Panera Chicken and Rice Soup

• -½ cup finely diced carrots
• -½ cup finely diced celery
• -1 medium onion finely diced
• -1 teaspoon olive oil
• -3 garlic cloves, minced
• -32 ounces chicken stock
• -2 cups water
• -2 cups milk, divided
• -½ teaspoon pepper
• -½ teaspoon dried oregano
• -1 bay leaf
• -2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or finely diced
• -½ cup all-purpose flour
• -4.3-ounce box of Rice a Roni Long Grain and Wild Rice + seasoning packet
• -salt and pepper, to taste
• -scallions, to garnish

1. Place the carrots, celery, onion, and olive oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven to the soup pot. Allow the carrots, celery, and onion simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
2. Add the garlic cloves, chicken stock, water, and 1 cup of milk to the mixture and mix.
3. Add the pepper, dried oregano, bay leaf, and chicken. Mix until combined. Allow the soup to simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes.
4. Whisk together the other 1 cup of milk with the ½ cup flour until smooth. Place into the soup mixture and whisk until combined.
5. Place the long grain and wild rice and the seasoning packet into the soup and mix until combined. Allow the soup to simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve and garnish with fresh scallions.

Lemon Garlic Dump Chicken

-1 – 2 tsp minced garlic (I like more so I used 2)
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1 Tbls parsley flakes
-2 Tbls lemon juice (or the juice of one whole lemon)
-4-6 chicken breasts (or 8 to 10 chicken tenders)


Place all ingredients into a 1-gallon freezer bag and freeze.



Thaw chicken. Pour chicken and marinade into a baking dish, turn chicken to coat. Bake at 350 F for 35 minutes.


OR

Thaw and grill in a cast iron skillet on the stove, or outside on the barbecue grill, until no longer pink inside.

OR

Place the frozen chicken in the crockpot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (or high for 4-6 hours.)

Macaroni & Cheese

 

Here's my go to mac and cheese recipe...adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe. 

You can easily divide this recipe in half.  Use a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish (9X9) if you do.

-6 pieces bread cut in cubes (I use 3 sleeves crushed Ritz crackers for the topping instead)
-8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
-5 1/2 cups milk
-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
-2 teaspoons kosher salt
-1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
-1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
-4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar
-2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano
-1 pound elbow macaroni
-12 sliced of bacon, cooked crisply and chopped (my addition)

 Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish (9X13); set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. **As mentioned about, I used crushed Ritz crackers instead of bread for the breadcrumbs.  Combine Ritz crackers with the butter and set aside.

In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup pecorino Romano. **I typically use pecorino Romano since it's half the price of Gruyere.  Set cheese sauce aside.

Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano; scatter breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.

Italian Wedding Soup

I attempted making wedding soup this weekend for the first time.  I've been hesitant to make it...nothing quite compares to my mom's or grandma's.  After combining a few recipes online, this is what I came up with...

It turned out pretty tasty with three happy boys gobbling it up tonight.  If you visit this blog regularly, you can tell that I like to freeze a lot of meals.  The less time cooking, the better.  Therefore, this is a double recipe.  We ate half tonight and I froze the other half.

Soup:
-olive oil
-1 onion, chopped
-1-2 cups celery, chopped (about 2-3 stalks)
-1-2 cups carrots, chopped (about 20+ baby carrots)
-2 cloves garlic, chopped
-1 bay leaf
-1 teaspoon dried thyme
-1 teaspoon dried basil
-1 teaspoon dried oregano
-84 ounces chicken broth...this is 2 extra large cartons, or 6 cans of chicken broth of chicken broth
-4 cups water
-8 ounces orzo (or ditalini, pastina or any other tiny pasta)
-2 cups escarole, sliced thin (you can use spinach in place of the escarole, but I grew up with the traditional Italian version with escarole)
-Parmesan cheese

Meatballs:
-1 pounds meatloaf mix
**I can never find this so I make my own:
-3/4 pound ground beef
-1/2 pound ground pork
-1/4 pound ground veal
-3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
-1 eggs
-1/8 cup Parmesan cheese

Mix meatball ingredients together and roll small meatballs the size of a marble. (If forming the meatball is difficult, cover and refrigerate first.

 

In a large pot, saute onion in olive oil. When the onion starts to turn a golden color; add garlic, carrot, and celery and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in chicken stock and herbs.  Gently add in meatballs.  Simmer lightly, until veggies and meatballs are cooked through (about 10 minutes).  Add in orzo and escarole and gently simmer for about 10 minutes until pasta is cooked.  Serve immediately. 

