April Menu

We staked out the kitchen for a few minutes at the end of Rachel's birthday party to fit in our swap. It's bountiful, for sure! With 2 meals from Kim coming a bit late, and the addition of Stefanie (and Chris) to the group we'll have 12 this month. Whoa! The ice cream and cold packs are going to have to make room. Here's what's on the menu.

Potato Soup
Mexican Casserole with Beef
Breakfast Casserole
Mac 'N Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli
Chicken Ole
Tater Tot Casserole
Chinese Honey Ginger Chicken
Ham and Cheese Ziti
Mandarin Orange Chicken
BBQ Sandwiches

I'll edit this when I get the recipes for the first two, and Bridget is able to swap and we find out what she and Chris made. I'm sure it will be delicious! Sunday, May 6th should be the next swap. Does that sound like a problem for anyone? Feel free to post your ideas for next month in the comments here, or send an email so we don't end up with duplicates.

Breakfast Casserole

From Stefanie (from Anita Moore (Stefanie's mom)

serves: 10-12

Softened Butter or Margarine (there isn't an amount listed sorry)

14-15 slices of bread

3 c diced meat (sausage or ham)

2 c (1/2 lb.) shredded cheddar cheese

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

6 eggs

3 c milk

Cooking Day:

Spread butter on both sides of bread slices. Cut buttered bread into small cubes. Combine bread cubes, meat, cheese, salt and pepper; stir well. 

In separate bowl: beat eggs until foamy. Stir in milk. 

Add egg mixture to meat mixture, stirring weel. Pour into a lightly greased 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered at 350 for 1 hour or until golden brown. 

Serving Day:

Heat in 350 degree oven until hot. 

Mac 'n Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli

From Stefanie (from Southern Living Magazine)

1 lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 pkg. (12oz) Velveeta Shells and Cheese

1 c Milk

1 c Water

1 c Broccoli

1 c Sliced Carrots

(I substitute 1 bag of frozen Broccoli Normandy: broccoli, cauliflower and carrots the veggies listed above)

Cooking Day:

Cook chicken in large skillet on medium heat until done. 

Add macaroni, milk, and water; stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer 10 minutes. Add veggies and cover. Continue cooking until veggies are done. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese packet until well blended. Freeze.

Serving Day: 

Thaw completely, heat in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. 

Chicken Ole

From Kim (from Fabulessly Frugal)

2 cans of Cream of Chicken soup (can also use 1 can of Cream of chicken and 1 can
of cream of mushroom if preferred, tastes great both ways)
1 7oz can green Chile salsa
1 cup sour cream
2 Tbs grated onion
4 cups boiled, shredded chicken
12 corn tortillas cut into 6 strips each (large tortillas)
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Freezing Day:

Combine 1st 5 ingredients and place in freezer bag with stack of tortillas on top.

Serving Day:

Lightly grease crock-pot. Arrange alternating layers of tortillas & mixture, finishing w/ chicken mixture on top (do not leave any of the tortilla pieces exposed because they dry out)

Cover and cook on low 5 hours. Sprinkle w/ cheese and cook for 10 more minutes.

Tater Tot Casserole

from Kim (from Fabulessly Frugal) 

1 ½ lbs. ground beef
1 1/2 cans cream of chicken soup
About 1/2 c. milk
1 package Tater Tots
About 3 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Cooking Day:

1. Brown the beef.
2. In a microwaveable bowl, mix 1 1/2 cans of soup and fill the empty can 1/3 full of milk. Mix the milk, soup, and 2 handfuls of shredded cheese. Microwave about 2 min. and stir.
3. Put the beef mixture in a freezer bag. In a separate bag, put 1 c. of cheese. You will also have 1 bag of frozen tater tots you won’t open until you’re ready to cook it. You can either put all three bags in a grocery sack and mark it as Tater Tot Casserole or you can mark each one separately.

Serving Day:

Remove the beef mixture and cheese from the freezer and let thaw. Pour into a 9×13 glass pan and then cover with frozen tater tots. Cook at 400 for 30 min, or until hot in the center. Remove from oven and sprinkle the top with shredded cheese. Return to oven for about 5 min., or until cheese is melted.

Chinese Honey Ginger Chicken

from Kim (from www.momsbudget.com)

6 chicken breasts
4 tsp chopped yellow onion
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fresh minced ginger
2 tbsp sherry (alcoholic or cooking)
1/4 c chives

Combine all ingredients in a freezer container or Ziploc bag. Freeze.

Instructions from Freezer:
Allow to thaw. Pour Chinese style honey ginger chicken into a casserole dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and bake for 20-30 minutes. Serve. Great with rice!

Serve with Knorr Chicken fried rice packet Kim provided 

Ham and Cheese Ziti

from Kim from www.momsbudget.com

2 16oz packages ziti noodles
1 cup butter/margarine
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup flour
2 tsp salt
8 cups milk
2 tsp Dijon mustard
8 cups Colby cheese, shredded
16oz cooked ham (deli style), cut into thin strips
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated

This recipe makes 2 13x9 casseroles.

Cook and drain pasta according to instructions (you may need to do it in two batches if your largest pot isn't large enough.

In large saucepan or deep skillet, melt butter on low heat. Add garlic and sauté for about 30-40 seconds, stirring the entire time. Next add flour and salt, using a whisk to ensure no lumps remain. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring the entire time, until there are no lumps and the mixture begins to bubble.

Slowly add milk, stirring the whole time, while you bring it to a boil. Once boiling, allow to continue to boil for 1 minute, and then add mustard and Colby cheese. Continue stirring until cheese is melted. Add ham and pasta, stirring well. Pour into 2 13x9 casserole dishes. Cool and freeze.

On cooking day:
Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350F. Place casserole dish (uncovered) into oven and bake 30-45 minutes or until heated through and bubbly. Serve.