Freezer Friendly

Berry Cheesecake Pops & Happy 4th!

by // // 2 Comments
How did I get so lucky to post on Independence Day?  I am honored to post on the 4th of July because I am a patriot.  I get teary-eyed when the national anthem is played and the Stars and Stripes are presented at ballgames.  Every time. 
For our followers who are not of the LDS faith, I would like to share a couple of our Articles of Faith–what we believe–that correlate with our celebrations today:
Article of Faith #11–We claim the privilege of worshipping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
Article of Faith #12–We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
I just thought these were very appropriate as we celebrate our freedoms and the principles upon which this great country was established.

Now that I have given you food for thought, here is my food post for today.  Have you seen the new cookbook from our lovely Kate and Sara at OBB?  It is entitled, “Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites.”  Yummy stuff .  This recipe comes from that book and it is a perfect summer treat for this holiday.




Ingredients:

2 cups assorted berries (I used strawberries and blueberries)*
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, divided
3 oz. cream cheese
1 cup Half-and-Half
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice



1.  Place berries and 3 tablespoons powdered sugar in a blender or food processor and roughly puree.  Add more sugar, if needed.  You should end up with about 1 cup of berry puree–smooth or chunky. Whatever you want.

2.  Transfer puree to a bowl or measuring cup with a pour spout and set aside.  Wash out food processor and place the cream cheese, half-and-half, vanilla, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup powdered sugar inside.  Puree until smooth–not going to show a picture but it is white and liquid.

3.  Fill popsicle molds, alternating berry mixture and cream cheese mixture.  You can swirl it with a popsicle stick or leave in layers.  Freeze until slightly firm if you are adding your own popsicle stick.  My form came with stick/lids so I just put mine in at the get-go and froze them completely.

4.  To remove from molds, carefully run warm water around the outside of molds until popsicles are loosened.  Store in an airtight container or zip-top bag in the freezer.

*  Next time I make these I am going to try some of my freeze-dried fruit and see how that turns out.  Sounds like a good way to use that fruit from my food storage and it is a healthy snack–pretty much.


Source:  Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites, p. 124.

Olive Cheese Bread

by // // No Comments
 This bread is amazing. It is soft and gooey and salty and cheesy. The recipe came from the amazing Pioneer Woman. However, as with most recipes that I cook, I tweaked it a bit. I found the original recipe much too salty. To cure that, I cut down the amount of green olives and also rinsed them before chopping them. I also cut the amount of butter. Original recipe here.


Olive Cheese bread
4 TBSP butter-room temp
1/2 C. Mayo
4 oz. green olives (about 1/2-3/4 C.)
1 can black olives (6 oz.)
2 green onions
3/4 lb. grated Monterrey Jack cheese (I always use a block and grate it myself. I used the pre-grated stuff once and it was not as good.)
1 loaf french bread

preheat oven to 325.
Mix butter and mayo in a bowl. Chop up green olives, black olives and green onions. Add them to the bowl and mix it up. Then add the grated cheese and stir to combine.
Cut the french bread in half lengthwise. Spread the olive cheese mixture evenly over both sides of the french bread. Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
I like to turn the broiler on for just a minute or two to get a nice golden color on the melted cheese.
Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes and then slice and serve.

Strawberry Muffins

by // // No Comments

Two recipes herald the onset of strawberry season at our house:  strawberry freezer jam and strawberry muffins.  The muffin recipe came from a recipe pamphlet I got years ago at a local you-pick berry farm.  It’s been a family favorite ever since.

Ingredients:
3 3/4 cup flour
2 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup pecans, chopped
2 cups sweetened strawberries, sliced*
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten

1.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and nuts.  In another bowl, combine strawberries (with their juice), oil, and eggs.
2.  Stir strawberry mixture into dry ingredients and stir just until moistened; do NOT over mix because it will affect the texture of the muffins.
3.  Fill greased muffin pan or muffin liners 3/4 full and bake for 15-18 minutes or until done.  Makes about 2 dozen.  These freeze well.

*To sweeten strawberries:  Clean, hull, and slice into a bowl.  Sprinkle with sugar (a couple of tablespoons for the amount in this recipe) and gently stir.  Set aside.  The sugar will bring out the juices in the berries.

AMAZING 100% Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes!

by // // No Comments

You are going to LOVE these pancakes!!! They are delicious and made with wholesome ingredients. I like to make the batter a little thinner so I can get crunchy edges. 

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes

1. Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl:
2 cups whole wheat flour (I like to use Hard White Wheat and grind it fresh. Hard Red Wheat tastes really good too!)
1 cup oats (you can use instant or old fashioned rolled)
1/4 cup dry milk powder (mix in with flour)*
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder

2. Now add the wet ingredients:
1/4 cup of oil (I like canola oil)
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cups water (I use 3 cups to make the batter thinner so it makes those crispy edges! Yum!)

You can add in blueberries, chocolate chips, apple dices and cinnamon, some pumpkin and cinnamon, nuts, or whatever your heart desires!