 

Garnish soup with Parmesan cheese before serving if desired. 

Meatballs

-3 pounds meatloaf mix
**I can never find this so I make my own:
-1 1/2 pounds ground beef
-1 pound ground pork
-1/2 pound ground veal
-1 1/2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
-3 eggs
-1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
-1/2-3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Combine all ingredients above.  Roll into balls the size you prefer.  Lay in a greased casserole dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-25 minutes or until browned (I flip them have way through).  If your are making sauce, stop here and place your meatballs in your sauce to continue cooking.  If you aren't making sauce, continue baking your meatballs until they are cooked all the way through (160 degrees in their center).

This recipe makes about 36 average sized meatballs.

Sauce

I just made a big batch of sauce to freeze for the winter so I thought I'd share my recipe.  I've shared my tripled recipe which will yield you about 6 mason jars full (1 liter jars).

*6 cans of whole tomatoes
*3 cans of tomato paste
*1 cup of Parmesan cheese
*1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
*Oregano (a few tablespoons to your liking)
*Basil (a few tablespoons to you liking) - fresh would be great but I tend to usually use dried herbs that I have in the pantry
*Salt and pepper to taste
*Garlic powder to taste
*3 cups or  more water
*Meatballs (I'll share this recipe next) (optional)*
*5-6 Italian Sausages, cut into 2 inch pieces (optional)*
*5-6 Pork Neck Bones (sounds gross I know, but it really helps flavor the sauce) (optional)*

Blend whole tomatoes one can at a time in a blender until they are pureed and then add to a large pot (I use a 16 quart stock pot). Add tomato paste, cheese, all the herbs and seasoning. Mix well. Add your meatballs, sausage, and neck bones if you want. You do not need to add any meat to your sauce, but I think it flavors is nicely. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Let is simmer covered for about 2-3 hours. Remove lid and let is cook to your desired thickness (usually about 30-45 minutes for mine).

When my sauce is done, I carefully fish out all the meat with a slotted spoon and put it in a separate bowl. (Make sure you get all the neck bones out...some of them are little. I toss all the neck bones and meat out but I'm sure it's tasty if you want to eat it.).  I lay the meatballs and/or sausage pieces on cookie sheets and put in the freezer.  Once frozen individually, I put meal sized portions of meat in a plastic freezer zip bag, label and pop back in the freezer.

After this, I funnel the sauce into mason jars and either use it within a few days or freeze it. I label the mason jars with some masking tape and make sure to include the date. As I mentioned before, this recipe will make about 6 liters (6 large mason jars) of sauce.

*Sometimes I start out by cooking diced garlic, onion, and carrots in some olive oil and then pureeing them in a food processor and adding to the sauce.  It depends what I have on hand and how motivated I am on my cooking day.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Thank you Martha Stewart for our favorite tetrazzini recipe.  This recipe makes two 9X13 casseroles.  When I make this, I pop the second in the freezer for another meal later in the month.  It freezes very well.

-Coarse salt and ground pepper

- 6 tablespoons butter

- 1 pound white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 1/4 inch thick

- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

- 3 cups milk

- 1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth

- 3/4 cup dry white wine

- 3 cups grated Parmesan cheese

- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

- 1 pound linguine, broken in half

- 1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups)

- 1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed and drained

Preheat oven to 400. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (for pasta). In a large saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over high heat. Add mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until tender and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, and set aside.

Make sauce: In same saucepan, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add flour; cook, whisking, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, gradually add milk, broth, and wine. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and add 2 cups Parmesan and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta 2 minutes less than package instructions for al dente; drain and return to pot. Add sauce, chicken, peas, and mushrooms. Toss well to combine. Divide between two shallow 2-quart baking dishes; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Freeze or bake until browned, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe from MarthaStewart.com.

Once a Month Cooking

Whenever I cook a time-consuming meal, I try to at least double the recipe so I can freeze the other half for a dinner later in the month.  I have been wanting to apply the economies of scale to dinner planning and prep meals on a larger scale to make the most of the time, energy, and money I put into cooking for my family.  I've recently become motivated by a lot of "once a month cooking" posts I have seen on Pinterest and I finally took the plunge this week.   

