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Friends and family around us are in transitions and distractions of all kinds, some joyful, some scary. This week's kitchen activities will be centered on mass-production of freezer meals that will benefit both our family and those we love.
Dinners:
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 1 lb. breakfast sausage
1/2 onion, chopped fine 2 baby bell peppers, or 1 large Grated cheese to your taste 4 eggs -- I use 1 cup Egg Beaters 1 c. Bisquick mix -- I use Heart Smart 2 c. milk Salt, pepper Cook sausage with onions and peppers, drain. Put sausage mix in the bottom of a 13x9 pan. Sprinkle cheese over sausage. Mix together eggs, milk and Bisquick. Pour over sausage and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Bake 20-25 minutes, 350 degrees. To make ahead, follow instructions above up to cooking point. Freeze. Thaw overnight, bake 40 minutes, 350 degrees.  Nothing better on a winter day than soup and crusty bread. And soup is the ultimate way to clean out the pantry. Ingredients:
3-4 slices of bacon, chopped 1 small onion or 1/2 large onion (red, yellow, white), chopped 1 mini sweet red pepper, chopped finely (What's this?) 2 cloves garlic, chopped Kosher salt and black pepper 1 T. flour 4 cups chicken stock or broth (I used the turkey stock I had in the freezer) 4 cups peeled, finely diced potatoes (I like Yukon Gold) 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels 1 can evaporated milk 1/2 tsp. dried thyme 1 tsp. dried parseley (or 2 T. fresh, chopped) Instructions: In a heavy stockpot, brown bacon until almost crisp. Remove some of the bacon and reserve for garnish. Add onions and garlic to the pot and saute 2 minutes -- make sure the garlic doesn't burn! Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle on the flour and mix into the onion mixture, and then add the broth and potatoes. Cover the pot and bring to a boil; then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or till the potatoes are tender. Add the corn. Cover and simmer everything about 5 minutes longer to blend the flavors. Stir in the milk. Season with the thyme, parsley, some more salt, and lots of freshly ground black pepper to taste. Garnish with the bacon bits you've been saving.  Patsy Cline was born on September 8, and to celebrate her birthday, I'm posting an easy and yummo crockpot flank steak recipe. Here's a link to remind you of this woman's gift to music -- a video of her singing "I Fall to Pieces." Ingredients:
2 lbs flank steak 2 T olive oil 2 red onions, sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced 3/4 cup ketchup 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 3 sprigs thyme Instructions: In a large skillet, heat the oil and brown the steak on all sides; remove from pan and place in the crock pot. Add the remaining ingredients to the oil, scraping the pan to gather all the juices. Scrape skillet ingredients over the steak, cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until steak is tender. WWP+: 10 pts Sweet Kate, my best friend. I have made this pizza kit for you. Xoxo Ingredients: 1 Whole Foods pizza crust Mozzarella cheese Caramelized onions Spinach 2 T. Alfredo sauce 2 Slices of bacon, crumbled ½ cup of cooked, cubed chicken Instructions: Assemble all, mozzarella last. Cook directly on oven rack for 12 minutes.  
Ingredients:
3/4 pound(s) uncooked chicken or turkey sausage, casings removed 1 T. olive oil 1 cup shredded carrots 1 medium onion, chopped 28 oz canned diced tomatoes 10 oz frozen green peas, thawed 2 T. tomato paste 3 tsp. of your favorite Italian herbs Salt and pepper to taste 12 oz uncooked whole-wheat rigatoni pasta, cooked according to package 8 oz shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brown sausage in 1T. olive oil. Remove from skillet and set aside. Add carrots and onions to the skillet and saute about 3 minutes, or until soft. Add the tomatoes, peas, tomato paste, herbs, salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes until nicely settled. Add cooked pasta and half of the cheese. Stir. Spread evenly in 9 x 13 baking pan, and top evenly with remaining cheese. Baked until the cheese has melted and the casserole is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before slicing into 8 pieces. Weight Watchers PPs: 8  Ingredients:
1 to 2 tablespoons vinegar, like cider, balsamic, or red wine 2 to 3 teaspoons dried herbs, like thyme, oregano, or crumbed bay leaf 1 to 2 tablespoons mustard, whole grain or Dijon 1 to 2 teaspoon garlic or onion powder, optional 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, each about 6 ounces Instructions: Put the vinegar, herbs, mustard, powders if using and oil in a large re-sealable plastic bag. Close the bag and shake to combine all the ingredients. Open the bag, drop in the chicken breast in the bag. Close and shake the bag to coat evenly. Heat a grill or grill pan. When the grill is hot, place the chicken on the grill and cook for about 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through. You can also bake the thawed chicken in a 375 degree F oven for 15 minutes, or until cooked through. Note: Can freeze pre-made recipe for up to 2 weeks. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Weight Watchers: 5 PPs 
You know how we love Z'Tejas here in Ausitn (and have made some of the recipes from their website). We had some yummy leftover mac and cheese and some grilled chicken from our dinner there.
For some freezer treats for Zoe, I combined cut these leftovers to make mini mac and cheese bites. Ingredients: 2 1/2 c. leftover mac and cheese 3/4 c. grilled chicken, cut into small cubes Bread crumbs Cooking spray Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease mini muffin tray with cooking spray. Combine mac and cheese with chicken. Fill muffin tray, then top with bread crumbs. Cook for about 15 minutes, then cool for 15 minutes. Put in freezer bag for future use, or enjoy immediately!  Ingredients:
1 package of breakfast sausage 1 small onion, diced 1 cup white wine 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 can navy or cannellini beans, rinsed ¼ of a head of a large Savoy cabbage, or ½ of a head of a small one, shredded Handful of diced carrots 2 small or 1 large Yukon gold potatoes, cubed 1 cup chicken broth ½ cup milk (or ½ cup buttermilk and 1 T. sugar) Pepper and salt to taste Instructions: Brown the breakfast sausage with the onions in a skillet. Transfer the sausage and onion to a heavy stock pot. Deglaze the skillet with the white wine over medium high heat, scraping all the brown bits. Add wine and brown bits to the stock pot, along with the garlic, beans, and cabbage. Turn on the heat under the stock pot, medium high. The cabbage will start to wilt a little, and while it is, add the potatoes and carrots. Add the chicken broth and the milk, and season with pepper and salt to taste. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Serve with bacon cheddar and chive biscuits. Martha Stewart has a GREAT meat loaf recipe. I’ve altered the recipe slightly so that I can have individual sized meat loaves in the freezer to pop in the oven on those days I work late or am returning from a day trip. You can find the recipe here: http://www.marthastewart.com/315282/all-american-meatloaf  Tips I’ve found useful:
I don’t top with onions or the remaining ketchup mix; rather, I use BBQ sauce. If I don’t have any celery on hand, I’ll substitute half a yellow squash. Don't pack the meatloaf tightly into the cups. They will be more tender if only loosely packed. This will make 18 standard size muffins --OR-- 12 muffins and one mini-loaf. These sometimes spill over the muffin tin. Place muffin tins on a lined cookie sheet for easy clean-up. To freeze, remove from muffin tin and place on a baking sheet in the freezer until frozen. Then wrap each in plastic wrap and place in freezer bag. If you make these, let me know how they turned out for you, or if you made them even better! :) |
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