Green Chile Pork

2-3 lbs Pork sirloin tip roast
1 cup Salsa verde (green salsa)
1 TBSP Garlic, minced
1 cup Water

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 6-8 hours or on low 10-12 hours until meat falls apart easily. Remove meat, shred and serve in flatbread, tortillas, or tacos.  For those who want extra spicy meat, strain the cooking liquid remaining in the slow cooker so you are left with a broth that you can drizzle over the meat. 

Freezer Kit
Bag 1 – Pork
Bag 2 – Salsa and garlic
Bag 3 – Uncooked flatbread discs (from Costco)

Preparation of Freezer Kit
Thaw entire kit. Combine pork and salsa and 1 cup water in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 6-8 hours or on low 10-12 hours until meat falls apart easily. Remove meat, shred, and serve in flatbread.  For those who want extra spicy meat, strain the cooking liquid remaining in the slow cooker so you are left with a broth that you can drizzle over the meat.

Cooking Flatbread
Preheat oven to broil. Place flatbread discs on cookie sheet in the middle of your oven.  They cook too fast and burn if you have them on the top rack.  Heat 2-3 min, watching them closely then flip over and heat until browned. I pop the bubbles when they form during cooking  Click on photo below if you want the "official" directions which are different than mine.

May Exchange RSVP

Our next meeting will be Thursday, May 6th at 7pm, church kitchen.

Please RSVP to this post by May 2nd if you are exchanging for this month.

Calzones

Dough - makes 4-5 calzones

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (105-115 degrees F)
• 2 1/4 teasponns (a 1/4 -ounce envelope) active dry yeast
• a pinch of sugar
• about 3 cups unbleached flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

1. Pour the water into a small bowl and sprinkle the yeast and sugar over it. Let the mixture stand until it becomes slightly foamy, then stir it until the yeast dissolves. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture and the oil to the flour and stir until a soft dough forms.
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Dust your hands with flour and knead the dough. Add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky to handle, but not so much that it becomes stiff and dry. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and springs back when pinched, about 10 minutes.
3. Lightly oil the inside of a large bowl. Place the dough i the bowl and turn it over once so that the top and bottom will be coated with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place until the dough doubles in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.
4. Flatten the dough with your fist. Cut it into 4-5 balls and roll out.

Filling

• Place a small amount of the sauce on half of the dough
• Sprinkle mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and/or other desired toppings on same half
• Fold dough over and crimp edges with fork
• Place calzone on a greased cookie sheet. You may also sprinkle cornmeal on the sheet to prevent sticking.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes
• Heat the remaining sauce in a small saucepan and use for dipping

To thaw dough, remove from bag and separate into individual pieces. You may need to spray oil onto the wax paper or parchment paper to keep it from sticking? The dough was frozen raw and is not cooked. Good luck! =)

Thai Chicken

Ingredients

• Mixed vegetables of your choosing
• 6 chicken thighs, skinless, sprinkled with salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• Juice and zest of one lime
• 1 finely chopped large garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1 can unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, for sprinkling on top (optional)

Crock Pot Method Make sure everything is defrosted. Place chicken, sauce and vegetables (not rice) in crock pot. Add ground red pepper if you want it to have some kick (currently it is pretty mild). Cook on low heat setting for 8-10 hours. Cook rice separately, combine with 1 1/2 cup water, bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer. Add lid to pot. Cook for 18-20 minutes. Combine rice with chicken and vegetables and serve in bowls.

Oven Method Defrost chicken. Put chicken, sauce and vegetables in casserole dish. Add ground red pepper if you want it to have some kick (currently it is pretty mild). Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Cook rice separately, combine with 1 1/2 cup water, bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer. Add lid to pot. Cook for 18-20 minutes. Combine rice with chicken and vegetables and serve in bowls.

Ham & Cheese Hash Browns

6 c. frozen hash browns
2 c. Ham, chopped
10 3/4 oz. can Cream of Chicken Soup
8 oz. Cheddar Cheese, shredded
3/4 c. Sour Cream
1/4 c. Butter, melted
1/2 c. Milk
2 Tbsp. Onion, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 F. Thoroughly combine all ingredients except the hash browns. Add hash browns to ham and cheese mixture and stir until all ingredients are well mixed, put in a greased 2 quart baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes.

