Strawberry Freezer Jam

So quick and easy. I don't even like store bought jam anymore.Strawberry Freezer Jam

From: Alana DeGooyer

2 cups strawberries, crushed (how much you crush them depends on how chunky or smooth you like your jam)
4 cups sugar
3/4 cup water
1 box surejell fruit pectin

Stem and crush strawberries thoroughly. (I typically use my potato masher or blender depending how crushed I want them.) Measure 2 cups crushed fruit into a large bowl. Stir in sugar. Let stand 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Mix water and pectin in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Add to fruit mixture, stir for 3 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved and no longer grainy. Fill all containers immediately to within 1/2" from the top. Wipe edges of containers clean and cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Jam is now ready to eat or freeze.

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

From: My Kitchen Cafe

1 cup cooked rice, warm or at room temperature
1 cup cooked and shredded chicken
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green onion, finely sliced (both the white and the green parts)
1/2 red or green pepper, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1/2 Tbs. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
2 cups shredded cheese
sour cream
6 burrito sized flour tortillas

Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add remaining ingredients except for the cheese and sour cream. Sprinkle cheese over the tortillas, leaving 1/2 inch border around the edges. Then arrange the chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla. You can also add 1-2 Tbs. of sour cream down the middle of the tortillas before adding the chicken and rice mixture for added creaminess, if you want. (I wanted!) Roll stuffed tortillas, leaving edges open. (I didn't leave the edges open, that sounded like it would be disastrous as I tried to grill them.) Spray the tortillas all over with cooking spray.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange 2 wraps, seam-side down, in pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve topped with sour cream, salsa or whatever sounds delish.

Artichoke Stuffed Shells

These were fantastic and my 18 month old couldn't get enough of them.
Artichoke Stuffed Shells

From: Eat For Dinner

1 (12 oz.) box jumbo shells
3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lg. yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 tsp. + 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. + 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 (8-10 oz.) pkg. frozen artichokes, thawed and coarsely chopped (I used canned artichokes)
1 (15 oz.) container ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated parmesan
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 Tbs. flat leaf parsley, chopped
5 cups Arrabbiata sauce (Sorry in advance for this long side note: I didn't know what this was so I googled it. I came upon WiseGeek . I learned that this sauce was a marinara that was given a spicy flavor by adding hot peppers, so I just bought Newman's Own Sockarooni Sauce which was a pasta sauce with peppers and spice etc. It was fantastic. I would say that you could likely just use your favorite pasta sauce though.)
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and partially cook until it is tender but still very firm to the bite. Make sure to stir occasionally so that the shells don't stick together.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are soft and start to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the ground turkey, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is done. Add the artichoke hearts and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl, combine the cooled turkey mixture with the ricotta, parmesan, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan with 1 cup of arrabiata sauce. Take the shells in the palm of your hand and stuff with with a large spoonful of turkey mixture. Place the stuffed shells in the baking dish. (The original recipe said it makes about 24 shells, but I had about 30 overstuffed shells).

Drizzle the remaining arrabiata sauce over the shells and top with the mozzarella. Bake for 2o minutes.

(I didn't try freezing it but the original recipe says it freezes well which I can believe, so here are the directions.) Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for up to 1 month. To bake preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake until the shells are warmed through and the cheese begins to brown, about 60 minutes.

Corn Dogs

When I saw this recipe I just knew that I had to try it. Both Tab, Jason and I love corn dogs, so this one called to me. It was well worth it. It was a total hit with my boys and we loved them too.

I have to add this just because it made me laugh. As I was getting ready to label the post, I was completely stumped as to what I should classify hot dogs under in the meat area. I just couldn't put it under beef or ground beef. Perhaps I should add a mystery meat section. LOL. Corn Dogs

From: senSAAtional favorites: just what the D.O.ctor ordered

1 gallon oil, for frying (I didn't use anywhere near this much oil)
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cayenne powder (I skipped on this, I thought it might be a bit much for little mouths)
1 lg. jalapeno, seeded and finely minced
8 oz. cream-style corn
1/3 cup onion, minced
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
4 Tbs. cornstarch
8 hot dogs
wooden chopsticks or skewers

Heat oil to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cayenne pepper. In a separate bowl, combine the jalapeno, corn, onion and buttermilk. Add the dry ingredients all at once and stir only enough times to bring the batter together; there will be lumps. Set the batter aside and let it set for 10 minutes.

