Recipes from Aunt Karen

Below are a few tasty recipes courtesy of our Aunt Karen: a super aunt, stellar cook, and also a "Nye" Sista. I'm definitely making the Zucchini Cobbler to see if I can trick Greg into eating more zucchini.

BAKED CAULIFLOWER

1 med onion minced

1 garlic clove minced

4 TBSP butter, divided

2 TBSP olive oil

1 pkg (16 oz) frozen cauliflower, thawed

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

¼ C dry bread crumbs

¼ C shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet sauté onion and garlic in 2 tbsp butter and olive oil until onion is tender. Add the cauliflower, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, sauté 2 minutes. Transfer to a greased 1 qt baking dish . Melt remaining 2 tbsp butter and toss with bread crumbs. Sprinkle over cauliflower mixture. Cover and bake 350° for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes more. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 3-5 minutes longer until cheese is melted.

*We love this recipe. I just made it the other night using a mixed bag of frozen broccoli/cauliflower. This version was also good. I love the nutmeg on it; in fact I increase it to ¼ tsp.

MACARONI COLESLAW

1 pkg (7 oz) macaroni

1 pkg (16 oz) coleslaw mix

2 med onions finely chopped

2 celery ribs finely chopped

1 med cucumber finely chopped

1 med green pepper finely chopped

1 can (8 oz) whole water chestnuts, drained and chopped.

Dressing: 1 ½ C reduced fat salad dressing (or regular if you wish)

1/3 C sugar

¼ C cider vinegar

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Cook macaroni according to pkg directions, drain and rinse in cold water. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the coleslaw, onions, celery, cucumber, green pepper and water chestnuts. In a small bowl whisk the dressing ingredients. Pour over salad, toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least one hour.

*I used a red pepper as I like their taste better and low fat mayo. It was good.

PARMESAN CORNFLAKE CHICKEN

½ c crushed cornflakes

1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese

¼ c seasoned bread crumbs

1 ½ tsp dried parsley flakes

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

6 tbsp melted butter

1 cut up chicken (2-3 #), skin removed.

In a shallow bowl combine the first 6 ingredients. In another shallow bowl put the melted butter. Dip chicken in butter, and then roll in cornflake mixture. Place in a greased 13 x 9 baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

ZUCCHINI COBBLER

8 C chopped, seeded, peeled zucchini (about 3#)

2/3 C lemon juice

1 C sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground nutmeg

Crust: 4 C all purpose flour

2 C sugar

1 ½ C cold butter, cubed

1 tsp ground cinnamon

In a large saucepan over med-low heat, cook and stir zucchini and lemon juice for 15-20 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Add the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, simmer 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat, set aside. For crust, combine the flour and sugar in a bowl, cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir ½ cup of dry mixture into zucchini mixture. Press half of the remaining crust mixture into a greased 15 x 10 x 1 baking pan. Spread zucchini over top, crumble remaining crust mixture over zucchini. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 375° for 35-40 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

*This is a fooler and a great way to use those large zucchini. I did not take time to pick out seeds. I just peeled and chopped. We never noticed the seeds when we ate it. It makes a lot, so it was fun to cut it all up and Dan took some to work and made every one try to guess what the middle was. Everyone guessed apple.

Fall Comfort Muffins

I've had this recipe from The Finer Things in Life for a while and finally decided to make it. It was a hit! The pumpkin flavor is barely there, but I like that it adds some nutrition.

Ingredients:
1 c. melted butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. honey
4 eggs
1/3 c. water
1 c. mashed banana
1 c. pumpkin puree
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. Pampered Chef Cinnamon Plus (I used a CopyCat recipe) or pumpkin pie spice
2 c. white flour
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. chocolate chips (or a few more)

Directions:
Blend sugar and butter. Add honey, eggs, and water. Mix well. Add banana and pumpkin. Mix well. Stir dry ingredients together, add to wet batter just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Makes 3 dozen muffins exactly (using my Pampered Chef large scoop).

Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie

Found this in the Kraft Family Food magazine - also online here.

