This is an easy week for me since the bulk of my work is done. One of the great things about freezer cooking is  I can get supper on the table with minimal hands on time during the week.

Dinners for the week:

• Buttermilk Herb Chicken, mashed potatoes, tangy green beans and bacon (using leftover bacon)
• Brinner: pancakes, eggs, and bacon
• Tostadas
• Spaghetti with meat sauce, Italian cheese bread, salad
• Patty Melts, baked fries
• Crispy ranch chicken, carrots, butterhorn rolls
• Leftovers or sandwiches

Breakfast and Lunch Ideas:

I’ve mentioned before that breakfast and lunch have a tendency to be free for all meals here. Everyone gets hungry at different times and  there is also no guarantee we’ll all be here at one time. Here is a list of things I have on hand for quick breakfasts and lunches.

• French Toast
• Puff Pancake aka Dutch Baby Pancake
• Peanut Butter toast
• Tuna salad sandwiches
• Chicken Salad sandwiches
• Peanut Butter Sandwiches
• Quesadillas

For even more menu ideas visit Menu Plan Monday

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This is another recipe that there seems to have a million variations. Some people  put the tots on the bottom and others top the tots with cheese. This isn’t an all the time recipe for us but is always a hit at church potlucks and family reunions.

Tater Tot Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1.5- 2 pounds ground chuck
• 1 10 ounce can cream of mushroom soup or 1 1/4 cup of a homemade equivalent
• 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
• 32 ounce bag of frozen tater tots
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large skillet brown the ground chuck and chopped onion until the meat is cooked and onion is softened. Drain any fat off and  mix in the cream of mushroom soup and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spread in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish, sprinkle with cheese and top with the tots. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until bubbly and the tots are golden and crispy. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes:

This can easily be cut in half for a smaller family by using 1 pound of ground chuck, half a bag of tater tots,  and 1 cup of cheese; the rest of the ingredients stay the same. Bake in a 9 x 9 dish for the same amount of time. You can also substitute ground turkey or other ground meats if desired.

linked to Weekend Potluck at The Country Cook

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These quick and crispy pork cutlets can be whipped up in about 30 minutes making this  a perfect weeknight dinner. Another great thing is this is a pretty economical meal since it stretches two thick chops to feed four people quite well.

Quick and Crispy Pork Cutlets

Ingredients:

• 2 1-inch boneless pork chops
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon water
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

Divide the chops in half horizontally through the middle. Place chops in-between two pieces of plastic wrap and hit with the flat side of a meat mallet until 1/4” thickness.

Gather three shallow dishes such as pie plates. In one place all purpose flour and season it lightly with salt and pepper, in a second beat the eggs and water, and in the third mix the breadcrumbs, onion, and garlic powders and salt and pepper.

Coat the cutlets in the flour, then the egg, and finish with the breadcrumb mixture.

Heat half the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot but not smoking add two of the cutlets and cook 3 minutes a side or until golden brown and the internal temperature is 145 degrees F.  Add the rest of oil and repeat with the other two cutlets. Let rest 3-5 minutes before serving.

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The 13 jars of meat sauce I made are in the fridge freezer.

I haven’t done a big freezer cooking day since last fall and it was long over due. Generally I cook for just one month at a time but we were able to find some really good deals. We took advantage and probably have enough dinners for two to three months and quite a few breakfast items. Obviously we’ll have to purchase things like eggs, milk, and fresh vegetables but the bulk of my dinner planning is taken care of for awhile. I’ll be sharing most of these recipes over the coming weeks.

Breakfast items:

•   French Toast: Three dozen pieces. This was two Sam’s Club sized loaves of French bread.
• Pancakes
• Cinnamon Scones

Dinner Items:

• Pork Chops: Two meals worth
• Pork Strips: Eight ounces for an onion and pork stir fry
• Pork roast for Cheater Verde
• Pork roast for however I decide to cook it
• Seasoned hamburger patties: Several meals worth
•  Potstickers:Three dozen
• Buttermilk Herb Chicken
• Seasoned taco meat
• Enchilada stuffed shells. Two meals worth. Awful picture, delicious recipe. I will be updating the picture the night I serve these. New picture is up now! yay.
• Packets of basic seasoned ground beef. 
• Barbecue Chicken Roll: I made two of these.
• Chicken strips for stir fry and fajitas
• Chili seasoned meat : I’ll use this for things like chili dogs, chili topped potatoes, and other places my usual chili recipe doesn’t work well
• Sloppy Joe filling 
• Chicken fried rice
• Crispy Ranch Chicken Strips
• Italian Sausage
• Chorizo
• Cooked shredded chicken for casseroles
• Plus much more

Sides and Others:

• Hasbrowns. I’m just as likely to serve these in hashbrown casserole as I am fried for breakfast.
• Meat sauce : I used the red sauce recipe from LifeasMOM with a couple of tweaks I’ll share soon.
• Refried Beans
• Mashed potatoes (minus the onions and mushrooms)

Breads:

• Make ahead butterhorns: Five dozen. I used a single recipe just cut them a bit smaller.
• French Bread Rolls

I’ve started a freezer cooking board on Pinterest where I’ll be pinning recipes, planners, and other information on freezer cooking.

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I’m posting my weekly menu a littler earlier than usual because I have another post coming in the morning.

