Dinner In 10 Minutes! The Deep Covered Baker- My New Favorite Piece of Kitchenware!

The Deep Covered Baker – My New Favorite Piece of Kitchenware!!

Photo Credit: Pampered Chef

Do you feel like you are constantly rushing around to get dinner on the table and you want something to make your life easier??  If you are thinking "YES!" then KEEP READING!  

I have been a little slack on posting lately… between spending time with my precious 4 month old and going back to work after maternity leave, I have found little (or no!) time to blog!   I HAVE however been putting meals on the table thanks to my Freezer Stash (from Freezer Cooking 1, Freezer Cooking 2, Freezer Cooking 3 and Freezer Cooking 4) AND because of my new found FAVORITE piece of kitchen equipment:  THE PAMPERED CHEF DEEP COVERED BAKER!

I will begin with a little story… back in August I decided to host a Pampered Chef party at my home because I LOVE to cook and thought it would be perfect to host a “cooking show” at my house for friends and family to attend…  I called on the fabulous Jamie Swanson (check out her Facebook Page "What's Cooking with Jamie" for YUMMY recipes!!) to come on over and share some of her favorite Pampered Chef recipes and products.   If you have hosted a PC party then you know that you just have to provide all of the ingredients, and your consultant does the rest as far as assembly, cooking etc….  One of the recipes we were going to prepare (Pesto Tomato Chicken Flat bread) called for 2 cups of cooked chicken… so I had asked Jamie ahead of time if I needed to have the chicken cooked for her when she got to my house… She said not to worry about it and that she would take care of it when she came over… and in my mind I am thinking – "she is coming over about 30 min before the party starts so how the heck is she going to cook the chicken and have it ready in time???"

She arrived at my house and put the 4 chicken breasts in a piece of stoneware with a lid (Deep Covered Baker) and popped it in my microwave on HIGH for 8 minutes… pulled it out and the chicken was cooked PERFECTLY!   I could not believe my eyes!  As if this wasn’t enough… she then proceeded to put an ENTIRE 5 Ib. roasting chicken in the Deep Covered Baker- covered it in a delicious Pampered Chef rub and put it in the microwave for 30 minutes….  I am thinking, "yea right this chicken is not going to be good!  Chicken in the microwave??"  I figured it would end up being rubbery or dry… Moment of Truth:  the chicken came out of the microwave and it looked beautiful and SMELLED delicious!!!  We dug in and the chicken was so moist and flavorful I could not believe it.  I WAS SOLD, I knew I had to have one…

Photo Credit: Pampered Chef

When my Deep Covered Baker first arrived… I was a bit intimidated by it so it just sat on the kitchen counter staring at me for a week or two.  I finally decided to dive into the recipes and buy ingredients so I could start actually using this new piece of equipment that decided to join my kitchen family… the very first thing I used it for was exactly what I had seen Jamie do—make chicken breasts to shred and use in chicken noodle soup!  SO EASY.  The next thing I made was Easy Enchiladas—can we say 5 ingredients and 15 minutes later we were enjoying a delicious meal and my husband couldn’t believe how good the enchiladas were… oh and I forgot to mention that HE made them in the Deep Covered Baker because I was busy feeding the baby!    The other night I had some ground beef I needed to use up so I decided to see what recipe I could make in the DCB that I already had the ingredients for…  I came across a Meatloaf recipe and threw it together in under 5 min- popped it in the microwave for 20 minutes and dinner was done… my husband said it was the BEST Meatloaf he had ever had!  WOW… this Deep Covered Baker is a keeper because it is making life so much easier and keeping food in our bellies!!

