Lots O' Meat Lasagna

I have been meaning to post this recipe for years.  My friend Regan makes this lasagna and it's soooooooooooo amazingly tasty.  It's originally a Paula Dean Recipe via the foodnetwork.  I love to make lasagna and cut it into squares and freeze it by the square so that I can eat it over....and over....and over again.  It's summer now so I'm cooking, and baking, and making lots of goodies.

Lots O' Meat Lasagna

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Ingredients:  1 1/2 lb ground chuck, 1 lb ground Italian sausage, 1 onion (chopped), 2 cloves garlic (minced), 2 t. ground oregano, 1 t. ground basil, 1/4 t. salt, 1/4 t. pepper, 14.5 oz diced tomatoes (with basil, garlic, and oregano), 30 oz of tomato sauce, 6 oz tomato paste, 1 1/2 c. small curd cottage cheese, 5 oz grated Parmesan Cheese, 2 T chopped parsley, 2 large eggs, 9 oven-ready lasagna noodles, 16 oz mozzarella cheese
Instructions:  
1.  In a large saucepan, combine sausage and chuck, onion, and garlic.  Cook over medium heat until browned and crumbled.  Drain.
2.  Add oregano, basil, salt, pepper, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and paste.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes.
3.  In a small bowl, combine cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan, and parsley.
4.  Layer:
-1/4 of the sauce on the bottom of a 9x13x2 inch pan.
-3 uncooked noodles (don't overlap)
-Spread 1/3 of the cottage cheese mix on the noodles.
-1/4 of the sauce
-1/3 of the Mozzarella cheese
-Repeat cottage cheese, sauce, Mozzarella layers again
-Top with sauce.
-Set last 1/3 of cheese aside.
5.  Bake for 45 minutes at 350.
6.  Top with cheese and bake another 15 minutes.
7.  Rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Freezer Bread

 As a single, usually when I make a meal, if I don't cut it in half, I eat on it for a week...which can get old.  I recently ran across this recipe for freezer garlic bread.  Uhhh, yes.  The best part is that you can just pop it out a few slices at a time and heat and eat.  And eat it.  And eat it.  And eat it.

Freezer Garlic Bread

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Ingredients:  1 stick of butter (softened), 2 T olive oil, 1 T. parsley, 4 cloves of minced garlic, 1/4 t. salt, 1 loaf of french bread (cut into 16 slices).
Instructions:
1.  Mix butter, oil, parsley, garlic,and salt together.
2.  Spread evenly over bread.
3.  Place bread in freezer for 10 minutes until butter hardens some.
4.  Stack bread by twos and place in freezer bags.  Freeze for up to three months.
5.  Pull out and place in 400 preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.

BBQ Chicken

I found this recipe at Natasha'sKitchen and it was so simple, delicious, and it makes enough for an army.  I'm an army of one, so I froze part of it for later.  I put this together a few months back.
During the busy holidays the crockpot is about as big of a commitment as I make to most dinners..mostly because my oven is busy, but seriously, busy or not, this one is staying in my rotation.

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

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Ingredients:  3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, 1 1/2 c. bbq sauce, 1/2 medium onion (grated with juice), 1 T olive oil, 1 T. Worcestershire sauce, 2 T. brown sugar

Instructions:  Stir all ingredients together (except chicken).  Add chicken and turn to coat.  Cover and cook 4 hours on high or 7 hours on low.  Take a fork and shred and stir with juices.  

Freezer Meal: Baked Spaghetti

 Once upon a college we had a Fazoli's near campus.  I used to go all the time for their baked spaghetti.  Alas, apparently only Waco understands the goodness that is Fazoli's.  So, I ran across this recipe via sixsisters and decided to give it a go because it had a few varying steps from ones I've tried in the past.  Cheese and noodles are never a bad thing, and per usual, if you let it sit overnight it's even better.  Or better yet, I put half of my recipe in a freezer pan and put it in the freezer to have later.  I'll thaw it overnight and then when it's time for dinner following the regular cooking instructions.

