Recipes finally!!

Thanks to everyone for being so patient. Sorry it has taken me so long to finally get recipes to you all. It is much harder than I thought to write a recipe! I never use a recipe, I get ideas from recipes, then just add stuff until it looks like it will taste good. I hate to measure and usually just throw a splash of this, pinch of that into the pan and taste as I go. So, that being said, I hope these recipes work well for you all. If something in a recipe doesn't look right to you, or you want to switch up ingredients, go for it! That is what cooking is all about. Be sure to change the recipe to the tastes of your family, and enjoy! 

I have a lot more recipes for you. I will only post ones I have tried and liked. Or I will let you know it is an un-tested recipe. Many of these ideas I got from cookbooks or online, but I have changed them to suit my family. If I use a recipe from somewhere else I will just provide the link, so they can get credit for their recipe. I'll also add pictures if I have them.

Shrimp Scampi with Pasta

1 lb. Frozen or fresh raw shrimp. (Shell off or you can remove)

½ stick butter

½ C. Sweet white wine (can substitute stock and a splash of apple cider vinegar)

1 clove minced garlic

¼ C. minced onions (I use dried)

¼ C. Lemon Juice

squeeze of honey

salt and pepper to taste while cooking

Combine all ingredients except shrimp in ziplock bag. Mix ingredients in the bag. Add in shrimp, remove air and freeze.

I also mostly cook about ½ lb of any pasta. I prefer penne. I freeze that in a seperate bag, and put them together in a larger bag. Or you can tape the bags together.

To cook:

Thaw completely. Add all ingredients to pan, except pasta. Cook until shrimp is pink and firm. Remove shrimp. Simmer the sauce until it starts to reduce and thicken. About 10 min. Add pasta and cook until pasta is warmed through. Salt and pepper to taste. Combine with shrimp and serve.

Balsamic Glazed Pork Roast

1 pork roast

1 C. Chicken broth or stock (or pork if you want to spend the extra $$)

¼ C. brown sugar

⅓ C. Balsamic Vinegar

1 T soy sauce

1-2 cloves of minced garlic

1 T onion powder or dried minced onions

1T Honey- add to sauce when reducing on the day you cook it.

Also may add more soy sauce, and salt/pepper to taste.

Add all ingredients except pork to bag and mix well. Add pork roast to bag and cover with sauce. Remove as much air as possible and seal.

To Cook:

No need to thaw! Just let it sit out long enough for the juices to thaw enough that you can get it out of the bag. Plop the big frozen lump into your crock pot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Cooking on low will produce a more tender roast.

Once cooked, remove the roast from the crock. Let it rest 10-15 minutes, then shred. While the roast is resting, pour all the liquid into a saute pan and reduce until it thickens into a nice thick glaze. You will want to do this on a pretty high heat. once it is thickened, pour it over the shredded pork and serve over rice.

EXTRA TIP: I save the leftover pork, mix with your favorite bbq sauce and microwave until warm. Serve over baked potatoes with cheese and sour cream, for another very yummy meal!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Rolls (makes 12)

6 large chicken breasts

12 slices swiss cheese

12 thin slices of regular ham,  or 24 slices of deli ham.

breadcrumbs to coat

2 eggs

⅔ C milk

Slice chicken breasts lengthwise, and pound out until thin. Mix eggs and milk in a bowl. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture, then dip into bread crumbs and set aside. Once all the chicken is breaded, lay one flat and add 1 slice of cheese and 1 slice of ham on top of the chicken. Use 2 slices of ham if using deli ham.

Roll as tight as possible. My trick to keep them together? No toothpicks! Lay them on a strip of plastic wrap a few lengths larger than the rolls. Roll in the plastic wrap leaving some extra on the sides. Twist the ends of the wrap in opposite directions (like a candy wrapper), keep twisting until you chicken forms a nice tight bundle. It will freeze this way, then stay together when you cook it!

To Cook:

You can cook from frozen, but I prefer to thaw about halfway.

Place on a foil lined, greased cookie sheet. Don’t skip the cooking spray or oil on the foil. You will never get them off your pan! Bake at 375* until the chicken reaches 165* internal temp. I can’t tell you how long because all ovens are different, and it depends how thawed they are. Check them often! You don’t want to overcook them! They will likely start to leak cheese when they are close to done. Let rest, then slice the rolls for easier eating.

Optional:

I make a basic white sauce (Roux of flour and butter, add milk and whisk until it makes a sauce). Then I add swiss and parmesan cheese, a squirt of dijon mustard, and a splash of white wine or lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. I serve the sliced chicken over the sauce so it doesn’t get soggy.

Asian Mongolian Beef

1 lb beef. sliced thin (You can use any cut of meat. think cheap!)

1 T garlic

½ t ginger (dried)

1 T onion powder or dried onions

½ C Hoisin sauce

½ C soy sauce (less if you don’t like salt)

½ C brown sugar

2 T olive oil

½ C water

sliced green onions- add on the day you cook it

Mix all ingredients in the bag, add meat, seal tight and freeze!

To Cook:

Thaw just enough to get it out of the bag. Cook in crockpot on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Low heat will give better results. Add green onions the last 30 min. Serve meat and sauce over rice. I usually serve roasted broccoli or green beans with it. Or you can add any veggies you like the last 30 min of cooking. I prefer them separate.

Hawaiian Pork

1 pork roast (any type)

1 can pineapple chunks in their own juice. NO SYRUP

½ red bell pepper cubed large

½ onion cubed large

2 T soy sauce (can adjust to taste)

⅓ C brown sugar

½ C any bbq sauce

½ C Chili sauce (can use all chili sauce instead of bbq sauce)

Add all ingredients to bag. Mix in bag. Remove air and freeze.

