Meg In the Kitchen

I've been putting our garden veggies to use, this week!

First up: a freezer meal.

There's a restaurant in Gilroy called OD's Kitchen that serves an awesome breakfast dish called The Kitchen Sink.  It's basically homefries with ham, onions, and peppers with cheese and an egg fried over medium on top. You get the crispy savory goodness of a breakfast skillet, but the eggs and cheese add a heavenly gooey heart attack that makes it the best breakfast over.

So, why not have the Kitchen Sink in my own kitchen?
#1 The Kitchen Sink:
I diced up some peppers and onions from the garden, and gently boiled the potatoes and diced them up. I froze everything on a large cookie sheet for a couple hours so it didn't stick together, then separated it into freezer bags in serving sizes for our family.  Now, I can just dump the bag onto a hot skillet with some oil or butter, wait 15 min for it to brown, then add the cheese and egg.  Dinner in less than 20 minutes! I made four bags plus a bag of plain diced potatoes and the only thing I had to buy was a package of ham for a few bucks.

#2: Pickles!  Homemade pickles are sooooo good.  I haven't made them in a few years, but if you want the recipe, click here for the 2009 post when I made a fazillion pickles with Jerushia.  One thing we learned is to NOT process them. The batch we processed in a waterbath got really mushy and the batch we left alone stayed nice and crunchy.
The best part about homemade pickles is that they are fast to make.  We whipped up 10 quarts of pickles tonight in about 45 minutes from start to finish, and it would have been even less time if I had done them by myself. Fast, easy, delicious, free!

#3 Veggie Pesto Pizza. 
Pizza dough recipe found here (CPK pizza dough)
Pesto recipe found here (Elena's recipe)

Seriously, how good does that look?  And y'all know I am a terrible photographer, especially when it comes to food pics.  This is actually as good as it looks and even my kids ate it.

For the perfect garden pizza, thinly slice up garden veggies. We used bell peppers, green and yellow squash, onions and tomatoes.  I thought about adding spinach, but forgot to get it out of the freezer to defrost in time.
toss with a little EVOO in a bowl.
Spread a thin layer of pesto sauce on pizza.
Top with veggies.
Now, add drained black beans (optional) and mozzerella cheese. Fresh mozzerella is better. All we had in the fridge this time was homemade gouda and white cheddar, so that's what we used, and it was still awesome.

Bake.
Chiffonade  some basil and throw it on the hot cheese right when it comes off the stone.

Eat.
Pat yourself on the back because dinner was great.

"Greens, greens, and nothing but greens!"

This is just today's pick.  We have another bowl full in the fridge! 
We will eat all the green beans we can stand, this week, and the rest will be blanched and frozen for Baby Willy's baby food. 

Tomorrow, we're starting it off right with bacon wrapped green beans.
Awww yeah.

Eat This: Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

I'm always left with a bunch of too-ripe-to-really-enjoy tomatoes at this time of year. The weeds, blistering sun, bugs, and humidity try to take hold of my garden. Even with my best efforts to maintain the garden this year, I still had a share of less-than-sightly tomatoes. This was the perfect fix for them, and this has been the first year that every last tomato we picked has been used. We had close to 200 this year. The harvest is winding down, but I still get 1 or 2 every day.

Adapted from an Ina Garten recipe:
3 pounds ripe tomatoes, remove stems and quarter
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
6 garlic cloves, pressed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) canned tomatoes, with their juice
4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 quart chicken stock

1 tsp fresh oregano

1/3-1/2 c half and half

1 red bell pepper cut into 1 inch chunks.

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss together the red pepper, tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.

In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, oregano, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.

Blend

Return to pot heat to med-low (no boil) and add half and half. Whisk up for minute and enjoy with a grilled cheese sandwich.

Say, "I can't believe how GOOD this soup is!" like 100 times.

Enjoy.

Harvested

10 Butternut Squash.

Boom. Roasted, pureed, and frozen for soup when it is less than 100* outside.

Lemon Chicken Cordon Bleu

Directions for two:

Preheat your oven to 400°F.

Butterfly a thick, 8 ounce chicken breast.