Baked Spaghetti

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Ingredients:  16 oz pkg spaghetti, 1 lb ground beef, med onion (chopped), 26 oz jar meatless spaghetti sauce, 1/2 t. garlic salt, 2 eggs, 1/3 c. Parmesan cheese, 5 T butter (melted), 2 c. cottage cheese, 4 c. mozzarella cheese (shredded)
Instructions:
1.  Cook spaghetti according to package. Drain.
2.  White the noodles cook, cook beef and onion in a skillet.  When all the meat is browned, drain any extra grease.  Stir in sauce and salt.  Set aside.
3.  Add eggs, Parmesan cheese, and butter to the drained noodles.  Toss to coat.
4.  Place half the spaghetti mix in a greased 9x13 pan.  Top with half the cottage cheese, meat, and mozzarella cheese.  Repeat layers.
5.  Cover and bake at 350 for 40 minutes.  Remove cover and bake another 20 minutes (until the cheese is melted).
*You can also place everything into a pan, cover, and freeze before you bake the noodle dish.  Thaw over night and then follow baking directions.  

Freezer Meal: Pasta and Smoke Sausage

I'm in the process of filling my freezer.  I know some people do it all at once, but I've been doing it week by week.  I bought some containers at the Dollar Tree and when I make a meal that is freezable I cook half for now and half for later.  This one was hearty and carbo loaded goodness with all the right things.  The original recipe calls for peas, but I didn't add those to mine because after I discovered peas are a high carb/not so healthy vegetable....I gave those puppies up-vegetables and I have a casual relationship to begin with, I don't need to hang out with any that are bad influences.  I have enough of those in my life.  So, peas or not-that's up to you, but this one will stay on my freezer rotation.  :O)  The original recipe is from Taste of Home.

Pasta and Smoked Sausage

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Ingredients:  2 c. uncooked penne, 1 lb smoked sausage (cut into 1/4 inch slices), 1 1/2 c. 2% milk, 1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted, 1 1/2 c. cheddar french friend onions (divided), 1 c. mozzarella cheesed (grated, divided), 1 c. frozen peas
Instructions:  
1.  Cook pasta according to the instructions.
2.  Place sausage in a pan and brown over medium heat (about 5 minutes).  Drain.
3.  In a separate bowl combine the soup, milk, 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, peas, 1/2 c. onions, sausage and pasta.
4.  Grease 13x9 pan and place pasta mixture into pan.  Cooke for 25 minutes.  Top with remaining cheese and onions and cook until cheese is melted (about 5 minutes).
*To freeze place pasta in a freezer pan, top with cheese and onions.  Cover.  Freeze.  When you are ready to eat it, set it in the fridge over night.  Pull it out and cook as directed above (center should read 165 degrees).  

Freezer Meal: Sour Cream Noodle Bake

 I have so many friends that do the freezer meal 'thang.'  You know, set a day aside to chop, dice, grill, and bake?  I'm going to do that, I am...someday.  In the meantime, I've gone a different route this summer.  I typically have a little more time during the summer (though, even that statement is questionable these days), so I try to make more meals at home, or the fast food folks start to know my name, birthday, and approximate ketchup requirements.  BUT, I'm single, so if I make a meal I have to cut down the proportions (you don't know how many half eggs I've washed down the sink in my years, yes I know you can freeze them, but....).  This summer I bought some disposable pans from Dollar Tree (three for a dollar, which includes the lids).  I started making a meal, and baking half in a small pan, and putting the other half in the foil containers and freezing them.  This way I have a wide selection of meals ready to go now that the school year is in full swing.

 This go 'round I made The Pioneer Woman's Sour Cream Noodle Bake.  I'm just going to tag her recipe, and say....I added about twice as much cheese because...really do I need to explain why I added extra cheese?

 I did put a layer of syran wrap over the meal I'll pull off before baking.  I wrote on top with a permanent marker, and then I'll just put in in the fridge to thaw the night before I plan to make it.

This is definitely a meal that gets better the longer it sits together (let the seasonings marry), so freezing it is the perfect solution.

