It has been a crazy busy week with school starting and working 3 days this week in my classroom. I still feel that a homecooked meal makes everyone happy (including me). I love to cook and making a new dish for my family is one of my favorites. This week I tried two new dinners. My family enjoyed both of them so here they are...
Potato-Ham Bake
2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, SLICED
2 8 oz tubs light cream cheese spread with chives and onions
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan chesse
2 tbs black pepper
2 Tbsp snipped fresh tarragon (I used dried)
1 lb cooked boneless ham cut into bite size pieces (Costco sells the best cooked ham)
2 lbs fresh asparagus spears, trimmed and cut in 2 to 3 inch pieces
Preheat oven to 400. In a covered saucepan cook SLICED potatoes in a small amount of lightly salted boiling water for 5 to 7 minutes or just until tender. Drain: Remove potoatoes from saucepan: Set aside.
For sauce in the same saucepan (because who wants to wash more dishes) combine cream chesse, mile, half the parmesan cheese, and pepper. Whisk over low heat until mixture is smooth and cheese is melted. Remove from heat; stir in tarragon.
layer potatoes, ham, asparagus, and sauce in a 3 quart rectangular baking dish. Cover with foil.
Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes more or until heated throughly. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Baked Shrimp Curry
2 lbs fresh or frozen peeled, cooked shrimp
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 tbsp all purpose flour (I use rice flour for my gluten intolerance)
1 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 cups half and half, light cream or milk (I used coconut milk)
2 tbsp dry sherry (optional)
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp fresh ginger (I used ground 1 tsp)
1/8 tsp worcestershire sauce
4 cups rice or quiona
Thaw shrimp; if frozen. Rinse and pat dry. Preheat oven to 400. In a saucepan melt butter. Stir in flour, curry, paprika, and nutmeg. Stir in half and half or milk (all at once). Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir one minute more. Stir in shrimp, sherry, lemon juice, ginger and worcestershire sauce; heat through. Transfer to an ungreased 2 quart casserole dish. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Serve with rice or quiona.
* I added steam veggies to the quiona and then chopped up peanuts and had shredded coconut to top the dish with. Next time I am going to add some almond or peanut butter to the sauce for a new taste.
Happy Cooking friends!
Friday, September 14, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Mom....What's for dinner????
I started creating freezer meals after my third son was born and wish that I would have started sooner. It is so easy and very much worth it. I spend about 2-3 hours once a month peeling, chopping and cutting veggies and meat to create these home cooked meals for my busy family. Just thaw and throw in the crock pot or oven. Simple! Here are a few of my family favorites that I wish I could take credit for but I found them on the web....
First off I buy in bulk to cut down on cost and will make double batches all the time. You can either freeze them all at once or sometimes I will make one for dinner that night, double the recipe and then freeze one for the next month.
This one is SUPER easy...
Chicken and wild rice
1 box wild rice with seasoning
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can cream of chicken
1 can water
1 small can mushrooms (drained)
6 boneless chicken thighs (uncooked)
1 cup slivered almonds (optional)
Mix together rice, seasoning, both soups, water and mushrooms.
Pour into 8x8 freezer dish, top with chicken and almonds
Double wrap and label (I write with permanent right on the foil so my husband knows the directions incase I'm not home :)
Thaw, uncover and bake at 350 for 1 hour
This is one that I always make for dinner and then freeze another. My family really likes this one.
*For the next recipes make sure you have freezer gallon bags. Always label before you start putting the ingredients in :)
Teriyaki Chicken (makes one bag)
2 chicken breasts cut up (uncooked)
1 20 oz can of pineapple (you can drain juice or put it in the bag for a sweeter sauce)
1-1 1/2 cup baby carrots
1 onion sliced
1 red pepper
1/2 cup of Teriyaki sauce in bag
thaw and add 1/4 cup of sauce to the crock pot. Cook on low 8 hours or high for 4. Serve over rice
Savory Beef Vegtable Soup (2 bags)
1 onion and 2 garlic cloves cooked with 1.5 to 2 pounds ground beef (let cool and then split btwn bags)
2 whole carrots chopped per bag
2 celery stalks chopped per bag
1 cup frozen corn
3 red potatoes chopped per bag
1 can V8 split between 2 bags
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes split between 2 bags
1/2 tbsp worcestershire sauce per bag
1/2 cup beef broth per bag
1 tsp Italian seasoning per bag
1/2 tsp salt per bag
1/2 tsp pepper per bag
1 tbs sugar per bag
thaw and then place in crock pot with 1.5 cups of water and 15 oz of beef broth. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4. I have even placed this one in the crock pot mostly frozen on high for 4 hours and then turned it to low for the last 2 hours.
Health BBQ Chicken (2 bags)
2 green peppers split btwn bags
1 red pepper split btwn bags
1 zuchinni splitt btwn bags
3 onions split btwn bags
6 red potatoes split btwn bags
4 garlic cloves split btwn bags
6 chicken breasts (uncooked and halved) spllit between 2 bags
1/2 tbsp quick cooking tapioca per bag (you will find this in the baking secion...you can not use tapioca pudding)
1 tbsp brown sugar per bag
1 tbsp worcestershire per bag
1 tbsp mustard per bag
1/4 tsp salt per bag
Thaw and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours in the crock pot. Serve with rice or over egg noodles.
