Mostaccioli Casserole

Recipe & Photo by: Taste of Home

Ingredients
*1 package (16 ounces) mostaccioli
*1 1/2 pounds ground beef
*1 1/4 cups chopped green pepper
*1 cup chopped onion
*1 jar (26 ounces) spaghetti sauce
*1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
*1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
*3/4 teaspoon pepper
*2 cups (8 ounces) shredded park-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions
*Cook mostaccioli according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef, green pepper and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, sopu, Italian seasoning and pepper.
*Drain mostaccioli. Add mostaccioli and 1 1/2 cups cheese to beef mixture. Transfer to two greased pans. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
*Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

*TO USE FROZEN CASSEROLE: thaw in the refrigerator overnight. /Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Ham and Cheese Braid

1 FAMILY:
1 loaf Rhodes bread dough
¼ cup butter or margarine
½ envelope hidden valley ranch mix ( not generic):
3/4 lb. thinly sliced ham
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp poppy seeds

6 FAMILIES:
6 loaves Rhodes bread dough
1 ½ cups (3 cubes) butter or margarine
3 envelopes hidden valley ranch mix (not generic)
4 1/2 lbs. thinly sliced ham
9 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6 tsp. poppy seeds

TO PREPARE BEFORE FREEZING:
Roll bread dough out into a rectangular shape so its approx. 1/2 inch
thick. Combine margarine and ranch mix. Spread about 5 TBS of mixture on the rectangle. Layer ham and cheese down the center of the rectangle. Use a pizza cutter to cut strips along each side of the dough (even numbers on each side). Starting at the bottom, take each piece, cross and twist. Continue cris-crossing until your pizza is braided. Brush remaining butter/ranch mixture over top. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Wrap loaf with plastic wrap and then foil.

TO PREPARE AFTER FREEZING: To thaw over night. Place in fridge as is if you wish to cook it on the foil. If you do not wish to cook it on the foil unwrap it and place on lightly greased baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap. Let thaw overnight. A couple of hours before you are ready to bake place it on the counter to continue to thaw and begin to rise. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Note: White bread dough recommended.
If you bake it right on the foil there is no mess to clean up!

Found here: http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/2009/03/fabuless-freezer-cooking-ham-and-cheese.html

Meal question!

Hey ladies,

So I'm excited to come back for this month but I have a question for you all.... I'm having a hard time deciding what to make and I saw this post on Pinterest about crock pot freezer meals. Is that cheating if the meal isn't ready to eat in 1 hour (as most freezer meals are) or would y'all be cool having all the stuff for a crock pot meal handy in the freezer and all you'd have to do was dump it in and turn it on?

Here's the blog: http://mamaandbabylove.blogspot.com/2011/04/freezer-cooking-with-slow-cooker.html

Let me know what you think as it's coming up soon! Thanks!

~Eva

Updated Numbers

Okay, here is the final count on the October exchange:
Erin
Amy
Becca
Eva
Alisha

So make five meals. Four to exchange, one for yourself. Thanks! See you all Tuesday!

October Numbers

This is who I have for the exchange:
Erin
Amy
Becca

So make three meals...two to exchange and one for yourself. Let me know if this is not correct or if you still want to get in on the exchange.

For the demonstration part I thought about showing ways to cook butternut squash or sweet potatoes...or maybe just talking a little bit about vegetarian eating. I don't know. If you have a preference let me know, if not, I'll come up with something. Or if you'd rather not have anything, tell me that too. Seriously, I'm low in the cooking talents department.