Three days, 13 hours, 18 recipes, and $308.91 later I have 32 meals in my freezer for my family.  Not bad as that works out to only $9.65 per meal and each meal will include leftovers.  I figure these meals with last us at least 6 weeks or so as I'll probably continue to cook one or two nights a week.  I just need a break from cooking Every. Single. Night.  My only regret is not waiting until the weekend to do my cooking when I could have some help with kids and dishes.  I had a plan for doing all my prep work one day and all the cooking the next.  I ended up just jumping in and my lack of organization (and managing kids and other stuff throughout my days)  added hours to what it could have been.  Next time I do this, I will definitely enlist Scott's help with childcare and dishes....I'm guessing it would have cut about 5 hours off my time. 

In case you are interested in doing something similar, here's what I made... 
(1) All Day Flank Steak
(2,3) Tamale Casserole
(4,5) Crockpot Stroganoff
(6,7) Italian Beef Sandwiches (doubled and will use extra meat for Beef Tacos)
(8,9) Chicken Delicious
(10) Autumn Stew
(11,12) Sausage and Vegetable Stew
(13,14) Cashew Chicken
(15) Chicken Cacciatore
(16,17) Arizona Chili
(18,19) Chicken Waikiki
(20,21,22,23) Tuna Casserole
(24,25) Shepherd's Pie
(26) Marinated Flank Steak
(27,28) Kielbasa and Sauerkraut
(29,30) Pepper Steak
(31) Lasagna
(32) Spanish Rice

Quick Tips:

**Meat is cut more easily when it's partially frozen.  Pop meat in the freezer for a few hours before slicing.

**For crockpot dishes, I labeled the bag with the recipe name, date, and any necessary instructions.  I placed a gallon ziploc in a medium mixing bowl and folded down the edges of the bag so they were inside out (this way any ingredients didn't drip on the outside of the bag when assembling).  I then put all ingredients together in a ziploc bag, closed it up, and layed it flat in the freezer so the contents would freeze that way.  After frozen, you can line it up/stack it up however will best fit best for you.

**For casserole dishes, I prepared the dish as much as needed and then placed in a disposable casserole dish.  I covered with foil, labeled it recipe name, date, and any necessary instructions.  I then wrapped the entire thing in Glad Press N Seal (love.that.stuff!) to seal it up real well. 

**For recipes I will heat up on the stove, I cooked the meal in it's entirety.  I then let it cool and dumped into gallon ziploc bags as I did with the crockpot meals. 

I'm curious if anyone else does this mass cooking in their home.  I'd LOVE for you to share your favorite freezable meals with me.  Most of what I came up with here was because I needed to use up certain items in my pantry or freezer.

Lasagna

-9-12 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
-1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed, browned, crumbled and grease drained
-2 jars (24 ounces each) pasta sauce
-1 container (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
-4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
-1/2 cup (or so) Parmesan cheese
-2 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large pan, combine cooked meat and 1 jar of sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.  In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 3.5 cups mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and eggs. Spray 9X13 inch baking pan with cooking spray.  Spread 1/2 jar of sauce in bottom of baking dish.  Place 3-4 noodles over the bottom, slightly overlapping.  Spread half of the cheese mixture over noodles and cover with 1/2 the meat sauce.  Repeat layers.  Cover last layer with remaining noodles and remaining sauce.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and a little Parmesan.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake 10 more minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Beef, Barley & Quinoa Soup

I had a little barley and a little quinoa left in my pantry and was trying to come up with something that I could use them both in... I decided to adapt the soup recipe on the back of the barley box a little bit.  The fam seemed to like it so I think I'll make it again.

-1/2 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained
-1/2 cup onion, chopped
-1 clove garlic, minced
-8 cups beef broth
-2 cans of Rotel
-1/2 cup Barley, uncooked
-1/4-1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked
-1 can lima beans, drained/rinsed
--1/2 cup celery, chopped
-1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
-1-2 bay leaves
-1 family size package of frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, green beans, corn)

In large stock pot, saute onion, celery, and garlic in a little olive oil until tender. Add all additional ingredients EXCEPT quinoa and frozen veggies.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about an hour, stirring occcassionally.  Add in quinoa and frozen veggies and cook about 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Add additional water if needed since the soup with thicken upon standing.

