NOTE: All recipes serve 6 if otherwise noted.
December 2012 Wed. Group’s Menu and Recipes
Your Choice:
Kirsten – Crockpot Chicken Cordon Bleu
6 boneless chicken breasts (I used 3 large breasts and filleted them)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
12 slices of thin-cut ham
6 slices Swiss cheese
1 (8 oz) package herb dry bread stuffing mix
*1/4 cup butter, melted (you provide)
Prep Day Directions: Mix together the cream of chicken soup and milk and pour into a ziplock bag. Fillet the chicken and salt and pepper both sides, add to bag of soup and milk mix then freeze. Bag the ham and cheese separately and freeze. Bag the stuffing mix separately (do not freeze).
Serve Day Directions: Pour a little of the soup mix just to coat the bottom of your slow cooker. Layer chicken breasts over the sauce. Cover breasts with two slices of ham and one slice of cheese. Pour the remaining soup over the chicken. Sprinkle the stuffing over the top and drizzle butter over the stuffing. Cover, and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
Lisa – Curried Chicken with Couscous
1.5 lb. boneless chicken breast
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
5 med carrots
1 medium onion
1/4 cup frozen peas
2 tsp vegetable oil (you provide)
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 can coconut milk
1.5 cups uncooked couscous
1.5 cups Water
3 tsp chicken broth base
2 tsp butter
2 Tbsp snipped cilantro (optional)
Prep Day: Cut chicken into cubes. Add salt. Freeze in qt bag Peel carrots, cut lengthwise then on bias into small pieces . Blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes. Cut onion into1/2 inch wedges. Place carrots, onions and peas in qt bag. Place pepper and curry in bag. Place couscous, butter, and chicken base seasoning in bag. Place cilantro in this bag. Label coconut milk can. Not to be frozen.
Serve Day: Thaw in fridge. Cook couscous: bring water to a boil, add couscous, with seasoning and butter. Cover and let sit for 5 min. Fluff with fork. Add cilantro if desired. Heat 1tsp oil in wok/pan, Sauté chicken until cooked through (4-6 minutes). remove from pan. Sauté carrots, onion, peas until crisp tender (2-4 minutes). Add pepper, curry and coconut milk until heated through. Return chicken to dish . Simmer for 3-5 minutes until sauce thickens slightly. Serve over couscous.
North American /European:
Ashley – Company Sandwiches
To make 10 batches of 6 servings each:
60 mini Hoagie rolls
2 1/2 sticks butter
5 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
2T plus 2 tsp. oregano
2T plus 2 tsp. garlic powder
1/3 cup paprika
6 oz grated parmesan cheese
2 cups milk
1.5 lbs deli sliced turkey
1.5 lbs deli sliced ham
1.5 lbs deli sliced roast beef
4 lbs muenster cheese
Prep Day: Slice break lengthwise but not completely through. Cream together cream cheese, butter, oregano, garlic powder, paprika, parmesan cheese, and milk. Spread creamy mixture on both sides of bread. Layer one slice each of ham, turkey, and roast beef with muenster cheese in middle. Fold over so meat and cheese are doubled. Wrap in foil and freeze in gallon sized bag.
Serve Day: Thaw and bake in foil at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes.
Italian/Mediterranean:
Kristine – Parmesan Chicken
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 heaping tsp. crushed garlic
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
6 slices Provolone cheese
1 jar pasta sauce
Prep Day Directions: Put 6 chicken breasts in each labeled freezer bag. Combine garlic, olive oil, and poultry seasoning in a separate bowl and then pour on top of chicken. Seal bag.
Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan and put in a separate labeled bag. And because I can’t leave anything alone, I threw in some extra seasonings: garlic salt, garlic powder, minced onion and a dash of smoky paprika for good measure.
Label cheese slices and jar of pasta sauce.
Serve Day Directions: Thaw all ingredients. When ready to cook, take chicken out of refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for a few minutes while you preheat oven to 425.
Place cheese/breadcrumb mixture in flat dish and dip each chicken breast into it, pressing on as much of the coating as you can.
Place each chicken piece in casserole dish which has been sprayed with nonstick spray or olive oil. Bake until chicken is firm and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven, top with sauce and a slice of cheese. Then put under the broiler to melt cheese.
Kellie – Stromboli
1 loaf frozen pizza dough, thawed (Usually found in packs of 3)
1/8 lb (2 oz) deli salami, thinly sliced
1/8 lb (2 oz) deli ham, thinly sliced
1/8 lb (2 oz) pepperoni, thinly sliced
2.5 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 1/2 tablespood dried italian spices (~1 tsp each: basil, oregano, parsley, thyme)
1 tsp pepper
1 egg yolk, beaten – you provide
Prep Day: Thaw dough on the counter for a few hours. When thawed, stray plastic wrap with olive oil cooking spray (like Pam) and wrap up. Then put in fridge overnight. In the morning, take out of fridge and put on counter umwrapped on the oiled plastic wrap and let rise until doubled. Once doubled, punch down and lightly stray with olive oil. Roll onto a 15 X 12 rectangle jelly roll pan strayed with olive oil. Arrange the salami, ham, and pepperoni over the rectange. Springle with mozzarella and parmesan cheese, garlic powder, Italian seasonings and pepper. Roll up rectangle jelly roll style beginning with the long side. Seal seam and ends. Place seam side down. Wrap in the same plastic wrap as before. Wrap again in tin foil and freeze.