Yankee Pot Roast (1 bag)
2.5 pounds of beef chuck roast cut into serving pieces (uncooked)
3 med potatoes unpeeled and quartered
2 large carrots chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
1 med onion sliced
2 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 cup of beef broth
cook on low for 8 to 9 hours in the crock pot. This is another one that I make in the morning, double the recipe and freeze one.
layered Enchillada Casserole
2 cups cooked chicken
1 can diced tomatoes drained
1 can black beans drained
1 tub sante fe blend philidelphia cook cream cheese
2 cups shredded cheese
3 flour torillas
mix chicken, tomatoes, black beans and cream cheese. Place mixture on bottom of a pie dish or freezr pan, then top with a tortilla, mixture, tortilla, mixture, tortilla and finally top with remaining mixture and cheese.
thaw and back at 350 for 30 minutes covered. Then uncover and cook for 5-10 more minutes until cheese is melted.
Here is one that I don't freeze but LOVE...
Pulled Pork
Pork Roast (rub with salt and pepper)
3 cups Apple Juice
Place Pork roast in crock pot and then pour juice over the top cook for 8-10 hours on low. Use a fork to shred meat and then add bbq sauce and serve with buns. For the leftovers I fry up corn tortillas add pork and top with coleslaw (got this idea from my cousin) It is now a family favorite and beyond easy!
First off I buy in bulk to cut down on cost and will make double batches all the time. You can either freeze them all at once or sometimes I will make one for dinner that night, double the recipe and then freeze one for the next month.
This one is SUPER easy...
Chicken and wild rice
1 box wild rice with seasoning
1 can cream of mushroom
1 can cream of chicken
1 can water
1 small can mushrooms (drained)
6 boneless chicken thighs (uncooked)
1 cup slivered almonds (optional)
Mix together rice, seasoning, both soups, water and mushrooms.
Pour into 8x8 freezer dish, top with chicken and almonds
Double wrap and label (I write with permanent right on the foil so my husband knows the directions incase I'm not home :)
Thaw, uncover and bake at 350 for 1 hour
This is one that I always make for dinner and then freeze another. My family really likes this one.
*For the next recipes make sure you have freezer gallon bags. Always label before you start putting the ingredients in :)
Teriyaki Chicken (makes one bag)
2 chicken breasts cut up (uncooked)
1 20 oz can of pineapple (you can drain juice or put it in the bag for a sweeter sauce)
1-1 1/2 cup baby carrots
1 onion sliced
1 red pepper
1/2 cup of Teriyaki sauce in bag
thaw and add 1/4 cup of sauce to the crock pot. Cook on low 8 hours or high for 4. Serve over rice
Savory Beef Vegtable Soup (2 bags)
1 onion and 2 garlic cloves cooked with 1.5 to 2 pounds ground beef (let cool and then split btwn bags)
2 whole carrots chopped per bag
2 celery stalks chopped per bag
1 cup frozen corn
3 red potatoes chopped per bag
1 can V8 split between 2 bags
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes split between 2 bags
1/2 tbsp worcestershire sauce per bag
1/2 cup beef broth per bag
1 tsp Italian seasoning per bag
1/2 tsp salt per bag
1/2 tsp pepper per bag
1 tbs sugar per bag
thaw and then place in crock pot with 1.5 cups of water and 15 oz of beef broth. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4. I have even placed this one in the crock pot mostly frozen on high for 4 hours and then turned it to low for the last 2 hours.
Health BBQ Chicken (2 bags)
2 green peppers split btwn bags
1 red pepper split btwn bags
1 zuchinni splitt btwn bags
3 onions split btwn bags
6 red potatoes split btwn bags
4 garlic cloves split btwn bags
6 chicken breasts (uncooked and halved) spllit between 2 bags
1/2 tbsp quick cooking tapioca per bag (you will find this in the baking secion...you can not use tapioca pudding)
1 tbsp brown sugar per bag
1 tbsp worcestershire per bag
1 tbsp mustard per bag
1/4 tsp salt per bag
Thaw and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours in the crock pot. Serve with rice or over egg noodles.
Yankee Pot Roast (1 bag)
2.5 pounds of beef chuck roast cut into serving pieces (uncooked)
3 med potatoes unpeeled and quartered
2 large carrots chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
1 med onion sliced
2 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 cup of beef broth
cook on low for 8 to 9 hours in the crock pot. This is another one that I make in the morning, double the recipe and freeze one.
layered Enchillada Casserole
2 cups cooked chicken
1 can diced tomatoes drained
1 can black beans drained
1 tub sante fe blend philidelphia cook cream cheese
2 cups shredded cheese
3 flour torillas
mix chicken, tomatoes, black beans and cream cheese. Place mixture on bottom of a pie dish or freezr pan, then top with a tortilla, mixture, tortilla, mixture, tortilla and finally top with remaining mixture and cheese.
thaw and back at 350 for 30 minutes covered. Then uncover and cook for 5-10 more minutes until cheese is melted.
Here is one that I don't freeze but LOVE...
Pulled Pork
Pork Roast (rub with salt and pepper)
3 cups Apple Juice
Place Pork roast in crock pot and then pour juice over the top cook for 8-10 hours on low. Use a fork to shred meat and then add bbq sauce and serve with buns. For the leftovers I fry up corn tortillas add pork and top with coleslaw (got this idea from my cousin) It is now a family favorite and beyond easy!
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