Foodie Friday

Since I was a slacker this week and didn't get around to cooking much in this crazy 90 degree weather, I thought I'd take a moment to share a list of recipes that have piqued my interest this week.

Buffalo Chicken Pot Pie from Out of the Box Into the Kitchen
Mom's Crustless Pumpkin Pie from Tried-and-True Cooking With Heidi
Wheat Crackers from All Home Cooking
Weekend Company Breakfast Casserole from Mommy's Kitchen

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend - I'll be sharing some yummy recipes this week (I promise!).

Summer is Here (almost)

Hello readers! I know my posts have been few and far between the past week, but I promise you that there are good things to come in the next couple of days. It's been extremely hot here in Massachusetts (90's the past few days), and so my meal plan this week went out the window as I just can't bring myself to turn on the oven!

Hot or not, I'm planning to do quite a bit of cooking this weekend for my freezer, I'll be including things such as marinades, summer salads, and maybe even a few summer dessert recipes if I get around to make them.

Now tell me - what are your favorite summer recipes?

Cake Batter Ice Cream

I was out and about on Friday and I came across an awesome deal - a 1.5qt ice cream maker for $19! I couldn't wait to get it home and try it out. All I could think about the whole way home was cake batter ice cream from coldstone creamery. I had all the ingredients on hand except for heavy cream, so I decided to try it out with all low fat milk - it came out delicious, but not as creamy as I would have liked. Next time I'll definitely try it with the heavy cream like the recipe suggests. I cut out a bit of the sugar after reading the comments on the recipe and I think it turned out plenty sweet.

Cake Batter Ice Cream - Adapted from RecipeZaar

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Milk, well chilled(I used 1% milk)
• 1/2 Cup Sugar (original recipe called for 3/4 cup)
• 2 Cups Heavy Cream, well chilled (I used 1% milk here as well)
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2/3 Cup Yellow Cake Mix

Directions:

Place freezer bowl of ice cream maker in the freezer.

In a medium bowl, whisk milk and sugar until sugar has fully dissolved. Stir in cream and vanilla. Whisk in the cake mix, being sure there are no lumps.

Pour mixture into freezer bowl and turn ice cream maker on. Let mix until fully thickened, about 25-30 minutes. Transfer ice cream to another freezer container and place in freezer to harden further. Wash freezer bowl and return to freezer so it is ready to go for your next batch of ice cream.

Graham Crackers

My son loves graham crackers, you know, the crunchy store bought rectangle ones. For months I have been telling myself I have to try making my own but of course, something always comes up that keeps me from actually doing it. Today, I finally got around to making them, and something tells me that there is no way my little guy will touch a store bought graham cracker again! These come out of the oven soft, but after a few minutes of cooling, they crisp up perfectly. I'll be making more of these very soon - the first batch is almost gone already!

Graham Crackers (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
  
• 1 cup Dark Brown Sugar, packed
  
• 1 tsp Salt (4 grams)
• 7 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
• 1/3 Cup Honey
  
• 5 Tbsp Milk
• 2 Tbsp Vanilla

Directions:

Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer (or use hand mixer with large bowl). Mix on low until well combined. Add the butter and mix on low, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal.

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Wrap it, then chill it until firm, about 2 hours.

Divide dough in half, return other half to the refrigerator. Spread a thin layer of flour over work surface and roll dough out into a rectangle, about 1/8" thick . Cut into 2" squares. Place crackers on parchment lined baking sheet(s). Repeat with other half of dough. Place sheets in freezer for about 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove sheets from freezer and decorate each cracker with a toothpick by placing 3 rows of 3 dots on each cracker. My 3 year old did the cracker decorating for me and she had a wonderful time doing it, and each cracker has it's own "personality" as she made smiley faces and other pics with the toothpick on the crackers instead of following my 9 dot example. If desired, you may sprinkle the crackers with cinnamon sugar at this point - we did half with cinnamon sugar, half without.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Crackers will be slightly spongy/soft when they come out, but they will crisp up after a few minutes of cooling. I got about 40 2" squares from this recipe.

Creamy Garlic Sauce

I created this sauce to use in my creamy pepperoni pasta, but I think I stumbled upon a new favorite pasta sauce! I'm a big fan of white sauce, but I don't care for the ones you can buy in the store. Finally I have the perfect solution!

Creamy Garlic Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Dash white pepper
• 1 cup 2% milk

Directions:

In a small saucepan, melt butter and garlic over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Creamy Pepperoni Pasta

I'm always looking for new ways to make pasta - this one was definitely a winner for me. I think it would have even been great without the meat. In fact, next time I just might make a veggie version!

