. butter (for topping)

1 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. salt

1 c. chopped onion (or more)

1-2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup

1 carton sour cream

2 cups crushed corn flakes

Mix together in 9x13 casserole . Top with corn flakes. Drizzle with 1/4 c. melted butter. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Texas Potatoes Divine - Susan Bradley Dube

2 28 oz. bags Ore Ida frozen Potatoes O'Brian (if you can not find this you add onions and bell pepper)

26 oz. can cream of chicken soup

16 oz. sour cream

2 cups corn flakes

1/2 c. melted butter

salt and pepper to taste

Mix the above 4 ingredients and put into a greased 9x13 pan. Top with 2 cups crushed cornflakes mixed with 1/2 c. melted butter.

Bake at uncovered at 350 degrees for at least one hour.

You can freeze this dish for probably a month or two. Just thaw in the fridge before baking.

Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce

I have to say I adapted this recipe from my cousin. She publishes the Fairhope Foodie blog. She has some great recipes so check them out. She is on a semi-permanent vacation, but I was looking back at her older recipes. I found this chicken dish. I haven't made it in a while but I can guarantee it will be on the menu next week. I would serve with rice (Rice-a-Roni or Uncle Ben's) and garlic bread.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I purchase the cutlets)
2 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream (I used milk or Lactaid I have to admit)
1-2 tablespoon Dijon mustard


Trim chicken breasts of excess fat and pound slightly to tenderize and even out the meat. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute chicken 5-6 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Remove from the skillet and keep warm.

Add the chicken stock to the skillet, scraping up any brown bits. Stir in the milk and mustard. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes. The original recipe says to add parsley here. Due to diet restrictions I don't, but feel free. Pour over chicken breasts and serve.

Baked Pesto Ravioli with Chicken

Pesto can be expensive. Basil plants grow really well and can grow very large. If you can keep plants alive think about making your own pesto and freezing in ice cube trays.

Nonstick cooking spray

2 pounds Frozen Cheese Ravioli

1 pound cooked chicken breasts 1/2 inch slices

2 cups zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch rounds (on sale lately)

2/3 cup chicken broth (This week BOGO at Publix)

1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup chopped scallions

1/2 cup (I bought a small jar) store-bought basil pesto sauce

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup (4 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese

Spray one 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

I actually put it into two of the smaller square baking dishes. We have 2 adults and one child who eats. I am able to make this meal and have leftovers for lunch.

Directions:

Combine the ravioli, chicken, chicken broth, zucchini, bell pepper, scallions, pesto, salt,

pepper, and Parmesan in a large bowl. Stir gently to mix the ingredients. If you are

preparing a triple batch, divide the remainder equally between two resealable freezer bags.

Preheat the oven to 350◦F. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 1-1/2 hours or

until bubbly.

To freeze

Label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before baking as

directed above.

This was modified from the Dream Dinners Cookbook

Rosemary Chicken Penne

This recipe was adapted from the Dream Dinners cookbook

1 pound diced cooked chicken

1 pound penne pasta (cook according to package instructions

1 cup (4 ounces) low-fat shredded cheese blend (Italian cheeses make sure to add Parmesan)

1/2 cup yellow onion(s), diced

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups nonfat milk

1 15-ounce can(s) Cream of Mushroom soup

Recipe says to spray one (three) 9 x 13-inch baking dish(es) with nonstick cooking spray. I actually stored in 2 one gallon freezer bags

Putting the pasta together

Place all the ingredients into a large bowl and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to two

resealable freezer bag

For dinner tonight

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Place the contents of a bag into the prepared baking dish and

cover with foil. Bake for 1 to 1 º hours. Or, place in a crock pot, set on low heat, and cook

for 5 to 6 hours.

To freeze

Label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before cooking as

directed above.

Melt it Down - Crazy Crayons

I don't know about you but I have a TON of broken crayons around the house. I was about to throw them away, but I thought about something I did a while ago. I took a small microwave safe glass and put the pieces in the bottom. I put several of the same color next to each other. I did stack a little so the dish wasn't a think pancake. I slowly melted the crayons in the microwave (10 seconds at a time). This allowed the crayons to melt, but still hold a lot of the original color. I do put in the freezer so I can pop them out easily. This little project I think I will do during nap time tomorrow. Then in the afternoon we can have "Crazy Crayons" to color and write with.

