Butterfinger Freezer Dessert

This is just a yummy cool summertime dessert that everyone seems to love.  It's easy and it's no-bake.  Win-win.  I brought it to my family's Father's Day get-together.

Butterfinger Freezer Dessert

Ingredients:
2 cups crushed graham crackers
1 cup crushed saltine crackers
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 packages (3.4oz each) instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups cold milk
1 quart butter pecan ice cream, softened
1 carton (8 oz) whipped topping, thawed
1 Butterfinger candy bar, chopped

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the cracker crumbs and melted butter.  Pat 3/4 of the mixture into a 13x9" baking pan.  Save the other 1/4 for the topping.  Refrigerate pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes until pudding thickens.  Stir in the softened ice cream until blended.  Spread over the chilled crust.  Spoon the whipped topping over the pudding layer and spread evenly.

Combine the candy bar and 1/4 cup cracker mixture and sprinkle evenly over the whipped topping.  Cover and freeze for at least 2 hours.

Fresh Mint Chip Ice Cream

It was time to harvest my herbs, and I didn't want to dry my mint.  It's just so much better fresh.  So I decided to make ice cream as a nice treat.  I found this recipe online at TheBestMintChipIceCream.  Six egg yolks seemed like a lot, but egg whites keep well so I saved those for another recipe.   Although it took a lot of time to make, this ice cream was worth it.  The fresh mint flavor really pops and tastes much different than mint extract.  And I liked the chocolate bits--of course!  No seriously, the chocolate bits are good-they are somewhat soft in the ice cream, not overly hard.  Two thumbs up.  

Fresh Mint Chip Ice Cream

Recipe adapted slightly from Online Source

Makes 1 quart

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk (I used skim milk and it worked just fine)

1 large bunch fresh mint leaves (I used ~2 heaping cups/fistfuls of leaves)

6 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 ounces dark chocolate (I used semisweet baking squares)

2 teaspoons vegetable or canola oil

Directions:

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring cream and milk to a simmer.   Remove from the heat, stir in the mint leaves, cover, and let steep for 2 hours.

In another heavy bottomed saucepan, whisk together the eggs and sugar until well combined.  Quickly strain the mint-infused milk/cream into the pot with the eggs.  Really press hard on the mint leaves in the strainer to extract as much flavor as possible.  Discard the leaves.  Whisk the mixture and set over medium heat, whisking frequently, until a coating forms on a spoon and a finger swiped across the back of the spoon leaves a clean line (custard temperature reaches 170ºF).  Add salt to taste.

Pour custard through a fine mesh strainer into an airtight container and chill in an ice bath (4 hours) or in the fridge overnight until temperature drops to 40ºF.

Pour cold mixture into an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's directions.   While it churns, melt chocolate in the microwave and stir to combine with oil.  At the end of the churning, drizzle chocolate into the ice cream to form thin lines of chocolate which will break into small chips.   Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.

Chicken and Green Chile Enchiladas

Here's the last recipe I made with Rachel for freezable meals.  We made some adjustments to the recipe to suit our needs, like using 10" flour tortillas and doubling the quantities.   Maybe next time I'd use the corn tortillas after all because the flour ones got a little soggy as they baked, but other than that, no complaints.  The flavor was great!  When using the larger tortillas, one enchilada was a large enough serving when paired with Mexican rice.

Chicken and Green Chile Enchiladas
from America's Test Kitchen Cooking for Two 2010
Serves 2; (3 enchiladas/serving)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1&1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup frozen corn
1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chiles, drained
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
6 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed

Directions:
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Add the onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, cumin, and chili powder, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.   Off the heat, stir in the chicken, half of the cheese, corn, 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, chiles, and cilantro.

Spoon about 1/2 cup of filling down the center of each tortilla and tightly roll.  Lay them, seam side down, into an 8-inch square baking dish.  Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the rolled enchiladas and sprinkle the remaining half of the shredded cheese over the top.

Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake until the enchiladas are heated through, about 10-15 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese is completely melted, about 5-10 minutes longer.

Slow-Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken

Finally... the last recipe from my March Freezer Meal Madness.  We liked this recipe--it had good flavor and it was easy to prepare and make.

Slow-Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken
Recipe from Kraftrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 tablespoons (1/2 package) Taco Seasoning Mix
2 tablespoons flour
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 cup frozen corn
1&1/2 cups thick & chunky salsa
cooked rice
shredded Mexican-style cheese
green onions, sliced

Directions:
Toss chicken with taco seasoning and flour and add to slow cooker.  Stir in veggies and salsa.  Cook on low 6-8 hours.  Serve over rice topped with cheese and onions.

Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken

This is another recipe from my March Freezer Meal Madness.   It was my least favorite of the ones I made.  Maybe it sat too long in the crockpot, but the chicken dried out and the pineapple was weird.

Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 can pineapple chunks

Directions:
Cook 6-7 hours in slow cooker on low.  Serve over rice.

Slow Cooker Smoked Pork

This was another successful Freezer Meal, although I wish I had separated the meat into two or three bags because even with a half-recipe it made a LOT of pork, and now we'll be having leftovers the whole week.  At least it tastes good. :)

Slow Cooker Smoked Pork
Servings: 8-10  (or a lot more)

Ingredients:
5 pound boneless butt pork roast
1/4 cup paprika
1/8 cup kosher salt
1/8 cup ground black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1/2 cup liquid smoke
barbecue sauce for serving

Directions:
Cut the pork butt into 2-3" chunks.  Combine the dry ingredients.  Divide among gallon freezer bags and sprinkle the meat with the rub, shaking the bag to coat evenly.  Add liquid smoke.    Freeze.

To serve, thaw.  Cook in slow cooker on low for 10-12 hours.   Shred meat.   Serve with barbecue sauce.

Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Hash

I decided to make a veggie side dish as part of my Freezer Meal madness.   It was pretty good.  It was nice to have the prep taken care of and just throw the bag in the microwave to re-heat.

Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Hash

Ingredients:
8 oz bacon
1 cup diced cauliflower
4 cups diced Brussels sprouts
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon Balsamic vinegar

Directions:
In a skillet, brown the bacon.  Set aside and chop.  In the same skillet, add olive oil, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower, and saute 4-5 minutes.  Add in the dried thyme, chopped bacon, and balsamic vinegar.   Divide among quart freezer bags.   To serve, thaw and reheat in microwave until heated through.

Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna Rolls

A meatless option from the Freezer Meal madness.   It was a little more time-consuming during my prep, but it was worth the effort.  It was pretty good, although I think it needed more squash sauce.  It re-heated nicely for leftovers and that's always a positive.

Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna Rolls
Serves 6  (2 rolls each)
1 roll=227 calories

Ingredients:
3&1/4 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
12 cooked Lasagna noddles
10z package frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
15 oz fat-free ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.  Add squash chunks and cook until soft.  Remove squash from pot, reserving about 1 cup of water, and transfer to a blender.  Blend until smooth, adding the reserved liquid a little at a time to thin out.

In a large skillet, heat oil, and saute the shallots and garlic over medium low heat for about 5 minutes.  Add pureed squash and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.  Stir in 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and set mixture aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the spinach, ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, egg, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper; set aside.

In the bottom of a baking dish, ladle about 1/2 cup squash mixture. 

Lay out lasagna noodles and spread about 1/3 cup spinach mixture over each noodle.  Roll up tightly and place seam side down in baking dish.  Pour butternut squash sauce over lasagna rolls and sprinkle with Italian cheese blend.  Top with parsley.  Cover with foil and bake at 350º for 40 minutes until cheese is melted.  Remove foil for last 10-15 minutes of baking.

To freeze:  Assemble, but do not bake.   Thaw in fridge.   Bake at 350º for 50-60 minutes.

Ham, Broccoli, and Potato Meal

This is from the Freezer Meal collection.   It was the least successful and I won't be making it again--at least not with frozen hash browns and broccoli in the crockpot.  It sort of turned to mush.  The original recipe called for fresh potatoes, but I read reviews that said they turned brown/black, so I substituted frozen hash browns instead.  Maybe not the best choice.  Also, I forgot to add shredded cheese at the end.  That may have helped.  It did taste better than the picture looks, so that's something.  Still, it wasn't our favorite.   I decided to try out a slow cooker liner to help with cleanup.

Ham, Broccoli, and Potato Meal

Ingredients:
6 potatoes, sliced 1/4" thick  (I used frozen hash browns instead)
1 can (~10-11 oz) Cream of Potato soup (or any cream of something soup)
1&1/3 cup water
1&1/4 lbs ham, cubed
2 cups broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
salt and pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Throw everything except the cheese in each gallon bag.  Seal and lay flat to freeze.

To cook, defrost and place contents in slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.   In the last hour of cooking, add the shredded cheese if desired.

Dijon Chicken

Another incredibly easy make-ahead freezable "meal" from my March Madness--  although, in this case, it's just the protein.   While the chicken baked in the oven, I steamed some broccoli to accompany it along with leftover rice.  The chicken was nice and moist although I didn't taste much mustard.

