Freezer Meals....

I will be returning back to work soon and in an effort to reduce the craziness that will be our lives once this happens - I've been using every free minute I have to stock our freezer full of quality meals.  Many updates below are all freezer-friendly meals, adapted from my favorite cooking blogs.  If you have any tried and true freezer meals yo'd like to share - please comment!

Grilled Chicken & Bacon Macaroni and Cheese

This was a great twist on traditional Macaroni and Cheese.  I included all of the original instructions, but to simplify my own recipe I cooked the chicken in the crockpot and then added to the dish.  Enjoy!

6  slices good-quality smoky bacon, such as apple-wood smoked bacon

Salt and pepper

1 pound whole wheat, short-cut pasta

2 pieces skinless chicken breasts, lightly pounded

EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling

1/2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika

4 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, quartered lengthwise and very thinly sliced

2 rounded tablespoons flour

1/2 cup cloudy apple cider or chicken stock

2 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

1 1/2 cups shredded Romano

1 cup Parmesan Cheese 

Preheat oven to 375 °F. Arrange the bacon on a slotted broiler pan or on a rack placed over a baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 15 minutes. Chop and reserve. Switch on the broiler and position the rack in the center of the oven.

Bring a pot of water to boil, salt it, add pasta and cook 1 minute less then instructions indicate, or until just shy of al dente. Drain and return to the pot.

While pasta is working, heat grill pan or cast-iron griddle over medium-high heat. Drizzle chicken with EVOO to coat lightly then season evenly with paprika, salt and pepper. Grill chicken for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Transfer to a cutting board and halve the pieces lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.

  While the chicken cooks, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until light golden brown and very soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute. Whisk in cider (or stock), then add milk. Bring to a boil and cook, whisking, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, 3 to 4 minutes. Add thyme and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in the cheese until melted.

Add the chicken, bacon and sauce to the pasta and transfer to a casserole. Broil until bubbling and browned, about 5 minutes. 

Adapted from: Rachel Ray

Creamy Taco Mac

1¼ lbs. ground turkey
8 oz. dry pasta shapes
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can - Rotel (omit if you'd like it less spicy)
1pkg - Taco Seasoning
3 oz. cream cheese
½ cup sour cream
Salt and pepper
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)


Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or sauté pan, cook the ground turkey over medium-high heat until no longer pink. A few minutes before the turkey is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet. Once the turkey is cooked through, drain if necessary, return to heat then mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in the drained diced tomatoes and taco seasoning. Let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit. Remove from the heat and top with shredded cheddar cheese, if desired.

Originated from: http://www.daintychef-krissy.blogspot.com/

If you've made this into a freezer meal - I'd recommend adding a can of diced tomatoes or Rotel to it once it's thawed. The noodles absorb a lot of the liquid.

Pasta Milano

3 slices bacon, diced
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

4 cloves roasted garlic, mashed

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 cup white mushrooms, sliced

1 cup chicken broth, divided

1 cup heavy cream (or half & half for a lower fat version)

salt and pepper to taste

8 ounces dry farfalle (bowtie) pasta
water for boiling pasta
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

In a large skillet over high heat, brown the diced bacon. Season the cut up chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the skillet and saute until lightly browned. Once the chicken is cooked, add the sliced mushrooms and saute until browned. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the roasted garlic, sundried tomatoes and chicken broth to the hot skillet. Allow it come to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are tender. Add the cream and bring to a boil; stirring.Take off heat and add the bacon, chicken and mushroom to the sauce and set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add dry pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain, transfer to a bowl.

Pour the chicken and sauce over the hot pasta and toss. Place in a baking dish and top with shredded Parmesan cheese and bake in preheated oven for 5-7 minutes until cheese melts.

Garnish with fresh basil and serve hot.

* To make ahead/freezer meals - Prepare as directed, however cook pasta to barely al dente. There should be a bite to the pasta where it's not completely cooked. Place pasta, chicken and sauce in an ovenproof container and allow to cool. Cover and freezer. When ready to prepare, defrost and bake in preheated oven as directed above.

Originated from: http://www.joelens.blogspot.com/

Pub Burgers

Ingredients:
For the burgers:
hamburger buns

1 lb ground beef or sirloin

4 tbsp butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 tsp vegetable oil

salt

pepper

For the sauce:
3/4 cup mayo
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp worchestire sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 tsp ground pepper
1 clove garlic, minced

What you'll do:
Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Drizzle melted butter over ground meat and add 1 teaspoon pepper. Gently toss the meat with a fork to combine. Divide meat into 4 lightly packed balls. With your hands, gently press and flatten into patties. Refrigerate patties until you are ready to cook, patties can be kept in the fridge for up to one day. In the meantime, for the sauce, whisk all ingredients together in a bowl.  Transfer desired amount of sauce to a separate bowl for finished burgers - the other sauce will be used for basting.

Grill Cooking - Grill Burgers as normal - basting with sauce.  Add Cheese/Toppings.

Stovetop Cooking - When ready to cook, season patties on one side generously with salt and pepper. Flip over and do the same on the other side. Heat oil in a 12 inch skillet over high heat until it is just steaming. Cook burgers for about 2 mintues without moving. Flip burgers and cook on this side for 2 more minutes. Transfer patties to a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 3-6 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 130 degrees for medium. Transfer burgers to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Toast buns, add desired toppings, and serve.

Source: adapted from http://daintychef-krissy.blogspot.com/

Crockpot Pulled Pork

This was my first experience using a Spice Rub - wow, was it ever amazing. This was honestly the best pulled pork I've ever had. I applied the rub and then left it in the fridge for 48 hours - surprisingly minimal rub was wasted when I unrolled it to put it in the crockpot. I made a 8 lb roast, I used the remaining pork for two other recipes that week and froze the leftovers. This recipe is a must-try....it was amazing!


Spice Rub:
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons table salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground white pepper

1 (6-8 pound) bone-in pork shoulder
½ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
2 cups barbecue sauce

1. Mix all spice rub ingredients in small bowl.

2. Massage spice rub into meat. Wrap tightly in double layer of plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (For stronger flavor, the roast can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

3. Unwrap roast and place it in slow cooker liner. Add liquid smoke, if using, and ¼ cup water. Turn slow cooker to low and cook for 8-10 hours, until meat is fork-tender. ( I cooked a 7.9 lb roast for 10 hours).

4. Transfer roast to cutting board; discard liquid in liner. “Pull” by tearing meat into thin shreds with two forks or your fingers. Discard fat.

5. Place shredded meat back in slow cooker liner; toss with 1 cup barbecue sauce, and heat on low for 30-60 minutes, until hot. Serve with additional barbecue sauce.

Originated from: http://www.crumblycookie.net/