Cream Cheese Chicken
from Suzanne Brenchley

1 frying chicken -- cut up (or use 3 pounds of boneless skinless breasts)
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
salt & pepper -- to taste
2 tablespoons dry Italian salad dressing (1 pkg.)
1 can condensed chicken soup
8 ounces cream cheese -- cut in 1" cubes
1 tablespoon onion – minced (optional)

Brush chicken with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in a crockpot and sprinkle dry mix over all. Cover and cook on low for 6 – 7 hours. About 45 minutes before done, mix soup, cream cheese, and onion in a small saucepan. Cook until smooth. Pour over the chicken. Cover and cook another 45 minutes.

To freeze: Cool and place in 1 gallon Ziploc bag. Lay flat to freeze.

To Serve: Reheat and serve over rice, pasta or potatoes.

Recipe #2
Use twice

Stuffed Manicotti 2 x

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 (28-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups (8 ounces) Italian style shredded cheese
8 manicotti shells, cooked

Cook first 3 ingredients in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring until beef crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Return mixture to skillet. Stir in spaghetti sauce, crushed red pepper, and salt; simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 to 10 minutes or until sauce thickens.

Stir together ricotta cheese, next 3 ingredients, and half of shredded cheese.

Pour one-fourth of sauce into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish.

Stuff manicotti shells with cheese mixture, and arrange over sauce. Top with remaining sauce.

Bake, covered, at 350*F (175*C) for 45 minutes; uncover. Top with remaining cheese. Bake 5 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

Tip: Spoon ricotta mixture into a large heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; snip off a corner of bag, and squeeze filling into manicotti shells.

Recipe #3
Use once

Hawaiian Chicken
from Melinda Scott

2 cups chicken
1 cup onion
1 cup green pepper (chopped big or small)
2 cans cr of chicken soup
1 can (15 oz.) pineapple tidbits
2 tsp. soy sauce
fresh cut tomatoes (optional)

Saute onion and green pepper till mostly soft. Cook chicken and dice. Mix together with the soup, pineapple and soy sauce. Freeze. Let thaw, warm in saucepan over medium heat. Serve with rice and tomatoes.

Recipe #4
Use twice

Kid-Friendly Chicken Bites 2x
2 c. cooked chicken, chopped
1 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 garlic clove, pressed
½ c. mayonnaise
¼ tsp. salt
Frozen bread dough, thawed, but not risen

TO FREEZE: Combine chicken with other ingredients (except bread dough) in a bowl. Roll out bread dough to a 9”x13” rectangle. Cut into smaller squares. Spoon filling onto one side of each square, leaving a border of dough on three sides. Fold over bare side of dough into a triangle and pinch ends together. Fold points of triangle into center to make a roundish shape. Freeze on cookie sheet. Place frozen individual bites into 1 gallon freezer bag and lay flat.

TO COOK: Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Place bites on greased cookie sheet. Loosely cover with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Allow to rise, but not double. Cook 15 - 20 minutes in a 350° oven until golden.

OPTION #2 - Bake the bites then freeze. I like this option best because I can have an "instant" dinner or snack. -CW

Recipe #5
Use once

Tomato Chicken Gumbo
1 can (14 oz.) chicken broth
½ 1b. hot sausage links or Polish Sausage, cooked and sliced
1 can (26 oz.) chunky spaghetti sauce
2 cups cooked diced chicken
1 can (11 oz.) canned corn, drained
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 ½ cups cooked white rice

To freeze: Dump all ingredients except rice into 1 gallon Ziploc freezer bag. Lay flat in freezer.

To cook: In 6-quart pot, bring gumbo to a boil. Add cooked rice. Cover; cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until heated through. Add additional water or broth for a thinner gumbo. For spicier gumbo serve with hot red pepper sauce.

Recipe #6
Use once

Spinach Lasagna

Recipe Created By: Robbie
Serves: 10
Prep. Time: 2:00

1 cup chopped mushrooms - preferably fresh
1 cup chopped onion
1 Tbls. minced garlic
2 Tbls. olive oil
3 cups ricotta cheese - low-fat okay
2/3 cup grated Romano cheese - low-fat okay
2 cups fresh spinach - optional, but suggested
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 egg
20 lasagna noodles - prepared as directed, drained
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese - low-fat okay
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese - low-fat okay
3 cups spaghetti sauce

-Cook mushrooms, onions, and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat until onions are tender; drain excess liquid; set aside to cool.
-Boil spinach for 5 minutes; drain; squeeze out excess liquid; chop.
-Fold together spinach, ricotta, Romano, salt, oregano, basil, pepper, and egg.
-Beat in cooled mushroom mixture with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute; set aside.
-Lay 5 lasagna noodles in the bottom of a lightly greased 13" X 9" X 2" baking dish.

ACTUALLY COOK IN TWO SMALLER PANS
-Spread 2 cups of the cheese/spinach mixture over noodles.
-Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella and 1/3 cup Parmesan on top.
-Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce over cheese.
-Repeat layering 2 times.
-Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.
-Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Notes: This lasagna can be made without the spinach.

Recipe #7
Use once

Chicken Tetrazzini
10 oz. dry spaghetti -- (10 to 12)
3 cups grated cheese - Jack or Cheddar
3 Tbsp. margarine
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup -- (10 3/4 oz)
1 can cream of chicken soup -- (10 3/4 oz)
1 (10 3/4 oz) soup can milk
3 cups cooked diced chicken
salt & pepper

Cook spaghetti as directed until al dente; drain. Sauté onions in margarine. Mix onions and remaining ingredients with spaghetti in a large bowl. Put mixture in containers and freeze. To prepare for serving, thaw tetrazzini and put in a baking dish. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350* oven until bubbly, about 30-40 minutes. For 2 people makes 5 casseroles.

Recipe #8
Use twice

Pizza Kits 2x
In separate bags, place the following:

3 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 c. pizza or spaghetti sauce
Toppings of your choice – Pepperoni, sausage (browned), ham and canned pineapple work well.
½ of the BEST pizza dough recipe.

Place all four bags into a one-gallon freezer bag, and put a slip of paper with the instructions inside. Lay flat to freeze.

PIZZA KIT INSTRUCTIONS:

Remove dough from bag, and place in greased bowl. Allow cheese, sauce and pepperoni to thaw in fridge. Cover dough with towel or plastic wrap. Allow to rise twice in the bowl (This will take most of the day. You can also thaw the dough overnight in the fridge, then set it out to rise the next afternoon.). Punch down. Oil cookie sheet and use fingers to press the dough out to edges. Prick the dough with a fork in various places to keep it from bubbling up. Top with sauce, cheese and toppings. You can allow it to rise a little bit before placing in the oven. Bake at 425° for 20 min.

Makes 1 cookie sheet size pizza.

Recipe #9
Use once

BBQ Meatballs
2 lbs. lean hamburger or ground turkey
2 eggs
2 c. quick oatmeal
1 c. minced onion
1 c. milk (whole or cream)
1 tsp. cracked black pepper

Mix and make 72 walnut sized balls (any larger and sauce won't cook through). Place in flat pan in a single layer.

SAUCE:
3 c. ketchup
2 c. brown sugar
3 tbsp. liquid smoke or Kitchen Bouquet
1 tsp. salt

Mix sauce over low heat and pour 1/2 of mixture or less over meatballs. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Add meatballs and remaining sauce to 1 gallon freezer bag and lay flat to freeze. Serve over rice. This is SOOOOOOO YUMMY!

Recipe #10
Use once

Easy Pleasing Meatloaf
2 lb. Ground beef
1 package (6 oz.) stuffing mix
1 cup water
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup barbeque sauce, divided

Mix all ingredients well except for ¼ cup of the barbeque sauce. Shape meat mixture into 2 oval loaves, side by side, in a 9”x13” baking dish. Top with remaining barbeque sauce. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until center is no longer pink.

To freeze: Allow loaves to cool. Wrap individually in tin foil, and place in 1 gallon freezer bag.

To serve: Thaw, and reheat in oven or microwave. Top with more barbeque sauce, if desired.

Christy’s note: This makes 2 meals for us if I make a LOT of mashed potatoes and green beans to go with it. But, the kids LOVE this one, so I will keep making it again and again!