If you have cute glass or tin molds this would be a great little favor for the kids class. You could do shapes or letters and numbers. Think about making a set for your child's letter or number of the week and send to her classmates. Too cute!

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings - (Cara's note: I split this into two smaller casseroles. Eat one and freeze one.)

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomato and green chiles (Cara's note - I use mild Rotel. The original is too spicy for the kids)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese, divided (I use a ton more. Create a pretty thick topping.)

Preparation

Sauté onion and bell pepper in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in chicken and next 7 ingredients; remove from heat.

Tear tortillas into 1-inch pieces; layer one-third of tortilla pieces in bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Top with one-third of chicken mixture and 2/3 cup cheese. Repeat layers twice.

Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes.

Note: Freeze casserole up to 2 months, if desired. Thaw in refrigerator overnight, and bake as directed.

Southern Living, NOVEMBER 2000

Freezer Yummies

Over the next several days I am going to be adding some freezer friendly recipes. I will continue to add throughout the year, but these will be the ones we have eaten in the last 2 weeks. Freezer foods are great. Every so often I take a day, really a couple of hours in the day, and make 2 recipes. These recipes yield 2 frozen dinners each. Working full time these really help and are such a time saver. Stay tuned for the recipes to come!!!

Play Doh

I bought two cases of Play-Doh last Black Friday. One was a kit and the other contained 24 of the large cans. I have to say what an investment. Under $7.00 each and I can not count the number of hours spent in Play-Doh heaven. Well, heaven for my daughter. I am not a fan of picky up the gooey mess off of the floor.

Here is a suggestion. When you see Play-Doh go on super sale, go ahead and buy it. I did that and I am still able to get out fresh cans a year later. My daughter can honestly entertain herself for an hour when she plays with Play-Doh. It is so hot here that we have played a lot lately. Look for the sales and put it under the tree at Christmas. One of the most inexpensive yet best gifts ever.

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Bacon

I bought a new freezer meals cookbook this week and just had to try out some recipes. Here is one. I have altered it so the Taste of Home Freezer Pleasers cookbook was the inspiration.

You will need:

I lb. of bacon

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Cut the bacon pieces in half and dip in the mixture. Twist the pieces as you place them on your sheet. Cook for 20 minutes. Take out of the over and get rid of grease. Turn the pieces over. Cook for another 5 minutes. Let cool and them place in freezer containers for up to a month. Microwave to reheat.

Labor Day

Do you ever have a day off and it not feel like a day off. Holidays seems to always be too busy, and you need a holiday from the holiday. This is what even basic holidays like Labor Day seem to be. Take a breath and relax. Get the house stuff done at a slow pace. Visit with the kids at home. Not everyone will like it, but you will be more refreshed when you go back to work Tuesday. Sometimes a little less to do will recharge the batteries. I am so going to try to follow my own guidelines. Tomorrow I have to grade papers and clean the house, but that will not take all day. I find cooking relaxing so I may even put a few dishes in the freezer. We will see where the day takes us and do what we can, but I will for sure make time for the kids.

Roast in the Crock Pot

Wednesday night was going to be super busy. Not only would I get home at 4:30, but we were going to have family over to relax before they had an even that night. What to fix to make everyone happy? Roast.

Easy Roast

First, I purchase an oven roast. I do whatever is on sale. The small package in the store easily feeds 5-6 people.

2 potatoes

1 onion

frozen carrots (in my freezer)

2 packets of gravy mix (I get McCormick Brown Gravy in the packet)

Open the two gravy packets in the crock pot. Add water into the crock pot. I fill the gravy packet up 4 times. Mix the gravy together.

Cute up the onion into wedges and put in the crock pot. Peel and cut the potato into cubes. Place it is the crock pot and toss in the gravy mix. Put a handful of frozen carrots into the pot as well. Place the roast on top and salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low. I end up leaving the meat in the pot for 9- 9.5 hours, not the usual 8 since I get home later. This seems to work even better.

Serve with saffron or yellow rice.