Creamy Pepperoni Pasta

• 1 package (16 ounces) pasta (I used Penne)
• 1 Cup, Creamy Garlic sauce
  
• 1 Cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1 Cup Pepperoni, Chopped
  
• 1/2 cup each chopped onion, green pepper and tomato
• 1/2 cup half-and-half cream ( I used the fat free version)
  
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.

In the meantime, make garlic cream sauce.

Drain pasta. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, creamy garlic sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, onion, green pepper, tomato, half-and-half, broth and seasonings.

Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until bubbly.

Menu Plan Monday - 5/17/2010

This week we have a menu plan full of new and exciting recipes. I'm planning to share the recipes as I make them. We finally have a non-hectic week, so I'm looking forward to having time to cook again!

Breakfasts:
Blueberry Banana Pancakes
Cranberry White Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
Baked Berry Oatmeal
Yogurt
Fruit
Granola

Dinners:
Monday - Creamy Pepperoni Pasta
Tuesday - Leftover BBQ pork from Sunday (Hubby will be at volleyball league)
Wednesday - Zucchini Casserole
Thursday - Easy Chicken Pot Pie
Friday - Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce with Pasta
Saturday - Tequila Lime Chicken
Sunday - Polynesian Pork Loin

For more yummy menus, be sure to check out www.orgjunkie.com

Apricot Granola Bars

I've always been a fan of granola bars, and up until recently I've always bought the prepackaged ones in the grocery store. I always thought that making granola bars would be really difficult. Imagine my surprise when I found out how easy it was! I made these with my daughter today and we had a ton of fun!

Apricot Granola Bars

Ingredients:

• 6 Tbsp Butter, softened
• 1-1/2 cups Mini Marshmallows
• 1/2 cup Apricot Preserves
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar, packed
  
• 4 Cups Cinnamon raisin granola
  
• 1 Cup diced dried apricots

Directions:

Line a 8x8 pan with wax paper. Grease the wax paper lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a microwave safe bowl, add 6 butter, mini marshmallows, apricot preserves, and brown sugar. Microwave in 30 seconds intervals until ingredients are melted and there are no lumps.

In a large bowl, combine granola and dried apricots.

Add marshmallow mixture and stir until all of the oats are coated.

Press the oat mixture into the prepared 8x8 pan.

Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until mixture is firm. Cut into 16 bars. Store in airtight container.

Cinnamon Raisin Granola

As a kid, I remember always begging my mom to buy me Kellogg's Low Fat Granola cereal. Every once in a while she would buy it, but most of the time we stuck with cheerios or chex. About six months ago, I found out how easy it was to make my own granola and I've been doing it ever since. This is my basic granola recipe and it has become a staple in our house. I sometimes like to eat it in a bowl with milk, but I also like to use it to top off yogurt or even ice cream!

Cinnamon Raisin Granola

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Butter
• 1/2 cup Honey
• 4 cups Old Fashioned Oats
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/2 cup Raisins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a microwave safe dish, melt butter and honey together. In the meantime, combine oats, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Once butter/honey mixture is melted, pour into the large bowl and mix well making sure that all oats are coated with the mixture (do not add raisins until after baking or they will get really hard).


Spread the mixture onto a cookie sheet and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes, flip granola about 1/2 way through to ensure browning on all sides.

Once removed from oven, mix in the raisins and let the mixture cool. Store in an airtight container or separate into single serve bags (1/2 cup servings) if preferred.

Wheat Hamburger Rolls

I haven't had much time for cooking the past couple of days. My son fell at daycare yesterday and took his first trip to the emergency room. He was running and tripped, when he fell forward he hit his face on a little tykes piano and his two top front teeth were partly pushed back up into his gums and one of them twisted a bit. They treated him for the pain and he had a consult with an oral surgeon who told us that because he is just 18 months old the teeth should come back down once the swelling subsides, and there is no worry about if he did any damage to his "adult" teeth because they haven't fully developed up above the baby teeth yet. So, I admit...we ate takeout last night after a hectic day. This morning he is very swollen, he's got two fat lips and bruising around his mouth and nose, but he is his normal happy self and hasn't complained a bit!

This morning, my daughter went to the playground with my mom and step-dad to play and when I put the little man down for his nap I finally got some much needed time in the kitchen. I have been telling myself for months now that I was going to attempt making my own hamburger buns and this morning I finally got the chance to try it. I've got BBQ Pork in the crock pot right now, so the buns will come in handy tonight when we get home from my daughter's ballet recital. My favorite part about these buns is that they were quick and didn't need rise time - just 10 minutes to rest before popping them in the oven.

