Buffalo Chicken Wraps

Buffalo Chicken Wraps Recipe

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup Franks Buffalo Wing Sauce
3/4 cup ranch dressing
10 tortillas

Lettuce

Place

chicken and salt in the crockpot.  Cover and cook for 6 - 7 hours on low.  Remove chicken and empty crock pot of water. Shred the chicken and add back to the slow cooker.  Add buffalo wing sauce to the chicken and stir. 

Freeze in a bag.  To serve:  Thaw in refrigerator.  Heat up and serve on tortillas with lettuce and dressing.

Mini Meatloaves with Mashed Potatoes

Mini Meatloaves

Ingredients:

Base Recipe

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1 (120 g) package Stove Top stuffing mix
• 1 cup water

For the Italian version

• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup pasta sauce
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

For the Fiesta version

• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded

For the Mediterranean version

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup roasted red pepper
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

For the BBQ version

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix meat, stuffing mix, water, and seasoning (choose one: italian seasoning, OR chili powder, OR oregano OR garlic powder) until well blended.  Press evenly into 12 greased muffin tins.  Make a small indentation in the middle of each with the back of a spoon.  Fill the indentation with your choice of filling. (Choose one: pasta sauce OR salsa OR roasted red peppers OR BBQ sauce following the version of your choice.).  Bake for 30 minutes or until loaves are cooked through. Top with the cheese specified in the recipe of your choice and bake 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Let stand 10 minutes before removing from baking pan. 

Freezing:  Remove from baking pan and let cool. Flash freeze on a cookie sheet until frim. Transfer to a labeled ziploc bag.

To serve: Defrost overnight, then reheat in oven or microwave until heated through.

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

Serves: 6-7, 

• 5 lbs any potatoes
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 pinch paprika
• ½ cup of milk

Peel and quarter potatoes.  Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover completely with water.  Bring to a boil, then gently cook until tender. Drain well.
In a large bowl, combine potatoes, cream cheese, egg, milk, garlic powder and salt. Mash well by hand or with and electric mixer.  Spoon potatoes into spray-treated or greased 3 quart casserole or 9x13 pan. Drizzle or brush melted butter over potatoes.  Sprinkle with paprika for color if desired.
TO SERVE:  Thaw completely. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden.

Exchange Date

Next exchange date is 1/8/11

Misti - Mini Meatloaves with Mashed Potatoes

Jennifer - Baked Ziti & Crock pot meal

Kerry -

Chicken Scampi

Chicken Scampi
¼ cup chopped green onions
3 tsp chopped garlic
½ cup of butter
¼ cup of olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
4lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch strips
2 Tbsp parsley
½ tsp pepper
1-16oz package of fettuccini*
1 chopped tomato*

Cooking Instructions:
Saute the green onions and garlic in the butter and oil.  Add the lemon juice, chicken, parsley, and pepper.  Cook the chicken, stirring occasionally for 12-15 minutes until it is no longer pink inside.  Cool.  Pour into a labeled freezer bag and freeze.

Serving Day:
Thaw the chicken mixture.  Cook the pasta.  Cook the chicken mixture over medium heat for 6-10 minutes or until heated through.  Spoon the chicken over the pasta and garnish with tomato.

Chicken Chili

Chicken Chili

2lbs chicken

1 Tbsp Vegetable oil

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1-14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained

1-15oz can of tomato sauce

1-10oz can of Rotel tomatoes, undrained

1-14oz can diced green chiles, undrained

¾ tsp of salt

½ tsp of pepper

½ tsp of cumin

¼ tsp of cayenne pepper

Cooking Day:

Cut up chicken and cook in oil, with onion and garlic.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer.  Can be cooked in the crockpot after meat is browned on low for 4-6 hours.  Cool completely and freeze.

Serving Day:

Thaw completely.  Heat on stove until chili is heated through.  Can be topped with cheese.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Chicken Tetrazzini
10 oz. dry spaghetti -- (10 to 12)
3 cups grated cheese - Jack or Cheddar
3 Tbsp. margarine
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup -- (10 3/4 oz)
1 can cream of chicken soup -- (10 3/4 oz)
1 (10 3/4 oz) soup can milk
3 cups cooked diced chicken
salt & pepper

To freeze: Cook spaghetti as directed until al dente; drain. Sauté onions in margarine. Mix onions and remaining ingredients with spaghetti in a large bowl. Put mixture in containers and freeze.
To serve: thaw tetrazzini and put in a baking dish. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350* oven until bubbly, about 30-40 minutes. For 2 people makes 5 casseroles.

