Soup, Casserole, & Freezer Crockpot Meals (New Recipes of the Week~14)

Italian White Bean & Spinach Soup

We liked the flavor of this soup and it used up frozen garden squash. Double bonus!

Find the original recipe that I tried by clicking on the recipe title.

Nana's Chili Rellenos

1 can (27 oz.) whole green chilies, drained

4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

4 eggs

1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

1/4 c. flour

1 can (29 oz.) tomato sauce

1 envelope taco seasoning

8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese cubes

Slice chilies in half and remove seeds. Arrange in a 9 x 13. Sprinkle with cheese. Beat eggs, milk, and flour, until smooth; pour over cheese. Bake 350* for 30 minutes. Whisk tomato sauce and taco seasoning until blended; pour over casserole. Place cheese cubes on top. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until top is set. 

I used fresh chilies, homemade taco seasoning blend, left off the sharp cheddar, and cooked it on the stove rather than baking this dish. It was tasty.

Grilled Sweet Potato Salad

With avocado, cilantro, and lime juice this sounded yummy, but was just too strange of a combination added to sweet potatoes.

Freezer Crockpot Meal preparation. 

Our local homeschool group planned an afternoon of assembling freezer meals. We each brought our own ingredients & recipes from various blog posts, and chopped away. Annie helped me make 10 meals in about 2 hours...All.New.Recipes. We liked the Pineapple Chicken Burritos, Creamy Italian Pasta Soup, Honey Chicken, and Southwest Chicken Soup.

I had several gallon bags of frozen garden tomatoes I'd never canned, that were used up in these meals. I also used some of the chickens we butchered this spring and deer roasts that were in our freezer too. It was a good learning experience and I hope to try again with some different recipes.

Casseroles and Breads (New Recipes of the week~13)

 Crock Barbacoa Beef 

Very simple (if you plan several hours ahead to slow-cook the roast) and very good flavor! I used venison and it was juicy and mildly spicy. 

Click on the title to take you to the recipe.

Baking Day

French bread Loaves, sour dough rounds, and pie crust in the bowl.

Loaded Spaghetti Squash Casserole

With butter, sour cream, and cheese, this dish was satisfyingly warm & gooey. However, my kiddos can pick out even the tiniest hint of squash, no matter how dressed up it is, and turn up their noses. Too bad!

Venison Garlic Stir fry

I could eat stir fried veggies with or without meat, with or without sauce, (but always with rice), three times a week. My people just are not that fond of it, even with sweet chili sauce, so I try to limit this to a couple times a month.

Cranberry Apple Muffins

2 cups shredded apples

1 cup sugar

1 cup cranberries

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

2 1/2 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

Combine apples and sugar; let stand for 10 minutes. Add cranberries, carrots, eggs, and oil. Mix well. Combine flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, and salt; stir into apple mixture just until moistened. Fill muffin cups or tins 2/3 full. Bake at 375* for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pans. Yield: 11/2 dozen.

My daughter mixed these up with red Kansas wheat flour and left out the nuts. They were quickly gobbled up!

Mystery Chicken Dish

This is a type of chicken casserole with Mexican flair...peppers, onions, olives, cheese, and salsa. I must have already tossed the recipe, because though it was good, it was not spectacular.

Those are some of the new foods we've been eating lately...

Christmas Happenings

The girls wanted to cut out and decorate sugar cookies to eat for our family Christmas supper. Annie mixed up the dough before she left to spend two weeks in Virginia with her daddy's family. The other three gals spent one afternoon cutting and baking, and another afternoon glazing the holiday shapes. 

A double recipe made plenty for our family and plenty to put on ten cookie plates for our neighbors and teachers. The rest of the cookies we used from an exchange we went to one afternoon. 

We all brought frozen cookie dough balls to bake at our leisure as the need arises. I used over half for our deliveries, but we still have a few dozen waiting in the freezer. It was such a nice assortment: Peppermint, Peanut butter, Monster, Oatmeal, Chocolate, Butterscotch, Sugar Cookie, Red Velvet, Lemon, and more. We played games and ate yummy hors d'oeuvres too.

Caroline performed in a violin concert with the other students of her teacher. She played some carols with her age group, accompanied the older symphony, and sang a song too, in concert attire, naturally.

On Christmas Day (well really, the day after Christmas) we ate our special meals and had a simple family day. Different activities were unveiled. The games and craft was the biggest hit. We had to forfeit the walk because it was so cold outside, but we did the circular back rub.

biscuits & gravy breakfast

wild turkey, smashed potatoes & gravy lunch

snack supper of each child's choosing

Sandwich, Crock, Pizza, Bread, Salad (New Recipes of the Week ~10)

"New recipes" is a very loose term right now. These are actually dishes we ate back in the summer. I'm just taking up where I left off in June.

Meat & Potato Crock

2 pounds frozen tater tots

1 pound meat (ham, bacon, etc.)

2 onions, chopped

2 c shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 c Parmesan cheese

6 eggs

1 c milk

4 Tbsp flour

salt & pepper to taste

In a slow cooker, layer half of the potatoes, meat, onions, and cheeses. Repeat. Whisk together eggs, milk, flour, and salt & pepper. Pour over the layers in the crock. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours. 