• Chicken stir fry, potstickers
• Tater tot casserole, green beans, rolls
• Loaded nachos
• Smoked sausages on buns, baked French fries
• Spaghetti, salad, and rolls
• Easy Ranch Chicken,  mashed potatoes, veg.
• Leftovers or breakfast for dinner.

For more menu ideas check out Menu Plan Monday

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There’s nothing like a pot of chili to ward off Winter’s cold. It’s fairly inexpensive especially when you augment the more expensive ground chuck with beans and feeds a crowd. This is a dish that benefits from a longer cook time so if you can let this cook for8-10 hours on low, please do so.

Slow Cooker Chili with Beans

Ingredients:

• 1- 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced, optional
• 1 packet of chili seasoning
• 1 or 2 15 ounce cans of pinto beans, drained and rinsed. You can use dry beans you’ve cooked as well. It’ll be 2-4 cups of cooked beans.
• 8 cups of tomato juice
• Salt, pepper, and extra chili powder to taste
• Toppings such as cheese, sour cream, raw onion

Directions:

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the ground chuck along with the onions, garlic, bell peppers and jalapeno if using, until the meat is no longer pink. Drain off fat and place into the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker. Season lightly with salt and pepper and add chili seasoning, stir until spices are combined with the meat mixture. Add in the beans and tomato juice. Stir well, cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and extra chili powder.

Goes great with Mexican Cornbread, Southern-style cornbread or flour tortillas.

Feasting in Fellowship Friday, Friday Favorites,Weekend Potluck

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Taco soup is one of those recipes almost everyone I know has their own twist on. I’ve had very thick, almost stew like, taco soup and very thin taco soup and in-between taco soups.  What beans are in it vary widely as well. This is the version I make most often. Hearty with black and pinto beans, olives, onions and garlic served with corn chips and topped with sour cream and shredded Monterey Jack cheese this is one recipe that always pleases my family.

I am going to share both stove top and slow cooker preparations.

Taco Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground chuck
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 10 ounce can diced tomatoes and green chiles (Ro*tel) undrained
• 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes. Plain or fire roasted undrained
• 1 packet of taco seasoning or a mixture of 1-1.5 tbsp paprika, 1-1.5 tbsp chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• 1 packet of dry ranch dressing mix or 2 tablespoons of the homemade mix found at Home-Ec 101
• 1 to 1.5 cups frozen corn
• 15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 28 ounce can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of sliced black olives
• 1 1/4 cup water
• Toppings such as corn or tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, lime wedges

Directions:

In a large skillet brown  the ground chuck with the onions and garlic. Drain off fat and add to a 6 quart stock pot or 6 quart slow cooker. Combine the rest of the ingredients except for toppings. If cooking on stove top bring pot to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 20-30 minutes. If using slow cooker, cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6.

Ladle into bowls and serve with desired toppings.

New feature alert : Now instead of having to download a PDF file to print the recipe you can click on the print recipe button in the post footer. You have the option of 5 different sized fonts and a couple of other bells and whistles.

Cooking Thursday

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I am glad to be back posting. I have missed blogging and decided to ease my way back into it by posting a weekly menu. This is going to be a busier than usual week here so things are going to be kept simple.

• Shredded beef sliders and garlic parmesan oven fries (recipes coming soon)
• Huevos Rancheros (recipe coming soon)
• Spaghetti and salad
• Dinner out
• Potato Soup
• Pizza
• Tostadas

Visit Org Junkie for more Menu Plan ideas

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Since I can’t really blog on my phone but I can use Facebook I am going to be more active on the Facebook page. Everyday in January I will be posting a recipe link for some cold weather comfort food. A few will be from here but the majority will be from other blogs. Even if you aren’t on Facebook you can still see the links. Hopefully one of the computers will be repaired soon and I can get back to sharing recipes.

1. Mongolian Chicken.

This was the most viewed recipe of the year which doesn’t surprise me at all since it’s pretty high on the all time views as well.

2. Chocolate Cream Filled (not a snack cake) The day I posted this was my highest day of traffic EVER.
3. Cube Steak with Milk Gravy A Southern classic. Serve with green beans and buttermilk biscuits.
4. Pumpkin Spice Clafouti This was a fun one to make because it was different from anything I had ever made before.
5. Traditional Chicken and Dressing This is traditional in the sense it’s how my family makes it. This is one of the recipes every Southern family has its own twist to.
6. Smoked Sausage and Potato Casserole A simple yet very tasty casserole.
7. Beef and Bean Enchiladas This is always a hit with my family
8. Smoked Sausage Hobo Packets Looking for a recipe that uses very few dishes? This is a winner.
9. Amazingly Easy Yeast Rolls (Perfect for Beginners) Looking to try your hand with yeast rolls? These are a great way to start.
10. Slow Cooker Pizza Not an actual pizza but a hearty layered casserole with the flavors of pizza.

I couldn’t have a year in review post without thanking the other bloggers who have helped me along the way by link ups and highlighting my recipes on their blogs.
Top Five Blogger Referrers

1. Eat at Home
2. Life as MOM
3. Finding Joy in My Kitchen
4. Mommy’s Kitchen
5. Good, Cheap Eats

Most of all I want to thank YOU, my fabulous readers, for making 2011 the best year in the 3 + years I have been blogging. Your comments, emails, and friendship have made the behind the scene headaches worth it all. Happy new year and may 2012 be your best year ever.

Linked to Finding Joy in My Kitchen