With all the freezer cooking I have done over time, my family has developed a few favorites that are must have every month! In fact, these are the one’s that disappear the quickest, and these are the ones that I typically make lots of each month.
I hope by sharing them with you, they can become family favorites for you as well.
Baked Chicken Fingers
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into lengthwise strips
1/2 cup ranch salad dressing
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. Paprika
2 cups bread crumbs or cracker meal
Mix the milk and salad dressing together using a whisk. Drop chicken pieces into the sauce to coat. Place Bread crumbs and paprika into a plastic bag and shake to mix. Take about 1 pound of the chicken and place it into the crumb mixture. Seal bag and shake to coat chicken. Place chicken on greased baking sheets and bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes turning once. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Flash freeze and store in a large gallon bag until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, place frozen fingers on a baking sheet and reheat at 400 degrees for 5-10 minutes until sizzling and hot.
Children’s Hamburger Helper
(because they helped design it!)
2 lbs. ground beef, extra lean
2 cups onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (16 oz) tomato sauce
16 oz. elbow macaroni
2 Tbs. vinegar
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
In a large skillet cook ground beef, garlic and diced onion until meat is browned. Drain. Stir in tomato sauce, salt, elbow macaroni, chili powder, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Cool completely.
When ready to FREEZE, place contents into a labeled gallon freezer bag. Freeze.
When ready to SERVE, thaw mixture completely. Place it in large saucepan and stir in 2 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer about 10-15 minutes. Remove lid and continue to simmer until sauce thickens . Sprinkle cheese and serve.
Creamy Chicken Spaghetti
12 oz. Uncooked spaghetti
1 1/2 lbs. Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups Velveeta, diced
Dice chicken into cubes and cook in small amount of water until no longer pink in the center. Cook spaghetti as directed on package. In a large bowl combine chicken and all ingredients except cheese; add in spaghetti and thoroughly mix. Place in freezer bag. Freeze.
To SERVE: Thaw, add Velveeta cheese. Place into a covered casserole dish and cook at 350ยบ for 40 minutes.
Salisbury Steak W/ Mushroom-Onion Gravy
1 pouch dry onion soup mix, divided
2 cups water
1 1/2 lbs. Uncooked ground beef
1/4 cup lightly packed parsley, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 Tbs. butter or margarine
1 onion, peeled and sliced
4 oz. mushrooms
1 beef bouillon cube
Mix 2 Tbs. of onion soup mix and 1/4 c. water in a large bowl. Add beef and parsley and mix with hands until blended. Shape into 4 oval patties, about 5 inches long and 2/3 inch thick. Coat patties with 1 1/2 Tbs. flour. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add patties and cook about 10 minutes, turning once, until crusty and no longer pink in the middle. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm. Add onion, mushrooms and 1/4 c. water to drippings in skillet. Stir with spoon to scrape up stuff on the bottom. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion and mushrooms are soft, about 10 minutes. Mix remaining soup mix, 1 1/2 cups water and 2 1/2 Tbs. flour in a bowl. Stir into mushroom mixture, add bouillon cube and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 3 minutes.
When ready to FREEZE: Add gravy to gallon freezer bag, place 4 patties in bag turning to coat. Freeze flat.
When ready to SERVE: Thaw and heat in skillet on stove top.
I hope you enjoy these favorites!