Bread Braid

Broccoli, Ham and Cheese Bread Braid:

Ingredients:

1 dough loaf Rhodes bread dough or homemade bread
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

1/2 cup broccoli
1 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:  Open and remove plastic wrap before thawing/ baking.  Thaw overnight. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. 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.

chicken roll ups

chicken roll ups and sauce

I made this a few months back for an exchange and never got around to posting so here it is.

Chicken Roll Ups
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1, 8oz. pkg of cream cheese
couple green onions, sliced
1 c carrots, shredded
1c zucchini, shredded
2 pkgs of Pillsbury crescent rolls
1c bread crumbs

Sauce:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c milk
Heat in sauce pan until heated through. Spoon over roll ups before serving.

Mix first 5 ingredients together. Separate out crescent rolls and fill with mixture. Fold corners of crescent rolls up and over to enclose filling. Roll in bread crumbs.  Bake at 350' for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy

Baked Cheesy Spinach Tortellini

Baked Cheesy Spinach Tortellini 

Yields: one 8x8 casserole

This easy and oh-so-cheesy baked pasta is a great way to use up leftover veggies, like frozen or fresh spinach. Even your meat-lover will dig this one!

Ingredients
-1 and 1/2 jars spaghetti sauce (approximately 28 oz. each; I like Newman’s Own Marinara)
-1/2 cup frozen spinach, defrosted, drained and chopped in small pieces
-1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
-1 cup shredded Italian mix cheese (Romano, Parm, Asiago, etc)
-1 package (16 oz.) frozen cheese tortellini, cooked al dente (I use HEB’s)
-Optional: freshly grated Parmesan cheese

 Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray.

Cook cheese tortellini until al dente, according to package directions.

Spread thin layer of sauce into bottom of baking dish. Arrange half of the cooked tortellini over the sauce. Top tortellini with 1/2 of sauce, spinach, mozzarella cheese, and Italian cheese. Repeat layers again, ending with the last of the cheese on top.

Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes until hot throughout. Take foil off and bake about 15 minutes more or until bubbly at edges. Let rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving.

Link to the blog where I found it: http://thrivinghomeblog.com/2012/09/baked-cheesy-spinach-tortellini/

Banana Bread
2 eggs
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp soda
1/4 cup sour milk (or 1/4 cup milk + 1 tsp vinegar)
1 cup mashed bananas
1/2 cup nuts (optional)
Mix ingredients in order given.
Pour into well-greased loaf pan.
Bake @ 350:  1 large loaf: 60-70 minutes, or 3 small loaves for 45 minutes.

Green Bean Chicken Casserole

I'm not sure what happened on the last post but it posted some crazy flowers so you cannot read it. Here it is again.

GREEN BEAN CHICKEN CASSEROLE
Ingredients
1 package (6 ounces) long grain and wild rice mix
4 cups cubed cooked chicken
1-3/4 cups frozen French-style green beans
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of broccoli soup, undiluted
1 can (4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
2/3 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped green pepper
1 envelope onion soup mix
3/4 cup shredded Colby cheese
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENT (for each casserole):
2/3 cup french-fried onions

Directions
Prepare wild rice according to package directions. Stir in the chicken, beans, soups, mushrooms, onion, green pepper and soup mix. Spoon into two greased 1-1/2-qt. baking dishes. Sprinkle with cheese.
Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the second casserole at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Uncover and sprinkle with french-fried onions; bake 5 minutes longer or until onions are golden.

To use frozen casserole: Completely thaw in the refrigerator. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350° for 60-65 minutes or until heated through. Uncover and sprinkle with french-fried onions; bake 5 minutes longer.

Green Bean Chicken Casserole

Green Bean Chicken Casserole 

pg. 28 Taste of Home Fall 2010 Issue

Ingredients

• 1 package (6 ounces) long grain and wild rice mix
• 4 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 1-3/4 cups frozen French-style green beans
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of broccoli soup, undiluted
• 1 can (4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
• 2/3 cup chopped onion
• 2/3 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 envelope onion soup mix
• 3/4 cup shredded Colby cheese
• ADDITIONAL INGREDIENT (for each casserole):
• 2/3 cup french-fried onions

Directions

• Prepare wild rice according to package directions. Stir in the chicken, beans, soups, mushrooms, onion, green pepper and soup mix. Spoon into two greased 1-1/2-qt. baking dishes. Sprinkle with cheese.
• Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the second casserole at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Uncover and sprinkle with french-fried onions; bake 5 minutes longer or until onions are golden.
• To use frozen casserole: Completely thaw in the refrigerator. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350° for 60-65 minutes or until heated through. Uncover and sprinkle with french-fried onions; bake 5 minutes longer. Yield: 2 casseroles (4-6 servings each).

Anyone interested in freezer meals this month?  If so, please email me and I will set up a time to exchange!
Thanks
Mitzi