Chicken Cacciatore (Freezer Meal)

1 lb. chicken breasts
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 zucchini, chopped (leave out if not in season)
1 green (or other colored) bell pepper, chopped
1 sweet onion chopped

Throw all ingredients in a gallon size freezer bag and give it a shake to mix.  Freeze until needed.  Thaw 24 hours in fridge.  Cook 6 - 8 hours on low in crock pot.  Serve with spaghetti noodles or other pasta.

Double Chocolate Banana Cake

I made this the other day and everyone at our house loved it!  I found it at Super Healthy Kids.

3 medium bananas
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/8 cup mini chocolate chips

1. In a mixing bowl mix the bananas and brown sugar until the bananas are mashed and the sugar is dissolved.

2. Add the applesauce, vanilla, and egg.  Mix together.

3. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix until well incorporated.

4. Fold in the chocolate chips.  Pour batter into a greased 8x8-inch baking dish.  Sprinkle the top with mini chocolate chips.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes.  Best eaten warm.

Gluten Free Oatmeal Pancakes

makes about 12 pancakes at the ¼ cup batter size.

Author: Food Prepper

Ingredients

• 1¾ cup freshly ground oat flour
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1½ tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 large eggs
• ½ teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Instructions

1. Pre-heat electric griddle to 375 degrees..
2. Add all dry ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk together.
3. Add all wet ingredients to a 2nd mixing bowl and whisk together.
4. Add dry ingredient mix to wet ingredient mixing bowl and whisk till it just comes together.
5. Lightly spray your hot griddle with cooking spray.
6. Use a ¼ measuring cup to scoop the pancake batter onto the griddle.
7. I cook my pancakes 1 minute 45 seconds on the first side and 2 minutes 15 seconds on the second side for perfect pancakes, this may vary on your griddle.

*I also add a few tablespoons of of either tapioca flour/arrowroot flour/corn starch to the batter

Cottage Pie

From Pantry Cooking with Home Preserved Foods

1 pint ground beef, canned in beef broth

3/8 teaspoon dried minced garlic

1/4 cup dried onion

1 pint (or 1 14-ounce can) sliced carrots, drained

2 cans (4 ounces each) sliced mushrooms, drained

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 cups prepared mashed potatoes

Parsley flakes

Combine the first 7 ingredients (including the meat broth) in a large skillet and heat through.  Pour into a greased 2 quart baking dish.  Top with mashed potatoes.  Sprinkle with parsley.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Serves 6.

Tip:  Freeze the remaining tomato paste in 1 tablespoon amounts for future use.

Jeanine's Apple Pie

6-8 apples
3/4 cup sugar
2 T flour
1/2 t cinnamon
dash salt
dash nutmeg
1 t lemon juice
2 T butter

Single Crust

1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup shortening
7 T cold water

Bake at 450 degrees for about 13 min.


Double Crust

2 cups flour
1 t salt
2/3 cup shortening
7-10 T cold water

Bake at 450 for 10 minutes and 350 for 60 minutes

Sour Cream Lemon Pie

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup white sugar 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups milk 1/2 cup sour cream

3 egg yolks 1/4 cup butter 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest 1/4 cup lemon juice 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a saucepan, combine sugar, flour, and salt. Gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir on medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat, and cook and stir 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.
2.	Beat yolks slightly. Gradually stir 1 cup of mix into yolks. Return yolk mixture to saucepan, and bring to gentle boil. Cook and stir 2 more minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in butter, peel, and juice. Fold in sour cream.
3.	Pour filling into baked pie shell, and cool. Top with whipped cream if desired.

Homemade Laundry Soap

The entire bar of Zote, 2 cups of each of the others. I cut the bar soap into small pieces and then mix these in a big bowl. I then put about 2 cups of this mixture at a time in my Blendtec for about 10 seconds. This will fluff it up and make it so that it will dissolve easily in my front loader. Use between 1/4 to 1/2 cup per load. 

I buy a package of Zote. (Yes, the Mexican bar soap. And I use white to get rid of the coloring. I have used the pink one when I could not find the white one though.). Borax, Washing Soda, and Epsom Salts. That is all. 

Some people put essential oils in this mixture. I do not. I have found that I prefer to use a nice old wash cloth with a few drops of lemon and lavender in my dryer for my dryer sheets. If I do not dry the clothes too long, I do not get very much static.

