Mexican Chicken January 16, 2011

It really doesn’t get any easier than this. The last of my make ahead meals. The thing that took the longest (after the baking) was taking the meat off the bird. This is a fool proof meal that almost everyone will like. The recipe came from The Lady and Son’s, Too!  by Paula Deen.

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cheddar cheese soup
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (10-ounce) can Ro-Tel tomatoes
• 1 whole chicken, cooked, boned, and chopped or 4 cups leftover cooked chicken  (I bought a rotisserie chicken and shredded the meat)
• Unsalted butter, for greasing pan
• 1 (11 1/2-ounce) package flour tortillas
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 by-9-inch pan with the cooking spray.

In a large bowl, stir together the 3 kinds of soup and the tomatoes. Stir in the chicken.

Layer the tortillas and the chicken mixture in the pan, beginning and ending with tortillas. Sprinkle the cheese over the casserole and bake for 30 minutes.

The Lady’s Pork Stew January 14, 2011

This was another great make ahead meal. This freezes well and I love the fact that it uses turnips which I think are very underutilized. I got this recipe from Paula Deen’s The Lady and Sons, Too!

Ingredients:

• One 3-pound Boston butt roast, trimmed of exterior fat (I used a pork roast since the store didn’t have Boston Butt)
• 2 tablespoons Dale’s Steak Seasoning (I used a jar of steak seasoning I already had)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons The Lady’s House Seasoning
• 1 1/2 teaspoons The Lady’s Seasoned Salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 cups water
• 1 medium onion, cut into wedges
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
• 3 medium turnips, skin on, cut into wedges (my turnips were very waxy so I peeled them)
• 3 medium red potatoes, skin on, cut into wedges
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/3 cup cold water

Directions:

Rub the meat with the Dale’s Seasoning, House Seasoning, Seasoned Salt, and garlic salt–in that order. If time allows, let the roast sit for 1 hour at room temperature. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven. Cook the roast on all sides until browned. Add the 6 cups of water, the onion, and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove the meat from the pot and allow to cool. Cut the pork into chunks.

While meat is cooling, taste the stock and add salt and pepper, if necessary. Add the carrots, turnips, and potatoes to the Dutch oven and return to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and cook for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir the cornstarch into the 1/3 cup water. Pour this into the pot and stir until the liquid thickens. Return the pork to the pot and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes longer.

Baked Spaghetti January 12, 2011

This recipe takes a while to put together but it made my house smell like childhood. This recipe has you make sauce from scratch which is the best way to go in my opinion. I have fond memories of my moms recipe (which is a family secret). This Baked Spaghetti was part of my meal prep to be reheated phase and came from Paula Deen’s The Lady and Sons, Too!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups canned diced tomatoes
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced green bell peppers
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1.5 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1.5 tsp The Lady’s House Seasoning
• 1.5 tsp The Lady’s Seasoned Salt
• 1.5 tsp sugar
• 2 small bay leaves
• 1.5lb ground beef
• 8 oz uncooked angelhair pasta
• 1 cup grated cheddar
• 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:

To make the sauce, in a stockpot, combine the tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, onions, peppers, garlic, seasoning mixtures, sugar and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.

Crumble the ground beef in a saucepan. Cook until no pink remains, then drain off the fat. Add the ground beef to the stockpot. Simmer for another 20 minutes. While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta according to the package directions.

Cover the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan with sauce. Add a layer of pasta, then half of the cheese (I used all the cheddar on this layer); repeat the layers, ending with the sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Top with the remaining cheese (for me it was all the Monterey Jack), return to the over and continue to cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Cut into squares before serving.