Photo Credit: Pampered Chef  

The Deep Covered Baker is really the only reason we actually eat a “home cooked meal” most nights!  Having a 4 month old and a full time job doesn’t leave much time for menu planning, food prep and execution.   It seems like our weeknights consist of my husband and I taking turns with the baby while one of us is running around the house trying to clean up, cook, do laundry, ect… (You ALL know this story!)    My priorities have also changed so much and I would much rather spend an extra 20 minutes with my family than trying to cook a big extravagant dinner that in the end my husband would probably put ketchup on anyways.  The baker has easy recipes that require minimal ingredients and minimal prep–time that you can assemble day-of or the night before.    The baker can be used in the oven OR in the microwave oven.   I have to be honest and say that I have tried almost EVERY microwave recipe in the recipe book, but I have yet to try an oven recipe.  The ease of throwing all the ingredients in the baker and popping it in the microwave for 10 minutes and a delicious meal coming out is like a new modern crock pot or something!   Every family should have a Deep Covered Baker in their kitchen!  

Photo Credit: Pampered Chef

I have been relying on my DCB so much that I actually just purchased a second one so I can assemble 2 meals at once to be cooked during the work week.  I have also learned the “basic” cooking times and concept from using it so much enabling me to adapt some of my own personal recipes and put them in the baker in the microwave!

One thing I haven’t mentioned is if you ever have a sweet tooth- BEWARE, you can put a box of brownie mix in the baker (with the called for eggs, water and oil) for approx 6 minutes and BOOM—you have cured your sweet tooth, which could be dangerous and a good thing all in one!

Photo Credit: Pampered Chef

A couple of my favorite things to make in the Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker: 

·         Thirty Minute Chicken

·         Chicken Fajitas

·         Chicken Penne al Fresco

·         Quick Chicken Pad Thai

·         Loaded Potato Chowder

·         Beef Tacos

·         White Chicken Parmesan (w/Homemade Marinara from Freezer Cooking 3)

·         Easy Enchiladas

·         Lasagna Soup

·         Meatloaf

·         Taco Soup

·         10 Minute Pork Tenderloin

·         Pork Chops & Rice

·         Touchdown Taco Dip

·         Quick Fudgy Brownies

Moral of the story.... head on over to pamperedchef.com and get yourself a Deep Covered Baker!   You will LOVE IT --- dinner has never been so EASY or AFFORDABLE to put on our table!


*Disclaimer:    No services, products or compensation were given to me for the purpose of this blog post. All opinions are 100% my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC guidelines.

Freezer Cooking # 4: Soups!



My Freezer after Freezer Cooking #4



About a month and a half ago I asked for reader suggestions on soups I should include in my Freezer Cooking #4 post. Thank you everyone for your suggestions! Sorry it has taken me awhile to finish this post… Our baby boy arrived 10/22/2012, so needless to say I have been a bit pre-occupied this past month!

The concept for Freezer Cooking #4 is to fully prepare 4 different soups that you can easily thaw & serve within 30 minutes of taking out of freezer and 1 that you will “prep” to be placed in the crock pot. For this freezer cooking we will be doing a White Bean Chicken Chili (Thanks Holly Shaw for this delicious recipe!), a Beans & Greens Soup, Apple Chicken Stew, Perfect Winter Beef Stew (Thanks Pam Fallis for this amazing recipe!) and Chicken & Andouille Stew.

As I point out in all my Freezer Cooking posts, I prepare my “bags” to be for “2 servings.” Since there are only 2 of us eating…this helps with waste & portion control. If you will be serving more than 2 people with your freezer meals then you can cut the # of bags I tell you to prep for each soup in half so that each bag has more soup. ( i.e. – I will tell you to label 3 bags for “White Bean Chicken Chili”, these bags will have enough for 2 servings each in them when the prepared soup is divided equally between them, so if you would like your bags to have 4-6 servings, then divide the soup evenly between 2 bags instead of 3.)

Also, I will be using my FoodSaver system to seal/store all of the soup ingredients. For the sake of the instructions and so no one gets confused I will still refer to everything as “bags.” For this round of recipes you will need Quart sized freezer bags if you follow my instructions how they are OR Gallon sized bags if you are increasing serving sizes to (4).

