Freezer Meat and Pasta Bake

Oh, soooo good!!!! I guarantee it...make it!

2 cups bowtie pasta, uncooked
1 lb ground beef
1 onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 t. garlic salt
3 cups spaghetti sauce
8 oz. cream cheese
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup parmesan cheese

Cook bowtie pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside. Brown beef, onion and garlic until beef is no longer pink; drain. Add spaghetti sauce and garlic salt; simmer for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese and milk, Microwave 1-2 minutes on high, stirring once. Stir with a whisk until blended. Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Place cream cheese mixture in lined 9x9 inch casserole dish. Spread cooked pasta on top of cream cheese mixture. Top with beef mixture and remaining parmesan cheese. (I also added some mozzarella to the top, too). Freeze, using foil and plastic wrap or gallon size baggie.



Cooking Day:
Remove from freezer and allow to thaw to a slushy state. Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 25-30 minutes, covered. Uncover and bake 5-10 more minutes until bubbly.


Oh yum!

Obviously, I didn't use a 9x9 pan. I used loaf pans because then I could divide the original recipe in half, eat one half and freeze the other half. That's all my family will eat in one meal any way.

Freezer Meal...Super Yummy Beef Chimichangas

I made this the other night and it is super yummy!!!!

Cooking Day
1tsp salt
2 lbs lean ground beef
2 cloves garlic, crush
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp oregano, crushed
1/2 cup canned green chilies, chopped
1/2 cup taco sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cider vinegar (If you are doubling this recipe, do not double the vinegar...go with 1/4 cup + 1/8 cup)

Serving Day
1 cup butter melted
7 inch tortillas

Sprinkle salt in medium skillet. Place over medium heat. Add beef, garlic and spices. Cook until meat loses pinkness. Stir in remaining ingredients. Remove from heat and cool.

To serve, heat skillet, melt butter. Dip both sides of tortillas, one at a time, into the butter to soften. Drain off excess. Mound 1/3 cup filling into center of tortilla and roll up like an envelope. Place seam side down in ungreased baking dish. Repeat until you have as many chimichangas as you want.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees and bake until crispy, about 15 minutes, sprinkle with cheese and return for a few seconds.

Top with all the typical Mexican Food goodies. We just used sour cream and home made green chili.

(Any extra meat mixture you have, put in a freezer bag, label and freeze for another meal!)

Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

Okay, so I guess next year I have to go back to work full time (blick) and so I have to start planning ahead my meals. So I've decided that I will begin making a freezer meal each time I make certain dishes. This Chicken Pot Pie recipe was very good.

Chicken Pot Pie
   (this recipe is adapted to what I had on hand)

4 cups cubed cooked chicken
   (boiled my chicken with some salt in the water and some frozen pearl onions)
4 cups frozen Souther-style hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 16 oz package frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and drained
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 can of cream of mushroom soup, undiluted (recipe called for Cream of Onion which wasn't something
    I could find)
1 cup milk or cream
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (I may have used a little bit more)
1 package refrigerated pie pastry

1. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, potatoes, veggies, soups, milk or cream, flour, sour cream and seasonings. Divide between two 9-in pie plates. Roll out pastry to fit the top of each pie. Cut slits in pastry. Place over filling, trim, seal and flute edges.

2. Cover and freeze one potpie for up to 3 months. Bake the second potpie at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.

3. To use frozen potpie: Remove from the freezer 30 minutes before baking. Cover edges loosely with foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees, remove foil and bake 50-55 minutes longer or until golden brown.

Jery's Left-over Rotisserie Chicken Gravy Concoction!

The kids declared this EXCELLENT!

approx. 2 cups rotisserie chicken
approx. 1 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 c flour
1 T. cornstarch
1 tsp. kitchen bouquet
1/2 c. water
1-2 T. butter

Make a gravy! Serve over mashed potatoes! YUM!!

Italian Roast Beef recipe for the crockpot

This isn't my recipe, but one I got from a twopeasinabucket gal, who calls herself Burning Feather. It really is a yummy recipe and so I don't want to have to hunt it down every time I want to make it!

Mix in Crockpot:
1 (1.25 oz) envelope dry onion soup mix
1 t. oregano
1 t. red pepper flakes
1 t. basil
1 t. dried parsley
1 large clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup water

Place on top of mixture:
3 lb chuck roast

Cook on high all day, or until meat is tender.  Turn it over every now and then if you can!

Yum, yum!

Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice Recipe

I just love this and it's so easy!

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 (4 oz can) sliced mushrooms, drained
1 teaspoon paprika
1 (16 oz) container sour cream
Hot cooked rice

In a 4 quart slow cooker, combine chicken, soup, mushrooms and paprika. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours. Stir in sour cream 30 minutes before serving. Serve over hot cooked rice. Garnish with more paprika is desired.

Crusty Pecan Chicken

Here's another recipe I made last night that was pretty good! The kids ate it, and more importantly, Jery ate it! He isn't a chicken fan and so usually when I make chicken he only eats about half. But I think he pretty much cleaned up his plate for this one!

Pecan-Crusted Chicken

1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup finely chopped pecan
2 tbsp. sesame seeds
1-1/2 tsp. paprika
1-1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, flattened slightly (ooops! I forgot to flatten!)
2 tbsp. canola oil

Place milk in a shallow bow. In another shallow bowl, combine the flour, pecans, sesame seeds, paprika, pepper and salt. Dip chicken in milk and coat in flour mixture.

Brown chicken in hot oil in a nonstick skillet. Transfer to a greased 15x10 inch baking pan. Bake, uncovered, for 15 - 20 minutes or until juices run clear.

I served this with Crash Hot Potatoes, found on the Pioneer Woman's blog (check the sidebar of blogs I watch and go to her recipe section). These were EXCELLENT!!!! I tried to put a link here, but I didn't have any luck. So you'll have to search yourself!!! Ha, ha!