Eating Out of the Freezer ~ Make Ahead Meals

Parmesan Chicken

Ingredients:

4 - 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/3 cup olive oil

1 clove of garlic (crushed)

3/4 cup bread crumbs (fine - can be Italian)

1/2-3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp. of minced parsley

1/4 tsp. ground thyme

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 jar of 3 Cheese Prego sauce

1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese

Assembly:

1. Mix olive oil and garlic in shallow dish. Mix other dry ingredients in similar bowl for coating. Dip chicken in oil, then in mix. Place in 9x13 baking dish.  Cover

Serving Day:

1. Thaw completely. Remove foil and plastic wrap. Bake - 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Turn meat and continue baking for 20 minutes more.

2. While chicken is baking, heat sauce in pan. Pour sauce and sprinkle 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese over chicken the last 5 minutes of baking.

3. Serve over spaghetti noodles.

 

Spice Rubbed Pork Loin

Ingredients:
3-4 pound pork loin
4 tbs. brown sugar
8 tsp. sweet and smoky chipotle powder
3 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp. dried thyme
3 teaspoons garlic pepper

Assembly:
In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients. Place pork evenly on plastic wrap. Rub spice mixture evenly on pork. Bring up the sides of the plastic wrap to enclose pork. Freeze.

Serving Day:
Defrost completely.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking dish with foil and coat foil with nonstick cooking spray. Unwrap pork and place on baking sheet. Coat pork evenly with non stick cooking spray.

Cook loin for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Internal thermometer should read 160 degrees.

Remove from oven, cut and serve.

So You Forgot to Defrost Chicken! 

Ingredients:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (original recipe calls for frozen chicken)
2 10 3/4oz. cans cream of chicken soup
4 oz. can sliced mushrooms, or 1/2c. sliced fresh mushrooms
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Egg Noodles or Rice

Assembly:
Place chicken in gallon Ziploc bag. Mix remaining ingredients in separate bowl and pour over chicken. Freeze standing up, so it will fit in the crock pot when you are ready to cook.

Serving Day:
Cook from frozen. Remove plastic bag from frozen meal. Place meal in crock pot. Cook on low 10-12 hours. Serve over cooked egg noodles or rice.

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

Ingredients:
4 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups chopped carrots
2 stalks celery
2 garlic cloves, crushed
8 cups chicken broth
4 large potatoes
1 pkg. (12 oz) Polish sausage (or chicken)
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup water
1 1/3 cup milk
4 cups chopped broccoli
2 cups shredded cheese

Assembly:
Saute in butter-onions, carrots, celery until tender.  Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more.  Add chicken broth and potatoes, bring to a boil, and cook until potatoes are tender.  Mix flout with water, add, and simmer until soup is slightly thickened.  Add milk, broccoli and cook until broccoli is tender and soup is heated through, about 30-45 min.  Stir in cheese, allow to melt and serve or cool and freeze in gallon Ziploc bags.

To Serve from Frozen:
Thaw bag and reheat until hot.

Li'l Cheddar Meat Loaves

Ingredients:
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1.5 pounds ground beef
2/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard

Assembly:
In a large bowl, whisk egg and milk. Stir in the cheese, oats, onion and salt. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into eight loaves; place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar and mustard; spoon over loaves.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45 minutes or until no pink remains and a meat thermometer reads 160°.
Freezer Friends:
Thaw, Bake at 350 for 45 mins.

 

Pork Chops with Caribbean Jerk Marinade plus Pot-Luck Potatoes 

Ingredients:

6 Pork Chops (pork tenderloin sliced 1 1/2" thickness)

1 bottle of K.C. Masterpiece Caribbean Jerk Marinade

Assembly:

1. Place chops into a gallon sized Ziploc bag.

2. Pour marinade over pork chops.

3. Freeze.

Serving Day:

1. Thaw pork chops.

2. Grill chops and enjoy

3. Serve with the potatoes!!!

 

Pot-Luck Potato Casserole:

Ingredients:

2 pounds of frozen hash browns (I used the shredded kind.)