Scatter the cornstarch on a dry plate. Roll each hot dog in the cornstarch and tap off any excess. Transfer enough batter to fill a large drinking glass. Refill the glass as needed. (I tried this but found that dipping them into the batter in the bowl was a ton easier and less messy.) Skewer each hot dog with your chopsticks or skewers and quickly dip in and out of the batter.

Immediately and carefully place the hot dogs in the oil to cook. Cook until the coating is golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Remove and allow to cool a little and dry.

I put that these freeze well. I froze them after cooking because my hot dogs hadn't been frozen prior to cooking. Had they been frozen beforehand, I wouldn't have frozen them. I also didn't eat them after being frozen, but my boys still devoured them and that was a winner for me. It made for a quick lunch.

Sloppy Joes

These aren't just any Sloppy Joes. These are the sloppy joes of your dreams. I'm telling you, once you try them you'll never go back to the same old run of the mill "Slop Slops"(as we call them in my house) that you've been making.Sloppy Joes

From: Unknown

1 lb. ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 Tbs. heaping brown sugar
1 Tbs. vinegar
1 cup ketchup
2 Tbs. mustard
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. salt

In a large skillet, combine ground beef, onion and green pepper. Cook until ground beef is browned. Drain off fat. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer on low for 30 minutes.

Serve on lightly toasted (or not) hamburger buns.

Potato Pierogi

These are just fantastic. We love them. They are a nice light meal.Potato Pierogi

From: Smitten Kitchen

1 1/2 lbs. baking potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
4 Tbs. butter
3 small onion, finely chopped
salt & pepper to taste
1-2 pkg. pot sticker (gyoza) wrappers (won ton wrappers work too)

Serve With any or all of the following:
3-5 green onions thinly sliced or 1/4 cup chopped chives or 2 tbs. chopped parsley or additional fried onions
Sour Cream, melted butter or balsamic vinegar

Cook potatoes in a large pot of salted, boiling water. Drain and set aside. Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet and cook the onions until soft and lightly browned, darkly browned in spots. Mash potatoes, then mix in onions and cooking butter. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Line cookie sheet with wax/parchment paper. Working one at a time, brush the edges of the wrapper with water and place a spoonful of filling in the center. Fold the dumpling in half, pressing the edges together to seal. place dumplings on the cookie sheet.

Heat a tiny bit of oil (1-2 Tbs.) in a non-stick skillet, add dumplings in a single layer. When they are golden and in spots browned, turn and brown on the other side. Add enough water to equal about 1/4" or less in depth. Be careful not to add too much. Cover and cook 3-4 minutes. Remove lid and check for doneness. Pierogi should be tender but not mushy.

Dip in and top with desired toppings. My favorites are sour cream with diced green onions and basalmic vinegar. Jason likes to douse his with balsamic vinegar.

To Freeze: Place prepared pierogi's in a freezer bag prior to cooking. When ready to use, thaw and cook as described above.

Chicken Noodle Soup

This is perfect for those cold winter months. It makes a ton, so it is a good thing that it freezes well. It is also one of those meals that is even better the second day, so feel free to indulge on leftovers. I don't remember where I got this recipe from. This is pretty much an all day cooking recipe. It is so worth it. It is perfect for keeping your house warm all day. Tip: I usually make the noodles a day or so ahead so that they have time to dry.Chicken Noodle Soup

1 gallon water
1 (3-4 lb.) whole chicken, cut into large pieces
1 lg. onion, peeled and halved
4 bay leaves
15 whole black peppercorns
1 bunch celery (2/3 chopped into large pieces, 1/3 chopped into about 1/4" pieces)
1 lb. carrots, unpeeled, just cut off the ends and cut into a few large pieces
2 stalks lemon grass, chopped (optional- I would put this is if my grocery store carried it)
1/4 cup chicken soup base (can use bouillon)
1 lb. carrots, chopped normally (sometimes instead I just use the large pieces when they come out of the broth and just chop them smaller. This does NOT work with the celery though as it is too mushy)
8 oz. egg noodles (recipe below)

For Egg Noodles:
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1 pinch salt
2 eggs, beaten at room temperature

Place chicken and water in a large pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Skim foam and fat as needed. Keep pot on heat and add onion, bay leaves, peppercorns, large chunks of celery and carrots, and the lemon grass in the pot. Simmer, covered for 1 hour.

Strain broth and reserve chicken. Add broth back to the pot and stir in chicken soup base, and chopped celery and carrots. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, covered for 20 minutes or until carrots and celery are tender.

Meanwhile, when chicken is cool enough to handle, remove skin and shred into bite sized pieces. after carrots are tender, add noodles to the pot & simmer until noodles are cooked through. Stir in chicken and heat through.

