19 Days till Christmas - Blogolicious

Celery and Leek Soup




Celery and Leek Soup

1/3 cup butter, melted
2 cups finely chopped celery
2 cups leeks, white and green , sliced and soaked (to remove dirt)

Saute for 10 minutes.
Add 1/3 cup flour - cook 3 minutes
Add 3 cans chicken stock - slowly (6 cups)

Simmer for 20 minutes.
Gently puree' - (not liquefy)
Return to pan and gently simmer for 10 minutes.
Add 1 cup cream (or milk).
Season to taste.

Yummy - I got this recipe from Grandma Fran because Steph loved it so much when she lived with her a year and a half ago. It really is delicious.

To freeze: either freeze the leeks and celery that have been sauted and have the rest of the ingredients on hand or be totally on the ball and make the soup as written - let it cool - freeze in wonderful freezer Ziplock baggies - and all you have to do it heat and eat. My kind of meal.

21 Days Til Christmas

The most frightening thing - it is only 42 days till Christmas. I need to step up my posting and step up my freezer meals. But remember - any is better than none.



Grandma Tillie's Famous Tuna Casserole

2 cups elbow macaroni
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can milk
1 cup grated or shredded cheese
1 can tuna

Buttered and toasted bread crumbs

Cook macaroni with onion according to directions on package. Drain. Set aside. Combine soup, milk and cheese. Place over low heat until cheese is melted. Add tuna. Mix macaroni and soup mixture. Put in casserole dish sprayed with Pam. Top with bread crumbs. Bake 350° until bubbly and hot . 20 - 30 minutes.

Buttered and toasted bread crumbs: Use the heels of the loaf of bread that might get thrown away. Put in blender and crumb away. Store in a freezer bag in the freezer. When a recipe calls for bread crumbs open the freezer and - badda boom badda bang - you have them.
To toast: put a small amount of butter in a skillet. (3 TBS) Melt. Add bread 1/2 cup bread crumbs. Stir constantly until toasted.

To make a freezer meal: Measure out 2 cups macaroni. Do NOT cook. Put in bag and label. Chop onions and bag the little suckers. Combine soup, milk, cheese and tuna. Bag and label. Toast crumbs - bag and label. Put all the bags in a gallon size freezer bag and label. Include recipe.
Wa-laa - Another wonderful freezer meal ready to prepare.

22 Days Til Christmas

Taco's
Cook meat, rinse and drain. add seasoning. Cool and freeze.
If freezer room is plenty - shells (hard or soft) can be frozen.
If not just remember to have some on hand.

23 Days 'till Christmas - Chicken Chilada's

I've previously posted this recipe. To make a freezer meal: Cook cut up chicken - cool and put in freezer ziplock. Mix soup, milk, sour cream and green chilies, ( if using only half a can of green chilies, freeze the remainder in an additional bag for use in another recipe - or................. make TWO chilada recipes.) Put in freezer bag and label. Tear flour tortillas and bag. Measure and bag the shredded cheese. Assemble all in an XL freezer bag and label. Put a happy smile on your face when December comes and meal time is easy!!!

24 Days Till Christmas - Chicken Fajita's

By the time I get dinner fixed and another meal in the freezer I am too tired to take a picture. Trust me - it's yummy!


Fajitas like Chili's®

Serves: 4
For the freezer: Prepare the raw chicken in the marinade and seal in ziplock.
Cut onions and peppers. Seal in another ziplock.
Prepare additional flavoring and ziplock.
Count # of tortilla's and put in another ziplock.
Put all the bags in a X large ziplock and label. Freeze.

Marinade:
1/4 cup lime juice
2 Tbls. olive oil OR vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic - crushed
2 tsp. soy sauce - divided
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. liquid smoke
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 lb. boned, skinned chicken breasts OR skirt steak

2 Tbls. water
1/2 tsp. lime juice
1 dash salt
1 dash black pepper

1 lrg. Spanish onion - sliced thin
1/2 med. green bell pepper - seeded, sliced thin
1/2 med. red bell pepper - seeded, sliced thin
1/2 med. yellow bell pepper - seeded, sliced thin

-Combine 1/4 cup lime juice, 2 Tbls. oil, garlic, 2 tsp. soy sauce, 1 tsp. salt, liquid smoke, cayenne pepper, and 1/4 tsp. black pepper in a sealable plastic ziplock bag, add chicken/steak to container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight (preferred).

