Tuesday, March 31, 2009

April Meal Exchange

7:45 pm, Wednesday April 15
Chelsey's house (5232 Logan Ave. S. Mpls, MN)
Plan to stay for a glass of wine (or cup of decaf) and some conversation if you can!

Meaghan - spinach and mashed potato meatloaf
Jenny R - Beef Stroganoff
Emily - Cranberry Chicken
Brittani - Crazy Crust Pizza
Nikki -Poppyseed Chicken
Monique - Baked Penne with Chicken and Sundried Tomatoes
Bianca -
Shelly - Chicken Tomato Soup
Chelsey - Stuffed red peppers and risotto

FYI - a new members this month (Bianca) - 9 in total. Plan accordingly!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Meatball Hoagies and Twice Baked Potatoes

Dump meatballs and sauce into crockpot on low for 8 hours, or medium to high for 4-6 hours.  You can also put them into a large saucepan on the stove if they are unthawed and you want to complete the meal quickly.

There should be 5-6 meatballs per bun.

Cut buns like subway USED to, like a boat, with the middle cut out.  Put the meatballs into the hole and put two slices of mozz. cheese across the top.  I put them in the oven under the broiler at 300 for just a few minutes to melt the cheese on top.

As for the twice baked potatoes, they are fully cooked and ready to go, but will NEED to be unthawed when you bake them.  Put them on a cookie sheet, sprinkle them with cheese to your liking and heat them up at 350.  I would guess it will take 20 minutes to get them warm all the way through and for the cheese to melt.

Enjoy!!!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Chicken Fajitas--Brittani

To Complete the Meal:
Add Chicken, Peppers, and Onion to pan on Medium High
Fry quickly until chicken is no longer pink
Sprinkle with lemon juice (optional) before serving on warm tortillas with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, pico de gallo, etc--whatever your fancy

Full Recipe:
2T Olive Oil
2T Tobasco
1-1 1/2 t Chili Powder
1t Cumin
1/2t Salt
1t Oregano
1 Clove Garlic, minced
4 chicken breasts cut into strips

Marinate overnight and prepare as listed above

Chicken and Stuffing - Chelsey

Prep instructions:

Thaw completely
Bake covered 45-50 min at 350
Uncover and bake another 15-20 min

Recipe:

In 9x13 baking dish, lay out boneless skinless chicken breasts. Cover with American cheese slices (I use 2% delux) and cover with 8 oz stuffing (I use Pepperidge Farms) and 1/2 cup melted butter (I cut that in half). Pour 1 can cream of chicken soup with 3/4 cup milk. (Alternate - I mix the stuffing, butter, soup and milk first, then layer over the chicken and cheese.)

Cover with foil and bake 45-50 min at 350. Uncover and bake another 15-20 min.

Additions (0ptional - I use all of the below):

chopped fresh parsley
chopped onion
sliced water chestnuts
chopped celery
I also go half and half cream of chicken and cream of celery soup

Enjoy!
To prepare the Lasagna, allow to fully thaw, I would probably set it out in the morning. Then cook uncovered at 350 for 45min-1hr. Enjoy!
I have not made lasagna this size before, so maybe just keep an eye on it, as the cooking time may vary.
Recipe (by memory)
serves 10-12
sauce:
2lbs. ground beef
1lb tomato sauce
1lb tomato paste
1lb canned chopped tomato
3 tbs. minced garlic
1 chopped onion
3 tbs. oregano
1 c. water
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
brown hamburger with garlic and onion until brown, drain grease. Add tomato, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer on low for 2 hours, adding Parmesan last half hour
cheese:
1 1/2 lbs. mozzarella cheese
1 c. Parmesan cheese
1 container ricotta cheese
3 eggs
beat eggs, and mix in remaining cheese
boil 14plus Lasagna noodles. In a 9x13 in pan spread a layer of sauce, then noodles, then continue with sauce, noodles, sauce, cheese, noodles, sauce, cheese, etc. ending with cheese. Bake at 350 for 45min.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Vegetable Beef Stew

Serves: 5

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1-1/4 onions, diced
1-7/8 cloves garlic, minced
5/8 large stalk celery, minced
1-1/4 carrots, finely chopped
2-1/2 ounces green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
5 ounces fresh mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1-7/8 potatoes, peeled and diced
5/8 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
5/8 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
5/8 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon dried marjoram
1-1/4 (14.5 ounce) cans fat-free chicken broth
1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1-1/4 (10.5 ounce) cans beef consomme

In a slow cooker, combine beef, onions, garlic, celery, carrots, green beans, mushrooms, and potatoes. Pour in the tomatoes and tomato sauce. Season with bay leaf, pepper, thyme, and marjoram. Stir together chicken broth and flour. Pour chicken broth mixture and beef consomme into slow cooker, and stir.

Cover, and cook on Low 6 to 10 hours. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

March Exchange

Chelsey's house
7:45 Wednesday March 18

Chelsey - Chicken and Stuffing Casserole
Emily - Lassagna
Shelly - Turkey and Spinach Enchiladas (see recipe below)
Nikki -
Brittani - Chicken Fajitas
Monique - Southern Mac and Cheese
Meaghan - beef and black bean chili
Jenny Rogers - Vegetable Beef Stew

FYI: My neighbor Bianca is joining us in April, and maybe Jennie Holmberg too... don't worry, we'll cap it at 10.


Ground Turkey and Spinach Enchiladas
1 lbs ground turkey
1 pkg frozen spinach - thawed and drained
1 cup salsa
1 can diced tomatoes
1 pkg flour tortillas (or whole wheat)
1 can green enchilada sauce
1 1/2 cups Mexican blend cheese
1 8 oz. block cream cheese (I use reduced fat)
ground cumin to taste

Cook ground turkey in skillet until no longer pink over medium heat. Add drained spinach and 1 cup of salsa to turkey and cumin to taste (about 1 tsp). Cook about 5 minutes until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and add cream cheese. Mix until melted.
Lay flour tortilla flat and place 1/3 cup mix, roll and place in greased 13x9 inch pan with flat side up. Top with can of green enchilada sauce mixed with can of diced tomatoes and additional cumin to taste (you can also add more salsa if you like). Top with cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Serve with refried beans or Mexican rice. Sour cream and guacamole are also great additions.