Taco Bake

Ingredients:

1/2-2/3 pound shredded chicken or ground beef

1 package taco seasoning

1 can Rotel Tomatoes (I use the mild flavor, but you can pick whichever you like)

1 can black beans

1 can whole kernel corn

5 soft flour tortillas

1/2 cup shredded cheese

1. Cook chicken or beef. If using chicken shred after cooking.

2. Mix meat with taco seasoning, Rotel Tomatoes, black beans, and corn in a large bowl.

3. Stack tortillas and meat mixture alternately.

*4. If freezing, wrap in aluminum foil and freeze. Thaw before cooking.

5. Top with cheese and bake 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until heated.

Shepherd's Pie

1 lb extra lean ground beef

1 t onion powder

1 t garlic powder

1/4 t salt

1/2 t pepper

about 3/4 pkg Trader Joe's turkey gravy OR 1 pkg brown gravy mix and 1 can beef broth

2 cans green beans, drained

2 cans corn, drained

1 pkg frozen mashed potatoes, cooked (do not freeze these, add right before baking)

1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

Cooking Day: Cook ground beef; drain. Return to skillet. Add seasonings and gravy or gravy mix. Stir in broth if using; cook, stirring until mixture is thick (adding a couple of T flour can help). Spoon into freezer ziploc and add veggies. Freeze.

Serving Day: Thaw meat and veggies. Cook mashed potatoes as directed on pkg (for Trader Joes ones I included put the entire pkg on the stove with 6 T milk and stir often). Put meat mixture into sprayed 13 x 9 and spoon mashed potatoes on top. Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 for 30 min.

Sausage-Stuffed French Loaf

1/2 lb ground pork sausage
1/2 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 c mozzarella, shredded
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped
1 t Dijon mustard
1/4 t fennel seeds
1/4 t salt & pepper, each
2 T butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 (16 oz) loaf, unsliced French bread OR frozen bread dough loaf + 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs

If using French bread: Cut off ends of loaf. Hollow out loaf with knife, leaving 1/2" shell. With food processor, process bread insides until course crumbs. Set shell and crumbs aside.

Cook meat and onion in skillet until brown and crumbly. Drain. Add 1 cup reserved bread crumbs, cheese, and next 6 ingredients; stir well. Spoon mixture into shell; replace loaf ends with toothpicks.  Wrap up well in tinfoil, label, and freeze.

For cooking day: Brush the top of thawed loaf with melted butter and garlic. Wrap up again with tinfoil, leaving top slightly open. Place on baking sheet. Bake 400 degrees for 25 minutes.


If using frozen bread dough: Thaw and roll out dough into a rectangle. When mixing the ingredients add store-bought bread crumbs (I used Italian seasoned bread crumbs).

Cook stuffing as listed above. Then roll up sides of bread dough around stuffing, resembling the size and shape of a loaf of French bread. I like to spray with cooking spray and then sprinkle with corn meal. Then invert this onto tinfoil. Wrap up well, label, and freeze.

For cooking day: Brush the top of thawed bread dough with melted butter and garlic. Bake uncovered on baking sheet at 375 for 20-22 minutes.


Fun to serve with salad and potato chips.
Serves 4-6

From Southern Living magazine

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

1 packaged pie crust (top and bottom)

About 1 lb of cooked chicken cut into small pieces

½ bag frozen mixed vegetables

1 ½ cups of white sauce

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

Salt and pepper

1 ½ cups milk

I added minced garlic, and Italian seasoning (I usually also add Parmesan cheese, but forgot this time)

Instructions:

Make white sauce by melting the butter and mixing with flour to form a roué. Slowly add milk while stirring constantly until sauce starts to bubble. Continue to stir while cooking for 1 minute. (I found this recipe in the Betty Crocker Cookbook).

Mix cooked and cut chicken, veggies, and sauce.

Pour into bottom crust. Top with top crust. Seal the edges and cut slits into the top crust.

Freeze, covered with foil

To Cook:

Thaw

Cover the edged of the crust with foil to prevent them from becoming over done.

Bake at 375 degrees for about an hour or until the crust is lightly browned.

Mandarin Orange Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced

¼ cup orange juice concentrate

1 tsp poultry seasoning

½ tsp salt

11 oz can mandarin oranges, drained, with 3 T juiced reserved

2 T flour

1.     Place chicken in slow cooker.

2.     Combine onion, orange juice concentrate, poultry seasoning, and salt. Pour over chicken.

3.     Cover. Cook on low 4-5 hours.

4.     Remove chicken and keep warm. Reserve cooking juices.

5.     In a saucepan, combine 3 T reserved mandarin orange juice and flour. Stir until smooth.

6.     Stir in chicken cooking juices. Bring to a boil. Stir and cook for 2 minutes to thicken.

7.     Stir in mandarin oranges. Pour over chicken.

8.     Serve with rice or pasta.  

From Fix-It and Forget-It Light Cookbook