January Meal Exchange

I am giving everyone ONE more day to sign up for January's meal exchange. I sent an email out to all of the ladies that are on our blog but haven't signed up this month. Check back Thursday morning for the official list for the January exchange.

January Menu

Please post your meal for January here.

Nanci - Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Lisa - Slow Cooker Southwest Chicken Stacks

Savanna - Cheesy Ham and Potatoes
Lesa - Spaghetti
Natalie - Ravioli Casserole
Erika-White Bean Chicken Chili
Auburn - Cranberry Chicken
Brandie--Hawaiian Chicken
Bobbi-Cheesy Chicken

APRICOT CHICKEN

I used frozen chicken breast that are really big. I didn't want to thaw then re-freeze so you might want to cut them in half before you cook them.

Ingredients

1 Pkg. Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 Jar Apricot Jam
1 Bottle Russian Dressing
6 Chicken breasts

Directions

Mix everything together and pour over chicken.
350 covered for 45 min.
Sever with rice or baked potatoes

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 6
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 462.7

• Total Fat: 21.1 g
• Cholesterol: 18.8 mg
• Sodium: 496.0 mg
• Total Carbs: 63.5 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.0 g
• Protein: 5.6 g

Egg Rolls

This recipe is for 1 package of egg roll wrappers which is about 20 eggrolls.

Sorry, this recipe is really approximate. 

I just add stuff until it tastes yummy, but hopefully you'll get the jist.

1 pound groud beef, turkey, pork (I used ground beef for this exchange)

3-4 tsp. ginger root (you can buy a jar that's already chopped if you're afraid of the root...lol)

1-2 tsp. garlic

1/2-3/4 C. ALOHA Shoyu (you can find in Asian section...this is really THE BEST soysauce)

3 TBS. brown sugar

1 bag coleslaw

1 package eggroll wrappers

1 egg for sealing wrappers

oil for frying

Brown meat in skillet, I usually season with season salt and salt and pepper.  Add ginger root that has been peeled and chopped/ground to meat.  Add garlic that has been pressed/finely chopped.  Add soysauce and brown sugar, if it tastes too salty, then add a little more shoyu. 

 Add coleslaw to meat and cook until wilted a little. 

 Drain.

Add meat to eggrolls and roll.  I brush edges with egg to stick.  I usually add one heaping TBS or a little more, you don't want your eggrolls to be too full.  Heat oil to 350 and fry until golden brown.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

This is super easy, but our favorite.

1 jar of La Choy sweet and sour sauce.  Pour into pan or microwave bowl, add some sugar, a few tablespoons or more and heat. 

Enjoy with eggrolls.

Hope that this recipe makes sense.

You can eat right away or refridgerate and then freeze in a single layer.  When recooking, place on cookie sheet and bake at 400 for about 10 minutes or until heated.  You could also refry if wanted.  Microwave works ok, but they are a little more soggy when cooked in microwave.

12 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		302.3
Total Fat		11.1 g
	Saturated Fat	3.6 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	2.1 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	4.0 g
Cholesterol		34.3 mg
Sodium		745.7 mg
Potassium		211.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate		37.8 g
	Dietary Fiber	1.1 g
	Sugars	3.0 g
Protein		12.8 g

Another Successful Exchange!

Yet again, another successful meal exchange has taken place. Thank you to everyone that made it successful. If you haven't already, please don't forget to add your nutritional information and recipe as a seperate post.

In looking ahead, we will be having our next exchange on TUESDAY, January 11. Start planning on what you would like to cook. You have until December 21 to sign up for January's exchange. Let all of your friends know.

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

Cheese Filled Jumbo Shells

1 12 oz pkg jumbo shells

2 cups ricotta cheese

2 cups cottage cheese

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 eggs

3 cups (about 28 oz jar) spaghetti sauce

2 cups (8 oz) mozzarella cheese

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

3/4 tsp dried oregano leaves

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Heat oven to 375. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in large bowl, stir together cheeses, eggs, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. In 9x13 dish, spread 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce. Fill each cooked shell with about 2 tablespoons cheese mixture. Layer one-half filled shells in prepared baking dish; spread one-half remaining sauce over shells. Layer remaining filled shells over sauce; spread remaining sauce over shells. Sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese, if desired. Cover with foil. Bake 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

If prepared ahead and frozen bake thawed/refrigerated jumbo shells 350 about 40-50 minutes; frozen jumbo shells at 350 about 2 hours or until hot and bubbly.

