Chicken Marinade

2 tsp salt

1/4 c Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp dry mustard

1 c oil

1/2 c red wine vinegar

3/4 c soy sauce (lite or reduced salt also works)

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp parsley flakes

Combine all marinade ingredients. Place chicken pieces in 1 gallon freezer bag. Pour marinade over the meat. Freeze.

To serve, thaw. Grill or cook chicken until the meat is no longer pink inside and juices run clear.

Chicken Enchiladas

16 flour tortillas

1 medium onion

1 tbls vegetable oil

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 c shredded cheddar

1 tsp ground cumin

1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese

1/4 c chopped black olives

6 cups shredded cooked chicken

3/4 c salsa

Enchilada sauce

Heat oven to 350. I large saucepan, heat vegetables oil, add onion, chili powder, garlic and cumin. Add cream cheese, chicken and salsa. Removed from heat when thoroughly combined. Add 1 c cheddar and the olives.

Spread 1/4 c enchilada sauce over the bottom of baking dish(es). Spoon 1/3 c chicken mixture into tortilla and roll. Place side by side in a baking dish. Top with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately.

NOTES:

• This recipe would work well with beef or turkey also.
• I've also chopped up chicken breasts instead of using shredded chicken.
• It makes a good freezer meal. Place filled tortillas into the baking dish as instructed. Put enchilada sauce in a small zip-loc on top and put cheese into another small zip-loc on top so it all stays together. Cover well and freeze. When you want to serve it, just thaw, finish the sauce/cheese steps of the assembly and bake.
• I rarely have enchilada sauce on hand, but have substituted a small can of tomato sauce (8 oz) mixed with cumin.

Kathy's Lasagna

1 1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage

1 tsp garlic, minced

1 tbls. parsley

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbls. dried basil

1 tbls. dried oregano

3 6 ounce cans tomato paste

1 16 ounce can diced tomatoes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1 c water (add up to 1/2 c more if it's reduced too much. The uncooked pasta will need some liquid.)

1 16 oz. pkg lasagna noodles

30 ounces ricotta

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 tbls parsley

1/2 c Parmesan

1 lb. mozzarella, sliced or shredded

1. Brown meat; drain off excess fat; stir in remaining ingredients in first section above. Simmer one hour, stirring occasionally.
2. Combine ricotta, eggs, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper, 2 T parsley, and Parmesan.
3. Spoon about 1/2 c meat sauce on bottom of 9 x 13 pan.
4. Cover with layer of uncooked noodles
5. spread 1/3 of cheese mixture, 1/3 of mozzarella and 1/3 of the meat over the noodles. Repeat layers twice.
6. Freeze.
7. Bake at 375 for 1 hour. Let stand for 15-20 minutes before cutting.

NOTES:

I made a half recipe and used a smaller baking dish.

I substituted cottage cheese for the ricotta

SOURCE: Kathy Huber, Christine Houle

Four-Cheese Spinach Lasagna

2 cups fresh broccoli, chopped

1 1/2 c carrots, julienned

1 c green onions, sliced

1/2 c sweet red peppers, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp oil

1/2 c flour

3 c skim milk

1/2 c Parmesan cheese, divided

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed

1 1/2 c cottage cheese

1 c mozzarella cheese (4 oz. = 1 c)

1/2 c Swiss cheese, shredded

12 cooked lasagna noodles

In skillet, sauté the vegetables and garlic in oil until crisp-tender. Remove from the heat; set aside. In a heavy saucepan, whisk flour and milk until smooth. Bring to a oil; cook and stir for 2 mins. Reduce heat; add 1/4 c Parmesan, salt and pepper. Cook 1 minute longer or until cheese is melted. Remove from the heat; stir in spinach. Set one cup aside. In a bowl, combine cottage cheese, mozzarella and Swiss. Spread 1/2 c of spinach mixture in a greased 13x9 pan.

Layer:

4 noodles

half of the cheese mixture and vegetables

3/4 c spinach mixture

Repeat layers. (Use remaining spinach, vegetables, and cheese)

Top with remaining noodles, reserved spinach mixture and remaining Parmesan. Cover and freeze.

Cover loosely with foil and bake at 375 for 35 mins. Uncover; bake 15 minutes longer. Let stand 10-15 mins. before cutting.

NOTES:

We made a 1/2 batch and put it in an 11 cup rectangular pyrex dish.

SOURCE: Christine Houle

Bruschetta Chicken

No matter how you pronounce it, these flavors are great together! ;-)

1/2 c flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 c dry bread crumbs

1 tbls. melted butter

Bruschetta:

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

3 tbls. minced fresh basil

2 minced garlic cloves

1 tbls. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt (or less)

1/4 tsp pepper

1. Place flour and eggs in separate shallow bowls. Dip chicken in the flour, then in eggs. Place in a sprayed baking dish.
2. Combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs and butter. Sprinkle over chicken.
3. Loosely cover the baking dish with foil. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer until top is browned.
4. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients (tomato, etc.)
5. Put each serving on a plate and top with a little bruschetta for those who aren't foolish enough to think tomatoes are yucky.