3. Whisk batter until mixed well. Let sit for a few minutes. Do not stir again. It will flatten the batter.

4. Pour some batter onto a very hot and buttered griddle or frying pan. Let it cook on that side for a minute or so until edges start looking done and bubbles start to pop. Flip pancakes once and let finish cooking.

5. Serve with butter and syrup, fruit, or whatever you like on pancakes. My husband doesn’t like to put sugary syrup on them, so he eats them with homemade applesauce. I’ll stick with maple syrup! : )

These freeze well. Delicious and healthy!

*Notes: 
1. If you do not have dry milk powder, you can omit that and use 2 1/2 cups of milk in the place of water. The milk helps them brown nicely, so you at least need some. You could just use 1 cup of milk and 1 1/2 cups of water if you prefer to use less milk. 

2. I have a friend with a sweet tooth who said he added a few tablespoons of sugar to the recipe. I think he’s crazy because then he drowns it in syrup, but whatever! Ha ha! If it makes him feel better, he can add sugar with no objection from me!

Source: Me : ) 


Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

by // // 3 Comments

I was thinking of giving you a recipe for a diet soup that I love, but then I thought that everyone should know how to make a delicious homemade pot pie for those days that you need a little comfort food! The diet soup can wait for another day!

I make these in batches of 4 and freeze them, and then I have something quick to pull out of the oven for dinner on a busy day. My kids LOVE these! People ask me how many one will feed, and here is my answer: It will feed me 7-8 servings, but it will feed my son Curtis, who is 16, only 2 servings. It would definitely feed 4 really hungry normal people who are not teenage boys.  (smile).

Homemade Chicken Pot Pies

Ingredients:

4 frozen pie shells (or you can make homemade crust)
4 cups cooked, diced chicken
1 large can cream of chicken soup (or 2 small cans – about 20 oz)
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups baby carrots cut into slices
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup (or more) diced onions
4 cups potatoes, diced 
1 can of corn (or some frozen corn)
2 chicken bouillon cubes (or 1 if you like less salt)
2 boxes of roll out top crust (This will give you 4 top crusts) I recommend Pillsbury brand – or you can make homemade
1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp of Poultry Seasoning (or  a little Thyme, Oregano and Sage)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Put the diced potatoes, carrots and onions in a pot. Cover with water. Add the bouillon cube and some salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are done…but not mushy and falling apart.

2. In a small bowl, add 1/2 cup flour to 1/2 cup of water and mix with a fork until smooth. Pour this slowly into boiling pot of vegetables while stirring briskly. This will thicken the water that the vegetables are cooking in. Turn off heat and let it cool down a bit.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth with a hand mixer. Add in the cream of chicken soup and poultry seasoning. Mix until well blended. Add the chicken, corn, peas, and the cooked potato/carrot/onion mixture. Mix all ingredients together until well blended.

4. Add this delicious mixture to the pie shells, dividing mixture evenly between the 4 pie shells.

5. Roll out your crust onto the counter. (Cut a heart in the center for a vent hole if you would like – it’s so cute!) Place the crust on top of the pie. Fold under the extra crust as neatly as possible around the edges. Then pinch the edge of the crust to seal. If you have no idea how to to that, look up a tutorial. It is so hard to explain in words. But it is easy to do, and everyone has their own way of making their crust edge pretty. 

6. If you did not cut a heart into the center of the crust, cut a few vent holes into the top crust. Just take a knife and make a few small cuts.

7. At this point, I put a square of wax paper on top of the pie, then cover with foil and put in the freezer. I suppose you could skip the wax paper if you don’t have any.

8. If you want to bake one right away, bake it at 375 degrees for 30 – 45 minutes, depending on how dark you like your crust.

9. When baking from frozen, bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE THESE CHICKEN POT PIES!

Notes: 
1. Kids love to help make these! And they love eating them too!

2. These are perfect to have on hand when you need to take someone a dinner, or when you forgot to plan dinner for your own family.

3. We made these for a fund raiser at church to help earn money for girls camp. We sold LOTS of them and people liked them very much!

Source: Adapted from my friend Becky Robinson, Rock Hill, SC.



3 Ingredient White Bean Chicken Chili

by // // 2 Comments

I love a quick, yummy meal, and this is definitely one of them!

One day I watched my friend dump some things in a pot, stir a bit, and then call her kids down for dinner. I was truly impressed because it took 5 minutes from start to finish, and it looked so delicious and healthy too!

3 Ingredient White Bean Chicken Chili

Ingredients:
A few cans of white beans, drained
1 can of chicken 
A cup or two of your favorite salsa

I am not going to give an exact recipe, well, because there isn’t one and I have made it differently every time depending on how many I needed to feed and what I had on hand. But basically you just dump those ingredients into a pot, in whatever quantities you want, add a little water if needed, and maybe some black pepper. If you want to get fancy, you can add a can of corn! Let it simmer for a few minutes. Serve with your favorite shredded cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips!

A delicious and quick meal! I hope you enjoy! 

