November Swap Details

November Swap will be held at Melanie's House on 11/11/10 at 10 a.m.

*Update* We have a brave new adventurer this month! I'm happy to introduce Marti from Covington! I met Marti at the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class we've been taking on Sunday night's and shared with her my zeal for our freezer swap and she was anxious to try it out! So welcome, Marti! We hope you love swapping as much as we do! :) (Thanks to JoNell for being flexible and allowing us to fill her spot this month! We love you JoNell!)

The categories for November are....

Beef: Chastity

Beef with Pasta: Suzanne

Soup: Marti

Chicken: Melanie

Chicken with Pasta: Elisha

Breakfast: Josie

Other: Elizabeth

Soup/Crock Pot: Casey S.

Please note: For variety purposes we've made one soup/crock pot category--to give those cooking the option of doing either/or.

Chicken Macaroni Casserole by Josie

3 c. cubed cooked chicken
3 c. cooked macaroni
2 c. (8 oz) grated Swiss cheese (I used motz.)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. milk
1/8 t. pepper

Place chicken and cheese in greased 2 quart casserole. Combine milk and pepper; mix well. Add to chicken mixture. Bake 400 degrees 30-40 minutes or until heated through. Makes 6 servings. Very good reheated. May want to cover the dish when you cook it so the macaroni does not get hard. Also, everything is precooked, so only need to warm through.

6 Week Bran Muffins

This is not a freezer recipe, however it is something yummy that will last in the fridge for 6-8 weeks so that you can enjoy fresh muffins whenever you like!

Ingredients:
6 c. Raisin Bran cereal
3 c. sugar
5 c. plain flour
5 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 eggs
1 c. oil
1 qt. Buttermilk
2 tsp. Cinnamon Plus (Cinnamon, Cloves, & Nutmeg)

Blend well and store in an airtight container in the fridge for 6-8 weeks. Makes approximately 60 muffins.

When you're ready to serve, fill your desired number of muffin cups about 1/2 full and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until done.

Give these muffins an extra kick by adding some chopped apples before baking!

Beef and Noodle Casserole

2 lbs. g. beef 1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. diced onions 1 1/2 c. cottage cheese
1/4 c. diced green peppers 1 (8oz) pkg egg noodle
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce 1 c. shredded Swiss cheese
8 oz. cream cheese, softened

In medium saute pan, brown beef. Drain off fat. Add onions and peppers and continue to saute until just tender. Stir in tomato sauce and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese. Set aside. Cook egg noodles in boiling water until slightly undercooked/ Drain and rinse in cold water. In a lightly greased 2-quart casserole dish, layer half the noodles, half the cheese mixture and half the meat mixture. Repeat layers. Top with Swiss cheese. Cover and freeze. (I did not layer half and half. I just layered noodles, then cheese mixture then meat.)

To prepare : Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Preheat oven to 375. Cover and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Remove covering for final 10 to 15 minutes of baking time.

Sweet Asian Chicken

Adapted from this cookbook...an all time FAVORITE freezer cookbook.

3 lbs chicken breasts
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/8 c. lime juice
1/4 t. curry powder
1 1/2 T garlic minced
1 1/8 t. crushed red pepper flakes
2 t. peanut oil

Prepare for Freezing:
Combine brown sugar, soy, lime juice and curry in bowl. Pour over chicken in freezer bag.
Pour minced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes into the bag and mix well.
Seal and freeze.

For Cooking:
Grill or On stovetop...cook (use peanut oil for skillet) until chicken reads 170 F. Discard marinade.
Suggested serving with ramen noodles or rice and sweet Asian slaw.