Stuffed Zucchini

Stuffed Zucchini with Mortadella and Parmesan

1 ½ Tablespoon oil, divided

¾ cups chopped white onion

1 garlic clove, chopped

2 oz mortadella, minced (or bologna)

½ cup plain breadcrumbs

½ cup finely grated Parmesan, divided

¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

½ egg, beaten to blend

4 medium round zucchini, tops cut off, or 4 large zucchini (7 to 8 oz each), trimmed, cut lengthwise in half

Heat 1 ½ teaspoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Saute until onion is soft and golden, about 9 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to medium bowl. Stir sausage, breadcrumbs ¼ cup cheese, and parsley into onion mixture. Season stuffing to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in ½ egg.

Brush 9x9 glass baking dish with oil. Using melon-baller or teaspoon, scoop pulp from zucchini, leaving ¼ inch thick shell. Fill shells with stuffing; arrange in dish. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with ¼ cup cheese. Cover and freeze.

To cook, thaw in refrigerator, and then bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Increase heat to 400 and bake until tender and beginning to brown, about 15 minutes longer. Makes 4 servings

Crescent Rolls

We made these at our last cooking night... time consuming, but delicious!

Freezer Crescent Rolls

3 teaspoons active dry yeast

2 cups warm water

½ cup butter, softened

2/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder

½ cup sugar

½ cup mashed potato flakes

2 eggs

1 ½ teaspoons salt

6 to 6 ½ cups flour, divided

In large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the butter, milk powder, sugar, potato flakes, eggs, salt, and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a firm dough.

Turn onto a heavily floured surface; knead 8-10 times. Divide dough in half. Roll each portion into a 12” circle; cut each circle into 16 wedges. Roll up wedges from the wide ends and place point side down 2” apart on waxed paper lined baking sheets. Curve ends to form crescents. Cover and freeze. When firm, transfer to a large, re-sealable plastic freezer bag.

To use frozen rolls: arrange frozen rolls 2” apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Cover and thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled. Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Makes 32 rolls.

Sausage (or Beef) Florentine Bake

We made this at our last freezer meal cooking night and it is delicious!! You could substitute beef it you prefer.

Sausage (or Beef) Florentine Bake

¾ lbs bulk Italian sausage
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
½ bay leaf
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon granulated pure cane sugar
½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
6 oz extra wide noodles, cooked and drained
2 green onions, sliced
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Cook sausage until no longer pink; drain. Add tomatoes, bay leaf, garlic, sugar, bail, oregano, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine eggs, 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese and nutmeg; mix well. Stir in spinach, noodles, and onions. Discard bay leaf from sausage mixture.
Grease 9” square baking pan, layer a fourth of the noodles and a fourth of the sausage mixture. Top with 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat layers. Top with remaining Parmesan.
Cover and freeze. To cook, thaw in the refrigerator and bake at 350 for 1 hour or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 4 servings.

Date Nut Bumps

These tasty cookies are best when bite size. Can be frozen and pulled out of the freezer for company. Recipe from Pamela Hendrix.

¾ cup butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
Dash salt
1 cup dates, chopped
½ cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

Cream butter and sugar, add egg and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients, gradually add to creamed mixture. Add dates and nuts. Refrigerate dough for ½ hour if too sticky to handle. Drop by teaspoons onto greased baking sheets, 2” apart. You may want to sprinkle on a little sugar on dough before placing in the oven, for added sweetness!
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Interesting movie coming out...

Baked Spaghetti

This is a very, very basic recipe... you can add veggies/meat if you want!

1 Small box spaghetti noodles
1 jar of pasta sauce
2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese (or mozzarella, etc.)

optional: add veggies/meat

Cook noodles according to box instructions, strain and cool.
Spread a layer of sauce on the bottom of a greased 2-quart dish,
Then, place half of the noodles in the dish. Spread sauce over the noodles and then layer half of the cheese. Then, place the remaining noodles in the dish and top with the remaining sauce and cheese.

Bake at 350º for 30 minutes.
(or, prepare the dish, refrigerate overnight, and just cook it the next day... or freeze for later.)

This is a quick alternative to lasagna!

Calzones!

