Once a Month Cooking and Freezing Plan Recipes

[Dee]

Chicken Pot-au-Feu

This rich and savory chicken stew has a beautiful golden color. Flavored with wine and fresh thyme, it complements the deeper flavors of chicken thighs and drumsticks. Serve it over Freezer Garlic Mashed Potatoes for an easy, all-from-the-oven meal!

 

16 chicken thighs or 8 chicken leg quarters

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 large or 2 medium onions, quartered and sliced in 1/4-inch strips

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

3 cups carrots, sliced in 1/4th-inch rounds

1 cup celery, sliced in 1/4th-inch pieces

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme or 1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

2 cups defatted chicken broth

1/2 cup port wine

Set aside two 2-quart casserole dishes, or two large disposable freezer containers. (For small families, this recipe will make three or four meals; adjust number and size of pans accordingly).

 

Skin chicken pieces and remove fat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

 

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to large frying pan or dutch oven. When hot, add one-half the chicken pieces and brown on all sides. Remove chicken to prepared baking pans and allow to cool.

 

Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the frying pan, and stir in onions and garlic. Sauté over medium-high heat until golden, stirring frequently. Stir in carrots, celery and thyme, and sauté until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir often. Using a slotted spoon, divide vegetables among the casserole dishes or freezer containers; retain juices in pan.

 

Return frying pan to heat, and add flour. Stir vigorously to blend flour, over medium-high heat, until flour mixture begins to brown. Slowly whisk in chicken broth, white wine and port wine. Stir until boiling and slightly thickened.

 

Pour sauce over chicken and vegetables. Cover and freeze. Mark containers with recipe name, date of preparation, and these reheating instructions:

 

Thaw in refrigerator before use. Bake, covered, in 375-degree oven until chicken is no longer pink near the bone, about 1 1/2 hours.

 

CEO tip for extended storage: Freeze Chicken Pot-au-Feu overnight in freezer containers slightly smaller than covered casserole pans. When frozen hard, remove from disposable freezer containers and seal using a Foodsaver-brand vacuum food storage bag. Removing all air from the storage bag extends food quality 3 to 5 times.

 

 

Mim's Cabbage Rolls

1 cabbage head

1 pound ground beef

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup rice -- uncooked

1/4 cup cold water

2 eggs

1 16 oz. can tomatoes, peeled in juice, crushed

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

4 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

salt -- to taste

pepper -- to taste

1 freezer bag -- jumbo

 

 

Separate cabbage into leaves; stack loosely in large skillet and add 1 " water. Cover and steam cabbage leaves until soft. Cool. Combine ground beef, nutmeg, rice, water and eggs. Place 1/4 cup meat mixture in the center of each leaf; roll up and place seam side down in baking pan.

 

To make sauce, mash canned tomatoes and mix with tomato sauce. Add brown sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour over cabbage rolls.

 

To freeze: cover pan with aluminum foil. Flash freeze; place casserole inside freezer bag.

 

To prepare: thaw casserole completely before cooking. Bake covered dish in 400-degree oven for 1 hour; remove cover and bake 15 minutes more.

 

Meatloaf with Rice Stuffing

1 pound ground beef

3/4 cup bread crumbs -- fresh

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1/2 cup onion -- finely chopped

1/4 cup celery -- finely chopped 1 egg

1/4 teaspoon marjoram -- dried

1/4 teaspoon thyme -- dried

1/2 cup rice -- cooked

1/4 pound mushrooms -- sliced

1/4 pound Italian sausage

2 ounces Swiss cheese -- grated

1 freezer bag -- jumbo

Combine ground beef, bread crumbs, tomato sauce, onion, celery, eggs and seasonings in a large bowl; mix well. Pat into microwave bundt pan, pressing meat against sides and center tube of pan to make well for filling. Layer mushrooms, cheese, rice and sausage in the center of the meatloaf; press edges of meat mixture over filling, sealing to cover completely.

 

To freeze: Cover pan with aluminum foil; seal in jumbo freezer bag.

 

To prepare: thaw meatloaf completely before cooking. Cook on High in microwave for 10 minutes; turn out of bundt pan onto microwave meat rack. Cook on High 7-10 minutes or until interior temperature measures 135 degrees. Cover with aluminum foil and allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.

