Mom's Best Lasagna Ever - from World Wide Ward Cookbook

1lb lean ground beef or turkey (I used turkey)
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. hot pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 13-oz. can of tomato paste
2-3 Tbs. sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 C. grated Parmesan cheese, plus 3Tbs.
1 16-oz. container cottage cheese (I used ricotta)
2 C. cheddar cheese, shredded
2 C. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 pkg. oven-ready lasagna noodles

In a skillet, brown ground beef or turkey; set aside. In large saucepan, combine oil and hot pepper flakes. Cook about 1 minute. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add tomato paste and 2 1/2 cans of water.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Add sugar to desired sweetness and salt and pepper to taste. Process tomatoes in food processor until smooth and add to saucepan. Add onion. Cook for about 30 minutes, until sauce starts to thicken. Add 1/2 C. Parmesan cheese and ground beef or turkey. Cook another 10 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Place a small layer of sauce in a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Place 5-6 lasagna noodles in casserole dish and cover with sauce. Sprinkle half the cheddar and mozzarella cheese over the sauce. Place another 5-6 noodles over this layer. Spread sauce over noodles and top sauce with cottage cheese or ricotta. Spread evenly. Place another layer of 5-6 noodles and spread with remaining sauce. Top with remaining cheddar and mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with 3 Tbs. Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour or until bubbly and noodles are soft. Allow to cool before cutting. Makes 12 servings.

This recipe makes 2 freezer meal dinners. From frozen you bake covered with tin-foil at 400 for about 1 hr and 20 min.

Katie Graham

Chicken Florentine Casserole

1 t oil
1 1b boneless skinnless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tub Piliadelphia Italian cheese and herb cooking creme
3/4 cup milk
1 box bow tie pasta (farfalle), already cooked
1 package fresh spinach (10 oz)
1 cup mozzarella cheese (I used 2%)
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled 

Heat oven to 375 and heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken and garlic, cook and stir 6-7 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in all remaining ingredients except bacon.  Spoon into 9x13 baking dish that is sprayed with cooking spray and bake covered for 25 minutes or until heated through, uncovering and sprinkling with bacon after 15 minutes. 


When frozen: thaw and then double the baking time or until heated through!!!

Honey lime chicken enchiladas

HONEY LIME CHICKEN ENCHILADAS   Makes 10 taco sized enchiladas; 6-8 people   6 Tbsp honey 5 Tbsp lime juice (usually 1 large lime) 1 Tbsp chili powder 1/2 tsp garlic salt 1 lb chicken, cooked and shredded (about 3-4 chicken breasts) 8 to 10 taco sized flour tortillas 1 lb monterey jack cheese, shredded 1 (16 oz) can green enchilada sauce 1 cup heavy cream (or you can use sour cream to lighten it up)   In a medium mixing bowl, mix the first 4 ingredients then toss with the cooked, shredded chicken.  Place in a ziplock bag and let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.  I usually let it sit for an hour or two.  Pour ½ cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Fill the flour tortillas with chicken mixture and cheese.  Reserve about 1 cup of cheese for the top of the enchiladas.  Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the unwhipped heavy cream.  Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with reserved cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, until browned and crispy on top.   To freeze: Freeze prior to baking.  If you put it in an aluminum pan, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes.  If you prefer to put it in a ziplock bag, here is what I do:  Place the cheese in 1 quart sized bag.  Put the sauce in another quart sized freezer bag.  Roll up the enchiladas, and place them in a gallon ziplock bag; insert the 2 quart bags with cheese and sauce.  Then seal the gallon bag.  To cook; I thaw out the ingredients earlier in the day.  Then bake at 350 for 30 minutes uncovered.

Fettucine Alfredo with homemade pasta

Alfredo Sauce:

1 tbsp butter
2 C half and half(or you can use heavy cream, or half of each)
1 C fresh grated parmesan cheese
1-2 chicken breasts, cubed
1/4 C Sundried tomatoes
1 C mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Saute mushrooms, chicken and garlic in a pan with a tbsp of oil and set aside. In another pan, melt Butter over medium heat. Add in cream, cheese, tomatoes, salt and pepper, and parsley; cook to boiling for one minute, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and allow the sauce to sit for a minute. If using half and half(not heavy cream), cook for a little longer until sauce thickens. Add cooked pasta, stir to coat. FROM FROZEN: Place frozen alfredo in a saucepan and heat on low, stirring occasionally, until sauce is warm. Serve over noodles.