NOTES:

• Italian herb seasoned crumbs would've been great too.
• I usually add more garlic to just about everything and did this time also. That was really not the best idea. Next time, I'll just dutifully stick to 2 cloves.
• I had 5 chicken breasts and actually there was a lot of topping. I could've done 6.

Candied Nuts

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound walnut halves

1 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread nuts in a single layer over a baking sheet. Roast for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until the nuts start to turn brown and the smell of roasting nuts fills the kitchen.
2. Stir together sugar, cinnamon, salt, and milk in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat for 8 minutes, or until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage of 236 degrees F (113 degrees C). Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla immediately. .
3. Add walnuts to sugar syrup, and stir to coat well. Spoon nuts onto waxed paper, and immediately separate nuts with a fork. Cool, and store in airtight containers.

Great with pecans!

Oven Chicken Fingers

1 1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced about 1/2 inch or less

2 eggs with 1 tbls water, beaten

Mix dry ingredients. Dip chicken in egg, dip in dry ingredients, place on a sprayed baking sheet.

Bake 350 for 20 minutes. Cool, freeze. Reheat to serve. It's possible that it would be nicer to drizzle these with butter before baking the 2nd time.

Serve with dipping sauce.

Chicken Pot Pie

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
2. In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
3. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

NOTE: I froze the filling in a separate zip loc. This can be put together with a frozen crust when ready to bake.

Source: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/chicken-pot-pie-ix/Detail.aspx

Wild Rice Soup

¾ c uncooked wild rice
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 c. water
½ tsp. salt
1 med. onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, chopped
½ c butter
½ c flour
3 c chicken or turkey broth
*2 c milk or half and half
¾ c diced turkey, chicken or ham
½ tsp. dried rosemary
parsley, salt, pepper

Rinse rice, sauté in oil, add water and salt. Simmer rice about 30 minutes, or until cooked. Drain, reserving 1 ½ cups of liquid. In large soup kettle, sauté onions and carrot in butter until onion is transparent, reduce heat. Thoroughly blend in flour and cook five minutes, stirring frequently. Do not brown. Using a whisk, blend in hot chicken stock and reserved rice liquid. Cook, allowing to thicken slightly.
*If you want a creamy soup, add the milk or half-and-half.
Add rice, meat, and seasonings. Simmer 20 minutes. 8-10 servings.

Hamburger Stroganoff

1 1/2 tsp. butter

1/3 c. onion, chopped

3/4 lb. hamburger

2 cloves minced garlic

1 1/2 T flour*

2 tsp. salt*

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 lb. mushrooms*

1/2 package dry mushroom soup*

3/4 c. milk*

1 T sherry

3/4 c. sour cream

Sauté onion in butter. Add and brown hamburger and garlic. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and mushrooms. Cook 5 minutes, add soup mix, milk, sherry, and sour cream.

Freeze in ziploc or tupperware container.

To prepare: Thaw and heat, serve over rice or pasta. Garnish with dill, parsley, or chives.

Notes: Starred ingredients may be replaced by one FAMILY-SIZED can of cream of mushroom soup. We accidentally purchased a regular-sized can, and made about 1/3 of the white sauce called for to make up the difference.

Western-style Beef and Beans

1 lb. lean ground beef, browned

1 onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1/2 tsp. beef bouillon

1/4 c. boiling water

1 lb baked beans

1/2 c. ketchup

4 tsp. mustard

1 clove minced garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

3 oz bacon, cooked and crumbled

Over medium heat, cook beef, onions, and celery until cooked and tender; drain. Dissolve bouillon in water, stir into beef mixture. Add remaining ingredients, mix well. Cool and freeze.

Reheat in stove or crockpot.

Note: We used a 22 oz can of Bush's Bourbon and Brown Sugar Grillin' Beans.

Chicken a la King

3 pieces of bacon, diced

1/4 c. chopped onions

3 oz. mushrooms

1/4 c. green peppers

1 1/2 T butter

6 T flour

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 c. half & half

1 c. chicken broth

1 1/2 c. diced cooked chicken

1 1/2 T pimentos

Saute the bacon, onions, mushrooms, green pepper, and butter in a saucepan until tender. Blend in the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the half & half and broth and cook until thickened. Stir in the chicken and pimentos. Cool and freeze.

Reheat on the stovetop or in a crockpot, serve over noodles or biscuits.

Meatloaf

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef, pork, and/or turkey

2/3 c. dry oats or cooked brown rice

1/2 c. diced onion

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2 eggs

2/3 c. ketchup

Mix all ingredients very well. Pack into a loaf pan, wrap and freeze. When ready to cook, thaw and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

For meatballs, brown in the oven at 375 for 15 minutes before freezing. Pack in sauce and freeze (in a tupperware, not a ziploc). When ready to eat, thaw during the day, then heat slowly on the stovetop.

Notes: A double batch of this recipe yielded two loaves, plus 18 good-sized meatballs.