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Food

Freezer Friday: Make Ahead Hamburger

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Welcome to Freezer Friday. The goal here is to make our lives easier. Due to the fact I have 4 little ones and homeschool, I need all the help I can find. Simply post a recipe that can be made, frozen and then later reheated(thawed, etc) and consumed. Make sure that you include freezing and reheating instructions in your post. Then come here and add you post (not your blog) into Mr. Linky.
Now for some disclaimers:
If it isn’t a recipe, I will delete it.
If it can’t be made ahead, I will delete it.
If you don’t have a family friendly site, I will delete it.
Now onto the food fun!

Make Ahead Hamburger

This is really more of a process than a recipe. The purpose for this is to have packets of hamburger, of about 1 pound weight, waiting for you cooked and ready to go in the freezer. I think take it out and put it into spaghetti, cheeseburger pie, hamburger helper or anything that calls for hamburger. You can even add taco seasonings to it after it is cooked to do tacos or taco baked potatoes.

Basically, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then put your hamburger into an appropriate sized cooking dish. For example, I did about 8 pounds this week and split it between a 9×13 and an 8 1/2 x11. Then season and stir like you would in a skillet. You will use a lot of seasonings because you are cooking a lot of meat. I personally use garlic, Pappy’s, and chili powder. Place the dishes in the oven and turn on the timer for 15 minutes. The come back and stir the meat, placing back in the oven for another 20 minutes if needed. Continue this process until all the meat is cooked. Then drain off (I tend to spoon it out) most of the grease. Let cool. Then divide it into 1 pound (or what ever size you use) packages. Then freeze nice and flat. To use it you have a couple of choices. You can set it on the counter or in the refrigerator to cool. Another way is to take the nice frozen meat and crumble it into a skillet, add a little water and thaw that way.

So add you recipe and enjoy cooking!

Technorati Tags: Cooking, Freezer Fridays, Make Ahead

Food

Freezer Friday: Chicken Kiev

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Welcome to Freezer Friday. The goal here is to make our lives easier. Due to the fact I have 4 little ones and homeschool, I need all the help I can find. Simply post a recipe that can be made, frozen and then later reheated(thawed, etc) and consumed. Make sure that you include freezing and reheating instructions in your post. Then come here and add you post (not your blog) into Mr. Linky.
Now for some disclaimers:
If it isn’t a recipe, I will delete it.
If it can’t be made ahead, I will delete it.
If you don’t have a family friendly site, I will delete it.
Now onto the food fun!

Chicken Kiev is one of those dishes that always sounds so complicated but in reality is very simple. This is even a dish you can cook in bulk and finish later. This week I made 24 of these. But first, some ingredients.

Software:
Chicken Breasts
Softened Margarine or butter mixed with Garlic or Garlic Powder
Egg
Milk
Bread Crumbs
Oil for browning

Hardware:
Cutting Board
Meat Tenderizer (Mallot)
2 bowls
Skillet
Baking Dish
Toothpicks
Spatula

Procedure:
First pound out some chicken breasts to make them even thickness. Then cut a pocket in the side and place a slice of garlic butter in it. Mix egg and milk together in one bowl. Then place bread crumbs in another bowl. Dredge the chicken breast in the milk/egg mixture and then the breadcrumbs. Transfer to heated skillet and brown on all sides. Then transfer to baking dish and cook in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

To make as a Freezer meal:
After browning allow the chicken breast to cool. Then freeze. I take them out frozen and cook them for 1 hour at 350 degrees or thawed they cook 30-45 minutes.

Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: chicken kiev, freezer friday, cooking

Food

Freezer Friday: Shredded Roast Beef

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Due to the fact I have 4 little ones and homeschool, I need all the help I can find. Simply post a recipe that can be made, frozen and then later reheated(thawed, etc) and consumed. Make sure that you include freezing and reheating instructions in your post. Then come here and add you post (not your blog) into Mr. Linky.
Now for some disclaimers:
If it isn’t a recipe, I will delete it.
If it can’t be made ahead, I will delete it.
If you don’t have a family friendly site, I will delete it.
Now onto the food fun!

Shredded Roast Beef

This is a great recipe. I like it over rice or on hamburger buns.

Ingredients:
3 lbs Beef Roast
1/3 cup Dehydrated Onion
1 can Tomato Sauce (8 oz)
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
2 tsp Minced Garlic
1/2 cup Water

Assembly:
Mix up everything but the meat. Put the meat in the Crockpot and cover with the rest of the ingredients. Then turn it on low all day or over night. Then cool slightly and put all the stock in the refrigerator. Then shred meat with 2 forks (or by hand). Then remove cold stock from frig and remove the layer of fat. Then mix the stock and meat. The Place in muffin cups (use liners if using a muffin tin). Then freeze individually. To reheat thaw (remove paper liners) and microwave or heat on the stove.

That is it! Now add your recipe!