Wheat Hamburger Rolls

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast
• 1 Cup plus 2 Tbsp Warm Water
  
• 1/3 Cup Olive Oil
  
• 1/4 Cup Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Cups White Bread Flour
• 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Stir in the oil and sugar, and let the mixture stand for 5 minutes.

Add the egg, salt, white flour, and 1 1/2 cups of the wheat flour. Combine using paddle attachment on mixer until a soft dough forms. Remove paddle attachment and change to dough hook. Add the additional 1/4 cup of wheat flour to keep the dough from sticking to the hook too much. Knead the dough on low speed until dough is smooth and elastic (about 2-3 minutes).

Divide the dough into 8 pieces, shape each into a thick disc, and place them on baking sheets about 3 inches apart. Cover loosely and let rest for 10 minutes.

Bake rolls for 10-12 minutes or until nicely browned. Cool on wire rack.

Once a Month Cooking

The past few months I've been doing a lot of researching on once a month cooking (OAMC). I've had a couple of freezer cooking days in the past few months, but it's always been maybe a 1/2 a day dedicated to cooking and I haven't been very good at organizing at all.

I've decided that for June I really want to do a full day of cooking and see just how well I can do with this OAMC stuff.

I've downloaded some great organizational tools from Money Saving Mom and 30 Day Cafe, and I've already got some great recipes I want to try. Now all I have to do is make a plan, make a grocery list, and get to work.

How many of my readers out there do OAMC or even just some freezer cooking? I'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas, or favorite tips for cooking for the freezer, shopping once a month, or even money saving tips for OAMC or freezer cooking.

Banana Bread

I've always been a big fan of banana bread. There are so many different recipes out there, but this one that I found in my newest Taste of Home cookbook is my new favorite! One recipe makes two delicious loaves. Last night, I decided to make french toast (pictured above) with it and oh my goodness, it was out of this world!

Banana Bread w/ Orange Glaze (adapted from Taste of Home)

Bread Ingredients:

• 3/4 Cup Butter, softened
• 8oz Cream Cheese, softened
• 2 Cups Sugar
• 2 eggs
• 4 Medium Ripe Bananas, mashed
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups flour (I did 2 cups regular, 1 cup wheat)
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt

Glaze Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Confectioner's Sugar
• 3 Tbsp orange juice
• 1 tsp orange zest

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well in between. Beat in bananas and vanilla.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture until combined well.

Transfer batter to two well greased bread pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

In a small bowl, whisk the glaze ingredients. drizzle over loaves when they come out of the oven. Cool for 10 minutes in bread pan then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Menu Plan Monday - 5/10/2010

We've got a really busy week this week. My daughter's ballet recital is on Saturday and she has a dress rehearsal Wednesday night and I have a late meeting for work on Thursday night. Hubby plays in volleyball league on Tuesday night so that leaves only Monday and Friday where we'll all be here for dinner. Lots of meals from the freezer this week!

Breakfasts:
S'mores Muffins
Banana Bread
Cereal
Yogurt
Fruit
Oatmeal

Lunches - Leftovers as usual :)

Dinners:

Monday - Spaghetti and Meatballs
Tuesday - Burritos
Wednesday - Chicken Tetrazzini
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - BBQ Chicken Pizza
Saturday - BBQ Pork Hamburgers (recipe to come)
Sunday - Hawaiian Turkey Meatballs w/ Rice

S'mores Muffins

Anybody who knows me knows that one of my favorite flavor combinations in the whole wide world is the classic chocolate, marshmallow and graham cracker combo. A few months back, I tried a smores brownie recipe that I found on Joy the Baker, and it was absolutely fabulous. My favorite ice cream is the Ben and Jerry's Marsha Marsha Mallow - who wouldn't love ice cream with giant chunks of fudge, graham cracker bits and gooey marshmallow...really? Anyway, I've been trying to come up with some new breakfast recipes and I hadn't made muffins in a while. I stumbled upon a recipe in a Taste of Home cookbook called "I want s'more muffins". I wasn't thrilled with some of the ingredients (or the fact that it only made 6 muffins), so I decided to experiment a little and come up with my own little rendition of it. When I tried the batter, I wasn't sure if it would even make it to the muffin cups it was so delicious! I think I've found my new favorite breakfast!

