ONCE A MONTH COOKING - RECIPES

Come back in a few hours for a stamping post!

As I wake up here this morning with my coffee, I thought I would share some more recipes. We have our Once a Month cooking coming up again. With the holildays and occassional eating out in between the past 45ish days, I still have some meals left in my freezer. So this week, I am trying to use up some of these meals so I have more room in my freezer!

We each threw a few recipes out for ideas and here is our menu for the month.

Baked Potato Soup
Makes 4 servings.
3 bacon strips diced
1 small onoin chopped
1 clove garlic minced
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
2 large baked potatos peeled and cubed
1 cup half and half
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
shredded cheddar cheese
minced fresh parsley
In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving 1
tablespoon drippings. Set bacon aside. Saute onion and garlic
in the drippings until tender. Stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper;
mix well. Gradually add broth. Bring to boil; boil and stir for 2
minutes. Add the potatoes, cream and hot pepper sauce; heat
through but do not boil. (Note: Freezes well at this point. Can
be put in crock pot and cook on low all day – no need to thaw
if frozen) Garnish with bacon, cheese and parsley.

Roast - we used the roast in the Garden Fresh Soup
Makes 8 servings.
2 pounds roast (shoulder is best)
1 package onion soup mix
1/3 cup red wine
1 can golden mushroom soup
Salt and pepper roast and brown. Then put in crock pot and
cook on low 6 hours. Save drippings and part of meat for
garden fresh soup.

Garden Fresh Soup
Makes 8 servings.
1 1/2 pounds roast cooked
1 onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup carrot diced
1 cup celery chopped
1 potato diced
1 cup frozen peas
1 can kitchen sliced green beans
Add drippings from roast recipe
8 cups beef broth
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves
1 can tomato sauce (medium can)
2 large tomatoes seeded and chopped
2/3 cup ditalini pasta
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients but not the pasta and simmer for 30
minutes. Then put in freezer containers and label. Save
pasta for day of cooking then cook them and add to soup.

Quick Cassoulet - this is one of our family favorites!
Makes 4 servings.
1 can Condensed Creamy Onion Soup
1 can tomato soup
1 cup water
16 ounces small white beans drained
3/4 pound kielbasa cut into 1/2" pieces
4 small potato washed and quartered
3 medium carrot cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf
4 qt sauce pan, combine soup and water and mix, add
remaining
ingredients. Heat on medium heat to a boil. Reduce to low and
cover cook
20-25 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Marinated Pork Tenderloin
Makes 4 servings.
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar packed
2 tablespoons sherry
1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pinch garlic powder
2 3/4 pound pork tenderloins
Place soy sauce, brown sugar, sherry, dried onion, cinnamon,
olive oil and a touch of garlic powder in a large resealable
plastic bag. Seal and shake to mix. Place pork in bag with
marinade, seal and refrigerate for 6-12 hours.
Preheat grill for high heat.
Lightly oil grate. Place tenderloins on grill and discard
marinade. Cook 20 minutes or to desired doneness. Slice
into medallions and serve.

It's Chili, by George!
Makes 10 servings.
2 pounds ground beef
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce (28 oz)
1 can kidney beans drained
1 can pinto beans drained
1 1/2 cups onion chopped
1/4 cup bell pepper chopped
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1/4 cup chili powder
1 can tomato paste
1. Place ground beef in a large, deep skillet. Cook over
medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and crumble.
2. In a large pot over high heat combine the ground beef,
tomatos, tomato sauce, kidney beans, pinto beans, onions,
bell pepper, cayenne pepper, sugar, oregano, ground black
pepper, salt, cumin and chili powder. Bring to a boil, then
reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours. (Note: If using a
slow cooker, set on low, add ingredients, and cook for 8 to 10 hours.

Mary Pat's Chicken
Makes 6 servings.
6 chicken breast
1/2 pound bacon
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk or Marsala wine
salt to taste
parsley flakes
French fried onion rings (optional)
Slivered almonds (optional)
Roll chicken breasts and wrap in bacon. Mix together woup,
sour cream and milk or wine. Pour over chicken. Season
lightly with salt and parsley flakes. Bake at 275 uncovered for
3 hours. you can increase temp for faster baking. Sprinkle
with french fried onion rings or slivered almonds.

Shredded French Dip
Makes 8 servings.
3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast trimmed
1 can french onion soup (condensed)
1 can beef consomme
1 can beef broth
1 teaspoon beef bouillon grnaules
8 french or italian rolls split
Halve roast and place in a 3-qt. slow cooker. Combine the
soup, consomme, broth and boullion; pour over the roast.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender.
Remove meat and shred with two forks. Serve on rolls. Skim
fat from cooking juices and serve as a dipping sauce.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganauf
Makes 4 servings.
1 pound beef stew meat
1 can golden mushroom soup
1/2 cup onion chopped
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 cup beef broth
salt
pepper
garlic powder
1/2 package onion soup mix
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
In a slow cooker, combine the meat, soup, onion, seasongins,
Worcestershire sauce and beef broth. Cook on low setting for
8 hours, or on high for about 5 hours. Stir in cream cheese &
sour cream just before serving

Smothered Meatloaf
Makes 6 servings.
4 cups potatoes Obrien
1 pound ground beef
1 1/4 pounds ground pork
1 box Garlic Herb Shake and Bake
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 jar/can 4.5oz sliced mushrooms
1 egg
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 onion sliced thin
1 package fresh mushrooms sliced
Place potatoes in the bottom of a 5-quart slow cooker.
In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, shake and
bake, onion soup mix, sliced mushrooms, and egg. Set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup Cheddar soup and
evaporated milk. Add to meat mixture. Using a wooden spoon
or clean hands mix thoroughly and form into a loaf. Place in
slow cooker on top of the potatoes. Make sure meatloaf does
not touch the sides of the slow cooker.
Stir together remaining cheddar soup with cream of mushroom
soup. Pour over meatloaf. Top with onions and mushrooms.
Cover and cook on HIGH setting for 1 hour. Reduce the
temperature to LOW setting and cook for an additional 5 to 6
hours.

A few people had questions for the Once a Month questions...

Someone asked about whether it would be better to cook on your own or with someone else. I have the largest family in our group with 6 members, every one else had 4 family members. For a few of our meals, there was only one serving for each person, unless our eldest was missing. However, I often make a garden salad, a side dish and maybe dinner rolls to help fill them up.

For several years, when cooking, I would multiply my recipes and freeze 3-4 dishes of whatever I made, so we would have dinner that night, and a few in the freezer. If you have people to cook with, it definitely makes it more fun and helps cultivate that friendship. If you do not have someone to cook with and you have young children, I would say when you cook a meal try multiplying it and freezing it to get started.

Enjoy! I will post more recipes for our Once a Month next week!

Don't forget today is MAIL CALL MONDAY! I will have a project by lunchtime. Today is the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Design Team Challenges!

Have a great day!