Category: Freezer Friendly

Chunky Vegetable Beef Soup

Sometimes, nothing satisfies like a big pot of healthy soup simmering away on the stove! This recipe is delicious and comes together quickly, plus it makes enough for a small army. You can feed the army right away, and then eat on it for a few days, or freeze it up to 3 months. This is a Southern Living recipe from their Make Ahead Meals Special Collector’s Edition magazine. This is a big batch, so grab your biggest pots!

2 lbs. ground chuck
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp. table salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 (14 oz.) cans reduced-sodium beef broth, I just use regular beef broth
3 (29 oz.) cans mixed vegetables with potatoes, drained and rinsed
3 (14 1/2 oz.) cans diced new potatoes, drained and rinsed (from the pic, you can tell I missed the diced part. lol)
1 (15 oz.) can peas
2 (26 oz.) jars tomato, herbs, and spices pasta sauce
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can diced tomatoes wit sweet onion

Brown ground chuck and onion, in batches, in a large Dutch oven over medium-high, stirring 5-8 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain well, and return to Dutch oven. Stir in salt, black pepper, and beef broth; bring to a boil.

Stir in mixed vegetables and next 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer at least 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Garnish with a mix of shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses and chopped fresh basil.

Serves 8.

Texas-Style Chili

When it’s time to think about putting on a pot of homemade chili, this is the first one to enter my mind! This is Paula Deen’s recipe and it is the only one that I have truly enjoyed, that has beans in it. I’m normally a strict, Texas chili, and all chili for that matter, needs zero beans. Zip. Nada. NONE. No beans. BUT…..I love this concoction with them! Even though the name of this recipe kind of bothers me, since I firmly believe that Texas chili has no beans, who am I to change the name of one of Paula’s recipes?? Nope. Not me. Paula is the Queen! Regardless of the bean dilemma, this recipe is absolutely delicious!! It’s cold outside. Let’s make some!

3 pounds ground chuck
1 pound hot bulk sausage
3 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chili powder
2 T. all-purpose flour
1 T. sugar
1 T. dried oregano
1 tsp. salt
2 (28 oz.) cans whole tomatoes, chopped with kitchen shears inside the can, with their juice
3 (16 oz.) cans Bush’s hot chili beans, drained

Combine the ground chuck, sausage, onions, and garlic in a Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat until the meat is browned; stir the meat to break it up as it cooks. Drain off the pan drippings. Stir in chili powder, flour, sugar, oregano, and salt, and mix well. (Here I add a little liquid of some sort. The recipe doesn’t call for it, but it makes me nervous to cook it like that for very long, for fear of some major scalding. Not that it would, it’s just something I’m not willing to try. Ha. So, a little red wine, juice from the canned beans, water, or beef broth are some suggestions, if you feel it needs some liquid too.)

Cover, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes and beans, and simmer for 20 minutes longer. Adjust seasonings and serve with crackers, chopped green onions, and cheese.

*I like to add salt to the meat while it is cooking even if the recipe doesn’t call for it. I feel like it gives meat the best flavor, at the best time, rather than salting afterwards.
Also, the left over chili is great for topping baked potatoes, french fries, tater tots, fritos, and even corn casseroles.

Makes about 5 Quarts

COOKING THE BOOKS, YA’LL!

Fresh Strawberry Cake

This strawberry cake is the birthday cake that Fallon requests on her special day. It is so hard for me to believe that yesterday, she turned 11! Pretty in pink, both Fallon and this cake, are layered with sweet surprises and sure to bring smiles. This is the Triple-Decker Strawberry Cake from Southern Living’s 2004 Annual Recipes Cookbook. It keeps best in the refrigerator.

1 (18.25 oz.) pkg. white cake mix
1 (3 oz.) pkg. strawberry gelatin
4 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 milk
Strawberry Butter Cream Frosting, recipe below
Garnish: whole strawberries

Beat first 8 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute. Scrape down sides, and beat at medium speed 2 more minutes, stopping to scrape down sides, if needed. (Chopped strawberries should be well blended into batter.)

Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch cake pans. (I line the bottoms with parchment and spray with Baker’s Joy cooking spray.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 23 minutes or until cakes spring back when lightly pressed with a finger. Rotate your pans, halfway through cooking time.

Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Spread Strawberry Buttercream Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Store in refrigerator. Garnish if desired. Makes 16 servings.

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter, softened
2 (16 oz.) packages powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer 20 seconds or until fluffy. Add sugar and strawberries; beat at low speed until creamy. (Add more sugar if frosting is too thin, or add strawberries if too thick.) Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Cranberry Pecan Cookies

This recipe is from Louise Hawkins of Lubbock, Texas. She’s just 60 miles away from me. I don’t know Louise, but she shared a recipe with Taste of Home magazine and I am so glad she did! You will be too. These start with prepared sugar cookie dough. Boom! 2/3 of the battle won and done!

1 tube (16-1/2 oz.) refrigerated sugar cookie dough, softened
1 cup chopped pecans
2/3 cup vanilla or white chips
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp. vanilla

In a large bowl, combine the cookie dough, pecans, chips, cranberries and vanilla. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. (Y’all know how I feel about ungreased baking sheets. As my mama says, Pam your pan.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wired racks. Store in an airtight container.
Yield: about 3 1/2 dozen.

Cheesy Sausage Manicotti

This Italian dish is a nice warm bowl of comfort in my book. The cheese is gooey, the sauce is creamy, and the sausage just makes it! Serve it with a salad and garlic toast. Yum! This recipe was adapted from The All New Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook.

1 (8 oz.) pkg. uncooked Manicotti
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes with garlic, oregano, and basil
2-3 T. heavy cream
1 pound Italian sausage (I like to use Owen’s breakfast sausage in case some don’t like the fennel flavor in Italian sausage….turns out good!)
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
4 cups (16 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley (no substitutions, just leave it out if you can’t find any.)

Cook pasta according to package directions; rinse with cold water. Drain. (I lay out sheets of foil on my counter to place the cooked pasta on to keep them separated. In my mind, it helps with them not sticking together.)

Process tomato sauce, tomatoes, and heavy cream in a blender 20 seconds or until smooth. Set aside.

Remove and discard casings from sausage if you are using Italian. Cook sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Stir in cream cheese, ricotta cheese, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley, if using.

Spoon into manicotti shells; arrange stuffed shells in a lightly greased 13 by 9 inch baking dish.

Pour tomato mixture over shells; sprinkle with remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

NOTE: Assemble casserole and freeze up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight; bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. If you prefer use 2 (11 by 7 inch) baking dishes. Proceed as directed.

*This is a good dish to take to a friend in need, as well. Just add some garlic bread, a bag Caesar salad kit, and Key Lime Pie.


COOKING THE BOOKS, YA’LL!