Freezer Cooking #2

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My Freezer

CHECK OUT FREEZER COOKING #3 "Sauce-A-Palooza!"


Since my last “Freezer Cooking” post I have learned a few things:

1.      All vegetables taste the same in the crock-pot.

2.      I am NOT a fan of potatoes in the crock-pot, no matter what the sauce!

3.      It ROCKS having 10+ meals in the freezer at all times-it makes life so much simpler!

4.      I will never post the “procedure” again without having the actual result first.  A couple of the meals in the First Freezer Cooking post turned out to be incredibly BLAND once I cooked them which was AFTER I had posted the method.   I like my food with a lot of flavor—and some of the recipes were lacking pizzazz!

5.      I got a FoodSaver as a gift, and I am not sure how I ever lived without it!  Everyone should get a FoodSaver… NOW!

6.      My freezer always looks like a work of art. =)

For Round 2 of Freezer Cooking most of the recipes DO NOT contain vegetables or potatoes.  I have decided that I prefer to cook a quick vegetable and starch to go with the freezer meal instead of cooking them all together.  By all means, if you prefer to throw your veggies in the crock-pot, you can add almost anything to these recipes and it will be good, carrots, onions, peppers etc… Just my own personal preference to leave vegetables OUT of the crock-pot this go-around.    I also included some recipes that are not “crock-pot” recipes but are easy to bake in the oven when you get home from work.

I will also point out that I have adapted all the recipes/bags to be for “2 servings” (except for the Chicken Pot Pie)  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 adapt the quantities for 4.  (For Example:  My instructions for the Sesame Chicken: you will need to have (2) bags and put (2) chicken breasts in each bag & divide the given sauce recipe evenly between the two bags.  If you are freezer cooking for (4) people, you will want to DOUBLE the Sauce Recipe and you will want to place (4) Chicken Breasts in each bag)  If you decide to make each bag (4) servings you will need to increase the amount of meat you buy and increase the sauce recipes accordingly.

Also, I will be using my FoodSaver system to seal/store all of the meals.  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).   You will also need (3) foil round pie pans.

Here is the menu for Freezer Cooking Round 2:

·         Chicken Pot Pie (3) *this is 4-6 servings PER PIE (Thanks Amanda Hughes!)

·         ShreddedPork BBQ (3)

·         Chicken with Honey Sauce (2)

·         Oh So Easy Pork Chops (2)

·         Sesame Chicken (2)

·         Marinated & Baked Pork Chops (4)

·         Marinated Steak (2)

·         Twice Baked Potatoes (approx  24)

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 (3)

·         Package of Celery (6 stalks)

·         Package of Carrots (6 stalks)

·         1 Garlic Pod

·         5 Ib bag Russet Potatoes (I usually try to get a bag with larger potatoes)

Meat:

·         3-4 Ib Boston Butt

·         16 Chicken Breasts (I usually buy the HT Value Packs)

·         16 Pork Chops (You can get Bone-In or Boneless)

·         (4) Grilling Steaks – your choice

Grocery:

·         Worcestershire Sauce

·         Ketchup

·         Honey

·         Tabasco Sauce/Texas Pete

·         White Vinegar

·         Dijon Mustard

·         Fruit Preserves (Strawberry, Raspberry, Orange, Apricot)

·         (3) 14 oz cans Green Peas

·         (3) 10 oz cans Cream of Chicken

·         42 oz Chicken Broth

·         Soy Sauce

·         Teriyaki Sauce

·         Vegetable Oil

·         Olive Oil

·         Brown Sugar

·         White Sugar

·         Garlic Powder

·         Ground Ginger

·         Sesame Seeds

·         Lemon Juice

·         Dried Basil

·         Dried Parsley

·         Ground White Pepper

·         Salt & Pepper

·         Red Pepper Flakes

·         Sour Cream

·         Butter

·         Shredded Cheese (Cheddar or White Cheddar)

·         (3) Boxes Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts (near cookie dough/crescent rolls)

·         Quart Freezer Bags

·         (3) Foil Round Pie Pans

Of course, once you get everyone 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 Pot Pie (3):  350 Degrees, 45 Minutes  *you won’t be able to label this until you assemble it and write on the plastic wrap.

·         Shredded Pork BBQ (3 bags):  Thaw in fridge or Microwave, Heat & Serve

·         Chicken with Honey Sauce (2 bags):  Low 6-8Hrs/High 3-4 Hrs  Serve over Rice

·         Oh So Easy Pork Chops (2 bags):  Low 6-8Hrs/High 3-4 Hrs

·         Sesame Chicken (2 bags):  Low 6-8Hrs/High 3-4 Hrs Serve over Rice

·         Marinated & Baked Pork Chops (4 bags):  Thaw in Fridge Overnight.  350 degrees 30min/flip/15min 

·         Marinated Steak (2 bags):  Grill (time depends on cut of steak)

·         Twice Baked Potatoes (approx 12 bags):  From Frozen State:  400 degrees 25 minutes  # of bags will depend on # of potatoes in your 5Ib bag

First, we are going to get the BBQ Going.

*its takes about 10-12 hours for your Boston Butt to cook so depending on what time you start it, make sure it will “end” at a time you will be home so you can finish the recipe… If you start your freezer cooking at 9am- then your Boston butt will be ready around 7pm so be prepared to finish it =)

·         Trim your Boston Butt and cut away any excess fat (you want to leave a little bit of fat though because this is what makes it so tender while slow cooking!)

·         Place Boston Butt in crock-pot (on occasion I have to cut it in half to fit)

·         Mix together (2)Tbsp Sugar, (1)Tbsp Salt and (1) Cup White Vinegar.  Pour mixture over Boston Butt.

·         Cook on Low Heat 10-12 hours.

·         Once it is done, remove meat from crock-pot and shred with two forks removing any excess fat.  Place Meat in large bowl/container.

·         Mix together ½ Cup Ketchup, 1Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce, Texas Pete and 8 Tbsp Broth from Crock-pot.  (I also sprinkle some red pepper flakes in if I feel like it).  Dump sauce over shredded pork and mix well.

·         Divide Pork Evenly Among (3) Quart Sized Freezer Bags.  Make sure they are labeled “BBQ Pork, Today’s Date and Thaw & Heat”.

·         The pork is easy to remove from the freezer and thaw on demand in the microwave.  Serve on a bun with Chik Fil A Slaw recipe.

Second, we are going to simultaneously tackle the Chicken Pot Pies & Twice Baked Potatoes:

·         Preheat Oven to 400 degrees

·         Wash & Trim ALL the Chicken Breasts.  Put (6) Breasts in a pot of water on the stove and cook on med-medhigh heat for about 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Put all other uncooked chicken in the fridge until later.

·         While the Chicken is cooking…Wash ALL potatoes out of 5IB bag.  Set aside (3) of the smallest ones to use later.  Place the rest of the potatoes directly on the oven rack and bake 30 minutes.  Remove Potatoes and stab each a couple times with a fork- place back in oven for additional 30 minutes.

·         Next, chop vegetables for chicken pot pie:  (3) Onions, (6) Carrots, (6) Celery Stalks and (3) Small Potatoes.  Put aside 1/8 cup chopped onion for another recipe.  Melt (4) tablespoons butter in large sauce pot and add all chopped vegetables EXCEPT potatoes.

Chicken Pot Pie all wrapped up

·         While the veggies are sautéing, shred the cooked chicken breast with two forks and set aside.   Add Chicken Broth (42oz) & diced Potato to pot with sautéed veggies after about 5 minutes and let simmer over med-med high heat until reduced by half.

·         Remove pre-made pie crust from fridge.  It will need to sit for (10) minutes before placing in round foil pans.

·         At this point your baked potatoes should be ready to come out of the oven—set aside to cool.

·         After the Chicken Broth has reduced by half with the veggies- stir in shredded chicken, 3 cans peas and 3 cans cream of chicken.

·         Line each of the (3) foil round pans with a pie crust.  Evenly distribute chicken/veg mixture into each pie pan.  Top each with remaining pie crust.  Pinch sides of each together using your fingers or a fork.  Cut 2-3 vents in the top using a sharp knife.  WRAP WELL with plastic wrap.  Using a permanent market- write on each one “Chicken Pot Pie, the date and 350 degrees 45 minutes” *or until golden and bubbly.  Place in Freezer.