I substituted raw shredded potatoes for the tater tots, which tasted great...but they turned an unappetizing grayish hue. I also used venison burger as the meat. Our family enjoyed this dish and it was fairly quick to prepare.

Broiled Sausage Sandwiches

Pepper Sausage Pizza

3-4 c flour, divided

1 pkge quick rise yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 c warm water (120-130*)

1/4 c oil

2 tsp salt

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 c shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

3 c torn fresh spinach

15 oz pizza sauce

4 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1/2 pound sausage, cooked & drained

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/2 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 1/2 tsp pizza seasoning

3 tbsp minced fresh basil, optional

In bowl, combine 1 c flour, yeast, and sugar. Add water; beat until smooth. Add the oil, salt, dried basil, pepper, 1/4 c Parmesan cheese, and 2 c flour; beat until blended. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Cover and let rest while preparing the spinach. Microwave spinach on high for 30 seconds or until wilted. Press dough into a greased 15x10 inch jellyroll pan. Spread with pizza sauce; sprinkle with 2 1/2 c mozzarella , sausage, onion, spinach, mushrooms, and yellow pepper. Top with remaining Parmesan and mozzarella. Sprinkle with pizza seasoning. Bake at 450* for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh basil if desired. Cut into squares, Yield 12-15 slices.

I use bulk SAF brand instant yeast; 2 1/2 tsp equals 1 package. I wilted my spinach in a pan on the stove since we no longer have a microwave. I also used ground venison seasoned with sage, cayenne, salt, and pepper in place of the pork sausage. For the pizza seasoning, I sprinkled garlic powder, oregano, and basil over the cheese. I don't think our garden basil was ready to be used yet!

Triticale Breads

We procured some triticale grain from a neighboring farmer this harvest. After winnowing it outside in the breeze, I found a few recipes online to try. The triticale berries were put through our electric grinder and I used a regular loaf recipe plus a sourdough recipe. I actually preferred the end result of the round sourdough loaves; the loaf breads were a bit drier and dense. Perhaps not bake them so long next time? Triticale is a cross between wheat and rye. These breads didn't taste much, if any, different than a honey whole wheat. 

Eldest daughter, A, whipped up the rest of the baked goods you see in the picture. 

Mmmm...fresh baked bread.

Fajita Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

The recipes that are given are for the foods we really liked and will keep in my recipe binder. The others may be tasty, but didn't quite make the grade. 

Isn't food fun?!

Broccoli, Wraps, Soups, and Pasta (New Recipes of the Week ~5)

Here's what's been cookin' at our house lately...

Broccoli Oriental

The directions call for steaming the broccoli and pouring a warm orange sauce over it, but knowing half of my family's aversion to cooked broccoli, I opted to to serve the sauce as a dip. I would not recommend that. That little silver container is still sitting in the fridge half-eaten 2 weeks later!

Wraps a la Mexicana

1/3 c. cream cheese

1/2 an avocado, mashed

2 Tbsp. sour cream

4 8 inch flour tortillas

4 pieces leaf lettuce

1/2 lb cooked/grilled chicken

salsa

Combine cream cheese, avocado, and sour cream in a small bowl. Spread onto each tortilla. Place a piece of lettuce over the bottom half of the tortillas. Top with 1/4 of the chicken strips or slices. Drizzle with salsa. Fold edges inward, roll up, and cut in half diagonally. We are loving the $.29 avocado sales in wraps such as these!

The little spirals are leftover hummus, cheese, and lettuce spread onto the last tortilla in the package.

Slow-Cooked Vegetable Soup

Though this is a Taste of Home recipe, it was a bit on the healthy-tasting side for us. Garbanzo beans are not a family favorite along with cooked broccoli, but oh so good for you!

Sausage Mushroom Manicotti

1 lb bulk Italian sausage, cooked (I seasoned my own ground venison.)

1/2 c diced onion

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tbsp. butter

9 oz. sliced mushrooms

1 can cream of mushroom soup (I cooked a white sauce instead.)

1/2 c. sour cream

1/4 tsp pepper

8 oz. manicotti shells, cooked

5 oz. milk

1 Tbsp minced fresh or 1 tsp. dried parsley

1 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese

Saute onions and garlic in butter until tender. Add mushrooms; heat through. Stir in soup, sour cream, pepper, milk, and parsley. Mix in cooked meat and pasta and cheese, reserving some to sprinkle on top. Heat through. (Or you can transfer to a baking dish, cover and bake 350* for 25 minutes.)

By the photos, I obviously did not use manicotti. I've never even made manicotti and have only eaten it once. That was at 11 o'clock at night and I was terribly hungry. Of course my hosts hadn't even gotten home from the grocery until 9pm and started dinner after that, hence I am convinced that stuffed manicotti can never be a fast family meal. However, pasta shells may be substituted for a quick version. We all heartily approved of this recipe, though I would call it stroganoff. 

Hamburger Vegetable Crock

Baking Day

Date Crumb Cake, Cinnamon Rolls, and little Sandwich Buns cut with a biscuit cutter.

A heavy sweet breakfast cake with dates and nuts. We replaced the dates with raisins and skipped the nuts. It is still tasty, especially with milk on top!