Recipes

These recipes are for you to make with five other friends for SIX families. Enjoy!

1. Rio Rancho Taco Meat

For tacos, burritos, taco salad, or nachos

6 med. onions, diced

9 lbs. ground beef

6 cups of mild or medium salsa

6 packages of taco seasoning

3T brown sugar

6 cans of diced green chiles

8 cloves fresh, minced garlic

1T salt

1 1/2 t pepper

1 1/2 t ground red pepper

4 1/2 cups water

Cooking day instructions: Brown onion and ground beef until no longer pink. Drain any excess grease. Add salsa, taco seasoning, brown sugar, green chiles, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper. Stir until mixed well. If you like your meat hotter, add more ground red pepper to taste. Add the water and simmer on low for 30 - 45 minutes until mixture has thickened and spices have had time to blend. If meat mixture is too thick, add more water and adjust seasonings. Cool. Freeze in meal-size portions, using freezer bag method.

Serving day instructions: Thaw meat or defrost in microwave. Heat through and serve in taco shells or soft, warm tortillas. Top with cheese, lettuce, sour cream, or any of your favorite toppings.

2. Honey Pecan Chicken

36 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Marinade ~

3 cups of olive oil

1/4 cup fresh thyme, minced

18 cloves garlic, minced

1T salt

1/1/2 t pepper

Honey cream sauce ~

3/4 cup butter

1/3 cup shallots, minced

6 cups orange juice

1 1/2 cups whiskey

6 cups whipping cream

3/4 cup honey

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 1/2 t salt

3/4 t pepper

Serving day ~

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1/4 cup flour

Olive oil

Cooking day instructions: For the chicken - mix olive oil, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper. Place chicken breast in freezer bags, then pour olive oil mixture over chicken breasts. Freeze.

For the sauce - melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Saute shallots in butter until tender. Add orange juice and whiskey over medium heat, and continue cooking until liquid is reduced by one half. Add cream. Continue cooking until slightly thickened. Add honey, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Cool. Freeze separately.

Serving day instructions: Thaw chicken breasts and cream sauce. Mix chopped pecans and flour together. Dredge chicken breasts in flour mixture. Heat a small amount of olive oil in large skillet. Pan fry chicken breasts until golden brown and cooked through. Heat sauce over low heat until warm; do not boil.

To serve, place chicken on individual serving dishes and pour cream sauce over chicken breasts.

3. Lasagna

3 (48 oz.) containers of cottage cheese

12 eggs, lightly beaten

9 cups of Parmesan cheese

39 cups basic red sauce

54 lasagna noodles, UNCOOKED

6 lbs. lean ground beef, cooked and drained

24 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Cooking day instructions: Combine cottage cheese, eggs, and 6 cups of the Parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Lay 6 baking dishes before you and spread 1 1/2 cups red sauce in the bottom of each. Assemble lasagnas in layers in the following order:

Layer one ~

3 uncooked noodles

2 cups red sauce

1 cups cooked ground beef

1 1/2 cups cottage cheese mixture

1 cup mozzarella

Layer two ~

3 uncooked noodles

2 cups red sauce

1 cup cooked ground beef or whatever remains

1 1/2 cups cottage cheese mixture or whatever remains

1 cup mozarella

Layer three ~

3 uncooked noodles

2 cups red sauce or whatever remains

2 cups mozzarella

1/2 cup Parmesan

Wrap each dish entirely in plastic wrap and foil. Freeze.

Serving day instructions: Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove plastic wrap and foil. Cover with new foil, and bake for one hour.

The recipe books Elli bought...

1. Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer...Part 1 and Part 2

2. Fix, Freeze, Feast

You can buy them all on Amazon for about $30. Good luck!

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Philippians 4:8