·         Twice Baked Potatoes:        

o   Using an oven mitt or towel, hold the potatoes in your hand and one at a time cut them lengthwise in half.  Scoop “potato” out of the center and put into a large mixing bowl.  You should leave enough potato around the edge so it keeps it shape and looks like a canoe. 

Potatoes on a Cookie Sheet Freezing

o   Once all of the potatoes have been halved and “scooped”, add Butter (approx ½ stick or heaping scoop of spreadable), shredded cheese (2 handfuls) and 2-3 heaping scoops of sour cream into the large mixing bowl with the potato insides.  I also usually add some salt, pepper and if I’m feeling risqué a little garlic or onion powder!  Using a hand mixer, mix the ingredients well.  Taste the filling to see if you like it.  Add more ingredients if you think it needs more..

o   Once the filling meets your approval re-scoop it into the potato shells.  I find it easiest to line the potatoes up on a cookie sheet that will fit in my freezer as I am re-filling them.

Potatoes Portioned

o   Once all of the potatoes are re-filled, pop the cookie sheet into the freezer for 1.5-2 hours or until the potatoes are hardened.

o   Now, portion out your potatoes in freezer bags.  I usually only put “2” per bag since there is only 2 of us eating in the house… but you may want to put “4” depending on your family size.  On each bag write “Twice Baked Potatoes, today’s date and 400 degrees 20-25 minutes”

VOILA!  The hardest part is over I PROMISE!!

Next, we will assemble the rest of the meals.

The easiest way to do this is to get (4) Bowls in a row to mix up the sauces that will go in each bag/on each meat.  I placed my freezer bags that were pre-labeled behind each bowl so I wouldn’t get confused which sauce was which.

Bowl #1 Chicken with Honey Sauce

·         1 cup honey

·         1/2 cup soy sauce

·         1/8 cup chopped onion (that you set aside earlier)

·         1/4 cup ketchup

·         2 Tbs. vegetable oil

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes *if you don’t like heat, don’t add these

Bowl #2 Oh So Easy Pork Chop Sauce

·         1 1/2 cup fruit preserves of your choice

·         1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

2 tsp dried ginger

·         ¼ cup Dijon mustard (I have also used honey Dijon when I was out of Dijon)

Bowl #3 Marinated & Baked Pork Chop Sauce

·         ¼ cup Soy Sauce

·         ¼ cup Vegetable Oil

·         ¼ cup Worcestershire Sauce

·         4 tsp lemon juice

·         ½ cup Brown Sugar

·         ½ cup Ketchup

Bowl #4 Sesame Chicken Sauce

·         1 cup soy sauce

·         2/3 cup brown sugar

·         1/2 tsp. garlic powder

·         1/2 tsp. ground ginger

·         2 Tbsp. ketchup

·         2 Tbsp. sesame seeds (you can toast if you want.. I am lazy so I don’t)

Now that all your sauces are prepped, take your meat out of the fridge and distribute into freezer bags with sauces as noted below:

Chicken with Honey Sauce:

(2) Quart Bags w/2 Servings Each

Place (2) Whole Chicken Breasts in Each Bag and cover evenly with matching sauce.

Toss & Knead Bag so Chicken gets covered evenly in sauce.

Flatten Bag & Freeze.

Sesame Chicken:

(2) Quart Bags w/2 Servings Each

Place (2) Whole Chicken Breasts in Each Bag and cover evenly with matching sauce.

Toss & Knead Bag so Chicken gets covered evenly in sauce.

Flatten Bag & Freeze.

Oh So Easy Pork Chops:

(2) Bags with 2 Servings each

Place (3) Pork Chops in Each Bag and cover evenly with matching sauce.

Toss & Knead Bag so Pork Chops get covered evenly.

Flatten Bag & Freeze.

Marinated & Baked Pork Chops:

(4) Bags with 2 Servings Each

Place (2) Pork Chops in 2 bags and (3) Pork Chops in 2 Bags.

Cover evenly with matching Sauce

Toss & Knead Bag so Pork Chops get Covered Evenly.

Flatten Bag & Freeze

LAST ONE:

Steak Marinade:

In a blender (I used my Magic Bullet) combine the following:

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons dried basil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon texas pete or tabasco
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

(2) Bags/2 servings in each

Put (2) Steaks in Each Bag

Cover evenly with marinade.