Ingredients:
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 pkg. frozen vegetable blend (16 oz.)
1/2 lb. VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product (8 oz.) cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 can reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup (10-3/4 oz.)
1 can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls (8 oz.)

Directions:
1. HEAT oven to 375ºF.

2. COMBINE first 4 ingredients in 13x9-inch baking dish.

* If freezing, wrap with alum foil and freeze. Thaw before proceding with recipe.

3. UNROLL dough; place over chicken mixture.

4. BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until crust is golden brown.

Servings: 8

Aug/Sept OAMC Plan

I scored a great deal on chicken breasts - $0.97/lb! The catch is that they were skin-on, bone-in breasts. We bought 26 lbs and Doug (bless his heart) spent over an hour skinning and removing the meat for me.

I also got some ground chuck on sale this week, hence the chicken/beef only plan:

* 1 Southwestern Chicken Lasagna (Doug did NOT like this, but I really did!)
* 1 Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie
* 1 Chicken Enchilada Casserole
* 1 Chicken Lo Mein
* 2 Honey Lime Chicken
* 2 Dad's Chicken Parmesan
* 6 Homemade Meatballs
* 2 Lil Cheddar Meatloaves
* 1 All Purpose Taco Blend
* 2 Burrito Pie

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

• These are super good!
• 
  
• Ingredients
• 
  
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• Unsalted butter
• 2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving
• Pure maple syrup

Directions

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Distribute a rounded tablespoon of bananas on each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. Serve with sliced bananas, butter and maple syrup.

Pita Bread

Last September I started baking our own sandwich bread. I kinda set a goal for myself to bake all our own bread and also try making pita pockets, English Muffins and tortillas. You saw the tortilla post, so here's my pita bread. It didn't really "puff" into pockets, but was thick enough to cut a serviceable slit in most of them. They tasted great! I will definitely try this again.

Pita Bread

3 c unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp instant yeast
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 c water
2 tbsp vegetable oil

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Knead the dough with dough hook for 5 minutes until it's smooth. Place dough in greased bowl and let rest for 1 hour.

Turn dough out onto oiled work surface and divide into eight pieces. Roll 2-4 of the pieces into 6 inch circles and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Let rest, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place baking sheet on lowest rack and bake for 5 minutes. Then place on middle rack and back additional 2 minutes, or until brown.

Remove pitas from oven and wrap in clean towel to keep them soft. Repeat with remaining dough. Store pitas in airtight plastic bag.

My Whole Wheat Bread

Here is the recipe for the bread that I make for our family. I crank out about two loaves a week, on average. Much cheaper, healthier and yummier than you buy from a store!

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp milk
2 tbsp oil (I use vegetable oil)
1/4 cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
2 cups white flour (unbleached)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dry active yeast

Directions:
* Measure all ingredients into bread machine and set on Dough cycle. Wait 1:20 until finished (or whatever your machine does).

* With lightly greased hands, gently shape dough and place into greased bread pan (I love my Pampered Chef stone one) and cover with clean towel.

* Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled - approx. 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 in the meantime.

* Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

* Let rest in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.

Quick Chicken Curry

I went to look for this recipe on our blog and was shocked to find it had not yet been posted! It is one of my all time favorite OAMC meals. I am a big fan of texture in my food, and this one really hits the spot.

Ingredients:
1 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
2 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup cream of coconut or coconut milk
2 tablespoons curry powder
3 cubes chicken bouillon
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cooked chicken, shredded (1 rotisserie chicken = 3 cups)

Accoutrements:
White Rice (I prefer Jasmine rice)
Toasted coconut
Cashews
Raisins

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, cook onion and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in flour. Gradually add milk, stirring until smooth. Add coconut, curry and bouillon. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Add lemon juice. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add chicken and cook 10 more minutes.