Cut that butterflied breast into two pieces along the seam that holds the two breast halves together. Imagine it as an open book and cut along the spine. Now you have two thin cutlets.


Lay a slice of ham and then a slice of provolone cheese on each cutlet. You may want to tear the cheese and fold the ham so that they do not extend beyond the cutlet, because they’ll just melt or burn in the oven.

Fold each cutlet over to almost seal the ham and cheese inside.
Roll in bread crumbs.

Sprinkle very generously with salt and pepper.

Cut two thin rounds of lemon and place one on each chicken bundle.

Place in foil pans, cover, label, and freeze

To bake:
Thaw in fridge
Bake for 17-20 minutes.

I made a few of these (it is just easier to make multiples since I filleted a bunch of chicken for the chicken parm. I cut up all of the chicken at once and made a few of both recipes)

happy freezing!
Cookie recipes coming soon.

I'm Freezing!

Ha! Yeah right! It's a fazillion degrees outside already. But technically, YES, I am freezing.

Freezing dinners!
One of the things my mom and I often do when she comes to visit is make a bunch of food and freeze it. I don't know why...my mom does not love to cook like I do, but we both enjoy the fun time we have spending a day in the kitchen together. And I like having a freezer stocked with dinners for days when we are just too busy to cook. It's been especially nice to always have a few on hand during really busy months that I was busy with school, pregnant/had a new baby, or when I was remodeling the kitchen and the counter or oven wasn't accesible for preparing meals.

I always ask around for good freezer meal ideas, but rarely get actual recipes back. Usually the responses are "lasagne" and "enchiladas"---both of which are excellent freezer meals, but I want something new, and I need actual recipes.

When cooking for my family, I probably use an actual recipe less than 30% of the time. Usually, I just throw things together in the kitchen and ta-da dinner is served. (not so with baking, obviously.)

I have learned that not all freezer meals are created equal, and not all meals are freezer worthy, so I want actual recipies for these....which are more difficult to find than you might think! I have a few which are tried and true, and added a few new meals that I found online that claim to be freezer worthy.

For your convenience (and mine, when I make them again) I've pasted the recipes here, with a link to the original sites they were posted on, so you can link back and look at their beautiful photos (because y'all know I take terrible pictures).

Here's what we are making this time:

#1 Chicken Parmesan

http://onceamonthmom.com/chicken-parmigiana/

Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 pounds Chicken Breasts (approx 6)
• 2 each Eggs
• 1 teaspoons Salt
• 1/8 teaspoons Pepper
• 3/4 cups Dry Bread Crumbs, fine
• 1/2 cup Oil
• 32 ounces Tomato Sauce, oz
• 1/4 teaspoons Garlic Powder
• 2 Tablespoons Butter (or margarine)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 8 ounces Mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded
Directions:
Place chicken breasts on cutting board, pound lightly until 1/4 inch thick. Combine lightly beaten eggs, salt, and pepper. Dip chicken into egg mixture, then bread crumbs. Heat oil in skillet until hot, quickly brown chicken on both sides, remove to shallow baking dishes. Stir in tomato sauce and garlic powder into skillet, heat to boiling. Simmer 10 minutes until thickened. Stir in butter. Pour over chicken, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, cover with mozzarella cheese, and cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 minutes longer.
I like to serve this meal over cooked spaghetti noodles.
Servings:
6-8
Freezing/Heating Directions:
Just to be clear, after we “stir in tomato sauce and garlic powder into skillet, heat to boiling. Simmer 10 minutes until thickened. Stir in butter. Pour over chicken, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, cover with mozzarella cheese, and cover with foil” THEN we freeze. After freezing, we take out and thaw it in refrigerator first and then bake according to same instructions. IF you haven’t thawed it just bake it double the amount of time.

I plan on throwing a fat load of fresh basil on with these bad boys for extra goodness. Yum!

