Poppyseed Chicken

Poppyseed Chicken
serves 10-12

12 Chicken breast cooked and chopped
(I used Weber Smokey mesquite seasoning than grilled the chicken on the george forman grill)
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
3 cups of sour cream
1/4 cup sherry wine
salt and pepper to taste
35-40 ritz crackers, crushed
2Tbs Poppyseed
6Tbs butter, melted

Mix soup, sour cream, sherry, and salt & pepper in bowl. Add chicken (I sliced it instead of chopping it) and mix together. Turn inot a 2 qt. casserole dish. Top with cracker crumbs mixed with poppyseeds. Pour melted butter over crumbs. Bake 350 for 30 minutes. Don't put crumbly top on until right before baking.

Blueberry French Toast

8 loaves of French Bread (not crusty, soft rolls)

24 eggs

8 cups of milk

3 cups brown sugar

6 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

8 cups fresh frozen blueberries

Makes 24 servings

Grease Pan. In large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.

Because of the large quality and the smaller containers I found it best to dip each piece of bread and then place in the the pan. I stacked the pieces to fit as many as possible into the pan (around 12 pieces). After all pans were filled, I poured remaining mixture evenly over all pans. Cover with blueberries and freeze.

To Prepare from frozen for individual family: defrost frozen pan, take slices out and place in a 9x13 greased pan and pour mixture over it. In small sauce-pan, heat 1/8 cup (2 T) of butter with 1/8 cup brown sugar over medium heat until bubbly. Drizzle over blue berries. Bake in 385 F oven for 30-35++ minutes until set. Dust with Powdered Sugar and Maple Syrup.

Pulled Pork Recipe

Ingredients

Dry rub:
2 Tbls salt
2 Tbls black pepper
2 Tbls dark brown sugar
2 Tbls paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

4 lb shoulder pork roast (pork butt)
2 cups apple juice
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbls Worcestershire
1/2 Tbls liquid smoke
1/2 Tbls garlic powder


6 Hamburger buns
BBQ
Cole slaw
Pickles

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Mix the rub ingredients in small bowl.  Sprinkle dry rub all over the pork roast, pressing into the pork.  Do not remove any fat from the roast.  It will cook off and help the pork to remain juicy.  Cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 

Combine liquid ingredients and the garlic powder in a medium bowl and pour into a large Dutch oven.  Place pork in the oven and tightly cover with aluminum foil then lid.  Roast for 4 hours or until fork tender and shreds easily.  Brush the roast with cooking liquid every hour. 

Remove from oven and let stand until cool enough to handle.  Shred the pork with a fork or tongs into bite size pieces.  

Serve on hamburger buns topped with BBQ sauce and pickles.  Cole slaw as a side dish.

*10-12 lbs of pork butt should be sufficient for freezer club portions.  The meat will cook down considerably. 
* This can also be made in a crock pot.  Allow meat to cook 6-8 hours or until fork tender.
* When making this meal, provide buns along with the meat. 

Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

Ingredients (6 servings)

2 cups half 'n half

1 cube chicken bouillon

2 tablespoon Dubliner cheese

1 Tablespoon cornstarch (you can substitute a roux for this)

1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

1 (16 ounce) package bow tie pasta

¾ cup cooked bacon

1 cup diced red onion

2 cloves garlic

1 cup chopped green onion

1 chicken breast marinated, grilled and sliced

1 cup half 'n half

Directions

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook 2 cups of cream until just bubbling. Stir in bouillon and Dubliner cheese. Stir until dissolved. Add cornstarch and simmer until sauce is thickened, stirring constantly. Mix in the sun-dried tomatoes. Set aside (the sauce will thicken upon standing and off the heat)

2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.

3. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté red onion until translucent. Stir in garlic and cooked bacon, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in green onions, chicken and 1 cup half 'n half. Cook, stirring, until cream is heated through. Add Dubliner cream sauce, and heat through. Toss with cooked pasta until evenly coated and sprinkle with chopped, fresh parsley, if desired.

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

Makes 6 Servings

· 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed

· 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice

· 1/2 cup water

· 1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 cloves garlic minced)

· 1 (6 ounce) box chicken-flavored dry bread stuffing mix

· 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

· 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (I used Basil and Oregano)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Toss the cubed chicken with the salt in a large bowl. Place the chicken in a layer into the bottom of the baking dish. Stir together tomatoes, water, garlic, and stuffing mix in a large bowl; set aside to soften. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the chicken, then sprinkle with the Italian seasoning. Spread the softened stuffing mixture on top.

