Freezer Cooking for January

It was my turn to plan the meals for our day of cooking and to purchase all the ingredients.  Phew.  I must say, however, that food expenses have increased dramatically since I last did something like this.  That's a big job, but kinda fun, too.  Briana and I even took the opportunity to go grocery shopping together and then out for a supper splurge at The Latin King (yum!)

Because I chose several "tried and true" freezer meals from the past and some recipes from my new freezer cooking book, I will type out recipes and instructions here since I only chose two recipes that I found on the internet.  I can't wait to see how the other girls rate them on our 1 (didn't like at all) to 5 (so good I would eat it again tomorrow) scale.

Pizza Burgers  overall rating 3.83

Brown two pounds of hamburger and one pound of sausage.  Add one jar of Ragu spaghetti sauce, one can of pizza sauce, 2 oz can of mushroom pieces, 1/2 can of black olives and heat.  Stir in one pound of cubed Velveeta until melted.  Fill top with parmesan cheese.

Freeze the meat mixture.  When ready to use, thaw and spoon onto open-face buns and top with cheddar or mozzarella cheese.  Bake 15-20 minutes.

Taco Pasta Shells  4

Brown one pound of hamburger.  Add chopped green onions and about 4 oz. of cream cheese.  Spoon this mixture into cooked large pasta shells.  Place shells in freezer pan and pour a jar of salsa over the top.  Top with cheese (cheddar, colby jack, Mexian mix, whatever you like).  Bake 15 minutes at 350, then add crushed tortilla chips and green onions.  Serve with sour cream.

BBQ Chicken  3.67

Cook a whole chicken in a roaster while basting with a glaze of salt, pepper, 1/2 c. honey and 3 T. dijon mustard.  Mix 1 bottle honey bbq sauce, 1/2 c. Italian dressing, 1/4 c. brown sugar and 2T. Worcestershire sauce and pour this over the deboned chicken and freeze.  To serve, heat in crockpot or pan on stove and serve on buns.  (This is from my sister-in-law and is very yummy)

Brunswick Stew  2.75

Cheesy Ham and Potatoes  3.5

Mix 32-oz frozen hashbrown potatoes, 8 oz cooked, diced ham, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 8 oz. sour cream, 8 oz. cream cheese,  and 1/8 t. pepper.  Put in 9X13 pan and top with 2 c. Colby Jack cheese.  Bake at 375 for 1 hour.

Chicken Pot Pie  4.83

Start with 4 c. of cubed, cooked chicken.  Combine with 4 c. frozen hashbrown potatoes, thawed, 1 pkg frozen mixed vegetables, 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, 1 can condensed cream of onion soup, 1 c. milk, 1 c. sour cream, 2 T. flour, 1/2 t. salt, 1/2 t pepper, 1/4 t. garlic powder, 1-2 c. shredded cheddar cheese.  Divide between two 9-inch deep pie plates.  Roll out pastry (you can make it or buy refrigerated) and cover.  Cut slits in pastry, trim, seal and flute edges.  Thaw, bake at 425 for 30 min, reduce heat to 350, remove foil over edges, and bake 50-55 min or until golden brown.

Sunday Night Stew  (this is super yummy, from the Pioneer Woman!)  Overall rating 4.3

Chicken Cordon Bleu  4.25

Pound four chicken breasts to about 1/4 inch thickness.  Spread with butter, sprinkle with Italian seasoning, and top with one slice of ham and one slice of Swiss cheese each.  Roll up chicken, secure with toothpick.  Bread in a mixture of flour, garlic powder, onion powder and salt, then dip into egg and water mixture, then dip into dry bread crumbs.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes