Recipes

This weeks freezer friendly dish is Beef Enchiladas. I will have to say that this is one of my favorite bulk cooking recipe. The recipe was given to me by one of my best friends a few years ago and has become a family favorite. Not only is this recipe freezer friendly it is also frugal. Oh, I almost forgot to mention it is so yummy. I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as we do.

Tara’s Beef Enchiladas Recipe

• 2 1/2 lb. ground beef
• 2/3 cup chopped onions
• 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup (10 3/4 oz)
• 1 can condensed tomato soup (10 3/4 oz)
• 3 cans enchilada sauce (10 oz)
• 20 (8 inch)  flour tortillas
• 2 1/2 cups shredded cheese + extra cheese for topping

Cook beef and onions in a large pot over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain meat. Combine both soups and enchilada sauce in bowl and mix well.  Add 1 1/2 cups of sauce into beef mixture. Pour about 1 cup of sauce into 2 13-in x 9-in pans. Set extra sauce to the side for later.

Lay out room temperature flour tortillas divide meat mixture among the tortillas about a 1/4 cup each; top with 2 tablespoons of cheese. Roll each tortilla up tightly and place 10 enchiladas per pan seem side down. Top with reserved sauce.

Cover one pan with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 25 min. Uncover and top with cheese. Back an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Cover and freeze remaining pan for up to 3 months. When ready to use thaw and bake as directed.

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Okay, I have decided to finally share my secret Cream Cheese Cut-Out Cookie Recipe. I have keep this recipe under wraps for years. Many people have asked for the recipe but I have not revealed it until now.  The funny thing is both my sisters called me Saturday asking me for the recipe. They new I was going to post it and could not wait until today to get the recipe. LOL!

The truth is the recipe was given to me by High School Home Economics teacher Mrs Merkle. I have made the cookies every year at Christmas since. Just don’t ask how many years ago that was. LOL! The cookies are thick and soft. I love the flavor the cream cheese adds. Anyway, here is my secret Christmas cookie cut-out recipe.  Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Cut-out Cookies

• 1 Cup Butter Softened
• 8 oz Cream Cheese Softened
• 1 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. Almond Extract
• 3 1/2 Cups Flour
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 Tub Vanilla or Cream Cheese Frosting
• Food Coloring (If you would like to make the Frosting different colors.)
• Sprinkles

In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until well combined. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla and almond extract and beat well. In a small bowl combine flour and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to ream cheese mixture. Beat until well mixed. Divide dough in half. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap and refrigerate until easy to handle – about 1 1/2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out  1/4 ” think (I make mine pretty thick) on a lightly floured surface. Using cookie cutters, cut out and place 2″ apart on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 13 minutes depending on how thick you made the cookies or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire rack. Allow to cool completely. Ice the cookies with frosting and decorate with sprinkles.

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This recipe come from one of my favorite cook books Don’t Panic–More Dinner’s in the Freezer: A Second Helping of Tasty Meals You Can Make Ahead. Wow, that’s a long title. Any way I wanted to share one of the recipes I made from the book it’s called Monterey Jack Stuffed Chicken Breast. I have not tasted it yet but it just sounded so good and I can not wait to try it. It’s in my freezer ready for next weeks dinners.

I am a huge fan of bulk cooking. I have found that this method of cooking not only saves time on busy nights but also a lot of money. If done the right way. More on that later.

Here is the recipe. (I did change the amount of the ingredient’s listed to work for only 4 chicken breasts.) I will have to let you know how it tasted next week.

Ingredient’s

6 boneless chicken breast
10oz Monterey Jack Cheese with jalapenos
4 eggs
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 t salt
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 t chili powder
2 t ground cumin
1 1/2 t garlic salt
1/2 t dried oregano

Instructions

• Cut a horizontal slit into each chicken breast. Be careful not to cut all the way through.
• Put a piece of cheese into each slit. (I used cheese sticks and they worked perfectly or you could slice your own cheese.)
• You may nee to use a toothpick to secure the pocket.

• In a shallow pan mix together eggs, salsa, and salt.
• In an other pan mix together panko bread crumbs and the rest of the ingredients
• Dip each chicken pocket into the eggs mixture and then the bread crumbs

• Lay each chicken breast on waxed paper and flash freeze for about an hour.
• Wrap each chicken pocket with plastic wrap, place into a freezer bag, and freeze until ready to cook.

Cooking Day

• Place 1/4 cup butter in a 9×13 baking pan.
• Preheat oven to 375 and go ahead and put the pan in the oven to melt the butter
• After the butter has melted remove pan and place chicken pockets in pan turning to coat it in the butter.
• Bake uncovered about 35 to 40 minutes until the juices are clear.

Serve with with salsa, sour cream, tomatoes, and avocado.

Frugal tips I use to bulk cook cheap.

1. Make a list of items you need to make your recipes a few weeks before your cooking day. (That way you can look for good deals on those items.)
2. Stock up on pantry staples you know you will use for recipes while it is one sale. Don’t wait until you need it on cooking day.
3. Plan recipes you want to make according to meat sales. For example, when chicken is on sale for a $1.99 a pound I will make several recipes that use chicken breast. If ground beef is on sale I will do the same make several recipes that call for ground beef and so on. I do not do a big cooking day and shopping trip like some books suggest you do. I just try to do this every week or two according to the meat sales.
4. Separate food into meal size portions. I find that we waste less food this way and I can stretch a main dish into two meals most of the time.
5. Do not make a big batch of a recipe you have never tried. What if you and your family do not like the recipe you just made 6 freezer bags of? You would most likely would have to toss it and your money you just spent to make it.

I would suggest starting out with just a few recipes and build up from there. I love to bulk cook in the fall and winter it just makes my life so much easier when my kids say “Hey Mom What’s For Dinner” and I can say Monterey Jack Stuffed Chicken and most of the work is already done.

Here is a list of Freezer Cooking Books I love and own. Your local library may have these books for you to check out.

Don’t Panic–More Dinner’s in the Freezer: A Second Helping of Tasty Meals You Can Make Ahead

Don’t Panic – Dinner’s in the Freezer: Great-Tasting Meals You Can Make Ahead (my favorite)

Once-A-Month Cooking Family Favorites: More Great Recipes That Save You Time and Money from the Inventors of the Ultimate Do-Ahead Dinnertime Method

You’ve Got It Made: Deliciously Easy Meals to Make Now and Bake Later

Once-A-Month Cooking, Revised and Expanded: A Proven System for Spending Less Time in the Kitchen and Enjoying Delicious, Homemade Meals Every Day

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I inherited a bunch of fresh tomatoes from a few friends of mine and since I am the only one who will eat them sliced or in a salad. I decide to make my own fresh tomato salsa before the tomatoes went bad. I just can not let food go to waste and to throw them away would drive my crazy. The funny thing is that my husband says he does not like tomatoes but he loves salsa. “How can you not like tomatoes but love salsa? LOL!” Anyway, I used this recipe given to me by my good friend Susie. I have to say I think it is the best homemade salsa I have ever had. I wanted to share the recipe with you just in case you also inherited a few tomatoes you needed to do something with.

Susie’s Homemade Salsa Recipe:

3 cups chopped tomatoes
3/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/3 cup chopped red onions
3 tsp. Lime Juice
1 1/2 T chopped Chile’s in Adobo sauce
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 pinches salt
1 1/2 T sugar
2 cloves garlic minced

My add ins:

1/4 cup yellow onions (I need to use them up.)
1 cup green peppers (I was given these along with the tomatoes and decided to add them to the recipe.)

Mix above ingredients and chill.

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