Makes 6 servings

Homemade Fettucine:

1 egg, beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons water

In a medium sized bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the flour, add the egg, and mix. Mixture should form a stiff dough. If needed, stir in 1-2 tbsp water.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for about 3 to 4 minutes. With a pasta machine or by hand roll dough out to desired thinness. Use machine or knife to cut into strips of desired width. Allow pasta to dry on racks or cook immediately. Can be frozen or stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one month. COOKING INSTRUCTIONS: Add dried pasta to boiling water(add a few tbsp of salt to your water for better flavor) and cook about 3-5 minutes, until al dente. Serve with pasta sauce.

Creamy White Chili

3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast (chopped in 1/2 in. cubes)
1 lg chopped onion (or about 1/2 C dehydrated onions)
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 stick butter
8 to 10 cans Great Northern beans (drained and rinsed)
3 can chicken broth
1 to 2 cans green chilies
1 Tbs salt
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 pt heavy cream
1 16oz container sour cream

In a large heavy bottom stockpot, melt the butter and sauté the chicken, the onion and garlic until the chicken is no longer pink.
Add the remaining ingredients (except the creams) and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 min.
Remove from the heat, stir in sour cream, heavy cream (to make it a bit lighter, replace some of the heavy cream with milk or add only part of both creams. Most times I use olive oil to cook the chicken instead of butter). It's up to you to tweak this recipe if you want it hotter too.
Serve immediately and enjoy.

Crock Pot Italian Chicken

4 chicken breasts
1 packet zesty Italian dressing seasoning
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
2 cans cream of chicken soup

Mix Italian dressing seasoning, cream cheese and cream of chicken soup together and pour over chicken in crock pot.  Cook 5-6 hours or until chicken in done and falls apart.

Frozen:
Chicken is already cook so just warm up the sauce in a sauce pan on low.  Cook pasta as directed.  Serve over pasta.  My family also likes it on rice.

Potato cheese soup

Potato Cheese Soup 1 ½ cups diced carrots 1 cup celery ½ cup onion diced 1 large potato diced ½ cup butter Cook until tender Stir in : 1 cup Bisquick ½ teaspoon paprika 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper Remove from heat Gradually stir in: 4 10oz Chicken broth (5 cups) Heat again until boiling stirring constantly Boil 1 minute reduce heat Add 2 cups half and half 2 cups cheddar cheese

Red Pepper Pasta with Sausage   (from April) 3 red bell peppers 3 cups half and half, or cream 1 jar of Spaghetti sauce (24 oz) 1 Tbsp. California style garlic salt  2 tsp. chicken bullion granules  1/8 tsp. Cayenne red pepper powder (optional) Italian seasoning to tasta (optional) 1 Kielbasa sausage 1 box of penne pasta                                                                         1. Bake the red peppers at 400* for about 45 minutes, turning over every 10-15 minutes 2. Let peppers cool, then peel them 3. Throw the peels and stem away, puree the pepper flesh with the cream and spaghetti sauce, pour in pan, add the spices, and simmer. 4. Brown the sausage and cook the pasta as directed. 5. Pour sauce on top of individual pasta servings and top with sausage. Serves 8-10  Frozen Meal: - Thaw Sauce on low in sauce pan - Brown Sausage (It's pre-cooked but tastes better browned :)) - Cook Pasta - Serve as directed above. Salad and french bread are easy sides. Ashlee Jensen

Pulled Pork Tacos

2 to 2 1/2 lbs. boneless pork tenderloin
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. cumin
1/2 c. apricot jam
1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced into rings
1 red onion roughly chopped
Put everything in the crock pot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.  Shred meat and serve on warm tortillas.  Garnish with: fresh cilantro and limes.

To reheat, thaw on counter for a few hours and warm it up in a pot on the stove. Or defrost in the microwave until it will melt enough to fit in a pot.

**I am planning to get some uncooked flour tortillas from Costco.  I freeze these all the time, because they come in such a large pack and I can't use them all before they go bad.  You can put these in your fridge or if you decide to freeze them, you just need to be able to defrost them enough to separate them from the stack, either on the counter or in the microwave.  Spray Pam in the bottom of a skillet pan over medium heat and cook them up until done on each side. 

Make your tacos and squeeze on some lime juice.  Don't leave that part out, it really makes the recipe:)

Creamy White Chicken and Artichoke Lasagna

Creamy White Chicken & Artichoke Lasagna
Ingredients
2 cups boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, chopped
1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese with a Touch of PHILADELPHIA, divided
1/2 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup basil, chopped
12 lasagna noodles, cooked
Directions
Heat oven to 350°F.
Combine chicken, artichokes, tomatoes, 1 cup mozzarella and Parmesan.
Beat cream cheese, milk, and garlic powder with mixer until well
blended; stir in 2 Tbsp. basil. Mix half with the chicken mixture.
Spread half of the remaining cream cheese sauce onto bottom of
13×9-inch baking dish; cover with 3 noodles and 1/3 of the chicken
mixture. Repeat layers of noodles and chicken mixture twice. Top
with remaining cheese sauce and mozzarella; cover.
Bake 25 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining basil.