#2 Breakfast Burritos (breakfast)
http://www.food.com/recipe/breakfast-burritos-once-a-month-cooking-30165

Ingredients:
• 12 eggs, beaten
• 1 lb bulk sausage, cooked (or crumbled links)
• 1/2 cup chunky salsa (your choice of heat)
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• 24 flour tortillas (you can also use whole wheat)

Optional Ingredients (I am adding peppers, onions, and hashbrowns to mine)
• 1 green pepper, finely diced (optional)
• 6 potatoes, shredded and fried until cooked through (optional) or 6 hash browns (optional)
• jalapeno, slices (optional)
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies (optional)
• 1 -2 garlic clove, finely minced (optional)
• 1 onion, finely diced (optional)
• 1 tomato, peeled and chopped (optional)
• 2 green onions, sliced with tops (optional)
Change Measurements: US Metric
Directions:
Prep Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 50 mins
1. Scramble eggs in large skillet until done; stir in cooked sausage and salsa.
2. Warm tortillas in microwave 20-30 seconds or until warm and flexible.
3. Place 1/2 cup egg mixture into tortilla; roll burrito-style.
4. Freeze burritos in single layer on lightly greased cookie sheet.
5. When fully frozen, wrap burritos individually; place wrapped burritos in large zip-top freezer bags; freeze.
6. TO SERVE: Unwrap burritos from foil or plastic wrap that you used for freezing.
7. Wrap in a paper towel.
8. Cook in microwave until heated through (about 2 minutes).
9. Or thaw burritos (remove plastic wrap if used in freezing), wrap burritos in foil, and bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes.

#3: Banana Muffins (breakfast)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Banana-Sour-Cream-Bread/Detail.aspx

Ingredients
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 6 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease four 7x3 inch loaf pans. In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture.
In a large bowl, cream butter and 3 cups sugar. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix in salt, baking soda and flour. Stir in nuts. Divide into prepared pans. Bake for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.


#4: Artichoke Bread (side)
• 1 loaf french bread
• 1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts in water, drained
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 0.5 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 0.25 tsp. pepper
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 gallon freezer bag
Directions:
Slice bread. In a bowl, combine drained artichokes, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan cheese and pepper. Spread evenly over sliced bread. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Place under broiler for 5-7 minutes or until bread is toasty and cheese is melted and bubbly.
Freezing Directions:
Prepare as directed above but DO NOT broil. Instead, place on a cookie sheet and flash freeze, then place in a freezer bag, label, and return to freezer. To serve: Place under broiler for 5-7 minutes or until bread is toasty and cheese is melted and bubbly.


#5: Ham Broccoli and Cheddar Pizza Rolls (dinner)

http://onceamonthmom.com/ham-broccoli-and-cheddar-roll/

Ingredients:
• 1 can pizza dough, refrigerated
• 1 cup ham, diced
• 1 cup broccoli, florets
• 8 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 0.5 cups ranch dressing (I've never made this one before, so I'm going to use cream cheese with italian seasonings for one of these and see which we like better)
Directions:
Using plastic wrap under the roll and rolling it tight as you go is very helpful.
Lightly flour your work surface and roll out dough. Spread the ham, broccoli, cheese and ranch dressing over the dough. Roll up the dough jelly roll style, start with the long end. Once you have your roll, pinch the ends together. Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes or until outside is golden brown. Allow to cool and slice!
Freezing Directions:
Follow directions above but DO NOT BAKE. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a gallon freezer bag. (If it is too long to fit in a gallon freezer bag you can wrap it with foil after the plastic wrap.) Freeze. To serve: Thaw. Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes or until outside is golden brown. Allow to cool and slice!
Servings: 4


#6: Baked Chicken and Artichoke Penne with Sundried Tomatoes (dinner)
http://onceamonthmom.com/baked-chicken-and-artichoke-penne-with-sundried-tomatoes/

Ingredients:
• 14 oz. penne
• 2 cups cooked chicken, diced
• 14 oz. artichoke hearts canned in water, undrained
• 0.25 cup sundried tomatoes, drained, and thinly sliced
• 0.5 cup Parmesan cheese
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 0.5 teaspoons salt
• 0.5 teaspoons pepper
Directions:
In a large pot, cook pasta in salted, boiling water before al dente, according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking process. While pasta cooks, combine artichokes in water, garlic, and Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Add artichoke mixture, cooked chicken, and sliced sun-dried tomatoes to pasta, stirring to coat evenly. Place pasta mixture in well-greased baking pan(s). Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400F about 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.
Freezing Directions:
Follow directions above but do not bake. Cover tightly with foil, label and freeze. When ready to serve, preheat oven to 400F. Bake, covered, until the center is hot, about 1 hour. Remove foil; bake until cheese is golden, approximately 10-15 minutes more.