Toss & Knead Bags to coat Steak with Marinade.

Flatten & Freeze

*Grill (time depends on cut of steak you marinated)

Make sure when you place all of your meals in the freezer you “flatten” them so the stack well!

And VOILA!  You are DONE!  You just made 18 meals and a bunch of twice baked potatoes!!!  Congratulations!

  

We typically have rice or a twice baked potato with every meal for the starch. 

Since most of these meals did not include a Vegetable... here are some of my Easy "Go-To" Vegetable Recipe Links to make with your meals... I am a huge fan of "Steamfresh" vegetables too.. SHHhhh don't tell anyone!

Green Beans with Caramelized Onions

Roasted Cauliflower

Roasted Carrots

Let me know what you think of freezer cooking #2!

Enjoy,

Melissa =)

CHECK OUT FREEZER COOKING #3 "Sauce-A-Palooza!"

   

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies- Perfect Valentine's Day Dessert!

Looking for a decadent dessert to make for your huny on Valentine's Day?  Look no further!   This dessert is easy and delicious!  I found the recipe on pinterest (of course) from Sweet Peas Kitchen .

I left the page up on my computer because I was trying to decide what dessert to make and the hubs saw the photo and said MAKE THAT!

Here is my version, I tweaked the recipe just a tad bit from Sweet Peas Kitchen because I LOVE chocolate and wanted them a bit more chocolatey.



Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Brownie Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter (I used salted-that's all I had)
• 1/2 bag of dark chocolate morsels (about 5 oz)
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp red food coloring
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt

Cheesecake Ingredients:

• 8 oz Cream Cheese Softened
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup sugar

Preheat Oven to 350.   Prepare an 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper-greased.  

Brownie Prep:  Melt Butter & Dark Chocolate in Small Bowl in Microwave.  Stir until smooth and set aside.

In a Medium sized Bowl, whisk together Sugar, Eggs, Vanilla and Red Food Coloring.  Add Chocolate Mixture- stir until smooth.  Add Flour & Salt and stir until smooth.  Put Brownie Mixture in prepared 8 x 8 pan.

Cheesecake Prep:  Beat cream cheese, vanilla, egg and sugar until smooth.  Put spoonfuls of mixture over brownie batter.  Use a knife- swirl the cheesecake mixture into the brownie mixture.

Bake in oven 35-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.   Let cool and then lift parchment out and cut them into squares.

Make sure you keep them refrigerated!

Crock-pot Chicken Noodle Soup (for a freezing cold day!)

Last night the wind sounded like it was literally going to break a window!  It was sooo windy, and when we woke up this morning it was 23 degrees out!   Nothing "warms" you up like Chicken Noodle Soup and luckily, I had ALL the ingredients in my fridge!  I still had some carrots & celery leftover from our Super Bowl Party and I had some chicken breast in the freezer from when HT had them B1G2..

If you woke up to freezing temperatures and have the ingredients in your fridge, throw them all in your crock-pot so you have a delicious WARM soup to eat later after enduring the frigid cold all day!

Crock-Pot Chicken Noodle Soup (My Way)
*I don't measure anything.. so I tried to put approximates!*

Ingredients:

• Chicken-uncooked (whatever you have- I had 3 breasts in the freezer I am using)
• 4 Stalks of Celery chopped
• 4 Carrots peeled & chopped
• 1 Sweet Onion Chopped
• Parsley (approx 1/4 cup)
• Basil (approx 1 tsp)
• Seasoned Salt (approx 1tsp)
• Salt (approx 1 tsp depending on how salty you like it)
• Pepper (approx 1/4 tsp)
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 4 Cups Water
• 4 Cups Chicken Broth (I use reduced sodium)
• 1/2 bag of Egg Noodles

Throw all of the above in your 4-5qt crockpot and cook on Low 8hrs.   Shred Chicken and if you used bone-in chicken, remove any bones.  Add noodles and cook another hour on Low.  Enjoy!

*If you don't have egg noodles you can also use Rice and make it Chicken & Rice Soup!  Depending on the type of rice... you may only have to cook it 30 additional minutes.

*Note:  I threw my Chicken Breast in the crock-pot Frozen--  it will cook just fine from that state =)

Sweet & Spicy Pork Tenderloin!