Turkey Noodle Soup

-3-4 cups cooked turkey or chicken, roughly chopped ( I used my leftovers from Thanksgiving)
-1 cup celery, sliced
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1 large family size back of frozen mixed veggies (peas, carrots, green beans, corn)
-4 cans chicken broth
-2 cans waters
-1 can diced tomatoes
-1/2 cup chopped onion
-1/2 package egg noodles
-1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon
-1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
-1 bay leaf
-1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

In a large stock pot, saute onions, celery, and garlic in a little margarine.  Add all ingredients EXCEPT frozen veggies and noodles.  Simmer soup for 30-40 minutes.  Add in frozen veggies and noodles and simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Chicken and Barley Soup

While my grandma and I were chatting on the phone a few weeks ago, she mentioned that she was making beef and barley soup.  I realized that I've never cooked with barley before and decided to pick some up at the store.  I wanted to create something using chicken instead of beef.  This is what I pulled together from my pantry.  The result was yummy!

-3 cups chicken, cut into bite sized  pieces
-Chopped onion, about 1/2 of a medium onion
-Garlic, about 1 clove, chopped
-1/2-1 cup medium barley, uncooked
-1 can roasted tomatoes, chopped (roasted red peppers would be great too!)
-A couple stalks of celery, chopped
-1 bay leaf
-1/2-1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning (or you just use basil or oregano if you don't have it mixed)
-Can of lima beans, rinsed (you could also use butter beans)
-8 cups of chicken broth (I used low sodium)
-2-4 cans of water
-1 package of frozen mixed veggies (I used the one with corn, peas, green beans and carrots)

In a stock pot, brown chicken in a little oil.  Add in onion and garlic and cook until tender.  Stir in remaining ingredients except for the frozen veggies.  Simmer for about an hour or so.  Add in your frozen veg and cook for about 10 more minutes.  Don't forget to fish out your bay leaf before serving.  Perfect with some buttered crusty bread for dipping.  All the boys LOVED it!  We ate every last drop. 

Has anyone ever cooked with quinoa?  I finally stocked some in my pantry and am wondering what I can do with it.  Is it good in soup?

Sausage and Vegetable Stew

Super easy and yummy! It's one of my new favorite crockpot recipes. I went back for a second helping and leftovers warmed up nicely the next day.

-2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
-2 cans tomatoes diced tomatoes
-2 cans cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
-2 pounds smoked turkey sausage cut into 1/2 inch slices
-4 cups diced potato (I use about 4 small/medium potatoes...I leave the skins on)
-1 1/2 cups chopped onion
-2 cup chopped red bell pepper (or green, or yellow, or orange...whatever you have)
-1 cup water
-4 teaspoons extra-hot prepared horseradish (don't worry, this didn't make it spicy but added AMAZING flavor)
-4 teaspoons honey
-2 teaspoon dried basil (or mixed Italian herbs)

Combine all ingredients (except sausage) in your slow cooker and mix gently until combined. Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or until potatoes are tender. Just before you will serve the stew, place sliced sausage into a non-stick skillet and cook until browned, about 10-15 minutes. Stir sausage into stew and serve.  Serve with buttered bread for dipping.

This recipe is enough for two dinners.  I always make one for dinner that night and freeze the other half for another meal later in the month. 

From the kitchen of Jaime Crosby.

Chicken Noodle Abraham

Here's a yummy chicken soup my SIL came up with while trying to recreate Bob Evans chicken noodle crock. It was named by my 5 year old niece after her favorite president, Abe Lincoln. Enjoy!

-1 pound chicken tenderloins, thawed (or rotisserie chicken shredded if you are in a hurry)
-1/2 yellow onion, chopped
-1 1/2 cup frozen peas
-1 1/2 cup carrots, chopped (I used fresh, but frozen will work too)
-1/2 bag of egg noodles, approximately 4 cups
-2 boxes chicken broth (or about 5 cans of chicken broth) *I used 2, 48 ounce boxes
-2 packets of chicken gravy mix
-flour
-butter
-olive oil
-parsley flakes
-salt
-pepper
-garlic powder

Season UNCOOKED, thawed chicken with salt and pepper (generously). If using rotisserie chicken, skip this part. Brown chicken in olive oil on medium heat in a stew pot until cooked through. Remove from pan - shred into big chunks and set aside. **I cut up my chicken breasts into 1" pieces while it was still slightly frozen. After thawed, I browned it and left it in chunks.

Put about 3 tablespoons of butter into pot and add carrots and onions. Saute until just about tender and onions are translucent (but not browned). Return chicken to pan; add peas and noodles and chicken broth. **I used 3 cups of frozen mixed veggies instead of peas/carrots. Therefore, I added them here.

