What happens when this farmer’s daughter gets sick of spending so much time every night cooking and cleaning up the cooking? She spends an entire weekend, okay, well maybe not the entire weekend, but a pretty good chunk of it, cooking.
I got so sick of always trying to answer the question “What’s for supper?” Let’s see….what do we have? The answer always seems to be, "I’ll stop by the grocery store on my way home." ARGH! I hate the stops by the store on the way home. I work until five and with the nearly hour round trip to go get my little guy from day care, it’s nearly six o’clock before I get home every night. That’s if I don’t stop by the gym, which I try to most nights. Going to the gym puts me home by 7, without a stop to the store. Then I have to start cooking?! Um…..no thank you.
I finally got sick of it and took the first opportunity I had to spend the better part of a weekend cooking up suppers. I have some left over supplies, so I have a few left to make, but here’s what I came up with so far:
3 gallon freezer bags of potato soup, a recipe my mom made when I was a kid and we just loved it. It is a very hearty soup and will definitely pack on the winter layers…..not that we need it.
• 3 Azteca chicken (recipe from Skinny Crockpot) This one is on the good for you side.
• 3 pans of lasagna (recipe is from the back of the Ronzoni Healhty Harvest lasagna noodle box
• 3 pans of “Cajun Chicken.” It’s not really Cajun – it’s really called Chipotle Chicken Casserole. I think I found the recipe on MSN about six years ago. I found it again here: http://www.bhg.com/recipes/printRecipe.jsp?recipeId=R056032&catref=rcbhg1 It came to be known as Cajun Chicken in our house when I made a particularly hot (spicy) batch – so hot I couldn’t eat it. My husband brought it to work to share with his assistant, who is a big fan of spicy foods. He called it Cajun Chicken, and we have too ever since too.
• 1 pan of Pasta Milano (recipe from http://joelens.blogspot.com/2007/01/freezer-friendlymake-ahead.html) This is a recipe we haven’t tried before so I decided to only make one pan; however after testing the sauce, I think I wish I would have made some more.
• 2 pans (so far) of Pesto Chicken Pasta Shells (recipe from http://joelens.blogspot.com/2007/01/freezer-friendlymake-ahead.html).
• 1 pan of Cajun Chicken Alfredo (recipe http://comfortablydomestic.com/2011/03/05/cajun-chicken-alfredo/) We love this recipe, but it was one of the last things I made on Sunday night, so I was exhausted and just didn’t want to cook any more. I have more of the supplies so will likely be making more.
• 1 bag of Cracker Cheddar chicken (recipe from http://joelens.blogspot.com/2007/01/freezer-friendlymake-ahead.html). This one is also a new recipe, so I only made one bag and to be honest this one didn’t make it to the freezer. It is going to be our Monday night meal tonight...it was awesome!
• 2 pans of tater tot hot dish – so easy and yummy
• 2 pans of chicken tater tot hot dish.
• 1 large porketta roast (recipe from The Family Cooking Project http://www.familycookbookproject.com/view_recipesite.asp?rid=1737924&uid=22030&sid=43309). We just love porketta – the strong, flavorful mixture of spices is awesome.
• 1 Beef roast (recipe from http://joelens.blogspot.com/2007/01/freezer-friendlymake-ahead.html) I tasted a bit when it was done. It was not flavorful at all so I mixed up an onion soup mix and put it in a gallon bag with the roast to freeze. I’m hoping it will pick up some of the onion soup flavor.
• 2 pans of enchiladas. Yum.
I may be breaking some sort of blog law by not posting a picture of all my supplies before I started and a super-sized picture of every step of every recipe, but honestly I hate that! It might have been fun to see a picture of my supplies all waiting on the counter to be used in these tasty suppers, but I didn’t do it. I just wanted to get down to the cooking. Also, I just have to say it drives me nuts when I go to a blog with a recipe I want to try and you have to scroll down past all these super huge photos of every step of the process to get to the recipe at the bottom. ARGH! I don’t need to see a spoon in a bowl to show how to mix something up. I can read – just give me the recipe! So, I apologize for everyone I’ve offended by stating my pet peeve with blogs and by not posting photos of every step of every recipe. I would probably enjoy this part of blogs more if photos were maybe a bit smaller. I swear sometimes they’re so big on the screen you can’t even tell what you’re looking at. Drives. Me. Nuts. I suppose I could take a picture of my full freezer for you, but that's kind of lame, isn't it?