Serve Day: Thaw. Brush top with egg yolk. Bake at 375F for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm with marinara sauce and salad.
Asian/Indian:
Erin – Crockpot Mongolian Beef
2 lbs. flank steak, cut into stir fry sized strips
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp minced ginger
2 tsp minced garlic
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup water
3/4 brown sugar
1/4 cup corn starch (did not use this time)
1/2 cup shredded carrots
3 medium green onions, chopped
Prep Day Directions: Coat flank steak in cornstarch. Combine remaining ingredients and place in freezer bag. Add steak to bag. Label and freeze.
Serve Day Directions: Thaw. Cook in crockpot on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours. Serve over rice or noodles.
Emily – Asian Flank Steak
1 1/2 lbs. flank steak
½ cup sherry cooking wine
1/3-cup soy sauce
2 T. Ketchup
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T. fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 T. sesame oil
Prep Day Directions: Mix all ingredients together, except steak until well blended. Place steak in a freezer bag and pour marinade over steak. Freeze using freezer bag method.
Serve Day Directions: Thaw completely. Remove steak from marinade. Bring marinade to a boil in a medium saucepan and continue boiling for two minutes over medium-high heat. Grill steak over medium heat or broil until desired doneness Place steak on platter and cut crosswise into thin slices. Pour sauce over steak and serve.
SouthWestern/Latin American:
Bridget – Smoky Black Bean Soup with Andouille Sausage
12 ounces andouille sausage (I used a chicken andouille sausage)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large purple onion, diced
5 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon ancho powder
4 cans black beans, drained (I like Bush’s brand)
2 1/2 cups chicken broth, plus extra if desired
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1/8 – 1/4 cayenne, if desired
2 bay leaves
1 red bell pepper, diced 1 orange or yellow bell pepper, diced cilantro, sour cream, and lime wedges for garnish
Prep Day: Cut the andouille sausage into half moon slices. Brown in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat, adding olive oil if necessary. When brown, remove and set aside in a bowl. Add olive oil to the dutch oven and saute the onion over medium-high heat until golden and tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika and ancho powder and saute an additional minute. Meanwhile, drain 1 1/2 cans black beans. Add to a food processor or blender with 1 1/2 cups of broth. Puree until smooth. Add to the dutch oven with remaining broth and beans. Return the sausage to the dutch oven along with the Worcestershire, salt, pepper, cayenne (if desired), oregano and bay leaves. Bring to a slow boil, then turn heat to low and cover half way with a lid. Simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the diced bell peppers and simmer until the peppers are tender, about 5 minutes.
Serve Day: Thaw and simmer. add lime wedge, sour cream and cilantro.
Please note there are bay leaves still in soup.
Andi – Latin Burgers with Caramelized Onions and Jalapeño Relish
3/4 pound ground sirloin
3/4 pound ground chuck
1/2 pound raw chorizo, casings removed and crumbled
1 tablespoon adobo seasoning
1 large onion, grated
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large yellow onions, finely sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup bottled and sliced jalapeno chiles, drained
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
6 hamburger rolls
Optional 6 slices Oaxaca cheese or mozzarella
Prep Day:
To make the Latin Burgers: Directions In a large bowl, mix thoroughly by hand the ground beef, the chorizo, the adobo seasoning, the grated onion and the bread crumbs. Form the burgers into 6 patties without pressing them too much or they can become tough. Line a baking pan with waxed paper and put the burgers side-by-side in a single layer. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This will help the burgers hold together. Separate with waxed paper and insert into a storage freezer bag for future use.
To make the Caramelized Onion and Jalapeno Relish: Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and season with salt and pepper. Add the jalapeno chiles and the brown sugar. Saute for 15 minutes or until the onion and the chiles are caramelized and soft. Set aside.
Serve Day: Thaw burgers and relish overnight in refrigerator Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan on the stove top over medium-high heat. Place the burgers on the hot grill or pan until cooked to desired doneness. Due to the raw chorizo in the recipe, at least medium-well is recommended, approximately 10 minutes on each side. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, top the burgers with the slices of cheese so it can melt*(optional). If your grill has a lid, putting it on briefly will help the cheese melt quickly and evenly.
To serve: Lay a burger on the bottom halves, and top with a couple of spoonfuls of the caramelized onion and jalapeno relish.
Yum!
Northerly Nosh 