Freezer Cooking

Breakfast

Michelle's Grit Casserole
Michelle Moore, December 2005 MMCW website
    1 1/2 cups grits, 6 cups water, 1 lb sausage browned and drained, 1 lb Velveeta cheese, 1 1/2 sticks margarine, Tabasco sauce to taste, 3 eggs.
    Cook grits in 6 cups of water according to package directions. Add Velveeta cheese and margarine to grits and let melt. Remove from burner. Add three beaten eggs and six drops of Tabasco sauce. Place sausage in bottom of casserole dish and pour grits mixture on top. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
    You can make this the night before and refrigerate; before cooking just add 1/2 cup of water to grits mixture and lightly mix.

Main Dish

Chicken and Rice Wraps
(Kellie's Note: I found this recipe online years ago. I love chicken and rice wraps for their simplicity and huge yield (66 wraps!). My children, ages 3 to 14, give this recipe high marks. I wish I knew who to give credit to but I long sense lost the web address.)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded, 2 cups water,1 cup mild salsa,1 package taco seasoning mix, 2 cups uncooked instant rice, 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese, 8-12 flour tortillas. (I use 66 small tortillas)
In a skillet or saucepan combine chicken, water, salsa, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Add rice. Simmer on low for 5 minutes. Spoon mixture into center of tortillas, sprinkle with cheese and wrap.
To freeze: wrap each folded tortilla in aluminum foil and place in a 1 gallon freezer bag.
To serve: Reheat in oven for 10 minutes or until heated through.
Great as a snack, lunch, or dinner when served with salad. Additional tip: if you get tired of making wraps, fill a casserole dish and sprinkle with cheese and it's a great casserole.

Ground Turkey Burgers
Lori Lauth
2 lbs ground turkey, 2 small grated zucchinis, 1 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup minced red onion, 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, 1/2 tablespoon salt, grated lemon peel
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Form into 8 patties. Wrap each patty in wax paper and place patties in a 1 gallon freezer bag. To cook: grill and serve.

Taco Soup
Loi Palmer, April 2005 MMCW
   4 lb ground chuck, 1 large chopped onion, 2 cans northern beans, 2 cans kidney beans, 2 cans corn, 2 cans Rotel, 2 medium cans stewed tomatoes, 1 can green beans, 1 small can chopped black olives, 2 large cans tomato sauce, 1 package taco seasoning mix, 2 packages Ranch dressing mix (powder), 1 cup water.
   Brown ground beef and onions. Drain off fat. Mix all other ingredients with beef and onions. Simmer on low for 45 minutes. Serve with sour cream and grated cheese.

Chicken Divan
Lori Lauth
1 can cream of chicken soup, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese, 1 lb. boiled and cubed chicken breast, 2 large bags frozen broccoli, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, 1 can cream of mushroom soup.
Layer cooked broccoli in casserole dish. Mix remaining ingredients, except bread crumbs. Put chicken mixture on top of broccoli. Sprinkle bread crumbs. Freeze. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, uncover the last 10 minutes. Serves 10.

Chicken Fried Rice
Lori Lauth
1 (12 oz) long-grain white rice, 2 tablespoons Oriental sesame oil, 1 lb chicken breasts cooked and cut into 1/2 inch pieces, 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion, 2 teaspoons pared and minced fresh ginger, 3 cloves garlic, 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 1 medium zucchini, 1 cup coarsely chopped red bell pepper, 1 cup snow peas, 9 spears of asparagus, 2 eggs, 5 tablespoons soy sauce.
Advanced Prep: Cook chicken in large pot of water the night before. Cut cooked chicken into 1/2 inch pieces. Cook rice the night before. Store chicken and rice in separate containers in the refrigerator until ready to prepare. Chop onions and red bell pepper. Mince ginger root and garlic. Slice zucchini into 1/2 inch pieces. Remove strings from snow peas and cut into 1 inch pieces. Cut asparagus spears into 1/2 inch pieces.
Preparation: Cook onions, ginger, garlic and pepper flakes in 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil. Cook over medium high heat for two minutes. Add zucchini, bell pepper, snow peas and asparagus. Cook, stirring frequently 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are just softened. In separate pan, scramble eggs. Stir eggs, chicken, and vegetable mixture into rice. Stir in soy sauce. Put into labeled freezer bag, seal, and freeze.
To serve: Thaw. Heat in medium-hot skillet with 2 teaspoons oil. Cook stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until heated through. Serves 6.