Dijon Chicken
Recipe from somewhere on the internet

Ingredients:
2 pounds chicken breasts
1 cup chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves

Freezer Directions:
Combine all ingredients among freezer bags and freeze.   To cook, thaw and drain marinade.

Cook in a skillet for 15 minutes.
or
Bake at 350º for 35-40 minutes.
or
Cook in a slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

I love enchiladas, and the blog promised these would be good, so I gave them a try.  They were quite yummy.  I enjoyed the flavor of the chicken.  One enchilada with Mexican rice was more than enough for a serving.  Next time, I think I'd add some corn in the filling too.  Another successful freezer meal.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
Recipe from sixsistersstuff.com
Makes 10 enchiladas

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup water or chicken broth
6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
10 flour tortillas  (I used whole wheat)
16 ounces shredded Monterrey jack cheese
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and add breasts to skillet; cook for 5 minutes.  Flip chicken and add water or broth.  Cover and let simmer over medium heat for 7-10  minutes.  Using two forks, shred the cooked chicken.  (The shredded chicken can be frozen for up to 2 months).

Whisk the honey, lime juice, chili powder, and garlic powder; toss with the shredded chicken in a large resealable plastic bag.  Let it marinate in the fridge for at least an hour.

Pour about 1/4 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of two 8x8 baking pans.   Fill each tortilla with chicken and shredded cheese--reserve about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top.  Put rolled tortillas in the pan as you go.  Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and any leftover marinade (if there is any).  Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas.  Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.   Bake or freeze.  If freezing, thaw completely before baking.  Bake at 350º for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

Pineapple Beef Teriyaki

This was the easiest of my freezer meals to prepare.  Just throw it all in a bag and seal.  Done.   And then throw it in a slow cooker for 7 hours and serve the teriyaki over 90-second microwave rice.  Done.   Easy and delicious.  Plus, it's nice that I could divide into smaller bags for a 2-person meal and then use my small crockpot.  I really liked this meal.  Good thing we have more of it in the freezer.  :)

Pineapple Beef Teriyaki
recipe found on a random Pinterest page
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
2&1/2 pounds beef stew meat
20 ounce can pineapple chunks, undrained
2 cups broccoli, chopped
1-2 green bell peppers, sliced
1&1/2 cups chopped onion
3/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Freezing Directions:
Divide ingredients among freezer storage bags.  Label and freeze.  To serve, thaw and cook in slow cooker on low for 7 hours.  Serve over rice.

March Freezer Meal Madness!

Here it is-- my March Freezer Meal Madness!  

Meals I made (I'll link to each recipe as we try each meal):
1. Slow-Cooker Chipotle Beef Chili  (2 bags, ~4 servings each)
2. Grilled Pepper, Onion, and Sausage Calzones  (4 bags of two calzones each)
3. Baked Ziti  (2 trays, ~4 servings each)
4. Butternut Squash & Spinach Lasagna Rolls  (1 tray, ~6 servings)
5. Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas (2 trays, ~3 servings each)
6. Pineapple Beef Teriyaki (2 bags, 3-4 servings each)
7. Slow-Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken (1 bag, ~4 servings)
8. Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken  (1 bag, ~4 servings)
9. Dijon Chicken  (1 bag, 2 servings)
10. Slow Cooker Smoked Pork  (1 bag, ~8-10 servings)
11. Ham, Broccoli, and Potato Meal  (1 bag, ~4 servings)
12. Bacon & Brussels Sprouts Hash  (2 bags, 2 servings each)


I had been eying up the make-ahead freezer meal movement for awhile, and I finally jumped on the bandwagon--if only for a day.  When I told Jeremy my plan to dedicate a full day to making stuff to freeze, I mentioned I might try preparing "4 or 5 recipes."  He said something like, "Whoa, maybe you should start with 1 or 2."    After much research and internet browsing, I settled on 12 different recipes.  Haha.  Somehow I went from "four or five recipes" to twelve.   I might have restraint issues...

My ingredient list (and resulting shopping list) was massive.  I felt a little ridiculous at the grocery store.  I felt even more ridiculous when I got home and spread it out on the counter:

I tried to make things efficient, so I made a nice mise en place of veggies first:

Next, I got the meat and poultry ready, using a different cutting board for each, and cooking it when the recipe called for it.  

Then the assembly started.  I made good use of my vacuum sealer:

 At the end, I had a lot of bags/trays of food.

 And we barely got it all to fit in the freezer (oops):

And here's the tornado zone.   Yuck.  I was so NOT in the mood to wash these dishes.

