Kabobs

Photo from Once a Month Mom

 

Rating: Unknown

 

We have made and frozen three different types of kabobs. This is a super easy way to stock your freezer in advance (no cooking on prep day = hooray!) and it is super easy to toss them on the grill or cook on the stove top and serve with steamed rice. In the freezer we have sweet and sour kabobs, garlic and herb kabobs, and creole seasoning and butter kabobs. We adopted the recipe from a post by Once a Month Mom.

 

Ingredients

 

Meat of choice (we used chicken)

Veggies of choice (we used green, red, and yellow peppers, mushrooms, and onions)

Marinade of choice 

Directions

In a large freezer bag toss together the meat, veggies, and marinade, remove as much air as possible, seal and freeze. To cook, thaw in fridge and toss on a hot grill.

Breakfast Egg, Sausage, and Cheese Bagel

Photo from Once A Month Mom

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Once a Month Mom posted this yummy delight earlier and I knew it would be perfect in the mornings and quick to reheat. I stocked our freezer with 12 with little effort. I'm sure once the baby arrives these will be gone in a flash.

Ingredients:

18 each eggs
2 cups Evaporated milk (you can substitute regular milk if you would like)
Bacon, cooked and chopped or a pound of crumbled breakfast sausage
2 cups vegetables, chopped (I used green onion, mushrooms, and green peppers)
12 slices Cheddar cheese
12 bagels, sliced in half
cooking spray

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add in additional ingredients except bagels. Spray an 9x13 pan and add egg mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove the eggs from the oven, stir, and return to oven to bake for another 10-15 minutes or until eggs are cooked through. Remove pan from oven and allow to cool.

2. Cut egg into 12 pieces and add one piece to each bottom of a bagel. Top with sliced cheese and top of bagel. Wrap in plastic wrap. Place in a gallon freezer bag. To serve: Separate the egg and bagel, reheat the egg in microwave and toast your bagel.

Chicken Tetrazinni

Photo from Martha Stewart

 

Rating: 4 out of 5

 

This freezer meal may get bumped down a notch once Brian has a taste. I enjoyed the dish but it has frozen peas mixed throughout and that is his least favorite vegetable. So, if you are like Brian, feel free to substitute another veggie in the dish for the peas. Similar to the other baked dishes, you make a double-batch and freeze the second dish. The recipe is from Martha Stewart.

 

Ingredients

 
Coarse salt and ground pepper
6 tablespoons butter
1 pound white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup dry white wine
3 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 pound linguine, broken in half
1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups)
1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed and drained

Directions  

 

1. Preheat oven to 400. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (for pasta). In a large saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over high heat. Add mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until tender and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, and set aside.
 

2. Make sauce: In same saucepan, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add flour; cook, whisking, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, gradually add milk, broth, and wine. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and add 2 cups Parmesan and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
 

3. Cook pasta 2 minutes less than package instructions for al dente; drain and return to pot. Add sauce, chicken, peas, and mushrooms. Toss well to combine. Divide between two shallow 2-quart baking dishes; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Freeze one and bake the other until browned, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. 

 

4. To cook the frozen dish, bake at 400 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes.

 

 

Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage

Photo from Martha Stewart

Rating: 4 out of 5

With the baby due in the next few weeks, I have been stocking the freezer like a crazed squirrel before winter.  My goal is to have enough meals to feed a family of four for two weeks! Not all will be freezer meals, but they will be simple to whip up in a jiffy with little mess. First up, was the baked pasta from Martha Stewart. This was super easy to make a double batch and tasted yummy before it was frozen.

Ingredients

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup vodka (optional)
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes with juice, lightly crushed with hands
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pound rigatoni
10 ounces baby spinach
12 ounces smoked chicken sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
6 ounces fontina cheese, 4 ounces cut into 1/2-inch cubes and 2 ounces coarsely grated
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic. Remove from heat; add vodka, if desired. Return to heat; cook until almost evaporated, 1 minute.

2. Stir in tomatoes and oregano; cook until tomatoes are falling apart, 10 to 15 minutes. Add cream; cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Add spinach, and cook just until wilted. Drain, and return contents to pot.

4. Add tomato sauce, sausage, and cubed fontina to pot; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Divide evenly between two shallow 1 1/2-quart baking dishes.

5. Top with grated fontina and Parmesan. Bake until browned and edges are crisp, 20 to 30 minutes.
 
6. To cook the frozen dish, bake at 400 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes.

Grilled Pizzas

Rating: 4.75 out of 5

The only thing that can be improved with this recipe is the pizza sauce. We used store bought sauce and it was lacking in flavor. We also think next time we will mix in some Penzey's Italian Seasoning into the dough. The dough recipe is from eating well and the toppings were Brian's creation.

Ingredients

Dough

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water, (105-115°F)
1 package active dry yeast, (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup bread flour, or all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal

Pizza Toppings

Italian Sausage
Tomatoes
Mozzarella Cheese
Mushrooms
Spinach
Pizza Sauce

Directions

Dough

1. Stir water, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl; let stand until the yeast has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Stir in whole-wheat flour, bread flour (or all-purpose flour) and cornmeal until the dough begins to come together.

2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. (Alternatively, mix the dough in a Kitchen Aid Mixer with bread hook. Process until it forms a ball, then process for 1 minute to knead.)

3. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat. (To make individual pizzas, see Variation.) Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Individual variation: The dough can be turned into 4 or 6 personal-size pizzas. After kneading, divide the dough into 4 or 6 equal balls. Brush with oil and place 3 inches apart on a baking sheet. Cover and set aside until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Roll each portion into a 6-to-8-inch circle.

Grilling the Pizzas

1. Prepare the grill for high direct heat. Prepare a small bowl with olive oil for greasing the grill grates and for brushing the pizza. Prepare the toppings so they are ready to go on the pizza.

2. Once the grill is hot (you can hold your hands an inch over the grates for no more than 2 seconds), brush olive oil onto the grates. Slide the pizza dough onto the grates and close the lid of the grill and let cook for 2 minutes.

3. After 2 minutes, open the grill and check underneath the dough to see if it is getting browned.

4. Once the pizza dough has browned lightly on one side, remove it from the grill. Use a spatula to flip the dough over so that the grilled side is now up. Put your toppings on the grilled side of the pizza and slide back onto the grill. Close the lid and cook for 2-3 minutes more, or until the bottom begins to char. Move the pizza to the side (indirect heat) until the cheese starts to bubble.

5. Pull off the grate and let rest for a couple minutes before cutting into slices.

Watermelon Lemonade

 Photo from Oopsey Daisy

Rating: 4.75 out of 5

It is starting to get HOT here in Boise! This drink was incredibly refreshing and only took seconds to mix up. It is a tad heavy on the sugar side, but I am sure you could find a sugar-free lemonade mix. Thank you to Positively Splendid.

Ingredients

2 cups of chopped watermelon
1/3 cup Country Time lemonade powder
1 1/3 cup water
2/3 cup ice

Directions

Put the ingredients in a blender and mix.

This made about 2-3 glasses of lemonade and held up well in the fridge overnight.

Avocado Ranch Sauce

Rating: 4.75 out of 5

I was tired of the same old toppings on my hamburgers, so when I saw this on Rachael Ray I knew I had to give it a try. I changed it up a bit but here is the link to the original post.

Ingredients

1 avocado
Juice of 1 lemon
A few squirts of Ranch dressing
A few squirts of Tabasco sauce (We used Sriracha sauce)
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives

Directions

Mix all the ingredients together and serve on top of a hamburger in place of the ketchup, mayo, and mustard.