This recipe serves 8 to 10, so each pan I prepared isn't quite a full recipe. However, the nutritional information is for 1/6 of what I put in each pan.

Calories: 431.4

Fat: 15.4

Fiber: 2.8

Protein: 31.6

Carbs: 41.7

Lasagna

Lasagna

1 pkg frozen spinach
2 lbs ground beef
1/4 lb sausage
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2 t Worcestershire sauce
1/8 t oregano
1 12 oz package lasagna noodles
1 lb mozzarella cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c parmesan cheese

Cook spinach as directed. Brown beef and sausage. Add salt,pepper, oregano, worcestershire sauce; stir in spinach. Cook noodles, drain, rinse thoroughly. Arrange 1/2 noodles, 1/2 meat, 1/2 grated cheese, repeat. Combine soup and milk and spread over casserole and let seep in. Spread tomato sauce over the top and sprinkle with paremsan cheese. Bake at 350 in oven for 30 minutes. This can be prepared the night before, if so cover and refrigerate. When ready to cook, uncover and bake at 35o for 45 minutes.


Fat: 14.1
Calories: 234
Protein: 17.4
Fiber: 1.7

Chicken Manicotti

1 1/2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
2-3 Chicken Breasts, cut in thin strips
10 Manicotti noodles (uncooked)
4 cups Spaghetti Sauce (I used Prego)
3/4 lb Jimmy Dean Italian Sausage, cooked and drained
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese

Rub garlic over chicken.  Stuff chicken into Manicotti.
Spread 1 Cup sauce in bottom of greased 9x13 pan.
Put 10 stuffed manicotti noodles in pan
Cover with 3 cups sauce.
Sprinkle with sausage and cheese.
Pour 1/2 cup water around the edges of the pan.
Bake covered at 375 for 65-70 minutes (until chicken is done and pasta is tender).

We like to eat this with green salad and french bread.

313 calories
14.6 g fat
64.5 mg cholesterol
20.6 g carbs
1.3 g fiber
21.6 g protien

Next Tuesday

Just a reminder that next TUESDAY, (not Monday), is our December Meal Exchange at my house at 9:30am.

Please don't forget to bring your food to exchange FROZEN!

Also please remember to bring 2 boxes or laundry baskets to the exchange. One to keep your food in and the other to use to collect other's food.

Please have your meal labeled with the cooking directions on it. Also if there is more than one item, label all items and either attach them to the main meal or put them in a bag together. All pieces should be labled though, even if they are in one bag.

Thanks and hope to see you all on Tuesday.

December Menu

Please post what you will be making for the meal exchange in December. Please post here so we have all the meals in one place. Thanks.

Nanci - Chicken Manicotti
Erika-Lasagna

Lisa-Cheese Filled Jumbo Shells
Bobbi-Apricot Chicken\
Ku'uipo- Egg rolls
Shannon- Cheese Potato Casserole

December's Exchange Group

We have reached the deadline for signing up to be involved with the December meal exchange. The people who are on the Official MMMM list are it for December. So it looks like there will be a small group this time. No worries though.

It wasn't really decided whether everyone wanted to make more meals or not. Some suggested making two different meals six times. If you would like to do this please post your opinion on the poll. Let's say everyone needs to respond by Wednesday. If we haven't heard from everyone by then, then I will send out an email to those individual.

Tuesdays

So far everyone has been on board with changing the exchange date to Tuesdays. So we will officially be changing our exchange day to the second Tuesday of every month. But for the sake of the holidays we will be getting together earlier in the month because December can be really busy. That means we will be having our December exchange meal day on Tuesday, December 7th.

Please save the following dates for the upcoming exchanges in 2011:

Tuesday, January 11
Tuesday, February 8

Newbies Please Read

If you are new to the group then this entry is for you.

I just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page. If you will go to the left hand side of the blog you will notice a gadget that says "Labels". Find the label that is titled "The How Tos". Click on that and it will take you to all the posts that I have labeled as a guideline for starting the meal group. Please read these and get yourself caught up on the How Tos of our meal group. This way there won't be any mistakes and hopefully it will make your experience easier.

Also please add your family dislikes and allergies to the left hand side gadgets.

If you have any questions about the meal exchange or blogging please feel free to call me and we can chat personally. My cell phone number is 801-641-9463. Call me with any questions you have.

Mexican Lasagna

I'm not sure why blogging is so intimidating to me, but it is! So I've put this off for the shear fear of blogging, and I know it's only a recipe! So sorry, here I go . . .

4 Chicken breasts cooked and chopped
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cups sour cream
1 can (4 oz) of green chile's
1 small can of sliced olives
1 cup of chopped yellow onion
4 cups of Mexican style shredded cheese
9 -12 small corn tortillas

Mix all ingredients together in large mixing bowl (except 1 cup of cheese and tortillas)
Lay down first layer of corn tortillas to cover the bottom of baking dish (3 -4)
Add 1/3 of mixture
Repeat until you have 3 layers, add remaining cup of cheese to the top layer
Bake at 350 for 45 - 50 minutes (until top layer is bubbling).

Once this recipe has been frozen it will cook best if it has been defrosted for at least 2-3 hours.

I'm working on getting the nutritional facts. I'll post them asap

Chicken

Chicken is on sale at Fresh Market for $1.69 a pound.

Chicken Taco Soup

Sorry I'm late.

CHICKEN TACO SOUP

1 family size can of Chicken and Rice soup
1 can pinto beans
1 can water
1 T Lime Juice
1 Can corn
1 13 0z can chicken
1 jar salsa

Combine all together breaking up chicken and you mix. Place in crockpot on low for 4-6 hours or place in pot and heat on stove till heated through. Serve with sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips.

Calories: 247
Fat: 9
Fiber: 6
Nutrional information per serving

Give and Get is Here!

Give and Get is Here!: "Enjoy 30% off from November 11-14 at Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy plus we'll make a 5% donation to a non-profit."

No peas...

Wondering why you got the pie that says "no peas".  It's because I made one without peas for someones dislikes. (Did find out they weren't participating this month)  Oops!  So sorry if you got the one without.  Maybe we should update the likes and dislikes section?

Chicken Cacciatore

2 medium onions diced
4 gloves garlic, minced (I used one)
2 T. olive oil
3 lbs chicken (I used boneless skinless breasts) cut up
1 (16 oz.) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 (8 oz)  can tomato juice
1 medium green pepper diced
1/2 lb mushrooms
1-2 bay leaves
2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. crushed rosemary


I added a couple cans of tomato sauce and a little more juice because I was freezing it and I wanted to NOT be dry but if you are just making it on the stove this is plenty juicy.
In a large skillet brown the chicken pieces over medium heat until browned evenly.  Remove from pan.  Heat olive oil and cook the onions and garlic over medium heat for about 5 minutes then add green pepper and the mushrooms and cook until the onions are tender.  Mix all ingredients and heat in a heavy pot so sauce won't burn.  Cook on low heat for 30 minutes covered then for 30 minutes uncovered.


Serve over cooked pasta (I used ziti).  I also tried putting it over the dry noodles in an 8x13 pan and baked it in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 and it turned out really really good topped with some mozzarella cheese.  But it is also really good over noodles served with  a side salad.


A serving is about 1 cup.

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 6
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 74.2

• Total Fat: 0.7 g
• Cholesterol: 20.6 mg
• Sodium: 279.2 mg
• Total Carbs: 7.9 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.6 g
• Protein: 9.8 g

Tuesdays?

Would anyone be opposed to doing the exchanges on Tuesday mornings at 9:30 instead of Mondays? This would make the next exchange on Tuesday, December 7. If it doesn't work for everyone then Erika and I will work things out to still participate on Mondays, but if it's okay with everyone it would help us out and we would greatly appreciate it.

Also...I didn't get a Chicken Pot Pie this morning, so if someone ended up with two please let me know.

Thanks!

Votes

I took out the option "it's ok" off my poll because if someone thinks it's just ok then they probably don't want to eat it again. If you think my meal is just ok please vote "no". Thanks!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

1lb. Ground turkey
1 egg
1tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3Tbsp finely grated onion
1Tbsp. cornstarch.