I will be making this for our May 1st exchange. Tested the recipe and loved it but want to add red onion and possibly cut the cream cheese down and add ricotta. Please let me know if there is an ingredient your family would not appreciate (artichoke, sun dried tomatoes or red onion). Don't want to waste anything. 

When re heating I did mine for a little over an hour from frozen. It just needs to be heated through not cooked. **Poor water (about 1/2 cup) around the edges and cover tight with foil.** 

Enchiladas

1 can of cream of chicken

4 chicken breasts

16 oz. cream cheese

30 oz. of cheese

20-30 small corn tortillas

28 oz. can of green sauce

Cook at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Cook and shred chicken breast and put aside. Mix cream cheese, soup, and sauce together set aside. Cut tortillas into half and set aside. Put a layer of mix on the bottom of the pan to coat it. Lay out the layer of tortillas. Put a layer of mix. Put a layer of chicken. Put a cheese. Repeat until you reach the top. Make sure the top layer is sauce and cheese.

Place in a preheated oven and cook uncovered for 40 minutes or until cheese is good and melted.

If cooking frozen the time will have to be increased.

Chicken Pot Pie

Yield: 2 pot pies (6 to 8 servings each)

4 cups cubed cooked chicken (ham, shredded beef or turkey)

4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

2 cups sliced carrots

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup butter or margarine

1 cup flour

2 1/2  teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon pepper

3 cups chicken broth

1½ cups milk

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen corn

pastry for two double-crust 9-inch pies, or use biscuit/baking mix to make crust I buy the ready made cursts (2 in a box) for $2.00 from Walmart.

Boil potatoes and carrots in a large stockpot. In another pot, boil cubed chicken for 8 minutes. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer vegetables for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain vegetables and chicken and set aside.

In a large skillet, sauté onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt, thyme, and pepper until blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken, peas, corn, potatoes, and carrots. Remove from heat.

Crust option 1: Line two 9-inch pie plates with bottom pastry; trim even with edge of plate. Fill pastry shells with chicken mixture. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pies. Cut slits or decorative cutouts in pastry. Place over filling; trim, seal and style the edges. Bake one pot pie at 425ºF for 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

Crust option 2: Mix together 2 cups biscuit/baking mix, 1¼ cups milk, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, ½ teaspoons celery seed. (Mixture will be thin.) Sprinkle over top of chicken pot pie. Bake at 350ºF for 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cover and freeze remaining pot pie for up to 4 months.

To serve frozen pie: Cover edges of frozen piecrust with foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425ºF for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350ºF and bake for 70 to 80 minutes longer, or until crust is golden brown.

Found the recipe HERE

Chicken Spaghetti

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
3 cups dried spaghetti, broken into 2 inch pieces
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (you could also use cream of chicken, or one of each)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup diced onion
1 jar (4oz) diced pimentos, drained
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. Lawry's seasoned salt
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup additional grated cheddar cheese

Cook chicken and cut it up. Boil noodles until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup cheese. Place mixture in a 9x13 casserole pan and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. If baking frozen bake at 300 covered in foil for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Welcome

Welcome to the "coolest" club to ever be apart of. Next exchange will be May 1st 8PM at my house. One week before the exchange please post your recipe on this blog. Those from last exchange, please post your last months recipes. Before we know it we will have quite the recipe book full of go to freezer meal ideas. If your family has specific instructions on that recipe, put it in the comments. But try not to be too picky;) After this last exchange and feedback from you here are the "rules".
*Test out your recipe before if you have never made it. Figure out re-heat instructions from frozen.
*Make your meal sizes to 6 servings. 8x8 pans are preferred so we all don't need to run out and buy another freezer. Ziplock bags are great for some meals. If freezing in a bag, freeze it nice and flat.
*Write on the meal what it is and how to reheat.
*Use quality ingredients.
*Make a yummy meal. The fast throw together recipes we can save to do on our own at home. All the meals from the last exchange were perfect! Make it Christmas for everyone when they open your meal.
*Finish off the meal as much as possible. I loved that Ashley put in the box of penne pasta! That way come meal time I wasn't in a panic looking for penne. I've never frozen things like rice but would love to give it a try and see how that works. Obviously, a dollop of daisy wont freeze well. But write on your meal that you might want a side of sour cream handy.
*If there is a meal you know your family will not go for, just make arrangements with another member to switch that meal. No hard feelings. Every ones taste is different. Some people out there don't even like chocolate if you can believe it!
*To make cost fair, if you do a meatless meal one month do a meat the next. Just always go into your meal thinking "am I being fair". Some freezer groups compile receipts and split the cost... no thank you.
*Have fun and bon appetit!