1/4 cup of melted butter

1 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

1/2 cup of chopped onion

1 can of cream of chicken soup

16 ounce container of sour cream

2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Assembly:
1. Defrost potatoes.2. Combine potatoes and melted butter in large bowl.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix carefully.

4. Pour into greased 9x13 inch pan. (I split this recipe and place the mixture into two 8x8 pans. I freeze one pan.)

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Serving Day:

1. Thaw completely.

2. Remove covering.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

  Homemade Meatballs

Ingredients:
1lb. lean ground beef
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. minced onion
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
3/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/3 c. milk
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. bread crumbs

Assembly:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix all ingredients in bowl until well blended.  Form 1 1/2 inch balls.  I use the medium Pampered Chef scoop.  Place on baking sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes or until no longer pink.  Place on cooling racks lined with paper towels to catch grease.  Once completely cooled, place into Ziploc freezer bags.  Freeze.
Serving Day:
Thaw and reheat.

Meatball Lasagna

Ingredients:24 meatballs *(see recipe for Homemade Meatballs)
4 3/4 cups Ragu**
6 cups cooked bite-size pasta
2 eggs, beaten
1 pint cottage cheese
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
12 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
Parmesan Cheese

Assembly:
Run cottage cheese through the blender to give smooth consistency. 
Combine cottage cheese, eggs, and Italian seasoning. 
Spoon 1 3/4c. Ragu on bottom of 9x13" baking dish. 
Layer remaining ingredients in this order: 

1. Noodles
2. Cottage cheese mixture
3. 1 c. of the shredded mozzarella
4. Meatballs
5. 3 cups of Ragu
6. 2 cups mozzarella cheese 

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.   Cover with a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil.  Label and freeze.
Serving Day:
Thaw completely.  Remove plastic wrap and aluminum foil.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Notes:
*You could use store bought meatballs, but you would need to add more if they are small.  I feel like the homemade recipe provides a more flavorful meatball, which makes a more flavorful lasagna.

** This is more than a regular size jar of Ragu, but less than 2 jars. I felt like 1 jar wasn't enough, but 2 was too much. I would just use the leftover sauce for dipping garlic bread, or freeze it for later.

Chicken Cordon Bleu with Veggies

2 pounds chicken breast tenderloins
1 tsp paprika
5 pieces of sliced provolone or swiss cheese cut in half (I did both for my recipe)
8 pieces of ham cut in 2 inch strips
4 cheese Alfredo sauce
1 bag of spring mix veggies (the kind I bought were already seasoned)

To cook:
Place chicken breast tenderloins in a pan
sprinkle with paprika
place sliced cheese on each chicken tenderloin
place two strips of ham on each chicken tenderloin
spoon 4 cheese Alfredo sauce over chicken tenderloin
place veggies in center of pan or around chicken.
To freeze:
Place plastic wrap and foil over dish and place in freezer
To Reheat:
Thaw completely
Heat oven to 375
Cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until chicken is done

Breakfast Mini-Frittatas

makes 24 frittatas
Ingredients:
12 eggs
¼ c. heavy whipping cream
¾ c. milk
½ c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb. cooked and crumbled bacon or Italian sausage or diced ham
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper

**You do not have to use the whipping cream.  I did because I had it leftover from a recipe.  You can use all milk or half & half if you want.

Assembly:

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray muffin pans with non-stick spray.  Scramble eggs with milk and cream.  Add remaining ingredients.  Mix well.  Pour into muffin tins.  I use the large Pampered Chef scoop to measure mine.  Cook 15-20 minutes or until knife comes out clean. 

To Freeze:

Cool completely on cooling rack.  Place in gallon Ziploc freezer bag. 

Serving Day:

Remove from freezer.  Place on microwave safe plate.  Reheat in microwave until heated through. 