Form into meatballs and brown ( I baked them so there is no extra fat added)

3Tbsp. Vinegar
1/3 C water
2T cornstarch
1 can crushed pineapple with juice.
1/3 c. sugar
1Tbsp. soy sauce

Nutrition

Calories 212.4
Total Fat 6.2 grams
Total Carb 23.7
Total Protien 16.1 grams
Sodium 612 mg

BBQ Pork/Chicken Sandwiches

So I put off shopping all month long. I missed the great chicken sale so I drug myself to Wal-Mart on a Saturday. I found that LOTS of people shop @ Wal-Mart on Saturday. I purchased what I thought was a TON of Pork. So finishing up Sunday Morning I realized I did not have enough. Pit in my stomach as it was less than 24hrs till exchange time and it was Sunday. So I thawed out some chicken and finished Monday morning @ 7:30am.
The point of this story is 8 BBQ Pork 3 BBQ Chicken. I will post both nutritional facts. Lesson learned..... I hope so!

BBQ Pork/Chicken Sandwiches Ingredients
Pork/chicken
Your favorite BBQ sauce I used (Famous Dave's original)


Cook meat in slow cooker on low 6-8ish hours
Shred meat then add BBQ sauce and return to cooker until warm

Serve on rolls, potatoes, or rice

Serve with Favorite veggies, french fries, or tater tots.

Nutritional Facts for BBQ Pork (Does not include rolls)
Amount Per Serving

• Calories: 248.7

• Total Fat: 7.0 g
• Cholesterol: 89.5 mg
• Sodium: 476.3 mg
• Total Carbs: 12.7 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.4 g
• Protein: 32.8 g

Nutritional Facts for BBQ Chicken

• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 183.9

• Total Fat: 7.4 g
• Cholesterol: 32.9 mg
• Sodium: 1,149.0 mg
• Total Carbs: 14.0 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.2 g
• Protein: 13.3 g

Italian Chicken

Just as an FYI, my ziploc bags that I use are freezer, but they don't say "freezer" on the actual bag. The box says "freezer" and they are thicker than the normal bag. They should hold up in the freezer, but if you ever have a problem with them let me know.

For the cooking times listed on the bag the meal needs to be put in the crockpot frozen, but if you defrost it a little it comes out of the bag a little easier.

Italian Chicken

Frozen Chicken Breasts (4-6 depending on how large)
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use the low fat kind)
1 brick of cream cheese (don't use the low fat kind because it doesn't cook very well)
1 package dry Italian salad dressing

Combine all ingredients in crockpot. Cook 4-6 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. The cream cheese can stay lumpy, so I heat it up in the microwave and stir it until all the lumps are out and then add it to the crockpot.

Serve over pasta or mashed potatoes and with your favorite veggies.

Calories 332.2
Fat 16.3 grams
Sodium 480.1
Total Carbs 4.5 grams
Fiber 0.3 grams

Beef Empanadas

1 lb ground beef,
1/2 can tomato sauce
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 green bell pepper, diced
1/4 large onion, diced
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
12 empanada shells
1/2 can diced green chiles
1/4 package brown gravy mix

Saute the veggies until tender. Brown hamburger. Drain. Mix the rest of the ingredients together with the hamburger.
Add small amount of mix to an unthawed empanada shell*.
Pinch together with fingers or fork.
Cook at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

When pulling out of the freezer:
Unthaw, place on greased cookie sheet and cook until hot.

Can serve with rice and beans. Fun to top with lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, salsa and/or sour cream or they're great all by themselves.

Nutritional Facts:
12 Servings**
Calories 106.0 Total Fat 7.9 g Total Carbohydrate 1.4 g Dietary Fiber 0.3 g

*The empanada shells you can find at a local hispanic market place, especially if it specializes in Argentina food. Either that or you could try a premade pastry shell.

**This is not super accurate. I can't find nutritional information on pastry shells and I threw away the original packaging. So probably double the amounts but I won't know til I buy another package of pastry shells. Sorry!

Tweeking

Thanks everyone for your feedback. With a group like this we are bound to run into a glitch or two along the way so the input and comments are necessary. After careful examination we will be doing the following:

The official member widget will stay and it will be cleared after every exchange.

If you are interested in participating for the upcoming exchange then you must add your own name to the widget.

I will send out a reminder once a week to get your name on the official list if you are interested in participating.

Everyone has two weeks from the Monday exchange before they must commit to the next exchange. This will give everyone time to analyze their finincial situation, decide whether they need more food for next month or get other people set up with the group. In preparation for December 6th's exchange people must have their name on the official member widget by November 22. This will then give people time to decide what they want to do plus it still gives everyone at least two weeks to really shop the sales.