3. Bake uncovered until the chicken cubes have turned white and are no longer pink in the center, about 30 minutes.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

4lbs cooked chopped boneless chicken breasts
1 2lb package carrots, peeled and diced
6-8 yukon gold potatoes, diced
1 large package celery, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
1/2 c butter
2 tsp minced garlic
1 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
3/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp celery seed
5 1/2 c chicken broth
2 c milk
3 c frozen peas
6 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crusts (3 packs)
6 unbaked rolled pie crusts (3 packs)

Directions:
1. Cook chicken. (I baked it)
2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine carrots and potatoes. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes (or until veggies are tender). [Note: For extra flavor, you could boil in broth. I used water.] Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
3. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions, garlic and celery in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and combine with chicken, carrot mixture, and peas.
4. Pour into 6 deep dish piecrusts. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough.
5. Thaw overnight.
6. Bake at 400 degree for 40-50 minutes, or until crust is a golden brown and the sauce is bubbling. You may wish to cover the edges of the pie crust with foil or a pie cover after 15-20 min to keep the crust edges from burning. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Note: Seasoning amounts are approximate. I often season to taste and don't measure very well when I cook (will work on that!). I also think it would taste great with the addition of thyme.

Bri's Chicken Pot Pie Note

My family very much enjoyed Bri's chicken pot pie tonight for dinner! It was *so* great to come home at 6:00 and dinner was Done! I am going to love being in the Freezer Club :-)

As for the "thawing" of the pot pie, I actually left it out on my counter from 8:30 in the morning until 5:00 that night (as opposed to the fridge) and it was still *plenty* cold, even slightly frozen in the middle. I know it's going to take a lot of guessing to figure out how to thaw our food, so I just thought I would throw this out there if you haven't had the chance to make her yummy meal yet.

Momma's Game Day Chili

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

½ cup sliced onions

Onion Powder

Garlic Powder

Sea Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

1 can Red Kidney Beans

1 ½ cans of Diced Tomatoes (I use the kind that has added garlic and oregano)

½ cup Taco Bell Salsa (I use Medium)

1 TBS Chili Powder

½ tsp Ground Cumin

½ can of water

Directions:

Brown the beef in a skillet over medium heat, adding generous “dashes” (I usually do about 10-12 shakes) of Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Sea Salt, and ground pepper, until beef is fully cooked and onions are soft. Drain and transfer to crockpot. Add all remaining ingredients and stir together. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Yield: 4 servings

If Frozen: allow to thaw and then warm in large soup pot until heated through

Suggestions:
Top with sour cream, black olives, and cheese. Also delicious served over rice!

If the chili is too spicy for your family, add about 1/4 tsp Cinnamon to the pot.

Spinach, Green Onion, And Smoked Gouda Quiche

Crust:  Store bought: 6 deep dish pie crusts
Filling:  6 Tbls. olive oil, 3 cups thinly sliced green onions, 18 cups fresh baby spinach, 6 cups 1% milk, 4 1/2 cups (18 oz) grated smoked gouda, 4 1/2 tsp. salt, dash of grated nutmeg, 18 large eggs

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions; saute 5 minutes.  Add spinach; saute until tender.
Combine milk and remaining ingredeints in a bowl; stir well with a whisk.  Stir in spinach mixture.  Pour filling into crusts.
Instructions for baking once thawed: Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  Bake an additional 5 minutes if you prefer a firmer texture.

Welcome To The Kitchen!

Hi Ladies! Now that we are all officially "bloggers", come on in, pull up a kitchen stool and I'll make some hot tea (nevermind, I'll bring Starbucks!), and let's share our hearts as we talk about enchiladas, tasty spices, and navy beans.

We will be posting our recipes here from our Freezer Club as well as leaving comments and likes/dislikes about our dishes, but feel free to use this blog as a place to chat about life and leave your thoughts here. Make this our kitchen where we can spend time together just like our kitchens at home where some of the best conversations and the silliest moments of family life happen. If God is showing you something new, post it so we can all enjoy the delicious smell of warm bread from your heart! If you have a prayer request, post it so we can all share in your burden for we all know that many hands make light work -- especially when your kitchen is a disaster! I'm looking forward to all the yummy things we will be making and serving here in our kitchen and especially for the friendships and encouragement that will come with it. Because just like coffee tastes better with chocolate, good food tastes better with love. So come in, create your post, and I'll be right back with that Starbucks :-)