I don’t have a shopping list or a list of all the things I bought. I can tell you this – these nearly month’s worth of suppers used two whole chickens – really large chickens, five pounds of ground turkey, and seven pounds of hamburger.
I had some suppers in mind before I started – recipes that have come to be regulars in our house, but wanted to try some others just to shake things up a bit. I still have a couple new recipes from What’s Cookin’ Chicago I’m going to try; Baked Chicken Kiev and Chicken Parmesan Loaf (I plan to use extra lean turkey).
Here’s a side note. Most of these recipes do not follow my normal ‘healthy’ supper agenda. However, I did what I could to make them as healthy as I could, using low/no fat cheeses, whole wheat pastas, ground turkey, etc. Not great, but better than straight up fat and calories. Except of course for the fat and carb-filled potato soup – there’s no making that anywhere near healthy.
If you have any questions on any of the recipes, let me know!!!!
RECIPES:
POTATO SOUP:
5 pounds potatoes (peeled and cubed)
1 pound bacon (good quality)
Flour
Onion for flavor if you want – I don’t, but my mom always does
Salt and pepper to taste
Boil potatoes. While potatoes are boiling, slice bacon in to about 1” chunks. Fry the bacon. Cook it for as long as you can to get as much as the grease out as you can. Put the bacon in the water with the potatoes. Make sure you DO NOT drain the potatoes from the water they boiled in. You want to use the same water so it has the thickening starches in it. Then heat up the bacon grease. When the grease is hot, add in some flour and whisk it into the grease. Keep adding flour until it gets to be almost paste-like. Then add the grease and flour mixture to the soup. Simmer until it’s as thick as you’d like it. This soup is very, very bland and mild tasting without salt and pepper. I usually add quite a bit….like a ton! Add salt and pepper or whatever seasonings you’d like (I never stray from the originals I grew up with).
CHICKEN AZTECA
LASAGNA
- 1lb ground beef (I use two pounds)
3 cups (26 oz jar) spaghetti sauce (I use three jars, but no water)
1 1/2 cups water
1 3/4 cups (15 oz container) ricotta or small curd cottage cheese (cottage cheese spreads easier!)
2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
9 pieces RONZONI HEALTHY HARVEST LASAGNA, uncooked
Heat oven to 350°F. In 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, brown meat; drain. Add spaghetti sauce and water; simmer about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, one-half mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley, salt and pepper. 5. Pour about 1 cup sauce on bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish. Arrange 3 UNCOOKED pasta pieces lengthwise over sauce; cover with 1 cup sauce. Spread one-half cheese filling over sauce. Repeat layers of RONZONI HEALTHY HARVEST LASAGNA, sauce and cheese filling. Top with layer of RONZONI HEALTHY HARVEST LASAGNA and remaining sauce; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes. Remove foil; bake additional 10 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.
CHIPOTLE CHICKEN CASSEROLE (hot dish to the Minnesotans!)
Nonstick cooking spray
2 cupsfrozen or fresh whole kernel corn
3 cupsfrozen diced hash brown potatoes
1 14 1/2ouncecandiced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoonground cumin
1/2 teaspoondried oregano, crushed
1 tablespoonolive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (1 pound) (I just cook a whole chicken and see how many I can get out of it....this time it was three pans - it was a REALLY big chicken!)
1/4 teaspoonchili powder
1/4 teaspoonground cumin
3/4 cupshredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheese (3 ounces)
Directions
1. Coat a 2-quart round casserole with nonstick spray; set aside. Coat an unheated large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray. Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn; cook about 5 minutes or until corn begins to lightly brown. Add potatoes; cook and stir 5 to 8 minutes longer or until potatoes begin to brown. Stir in tomatoes, chipotle peppers, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and the oregano. Remove from heat; transfer mixture to the prepared casserole.
2. Wipe skillet clean. Add oil to skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, and 1/4 teaspoon cumin. Brown chicken in hot oil, turning once to brown both sides (about 3 minutes on each side). Place chicken on top of potato mixture in casserole.
3. Bake, uncovered, in a 375 degree F oven for 20 minutes or until bubbly and chicken is no longer pink. Sprinkle with cheese. Makes 4 servings.