My recommendation for shopping the sales is shop them as early as you want. For the most part, people who are really interested in participating will add their names pretty early on. So you will have a feel for approximately how many people will be involved. If for example, chicken is on sale and it's still before the deadline then maybe you buy for what you already know or you buy more. Then if you don't end up using it all freeze it for next time or if you don't have enough then keep your eye out for another sale.

I hope this makes things a little clearer and easier. The whole point of this group is to make life easier. Just know that this isn't set in stone and if something just does not work for everyone then we can tweek some things again. But for this month let's try it this way. Thanks you guys!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

from www.melskitchencafe.com

6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I used 3 small chicken breasts)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream (to lighten them up, I have substituted sour cream with good results)

Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (I tossed mine together in a ziploc bag in the morning and let it sit in the refrigerator all day). Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

*Freezable Meal: Freeze prior to baking. To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake enchiladas, covered (without thawing first) for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer, until brown and crispy on top.

Calories: 517.7

Fat: 23.8 g

Protein: 24.1 g

Fiber: 3.2 g

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken (I use rotisserie because it's fast and yummy)
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 2 TBS. milk (or add a little more to make creamier)
• 1/4 C. frozen mixed vegetables (or less if you don't like a lot of veggies in your pie)
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 1 package of refrigerated pie crust.  (2 crusts are in package)

Mix chicken, soup, milk, veggies and pepper together.

Line 9 inch pie tin with one crust. 

Put mixture into pie tin and cover with second crust. 

Roll and pinch edges and make slits on top of pie.

Place in freezer bag and FREEZE.

To Bake:

Preheat oven to 400.  Place pie on cookie sheet. 

If you want, you can cover edges with foil and remove foil last 15-20 minutes of baking. 

Bake at 400 for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. 

Cooking time may vary on oven so just keep your eye on it.

If you're not going to freeze, just bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

My family loves to eat this with a side of white rice and a green salad.  Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
6 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		395.7
Total Fat		19.2 g
	Saturated Fat	5.9 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	2.9 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	8.4 g
Cholesterol		39.5 mg
Sodium		675.1 mg
Potassium		382.4 mg
Total Carbohydrate		37.5 g
	Dietary Fiber	4.2 g
	Sugars	4.5 g
Protein		19.0 g

Spaghetti Pie

Spaghetti Pie

1 pound spaghetti or angel hair pasta
1/2 stick butter (4 TBS), melted
1 cup parmesan cheese
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 16 oz. carton cottage cheese
1 pound ground beef
1 1/2 to 2 jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce
mozzarella cheese, grated

Cook meat. Drain fat and add sauce to meat.

Cook pasta and drain. Place pasta in baking dish (9x13) and toss with melted butter, parmesan and eggs. Top with cottage cheese and then meat mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Top with mozzarella cheese the last 5 minutes.

*adapted from http://www.cjaneinthekitchen.blogspot.com/

We like this with a big green salad or peas and garlic bread.

328 Calories
20 grams fat
1204 mg sodium
18.4 grams carbs
24.7 grams protein
2.1 grams fiber

Our Next Meal Exchange

This is just a friendly reminder that we will be having our next meal exchange on Monday, November 8, at 9:30am at Savanna Sorensen's house. For all you new comers my address is 7416 Sunset Maple Drive, West Jordan.

A couple of reminders:

Please be on time.

Bring your meals already frozen.

Put them in a box, laundry basket, cooler etc, to get here but remember that you will probably need another box to gather all of your food in while your other box is being used.

If you have multiple items and they can't be attached to the main dish, then please place them in a grocery sack and tie them together. This will make it easier for people to just grab and place in their box.

Please use extra heavy tin foil to cover your tin pans and use "freezer" bags that actually say "for the freezer" on them.

Write or place a label that gives the heating instructions, your name, and the date on the bag or tin pan.

Please remember to create a seperate blog entry that lists your recipe and the nutritional facts.

I think that should do it. I can't wait to have our third exchange. I'll see you all on Monday.

Too Picky???

This is probably lame, but I just want to see what you all think about a few things. First, can we standardize the date when you have to commit to participating for each month. For example can we say that by three days after the exchange you have to commit to participating or not for the next month. I propose this only so we can take advantages of the sales all month and know how many to shop for. Second, if someone is going to participate in the exchange can we say that they have to add their name to the list themselves? This might sound particular, but this might eliminate people from dropping out once their names have been added to the list. It might not seem like a big deal if someone drops out after saying they are going to participate one month, but if meals are prepared early in the month and then someone drops out then we are stuck with extra meals. One meal might not be a big deal, but if several people drop out then there could be a big problem. I think that is why we have the list and have everyone commit each month. I also propose that the list be cleared on the day of the exchange, so everyone has to add their name rather than take it off if they don't want to participate.