2. Serve over rice with condiments (toasted flake coconut, cashews, raisins).

Fast & Healthy Chicken Recipes

Tropical Lime Chicken

Ingredients:

• SALSA:
• 1/2 cup pineapple tidbits
• 1 medium kiwifruit, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• CHICKEN:
• 3 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 teaspoon grated lime peel
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
• 1 cup uncooked couscous

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the salsa ingredients; cover and refrigerate until serving.
In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the lime juice, oil, lime peel, salt and pepper; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 2-4 hours.
Drain and discard marinade. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 3 in. from the heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Meanwhile, cook couscous according to package directions. Serve with chicken and salsa. Yield: 4 servings (1 cup salsa)

Baked Mushroom Chicken

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 pound)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions

Directions:

Flatten each chicken breast half to 1/4-in. thickness. Place flour in a resealable plastic bag; add chicken, a few pieces at a time. Seal and shake to coat.
In a large skillet, brown chicken in 2 tablespoons butter on both sides. Transfer to a greased 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish. In the same skillet, saute mushrooms in the remaining butter until tender. Add the broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook for 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup. Spoon over chicken.
Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheeses and green onions. Bake 5 minutes longer or until the chicken juices run clear. Yield: 4 servings.

Garlic Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
  
• 1-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemaryor .4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
  
• 1-1/2 teaspoons rubbed sage
  
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 pounds)
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  
• 20 garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
  
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
  
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  
• 1/4 cup white wine or reduced-sodium chicken broth
  
• 1-1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
  
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

• DIRECTIONS

  In a large resealable plastic bag, combine 2 tablespoons flour, rosemary, sage, salt and pepper; add chicken. Seal bag and shake to coat. In a large nonstick skillet, brown chicken in 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat for 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to an 8-in. square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 15 minutes.
  Meanwhile, in the same skillet, saute the garlic, onion and red pepper flakes in remaining oil until onion is tender and garlic begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in wine or broth; bring to a boil. Boil until wine is reduced by half, about 2-3 minutes.
  Stir in chicken broth; bring to a boil. Boil until broth is reduced by half, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  Combine butter and remaining flour; whisk into skillet. Return to heat. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until sauce thickens. Serve warm over chicken breasts. Sprinkle with parsley. Yield: 4 servings.

  
  

  
  

Slower Cooker Beefy French Onion Soup

Chaz really liked this one- might be too hot/hearty for summer though

Serving Size : 8

7 small onions, cut in half and thinly sliced (7 cups)
2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs butter or margarine, melted
2 dried bay leaves
1 1/2 lbs beef stew meat
1 cup apple juice
3 cans (10 1/2 ounces each) condensed beef consommé
1/4 cup dry sherry
8 slices (1/2 inch thick) French bread, toasted
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese (8 ounces)

Prep Day: Chop onions, place in freezer bag. Keep separate from meat.
Prepare dry ingredients. Freeze meat and onions.

Serving Day: Thaw onions and meat. Toss onions, butter and sugar in 5- to
6-quart slow cooker. Top with bay leaves and beef. Cover and cook on Low heat setting
9 to 10 hours or until onions are deep brown. Stir in beef consommé, sherry, apple
juice and thyme. Increase heat setting to High. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until hot.
Remove bay leaves.

To Serve, spoon into ovenproof soup bowls and top each serving with slice
of toast and cheese. If desired, broil with tops 6 inches from heat 3 to 5
minutes or until cheese is bubbly and begins to brown.

Amazing Pork Tenderloin

This was a new one we tried last month- very good and couldn't be easier!

Serving Size : 6

1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
1 cup water
3/4 cup red wine
3 Tbs minced garlic
3 Tbs soy sauce
freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Cooking Day: Mix all wet and dry marinade ingriedents, exept for pork.
Pour into a storage container. Package pork to be frozen. Then freeze pork &
marinade.

3. Serving Day: Thaw pork & marniade. Place pork tenderloin in a slow cooker
and pour the contents of the marinade bag over the top. Cook on low setting for 4
hours. Serve with cooking liquid on the side as au jus.

Handmade Tortillas

So I finally tried my hand at tortilla making. It was actually rather fun! They turned out well, much to my surprise. The recipe is easy, but it was a little messy and time-consuming to roll out each one and cook them up. I used a LOT of flour to keep them from sticking, and found the trick was to keep them very thin.

