Shephards Pie

1- 1 1/2 pound ground beef

1 large can or 2 regular cans Veg-All (I sometimes used frozen mixed vegetables, but prefer vegall)

1 pkg Dry Onion Soup Mix

1 can cream of Mushroom Soup (can also use cream of onion or chicken if you dont like mushroom)

Worchestershire Sauce (about 1 tbsp)

Salt and pepper

Brown and Drain hamburger meat. Stir in dry onion soup mix, cream of mushroom soup and worchestershire sauce. Stir together well. Add in canned vegetables. If too thick, stir in water a Tbsp at a time to get to desired consistency. Allow to simmer about 15 min. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer to casserole dish. Top with prepared mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with shredded cheese (optional) If i top with cheese, I put it into the oven for about 10 minutes to melt cheese.

To freeze: layer meat mixture in pan and freeze. If freezing with mashed potatoes on top, make them thick prior to freezing, as they weep when they defrost.  I prefer to freeze just the meat layer, and make the potatoes fresh since they only take a  minute.

To cook from frozen: preheat oven to 350. Bake uncovered about 45 minutes till warm. Once warm through, topp with the mashed potatoes and continue to bake for 1 minutes to melt cheese.

Alternate: Defrost in fridge overnight. Prepare mashed potates. Top with potatoes. Cook covered in oven at 350 for 25minutes.Remove foil. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese, bake  uncovered for 10 minutes.

Sloppy Joes

1 lb ground beef

1 can manwich sloppy joe

Brown hamburger meat. Add can of Manwich sloppy joe mix. Serve on hamburger buns.

Pamela’s Pork Chops

5-6 pork chops

1 pkg of Shake n bake pork seasoning

Coat pork chops with seasoning and bake according to package directions. Serve with seasoned potatoes.

Serving suggestions Seasoned Potatoes:

4-5 potatoes sliced

coat using 1/4 cup oil and 1 package Lipton onion soup mix. Bake in Casserole dish on 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes or until browned

Pamela’s Stew Recipe

1 lb stew meat

1 pkg stew seasoning

5 cups vegetables (onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes)

Cut stew meat into smaller pieces. Coat with a small amount of flour and brown in oil. Add seasoning mix and follow the directions on the seasoning packet. I usually use my crockpot and cook it slowly all day adding all ingredients at once.

Pamela’s Broccoli Cheddar Soup

3 cups broccoli (frozen)

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup margarine or butter

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

2 cups milk

10 3/4 oz can chicken broth

4 oz shredded cheese ( pamela likes mexican blend or colby jack)

1 1/2 tsp prepared mustard (optional)

Add onions to broccoli and cook broccoli according to package directions; drain and chop. In medium saucepan, melt margarine, stir salt and pepper add flour and still until well blended. Add milk gradually; cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Add broccoli and remaining ingredients; cook until cheese is melted. Makes 5 servings. I usually double the recipe.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

This is one of my meals. (BIG disclaimer here…>NOT my recipe. It is a Paula Deen recipe.) The original link to the recipe is here:  http://www.pauladeenmagazine.com/recipe_results.php?id=1045

1 (4 1/2-pound) chicken
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 onion, quartered
3 bay leaves
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped celery
12 cups chicken broth
2 pounds frozen sliced okra
1 pound Cajun smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
Hot cooked rice
Garnish: chopped fresh parsley

In a large Dutch oven, combine chicken, ribs of celery, quartered onion, and bay leaves; add water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour, or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from broth; let cool. Debone and chop chicken; set aside. Strain broth, discarding solids; reserve 12 cups broth.
In a cast-iron skillet, combine oil and flour; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until roux is the color of dark caramel (about 20 minutes).
Stir in chopped onion and chopped celery; cook 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to Dutch oven.
Add reserved broth, chicken, okra, and sausage; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered, 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve over hot cooked rice. Garnish with parsley, if desired. makes 10-12 servings

Gingers notes: I used half homemade chicken broth and half canned. I was able to double the recipe in a LARGE stock pot. That was enough to make four meals (meeting our 6 serving requirements).

QUICK CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI POCKETS

This recipe also comes from Polly. Great convenience food meal!

12 Grand’s flakey biscuits

1lb cooked chicken breast, chopped (turkey is good too)

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 ½ tsp dill weed

1 ½ cup chopped broccoli

1 ½ tsp lemon pepper

1 ½ tsp salt

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

½ cup cheese (sharp, Colby/jack, fiesta blend)

Optional: chopped almonds and dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Flatten out each biscuit and place a large spoonful of mixture in the middle of each biscuit. Press the seams of biscuit together to seal. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield: 12 pockets

Suggestions: Freeze for later.

Reheat in over at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or place in microwave for 1 ½ minutes on high.

Wild Rice and Turkey Casserole

Another of Polly’s recipes.

WILD RICE AND TURKEY CASSEROLE

3 cups cooked, cubed turkey

1/3 cup white wine

¾ cup sour cream

1 ½ Tbsp pepper

1 tsp curry powder

1 ½ can cream chicken soup

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1 box Uncle Ben’s wild rice

½ cup white rice, uncooked

Cook rice according to package direction, minus the butter. Sauté onion and celery until tender. Mix in soup, wine, sour cream and spices. Cook until bubbly. Add turkey. Turn into 9X13 dish. Add cooked rice. Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 30-35 minutes or cook in microwave with seran wrap until bubbly.

 

Polly’s BBQ Pulled Pork

 Our first recipe comes from Polly Smith. This was a big hit, and is being repeated this month!

7-10lb Boston Butt

McCormick Cinnamon Chipotle rub

Any other dry chipotle seasoning will add extra flavor.

2 Large bottles of Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce, original flavor

Place Boston Butt in crock pot. Rub McCormick and any other dry seasoning on roast. Cook on low for about 12 hours. Turn the heat off and let the roast set for about 2-4 hours. This will cool the roast off and allow it to finish cooking. Remove any fat and bones from roast. Shred meat in a large mixing bowl and add 1 to 1 ½ bottles BBQ sauce. The more sauce the better. Serve with pickles and Melinda’s Chipotle sauce on a bun.

Serves about 20-25 people.

Recipes to Come

In the next few days, I will be adding the recipes we have used so far. For those that stumble upon us, or are given the link by friends; here is the short of it. We are a group of friends and moms at different stages in our lives. Once a month, we meet together and exchange meals we have all prepared. Here you will find our recipes, pointers, and thoughts on what works and what doesn’t.  I will add the “rules” of the group in the next day or so. This is a guide for us, to ensure everyone recieves quality food that will provide a minimum of six servings. Check often, as we will update with new recipes each month, and with thoughts on what works, and what doesnt. So far we have been VERY lucky, and had great success with the meals we have traded.