Here is the menu for Freezer Cooking Round 4 “Soups”:

• White Bean Chicken Chili (3)

• Chicken and Andouille Stew (4)

• Greens & Beans Soup (2)

• Perfect Winter Beef Stew (3)

• Apple Chicken Stew (3)

Here is my grocery list: (don’t be alarmed! The list looks a bit long but most of the ingredients were already in my cabinet and are probably in yours! Everything in italics was already in my cabinet. Compare this list to your cabinets and cross out the items you won’t need to buy at the store. =) )

Fresh Produce:

• Sweet Onions (5 med/large sized) I bought a “bag” of sweet onions- it was less $

• Head of Garlic (1)

• 1-Green Pepper

• 1-Red Pepper

• 1-Bunch of Celery

• 1 Ib. Carrots (for slicing)

• Bag of Potatoes (you will need approx 6 potatoes)

• Fresh Sliced Mushrooms (3 cups)

• 1- Large Apple

Meat:

• 2 Ibs Beef for Stew

• 4 ½- 5 Ibs Chicken Breast

• 1 ½ Ibs Fully Cooked Andouille Sausage (Link)

• Bacon (approx 6 slices- I use the pre-cooked/microwavable kind)

Grocery:

• 64 oz Chicken Broth

• 42 oz Vegetable Broth

• 14 ½ oz Beef Broth

• Worcestershire Sauce

• KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing (3/4 cup)

• 15 oz Tomato Puree

• 15 oz Stewed Tomatoes

• 14 oz Diced Tomatoes

• 11 oz can White Corn

• (3) 15 oz cans Great Northern Beans (white beans)

• 4 oz diced green chilis (can)

• Brown Rice (not instant)

• Packet White Bean Chili Seasoning Mix

• Cajun Seasoning

• Salt & Pepper

• Canola Oil

• Olive Oil

• Flour

• Bay Leaves (3)

• Basil

• Sour Cream

• Garlic Powder

• Thyme

• Caraway

• Apple Cider or Juice

• Apple Cider Vinegar

• Freezer Bags

• The following ingredients you will need for later when you actually prepare the soup: Shredded Parmesan Cheese, Spinach or Kale, Green Onions

Of course, once you get everything home and you are ready to cook put it on the counter and admire what you are about to do!! =)

I label everything with name, date and instructions BEFORE I start:

• Chicken & Andouille Stew (4 bags): Thaw in Fridge or Sink- Warm & Serve over Rice, top with Green Onions

• White Bean Chicken Chili (3 bags): Thaw in Fridge or Sink- Warm & Garnish with Cilantro & Sour Cream

• Beans & Greens Soup(2 bags): Crockpot Low 5 Hrs/High 2.5 Hrs. Add 4 cups chopped spinach or kale just before serving. Sprinkle with Shredded Parmesan.

• Perfect Winter Beef Stew (3 bags): Thaw in Fridge or Sink- Warm & Serve

• Apple Chicken Stew (3 bags): Thaw in Fridge or Sink- Warm & Serve

Now it’s time to get started on the soups!

1. First, you want to assess your “pot” situation. You will need (2) LARGE pots for the Perfect Winter Beef Stew and the Chicken & Andouille Stew and (2) Crockpots for the Apple Chicken Stew and White Bean Chicken Chili. We will prep the Beans & Greens soup so that the ingredients are frozen together and then you put in crockpot to cook the day you will eat it. Get your pots/crockpots ready on the counter/stove. ( I label my pots so I know which soup is which for easy ingredient placement)

2. Next, I washed and prepped ALL the meat. For the Chicken; Wash and trim all breasts, leaving whole and set aside. Cut (3) Pieces of Chicken (approx 1.5 pounds) in half and rub with a mixture of 1 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper, set aside. For the Stew Beef; make sure it is cut into 1 inch chunks. Pour ¾ cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing over stew beef – coat evenly and set aside letting marinate 30 minutes. For the Bacon; cook approximately 6-8 slices and chop, set aside. For the Andoiulle Sausage: Slice and set aside.