INGREDIENTS:
* 2 cups flour
* 1 tsp. salt
* 1/2 stick butter, softened
* 3/4 cups water

DIRECTIONS:
Mix all ingredients. Form into golf ball size balls. Roll out flat into a circle. Cook on each side in a dry non-stick pan until starting to brown.

I think this made about 13 tortillas?

Rav'n Ravioli

Adapted from Pampered Chef and found on Supper Swappers.

INGREDIENTS:
1 medium green bell pepper
1/2 C onion, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 jar (26-28 ounces) spaghetti sauce
1 1/4 C water
12 French bread baguette slices
1/4 C butter, melted
1 C mozzarella cheese
1/4 C fresh grated Parmesan cheese
18 ounces refrigerated ravioli (* I used frozen)

COOKING DAY:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop bell pepper and onion. Heat olive oil
over medium-high heat; add pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in spaghetti sauce, ravioli and water. Bring to a boil.
Spoon half of the ravioli mixture into 9 inch pie plate or similar sized baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese and remaining ravioli mixture.

SERVING DAY:
Thaw ravioli mixture.
Bake 20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter and add bread slices, tossing to coat evenly.
After 20 minutes of baking, arrange bread slices around edge of baking dish, pressed slightly into ravioli mixture. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over bread and ravioli mixture. Bake 15-20 minutes or until ravioli is heated through and bread is crisp and deep golden brown.

Serves: 6

Mexican Style Shredded Pork

I found an AMAZING deal on pork, and bought a 10 lb roast that had to be dealt with. This recipe was a good one. The chipotle flavor was excellent. I've had success with freezing rice before, but this rice came out mushy. Next time I'll just freeze the pork and cook the rice up the day of.


NOTE: I don't care for the lime juice in the rice. Also, if you have a hard time finding the chipotle sauce - look in the BBQ sauce section. :)

INGREDIENTS:
1 (3 pound) boneless pork loin roast, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chile peppers
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup chipotle sauce
3 1/4 cups water, divided
1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain white rice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

DIRECTIONS:
Place the roast in a slow cooker, and season with salt. Place chile peppers and garlic on top of roast. Pour in the chipotle sauce and 1/2 cup water.
Cover, and cook 7 hours on Low.

In a pot, bring remaining 2 3/4 cups water and rice to a boil. Mix in the lime juice and cilantro. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.

Remove roast from the slow cooker, and use two forks to shred. Return pork to the slow cooker, and allow to sit 15 minutes to absorb some of the liquid. Serve over the cooked rice.

Serves: 6

April OAMC Plan

I started running out of meal selection, so whipped together a few more recipes for the freezer. As we try the new recipes, I'll post links to the good ones for ya.

Here's what we made:

* 2 Rav'n Ravioli *new*
* 2 Crockpot Jambalaya
* 2 Quick Chicken Curry
* 1 Impossibly Easy Italian Chicken Pie *new*
* 2 Mexican Style Shredded Pork *new*

Apple-Raisin Oven Pancake

I got a couple free recipe books in the mail, and tried out this oven pancake recipe for breakfast. It was very yummy! Doug thought it would be even better with a cream sauce of some kind. Maybe I'll try this one from Paula Deen? :)

INGREDIENTS:
1 apple, cored, peeled and sliced
1/3 c. raisins
2 tbsp brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 eggs
2/3 c. milk
2/3 c. flour
2 tbsp butter, melted
Powered sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine apples, raisins, brown sugar and cinnamon. Put into a greased 9 inch pie plate.

2. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Increase oven temp to 450 degrees.

3. Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, milk, flour and butter. Pour over apple mixture. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden. Pancake will puff up and fall slightly when removed from oven.

4. Sprinkle with powered sugar and slice into wedges. Serve warm.

Servings: 6

Granola Bars

I've been wanting to try to make my own granola bars for a while now. Doug loves the Nature Valley Trail Mix bars, and takes one to work each day. My goal was to copy them, and I found a great recipe online, and have copied it below. (You should really check out the link, however, as the step-by-step photos are great.) Minus the almonds, these are nearly identical! And he said they even taste more "natural." One more thing - I found that the waxed paper stuck like glue to the bars, even with nonstick spray. I think next time I will just spray the glass pan and use wax paper just to press down on the bars and then remove it while they're still warm.