Baked French Toast 

Ingredients:
1 loaf sourdough bread 

8 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. vanilla

Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick cold butter, cut into pieces

1. Grease a 9x13 pan with butter. Tear bread into bite-size chunks and place evenly in the pan.
2. Mix together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge for several hours or overnight....it was about 12 hours.
3. In a medium bowl mix together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until it all looks nice and crumbly (like small pebbles). Place in a ziploc bag and put in fridge.
4. When ready to bake, take pan and bag out of fridge. Remove wrap and evenly sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees (or 45 minutes if you like it more soft and pudding-like).
Freezing instructions:
Complete tasks 1 & 2 then cover pan of bread and egg mixture in freezer.
Topping should be placed in a small ziploc and freeze until ready to bake.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely. When ready to bake, remove wrap and evenly sprinkle the crumb topping mixture over the top. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees (or 45 minutes if you like it more soft and pudding-like). You can serve with syrup.

Thai Beef with Noodles

Ingredients:
1 lb of steak for stir fry cut into strips (I used a meat tenderizer on mine)
1/2 cup Sherry
3 tbs. soy sauce
2 tsp. grated ginger
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp dark roasted sesame oil
1 bag of Japanese Udon noodles

Assembly:
Place strips of meat into a freezer bag.
Mix ingredients of sauce together in a bowl and whisk.
Pour into bag and freeze.
Serving Day:
Thaw completely
Preheat skillet, cook meat and sauce until warmed and meat is cooked to your liking.
Serve over cooked noodles.

BBQ Meatballs

Ingredients:
3 lbs. Ground Beef
3/4 cup Milk
1 stack Saltines
3 eggs
1 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, pressed
3/4 teaspoon Paprika
2 teaspoons Salt
1 1/2 cups BBQ Sauce (Sweet Baby Rays)

Assembly:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  I used my hands to mix.  I then use my small cookie scoop to make balls in a 8x11 foil cake pan.  This recipe is enough to make 2 pans, so I split it in half for 2 meals.  Cover with plastic wrap and foil and freeze.
Pour BBQ sauce in Ziploc bag.  Freeze.
To Serve:
Thaw.  Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes or until heated through.
Variation:
For larger meatballs, approximately 3 tablespoons per meatball, bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes after allowing them to thaw.  Bake potatoes can cook with these at the same time. 
Yield:  60 or more small meatballs per 2 meals.

Bistro Ham Twist

Ingredients:
2 cup chopped cooked ham
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup snipped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/2 oz.) grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
1/2 cup (2 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 pkgs. (11 oz each) refrigerated French Bread dough
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

Assembly:
1.  Chop ham.  Dice bell pepper, snip basil with kitchen shears.  In medium bowl, combine ham, bell pepper, basil, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan Cheese, mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise and garlic.
2.  Place bread dough, seam sides up, on a large cutting board.  Using a serrated knife, slice each loaf lengthwise, end to end, cutting halfway through to center of loaf;  spread open flat.  Using a roller, roll dough crosswise to a 4 inch width, creating a well down center of each loaf.
3.  Spoon half of the ham mixture down center of each loaf.  Gather up edges over filling, pinching firmly to seal.  Place loaves, seam side down, in an X pattern on a piece of parchment paper.  Crisscross ends of dough to form a large figure 8.
4.  Combine egg white and Italian seasoning mix;  lightly brush over dough.  Cut a 3" slit in each of the top sections of the twist to reveal filling.  Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese over loaf.
To Serve that Day:
Heat oven to 375 degrees and bake 30-32 minutes or until deep golden brown.  Remove from oven;  cool 10 minutes.
To Freeze:
Cover with plastic wrap and wrap sides of parchment paper over plastic wrap.  Finish with foil over entire twist.
To serve after frozen:
Thaw completely.  Bake in a 375 degree oven 30-32 minutes or until deep golden brown.  Remove from oven;  cool 10 minutes.  Slice with serrated knife and serve.
Yield:  8 servings

Chicken and Stars

Serves 10
Ingredients:
One whole chicken
2 bags of trio medley frozen veggies corn, celery, onion
1 box of chicken stock
2 tbs oregano
1 1/2 tbs garlic
4 cups water
4 chicken bouillon cubes.
1 1b of star pasta

Assembly:
Place all ingredients except pasta in a pot to cook. Bring water to a boil and cook until chicken can be removed from the bone with a fork.