To Cook:

Thaw just enough to remove from bag. Cook in crock pot on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Low cooking will produce better results. Shred pork and serve with sauce over rice.

Cheesy Ham and Potato Casserole

1 lb cubed ham. (I use leftovers from a spiral ham)

4-6 potatoes cubed and blanched (I keep the skin on for texture)

1 Can Cream of Chicken soup

1 Can of milk or water

8 oz. of shredded cheddar cheese divided

½ C breadcrumbs

Broccoli- I cook separately and add on cooking day, but tastes good in the casserole if you like.

Mix the soup, milk/water, and half the cheese and mix until smooth. Fill foil pan with ham and potatoes. Pour soup mixture over the ham and potatoes and stir until potatoes are fully coated. You can skip blanching the potatoes if you make sure they are thoroughly coated in the soup mixture before freezing. Cover tight with plastic wrap. Mix remaining cheese with the breadcrumbs in a ziplock bag. Place on top of the plastic wrap, and cover with foil.

To cook:

Remove plastic and ziplock bag. Replace foil. Bake from frozen at 350* for about 1 hour 30 min. (will vary based on ovens). Once the potatoes are cooked, add the breadcrumb mixture and bake on 400* until browned and bubbly (about 10-15 min).

Creamy Ranch Pork Chops and Potatoes

4 pork chops (whatever type is on sale)

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

4-6 potatoes cubed and blanched

1 ranch dressing dry mix packet

1C. milk

Mix the soup, milk/water, and ranch mix and whisk until smooth. Fill foil pan with potatoes, and place pork chops on top.Pour soup mixture over the pork chops and potatoes until potatoes are fully coated. You can skip blanching the potatoes if you make sure they are thoroughly coated in the soup mixture before freezing. Cover tight with plastic wrap and cover with foil.

To Cook:

Thaw for as long as possible, but can cook from frozen. Remove plastic wrap and replace foil. Bake at 375* for about 1 hour 30 min or until potatoes are done and pork chops are cooked through. Move pork chops under the potatoes and sauce, and cook for 15-20 minutes, uncovered, until sauce thickens a bit. Serve using the sauce as a gravy to pour over pork chops and potatoes.

Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and potato casserole

This recipe you can make without the potatoes and serve over rice, or a baked potato also.

2 large (raw) chicken breasts cubed

2 C broccoli florets

4 C cubed skin-on red potatoes (no need to blanch)

1 Can cream of chicken soup

4 oz Velveeta cubed

1 T worcestershire sauce

1 t paprika

2 t garlic salt

2 t onion powder

salt and pepper to taste

½ C breadcrumbs in seperate ziplock bag

Add all ingredients to foil pan. Mix with hands until combined and potatoes are coated with mixture. Cover with plastic wrap, place breadcrumb bag on top cover with foil. Freeze.

To Cook: Thaw for as long as possible, but can cook from frozen. Remove plastic wrap and replace foil. Bake at 375* for about 1 hour. Stir to mix in the melted velveeta. Cook another 30 min or until potatoes are done and chicken is cooked through. Add breadcrumbs and cook, uncovered until browned and bubbly.

Orange Chicken (makes 2 meals)

6 large chicken breasts- cubed and coated lightly with flour.

sauce:

1 can orange juice concentrate, thawed

2 whole cloves garlic

1 T dried onions or onion powder

⅓  C soy sauce

¼ c balsamic vinegar

½ c ketchup

¼ C chili sauce (can use ¾ C of all chili sauce or all ketchup if you don’t have both)

¼ C brown sugar

large pinch of salt

Mix sauce ingredients in a blender and separate into 2 quart ziplock bags. Place chicken into separate quart bags. Put 1 bag chicken and 1 bag sauce into a larger back to make a “kit”, or tape bags together so they don’t get lost in the freezer.

To Cook:

Thaw sauce enough to pour out of bag. Can be partially frozen. Add frozen chicken to crock pot and cover with sauce. Cook in crock pot on low 8 hours or high 4 hours. Low cooking will produce a better result. Serve over rice with roasted or steamed vegetables.

Cilantro lime chicken (MY FAVORITE FREEZER MEAL)

3 chicken breasts per bag

1 C Cilantro lime pesto per bag

Cilantro lime pesto:

1 C fresh cilantro

1C fresh parsley

2 ½ T Olive Oil

small handfull whole or chopped almonds

2 cloves garlic or 2 T garlic powder

¼ C lime juice

½ C parmesan cheese

¼ C chicken broth

salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients in blender or food processor until smooth. Should make approx. 1 C of pesto. Pour over chicken in ziplock bag. Seal tight and freeze.

To cook:

Thaw enough to remove from bag. Cook in crock pot on low 8 hours or high 4 hours. Low cooking will produce a better result. Shred chicken the last hour and let soak in the sauce. Serve on corn tortillas with your favorite taco toppings, or over rice with black beans and veggies.

Extra tip: leftovers are really good served cold on a salad with cheddar cheese and ranch dressing.

Beef or Chicken Fajitas

1 lb. beef (think cheap steak) or chicken thinly sliced

1 onion cut into slices

1 bell pepper (any color) cut into slices

1 packet fajita seasoning mix

1 T lime juice

1 T Worcestershire sauce

Add all ingredients to bag. Seal tight and freeze. You can also freeze the tortillas in a ziploc taped to this bag, so that you will know for sure you have some on hand the day you cook it. I LOVE my fajita kits!

To Cook:

Thaw completely. Add whole back to very HOT skillet. Cook on high until meat is fully cooked. Serve with tortillas and your favorite fajita toppings.


_ Check in again soon for more recipes. I have about 20 more that I have tried and liked, and a few more yet to try. As always please leave a comment, or email me if you have any questions, recipe requests, or have a recipe you would like me to try.

Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful day!