Here's a little video with the girls' critique:


INGREDIENTS:
2 cups oats
3/4 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup peanuts, crushed
2/3 cup brown sugar (can reduce to 1/3 cup)
1/2 cup honey
4 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
approximately 8 oz. dried fruit
(*I used 1/2 raisins and 1/2 dried cranberries)
(*Nature Valley includes almonds in their Trail Mix bars, but I didn't have any)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

To crush your peanuts, put them in a plastic bag and smash them with a heavy mallet, measuring cup, or sauce pan.

Then, mix the peanuts, oats, wheat germ, and sunflower seeds in a baking dish with sides. Toast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes so that they don’t get burned.

Meanwhile, prepare a glass baking dish (about 11 x 13 inches) (*I used 9x13) for your granola by spraying with a nonstick spray.

Put the brown sugar, honey, butter, vanilla, and salt into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Let it bubble and get frothy, stirring constantly for 1 minute. This will caramelize the sugars and become the glue to help the bars stick together.

By now, your grains and nuts should be toasted, so mix everything together in a large bowl. The grains, the liquid “glue,” and the dried fruit. Mix everything w because you want to make sure the “glue” gets all over everything. Now, dump your granola mixture into your prepared baking dish.

Spread out the mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Now fold over the sides of the waxed paper or add a sheet on top, and PRESS HARD all over the granola. You want to compact it together so that your bars won’t fall apart when you cut them. Remove the wax paper.

Wait 2-3 hours or until the granola has totally cooled.

Carefully turn the granola onto a large cutting board, peeling away the rest of the paper.

Now, firmly pressing down with a big knife (not sawing), cut your granola into whatever size bars you’d like. * We like to get 20 bars from a 9x13 pan.

I wrapped ours individually in plastic wrap, so that we could just throw one into our bag or lunch box in the morning. If you’d like to save on packaging though, you can store yours in an airtight container, between sheets of waxed paper (so they don’t stick together).

Honey Lime Chicken

This was pretty good. I especially liked the flavors of the pineapple and honey. Definately one to make again. FYI: I cut up boneless chicken breasts into strips, rather than buy tenders.

INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs chicken tenders
1/2 Tbl garlic salt
1 Tbl peanut oil
1 can pineapple rings (20 oz)
1/4 cup honey
3 Tbl lime juice
2 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl cornstarch
2 c (uncooked) white rice

DIRECTIONS:
1. Sprinkle chicken with garlic salt. Brown in oil. Drain pineapple. Add one fourth of the pineapple juice to skillet. Cover and simmer 6 to 8 minutes until chicken is golden. Remove chicken. Add honey, lime juice, soy sauce, cornstarch and remainder of pineapple juice. Bring to boil. Cook and stir until thick and clear, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Allow to cool. Place chicken, pineapple rings and sauce in freezer bag. Label and freeze.

2. To serve: Thaw. Heat until sauce is hot and bubbly and chicken is heated through. Serve over white rice.

Servings: 6

Easy Pizza Hut Breadsticks

From RecipeZaar: Recipe #170013
Makes: 16 breadsticks

INGREDIENTS:
1 (10 ounce) can pizza dough (Pillsbury)
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup olive oil (approximately)
marinara sauce, for dipping

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 450º.

Unroll dough onto cutting board. Cut into 16 even strips.

Place each strip on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake 6-8 minutes until golden brown.

While dough is baking, combine all DRY ingredients.

Remove baked breadsticks from oven and brush with olive oil and quickly sprinkle evenly with dry topping.

Serve with warm marinara sauce.

Cashew Chicken

We just tried this tonight. It is FABULOUS! Perhaps my favorite OAMC recipe yet. It was so authentic tasting. This was our first time cooking with fresh ginger. We peeled it with a vegetable peeler and then chopped into small bits. It smelled amazing! Not as hard as I thought it would be. Next time maybe I might even add broccoli or celery? But it was great as-is.

