Southwest Stew

I wanted to post this dinner, because I was pretty happy with the ease of the product and the yummy fact of the dinner. A friend of mine hosted a Wildtree party a few weeks ago and since I was out of state I ordered a couple random items from the website, including the Southwest Stew. I had no idea, at that point, that the products were made of all natural ingredients and sans all the crazy fillers. This makes me ubber happy... hmm maybe ubber is going to be the word of the week again this week... Anyways I was impressed with how good this was with so little effort and since the majority of our meals are cooked from the freezer I love that we were able to freeze half for a later date!

Basically this is a fancy name for chili and that's what it was. The only variations I took from the directions on the box are below, otherwise it was as directed.

1. I mixed 1lb lean ground beef with 1lb ground turkey for the 2lbs of meat.
2. The kidney beans were put on top from the beginning. I can't remember to add beans an hour before it is completed. 

Ingredients ready

Ground Beef & Turkey 

  

Think he'll notice?

 

Dinner 2

Ran out of freezer bags, so must vacuum pack.

Let the cooking begin!

Cooked and ready to eat!

Dinner is served!

PS. In my opinion, this is too spicy for most children

Chicken Spaghetti

We just had Chicken Spaghetti from the Pioneer Woman and it was awesome! I made two of them my last bulk cooking day and it was a perfect freezer meal.

I've read The Pioneer Woman for years, but this was the first recipe I've actually used. It was cheap, easy and the casserole dish was was scraped clean (very good sign).

Recipe: Chicken Spaghetti

Prep Time: 30 Minutes | Cook Time: 45 Minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 cups Cooked Chicken
3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup Finely Diced Green Pepper
1/4 cup Finely Diced Onion
1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1/8 teaspoon (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
Salt And Pepper, to taste
1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation

Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

Super Yummy Garlic Honey Meatballs

Looking for something simple the whole family is sure to love? This is it! Big Yank eats them up as fast as his shrimp. I love taking this to new moms, because she can just pop'em in her mouth with the baby in tow, plus it's always a dad favorite. The original recipe is here and it's great, but I like to make just a couple changes, because  I love the sauce and there's just not enough of it in the original recipe.

When I make this I cook the 2 pounds of meat, but I use half for this recipe and I freeze the 2nd pound of meatballs for spaghetti or a different meal later.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 3/4 cup honey
• 5 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions

1. In a large bowl combine eggs and milk. Add the bread crumbs, onion and salt. Crumble beef and turkey over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-in. balls. Place in two greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pans. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until meat is no longer pink.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute garlic in butter until tender. Stir in the ketchup, honey and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain meatballs; plate. 
3. Serve with rice, meatballs and topped with a ton of sauce. YUM

 Happy Cooking!