Take the chicken out of the pot with tongs and place to the side until cooled. Turn off the burner on the soup.  Remove chicken from bone while boiling water for pasta. Cook the pasta for 5 minutes, rinse.  Place chicken and pasta into the soup.
To freeze:
Put soup into Ziploc bags and freeze.
Serving day:
Thaw soup completely, place in a pot and warm on stove top, or in the microwave.

 

Almost No Knead Bread

3 cups (15 ounces) all purpose or bread flour
1/4 tsp. instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. (7 ounces) water at room temp
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. (3 ounces) mild flavored lager
1 Tbs. white vinegar

Whisk flour, yeast, and salt in large bowl. Add water, beer, and vinegar. Using rubber spatula, fold mixture, scraping up dry flour from bottom of bowl until shaggy ball forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 8 to 18 hours.

Lay 12- by 18-inch sheet of parchment paper inside 10-inch skillet and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead 10 to 15 times. Shape dough into ball by pulling edges into middle. Transfer dough, seam-side down, to parchment-lined skillet and spray surface of dough with nonstick cooking spray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until dough has doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with finger, about 2 hours.

About 30 minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position, place 6- to 8-quart heavy-bottomed Dutch oven (with lid) on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Lightly flour top of dough and, using razor blade or sharp knife, make one 6-inch-long, 1/2-inch-deep slit along top of dough. Carefully remove pot from oven and remove lid. Pick up dough by lifting parchment overhang and lower into pot (let any excess parchment hang over pot edge). Cover pot and place in oven. Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake covered for 30 minutes.

Remove lid and continue to bake until loaf is deep brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers 210 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes longer. Carefully remove bread from pot; transfer to wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. 

Baked Shrimp Scampi 

2 pounds (12 to 15 per pound) shrimp in the shell
3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons dry white wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1/4 cup minced shallots
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 extra-large egg yolk
2/3 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
Lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the olive oil, wine, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture.  In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until combined.

Starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch oval gratin dish, arrange the shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the tails curling up and towards the center of the dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp.  Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly. If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1 minute. Serve with lemon wedges.

* To make ahead/freezer meal - Arrange the shrimp in shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the tails curling up and towards the center of a disposable foil baking dish or better yet, a Glad Ovenware dish (which is what I used). Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp. Spread or scatter clumps of the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp. Cover (with a double sheet of foil if using a disposable foil dish or use the lid of the Glad Ovenware dish.) Label and freeze. To prepare, remove from freezer and allow to thaw. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly. If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1 minute. Serve with lemon wedges.

 

Oven Fried Chicken

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 box plain Melba toast (about 5 ounces), processed to sand and pebble texture
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
4 chicken leg quarters

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line sheet pan with foil and set large flat wire rack over sheet pan.

Separate the chicken into drumsticks and thighs. Remove the skin and pat dry.To make Melba toast crumbs, place the toasts in a heavy-duty plastic freezer bag, seal, and pound with a meat pounder or other heavy blunt object. Leave some crumbs the size of pebbles in the mixture. Drizzle vegetable oil over Melba toast crumbs in a shallow dish or pie plate; toss well to coat.

In a second shallow dish or pie plate, mix eggs, mustard, thyme, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder, and optional cayenne with a fork.

Working one piece at a time, coat chicken on both sides with egg mixture. Set chicken in Melba crumbs, sprinkle crumbs over chicken and press a mix of sand and pebble crumbs onto the chicken to coat. Turn chicken over and repeat on other side, then shake off excess crumbs and place on rack. Bake until chicken is deep nutty brown and juices run clear, about 40 minutes.
* To make ahead/freezer meal - Prepare the chicken and coat completely. Once coated, place the chicken on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze uncovered. Once frozen, place the chicken in a single layer inside a gallon sized freezer bag; seal and freeze. When ready to prepare, partially defrost chicken. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line sheet pan with foil and set large flat wire rack over sheet pan. Place chicken on the rack and bake in the preheated oven until chicken is deep nutty brown, about 40 minutes. Decrease the oven temperature to 350 and bake the chicken for an additional 10-15 minutes or until juices run clear.