Source: Once-a-month-cookingworld.com

INGREDIENTS:
½ cup catsup
4 teaspoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons sesame oil
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup cooking oil
2 tablespoons fresh gingerroot, minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 onion, chopped
1 ½ cups cashews
1 can bamboo shoots, drained and sliced
1 can water chestnuts, drained and coarsely chopped
3 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
2 cups cooked white rice

DIRECTIONS:
Cooking Day Instructions: Combine Catsup, soy sauce, salt, Worcestershire Sauce, sugar, sesame oil, cayenne pepper, and chicken broth and set aside. In a bowl, combine cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Toss the chicken with cornstarch mixture. Heat a wok or frying pan to a high heat and add cooking oil. When oil is hot add chicken. Add ginger root, garlic and onion. Stir fry mixture until chicken is cooked through and opaque. Add bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. Add catsup/soy sauce mixture to chicken and vegetables and cook until it comes to a boil. Cool, bag and freeze. Save cashews for serving.

Directions for Serving Day: Thaw bag in fridge overnight. Reheat over medium heat until just boiling. Add cashews. Serve over rice.

Burrito Pie

Source: allrecipes.com
"Ground beef, refried beans and tomatoes are combined with chilies and taco sauce, then layered in a casserole with tortillas and cheese, and baked."

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound ground beef
8 ounces shredded Colby cheese
1/2 onion, chopped
6 (8 inch) flour tortillas
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
1/2 (2 ounce) can black olives, sliced
1/2 (4 ounce) can diced green chili peppers
1/2 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chili peppers
1/2 (16 ounce) jar taco sauce

DIRECTIONS:
Cooking Day Instructions: In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the ground beef for 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté for 5 more minutes. Drain any excess fat, if desired.

Mix in the olives, green chili peppers, tomatoes with green chili peppers, taco sauce and refried beans.

Stir mixture thoroughly, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Spread a thin layer of the meat mixture in the bottom of a 8x8 pan.

Cover with a layer of tortillas followed by more meat mixture, then a layer of cheese.

Repeat tortilla, meat, cheese pattern until all the tortillas are used, topping off with a layer of meat mixture and cheese. Cover pan and Freeze.

Serving Day: Thaw. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake, covered, for 60 minutes, or until cheese is slightly brown and bubbly.

Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes

Source: Rachel Ray Show

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 1/2 pound ground beef
1 softball-sized onion, chopped
1/4 cup steak sauce
1 cup beef stock
Salt and ground black pepper
1 cup provolone, shredded

You Provide:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
8 dinner rolls

DIRECTIONS:
Cooking Day Instructions: Chop Onion set aside. Shred provolone, put in freezer baggie, label, and freeze. In large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, brown the ground beef, about 5-6 minutes. Add the onion and cook another 3-4 minutes, until the onions start to get tender. Stir in the steak sauce and beef stock, season with salt and pepper, bring up to a bubble and cook about 2 minutes. Cool and put in freezer. Label.

Serving Day Instructions: Thaw frozen ingredients. Preheat broiler on low. Reheat meat mixture in Microwave for 2 or 3 minutes. Split open rolls and toast under broiler, keep your eye on them so they don’t burn! Melt the butter in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook about 1 minute. Whisk in milk, bring up to a bubble and let thicken, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir the cheese in a figure-eight motion until it is all incorporated. To serve, place a scoopful of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the rolls, then top with the cheese sauce and replace the top of the roll.

Yield: 8 sandwiches

Beef Barley Soup

Taken from OAMC Freezer Supper Swappers.

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds bottom round roast, cubed
2 T olive oil
1/2 C butter
1 onion, diced
6 stalks celery, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 carrots, sliced
28 oz can of diced tomatoes
4 C water
4 beef bouillon cubes
1 C uncooked barley
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano

DIRECTIONS:
Cooking Day: Brown cubed beef in olive oil and set aside. Sauté onion, celery, garlic and carrots in butter until onions are clear. Add diced tomatoes, water, bouillon cubes, barley, salt, oregano and beef. Simmer at least 4 hours.