Add a dash or two of garlic powder and 1/2 palmful of parsley flakes. Bring to a low rolling boil until noodles are cooked (about 15-20 minutes). Turn heat down to low/med. Ladle out some broth only (about 4 ladles) into a separate saucepan. Add some flour and chicken gravy packets and whisk until a creamy roux forms. If it's too chunky, add some more broth and whisk. Add roux back into pot, stir it all together to thicken your soup.

Carolyn's Easy Shepherd's Pie

I usually like my Shepherd's Pie made with peas, but this one is super tasty (and easy). I couldn't stop with one helping.  I love to double this and make a second "pie" to freeze.
-1 pound of ground beef or turkey
-1 packet of meat loaf seasoning (I used McCormick's)
-1 small onion, chopped
-1 clove of garlic, chopped
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 can of diced tomatoes
-1 can cream of mushroom soup
-2 cans of green beans, well-drained
-2 pounds of potatoes, peeled and cubed
-2 tablespoons butter or margarine
-2 tablespoons cream cheese or 1/3 cup sour cream (I used sour cream - isn't everything better with sour cream?)
-2/3 cup warmed milk (more or less as needed)
-Chopped chives (optional)
-2 cups shredded cheese (I used co-jack)

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet and drain fat. Add in meat loaf seasoning, onion, garlic and salt. Simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and soup. Simmer 15 minutes longer. Pour this mixture into a greased 9X13 inch baking dish. Cover the meat mixture with the drained green beans.

Meanwhile, boil potatoes until fork tender (usually about 10 minutes). Drain well. While hot, mix (I use an electric mixer or an old fashioned potato smasher depending on my mood!) the potatoes with the butter, cream cheese or sour cream, chopped chives, and salt and pepper to taste. Add about 2/3 cup of warm milk (more or less as needed) and mix until you get a spreadable consistency. Spread the mashed potatoes over the green bean layer. Dish may be covered and refrigerated overnight at this point if wanted.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes (longer if it has been refrigerated) until heated through. Remove from oven and cover with 2 cups of shredded cheese. Return to oven just until cheese is melted (5 minutes) and serve hot. 

From the kitchen of Carolyn Hill.

Hungarian Paprika Chicken

Very good. Reminds me of a tomatoey (is that a word??) chicken version of beef stroganoff. It was a hit!


-2 T olive oil
-1 large onion, chopped
-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-1 large yellow pepper, chopped
-3 plum tomatoes, chopped
-1 t hot Hungarian paprika**
-1 t paprika
-2 t cornstarch
-1/2 t each salt and black pepper
-1 cup reduced fat sour cream.


Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to skillet and cook for 4 minutes or until softened. Add chicken to skillet. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in pepper, tomatoes and both paprikas. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 18 minutes. In a small bowl, stir cornstarch, salt and black pepper into sour cream. Add sour cream mixture to pan and cook, uncovered for 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Serve over rice or egg noodles.


Per serving: 416 calories; 17 g fat (6 g sat); 50 g protein; 14 g carbs; 2 g fiber; 462 mg sodium; 146 mg cholesterol

**I didn't have Hungarian paprika so I just used 2 t of regular paprika and it turned out just as yummy!

Crockpot Stroganoff

I usually double this recipe and then freeze the leftovers for any easy dinner down the road.  If I have them on hand, I will throw in fresh or canned mushrooms as well.

-1 inch chunks or strips of sirloin or sirloin tip (approx. 1 pound)
-1 can Golden Mushroom Soup
-1 can French Onion Soup
-1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

Combine all ingredients and cook in crockpot on low for about 8 hours. Serve over rice or noodles.

From the kitchen of Cheri Midagliotti

Best Ever Chicken Pot Pie

This is the first time I've made a Chicken Pot Pie from scratch...thanks to the prompting of my sister-in-law with her scrummy recipe! This recipe is worth the work...it makes 2 pies, one to bake now and one to freeze.

