Baked Oatmeal with Fruit Compote (EASY, $6/family)

Freezer Club: Be sure to take this out and thaw in refrigerator all day if serving for dinner or all night if serving for breakfast. I'm not sure of the results if it's frozen! The fruit has been roasted, all you have to do is warm that up.



Baked Oatmeal (must be started the night before serving)
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup raisins (if desired, I omitted)
Topping: 2T brown sugar plus 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Beat together oil and sugar.  Mix in eggs, milk, salt, baking powder, oatmeal.  Beat well then stir in raisins.  Pour into lightly greased pie pan.  Sprinkle with topping mix.  Cover with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate overnight.  In the morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Uncover and bake until firm - approximately 25 minutes.  Serve hot with butter and syrup or fruit compote (below)


Baked Fruit Compote

Equal cans of peaches, pears, apricots (I use lowest sugar ones that are out there; for one family use one can; for freezer club I used 3 cans each).

A few cans of bing cherries (1 for one family; 3 for freezer club)

Container of frozen strawberries in syrup (semi-thaw; I used 2 16 oz containers)

Brown sugar (about 1/2 C for individual family; 1 1/2 C for freezer club)

Almond or rum extract (I used about 3 tsp almond)

 

Semi-drain the cans of fruit and leave some liquid to cook the fruit in (about 1/4 of it).  Mix all together with some brown sugar and one of the extracts.   Place the semi-thawed strawberries on top of the fruit in a baking pan for the oven (or an electric roaster).  Cook on slow for a few hours or 350 for an hour. Again, this recipe is to taste so if you like it sweeter, add more sugar.  Rum extract tends to get really strong so be careful if you add too much

Creamy Chicken Spaghetti Casserole - Medium- $8 per family

This makes a 9x13 size or 8 servings, so I tripled it.

1 Whole cut up fryer chicken (I used whole chicken breast-- 2 heaping cups when shredded)
1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter
16 oz. of white mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup dry white wine
kosher salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth (reserved from chicken or canned)
1-1/2 cup whole milk (I used 2%)
1/4 cup (additional) dry white wine
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup whole black olives, chopped
1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper
extra cheese, for sprinkling
1 pound thin spaghetti (I used whole grain)

Place chicken in pot of water and boil on medium-low heat to 30-40 minutes. remove chieken from pot and allow to cool slightly. keep broth in pot

Melt 2 Tbs butter in a large skillet. Throw in mushrooms, add 1/4 cup white wine, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, or until liquid had totally evaporated (I just did 10 minutes because my liquid never evaporated). Remove mushrooms from skiller. Set aside.

Bring broth to a boil. Break spaghetti into thirds (shorter pieces). Add spaghetti peices to boiling broth and cook. Drain when al dente. Remove meat from bones and shred until you have 2-plus cups of shredded chicken.

Return large skillet to medium-low heat. Add 6 Tbs butter. Sprinkle flour over butter, whisking to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Pour in 2 cups broth and whisk to combine. Let bubble. Pour in milk , additional 1/4 cup wine, salt and pepper to taste, then cook and bubble until thick. turn off heat, add Parmesan cheese, and stir.

Add mushrooms, chicken, and chopped olives. Stir to combine and check seasonings. Add cooked spaghetti and stir.

Turn into a 9x13 casserole pan. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees or for 30 minutes or so, or until the top is golden brown and bubbly. Serve with salad and warm crusty bread

Freezer club: Thaw. Bake at 350 degrees or for 30 minutes or so, or until the top is golden brown and bubbly. Serve with salad and warm crusty bread

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas-Easy

1 lb. shredded cooked chicken
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, cut into cubes
1 can chopped green chiles
1 package tortillas*
2 cans (10 oz each) green chile enchilada sauce
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese**

1. Heat oven to 400 F. Spray 13 x 9 inch dish with cooking spray

2. In a skillet, mix cooked chicken, cream cheese, and chiles. Cook and stir over medium heat until blended and cream cheese is melted.

3. Spoon chicken filling onto tortillas; roll up and place seam sides down in baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce over top; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 30 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted (if making fresh). If thawed and refrigerated, bake 30 minutes covered. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

12 enchiladas

NOTES:
*flour is easier to roll up. I used white corn this time. You must keep the tortillas warm if using corn or else they will tear.
**I used the Mexican blend and added a little extra on top.
I seasoned the chicken with cumin, salt, & pepper.
This recipe is for a 9 x 13 pan and makes 12. I squeezed 11 into your 8 x 8 pans!