Cook less, play more, eat better! Part 2

As I go through the hoard of food in my freezer, I'd love to share what we love and works and also what doesn't.

There are two methods I use to grow my stash of freezer meals. Sometimes when I cook a dinner, I'll double or triple the recipe so we'll eat one that night and have 2 other dinners made to go in the freezer without adding much extra work. Or the other way of spending 5ish hours on a Saturday cooking a bunch of dinners Here are several of our favorite recipes:

Calzones (or what we call Calzones. you may call Stromboli?)
Bread machine dough:
1 cup water + 2 T water
2 T olive oil
2 T sugar
1 t salt
3 C Bread flour
2 t dried granulated yeast
Add to bread machine and use dough setting. Once cycle is done, place a few drops of olive oil in large bowl and roll dough around so it is oiled. Cover and place in a warm spot to rise 30-40 minutes. Knead a couple times, roll out in two rectangles and cover the center with sauce, cheese and toppings of choice. Bake 20 minutes at 400, or until golden brown.
To freeze: let cool and wrap in foil and place in Ziploc freezer bags. Label and date and add cooking instructions.
To cook from frozen: Keep in foil and bake in preheated oven 375 for 25 minutes or til heated through.

Chicken Pot Pie (this recipe from my sweet friend Sarah)
Two 9 in pie crusts (I use store bought because I've never successfully made a decent crust from scratch. And really don't care if I ever do. Ha! Don't judge me. ;-)
Filling:
3 C cooked chicken or turkey
1 pkg frozen veggies (peas, carrots, green beans and corn is our favorite blend for this...your kids will eat veggies with this meal)
1/3 C butter
1/3 C flour
1/3 C chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 3/4 chicken broth
2/3 C milk

Rinse and drain veggies. Heat butter over medium heat, saute onion til transparent, stir in flour and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in broth and milk, heat to boling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in meat and veggies. Pour into pie crust and cover with 2nd crust, pierce top crust with fork. Cook in a 425 degree oven for 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
You can freeze this before or after baking. And you can bake it straight from the freezer (I usually pull it out and let it thaw a few hours on the counter, but some people might be concerned about food safety) just be sure you give yourself plenty of time. I can't remember exactly the time it takes but let it bake about an hour. 

Baked Ziti

1 lb Ground beef

1 lb Italian Sausage

1/4 Chopped onion

2 cloves garlic

16 ozs Penne pasta, par cooked and drained

6 cups Spaghetti sauce

2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Optional: sauteed mushrooms and zucchini (I usually add these to most pasta sauces, then my kids/husband get extra veggies and have no idea!)

1. Prepare: Brown ground beef, sausage, garlic and onions together. Add spaghetti sauce and any additional veggies. Combine sauce and cooked

pasta; mix well.

2. Freeze: Spread pasta in 9x13 pan and put a good layer of cheese on top. Cover with plastic wrap and aluminum foil, label and date.

3. Serve: Thaw casserole and  remove plastic wrap. Recover with foil and bake at 350° for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. Remove the

foil and bake for 5 more minutes. Serves 4.

Sirloin Beef Tips with Mushroom Gravy

Yield: 12 servings
2 (8 oz) packages fresh mushrooms, sliced

4 tablespoons butter

3-pound sirloin tip roast, trimmed of fat and sliced into ½-inch cubes

1 packet onion soup mix

1 can (10 ounces) cream of mushroom soup

1 can (15 ounces) low-sodium beef broth (or 1½ cups water with 2 beef bouillon cubes)

Sauté 8 oz of fresh mushrooms at a time in a skillet with 2 tablespoons of hot butter (do not stir; just let mushrooms sit for about 10 minutes, then flip and brown the other side).
Cube your roast, and trim off the fat, place the meat in a slow cooker (use slow-cooker liner for easy cleanup). Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Serve over cooked rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes.
Cool remaining beef tips and gravy and freeze in zip-top bags. Label “Beef Tips and Gravy.”

To serve: Defrost beef tips and gravy in a microwave-safe bowl on high until warm. Serve over mashed potatoes, noodles or rice.

Baked penne with chicken and sun dried tomatoes
6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound penne rigate
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (8 ounces each), halved horizontally
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups whole milk
10 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded provolone or mozzarella (6 ounces)
1 cup finely grated Parmesan (4 ounces)
Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta, and return to pot.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.
In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Off heat, gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes; sprinkle each with cup Parmesan.
Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Or freeze before baking and bake straight from freezer.

I can't remember where I got the last two recipes, if I do I'll be sure to post it!