Frozen Instructions:
Thaw, uncover, bake as directed.

French Dip Sandwiches

Roast Beef
Sandwich Rolls
au jus dip
Horseradish sauce

Prepare your au jus dip as directed on package. Then warm your meat in your au jus dip on the stove. Toast your rolls so they are nice and crispy, and then spread some horseradish sauce on it. Then pull your meat(one sandwich at a time-to ensure that your meat stays warm!)out of the au jus and place on your roll. Once all your sandwiches are done, spoon out your au jus dip into bowls, and dip your sandwiches into the au jus as you eat.(Like I need to tell you that!)

Ham Balls With Sweet & Sour Sauce

3 lbs ground ham (or 2 lbs ground pork and 1 1/2 lbs ground ham)
3 cups soft bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs

Blend these ingredients. Form balls about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes at 375° . Spoon over the following sauce.

Sauce:
1 small can pineapple juice (or juice from a 15 1/4 oz can pineapple drained)
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 c brown sugar
2 TBSP corn starch
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp chili sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Mix together the pineapple juice and remaining ingredients. Stir until blended well. Cook stirring until thickened. Add pineapple chunks if desired. Spoon over ham balls. Serve with rice.

Frozen instructions:
Thaw ham balls and reheat in oven or microwave. Thaw sauce and reheat on stovetop.
Serve over cooked rice.

Notes:
We like ham balls plain without the sauce too. They make a nice side with scrambled eggs and waffles for dinner.

Sloppy Joe Pie

2 cups    Bisquick
2/3 cup   low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup   non-fat egg substitute
1 lb        ground turkey, cooked and drained
1            1-ounce pkg dry onion soup mix
1 cup     store-bought marinara sauce
1 cup     store-bought BBQ sauce
1 cup    grated cheese blend such as cheddar/jack/mozzarella

Putting the dinner together
Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.  In a bowl, combine the Bisquick, milk, and egg substitute and stir together until a soft ball forms.  Press the dough onto the bottom of the pan, covering as much of the bottom as possible.
In a separate large bowl, combine the ground turkey, onion soup mix, marinara, and BBQ sauce and stir until thoroughly incorporated.  Spread the mixture evenly over the dough in the pan.  Sprinkle with cheese.

For dinner tonight
Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Bake the pie for approximately 45 min, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

To freeze
Cover the pan with plastic wrap and heavy-duty foil.  Freeze for up to 3 months.  Thaw in the refrigerator before cooking as directed above. 

This is the Sloppy Joes Recipe from the Dream Dinners cookbook with some slight variations

London Broil and Stuffing

1 1/2 lbs of london broil
Marinade:
3 T dijion mustard
1/4 c red wine vinegar
2 T olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp black pepper, ground
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp thyme
1 1/2 tsp rosemary
2 tsp brown sugar
1 T sun dried tomato

1 pkg of stuffing mix

combine all marinade ingredients and meat in a ziplock bag. Let sit for at least 2 hours, or freeze.

Two methods of cooking: One is fancy and declicious and the other is quick and delicious!

1. Thaw meat. Remove steak from bag and toss marinade. Butterfly steak and score each side lightly. Make stuffing and spread stuffing over meat. Roll length wise like a jelly roll and tie with cooking string and 2 inch intervals. Brush meat with melted butter and place in a roasting pan on rack and bake uncovered for 65-75 minutes. Slice meat and toss string. (this is nice for a sit down meal)

2. Thaw meat. Remove steak from bag and toss marinade. Place meat on a hot grill and cook 15-25 minutes until it is done to your liking, turning half way. Mix stuffing according to directions and serve as a side. (we take this one camping)

Count is in for April!

Make 8 meals, bring 7 meals and keep one. We will give one of the 7 meals to the Haubs this month.

A few more pans left . . .

I've got 13 of the 9x13 pans/lids left, 45 cents per set.  Let me know if you need any, I can drop them off during preschool.