3. Now we will prep all the vegetables. Chop (4) Onions and Halve & Slice (1) Onion, Slice 10 Carrots, Chop the Green Pepper & Red Pepper, Chop 4 Celery Ribs, Mince 6 Garlic Cloves, Peel & Cut 6 Potatoes into cubes/chunks. *I use my onion chopper to chop the onions, green pepper, red pepper and celery- it makes it easier!

4. In the “Chicken & Andouille Pot” heat 2 Tablespoons of canola oil and brown the (3) chicken breasts rubbed in Cajun seasoning (you can do this in batches if you need to). Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Add ½ cup canola oil to same pot and stir in ½ cup flour. Cook & stir on medium-low heat for 30 minutes or until browned (do not burn).

5. While oil/flour is cooking in “Chicken & Andouille Pot”, you can start on the “Perfect Winter Beef Stew Pot”. Warm (1) Tbsp oil over Medium-High heat and cook (1) chopped onion and 3 cups mushrooms for approximately 10 minutes or until tender. Remove beef stew meat from marinade(discard marinade) and add meat, approx 6 of the sliced carrots, 2 of the cubed potatoes, 14 ½ oz can stewed tomatoes, 14 ½ oz can beef broth and bacon to pot. Stir. Bring to a boil stirring occasionally and cover. Reduce to low heat and simmer 1 hour 15 min or until beef is cooked and sauce is thickened.

6. In the “Chicken & Andouille Pot” once flour/oil mixture is browned add 1 chopped onion, chopped red & green peppers and 2 ribs chopped celery. Cook & Stir approx 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add 4 cloves minced garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Gradually add 4 cups water, 2 cups chicken broth, 1 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning, ¼ tsp pepper and ½ tsp salt, 2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce, 2 Bay Leaves, (3) Browned Chicken Breasts and Sliced Andouille Sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover & simmer for 1.5 hours or until chicken is tender. Once chicken is tender- shred and return to soup. Discard Bay Leaves.

7. While the above soups are simmering, assemble the crock pot soups:

White Bean Chicken Chili:

- Mix all of the below together in largest crockpot and cook on High 4 hours or Low 8 hours.


 32 oz chicken broth

 11 oz can white corn
 2- 15 oz cans Great Northern Beans (white beans)
 ½ cup sour cream
 1 chopped onion
 1- 4oz can green chilis
 1- 14 oz can diced tomatoes
 1 tsp garlic powder
 1/8 tsp pepper
 1 packet White Bean Chili seasoning mix
 3 Chicken Breasts (approx 1.5 pounds)
 Shred Chicken once Chili is done.
 Apple Chicken Stew Crock Pot:
 In Crockpot Layer the following:


 4 Sliced Carrots
2-4 potatoes (cubed)
 1 Sliced Onion
 2 Chopped Celery Ribs

 Combine 1 ½ tsp salt, ¾ tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp pepper, ¼ tsp caraway seeds and sprinkle half over vegetables.

 3-4 chicken breasts

 1 large apple cubed

 1 ¼ cups apple cider or juice

 1 Tbsp cider vinegar

 1 bayleaf

 Remainder of salt/thyme/pepper/caraway mixture

 Cook on High 4 hours or Low 8 Hours. Shred Chicken when done, remove bay leaf.

8. Now that all of the above are prepped we will make the Beans & Greens bags:

 You should have (2) Bags Labeled Beans & Greens Soup.

DIVIDE the following ingredients between the 2 bags:

 42 oz Vegetable Broth

 15 oz tomato puree

  15 oz Great Northern White Beans (drained and rinsed)

 ½ cup uncooked brown rice

 1 chopped onion

 1 tsp basil

 ¼ tsp salt

 ¼ tsp pepper

 2 garlic cloves minced

 Squeeze excess air out of bags and place in freezer flat.

Once all of your soups/stews have simmered & cooked for the noted times let cool.  (I put in fridge overnight before distributing amongst bags- easier to handle cold soup that HOT!)