 

Freezer French Dip Sandwiches

leftover Roast Beef -- prepared as directed

4 French rolls -- large

1 freezer bag -- gallon

1 freezer bag -- quart

1 au jus gravy packet

Using rotary slicer, slice cooked roast beef into thin slices. Package 1 pound leftover beef in aluminum foil, then place in quart freezer bag. Freeze.

 

Bundle with: 4 large French rolls in gallon freezer bag.

 

To prepare: thaw meat slices completely. Warm aluminum foil packet containing meat in 250-degree oven until warm. Meanwhile, prepare au jus gravy according to packet directions. Toast French rolls and heap with sliced roast. Serve with small bowl of au jus gravy for dipping.

 

 

Texas-Style Barbeque Pork

leftover Pork Roast with Gravy -- cooked as directed

2 cans tomatoes -- (16 oz.) canned

2 cans tomato sauce -- (8 oz.)

1 can tomato paste -- (10 oz.)

3 garlic cloves

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white vinegar

2 onions -- chopped and sautéed

salt -- to taste

pepper -- to taste

6 hamburger buns -- large

2 freezer container -- quart

After cooking Pork Roast with Gravy (Crock Pot) as directed, return pork leftovers to crock pot. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, garlic, brown sugar, vinegar, and onions. Cook on Low 12 to 18 hours (overnight).

 

Crush meat into strings; remove pork bones from barbecue. Salt and pepper to taste. Cool and remove fat.

 

To freeze: place barbecue in freezer containers. Cover and freeze.

 

Bundle with: 4 large hamburger buns per container.

 

To prepare: thaw barbecue before heating. Place barbecue in saucepan and heat until hot. Toast buns; place barbecue over buns and serve with fork--it's juicy!

 

Roast Pork with Gravy (crock pot)

5 pounds pork shoulder roast -- (5 to 7 lb)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup water -- cold

Place pork roast in crock pot. Do not add water or seasoning. Cook on High 6 to 8 hours until well-cooked. Drain drippings into small saucepan; thicken with 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch stirred into 1/4 cup cold water; season gravy to taste.

 

After dinner, return uneaten pork roast and gravy to crock pot. Prepare as directed for Texas-Style Barbecue Pork.

 

 

Macaroni and Cheese with Ham

2 1/2 cups White Sauce -- prepared as directed

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

6 ounces cheddar cheese -- shredded

8 ounces macaroni -- elbow

1 1/2 cups ham cubes

1 freezer bag -- jumbo

Stir dry mustard into white sauce; add 1 3/4 cup grated cheese and stir until melted (reserve 1/4 cup cheese for topping). Cook elbow macaroni for six minutes; drain. Add cheese sauce to macaroni; stir. Turn into a greased, 2-quart casserole dish; stir in ham cubes. Top with reserved grated cheese.

 

To freeze: cover casserole with aluminum foil; seal dish in jumbo freezer bag. Freeze.

 

To prepare: place frozen casserole (covered with aluminum foil) in preheated 375-degree oven. Bake for 25 minutes; remove aluminum foil. Bake 25 minutes more, or until hot and bubbly.

 

 

I usually triple the recipes.

When I make meatloaf I make three out of 3 lbs of hamburger.

I also make a huge stockpot full of chili to freeze.

I make about 40 meatballs and freeze them until I use them. I use them in spaghetti sauce, I put a can of mushroom soup over the top of them and serve on a bed of egg noodles, We use them for Meatball Subs and sometimes just slice them up and put them on home made pizza.

I take 3 chicken breasts without the skin and bones, cut them up throw the chunks into a pot along with 4 cut up peppers, 2 onions cut up, 2 cans of whole tomatoes, garlic cloves, the more the better and a few splashes of red cooking wine. I let that all simmer and I have a caccitore. To thicken it I use a can of tomato paste.

I also roast chicken breasts- 3 per meal and I make Sticky Chicken from 2 whole chickens with home made stuffing and debone and free the chicken and also the stuffing. I make chicken and buscuits from some of the chicken.

I also take a little ground beef and rice and make cabbage rolls and freeze.

There is so much you can make and freeze and then just pull out of the freezer when you don't feel like cooking.

 

 

 

 

[mrszouave]

Great ideas!