PASTA MILANO
3 slices bacon, diced
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
4 cloves roasted garlic, mashed
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 cup white mushrooms, sliced
1 cup white mushrooms, sliced
1 cup chicken broth, divided
1 cup heavy cream (or half & half for a
lower fat version)
salt and pepper to taste
salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces dry farfalle (bowtie)
pasta
water for boiling pasta
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
water for boiling pasta
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
In a large skillet over high heat, brown the diced bacon. Season the cut up chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the skillet and saute until lightly browned. Once the chicken is cooked, add the sliced mushrooms and saute until browned. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add the roasted garlic, sundried tomatoes and chicken broth to the hot skillet. Allow it come to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are tender. Add the cream and bring to a boil; stirring.Take off heat and add the bacon, chicken and mushroom to the sauce and set aside.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add dry pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain, transfer to a bowl.
Pour the chicken and sauce over the hot pasta and toss. Place in a baking dish and top with shredded Parmesan cheese and bake in preheated oven for 5-7 minutes until cheese melts.
Garnish with fresh basil and serve hot.
* To make ahead/freezer meals - Prepare as directed, however cook pasta to barely al dente. There should be a bite to the pasta where it's not completely cooked. Place pasta, chicken and sauce in an ovenproof container and allow to cool. Cover and freezer. When ready to prepare, defrost and bake in preheated oven as directed above.
PESTO CHICKEN STUFFED SHELLS
12-16 jumbo pasta shells
water for boiling pasta
4oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese + 1/4 cup for topping
3 tablespoons prepared pesto (homemade or store bought)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot over high heat, boil water and prepare pasta shells as directed on package. Cook pasta shells only until al dente. The pasta will finish cooking when the dish is baked. Drain the pasta shells and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, except the 1/4 cup of cheese for the topping. Fill the pasta shells with the filling and place in a baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 30 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts.
water for boiling pasta
4oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese + 1/4 cup for topping
3 tablespoons prepared pesto (homemade or store bought)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot over high heat, boil water and prepare pasta shells as directed on package. Cook pasta shells only until al dente. The pasta will finish cooking when the dish is baked. Drain the pasta shells and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, except the 1/4 cup of cheese for the topping. Fill the pasta shells with the filling and place in a baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 30 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts.
* To make ahead/freezer meals - Prepare as directed
but place filled shells in an oven- and freezer-proof baking dish. Top with
remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells, cover and freeze. When ready to
prepare, defrost. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for
35-40 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts.
CAJUN CHICKEN ALFREDO
4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ¼ lbs.)
1 ½ Tbs. Cajun blackening spice (like Paul Prudhomme’s brand)
2 Tbs. butter, divided
1 Tbs. olive oil (or more if needed)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 C. (1/2 pint) grape tomatoes, halved
¼ C. dry white wine (or chicken broth)
1 ½ C. heavy cream (or half-and-half)
1 ½ C. good quality, freshly grated Italian cheeses (I like a blend of Asiago, Parmesan, and Fontina.)
3 oz. herbed goat cheese, crumbled (um, no thanks on the goat cheese for me....goats eat garbage)
1 tsp. kosher salt (or more, to taste)
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper (or more, to taste)
1 pound cooked fettuccini
Pinch of ground nutmeg, for serving
Chopped parsley, for serving
- Cook fettuccine “al-dente” according to package directions, stirring often. Drain, and rinse with hot tap water, to keep pasta from sticking. Drain again.
- Rinse chicken breast in cool water, and pat dry.
- Pound each chicken breast flat with a flat meat mallet or rolling pin, between two sheets of plastic wrap. Set flattened breasts on a clean plate.
- Sprinkle a heavy amount of blackening spice on both sides of each chicken breast, pressing to adhere.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Heat 1 Tbs. of the butter, and the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, until butter begins to brown.
- Place chicken in the pan, and sear on one side, until it is very brown, about 3 minutes. Flip chicken and sear the other side until very brown, about another 1 ½ minutes. Work in batches so as not to crowd the pan.
- Place browned chicken onto a rimmed baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside.
- Remove chicken from the oven and thinly slice against the grain; set aside.
10. If the skillet looks dry, add a bit more olive oil. Re-heat the skillet over medium heat.
11. Pour in the dry white wine (or chicken broth) into the skillet to deglaze the pan—whisk all of the delicious brown bits off the bottom of the pan. (1-2 minutes)
12. Add the garlic and tomatoes to the pan and sauté to soften and lightly caramelize, stirring occasionally. (1-2 minutes)
13. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour the heavy cream to the pan with the tomato mixture, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
14. Add the salt, pepper, and the remaining tablespoon of butter.
15. Continue to stir the cream mixture while it simmers for 3-4 minutes. The cream will reduce slightly.
16. Remove from heat. Add the grated cheeses, and goat cheese to the cream sauce. Stir constantly until all the cheese has melted, and sauce is smooth. Taste sauce and adjust seasonings.