Distribute soups/stews evenly amongst # of prepped bags.

I usually put them in the freezer stacked as flat as possible on top of each other for easy storing.

I typically take the soup out of the freezer and place in the sink in luke-warm water for about 15 minutes and then transfer from the bag to a pot and warm & serve.

ENJOY!!!

Slow Cooker Easy Pot Roast

I have been "craving" a good ole' Pot Roast in the crock pot for a couple of weeks now so I finally decided to buy the ingredients and make one today!   I have to admit that I have tried 10+ different pot roast recipes and no matter how many steps or what ingredients are called for, they always taste the exact same and leave me wanting for "more".  When assembling the roast this morning, I didn't use a recipe- I just threw some things in the crock pot and let it cook and the hubs and my parents all gave the finished product their approval and said it was delicious!  Of course... I had to share what I did because it was super simple!  Enjoy!

Slow Cooker- Easy Pot Roast

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 Ib Beef Roast ( I used a Shoulder Cut)
• 4 Red Potatoes (or potato of choice) washed & cubed
• 2 Medium Sweet Onions, cut into wedges/chunks
• 2 Celery Ribs, chopped
•  6 Carrots, peeled & cut into chunks
• 1/2 Packet Italian Dressing Mix
• 1/2 bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
• 3/4 Cup Beef Broth
• Salt & Pepper

Method:

1. Place Roast in a Ziploc bag or medium sized dish and cover with Zesty Italian Dressing on both sides- let marinate while prepping the rest of the recipe.
2. Prep all vegetables per above instructions and place in bottom of large crock pot.
3. Add beef broth, 1/2 cup zesty Italian dressing and 1/2 packet Italian dressing mix to crock pot over vegetables.  Toss well to coat.
4. Place marinated beef roast on top of vegetables along with extra marinade.
5. Sprinkle lightly with salt & pepper.
6. Cook on Low for 7-8 hours or High 3-4 hours of until vegetables are tender and beef is cooked through.
7. Enjoy!

I NEED YOUR INPUT for Freezer Cooking #4!!

I am prepping to do a Freezer Cooking #4: "SOUPS"  this weekend in preparation for the cooler fall/winter months!

I would love to hear from my readers about the soups they would be interested in seeing on the recipe list this time around!

My plan is to do 4-5 different soups and doing a double batch of each which will come out to about 16-20 "soup" meals in the freezer!

Leave your comments with your soup suggestions!

xoxo
Melissa =)

The Test Kitchen of Emily Meier

My little sis recently got married and moved to NYC!

She has been doing all the "wifely" things like cooking and laundry etc and I get daily text messages/phone calls from her asking questions which I love since I have almost 5 years under my belt and of course that makes me an expert (NOT!).  

Some of the stories of her adventures in the Big City about grocery shopping and her cooking adventures are hilarious.  After a long text message last night of her many mishaps over the course of the day I told her she needed to write a blog about it because it was very entertaining!

My sis has her own Test Kitchen of sorts because she tries all kinds of new recipes out on her hubs that he loves!  Maybe we can convince her to do a guest blog post here because she has told me about a couple of recipes that sound amazing like a Garlic Shrimp Pasta and Cajun Chicken Pasta... Let's see if we can get her to share these recipes with us!!

Check out her blog post The Test Kitchen of Emily Meier to read about some of her fun adventures in cooking!  Leave her a comment and maybe she will agree to do a guest blog post on here with one of her delicious recipes she has been making!

Freezer Cooking #3 - Sauce-a-Palooza!!

My Freezer!

We are about a month and a half away from baby boys due date and I decided it was about time to stock up the freezer with some easy to "pull out & serve" meals!  Some of my favorite fall recipes are my moms which include her Spaghetti Sauce, Beef Stroganoff and her Homemade Marinara.   I decided to have an afternoon of cooking last weekend to prep all these sauces and I ended up with 19 "bags" of sauce!!