PS – You could also make this in a crock pot.

Source: My amazing friend Kim Jones

Mini No-bake Key Lime Pies

by // // No Comments

Anything key lime takes me back to the Keys of Florida or to the Caribbean for that matter, back where everybody says, “Everything is ire (i ree) or in other words, “Life is good, no worries”.

Ingredients for Crust:

3/4 c. graham-cracker crumbs
1/4 c. finely chopped pecans
3 T. unsalted butter, melted
Ingredients for Filling:
8 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. bottled Key Lime juice
1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
Lime slices, optional
Directions:
1.  Line 12 cupcake cups with foil liners.  In bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, pecans, and melted butter.  Spoon 1 T. mixture into each liner, pressing it down to form crust.
2.  In large bowl with electric mixer on low speed, beat cream cheese about 30 seconds, or until creamy.  Add condensed milk and Key Lime juice, and blend on medium speed 20 to 30 seconds, or until just combined.  Add 1 cup whipped topping and blend on low speed 15 seconds longer.
3.  Spoon mixture evenly into liners.  Cover pan with plastic wrap and freeze at least 3 hours, or until firm.  Remove from freezer 15 minutes before serving; peel off liners and dollop 1 T. remaining whipped topping on each pie.  Top with lime slices, if you like.
Source:  Quick and Simple

French Breakfast Puffs

by // // 3 Comments

I remember making a version of these delicious morsels as a teenager.  Back then I think I pulled the recipe from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook.  But recently I noticed that The Pioneer Woman had a version in her first cookbook.  My daughter decided to give them a try and they were even more delicious than I remember.

Truly, they just melt in your mouth.  I dare you to eat just one.

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 cup milk
——–
Coating:
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tsp. cinnamon

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.
2.  In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg; stir to combine and set aside.
3.  In another large bowl, cream the sugar and shortening together.  Add in the eggs and mix well to combine.
4.  To the creamed mixture add:  one-third of the flour mix, one-third of the milk.  Beat well.  Repeat until all the flour and milk have been added.
5.  Fill your muffin cups two-thirds full and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.  Remove the muffins from the pan and set them aside.
6.  Melt the 2 sticks of butter in a bowl (P-dub uses loaf pans and these work great!).  In another bowl (or loaf pan) combine the sugar and cinnamon.  Dip the warm muffins into the butter, completely coating each one.  Then roll the muffin in the cinnamon-sugar.

According to P-dub, these freeze well.

Source:  The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Beef Pot Pie

by // // 1 Comment

This is one of those oh, so, yummy, homestyle fully delectable goodness dishes.  It is actually my oldest daughter’s recipe and I only acted as a “Sous Chef” 🙂   

Ingredients:
1/4 cup (4 TBSP) Butter
1 tsp. Olive Oil
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or 2 tsp garlic powder
6 stalks celery chopped
1 cup chopped carrots or more to your taste
4 medium potatoes peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces (we like Red Skin Golden Potoatoes)
1 15oz can corn or 1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh
–Add 1 cup peas or broccoli with other veggies if desired–
1# leftover pot roast, (we used flank steak cooked in the crockpot) chopped or shredded
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 – 3 cups Beef Stock
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
Pie Crust – recipe below or use pre-made, refrigerated crust –  enough for a two crust pie

1.  Heat Olive Oil Medium – Medium high and saute onion, celey, and carrots for 5 minutests
2.  Add garlic and potatoes and cook for another 5-10 minutes
3.  Add corn and butter – stir until butter is melted
4.  Add roast and stir until blended
5.  Stir in flour and cook for a few minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
6.  Add Beef Stock and milk — bring to a boil until the sauce has thickened.
7.  Taste now add salt and pepper as needed
8.  Pour into a 13×9 pan and top with pie crust.  “Poke” a few holes into the crust for steam to escape.
9.  Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes.

Pie Crust Recipe
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup (4 TBSP) butter
6-8 tsp ice water (more if needed to make a soft ball of dough)

1. In medium bowl mix flour and salt together
2. Cut in shortening and butter
3. Add ice water and stir with hands or wooden spoon until a soft dough forms
4. Roll out on floured surface into desired shape

Enjoy!

Source:  Jessica

Beefaroni

by // // No Comments
It’s 5 o’clock. You have no idea what to make for dinner. You go to your pantry to see what you can throw together. Chances are, you have everything for this meal. 



Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef

16 oz. elbow macaroni

24 oz. jar pasta sauce
6 oz. can tomato paste
2 1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
1. Crumble ground beef into skillet, brown and drain.
2. While meat is browning, bring water to boil and cook pasta (about 8 minutes). Drain.
3. Add meat to the pasta. Pour in pasta sauce and tomato paste. Stir.
4. Place in a greased 9×13 casserole. Top with cheddar cheese. 
5. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and sides are bubbly. 
If you’re like me and have a small family to feed, then simply freeze half of this recipe and enjoy it later!

(This is only half the recipe, I froze the other half!)