Feb Exchange

I've talked with a few of you about how we can better meet the needs of the larger families. The suggestion was made that instead of having them exchange 9x13 we would just make 2 8x8 for those who desired larger amounts. In return those who would receive 2 8x8 would be making 2 8x8 for everyone exchanging. That way larger families are still getting a good amount of meals from the exchange. Let me know if there are any objections to this or other solutions.

I will be hosting the next exchange (Feb 17 @ 7:30pm). Please let me know if you are interested in participating and if you wish to get 1 8x8 or 2 8x8 dishes. Thanks!
~Becca M

Taco Casserole

2 cans of chili
1 can of cr of chk soup
1 lb ground beef, browned
2 c shredded cheese, divided
1 can corn
1 bag of fritos

mix all ingredients in 9x13 pan except fritos and 1 c cheese, top with fritos and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Top with remaining 1 c cheese and bake until melted. Enjoy!

Another great recipe from "Girlfriends on the Go" cookbook.

It has been fun-but it is time for me to go-have fun cooking ladies. If you ever want a recipe just shoot me an email!

amanda

Dirty Rice/Stuffed Peppers

This is one of my family's favorites and is one of the items prepared at my parent's Christmas Eve party (you're all invited BTW!) athough mine never turns out exactly like my mom's (go figure) but it's delicious!

1 1/2 lbs Ground beef or turkey
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
3/4 cup chopped green onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tsp chopped parsley or 1 1/2 tsp parsley flakes
1 tsp chopped garlic (1 clove)
1 Tbs Cajun seaoning or salt and pepper to taste
3-5 cups cooked white rice

Brown meat in large skillet, drain fat except for 2 Tbs, if using ground turkey you may have to add some vegetable oil. Add remaining ingredients except for cooked rice and 1/2 cup water, cover and cook on medium-high until veggies are wilted. Uncover and cook until mixture sticks to bottom of pot, stir frequently so you don't burn but you want it to stick and get a nice brown crust on the bottom. Add enough water to deglaze the pot, make sure you scrub up all the good stuff. Cook down again until it sticks again, deglaze. Cook down one more time, this time add only enough water to deglaze the pan and form a sticky mixture. Freeze this mixture for use later. Thaw and heat in pan or microwave if you want for use then add hot cooked rice (you CAN use brown rice, but it works much better with white) and mix well. Add more for a main dish, add less for stuffed bell peppers:

For stuffed peppers cut the tops off half an inch below the stem of 6 large or possibly 8 medium sized peppers, take all the seeds and veins out. Stuff the peppers with the rice mixture and replace the tops, arrange peppers in a dish with 1 inch of water, cover tightly and bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until peppers are tender. You may have some rice mixture left over, but I always pack them really tight :-)

Grill Cheese

I made Amanda's Garden Minestrone Soup for the exchange tonight. You can refer to her previous post for the recipe.
We had ours last night and I served it with a variation of grill cheese. It's a recipe from Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. For those who are unfamiliar with the book it contains recipes that are altered in order to increase you veggie/fruit consumption. Anyway, the sandwiches were tasty (even Steve and Evan liked them) so I thought I'd post the recipe for you all.

1/2 c shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1/2 c sweet potato or butternut squash puree (cut veg in half lengthwise,
microwave until cooked (I used potato button on my microwave),
let cool slightly then scoop out innards into blender and puree)
1 tbsp trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread
(I used Land O Lakes light butter spread)
4 slices of whole wheat bread
Nonstick cooking spray
1 tsp olive oil

In a med bowl, mix cheese, veg puree, margarine.
Spread onto two slices of bread and then top with remaining slices.
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over med heat. When the skillet is hot add the oil. Put the sandwiches in the pan and spray the tops with cooking spray.
Cook 4-5 min per side, until the bread is crisp and the filling is melted.
Enjoy!

Extra meal

I have gotten word that the DiVall family could really use some freezer meals. If anyone is interested in making an extra please bring it to your exchange. I'll collect them and get them over to the DiValls.
I know we usually just do this for other women in the group, but I thought this was a good exception to the rule. Don't feel obligated. Thanks!

A bit confused,,,, (this is Eva btw) :)

Hey everyone!
Thanks for letting me join the group! I'm excited about trying this out.

I'm a bit confused about how many meals to make, because there are two different paragraphs for the 8x8 group and I'm not sure whether to make meals for the few people in my paragraph or for everyone in both 8x8 "participants" paragraphs... sorry, that sounded confusing.

It says for me to bring 4 meals, are there two different 8x8 groups or are we split up to make it easier to make fewer meals?

Thanks,
Eva

A Fond Thank you

I just wanted to let everyone know that after this month, I am going to drop out of the group since I will be back to my crazy schedule again and will miss the meeting times. I have enjoyed everyone's meals and company! Hope to still see you ALL at the Yak n Saks every month at my house.
sincerely,
Amanda

January Exchanges

I apologize if this is getting confusing. We have made some adjustments for Jan.

• Jan 13 7:00pm an exchange will be held at Mitzi's house for 8x8 meals.

Participants so far include Becca Moser, Mitzi Peterson, Alisha Ashton, Kim Oldham (bring 3 meals to exchange, you will have 4 meals total including your own)

• Jan 20 exchange 8:00pm an exchange will be held at Amanda Brann's house for 9x13 and 8x8.

Participants for 9x13 include Amanda Brann, Monica Hindmarsh, Melanie Masten (bring 2 meals to exchange, you will have 3 meals total including your own)

Participants for 8x8 include Amy Smith, Eva Armendariz, Becca Schmidgal, Erin Bailey, Jamie Smith (bring 4 meals to exchange, you will have 5 meals total including your own)

Hopefully this will be a little more manageable for everyone. Please spread the word to larger families so we can get some more included in the 9x13 exchange. Contact me if you have any questions (281-812-7922 or moser.rebecca@gmail.com).

We'll see how it goes for this month. In the future we will probably keep the two groups but all meet the same night at the same place so we can still socialize together.

Thanks everyone for all your input, suggestions, and help in keeping this group running.

American Pizza

American Pizza

2 lbs. ground turkey
1-8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp onion salt
1-6 oz. can tomato paste
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1-lb. cheddar cheese (or half mozarella)
1 pie shell
1 pie crust
Brown meat, add next 7 ingredients. Simmer 30 minutes. Put layer of cheese in pie crust. Add meat mixture then add another layer of cheese. Cover top with pie crust. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 30 minutes.

Group

I am fine with splitting the group. Because my family is bigger and older, I really need a 9x13 pan full of food to feed my family. It is amazing how much a 91/2 yr old boy can eat (plus my other boys).
I remember the days when we only had one little guy and we could go out to eat and all 3 of us would share one entree. That is not the case anymore!
Whatever the majority votes is good for me.
Monica

Thanks

I just wanted to say thank you to you all for your thoughtfulness in bringing my family meals when we had the baby. We really appreciate all the help...we haven't even had a chance to try everything yet, but all the meals so far have been excellent. Thanks again!

The Baileys