November Menu

Please post what you will be making for November. Instead of just commenting, please come in and edit the post so we have the list all here on one page. Thanks.


Bobbi: BBQ Chicken Sanwich
Lisa: Honey Lime Enchiladas
Nanci : Spaghetti Pie
Carrie: Sunday Chicken (aka Italian Chicken)
Cari J: Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Savanna: Beef Empanadas
Erika: Chicken Taco Soup
Natalie: Crock pot chicken (now you know why I need the cooking group, cuz I repeat:))
Shannon: Pizza Pasta Casserole
Brandie: Chicken Cacciatore
Merrilee: Mexican Lasagna
Ku'uipo: Chicken pot pie

Chicken Sale

FYI- Fresh Market has fresh boneless skinless chicken breasts on sale for $1.59 a pound.

Another Cooking Group

I've been thinking about it and I don't mind setting up another cooking group if there are people out there that would like to be involved in a cooking group but don't want to have more than 10 people.

If you know of anyone that is interested, let them know that I will head up the group. I won't participate because I'm already participating in this group, but I don't mind starting up the blog and getting everyone organized.

So spread the word.

Thanks

Serving Size

So I have a question for you all? Do you think our serving sizes are too big, too little or just enough?

For my small family of four; my husband (who generally is a big-eater), myself (who is also generally a big-eater), my 2 year old daughter (who eats like a bird), and my 8 mo (who would eat like a pig if she had teeth but alas is stuck to pureed baby food); we don't eat 6 servings. I can cook a recipe for 4 servings and still have left-overs for Aaron the next day. Six servings is just way too much for my family, especially if you count one whole chicken breast as a serving.

I would love to hear what you think. Let me know how well your family does with 6 servings. I think that probably the majority of us don't need 6 servings, but again, I might be wrong. So let me know because if everyone thinks we are cooking too much then lets cut it down. That would be cheaper in the long run and I wouldn't feel so guilty if I finally threw away the leftovers after eating it for the third day in a row.

Final List

So, is our final number for November 11?

Cafe Rio Pork

This meal has a little work if you want to use the tortillas. If you don't want to use them the pork is still yummy in a salad or with store tortillas. We love to eat these with rice and beans. You can either do regular rice and plain beans or you can make "fancy" rice and beans with the recipe below. I love them with black beans and that is why I provided a can along with the pork. We also like to serve these with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and avacado. Depending on how much pork you like in your burrito there might be a lot left over. The cooked pork freezes really well. Just make sure to include some of the sauce when you freeze it so it isn't too dry when you reheat it. The rice and beans don't freeze very well. The texture changes and it comes out a little dry after being frozen.

Calories 327
Fat 5.7
Sodium 282.3 mg
Carbs 64.5 (sorry)
Fiber 2.4

Café Rio Dressing
1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make as per recipe)
2 tomatillos (tomato like vegetable with a husk around them)
½ bunch of cilantro
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeño (Use the seeds too if you like it spicy. You could substitute a few drops of green Tabasco for the jalapeno.)

Use a food processor to blend all the ingredients well. Refrigerate.

Cafe Rio Chicken
1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic—minced
5 lbs chicken breast

Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hours, shred meat and cook 1 additional hour.(Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing has 2 grams of sugar per serving. I try to avoid dressings with sugar, but this is a very small amount. You're only using 8 ounces of the dressing per 5 pounds of chicken if you follow this recipe, so it should be fine, even for South Beach Dieters.)

Sweet Pork3lb. Pork Roast
16-oz. Chunky Salsa
1 Can Dr. Pepper
2 Cups Brown Sugar

Put pork in crock pot and fill half way with water. Cook 4 hours on high. Drain water, cut the pork in thirds. Mix together sauce (blend in blender) and pour on top of pork. Cook 4 more hours on low. Shred pork.

Café Rio Rice
4 c water
4 t chicken bouillon
4 t garlic –minced
½ bunch cilantro
1 can green chilies—or equivalent fresh
¾ t salt
1 T butter
½ onion
2 c regular white rice

Blend cilantro, green chilies and onion together in food processor. Bring water to a boil and add all ingredients, simmer covered 30 minutes.