It is sooo easy to pull out a sauce and defrost it in the sink for 20 minutes and then transfer to a pot to warm while the noodles are cooking so I figured stocking up on these "comfort meals" would be perfect for once baby is here and for the cool fall/winter weather!

As I pointed out in my Freezer Cooking # 2 post,  I prepare my “bags” to be for “2 servings.”  Since there are only 2 of us eating…this helps with waste & portion control.  If you will be serving more than 2 people with your freezer meals then you can cut the # of bags I tell you to prep for each sauce in half so that each bag has more sauce. ( i.e. – I will tell you to label 6 bags for “spaghetti sauce”, these bags will have enough for 2-3 servings each in them when the prepared sauce is divided equally between them, so if you would like your bags to have 4-6 servings, then divide the sauce evenly between 3 bags instead of 6.)

Also, I will be using my FoodSaver system to seal/store all of the sauces.  For the sake of the instructions and so no one gets confused I will still refer to everything as “bags.”  For this round of recipes you will need quart sized freezer bags if you follow my instructions how they are OR gallon sized bags if you are increasing serving sizes to (4).   

Here is the menu for Freezer Cooking Round 3 “Sauce-A-Palooza”:

·         Mom’s Spaghetti Sauce  (6)

·         Beef Stroganoff  (6)

·         Tomato Marinara Sauce  (7)

Here is my grocery list:  (don’t be alarmed!  The list looks a bit long but most of the ingredients were already in my cabinet and are probably in yours!  Everything in italics was already in my cabinet.   Compare this list to your cabinets and cross out the items you won’t need to buy at the store. =)  )
Fresh Produce:

·          Sweet Onions (7 small) I bought a “bag” of sweet onions- it was less $

·          Head of Garlic (1)

·          Fresh Sliced Mushrooms (24 oz)

Meat:

·          2.5 pounds Ground Beef

·          4-5 Ibs Beef Sirloin Tips ( I buy steaks and cut them down into tips/strips - less expensive!)   

Grocery:

·          ¾ cup Butter (1.5 sticks)

·          4.5 cups Beef Broth

·          Worcestershire Sauce

·          Flour

·          Sour Cream (This is added to the Beef Stroganoff LATER when you defrost it and are ready to eat so you may not want to buy this yet!)

·          Yellow Mustard

·          Tomato Paste ( 7)- 12 oz cans

·          Crushed Tomatoes (4) – 28 oz cans

·          20 oz Chicken Broth

·          32 oz can Tomato Sauce

·          Diced Tomatoes (2)-32 oz cans

·          1.5 cups milk

·          ½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

·          6 Eggs

·          6 Slices White Bread

·          White Sugar

·          Oregano Leaves

·          Bay Leaf (2)

·          Salt & Pepper

·          Garlic Salt

·          Parsley Flakes

·          Flour

·          Dried Basil

·          Vegetable Oil & Olive Oil

·          Freezer Bags

Don't worry!  I recycle!!

·          *You may also want to go ahead and buy a couple of packages of spaghetti noodles & egg noodles to have on hand for when you thaw the sauces- I usually stock up when they are on sale & when I have coupons*

Of course, once you get everything home and you are ready to cook put it on the counter and admire what you are about to do!! =) 

I label everything with name, date and instructions BEFORE I start:

·          Mom’s Spaghetti (6 bags):  Thaw in Fridge or Sink, Heat & Serve over Noodles

·          Beef Stroganoff (6 bags):  Thaw in Fridge or Sink, Heat, Add 8 oz Sour Cream before serving over Egg Noodles

·          Tomato Marinara (7 bags):  Thaw in Fridge or Sink, Heat & Serve over Chicken Parmesan, Noodles OR make Baked Ziti.

Now it’s time to get started on the sauces!

1.      First, you want to assess your “pot” situation.  You will need (3) LARGE pots to make these sauces.  I only have (2) large pots so I actually ended up prepping the marinara in (1) large pot and then transferred it into my 3qt and 5qt crock pots to simmer while the spaghetti sauce & beef stroganoff occupied the pots on the stove.   Get  your pots/crockpots ready on the counter/stove.