Baked Ziti Freezer Meal

This ziti was REALLY good.  This was Recipe #3 we tried from my March Freezer Meal Madness (entire day that I spent preparing make-ahead freezable meals).   The only problem was that it wasn't completely thawed when I baked it, so it took twice as long to heat.  But once we finally got it cooked, the flavors were awesome.  I added a grated zucchini to the sauce for extra veggie content as if that made up for all the cheesy goodness.

Baked Ziti
Recipe from Sixsistersstuff.com
Makes 2 pans of ziti (4-6 servings in each pan)

Ingredients:
1 pound dry ziti or penne pasta
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef (season with pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and minced garlic)
2 (26 oz) jars pasta sauce
1 zucchini, grated on the large holes of a cheese grater
8 slices provolone cheese
1&1/2 cups sour cream
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook until al dente; drain.

In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat.  Add spaghetti sauce and zucchini, and simmer 15 minutes.


Layer as follows in each of two 8x8" pans:
1/4 of the ziti
1/4 of the sauce
4 slices of Provolone cheese
1/2 of the sour cream
remaining ziti
1/4 mozzarella cheese
remaining sauce
Top with grated Parmesan and remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake, covered, for 30 minutes in a preheated 350º oven until cheese are melted.  Remove cover and bake 10 more minutes.

If freezing, follow assembly, but cover and store in freezer before baking. Thaw completely in fridge overnight otherwise you may need at least twice the baking time.   Check internal temp with a thermometer to ensure the center is fully heated.

Grilled Pepper, Onion, and Sausage Calzones

This is the second recipe we tried from my March Freezer Meal Madness day of make-ahead meals.  I wasn't sure how the calzones would fare in the freezer once I saw the vacuum sealer suck the life out of the dough, but they actually turned out surprisingly delicious.  If freezing, just make sure the calzones are completely thawed before cooking.

Grilled Pepper, Onion, and Sausage Calzones
Recipe from Cooking Light
Yield: 4 calzones, depending on size

Ingredients:
1 portion homemade pizza dough (I totally cheated and used refrigerated dough)
1 sweet onion, cut into 1/2" thick strips
1 red bell pepper, quartered
1 yellow bell pepper, quartered
1 pound Italian turkey sausage links
2 cups pizza sauce, divided
1&1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Prepare grill to medium-high heat.  Coat onion slices and bell pepper pieces with cooking spray.  Place veggies and sausages on a grill rack coated with cooking spray.  Grill veggies 4 minutes per side or until browned.  Grill sausage links 8 minutes or until done, turning occasionally to brown on all sides.  Remove from grill and let cool slightly.  Cut pepper pieces into 1/2" strips.  Cut sausages diagonally into thin slices.

Preheat oven to 500º.  Place dough on a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 equal portions.  Roll out each portion into a 9x5" rectangle.  Spread 1/4 cup pizza sauce over each portion, leaving a 1/4" border.  Arrange sausages over half of each portion and top with onion and peppers.  Sprinkle each calzone with 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella.  Fold other half of dough over filling; press edges together with a fork to seal.

Place calzones on a baking sheet and coat with cooking spray.   Bake at 500º for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.  Serve with remaining pizza sauce.

If freezing, skip the baking at the end and seal in a plastic bag.  Thaw completely before baking.

Slow-Cooker Chipotle Beef Chili

The Wheel of Meals landed on Comfort Food

What is more comforting on a cold snowy day than chili?!   This recipe is a definite keeper.  I really liked the flavor and the gentle kick from the chipotle peppers and there was a good meat-to-bean ratio.   I made half the batch in the slow cooker and froze the other half for another time.  This was the first recipe we tried from my March Freezer Meal Madness.

Chipotle Beef Chili
Recipe from Eating Light Magazine
Makes 10 servings;  325 calories/serving

Ingredients:
3 cans (15 oz) various beans (I used red, black, and pinto)
1 can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (only use 2 chiles plus sauce)
1 can (28 oz) diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2-3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1" chunks
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
salt and pepper
shredded cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
chopped cilantro (optional)

Directions:
In colander, drain beans and rinse well.

Remove 2 chipotle chiles from can and finely chop.  Place in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce.  Add tomatoes, bell pepper, onions, and garlic; mix well.

In another bowl, combine beef chunks, cumin, oregano, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

In a crockpot, spread 1/2 of the tomato mixture.  Add the beef, then the beans, then the remaining tomato mixture.  Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours or 8-10 hours on low.

Stir additional adobo sauce into chili if desired.  Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and/or chopped cilantro.