-Combine water, 1 tsp. soy sauce, 1/2 tsp. lime juice, and a dash of salt and pepper; set aside.

-Grill meat over a medium-high flame for 4-5 minutes per side, or until cooked through.

-Cut meat into thin strips; set aside and keep warm.
( I actually cut my meat into strips and cook in a skillet sprayed with Pam.)

-In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook onion and peppers in 1 Tbls. oil until brown; remove from heat; pour reserved liquid mixture over onions and peppers.
-Toss together meat, onions, and peppers.

Notes: Serve with warm tortillas, pico de gallo, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.

25 Days 'Til Christmas

I've decided to try and be better prepared for Christmas. I've come up with a cooking plan called the "25 Days 'Til Christmas" plan. (Hence the name of my post.)

I am going to make freezer meals and hopefully by the beginning of December I will have 25 meals waiting for me. The cool part of the plan (no pun intended), is that I will just double meals that I make in the next couple of months. Brilliant you say? I hope so.

Freezer meals will last 3-6 months in the freezer.

Meal # 25

Chicken Stroganoff

12 chicken tenderloins - boiled in salted water and cut into thirds
(Frozen tenderloins will boil in approx. 15-20 minutes. Do not overcook or they will be tough.)

Saute in small amount EVOO and butter:
1/4 large onion - finely chopped
4 mushrooms - finely chopped
Lightly season with salt and pepper

2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 can milk
1/4 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet
½ pkg onion soup mix
1 teaspoon paprika

Mix altogether. Put in baking dish.
Bake 350̊ for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Add ½ cup sour cream.
Serve over pasta or rice.

Serves 6.

If freezing - double freezer bag and label. Remove from freezer the night before or the morning that it is to eaten and defrost in fridge.

Blog-o-licious Taco Soup

2
This is our favorite
Taco Soup recipe.
My little fam gobbles it right up.









Brown 1 lb. ground beef with 1/2 chopped onion. Drain
Add to soup pot:
cooked ground beef and onion
1 - 14 oz. can kidney beans with liquid
1- -14 oz. can black beans with liquid
1 - 14 oz. can garbanzo beans with liquid
2 cups water
28 oz. can cut tomatoes ( I blend mine so pieces are smaller and undetectable)
1 can corn - or use frozen (optional)
4 oz can diced green chilies
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning

Mix and simmer for 10 minutes. Top with shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, green onions, and anything else you fancy. Serve with tortilla chips. Serves 4 with leftovers for lunch for the mom. (This will freeze nicely.)

Chicken Chilada Casserole

This recipe is actually Chicken Enchilada's with a twist. I like it better than the traditional because the tortilla's don't take over the casserole. I created it with Stephanie in mind - hoping someday she will try it.

Chicken Chilada's
10 chicken breast tenderloins - cooked and largely chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 soup can of milk
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup favorite shredded cheese (ours is Colby and Monterey Jack)
1/2 of a 4 oz can diced green chilies (the rest can be frozen)
4-5 flour tortilla's
1 cup additional shredded cheese

Mix soup, milk, sour cream, 3/4 cup cheese, and green chilies in large bowl. Set aside.
Spray a large casserole dish with PAM.
Spread a small layer of the soup mix to the bottom (about 1/4 cup).
Cut or tear two tortilla's and cover the bottom of the dish.
Add the chopped chicken, spreading evenly.
Cover with most of the soup mix - saving approx 1/3 cup for the top.
Layer the rest of the tortilla's on top.
Lightly spread the rest of the soup mix on top.

Bake at 350°for 30 min or until bubbly. Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded cheese on top and let
melt. Enjoy! Serves 4.

I was going to take a picture but we ate it all!