BLACK BEANS
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 cup tomato juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro

TRES LECHE CAKE
6 large eggs, separated
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream topping:
1 14-ounce can evaporated milk
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup heavy cream

To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and set aside. (I used a smaller rectangle pan & a muffin tin, b/c I wanted individual cakes for presentation)
In the bowl of a mixer, beat the egg whites on low speed until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually with the mixer running and peak to stiff peaks. Add the egg yolks 1 at a time, beating well after the addition of each.

Sift together the flour and baking powder and add to the egg mixture, alternating with the milk. (Do this quickly so the batter does not lose volume.) Add the vanilla. Bake until golden, 25 minutes.

To make the cream topping: In a blender, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream and blend on high speed.

Remove the cake from the oven and while still warm, pour the cream mixture over it. Let sit and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Homemade Whipped Cream
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 teaspoons confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks. Add the vanilla extract and confectioners' sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks.

Next Month

Is the list to the left everyone who is going to participate next month?

Second Successful Attempt

Thanks to everyone for participating. I think we have a great variety of foods and I'm really excited to try them all.

With the busy holidays coming up, I figured I would post our next meal date now so that everyone has time to plan and prepare their meals. If you want to participate this month we will be having our next meal exchange on November 8th at 9:30am at my house.

I've looked ahead and it looks like we will probably meet December 6th and January 10if we decide to meet every 4 weeks. This will depend on how many people we have participating. So tentatively plan on those dates for the next several exchanges. I will let you know for sure the closer we get to those dates. If anyone has any imput please let me know.

Super Bean Burritos

1 cup brown or white rice (or 2 cups already cooked rice) 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, finely minced 1 jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed, finely diced (can substitute 1 can of green chiles) 1 teaspoon cumin Salt and pepper to taste 3 tablespoons tomato paste 2 cans (15 oz. each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed 1 1/2 cups water 1 (10 oz) package frozen corn or 1 can whole kernel corn, drained 6 green onions, white and green parts finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 12 burrito-sized (10-inch) flour tortillas 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese Cook rice; set aside. Meanwhile, heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and golden, being careful not to let the garlic burn. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add one can of beans and mash gently in the pan (a potato masher or fork works great here). Add the second can of beans and the water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10-12 minutes, being careful not to let the mixture stick to the bottom of the pot. Add corn; cook to heat through, 2-3 minutes. Stir in onion and garlic powders. Remove from heat; stir in green onions and cooked rice. Heat tortillas in microwave for about 30-45 seconds or until all are warmed through. Fill each tortilla with about 2/3 cup bean and rice mixture and 1/4 cup cheese on one side of tortilla. Fold, and hold in sides. Starting from filled end, holding sides in as you work, tightly roll into a bundle. Place on a baking sheet, seam side down, and prepare remaining burritos. Serve warm immediately, with salsa and sour cream if desired — or, to freeze for later consumption, put the baking sheet of burritos into the freezer for at least 30 minutes, or until very cold so that they don’t come apart in the wrapping process. Remove them from the freezer and wrap each burrito individually in plastic wrap and place all the wrapped burritos in a freezer-safe resealable bag and freeze up to three months. To reheat from frozen: Remove plastic wrap from the burrito. Poke holes in the top several times with a fork. Microwave on high for two minutes. Gently poke a few more holes in the burrito and microwave for another minute. Be careful as the burrito will be piping hot! User Entered Recipe
6 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		905.5
Total Fat		25.6 g
	Saturated Fat	10.2 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	3.2 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	10.5 g
Cholesterol		33.5 mg
Sodium		1,328.6 mg
Potassium		960.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate		135.5 g
	Dietary Fiber	17.3 g
	Sugars	0.9 g
Protein		34.4 g

Vitamin A	8.1 %
Vitamin B-12	5.2 %
Vitamin B-6	23.0 %
Vitamin C	15.1 %
Vitamin D	0.0 %
Vitamin E	12.0 %
Calcium	41.1 %
Copper	40.9 %
Folate	101.8 %
Iron	49.1 %
Magnesium	37.9 %
Manganese	101.9 %
Niacin	36.3 %
Pantothenic Acid	17.6 %
Phosphorus	62.2 %
Riboflavin	43.2 %
Selenium	77.6 %
Thiamin	71.8 %
Zinc