Food

Cheap and Easy Recipes: Pork Loin Chops 2 Ways

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So here is an installment of my cheap and easy recipes. Pork Loin is something that is good for you and cheap. First, I get my pork loin chops at Costco. Usually it is 9 to a tray. I then cut them in half because they start about 1 1/2 inches thick. BTW, June 19th-June 25th there is a Passport Coupon at Costco for $5 off (an even better deal!).
Baked Pork Loin:
I take 1/2 bottle of Lawry’s Marinade (any liquid marinade would do) and marinade for anywhere from 20 minutes to hours. Then preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Put into any lipped baking dish. Pop it in the oven for 25 minutes and you are done!
Breaded Pork Loin:
This takes just a bit more effort. Make a mixture of 2:1 seasoned bread crumbs to shredded parmesan cheese. To save time, buy your pamesan preshredded in the deli area. Get a large skillet or griddle and heat it up at medium high heat. Bread both sides of the pork loin chop and put it the lightly oil skillet. Cook until done. One way to see if the pork is cooked through is to watch the side. When it is completely white and the pork is firm to the touch, it is done. Usually about 7 minutes a side.

And that is it. 2 easy and different ways to make pork loin chops!

Food

Freezer Friday: No Boil, Ready for the Freezer, Spinach Lasagna

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Welcome to the first Freezer Friday. Basically, I am looking for make ahead food that is cooked, frozen, then reheated. Please include freezing and reheating instructions. Come back each and every week for this new feature!

This recipe is a crowd favorite. It makes a huge lasagna that it great for left overs. It is easy and quick.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 qt. spaghetti sauce
1 lb. ground beef (cooked)
1 c. water
1 (15 oz.) container Ricotta
1 egg, beaten
16 oz. shredded Mozzarella cheese(divided)
1/3 c. water
3/4 c. Parmesan cheese (divided)
1 tbsp. parsley flakes
Dash nutmeg
Salt & pepper to taste
1 lb. Frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)
1 box of lasagna noodles(I usually only use 2/3rds)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Mix meat, 1 quart of sauce and water in a saucepan and heat to boiling. In a large bowl mix together Ricotta cheese, beaten egg, 8 oz of Mozzarella cheese, 1/3 cup water, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, parsley flakes, spinach and nutmeg. Add salt and pepper if desired. Rinse your lasagna noodles in hot water. Then prepare to assemble.

Assembly:

In a 9 x 13 pan place a little sauce to cover the bottom. Then place enough noodles to cover (usually 3-4). Then some of your cheese mixture. Then sauce, noodles and cheese again until you have used all your cheese mixture (usually 2 layers of cheese). Then pour extra sauce over the top (since your noodles aren’t boiled, they need plenty of moisture). Then sprinkle 1/2 of parmesan and a generous amount of mozzarella (you may not use all of the remaining 8 oz.) over the top. Make sure you don’t see edges of the noodles poking out to avoid hard edges.

The cover with aluminum foil and bake 40 minutes. Then uncover and bake another 15 minutes. Then remove from the oven and let it sit for 5 -10 minutes.

Freezer Option: After assembled wrap in aluminum foil and freeze. Thaw overnight in fridge and then cook for 50 minutes at 350 degrees, uncover and cook for another 15 minutes and let sit 5-10 minutes.

This is a great make ahead dish! Go enjoy!

Food

Crockpot Thursday: Crockpot Ribs

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Here is an easy rib recipe that was modified from a Robin Miller recipe. I have made this with Beef ribs, boneless country style ribs, and spareribs (which is what the original calls for). I take the leftover meat and put it into my Alfredo Pasta Bake
Ingredients:
About 6lbs of ribs (any kind)
2 Cans of Tomato Sauce (15 oz)
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
2 tbl Red Wine Vinegar
1 tbl Soy Sauce
1 tbl Chili Powder
2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cayenne Powder

Process:
I cut my ribs apart first in order to ease serving. Then put them in the bottom of the crockpot. In a separate bowl mix all the other ingredients. Then dump it into the crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

Don’t forget to come back for Freezer Friday!

Food

Crockpot Thursday – Basic Roast

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Here is my first crockpot recipe on this blog. I am starting with a basic roast and potatoes. This may be redundant to some of you but when I got my crockpot I had no idea.

Ingredients:
Hunk of beast (beef, pork, chicken, etc)
Potatoes
Seasonings
1/4 cup Liquid

Process:
First, wash and cut potatoes into large chucks (I half red potatoes). When you cut them you encourage more flavor into them. Then place beast on top. Then add seasonings I go a little heave on it. You can do just salt and pepper or add anything. I tend to do a low sodium Pappy’s, a little fresh garlic and dried parsley. Then add a quarter cup of coordinating liquid (beef stock with beef, chicken stock with chicken, water with pork, etc). You can always use water. Then slap the lid on. Depending how much time you have and what texture you want here are the directions. You can go low for 8 to 10 hours. For a firmer texture or quicker cook go on high for 4 to 6 hours. That is it!