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Summer Make-Ahead Meals

May 17, 2010 By

I love make-ahead meals! When the weather is warm, I cook outside on the grill as much as possible. This is where my frozen marinated meats come in handy. When chicken goes on sale, I marinate the chicken in freezer bags. You can freeze them for about 3 months. Here is my frozen (uncooked) Teriyaki Chicken. I usually defrost the frozen marinated meat in the refrigerator the day before I need it or defrost it in the microwave.

I also marinate steaks when the price is right. I even make some single serving frozen packages for my college son to take back to his dorm, so he can cook and enjoy some food from home. McCormick makes some tasty marinades. My family loves this Grill Mates pre-packaged seasonings.

If you’re looking for some quick meals to freeze, I suggest freezing your cooked taco meat, spaghetti sauce with meatballs, and sloppy joes. These meals can be defrosted in the microwave and are heated in less than 30 minutes for a quick meal that doesn’t heat up your kitchen. Taco meant, Spaghetti sauce with meatballs, and Sloppy joes are all found in my cookbook.

When ground beef goes on sale, freeze some hamburger patties to have on hand for a quick barbecue! They just take a few minutes to defrost in the microwave.

You don’t need to spend all day preparing these meals ahead. Find an hour here or there when it works for you. You’ll find that it saves you money, trips to the grocery store, and it’s healthier than fast food take-out meals.

Jane Doiron is the author of the cookbook Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms available at Amazon.com (also available for Kindle Download) and Barnesandnoble.com. Need a family-friendly recipe? Check out her blog Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms and see what’s cooking! I reviewed it and showed how to make her Tomato Bacon Mini Cups. She has some wonderful and useful tips!

Filed Under: Blog, Food Talk, Health, Recent Articles, Recipe Box Leave a Comment

Pizza Braid

April 1, 2010 By

Pizza braids are very kid-friendly, easy on the wallet and extremely simple to make. My aunt and cousin first introduced me to them and I’ve been hooked ever since. The possibilities are endless of the varieties you could make (check out the Apple Dessert Braid!), but the recipe below is for a very basic hamburger and pepperoni braid. You could make your own dough, but I prefer the shortcut of using Rhodes rise and bake dough. This is one of my favorite shortcuts to make a nice loaf of bread or use in recipes like this one.

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As I said, this is extremely basic. All you need is one Rhodes loaf (or however many you prefer), ground beef (if you’re baking one loaf it won’t hold any more than 1/2-3/4 lb), pepperoni, pizza sauce and your choice of cheese.

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The dough takes a few hours to rise, so I take it out in the morning and place a towel over it. Once it has risen, you spray a cookie sheet and press out the dough into a large rectangle.

Yes, yes the dough in that photo has not risen fully. If you are in a time-crunch the dough doesn’t have to rise all of the way, but it is easier to work with and the finished product will be fluffier if you let it rise for a few hours.

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Then you spread out the sauce, lay the meats down, followed by the cheese.

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Then with a pizza cutter, start cutting about 1 inch thick strips down the whole rectangle. You want to make the strips on each side the same size and make sure you have the same amount, like the first picture. Don’t get frustrated your first time, it takes a few times to get the braiding down.

Follow the pictures above. You take the first strip and pull it down to the second strip on the other side. You then take the first strip on the other side and do the same. Keep braiding all the way down and make sure to tuck in the ends or the sauce will spill out during baking.

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A few minutes before it’s done I brush with olive oil and sprinkle with oregano. I then bake at around 325 until golden brown.

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There are so many versions you can make of the pizza braid: Philly cheesesteak, spinach and mushroom, Parmesan chicken- almost anything! You can even make dessert braids like apple or cinnamon roll.

Check out some of our other delicious recipes!

Filed Under: Blog, Main Dishes, Recent Articles, Recipe Box 68 Comments

How To Make Your Own Rotisserie Chicken

February 7, 2010 By

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I usually buy Rotisserie chickens for quick meals, but once I learned of this recipe from the Slow Cooker recipe book, I was hooked. Not only does it save money, but it’s delicious. First, rinse the chicken and remove the neck and giblets (you can also buy the chicken with these already removed). Then you prepare the rub, all you need is:

1 broiler/fryer chicken (3.5-4 lbs)

2 Tbsp Paprika

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional!)

1 1/2 tsp onion powder

2 Tbsp garlic powder or 3 cloves garlic

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

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Place all of your ingredients in a small bowl and stir in water by the teaspoon until a paste forms. Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray and place the chicken in, breast side up. I hate the look and feel of raw chicken, but trust me- it will be good when it’s done!

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Coat the chicken inside and out with the paste. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours or on high 3.5-4.5 hours. Make sure the thickest part of the thigh registers at 180 degrees. Wow, how simple is that? You can use the leftover chicken to make a variety of recipes like Chicken and Gnocchi Soup, Quesadillas and Queso Pizza. I made Chicken and Dumplings tonight!

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Filed Under: Blog, Featured, Food Talk, Recipe Box 80 Comments
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