Recipe #11
Use once

Zesty Italian Casserole
8-10 servings
Make 5 of this recipe.
2 lb. ground Italian turkey sausage
¼ c. chopped onion
¼ c. Italian seasoning (See Make Your Own)
2 c. can tomato sauce
1½ c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
½ c. sour cream
2 8 oz. cans crescent rolls or enough whole wheat dough to make one loaf of bread (See “Make Your Own”)
2 T. butter
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese
Brown ground turkey sausage and onions. Drain excess fat. Stir in tomato sauce and seasoning. Remove from heat and spoon into ungreased 9 x 13 baking dish. Combine mozzarella cheese and sour cream. Spoon over meat sauce. Separate crescent rolls and place rectangles over cheese or spread bread dough across top of casserole. Melt butter and combine with Parmesan cheese. Spread over dough. Cover and freeze. To serve, place into 325° oven while frozen. Bake 1½-2 hours or until done and bread or roll dough is brown. Check often. If bread dough becomes too brown, cover to finish cooking.

Recipe #12
Use once

Magnificent Casserole

2 pounds Lean Ground Beef
8 ounces Cream Cheese
1 tablespoon Green Pepper -- minced
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup Swiss Cheese -- grated
8 ounces Egg Noodles -- (package)
1 pound Cottage Cheese
1/3 cup Green Onion -- chopped
2 cups Tomato Sauce

In a large pan, cook noodles in boiling, salted water until tender. Drain & set aside. In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese, cottage cheese and sour cream. Add onion and peppers. Set aside. Brown ground beef & drain any fat. Add tomato sauce to ground beef. Grease 9 x 13 inch cake pan or casserole dish, and arrange the following layers: Noodles, cheese mixture, meat mixture - then repeat. Top with grated Swiss cheese. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Note: If you will be freezing this casserole for later use, you may want to reduce or omit the amount of green pepper and onion which are used, as they have a tendency to get stronger over a long period of time.

Serves 8

Recipe #13
Use once

Easy Chicken Quesadillas

2 pounds Chicken -- cooked & diced
1 can Green Chiles
1 pound Colby-Jack Cheese -- shredded
1 dozen Flour Tortillas

Mix chicken, chilis & cheese, then freeze in an airtight container. When ready to serve, butter one side of all tortillas. Spoon mixture onto one tortilla, cover with one and lightly brown on each side.

Note: Flour tortillas may also be frozen separate from the chicken mixture, but stored with chicken mixture so all ingredients are on hand when you are ready to serve this meal.

Serves 6

Recipe #14
Use twice

Nacho Casserole
10 servings
Make 5 of this recipe.
3 lbs. turkey sausage or ground turkey
1¼ c. chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. sour cream
8 oz. can tomato sauce
7 oz. can chopped green chilies
6 oz. can tomato paste
4.2 oz. can chopped ripe olives, drained
8 oz. pkg. tortilla chips, crumbled coarsely
12 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Paprika
In large skillet sauté sausage. Drain excess fat. Add onions, garlic and sauté. Reduce heat. Stir in sour cream, tomato sauce, green chilies, tomato paste and olives. Heat through, but don’t boil. In greased 3 qt. baking dish layer 2/3 of tortilla chips, all of meat mix, remaining chips and cheese. Sprinkle top with paprika. Freeze. To serve, place frozen into 350° oven. Bake uncovered 1½ hours or until hot and cooked through.

Recipe #15
Use three times

German Potato Soup

This easy and delicious potato soup recipe is sure to turn the pickiest eater into a potato soup lover.

4 cups potatoes peeled and diced
2 1/2 quarts chicken broth
1 cup thin noodles, cooked and drained
1/4 lb thick bacon diced
1 cup chopped onion
Salt and pepper

Fry bacon and onion, add chicken broth, add potatoes. Cook until tender and then add noodles. Simmer for 10 minutes and serve.

Recipe #16
Use three times

BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP

1 qt. water
2 c. diced potatoes
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 c. diced onion
20 oz. frozen broccoli, chopped or 1 bunch fresh broccoli
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 lb. Velveeta or American cheese

Mix water, potatoes, bouillon, onion and broccoli together.

Cook until done, about 20-30 minutes.

Add soup and cheese.

Simmer 15 minutes.