-2 Refrigerated pie crusts** (you will need 2 pie crusts if making one deep dish pie, or 4 pie crusts if you will be making 2 regular sized pies)
-1 T olive oil
-6 Boneless/skinless chicken tenderloins (or 2 large boneless/skinless chicken breasts), cut into 1/2" cubes
-1/2 large sweet onion, diced
-4 small red potatoes, peeled and cut up into small cubes/chunks
-1 cup frozen corn
-1 cup frozen peas
-1 cup frozen carrots (crinkle cut style)
-2 T butter
-1/2 cup flour (give or take)
-1/2 cup milk
-1 can chicken broth (low sodium)
-1 T honey mustard dressing (I had regular honey mustard at home and just used this)
-1, 8 oz. package neufchatel cheese (low fat cream cheese)
-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
-Salt
-Pepper
-Sprinkle of olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees; line cookie sheet with foil. Saute cubed chicken and diced onions in olive oil in a frying pan, just until onions are tender and chicken is white (not browned) - set aside. Melt butter in a medium saucepan - add the flour to make a roux; stir with a whisk until well blended (will be almost like a farina consistency). Add milk, chicken broth and honey mustard to saucepan and keep whisking (heat should be high to create a boil). Add the neufchatel cheese - stir until melted. Add the cheddar cheese to the mixture and keep whisking until everything is melted and well blended (consistency should be thick and creamy); add a few dashes of salt and pepper; set aside.

In a deep dish pie plate** lay out the first pie crust, flour side down. Microwave cubed potatoes on high for a few minutes (time depends on wattage and altitude) - I do about 5 minutes. Combine frozen veggies, potatoes, sauteed chicken and onions and cheese mixture in a large bowl - mix together with a large spoon. Fill pie crust(s) with the filling, just about to the top of the crust. Lay the remaining pie crust on top - tucking it over the bottom crust and pressing, to make a seal. Sprinkle a few drops of olive oil on pie crust (I used a pastry brush for a smooth coating) - dash some pepper and rub over the top. Place pie plate onto foil lined cookie sheet (aids in the clean up if there are any spillovers) and bake for about 40 minutes, or until crust is golden brown around the edges and on top.

Let cool a few minutes before serving, so juices can set. Slice and enjoy!

COOKS NOTES:
**Filling mixture will fill a deep dish pie plate, or two regular 9-10 inch pie plates. If using a regular pie plate, buy 4 pie crusts t make 2 pies, or simply freeze remaining mixture for up to one month and use in a future pot pie.

*If you want this as a freezer meal - just prepare everything, but don't bake it. The pie will keep for up to one month in the freezer - just thaw before you bake it.

*If the cheese mixture is a too thick - add some more milk gradually until you get the creamy consistency you want.

From the kitchen of Kelley Midagliotti.

Baked Potato Soup

This one is worth the effort. Freezes well. You may as well double it and freeze half while you are putting in the work!

-2 ½ lbs. red potatoes, cut up after scrubbing
-½ lb. diced bacon
-Diced yellow onion
-¼ bunch celery, diced
-2 oz. chicken base
-1 qt. milk
-1 tsp. salt
-1 tsp. pepper
-1 ½ sticks butter
-2/3 cup flour
-1 cup whipping cream (or half & half)
-¼ bunch chopped parsley
-1 qt. water

Boil cut up potatoes for 10 minutes and set aside. Sauté onion, celery, and bacon. Drain grease. Add milk, water, chicken base, salt and pepper. Heat until very hot – DON’T BOIL! Melt butter in pan – add flour and cook for 1 minute. While stirring soup, add flour mixture – cook until soup thickens (only stir gently & be patient until it gets thicker). Add potatoes, parsley, and cream. Garnish with green onions chopped, cheese, and bacon crumbles.

Beef Stroganoff

This is one of the recipes my mom has passed down to me. It's a favorite in our house (and was when I was younger too) and one that freezes well. I usually double it so I can freeze some for the next time.

-1 lb. beef tenderloin, cut into fine strips (I always use tenderloin and swear it makes all the difference. However, you can use a cheaper cut of meat if you want.)
-1 stick of margarine
-2 boxes fresh mushrooms, sliced
-½ cup chopped onion
-2 cloves garlic, chopped
-Garlic powder to taste
-1 tbsp. tomato sauce or paste
-1 can beef broth
-Salt and pepper to taste
-Flour as needed to thicken
-½ cup sour cream
-Egg noodles

Brown beef in the margarine. Add the mushrooms, onion, garlic, tomato paste, and broth and bring to a simmer. Whisk a little flour in as needed to thicken sauce (start with a tablespoon and go from there). Cook slowly (covered) for 1-1 ½ hours on stovetop until meat is tender. Stir in sour cream just before serving to make the sauce creamy. Serve over thick buttered egg noodles.

**If you are going to freeze the stroganoff, do so without adding the sour cream. After defrosting and reheating, stir in your sour cream and then serve.