S'mores Muffins

Ingredients:

• 6 Tbsp Butter, Softened
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
  
• 1/4 Cup Sugar
• 2/3 Cup Sour Cream
• 1 1/3 Cups Flour (I did white this time, next time I'm going to try doing 1/2 whole wheat)
• 1 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 Cup Milk
• 2/3 Cup Chocolate Chips
• Mini Marshmallows

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Stir in sour cream. In another bowl, combine flour, graham cracker crumbs, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and baking soda. Add creamed mixture to dry ingredients, add milk a little at a time. The batter will be a bit thick. Fold in chocolate chips.

Grease a 12-cup muffin pan. Add 1 Tbsp of batter to the bottom of each cup. Add 4-5 mini marshmallows to the top of each muffin cup.

Top with remaining batter filling cups until they are about 3/4 full.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in pan before transferring to wire rack to cool.

Parmesan Garlic Noodles

When I made chicken cordon bleu the other night, I couldn't decide what to make for a side dish. I originally thought I'd make rice but then I decided that I felt like something with a little more flavor. Back before I changed my eating habits, I would have made one of those lipton noodle pouches to go with it. Instead, I decided to try and make my own. They came out wonderful and we were able to eat the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Garlic Parmesan Noodles

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg Wide Egg Noodles
• 8oz Cream Cheese
• 1/2 Cup Butter, softened, divided
• 2 Tbsp Parsley
• 1 tsp dried Basil
• 1/2 tsp Lemon-pepper seasoning
• 2/3 Cup Boiling Water
• 1 Garlic Clove, minced
• 2/3 Cup grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

Directions:

Cook noodles according to package. In the meantime, combine the cream cheese, 2Tbsp butter, parsley, basil, and lemon-pepper in a small bowl. Stir in boiling water, keep warm.

In a saucepan, saute garlic and remaining butter until garlic is golden in color. Drain noodles, place in a serving bowl. Top with garlic butter and sprinkle with 1/3 cup of the parmesan cheese. Toss lightly. Spoon cream sauce over noodles and sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese.

Mandarin Orange Poke Cake

While I was cleaning out my pantry last weekend, I stumbled upon three cans of mandarin oranges. Rather than throw them away, I decided to find something to make with them. While searching, I stumbled upon this poke cake recipe on recipe land. I modified it from the original because of my husband's nut allergies. The original contains 1/2 cup of chopped pecans. It was super simple to make and absolutely delicious!

Mandarin Orange Poke Cake - Modified from Recipe Land

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Flour
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 can (11oz) Mandarin Oranges (in light syrup), do not drain

Topping Ingredients:

• 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 3 Tbsp Butter
• 3 Tbsp Milk
  

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix all cake ingredients. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan and cook for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Just before taking cake out of the oven, prepare the topping. To do this, place all topping ingredients in a sauce pan over med heat until they come to a boil (stir frequently to prevent sugar from burning). Once boiling, stir for 30 seconds and then remove from heat.

Remove cake from oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes. Poke holes in the cake using a fork. Pour topping over the cake and let sit uncovered to cool.

Enchilada Sauce

So here's the enchilada sauce recipe I promised this morning! It was perfect for the burritos I made and much less salty tasting than the canned stuff you can buy in the store.

Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 4 Tbs Chili Powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 heaping tsp. garlic powder (with no salt added)
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon (less than 1/16 tsp.)
• 1/3 tsp. sugar
• 5 Tbs. cold water
• 5 Tbs. white flour

Directions:

Add the chicken broth, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, cinnamon and sugar in a medium sized sauce pan. Whisk to mix everything together. Heat to a boil, reduce heat to a low boil and cook for 3 minutes. Whisking frequently to keep lumps from forming.

While the sauce is on a slow simmer/boil, add 5 tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl.With another whisk mix 1 tablespoon of flour at a time. Try not to have any lumps in the flour mixture by the time the last tablespoon of flour is added.

After 3 minutes of cooking sauce, turn the heat up to high. Slowly pour the flour mixture into the boiling sauce. Whisk sauce continuously to avoid lumps in your sauce as you add the flour mixture. After all the flour is added, continue to whisk for one minute. Remove from heat and serve.

Burritos For the Freezer

I've been saying I was going to share this recipe for a while now, but I just finally got around to making these during my freezer cooking day this weekend. I stumbled upon this recipe at Amy's Finer Things and it looked so easy and delicious that I thought it would fit in perfect to our meal plan. I changed a few things, but they were just as delicious as they sounded!