2.      Prep the meat for the Beef Stroganoff:  Make sure the beef sirloin is cut into strips or tips and place in a large bowl.  Coat evenly with ¾ cup flour, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper.  Set aside.

3.      In Marinara Pot warm 2 tbsp olive iil.  In Beef Stroganoff Pot melt ¾ cup butter and in Spaghetti Pot warm 2 tbsp vegetable oil.  **MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT LET ANY OF THESE BURN!* Keep on LOW HEAT until you are ready to add onion.  (If you will be using crock pots like I did for the Marinara Sauce then hold off on Spaghetti instructions until Marinara is transferred to crock pots.)

4.      Next, chop all 7 onions- I have an onion chopper I used for this which made things a little easier.   You will want to distribute (3) of the chopped onions into the melted butter/Beef Stroganoff pot, (2) of the chopped onions into the Marinara pot and (2) of the chopped onions into the Spaghetti Pot.  Also, at this time add the beef tips coated in flour to the Beef Stroganoff pot.  Add (6)cloves garlic minced to the Marinara Pot.  Sauté all onions until translucent.  Sauté beef & onions in Beef Stroganoff pot until beef is cooked through.

5.      Once Onions are done it is time to assemble the sauces:

a.       Marinara Sauce Pot:

                                                   i.       Add 4- 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes

                                                 ii.       Add 20 oz chicken broth

                                               iii.       Add 32 oz tomato sauce

                                               iv.      Add 36 ounces tomato paste

                                                 v.      Add 3 tbsp oregano

                                               vi.      Add 3 tbsp basil

                                             vii.      Add 2 tsp salt

                                           viii.      Add ½ tsp pepper

                                               ix.      Add ½ cup sugar (or more to taste)

                                                 x.      Mix all together well and simmer for 1.5 hours OR transfer to crock pots at this time to simmer.

b.      Beef Stroganoff Pot:

                                                   i.      Add 4.5 cups beef broth

                                                 ii.      Add 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

                                               iii.      Add 2 tbsp yellow mustard

                                               iv.      Add 6 oz tomato paste

                                                 v.      Add 24 oz sliced mushrooms

                                               vi.      Mix all together well and simmer 1.5 hours  

c.       Spaghetti Pot:

                                                   i.      Add 36 oz tomato paste

                                                 ii.      Add 64 oz diced tomatoes

                                               iii.      Add 1 tbsp oregano leaves

                                               iv.      Add (2) bay leafs

                                                 v.      Add ½ cup sugar (or more to taste)

                                               vi.      Add 2 cups water

                                             vii.      Mix all together well and simmer 1.5 hours  *if it seems to thick, add more water*

6.      While Sauces are simmering, you will need to prep the “meat” part of the spaghetti sauce.  In a bowl mix the following ingredients together:

a.       2-2.5 pounds of ground beef

b.      1.5 cups milk

c.       1 tsp pepper

d.      ½ cup parmesan cheese

e.       6 eggs (beaten with fork)

f.         6 slices white bread torn into tiny pieces

g.       1 tsp garlic salt

h.      2 tsp parsley flakes

Brown the above ingredients in a skillet well.    Add to Spaghetti Sauce pot after sauce has simmered at least an hour- mix well and let simmer an additional 30 minutes.

Once all sauce has simmered for 1.5 hours- let cool before placing in bags.

Distribute sauces evenly amongst # of prepped bags.

I usually put them in the freezer stacked as flat as possible on top of each other for easy storing.

Here is how I typically serve my sauces:
Spaghetti Sauce:  Typically I just serve this over plain ole’ spaghetti noodles with salad & garlic bread.
Beef Stroganoff:   I serve this over egg noodles with some sort of bread.
Marinara Sauce:  I use this for all sorts of things!  You can make baked ziti with it, serve it plain over noodles, over frozen ravioli or manicotti and my favorite way to serve this is over chicken parmesan.

ENJOY!!!