To make Egg Noodles: In a large bowl, mix together flour and salt. Add eggs and milk. Knead dough until very smooth, about 5 minutes. Let rest in a covered bowl about 5 minutes. It is very important to let it rest. On Lightly floured surface (If you flour it to much your dough will slide around making it impossible to roll out.), roll out dough to desired thickness. (I always try to get mine as thin as possible because they taste better and take less time to dry and cook). Cut into desired lengths and shapes. Allow to air dry before cooking.

Sweet & Spicy Chicken for Tacos

These were so amazingly delicious. My children each had two. And begged for more. Next time I make them, I'm definitely doubling the recipe and freezing what is leftover, if any.

And in lieu of a picture of the food, you get a lovely picture of my stuffing my face with the food. Lucky you!



Sweet and Spicy Slow-Cooker Chicken
from Prudence Pennywise

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (14 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I used 1/4 teaspoon)

Coat the inside of your crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Place all ingredients in the crockpot. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours, or until chicken shreds very easily with a fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Chicken will absorb liquid after it is shredded.) Serve in tacos or however your little heart desires.

Personally, I like olives, green onions, lettuce, cheese, and lots of sour cream.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

From: Dozen Flours

Cookies:
4 cups flour
2 Tbs. cinnamon
2 1/2 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup shortening, at room temperature
1 2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 Tbs. mild flavored molasses
2 Tbs. real maple syrup
1/2 cup full fat sour cream, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature, slightly beaten
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups solid packed pumpkin

Filling:
1 Tbs. + 1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup + 1/4 cup water, divided
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract (can use clear if you want the filling to be super white)
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 8 0z. pkg. cream cheese, softened and cut into several pieces
1/2 cup light corn syrup

In a large bowl, thoroughly whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a mixer bowl, with paddle attachment, combine butter, shortening, brown sugar, molasses and maple syrup. On medium speed, beat until well blended and lightened, about 2 minutes, being sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl at least one time. Reduce the mixer speed slightly and add the sour cream, egg and vanilla, beating until very light and fluffy, about 1 minute longer.

Beat in about half of the flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl several times so release the little pockets of dry ingredients. Beat in the pumpkin just until it's smoothly incorporated. The batter will be very thick. Take your time to beat or stir in the remaining flour mixture, looking for flour pockets. Mix until smoothly incorporated, scraping down the sides as needed. Refrigerate dough for 20-30 minutes, or until slightly firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease large baking sheets with Pam. Scoop about 1/4 cup of dough onto your cookie sheet, spacing cookies about 4" apart. Spray a 3" round cookie cutter with pam and place it over the cookie dough. (I thought that this made way too big of cookies. They were just a little bit smaller than my entire hand! So, I started using about a 1 1/2" cookie cutter and less dough and it was perfect.) With one hand firmly hold the cookie cutter in place while you use your other hand to gently spread the dough out to meet the sides of the cookie cutter. Gently twist and lift the cookie cutter up and away. Bake for 12-16 minutes or until tinged with brown al over and just firm when lightly pressing the center. Transfer the sheets to wire racks and let them cook for at least 2 minutes to firm up slightly. Using a spatula, transfer to cooling rack and let cool completely.

In a small measureing cup, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/3 cup cold water. Let stand, stirring once or twice until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes.

Fit mixer with whisk attachment.

In a heavy 2 qt. saucepan, over medium high heat, stir the white sugar, corn syrup and hot water until well blended. Continue stirring and raise the heat to hight; bring to a full boil. Boil for 30 seconds. Immediately remove from heat and stir in the gelatin mixture until it dsolves completely.

VERY cafefully transfer the mixture to your mixer bowl and add the vanill. On medium speed beat for 20 seconds. (I draped a dish towel over my mixer to prevent hot splashes). Gradually raise the speed to higha nd beat until the mixture is stiffened, very white, voluminous and cooled to barely warm. This should take 5-15 minutes. Reduce the spped to low and slowly beat in the powdered sugar.

On medium speed gradualy add the cream cheese, beating just until the mixture is completely smooth. If the filling seems to runny to spread, cover and stick in the fridge until it firms up.

Lay one cookie upside down and spread some of the filling on top. Top with a second cookie, pressing down lightly so that the filling almost squeezes out the sides. This makes a ton, so after giving a bunch away, I wrapped several in wax paper and then stuck them in plastic bags and through them in the freezer. Jason just loves them still frozen, although they can be thawed before being eaten.