My husband rarely ever "suggests" recipes for the Test Kitchen... but last week he sent me the link to a Pork Tenderloin Recipe from "In The Kitchen With Ken". You can get the full recipe here: Sweet & Spicy Pork Tenderloin

I stocked up on B1G1 Pork Tenderloin at Harris Teeter last week so it was PERFECT timing on my hubby's part to request a meal that I only needed to head to the store to get ONE ingredient for (Apples!).

I was not too sure about the mix of spices I was dumping in my bowl: cumin, ginger, thyme, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, onion powder, paprika AND cocoa powder.... but since the hubs requested it, I followed the recipe to a "T" instead of "doctoring it up" like I typically like to do. It is rare I make a recipe that lacks balsamic vinegar and sugar but this was worth a try!

After I finished mixing up the spices for the "rub" I realized that at the bottom of the ingredient list it said 1 cup honey.... HMmmm Honey? What am I supposed to do with that? The recipe said that it was a "rub" for pork which typically would have been a dry rub with the spices... and the only other instructions were to cut up (5) apples into wedges to place around the pork in the 9 x 13 pan... So the only place the honey made sense to me was to add it to the spices and make it a goo-ey rub!

The "goo-ey" rub didn't want to go on the tenderloin very easy so I did the best I could coating the apples & pork with the spice/honey mixture.

I then popped it in the oven un-covered for 2.5 hours @ 275 degrees.

Result: This was a SUPER EASY & Quick Recipe to assemble and the end result was DELICIOUS! The Pork was so tender and although I was a bit skeptical about the spices in the rub, the taste was phenomenal! This recipe will definitely be a keeper!

I think next time I make this recipe I will adapt it to my "freezer cooking" since it made (2) whole tenderloins- it is enough for (3) meals for my husband and I! We are having it for dinner again tonight because there is a whole tenderloin left!

To do this I will: Split the recipe between (2) food-saver bags; One "rubbed" tenderloin in each and split the (5) sliced gala apples between the (2) bags. I will then vacuum pack them to seal them up and pop them in the freezer to eat later! When I am ready to make them, I will take out of the freezer about 36 hours in advance to allow plenty of thaw-time and then pour into a pan and bake as normal.

I served mine with Lima Beans (yuck! anyone have a recipe for these they are willing to share??) and Twice Baked Potatoes.

Thanks Ken for the amazing recipe!

Easy CrockPot Pork Chops

This is one of my new go-to freezer cooking recipes! SO EASY and SO GOOD!

Oh-So Easy Crock-pot Pork Chops

Ingredients:

• 4 Pork Chops
• 2/3 Cup Apricot Preserves
• 1/2 Cup Teriyaki Sauce
• 1 tsp dried ginger
• 2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

Directions:

Load the pork chops in your slow cooker.  (If your slow cooker is LARGE, you can put a smaller ovensafe dish in your cooker to put the chops in for more even cooking)

Mix together the 4 ingredients and pour over chops. Cover and cook on low 6 hours.

To "Freezer Cook": I places the chops in a freezer bag along with the sauce. Freeze. Remove from freezer the night before you will be placing in crock-pot. Follow cooking directions.

Serve with Rice and use extra sauce over rice.

Enjoy!

New Years Eve Appetizers!

Mom & Dad came down from Raleigh to celebrate Christmas & New Year's with us!

I had a couple of new recipes I wanted to try out on them... and they all turned out very well!

Here they are!

Creamy Black Bean & Corn Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1-1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed (I used white shoe peg)
• 1 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
• 3/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• Tortilla chips

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, peppers, onion and parsley. Combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar and seasonings; pour over corn mixture and toss gently to coat. Serve with tortilla chips. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes about (4) Cups.

Italian Sausage Puffs

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of a 17.3oz package puff pastry (1 sheet) thawed
• 1/2 Pound Italian Sausage (sweet, hot or mild)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 12x9-inch rectangle. Cut lengthwise into 3 (3-inch) strips.
3. Divide the sausage into thirds. Shape each into a cylinder the same length as the pastry. Place 1 piece sausage on the long edge of each pastry rectangle. Roll up the pastry around the sausage and press the seams and pinch the edges to seal.
4. Cut each roll into 12 (1-inch) slices, making 36 in all. Place the slices, cut-side down, onto a baking sheet.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown and the sausage is cooked through. Remove the pastries from the baking sheet and let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes.