17. Pour the fettuccine onto the sauce, and top with the sliced chicken.
18. Toss the pasta and chicken into the sauce with tongs, until well combined.
19. Turn tossed pasta into a large serving bowl.
20. Sprinkle with a pinch of nutmeg, and a bit of chopped parsley.
21. Serve immediately.
CHEDDAR AND CRACKER CHICKEN
(From http://joelens.blogspot.com/2010/04/cheddar-cracker-chicken.html)
16 buttery crackers (such as
Ritz), crushed (about 3⁄4 cup)
6 ounces sharp Cheddar, grated
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1-2 stalks scallions, thinly sliced
kosher salt and black pepper
4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
6 ounces sharp Cheddar, grated
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1-2 stalks scallions, thinly sliced
kosher salt and black pepper
4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Heat oven to 350° F.
In a bowl, combine the crackers, cheese, garlic, scallions and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
Pound the chicken to about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thickness with a meat mallet. Dip the pounded chicken in the butter, then in the cracker mixture, pressing gently to help it adhere, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.
Sprinkle any remaining cracker mixture on the chicken and
drizzle with any remaining butter. Bake until the chicken is golden brown and
cooked through, 20-25 minutes.
1 pound ground beef (I used 1 lb of ground beef and 1 lb of ground turkey for a bigger batch)
1 bag frozen green beans
2/3 cup
SOS Mix (http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/03/soup-or-sauce-sos-mix.html)
2 ½ Cups water
1 bag tater tots
If you don't want to make the SOS mix, you can always use Cream of Chicken soup.
Brown ground turkey and ground beef. While meat is browning, mix together your SOS mix. I don’t thicken mine very much, since I would normally use milk to thin down Cream of Chicken soup. Drain grease from meat. Put in bottom of pan you intend to freeze meal in. Pour completed SOS mix on top of meat. Add bag of green beans to the top, then add bag of tater tots. ** For Chicken Tater Tot Hot Dish, use chicken instead of beef and/or turkey.
PORKETTA
(From http://www.familycookbookproject.com/view_recipesite.asp?rid=1737924&uid=22030&sid=43309)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons basil
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon cracked fennel seeds
1/2 tablespoon thyme
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons basil
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon cracked fennel seeds
1/2 tablespoon thyme
Mix well together. Rub on a pork roast before roasting in the oven or grilling (I use a slow cooker)
BEST EVER BEEF DIP SANDWICH
4 pounds beef chuck roast
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
3 bay leaves
1 cup soy sauce
6 cups water
To serve, place in hamburger buns or split french bread and top
with your preferred cheese if desired. Feel free to dip your sandwich in the au
jus left in the slow cooker too!
* To make ahead/freezer meal - Place all the ingredients except the water into a gallon sized freezer storage bag; seal and freeze. When ready to prepare, defrost completely. Place contents into your slow cooker and add 6 cups of water. Cook on low setting for 6 to 10 hours. Unlike most roasts, the longer the better.
* To make ahead/freezer meal - Place all the ingredients except the water into a gallon sized freezer storage bag; seal and freeze. When ready to prepare, defrost completely. Place contents into your slow cooker and add 6 cups of water. Cook on low setting for 6 to 10 hours. Unlike most roasts, the longer the better.
ENCHILADAS
This one comes from my head and I don't really measure, so here it goes....hope you can follow along.
Ground beef (I used 2 pounds for two pans)
two packages of taco seasoning (I have the huge container from Sam's Club, so it was 2/3 of a cup for two pounds)
1 1/2 cup water
Cheese - however much you want
Taco sauce - however much you want
1 large can enchilada sauce
12 soft shell tortillas. I used small ones because there was a really, really good deal on them.
Brown the meat. Drain. Add the taco seasoning and water. Simmer until the water cooks down and the sauce thickens up. Pour a little enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan. Then start to assemble your enchiladas; scoop a couple spoonfuls of the taco meat to the center of the tortillas, top with cheese and taco sauce. Roll it up and put it in the pan. I keep going until I run out of room in the pan, or taco meat. Once your pan is full, or you're out of meat, pour some more enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas - get them good and soaked. I used one really big can of sauce for two pans. Then top with cheese and bake until everything is warmed up.
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