Chicken Spaghetti

Hello cooler weather.  Winter says casseroles...really....I was raised on casseroles, so....it's not really a seasonal thing, but you can eat heartier foods in the winter b/c you can wear sweaters to cover up those calories.
Really, some meals are just worth it.  I've always loved chicken spaghetti.  As a single, I can't...or rather, shouldn't eat a whole pan of it in a week, plus it gets old...so I love to bake it up, cut it into squares, and then freeze them on pieces of wax paper and put it in a freezer container.  I pull them out every few weeks and heat it up.
I tried out this recently from PioneerWoman.  No surprise, it's a good one!  The only thing I did was that instead of two cans of mushroom soup, I used 1 can of mushroom and 1 can of chicken soup.

Freezer Biscuits

I teach, which means I get about two months off during the summer.  This is the time I explore recipes.  My dream is to find freezable recipes I can pop out in the winter when I just want to survive most days, and fast food is too often the answer.
I saw this recipe at moneysavingmom for freezer biscuits and I decided to give it a go.  I love breakfast for dinner...or breakfast for breakfast.  These were easy to put together, and I love that I can just pull a couple out of the freezer at a time and I don't have to cook 8 or 10 (whatever comes in the usual canned variety I use).  The original recipe says you should have 2 dozen, but I only got 1 1/2 dozen.

Homemade Freezer Biscuit

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Ingredients:  4 c flour, 2 T baking powder, 1 t sal, 1 c shortening (or butter), 1 3/4 c. milk.
Instructions:  Mix the dry ingredients.  Add the shortening or butter and mix until crumbly (I used a pastry cutter to do this).  Add in milk and mix until it forms a ball.
Roll onto floured surface and cut biscuits (I used the edge of a glass)
Place on a cookie sheet for 2 hours and freeze.  Remove and place into freezer bag.
To bake, pull out however many you need, thaw for 30 minutes to an hour.
Bake at 450 for 8-12 minutes.

Banana Bread....Straight From the Freezer

 My quest in the culinary world is finding things you can freeze.  I don't know why.  I guess I'm fascinated by freezing fresh things that :gasp: don't taste like they were frozen when you were ready to use them.  I've known for years that those busy, browning bananas make a mean banana bread, in fact-we wait for this, but....it seems like I buy bananas when I'm trying to eat a little healthier, and I want banana bread when....well, I'm not.
So...when the banana's go bad, I usually toss them, or if I want bread, I have to buy bananas and try to be patient....what's that?  I'll work on that in my 40's.

But....alas, smarter people that I cross my path.  Someone told me that you can take your bananas that are ready to be born into a bread and freeze them at this stage until you are ready for them.  What?  Just smell those browning bananas and make sure they don't smell rotten, if they still smell sweet, peel them, stick them in a bag, mash them and freeze them.  3 bananas=2 cups (which is what most recipes call for).  When you are ready to use them, just run them under some warm water and you are ready to go.  This will last 6+ months in your freezer.  Most diets don't last more than three months, so it's a win.

Chicken and Broccoli Noodle Caserole

The thing I love about summer is that I have the time to try out lots of new dishes.  The great thing about this 'new' dish....other than the fact that it was really tasty, is that it can be frozen for the next 9 months when time is something I read about in dictionaries.  I found this recipe on 6Sister's blog.  Chicken and Broccoli Noodle Casserole Recipe
Ingredients:  6 oz egg noodles, 2 t. oil, 4 cloves garlic (diced), 12 oz fresh broccoli florets (chopped), 1 T butter, 1 bunch green onions, 3 T flour, 1 3/4 c. chicken broth, 1 c. milk, 12 oz cooked/shredded chicken breast, 4 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese, cooking spray, 3 T shredded Parmesan cheese, 2 T Italian bread crumbs
Instructions:

1.  Cook noodles until al dente.  Set aside.
2.  Heat oil in a skillet and add garlic on medium heat.  Cook about 1 min (until golden).  Add broccoli and a little salt.  Saute and cover for 3 minutes until it begins to soften.  Set aside.
3.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a 9x12 inch casserole dish with cooking spray. 
4.  Heat butter on med heat.  When melted add green onions and cook 3 minutes.  Add the flour, a pinch of salt and stir.  Cook 3 more minutes. 
5.  Slowly add chicken broth.  Whisk for 30 seconds then add milk.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer on medium heat, stirring occasionally for 7 minutes. 
6.  Remove pan from heat and add cheese and T of Parmesan cheese.  Add shredded chicken, noodles, and broccoli.  Coat everything evenly. 
7.  Pour into dish and top with the rest of the Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs.  Spray with a little cooking spray. 
8.  Bake 25 minutes.  Place under the broiler for a few minutes until golden.
*To freeze, before you cook the dish put foil over the pan.  You can put it into the fridge 24 hours before cooking, or add 25 minutes to the cooking time and move it directly from the freezer to the oven. 

Carrot Sugar Cookies

 I made some mini carrot cookies this weekend for some Easter goodies I'm putting together.  I used my very favorite sugar cookie recipes compliments of my pal, Kristin.  She shared this with a group of us, and I heart it BIG TIME.  It REALLY holds its shape well.  You can freeze the dough for several months.

 Or roll it out, cut and bake your cookies. 

 And freeze them for a month or more....

 Perfect for Christmas cooking, or in this case, I made some mini eggs that will get a new home in a few weeks....just not THIS week. 

 These also hold together for a week+++once you ice them. 

 My friend taught us to add clear karo syrup (1 T per cup of icing) and it will harden within about 8 hours.  This allows you to bag up your cookies so the icing does not smear. 

Sugar Cookie Recipe

Ingredients for the Cookies: 2/3 c. shortening, 4 t. milk, 1 t. vanilla, 1 1/2 t. baking powder, 3/4 c. sugar, 1 egg, 2 c. flour, 1/4 t. salt. 

Cookie Instructions:  Mix shortening and sugar with a mixer.  Add milk, vanilla, egg, and blend.  Gradually add the remainder of dry ingredients until the mix forms a soft dough.  More flour may be required to roll out the dough.  Chill, roll out, and bake at 350 for 8 minutes.  These don't brown, they just shouldn't look wet. 

Ingredients for the Icing:  2 lbs of powdered sugar, 1/2 c. water, 2 t. almond flavor, 1/2 t. salt, 3/4 c. crisco, 2 t. vanilla, 2 t. imitation butter, 2 T. clear karo syrup. 

Icing Instructions:  Combine all ingredients and beat with a mixer until smooth and creamy.  Ice cookies, allow to dry in the air for about 8 hours until the icing is firm to the touch. 

Freezer Meal: Cheese-y Chicken and Egg Noodles

I have been hunting down easy recipes that can be easily frozen.  As a party of one, I half, and third recipes down a lot, but it's always weird with cans of soups etc.  I'm sure I could plan better, but...the freezer portion of this solution has solved having to find another meal that calls for similar ingredients to make my shopping less wasteful.  I stumbled upon this recipe at freezermealsforus, and it was a really tasty, and easy surprise....that also freezes well.  I pulled another cooking trick out of my book, which involves doing any cooking on Sunday evening.  I put the dish completely together, minus the last step where it bakes together.  When I got home the next day, I tossed it in the oven and it was ready to go quickly after  long day at work.  Casseroles usually taste even better the next day....at least that is what my Mom said when I was growing up....probably to force me to eat left overs.  Whatever the truth is....it worked.  This recipe is a keeper in my book. 
Creamy Chicken Egg Noodles Ingredients
3 c. uncooked egg noodles, 3 chicken breast (baked and shredded), 1 clove of garlic, 1 can cream of celery, 1 can cream of chicken, 1 can mushroom (I left these out), salt and pepper, cheddar cheese (I probably tossed on about a cup).
Creamy Chicken and Egg Noodles Instructions
1.  Cook noodles
2.  Bake and chop chicken
3.  Mix all ingredients in dish, cover with cheese.  *this is where I tossed the dish in the fridge until the next day
4.  Bake at 35 for 40 minutes.