**I made these ahead of time and after step (3) I placed the three rolls into the freezer for 1 hour. I took the rolls out and cut each into 12 slices, placing them back on the original tray I froze them another hour. I think took them out and packed them in freezer bags in sets of 12. When we were ready to eat them I baked them at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Mushroom Puffs

Ingredients:

• 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened*
• 1 (8-oz.) can mushroom pieces and stems, drained and chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 large egg
• 1 (17.3-oz.) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
• Parchment paper
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. 1. Beat cream cheese at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until smooth. Stir in mushrooms and next 4 ingredients. Cover and chill 1 to 24 hours.
2. 2. Preheat oven to 400°. Whisk together egg and 1 Tbsp. water in a small bowl. Roll 1 puff pastry sheet into a 16- x 10-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Cut pastry in half lengthwise. Spread 1/2 cup cream cheese mixture down center of each rectangle; brush edges with egg mixture. Fold each pastry half lengthwise over filling, and pinch edges to seal. Cut pastries into 10 pieces each, and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat procedure with remaining puff pastry sheet, egg mixture, and cream cheese mixture.
3. 3. Brush remaining egg mixture over tops of pastry pieces; sprinkle with pepper.
4. 4. Bake at 400° for 20 to 25 minutes or until browned. Serve immediately.
5. *I also made these ahead, like the sausage puffs. I made the rolls, and then froze them (1) hour before slicing. After slicing, I put them back in the freezer an hour before putting in freezer bags. Straight from the freezer bake at 400 degrees 20-25 minutes.

Spinach Dip en Phyllo

*I made this recipe up because I had a "vision" for what I wanted but couldn't "find" anything similar, I didn't measure anything... sorry for all the approximates!

Ingredients

• Phyllo Pastry Sheets (thawed) approx 8
• 1 Box Frozen Chopped Spinach (about 10 oz) thawed & water squeezed out of it
• Approx 1/3 Cup Onion Chopped
• (1) Clove Garlic Minced
• Approx. 5 oz Cream Cheese (softened)
• Approx. 1/4 cup sour cream (I used light)
• approx 4 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese
• Red Pepper Flakes (approx 1 tsp)
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray Miniature Muffin Pan cups lightly with cooking spray.

Sauté Onion & Garlic in some olive oil until golden brown.

While Sautéing Onion & Garlic, combine spinach, cream cheese, sour cream, parmesan cheese, red pepper, salt and pepper in large bowl. Add Onion & Garlic when done. Mix all together well. ( I used a fork to shred the spinach more as I was mixing). Transfer cream cheese/spinach mixture to Ziploc bag and cut a medium sized hole in one corner (to pipe out of).

Un-roll thawed Phyllo Sheets (do not take out of fridge until you are ready to work with them.) (I put plastic wrap down on the counter to lay the sheets on as I worked). Lay one Phyllo Sheet on prep surface and spray with vegetable oil. Lay another sheet on top and spray with veg oil. Repeat (2) more times so you have (4) total layers. Next, I used a pizza cutter and cut the stacked sheets into 12 equal squares. Place square stack of (4) sheets in each muffin cup and press down. (I actually took the top two sheets from each stack and offset them before I put them in the tins so they would have more points when they cooked). Repeat above to make a second stack of phyllo sheets and 12 more stacks to finish the muffin tin.

Pipe the cream cheese/spinach mixture into each phyllo cup evenly.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until phyllo is golden brown.

Marinated Cheese

Ingredients

• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 dash salt ( to taste)
• 1 dash black pepper ( to taste)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 (2 ounce) jars diced pimentos, drained
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons minced green onions
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed

Directions

1. Cut cheddar cheese and cream cheese into 1/4 inch slices, then again in half.
2. Using a small dish, place cheese slices on end alternating cheddar and cream cheese.
3. Make the marinade by combining sugar, basil, salt, pepper, oil, vinegar, pimento, parsley, onion and garlic.
4. Pour marinade over cheese, cover and refrigerate overnight.
5. Serve with crackers.
   **I also added Vermont White Cheddar Cheese into the recipe- I used about 4 oz of the White Cheddar and 6oz regular Cheddar.