Serving Day: Thaw bags of meat and soup. Heat and serve.

OAMC Plan for March

It's been awhile since we've done a full OAMC day. One which would actually last us for an entire month. So today we went for it! Nine recipes, which will make 16 meals and should last us for at least 4 weeks (well, the chimichangas aren't done yet, but that will happen tomorrow for sure). Most of these are new recipes! I'm excited to try them out. Stay tuned for reviews...

Here's what we made:
* 1 Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes *new*
* 1 Beef Barley Soup *new*
* 3 Jamie's Minestrone
* 2 Make-Ahead Chimichangas
* 2 Penne with Rosemary Chicken
* 2 Burrito Pies *new*
* 2 Cashew Chicken *new*
* 2 Crockpot Italian Meatloaves *new* (Note: these were no good)
* 1 Honey Lime Chicken *new*

Bagel Pizzas

We flash froze these and then vacuum sealed 4-5 in a bag. We baked for a full 30 minutes. Found on Recipezaar.

INGREDIENTS:
24 bagels, split and buttered (plain)
2 lbs ground beef
1 large onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
3 cups mozzarella cheese
1 jar pizza sauce (14 ounce)
1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large skillet, brown the beef and onion; drain the fat.

2. Add salt, pepper, and garlic salt.

3. Spread 2 teaspoons of pizza sauce on each bagel. Spoon meat onto sauce. Sprinkle with parsley, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

4. Place on a cookie sheet and flash freeze. Then, place bagels in freezer bag. Store in freezer until ready to serve.

5. To serve: bake frozen at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly.

24 servings (48 bagel halves)

Make-Ahead Chimichangas

We stored the wrapped chimichangas in a couple gallon plastic bags with the instructions written on them as a reminder. We've only had them from frozen in the oven, but they are very good. Doug bakes for 55 min wrapped and only 5 min unwrapped so they're not quite so crunchy.

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups cooked chicken
16 ounces salsa
16 ounces refried beans
4 ounces green chili peppers, diced in can
1 envelope burrito seasoning mix or taco seasoning mix
16 flour tortillas (7- or 8-inch)
16 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into sixteen 5 x 1/2 inch sticks

DIRECTIONS:
1. Using two forks, shred cooked meat or chicken (should have about 3 cups).

2. In a large pot combine meat or chicken, salsa, beans, undrained chili peppers, and seasoning mix.

3. For each chimichanga, place 1/3 cup meat mixture atop a tortilla, near one edge.

4. Top with a cheese stick.

5. Fold in sides; roll up, starting with cheese side.

6. To prepare, wrap frozen chimichangas individually in foil.

7. Bake in a 350 degree F. oven about 50 minutes or until heated through. Or, thaw chimichangas in refrigerator overnight. Bake about 30 minutes. Unwrap. Bake 10 minutes more or until tortilla is crisp and brown.

Serves: 8

Old-Fashioned Chicken and Noodles

I found this recipe in Country Home and decided to make it for some friends who are under the weather. I used chicken thighs and the slow cooker method, and it couldn't have been easier! After 8 hours, I simply grabbed the thigh bones with tongs and the meat literally fell off when I gently shook it.

3 medium onions, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
3 stalks celery, sliced (1 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil or butter
3 lb. meaty chicken pieces (drumsticks, thighs, and breast halves), skinned
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
4 carrots, sliced (2 cups)
1 Tbsp. snipped fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 16-oz. pkg. frozen egg noodles
4 tsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
Fresh Thyme sprigs (optional)

1. In a Dutch oven cook onions, celery, and garlic in olive oil just until tender. Add chicken pieces, broth, water, carrots, 1 tablespoon thyme, bay leaf, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, for 25 to 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from heat. Remove chicken; set aside to cool slightly. Return pan to heat; bring broth mixture to boiling. Add frozen noodles and bring to boiling again. Reduce heat and cook, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes or until noodles are desired doneness. Meanwhile, remove meat from bones; discard bones. Chop the chicken. Remove bay leaf from noodle mixture and discard. Add cooked chicken to noodle mixture.