Chicken Orient Express

Chicken Orient Express (Single Recipe)
1 can (about 14 oz.) chicken broth
1 Tbsp. Corn starch
1 Tbsp. Soy sauce
½ tsp. Ginger
2 Tbsp. Vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
¾ lb. Boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
6 c. cut up vegetables (I use frozen stir-fry veggies)
2 c. cooked rice

In bowl, stir first 4 ingredients; set aside. In large skillet, heat oil over medium- high heat. Stir in garlic. Add chicken; cook, stirring 2 minutes. Stir in broth mixture. Bring to a boil, and let boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Allow to cool. Add vegetables.
To freeze: ladle into 1 gallon Ziploc freezer bag.
To serve: Thaw sauce, and place in skillet. Heat to almost boiling. Serve over rice.

Tomato Chicken Soup

Tomato Chicken Soup (Single Recipe)

1 can (14 oz.) chicken broth
½ 1b. hot sausage links or Polish Sausage, cooked and sliced
1 can (26 oz.) chunky spaghetti sauce
2 cups cooked diced chicken
1 can (11 oz.) canned corn, drained
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 ½ cups cooked white rice

To freeze: Dump all ingredients except rice into 1 gallon Ziploc freezer bag. Lay flat in freezer.
To cook: In 6-quart pot, bring soup to a boil. Add cooked rice. Cover; cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until heated through. Add additional water or broth for a thinner soup. For spicier soup serve with hot red pepper sauce.

November Menu

Misti - Tomato Chicken Soup and Chicken Orient

Kerry - Chicken Tetrazzini and Chicken Chili

Jennifer - Chicken Enchiladas and Chili

Did we ever decide on an exchange date?  I thought we decided on December 4th, but I could be mistaken.

Italian-Style Chili

Italian-Style Chili

1 lb. ground beef

1 jar  (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce

2 cups water

2 cups  medium-size pasta shapes, any variety, uncooked

1 can (15 oz.) kidney beans, drained, rinsed

1 medium  onion, chopped

1/3 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

1 Tbsp.  chili powder

BROWN meat in large saucepan; drain.
ADD spaghetti sauce, water, pasta, beans, onions, 1/4 cup of the cheese and the chili powder; stir. Cover; cook on medium heat 10 to 12 min. or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.
SPRINKLE with the remaining cheese just before serving.

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/easy-italian-style-chili-91551.aspx

Minestrone Soup

Minestrone Soup
Ingredients

• ½ lb. lean ground beef
• 2 slices bacon
• 4 tablespoons margarine
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 1 (19 ounce) can kidney beans
• 1/2 cup shredded cabbage
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups cubed potatoes
• 1 quart chicken broth (I used mostly vegetable and some chicken.)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup elbow macaroni

Directions

1. Melt butter or margarine in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots; saute for a few minutes. Add beef and bacon and cook until browned.
2. Add beans, cabbage, tomatoes, potato, stock, garlic, parsley, and salt to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for approximately 1 hour until vegetables are barely tender.
3. Add pasta, and simmer for 30 minutes more.

Servings: 6

Stuffed Shells directions

To reheat the stuffed shells coat the bottom of a pan with sauce. Lay the frozen shells open side down on the sauce (you can overlap if needed) top shells with sauce. Cover and bake at 350 for about 1 hour. You can top with additional sauce when you serve.

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie (Single Recipe)

1 - 10 oz package of frozen peas and carrots

1/2 cup of chopped onion
1/2 cup of fresh mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup of butter
1/3 cup of flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sage
1/8 tsp of pepper
2 cups of water
3/4 cup of milk
1 Tbsp of chicken bouillon
3 cups of cooked chicken (or Turkey)

Serving Day - Double Pie Crust/or biscuits if you don't want a pie

Cooking Day Instructions:
Cook peas and carrots according to package directions; drain.  Cook onion and mushrooms in butter until tender but not brown.  Stir in flour, salt, sage, and pepper.  Add water, milk and bouillon all at once.  Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.  Cook and stir 1-2 minutes more.  Stir in drained, cooked vegetables, chicken or turkey and heat until bubbly.  Freeze, using freezer bag.

Serving Day Instructions:
Thaw completely.  Roll out bottom pie crust and place in 9-inch pie pan.  Place chicken mixture in pie dish; top with upper crust.  Bake in pie shell in 400-degree oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
 

Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cans cream of celery soup
2 cans of cream chicken soup
2 cans of cheddar cheese soup
2-15oz cans chicken broth
1 med onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic chopped
1 can diced chilies
1 cup salsa- choose you level of spice, I use Med.
1 tsp chili powder (more if you like spicy)
salt and pepper to taste
4 chicken breast cooked and chopped

combine all ingredients in large pot or crock pot. bring to a boil. Simmer 1 hr.