Grandma's Frosting

1/2 c. butter -- room temperature
1/2 c. Crisco  (I guess you could use palm oil -- I haven't tried it but that is what I use instead of Crisco for pie crusts)
2 lb. powdered sugar
6 Tb milk (is you use half and half, it is creamier)
1 tsp. vanilla

here is the other recipe:

1/3. c canned milk or half and half
1/3. c. Crisco
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 lb. powdered sugar

Grandma Goff’s Banana Cream Pie

2/3-3/4 c. sugar
2 c. scaled milk
1/3c. +1 TB flour
3 egg yolks
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. vanilla
2-3 bananas
1 TB. butter


Mix dry ingredients together. Slowly add the scalded milk into the dry mixture. Pour mixture back into the pan and heat until more thick. After pudding has thickened, slowly pour some of the pudding from the pan into the egg yolks and whisk until smooth. Pour egg yolk mixture back into pan and add the vanilla and butter. Layer bananas on cooked pie crust, add the pudding mixture and continue this until all bananas and pudding are gone.

Chicken Pot Pie

A friend made this for us after Vance was born and I tried it myself tonight.  Its a little time consuming but not as bad as I thought.  Its super yummy!

(*Changes I made: chicken breast without the bone and I used my own pie crust recipe)

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 chicken bouillon cubes
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas (2 cups)
1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
For the pastry:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper
Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions and parsley. Mix well.

For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Weekly Menu- June 2014

Steak
Manicotti
Sloppy Joes and French Fries

Roast
Spaghetti, Salad, Broccoli, french bread
Oven Cooked Beef Taquitos
French Bread Pizza
Enchiladas, Salad

Crispy Oven Baked Fries

5 or 6 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/3 inch-thick french fry-style strips

1 tablespoon extra-virgin coconut oil

2 tablespoons salted (grass fed) butter

real salt to taste

1. Place cut potatoes into a large bowl of cold water.  Allow to soak for about 20 minutes.  This remove the starch making your fries more crispy.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place oil and butter in a bowl and put in oven to melt while it preheats.

3. Drain the potatoes and pat dry with paper towels.  Return to bowl and drizzle with melted oil and butter.  Stir to coat.  Spread potatoes out on rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with salt to taste.

4. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until potatoes are golden brown.  Use a metal spatula to scoop up fries.  Enjoy with ketchup!

Refried Beans

Here's another refried beans recipes we really like.

• 4 cups cooked pinto beans (You may used canned whole beans if you like. I prefer to use dry beans and cook them myself. Directions follow below.)
• 3 T. healthy fat for sauteing (Butter, coconut oil, beef tallow, or lard would all work here. Avoid olive oil as it isn’t stable at high temperatures.)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 5 cloves minced garlic
• 2 1/2 t. cumin
• 2 t. paprika
• 2 t. sea salt
• 1/2 t. chili powder (more or less- the intensity of chili powders seems to vary)
• 1/2 t. black pepper
• Milk, as needed (water or bean broth can be used if your family is dairy-free. However, I prefer the richness that the milk adds.)

 Directions:

To prepare dry beans, place the beans in a large bowl, cover with an ample amount of water and allow to soak overnight. (Keep in mind that 1 cup of dry beans equals approximately 3 cups of cooked beans).

The next day, drain and rinse the beans. Cover them generously with fresh water and simmer for several hours or until tender. A slow cooker works wonderfully for this as well! I like to make up a big batch of beans and freeze the leftovers in 2 cup portions.

In a large pot or saucepan, saute the onions in the fat until they are soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes more.

Add the beans. If your beans are without liquid, you may need to add extra water or milk at this point. (I prefer to leave a little of the bean broth in with the beans when I freeze them.)

Stir in the cumin, paprika, salt, chili powder, and black pepper. Bring to a slow simmer and allow it all to cook on low heat for 10-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If the mixture is dry, you may need to thin it with a splash of milk or water at this point. However, if you started out with extra liquid in your cooked beans, you may not need to add anything.

Once the beans have cooked down for a while and the flavors have had time to incorporate, mash them with a potato masher, fork, or my personal favorite: an immersion blender. I prefer slightly chunky beans, versus a super-smooth “puree” consistency.

Serve with tacos, burritos, or alongside chips as a dip. One of our favorite ways to eat refried beans is to make simple bean quesadillas with homemade tortillas, cheddar cheese, and dipped in sour cream.

Refried Beans

2 to 3 cups dry pinto beans
8 to 9 cups water
4 chicken bouillon cubes (or substitute some of the water for chicken broth)
1/2 to 1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 to 1 tsp onion powder
2 to 4 TB butter
2 tsp salt
reserved juices from beans that are cooked

Soak beans over night.  Cook beans with bouillon cubes, garlic powder and onion powder.  Cook several hours until beans are tender.  Add salt.  Put beans with a little bit of juices and butter in food processor.  Blend until smooth.