2. In a small bowl dissolve cornstarch in 2 tablespoons water. Add cornstarch mixture to pan along with peas and lemon juice. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly; cook and stir 2 minutes more. Garnish with thyme sprigs.

Makes 8 servings.

SLOW-COOKER DIRECTIONS: In 5- to 6-quart slow cooker place onion, celery, garlic, carrots, thyme, bay leaf, poultry seasoning, salt, and black pepper (omit olive oil and cooking of vegetables in oil). Place chicken pieces on top of vegetables. Pour chicken broth over chicken, omitting the 1 cup water. Cover; cook on low-heat setting 8 to 9 hours or on high-heat setting 4 to 4 1/2 hours. Remove chicken from cooker; cool slightly. Remove bay leaf; discard. Meanwhile, in a separate pan cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Remove chicken from bones; discard bones. Chop chicken; return to cooker with cooked noodles, peas, and lemon juice. (Omit cornstarch and water thickening step.) Stir to combine. Garnish as directed, if desired.

Penne with Rosemary Chicken

After making this recipe the first time, I think that the pasta should be cooked al dente before freezing. Will try next time and let you know how it turned out.

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 pound diced cooked chicken
1 pound penne pasta
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheese blend
½ cup yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 tbsp pimentos, drained (optional)
2 cups milk
1 ½ 15-ounce can(s) cream of mushroom soup

Directions:
Place all the ingredients into a large bowl and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to a resealable freezer bag.

For dinner tonight:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the contents of a bag into 9x13 sprayed baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 1 to 1 ¼ 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.

Serves: 6

Six Can Chicken Tortilla Soup

I LOVE this quick, easy, delicious soup! I try to always buy the ingredients when they are on sale so I can whip this together whenever I like. It also freezes well. INGREDIENTS: 1 can whole kernel corn, drained 1 can chicken broth 1 can chunk chicken 1 can black beans 1 can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, drained 1 can cream of chicken soup shredded cheddar cheese tortilla chips DIRECTIONS: Drain and rinse black beans. Pour everything into a large saucepan or stock pot. Simmer over medium heat until chicken is heated through. For OAMC: Pour everything into a gallon ziplock bag and freeze. Thaw and heat in microwave or over stove. Serve topped with shredded cheddar cheese and crumbed tortilla chips. Serves: 6

OAMC is cheaper!

This morning my friends and I cooked a bunch of OAMC recipes for Julie, whose newborn baby is in the NICU. I added up the cost for the ingredients so we could all split it up, and was again amazed by how affordable this type of cooking is. When you catch a good sale on meat, stock up and freeze. It pays!

Here's what we made:
1 Caribbean Pork over Rice
1 Penne with Rosemary Chicken
2 Charleston’s Baked Potato Soup
20 Make-Ahead Twice Baked Potatoes (5 lbs potatoes)
1 Chicken Tortilla Soup
18 Bagel Pizzas

Total cost: $48.77

That's a good week's worth of meals (lunch and dinner) and then some, for under $50.

Banana-Chip Oat Muffins

A really yummy recipe from allrecipes.com. Healthy, too!

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1 egg
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a small mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until crumbly. Beat in the bananas, egg, applesauce and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips.

Coat muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray or line with paper liners; fill three-fourths full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Yield: 12 - 16 muffins

Crockpot Jambalaya

It's been a while since I've added a new OAMC recipe, but this is a keeper. It's adapted from the Dream Dinners cookbook. We ate it over steamed white rice, and Doug LOVED it! It has lot of flavor and is super easy to make.

Ingredients:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into thirds
1/2 lb. kielbasa, sliced on the diagonal into 2-inch pieces (we will double this next time)
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 c. green or red bell pepper, diced into 1-inch pieces
1 c. yellow onion, diced into 1-inch pieces
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 tbsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1 tsp. minced garlic

Directions:
Combine ingredients in a gallon-sized freezer bag. Close and squish bag to get seasonings moistened and evenly covering the meat. Freeze.

To cook:
Thaw completely and dump contents into the crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours and serve over rice.