Thursday, September 15, 2011

October RSVP...

RSVP for October 6th, in or out and what's for dinner?

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Grandma's meatballs

1 jar grape jelley
1 jar chili sauce
meatballs

defrost, cook in crockpot on low all day or stove top for 15-20 min. Sever with rice or noodles.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Garlic Lime Chicken with Cilantro Corn Relish

Ingredients

Marinade
4 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 whole garlic cloves, crushed
5 whole limes, juiced (about 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Relish
1 cup fresh or frozen (and thawed) corn kernels
1 whole fresh jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 whole lime, juiced (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions
Place chicken breasts in a large plastic storage bag. Combine marinade ingredients and pour over chicken. Seal bag and marinate in fridge for several hours to overnight.

Before grilling, combine all corn relish ingredients in a medium bowl.

Set grill to medium heat and cook chicken breasts about 4 to 6 minutes per side or until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees. Remove from grill and serve with spoonfuls of corn relish over each piece of chicken.

Frozen Mamas
Allow the chicken (and corn) to defrost completely, turning over occasionally so that the marinade gets spread throughout. Grill the chicken as directed above. The corn mixture should be served room temperature so if it is still cold, zap it in the microwave for 30 seconds or so.

Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe was from a Parents January 2004 article about making recipes that give you a meal now and extra to freeze for later

Serve: Chicken Potpie
Freeze: Potpie Filling

4 refrigerated piecrusts (2 15 oz pkgs), divided
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 pkg (32 oz) reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 TBSP vegetable oil
1 Cup chopped onion
1 pkg (8 oz) sliced mushrooms
5 TBSP butter
½ Cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp poultry seasoning
½ Cup half-and-half
4 Cups cubed cooked chicken
1 Cup frozen peas
1 egg white

1. Heat oven to 400F. Unwrap 1 piecrust; place remaining 3 crusts in freezer. In glass bowl, combine carrots and ¼ cup chicken broth. Cover and microwave for 5 minutes. In skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook 5 minutes more, stirring.

2. Meanwhile, in large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and poultry seasoning. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Whisk in remaining broth, plus half-and-half. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, and cook for 3 minutes more. Stir in cooked carrots, onion mixture, chicken, and peas.

3. Using slotted spoon, transfer 4 cups of mixture to a container. Let cool, then freeze up to 2 months.

4. Place remaining mixture in 1-qt baking dish. Cut piecrust into 8 wedges. Place wedges in spoke-wheel design on top of potpie mixture. In bowl, whisk together egg white and 1 tsp water. Brush egg mixture over crust. Bake 30 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition per serving: 360 cal; 17g protein; 20g fat; 27g carb; 33mg calcium; 2g fiber

Potpie Packets
4 cups chicken potpie filling (above) thawed
3 piecrusts, thawed

Heat oven to 400F. Cut each piecrust into quarters. Fill each quarter with 1/3 cup potpie filling, seal edges, and crimp with tines of fork. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 20 minutes. Makes 12 packets.

Nutrition per packet: 332 cal; 8g protein; 19g fat; 30g carb; 16mg calcium; 1g fiber

JEN’S VARIATION
1. I use the Martha Stewart Pie Crust Recipe
2. I make 2 big pies instead of 1 pie and potpie packets (the crust recipe makes enough for 2 pies)
3. I start with baby carrots to make the prep faster
4. I add broccoli and pre-cook it in the microwave about 3 ½ min using the same procedure used for the carrots, but I cook it separate from the carrots because of the different cooking times
5. I omit the mushrooms since a lot of people don’t like them
6. I substitute curry powder for the poultry seasoning
7. To get my cooked chicken, I bake frozen chicken breasts and then chop
8. I skip the egg wash

FROZEN MAMAS
Thaw,cook uncovered at 350 for 45min - 1hour until crust is done and filling is bubbly.  If cooking from frozen increase cooking time.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Slow Cooker Char Siu Pork Roast

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
  • 3 tablespoons ketchup
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
  • 2 pounds boneless Boston butt pork roast, trimmed
  • 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Preparation

  • Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Place in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add pork to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours, turning occasionally.
  • Place pork and marinade in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
  • Remove pork from slow cooker using a slotted spoon; place on a cutting board or work surface. Cover with aluminum foil; keep warm.
  • Add broth to sauce in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until sauce thickens. Shred pork with 2 forks; serve with sauce.
From frozen: thaw completely in refrigerator; cook as directed.

Two notes: I accidentally forgot to put the Hoisin sauce in...oops! Also, I added the chicken broth to the marinade instead of packaging it separately...again, oops! Pregnancy brain at work I'm afraid :)

Clam Chowder

Old Fishermen's Grotto Monterey Clam Chowder
1 carrot, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 potato, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 pound bacon, minced
1/4 pound butter
3 fresh garlic cloves, minced
16 ounces clam juice
1 1/2 C flour
2 C milk
2 C Heavy whipping cream
2 C half and half
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 pound clam, chopped (fresh, frozen, or canned)

Cook bacon, set aside. Saute vegetables over medium heat until tender. When vegetables are tender, add flour to make a roux. Cook for a couple minutes, allowing flour to cook. Add clam juice and dairy products. Stir by using a wire whip. Add fresh garlic, black pepper, bacon and chopped clams. Cook over low-medium heat stirring occasionally to prevent chowder from scorching. Cook for a couple hours until chowder is brought to desired thickness. A crockpot is recommended. Clam juice can be added to thin chowder down if it gets too thick. Chowder needs to be stirred often, probably about every 10-15 minutes or so, or it will stick to the bottom of the pot.

**I basically use the recipe only as a list for ingredients. I never use the exact measurements. I always add more potatoes, bacon, and clam juice.

From frozen:
Thaw completely, and reheat in a crockpot or on stovetop. Do not let the chowder boil. Makes a great meal served with crusty garlic bread and a salad.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Sloppy Joes

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno, minced1 green pepper, diced
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon mustard powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Hamburger buns

Brown the meat and the onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, breaking up the meat into crumbles as it cooks. Pour the drippings out of the pan and discard*. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and red pepper and cook 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes more. Place a half-cup scoop of the mixture onto each bun and serve.

From Elie Krieger (with a couple tweaks): http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/sloppy-joes-recipe/index.html

From frozen: thaw & reheat however is convenient for you. There is enough sauce that it could probably handle being in the crockpot for a while without drying out.

(*I didn't do the best job of draining the juices in the second step, so this batch is a little bit on the soupier side. Consequently, it could also make a good chili. :) )

pizza wraps

Directions:

  1. Spoon sauce onto a tortilla.
  2. Add cheese and toppings.
  3. Fold like a burrito.
  4. Place on cookie sheet.
  5. Repeat steps to make as many wraps as you'd like.
  6. Sprinkle cheese on top.
  7. Bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes or until hot inside.

I froze after folding them, so you will need to bake them, and sprinkle them with cheese if you desire. put in over 350 with cheese sprinkled over them to cook after thawed. (although I am sure you can do it longer from frozen state!)

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/pizza-wraps-22977#ixzz1XIgdncHG

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Potato and Double-Corn Chowder

1 bag (16 ounces) frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed (4 cups)
1 can (15.25 ounces) whole kernel corn, undrained
1 can (14.75 ounces) cream-style corn
1 can (12 ounces) fat-free evaporated milk
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
5-6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
In 3- to 4-quart slow cooker, mix all ingredients.
Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours (or High heat setting 3 to 4 hours) to develop flavors.

Options: Sprinkle with cheese when ready to serve or serve with grilled sandwiches.

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