Burritos for the Freezer (Adapted from Amy's Finer Things)

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. Ground Turkey
  
• 2 cans refried beans
  
• 1 1/3 c. enchilada sauce (I make my own, I'll post this recipe as well)
  
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/4 Cup onion, minced
  
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 3 c. shredded Mexican cheese
• 20 large flour tortillas

Directions:

Brown ground turkey in a pan, drain and set aside. Add remaining ingredients (except tortillas), bring to a boil. Add turkey back to pan and mix to coat with sauce. Reduce heat and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Heat tortillas 3-4 at a time. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the mixture onto each tortilla and roll up like a burrito. Because I'm freezing these, I rolled them up in a paper towel first and then in foil for each one as Amy suggested in the original recipe. I found that you can unwrap the foil and then just pop the burrito in the microwave right in the paper towel to heat it up when you are ready to eat. It was very convenient!

I got exactly 20 burritos out of this recipe.

Krispy-Fried Chicken Cordon Bleu

Growing up, it was just me and my mom for the most part, and I remember as a kid that we would eat a lot of those frozen stuffed chicken breasts that you just pop in the oven. Probably with that we would have either rice or one of those packaged lipton flavored noodle packages. Of course when I grew up, I found myself following that same trend. Let's face it, even though they aren't good for us - they are delicious.

I decided that it was time to try something new and exciting, so here it is. We had no swiss cheese, so we compromised and used mozzarella instead - it was delicious! Also, I made a side dish of homemade garlic parmesan noodles to go with it.

Krispy-Fried Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:

• 4 Boneless, Skinless, Chicken breast halves
• 1-2 Cups Rice Krispy Cereal
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 Cup milk
• 4 Slices lean deli ham, sliced thin
• 4 Slices Swiss Cheese (or cheese of your choice, we tried mozzarella)
• Lemon Pepper Seasoning, to taste
• Thyme (a pinch for each chicken breast)
• Toothpicks (total of 8-12)
  

Directions:

Place one piece of chicken in a large ziploc bag (or between two layers of plastic wrap. Pound flat with meat mallet or rolling pin until chicken is about 1/8" thick. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces.

Lay chicken on a cutting board, smooth side down. Sprinkle inside of chicken with lemon pepper and thyme. Place a slice of ham and a slice of cheese on top of the chicken breast. Roll chicken breast from one short side to the other short side (jelly-roll style). Secure with 2-3 toothpicks.

Beat together eggs and milk in a large bowl. Place rice krispies in another bowl adjacent to the eggs. Dip each chicken roll into the egg mixture being sure to cover all sides. Roll chicken in rice krispies. Place chicken rolls in a greased 9x9 pan (or cookie sheet would work as well) and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

Serve over a bed of Parmesan Garlic Noodles.

Chicken Tetrazzini

I've been wanting to try this for a while and finally got around to it during my freezer cooking day this weekend. It was absolutely delicious and very simple to make. You could cook this as one large casserole instead of 2 for a larger family but half of this recipe (1 casserole) turned out to be just the right size for our family of four with enough for lunch the next day and I popped the second casserole right in the freezer so we'd have it for next week.

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 oz) pkg Vermicelli
• 1/2 cup Chicken broth
• 4 cups Chopped cooked chicken breast
• 2 cups cream of chicken soup
  
• 1 (8 oz) container sour cream
• 1 (6 oz) jar Sliced mushrooms, drained (I left these out)
  
• 1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Prepare spaghetti according to package directions; drain. Return to pot, and toss with chicken broth.

Stir together chopped cooked chicken, and next five ingredients in a large bowl; add vermicelli, and toss well. Spoon mixture into 2 lightly greased 11x7 inch baking dishes. Sprinkle evenly with cheddar cheese.

Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

May Freezer Cooking Days

I didn't really get around to doing much for freezer cooking in April, but I was hoping to do better for May. I can't really seem to get a full day to work on cooking, so I've decided to do bi-weekly freezer meals this month and see how that goes.

This weekend I was able to get the following done:

Chicken Tetrazzini x 2
Brown Bag Burritos x 20
Honey Wheat Bread x 2

I'm hoping to get in another cooking day this weekend to make some more food as I only got about 1/2 a day's worth of cooking in this weekend.

Veggie Lasagna x 2
Chicken Pot Pie x 2
1 Point Chili x2
Banana Bread x 2

I'm starting my planning for July now as I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and I feel like I need to better organizing. Hoping maybe to get a friend or two together for a June cooking day!