Escalloped Apples

Please enjoy this recipe that is a part of my make ahead series.

Escalloped Apples (Stouffers Copy Cat Recipe)

10 cups Granny Smith Apples (or Jonathan works well too)
* 1 medium equals 1 cup.  

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
2 Tablespoons Butter

2 Tablespoons Corn Starch

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/3 cup Brown Sugar

Peel, core and slice apples. I use a bowl with some lemon water to prevent browning. I get about 8 slices that I will then cut in half to make 16 pieces each apple.

In a large bowl toss to combine combine apples, cinnamon and sugar.

Either....

Add butter to pan to melt.  Add remaining ingredients and cook on medium heat until apples are just turned soft (careful not to over cook and make applesauce).  You may have to add a few tablespoons of water or juice at some point.

Or....

Place ingredients in microwave safe bowl.
Dot with butter, cover and microwave on high for 12 minutes (stirring occasionally).

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Hamburgers

Please enjoy this recipe that is a part of my Make Ahead meal list.

Fresh Pressed Hamburgers

5 pounds Ground Beef

5 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

In a large bowl mix beef and worcestershire sauce until well incorporated

Get out your Hamburger Press and line with Wax Paper.

Press 1/4 pound burgers and line on baking sheet.

Put baking sheet in freezer to freeze individually.

Once frozen they can be placed in a ziplock and they wont stick together.

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Bolognese Meat Sauce

This is the recipe my husband and I created while cooking together in our tiny apartment in Delran NJ. Check out the kind of tomato products we used. I am not even sure they sell that still? Well one thing is for sure, they don't sell it here in the south.

Bolognese Meat Sauce

1 pound Italian Mild Sausage

1 pound ground Beef

1 Onion, chopped

2-3 cloves Garlic

28 ounces Crushed/Whole/Diced Tomatoes

12 ounces Tomato Paste

12 ounces can Sauce

12 ounces can Puree

2 tablespoons Sugar

1 tablespoons Parsley

1 tablespoons Basil

1 teaspoon Oregano

1/2 teaspoon Thyme

1 Tablespoon Oil (to coat pan)

In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until browned. Stir in tomato products, water and seasonings. Simmer covered for 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

I usually double this recipe and get 8 large family servings for the freezer.

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Menu Plan Monday: Week of February 8th, 2010

Monday: Roast Beef / Mashed Potatoes

Tuesday: Leftover Beef Stroganoff over Rice/ Green Beans

Wednesday: Rosemary Chicken /Rice a Roni

Thursday: BBQ Pork in Crock Pot (trying a new recipe)/ Baked Beans / Broccoli

Friday: Home Made Pizza

Saturday: Individual Meat Loaves / Mashed Potatoes

Sunday: Spaghetti & Meatballs / Salad

On the line up for week after:

• Tacos
• Hamburgers
• Chicken
• Gnocchi

On the make ahead lineup for this week is Bolognese Sauce, Tomato Sauce, Ground Beef Base and Meatballs.

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White Chicken Chili

1 lb. chicken breast, cubed (equals about 1-1/2 cups)
2 1/2 cups Water (if you are cooking Fresh Chicken to make stock)
or 1 1/2 (14) ounce cans
1 Onion, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
4 cups White Beans (reconstituted dried beans) or 2 cans
1 can (4 oz.) Green Chilies
1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoon Cumin
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup Cream
1/2 cup shredded Jack Cheese (optional)

First follow directions on dried beans to reconstitute using quick method.

Meanwhile, cook chicken in enough water to cover. Cook chicken through completely.

Remove chicken, strain broth into measuring cup. Add water if necessary to make 2 1/2 cups stock.

Pick chicken off bones and dice.

Cook onion and garlic in oil in a dutch oven.

Add add stock, chicken, beans, green chili's, and seasonings. Simmer on low for 30 minutes.

Add cream and sour cream. Stir and cook until just warm.

(note: add 1 tablespoon cornstarch to cream to thicken if you like - if so, bring to a boil until just thick)

Remove from heat, stir in sour cream, whipping cream, and cheese.

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Dinner Starters, OAMC, Freezer Cooking, Bulk Cooking

I am not a beginner at Freezer Cooking. I never participated in the Bulk Cooking, Make Ahead Meals, Freezer Coking days (or any other catch phrase out there for this task) due to the massive amounts of food made from others folks. The very idea would intimidate me. This time especially I had the kids home all week with snow days. I'm thinking to myself you barely have time to shower, how the heck am I going to do that? In fact, I don't even have the money to buy the massive amounts of food all at once. These are just some of the issues I have always had with once a month cooking or freezer cooking. Still my cupboards were empty from the Pantry Challenge and I wanted to participate in some fashion. Plus I had a load of great items from Kroger that needed processing.

I always cooked ahead certain things though, even when I worked. I even cooked ahead before being frugal (I admit it, I'm a convert). I always made my own spaghetti sauce (both with and without meat). I always made my own meat loaves (have no idea why I just do), and I always made my own meatballs (to name a few). In fact, the list of make ahead grew over the years for me and is now 17 items long. WOW. After being miraculously cured of cancer, my list of make my own non processed foods from great ingredients grew and grew. I would never do all that at one time. I have always staggered when I made what and always made more than a months worth. I would make one or two make ahead item a week or maybe even a month but the main idea is that the items always ran out at a staggered rate. This made sense to me and I always had spaghetti sauce, I always had meat loaves and I never felt rush or had to do mad cooking. Yet I always had dinner "starters" ready like ground beef base, stock, my own cooked ahead dried beans so I did not have to use BPH lined cans. I do not have the resources that most moms have with families and sitters.

This participation was based no the Kroger Mega event and our Hays Dollar Days sales. All fo these items are on my massive make ahead list of items.

• Marinade Chicken Breasts (5 dinners worth)
• Use breast chicken bones & make Stock (added freezer bones ~ 10 cans worth)
• Cook Dried Beans Black, Pinto, White and Kidney beans (4 cans each)
• Make $1 bags of Potatoes into Freezer Mashed (4 dinners worth)
• Made a batch of Vegetarian Pasta E. Fagioli soup (4 servings)

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My project for today

Today I am going to start to make all the various dried beans (black, pinto, kidney, cannelloni) for my meals for the week and freeze a bunch for later use.

I also want to give Pupusas a try. I was reading about it here. Followed her along to her inspiration here. Then I thought ahh, the scrapple lady. I like a lady who can make scrapple (laugh). Although the taste of her scrapple recipe was not true to my Philly tastes, it was so close to home it was pure comfort. Add all this to the fact that I have a whole bunch of cheap pork, two giant bags of the special flour needed to make these and that I had beans and rice on the agenda anyway and voila.

I'm going to have to start taking more pics though like my friend Alison. I can see how the pictures makes things much more appealing.

I'll also start some make ahead mashed potatoes and brown rice for the freezer.

Yesterday I sliced up some sale split chicken breasts into 5 dinners and used the bones and skin to make 5 2-cup servings of chicken stock.

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