#7 Lean Taco Salad (dinner)

This is already a quick meal, but it's even faster when the meat has been prepared. I've been making it this way for a few years and it comes from Michelle Zebley...I think she found it in a Body for Life cookbook.

Ingredients:
1lb lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 package taco seasoning

4 oz lowfat cream cheese or that neufatel cheese
salsa

salad greens
whole wheat pita bread
1 can drained and rinsed black, pinto or kidney beans (mmm..extra yummy with leftover red beans a la Carolina!)
tomatoes, onions, cilantro, mango, cheese, ---whatever you like on your taco salad!

Freezer Directions:
Brown your meat and add taco seasonings according to package directions, setting aside 1 tsp of taco seasoning from the packet to put in the dressing.

Let meat cool, then portion into quart size freezer bags and label. I like to double or triple the recipe then cook and bag it all at once.

While the meat cools, use a pizza cutter to cut pita pockets into large triangles. Bag and freeze. If space is a concern, wait to cut pita chips until the day you want to eat them.


On eating day: remove taco meat and chips from freezer and defrost. Heat meat in a frying pan or be really fast (read: lazy) like me and just nuke it. It only takes about 2 minutes to heat through.

Spread pita bread out on a cookie sheet. brush with water or spray with olive oil and sprinkle coarse salt on them. Broil 3-5 minutes until they start to crisp a little. DON'T overcook or they are kind of nasty.

Sauce: wisk together equal parts salsa and cream cheese (use a little less salsa if you want thicker dressing). Add that last bit of taco seasoning you have squirreled away in the spice cabinet.

Make up a fat salad, top it with the creamy salsa, and enjoy. We like to stuff the little pita chips and eat them that way. Yum.

#8 Spaghetti w/ Meat Sauce (dinner)
precooked and frozen noodles aren't always my fave, and sometimes, you don't want to wait an hour and a half for a frozen solid casserole type thing to bake. I like to just freeze the sauce, so you can just heat (read: nuke) and pour over noodles that you cook that day...and how long do noodles take? 9 minutes? Steam some veggies, add the sauce and you've got dinner in 10. Excellent.

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb ground turkey or pork sausage
(if you like really meaty sauce, add one more lb of beef)
2 32oz cans tomato sauce
10 oz tomato paste
1 packet good seasons zesty italian seasoning
1 small container ricotta cheese
basil (fresh=yum!)
oregano (fresh=yum!)
diced onion
minced garlic
pinch white sugar
1 32 oz can full of water

Directions:
brown meat with garlic and onion
drain fat
add fresh herbs to meat and cook one minute
add tomato sauce, paste, water, and italian seasoning

let sauce simmer for 1-2 hours (longer if you have time) until it is thick and delicious and your house smells like a pizzaria.

add a pinch of sugar, let the sauce cool and fold in ricotta.
Ladle into quart sized baggies, label, and lay them flat in the freezer to freeze. They should stack nicely once they are frozen solid.

On Eating Day: (huh..."Eating Day". Technically, I guess every day is an "eating day", but doesn't it sound wonderful when you say it out loud?)
To defrost, place in fridge overnight, or open the bag and nuke it, or place bag in a bowl of warm water to defrost, or heat contents in a saucepan. Heat, and serve over cooked noodles. Add a veggie side and enjoy that it only took 10ish minutes to make dinner.
Optional-add mushrooms, green peppers, spinach, olives, etc to the sauce. We like to leave ours plain, and then add additional stuff when I prepare the meal for variety.

Yield:
This should make 3-4 servings/bags of sauce, depending on the size of your family.

#9 Carne Con Chile (dinner)
I'm making a giant batch of this...it is Elena Grover's recipe and it freezes beautifully. Have I posted it here before? I think I have.


I got all the shopping/prep work done this afternoon during naptime, and tomorrow morning my mom is coming over, we're going to pump up the jams and stock my freezer!

Have a busy summer planned? Give freezer meals a shot.