My friend, Cristae, found this delicious recipe. We made them at a cooking night and they were great to pull out of the freezer later. Next time I make them, I will probably vary the filling ingredients... ham and pineapple sounds especially good right now!

Taste of Home’s Veggie Calzone

(or Ham and Pineapple!)

¼ lb fresh mushrooms, chopped

½ medium onion, chopped

½ medium green pepper, chopped

1 Tablespoon canola oil

1-2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

½ can tomato paste

½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

½ cup shredded mozzarella

1 lb loaf frozen bread or pizza dough, thawed

Egg wash:

1 egg

2 teaspoons water

In large skillet, sauté mushrooms, onion, and green pepper in oil until tender. Add tomatoes and stir for 3 minutes. Stir in tomato paste; set aside. Combine cheeses and set aside.

On lightly flour surface, dived dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a 7” circle. Spoon a scant ½ cup of vegetable mixture and ¼ cup cheese mixture over one side of each circle. Brush edges of dough with water; fold dough over filling and press edges with a fork to seal. Place calzones on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in warm place for 20 minutes. Whisk egg and water; brush egg wash over calzones. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Cool calzones and place in freezer bags. Seal and freeze for up to 3 months. To use frozen calzones, place 2” apart on greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Mmmm Tomato Soup!

This is my friend Lisa's amazing tomato soup... it is so delicious! Great with a grilled cheese or salad! Can be made ahead of time and frozen!

Lisa’s Light Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

1 quart canned tomatoes (or 3 lbs ripe)

3 cloves chopped garlic

7 leaves fresh basil

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

black pepper to taste

Cook tomatoes, garlic, and basil in a large saucepan 10-15 minutes or until tomatoes liquefy. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Remove basil. Puree tomatoes and garlic in a food processor or blender. Return mixture to pot, season with brown sugar, salt, and pepper, heat thoroughly.

Easy Tamale Casserole

Easy Tamale Casserole

based on this Whole Foods recipe

(to prepare the recipe ahead of time, wait to make the cornbread topping until just before cooking... cooking time will be longer if the casserole is still cold)

1 lb ground beef

1 15oz can Ranchero Beans

1 jar Medium salasa

1 box Jiffy Corn Bread mix

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, prepare corn bread mix according to package directions; set bowl aside. In a large sauté pan, brown meat, breaking up large pieces. Drain well and return to stove. Add beans and salsa, stir to combine and simmer over medium heat 5-7 minutes. Let cool slightly and spoon into a 9x13 casserole dish (you can freeze the dish at this point to serve later). Spoon the cornbread batter over the beef mixture. Bake 15-20 minutes or until cornbread is lightly browned and filling is bubbling.

Chunky Chili

This recipe is a good starting point... add more tomatoes, pepper, onions, or beans as you prefer. Eliminate beef and add more beans for a vegetarian meal.

Chunky Chili

1 lb lean ground beef (or omit for a veggie meal)

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

2 16oz cans diced tomatoes, un-drained

1 15oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

½ cup salsa

Toppings:

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

¼ cup diced onions

4 teaspoons sliced black olives

sour cream

Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add beef, onion, and pepper; cook until beef is browned. Drain fat. Place beef mixture, chili powder, tomatoes, beans, and salsa in slow cooker; stir. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or until flavors are blended and chili is bubbly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with cheese, onions, olives, and sour cream. OR, let chili cool and place in freezer bags for later!

Extraordinary mac 'n' cheese...

I got this recipe from a Salud cooking class with Rebecca Lang. It is delicious! It makes a lot, so you may want to use a couple smaller containers to freeze part of the recipe.

Creamy Mac and Cheese

½ cup butter or margarine

½ cup all purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic

2 cups half and half

2 cups milk

2 (10oz) blocks sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded and divided

1 (10oz) block extra sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 (16oz) package elbow macaroni, cooked

Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in flour until smooth; cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in salt and next 3 ingredients. Gradually whisk in half-and-half and milk; cook, whisking constantly, 8-10 minutes or until thickened. Stir in half of sharp cheddar cheese. Stir in extra-sharp cheddar cheese until smooth. Remove from heat. Combine pasta and cheese mixture and pour into lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining sharp cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Bake 15 minutes longer for a crusty top.