Day of directions:
Heat soup on stove until heated through (you can put it in the pot as soon as it comes loose from the container)Stir regularly.
top with shredded cheese and tortilla chips

Let's Get Started!!!

Dinners due by Saturday, November 6, 2010
Don't forget to label and put cooking instructions on container.


Participants: MS, KC, JP

Each participant is making a soup and a casserole.

MS - Stuffed Pepper Soup & Meatball Sub Casserole

KC - Chicken Tortilla Soup and Stuffed Shells (Beef and Cheese)

JP - Vegetable Beef Soup or Minestrone for Soup and Chicken pot pie or Roast for a dish.  If there is something else you would prefer to do, please let me know and email the recipe.

Recipes:


Stuffed Pepper Soup  (single recipe)
1lb of ground beef
2 quarts of water
seasoning
1 can of diced tomatoes, undrained (28 oz)
1 can of tomato sauce (28 oz)
2 cups of cooked rice
2 cups of chopped green peppers
2 beef bouillon cubes
1/4 cup of brown sugar


Cooking Day:  Brown beef and drain off excess oil.  Add remaining ingredients.  Boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 30-45 minutes.  Enjoy, or cool and put into a freezer container.  

Serving Day:  Thaw soup to a slushy consistency.  Re-heat, simmering for 20-30 minutes.  


Meatball Sub Casserole  (single recipe)
6 cups of cubed Italian bread
1 package of cream cheese, softened (8 oz)
1/2 cup of mayo
1 tsp of Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup water
2 cups spaghetti sauce
2 12-oz packages of Italian style meatballs (or make your own)

Cooking Day:  Spread the bread cubes in a 13x9 baking dish/aluminum pan, sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Combine the cream cheese, mayo, seasonings and pour over the bread.  Cover with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.

Combine the water, spaghetti sauce, and meatballs and pour over cheese layer in the baking dish.  Top with remaining cheese.  Cover with aluminum foil, label and freeze.


Serving Day:  Thaw the casserole.  Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. 

Here we go!!!!

Meal Swapping:
We are hoping to make our lives a little easier by sharing meals.  Below are some guidelines to swapping.  If you know of someone who would be interested, please email me so we can add them.
  
What It’s All About:

We choose a main entree recipe that serves a family of 4 and then we make that recipe 3 times over. Our budget should equal around $10 a meal per family.  Sometimes we may spend more, but then the next month we choose a less expensive recipe to make. We exchange once a month.

The group can assigns food category (soup/chili/stews, Italian/Mediterranean, Southwestern/Mexican, American/European, Far East (Asian/Indian) and sometimes “Breakfast for Dinner”). We should bring 2 recipes to the swap meeting and we can all vote on the recipe we want and majority wins. That’s how we will decide on the menu for the month and then we swap the food we decided on the previous month.

We can communicate by email or this blog. Also we disclose family allergies.  The recipes we use can come from a variety of resources.

Meal swapping will hopefully provide tremendous time and financial savings, and simplified trips to the grocery store. But high on the list of benefits is that even in the midst of sometimes hectic days, you will no longer stress about what to make for dinner! 

Basic Group Guidelines:

We should pick a constant date and place each month to swap meals.

We make one recipe 3 times. Each entree should yield 4-6 servings. This is optimal for most families, to have leftovers. Our biggest family in the swap is 4 people.

Our entree budget is flexible, we try not to exceed $10 a meal.  But this budget does not include packaging. We are free to spend more, but the $10 should be the standard. We all agree quality is preferred. If you use product from our own gardens we count that the same as if we were to buy it.

The recipes we chose should be able to be cooked or reheated by one of these ways – grilled, broiled, stove top, crock pot, microwave, and oven.

Bring 2 recipes to the meal swap for the group to vote on.

Bring prepared meals already frozen to the exchange site in a large cooler or clothes basket to carry the food.

Package food in containers that are freezable. Not all our has group has stand alone freezers. So we should try to put most things in freezer bags whenever we can. We make sure we label all packages with the month/year, what it is and what it goes with. (Example: 3/08 – package 1. Beef Fajita Meat, 2. Beef Fajita Shells, & 3. Beef Fajita veggies.)

As for distributing recipes for the meal, email them to Misti and she will post them to our blog.

Meals should only take 2 to 3 hours to prepare and package. We want this to be as stress free as we can.

If someone will be out of town/unavailable for the exchange date, you should arrange an alternate plan with the swap coordinator. Maybe you could put it in your freezer to be picked up by someone in the swap group or opted out for that month. Talk with the swap coordinator if an occasion a rises about options if needed.

I am really excited about this and hope it goes as well as I think it will!