Moving and Starting Your Own Group

I know we're all hoping to move out of Wymount eventually and some of you have already succeeded! Congrats! If anyone who has moved would like to start up their own freezer meal group, just email me. I can send the recipes I have gathered, as well the excel sheets that are already formatted to create orders, record orders, and create shopping lists, etc. Or you could buy one of the many recipe organizing software programs and that would do it all for you. :) Just let me know!

New Recipes

If any of you find or have recipes that you think would be good freezer meal recipes, please email them to me and we can try them! There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing them for these enrichments:
1) The most important requirement is that it has to be assembly only with no cooking required at the church. We aren't actually supposed to cook anything there. We can only assemble food. So, if cooking is required, then we have to be able to bring it cooked - i.e. meat precooked, etc.
2) How runny is it, and how is it stored until it hits the freezer? Example: the chicken and rice pilaf spilled a bit in my car on the way home. Also, my first time, the breakfast casserole spilled all over my cooler. I'm sorry if any of you have had this experience.
3) General price and assembly. Is it going to take forever to make - too detailed? Or, does it use really costly ingredients?
4) Make sure it can be frozen. If you're not sure, try it! If it works, then great!
If you can find or have recipes that fit these, or can be adapted to fit these requirements, then please share them! I'm especially low on desserts and crock pot recipes. Thanks!

Frozen Strawberry Margarita Dessert

Serving Size: 8-10

Ingredients:

1 cup finely crushed pretzels
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup lime juice
2 Tbsp. orange juice
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
10 oz. pkg. frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed
1 cup whipping cream
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Preparation:

Combine crushed pretzels, brown sugar, nuts, and melted butter in small bowl. Press into bottom of ungreased 10" springform pan and chill until firm.

Combine all of the juices with the sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl and beat until smooth. Puree strawberries with juice in a food processor and add to the condensed milk mixture; beat until combined.

In small bowl, beat whipping cream with powdered sugar and vanilla; fold into strawberry mixture, then pour over chilled pretzel crust. Cover and freeze until firm.

Let stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Steak Fajitas

Serving Size: 6

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 pound sirloin steak
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon salad oil
1 teaspoon oregano
2 cloves garlic
6 flour tortilla
10 ounces frozen veggies fajita style
1/2 cup salsa

Place meat and marinade ingredients in freezer bag

bag tortillas separately

Freeze

Thaw meat and pan sear it

add veggies and bring to high heat

While veggies continue to cook, pull out meat and cut it across the grain
in thin slices

Return to pan and cook until heated

Serve with tortillas and salsa

You can add avacado, tomatoes and cilantro if you wish!

Salmon Bake with Pecan Crunch Coating

Serving Size: 6

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 Tablespoons melted butter
2 Tablespoons Honey
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts
1 Tablespoon parsley
6 salmon fillet -- 4 oz each
salt and pepper
lemon wedges

Mix together mustard, butter and honey in a small bowl, set aside

Mix together bread crumbs, pecans and parsley in a small bowl, place in
ziploc sandwich bag

Season each fillet with salt and pepper

Place on a lightly greased baking pan ( or in glad ware bake pan)

Brush each fillet with mustard honey mixture

Freeze

Thaw

Pat top of each fillet with bread crumb mixture

Bake at 450 for 10 minutes per inch of thickness until salmon just flakes
when tested with a fork

Chicken and Rice Pilaf

Serving Size : 4

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
4 Chicken breasts
10 fluid ounces cream of mushroom soup
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons pimientos
1 ¼ cups chicken broth
¼ cup water
1 cup white rice
½ envelope dry onion soup mix

Season the chicken breasts.

Combine remaining ingredients and place in the bottom of a sprayed baking dish.

Put the chicken on top and freeze.

When thawed, bake, uncovered at 375 degrees for 1 ¼ hours, or until chicken and rice are tender.

That's the original recipe. I would recommend putting ingredients in a ziploc bag until you're ready to bake (to avoid a sloshing mess) and adding the rice right before cooking. When I made this, my rice dissolved in the freezer somehow(?), so it was more like chicken soup.

Tuna Bow Ties

Serving Size : 6-8

Ingredients
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
8 oz. bow tie pasta
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can evaporated milk
¼ cup chopped onion
½ cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
6 slices American cheese
1 can tuna
1 cup frozen peas

Cook pasta in salted water for 2 minutes less than the shortest time recommended on the package. Mix together soup, milk and onion.

Break American cheese into small pieces. Stir in cheeses, tuna, peas, and bowties.

Place in gallon freezer bag. Label and freeze.

Thaw.

Place in greased baking dish. Stir. Top with buttered bread or cracker crumbs.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cost of Meals for June 11

Wonderful news! The cost of meals tonight will be $3.50/each. That's really terrific since some of us ordered salmon and that seems expensive. Hopefully this cheap cost helps offset the price of the salmon. By the way, anyone who still hasn't bought their salmon, they have some frozen salmon fillets on sale at Smith's. It's 2.5 lbs for 10 something dollars. I know that's almost double what we need but maybe you can make it again in the next couple weeks. You'll need to have your fresh values card though. Alright, well, see you tonight at 7pm! Please be just a bit early if you can so you can put your dishes and ingredients at the right spot and label your items if needed.

Welcome to new sisters!

I know we have a lot of new sisters to the ward and several who are new to the freezer meal group. If you're confused about what this group is all about, which I completely understand, and think you want to come this month, then check out the posts called: Information for Newcomers on April 29, and the one called Next Date is June 6 on May 17. Don't let it confuse you; it's not June 6, it's June 11. Then, sign up for whichever recipes and the amount you want either by comment on the post or emailing me. Hope to see you all there!