Chicken Packets
Lori Lauth
2 lbs. cooked and chopped chicken, 2 (3 oz) packages of softened cream cheese, 3 tablespoons chopped chives, 1/4 cup milk, 1 cup crushed seasoned crouton crumbs, 4 packages refrigerated crescent rolls, 1/2 cup melted margarine, salt and pepper to taste.
Mix chicken, cream cheese, chives, milk and salt in a medium bowl (mixing with hands works best) to make filling. Store in a 1-quart freezer bag. Put crouton crumbs in another 1-quart bag, attach it to the bag of chicken filling with tape. Freeze. Refrigerate crescent rolls.
To prepare for serving, thaw chicken mixture and crouton crumbs. Unroll crescent rolls. Each tube will contain 4 rectangles of dough with a diagonal perforation. Press dough along each perforation so the rectangle halves will not separate. Place about 1/4 cup of chicken mixture into the center of each rectangle. Fold dough over the filling and pinch the edges to seal tightly. Dip each packet in melted margarine and coat with the crouton crumbs. Place packets on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Packets are good either hot or cold. Serve early in the month before date expires on crescent rolls. Serves 8.

French Stew
Lori Lauth
3 lbs beef stew meat, 1 (10 3/4 oz) can beef consomme, 3 large peeled and sliced carrots, 1 (16 oz) can drained whole green beans, 1 (8 1/2 oz) can drained whole onions, 1 (16 oz) can drained small peas, 1 (16 oz) can peeled tomatoes, 1 cup water, 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup minute tapioca, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs, 1 bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Mix ingredients in a large covered pot. Bake in 250 degree oven for 6 to 8 hours or in a large crock pot for 8 to 10 hours on low. Allow to cool. Put in freezer container and freeze.
To prepare for serving, thaw stew and heat until bubbly in a large pot. Serves 8.

Mexican Stroganoff
Lori Lauth
2 lbs round steak, 1 cup finely chopped onions, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, 1 3/4 cup water, 1/2 cup chili sauce, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 2 teaspoons seasoned salt, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 (8 oz) can mushroom stems and pieces drained, 1 (8 oz) sour cream or low-fat yogurt, 3 tablespoons all purpose flour, 1 package (12 oz) wide egg noodles.
Cut steak into bite-size pieces. Cook and stir steak, onion, and garlic in oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until brown. Drain off oil. Stir vinegar, water, chili sauce, paprika, chili powder, seasoned salt, soy sauce, and mushrooms into steak mixture. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 1 hour until meat is tender. Cool and store in a freezer container.
To prepare for serving: thaw meat mixture and heat in saucepan until bubbly. Cook egg noodles according to package directions. Stir sour cream or low-fat yogurt and flour together; combine with stroganoff. Heat to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer and stir about 1 minute. Serve stroganoff over noodles. Serves 8.

Mable Glazed Salmon
Lori Lauth
2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, 4 (6 oz) salmon filets (about 1 inch thick).
Combine first four ingredients in a small bowl. Freeze glaze in a container. Freeze salmon.
Thaw salmon and glaze. Place salmon skin side down on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Brush with maple mixture. Broil 10 to 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serves 4.

Dessert

Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert
Loi Palmer, June 2005 MMCW
24 ice cream sandwiches, 1 jar fudge ice cream topping, 1 jar butterscotch or caramel ice cream topping, 1 large Cool Whip tub, 1 cup roasted/salted peanuts or your favorite candy bar cut up.
   Unwrap 12 ice cream sandwiches and line a 9 x 13 casserole pan. Drizzle fudge topping followed by caramel topping on sandwiches. Spread half of the Cool Whip on the sandwiches. Unwrap remaining sandwiches and make a second layer. Top with Cool Whip. Drizzle with fudge topping and sprinkle on roasted peanuts or your favorite candy bar. Keep in the freezer until ready to serve. Cut into squares. Your friends will start to call you Martha. This is an excellent summertime dessert. It can also be made in advance and will store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Make Ahead Cookies
Vicki Huffman, from December 2005 MMCW
1 cup butter, 1 packed cup brown sugar, 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup finely chopped pecans, 2 and 2/3 cups sifted flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 2 large or jumbo eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla.
   Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Work in dry ingredients a little at a time. Add nuts and vanilla. With your hands, work dough into rolls about the diameter of a 50 cent piece. Dough will make 5 or 6 rolls. Wrap rolls in wax paper and refrigerate until chilled before slicing and baking. Or freeze rolls (wrapped in wax paper and aluminum foil). When ready to bake, slice evenly no more than 1/4 inch thick. Bake at 350 degrees on lightly greased cookie sheet until cookies are golden. Baking time will depend on thickness of slices and whether chilled or frozen but should be approximately 10 to 15 minutes. After baking, let cookies sit one minute. Lift off baking sheet with spatula onto wire racks to cool. Cool completely before packaging in airtight containers.