Freezer Meals, take 1

Wow! It's been a long time since my last post! Better late than never, right?! 

I just love Pinterest, don't you?! I came across quite a few Freezer Meal plans and decided it was time for me to get some done. I kept mine on the small side as I only have about 1 shelf of freezer space available, and it's just my husband and I eating this kind of food at this current time.

These are the recipes I used (minus the pork loin... It just didn't sound great, and I couldn't find any great deals). I doubled each recipe, making 2 bags of each = 18 freezer meals. Each bag will feed my husband and I (our kids are still in that "picky-eater" stage and I'm happy if they'll at least eat applesauce and V8 juice), and leave at least 2 servings of leftovers for lunches. You can multiply as you need. 

Basically, I used a 3/4C measuring cup to measure out all the veggies once they were chopped up, using 1 full cup per recipe. When I was completely done, I went back thru and added more until my veggie bowls were empty.

First step is to gather your recipes. I used Word to copy and paste everything I wanted to do. I tried to focus on recipes that had similar ingredients to make shopping easier. Then I created my shopping list. Once I got everything home, I laid it out on the counter, grouping according to what needs to be chopped/sliced/ etc. I used one cutting board and knife for veggies, and one each for meat. We don't want any cross-contamination happening here! Yuck! 

Then grab your Ziplock baggies and write down each recipe name, and the instructions for cooking. Don't forget to put if you need to add Broth or butter or whatnot to each while it's cooking. 

The recipes pretty much tell what to do from here out... just cut, chop and dice everything up. I had my handy husband read out each recipe to me while I filled so I didn't goop up the iPad or have to run back and forth (my kitchen is so spread out... it's a hot mess). 

You'll notice my last 2 recipes deal with ground beef and rice. I cooked 2 cups of brown rice and a whole package of Wild rice and sauteed a pound of beef with onions and garlic and seasonings. I mixed the two together, filled my peppers and reserved the rest for tonight's dinner: Stuffed Pumpkin (pictures to come tomorrow... afterall, it's not cooked yet). I actually ended up with 20 meals, enough for a month and a half's worth of dinners (I'm making fresh meat loaf, fish fry night, and tacos the other nights)

One word of caution... this takes a very long time to cut and prep everything. Do NOT start this late in the afternoon if you plan on eating dinner. 

Let me know if you're trying this and what you think about the recipes!

 Notice the clock says 6:46... yeah... that's when I was done CUTTING. I started right around 3pm! 

Finally all finished... and it's only 10pm!

The recipes -- perfect for Fall!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken breast

½ can corn, drained

½ can diced tomatoes

5C chick broth

3/4C onion, chopped

3/4C green pepper, chopped

Spoonful of Jalapenos

2 cloves garlic, minced

Chili powder

Salt

Pepper

Ground mustard

Cumin

Add all ingredients to freezer bag except broth. Seal and freeze.  Thaw and throw everything into the Crock Pot, add in the chicken broth.

Cook on high for 4 hours/Low for 8 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Return to slow cooker bowl, stir gently.  

Top with shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole and tortilla strips

To make your own strips:

1 bag of corn tortillas

Olive oil

Salt

Cut the tortillas in half, and then into strips. Heat oil in a skillet on med-hi heat.

Throw in a small piece of tortilla and wait for it to sizzle. Once it’s sizzling, add in a good handful of strips and cook just until crispy, about 3-5 minutes.

 Drain on a paper towel lined plate or bowl, sprinkle immediately with salt.

Italian Sausage with Peppers & Onions

1lb. Italian Sausage Links

½ large green pepper, sliced

½ medium onion, sliced

½ can diced tomatoes

2t. onion powder

2t. garlic powder

Mix all ingredients in freezer bag and freeze. 

When ready to cook, place all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours or   
       high for 4 hours. 

French Dip Sandwiches

½ onion, sliced

2-3lb beef brisket or bottom round roast

2 TBS EVOO

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp Italian seasoning (basil, oregano, parsley, salt, onion powder, garlic powder)

½ tsp ground pepper

½ tsp salt

1 ½ C beef broth

½ C Water

1TBS Worcestershire sauce

medium bell peppers (variety of colors), sliced into strips

6 slices cheese

6 rolls

In a small bowl, mix seasoning and half oil and rub onto all sides of the roast. 

Add to freezer bag. Top with onions. Place sliced peppers into a small sandwich baggie and place inside freezer bag. 

When ready to use, thaw, and throw bag contents into Crock Pot, reserving the pepper bag.

Add the broth, water and Worcestershire sauce. Cover and cook on low 8 hours. Add peppers during the final hour of cooking.

Remove meat to a cutting board and slice against the grain. Pile meat onto rolls, top with cheese and peppers. Dip with juice for dipping.

For a “toasted” sub, throw entire sandwich under the broiler for a few minutes.

Pulled Pork

4-5lbs Pork Butt

1TBS pepper

1tsp cayenne pepper *optional -- HOTT

2TBS chili powder

2TBS ground cumin

2TBS brown sugar

1TBS oregano

1TBS paprika

2TBS salt

1TBS sugar

½ onion, sliced

BBQ Sauce

Combine seasoning in a bowl, rub onto pork and put inside freezer bag. Add onions. Thaw.

Add everything to Crock and cook on low 8hours. Shred meat. Add BBQ to final hour of cooking time.

Chicken Fajitas

Chicken breasts

½  onion, sliced

1 medium bell pepper, sliced

2C salsa

1 can green chiles

1PKG fajita seasoning *see recipe below

2TBS olive oil

Add everything to a freezer bag. Thaw when ready to use. Add everything into Crock Pot, cook low 6 hours, 4 high.

Shred chicken, mix with peppers. Serve with warm tortillas and top with salsa, guac, shredded lettuce, sour cream and cheese.

Fajita Seasoning Mix

3 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder

2 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp sea salt

1 Tbsp paprika

1 Tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/3 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp cumin

Mix all spices and store in an airtight container. The whole recipe equals 3 store-bought packets of Fajita seasoning. 2 Tbsp equals 1 packet.

Pork Tenderloin with Apple Cranberry Sauce

2 lb pork tenderloin (not in a marinade)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 cup brown sugar

2TBS cider vinegar

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup dried cranberries

3 peeled and chopped granny smith apples

Season pork with salt and pepper and add all ingredients to freezer bag and freeze until ready. 

Thaw slightly and cook on low for 6-8 hours until pork is tender.

Brunswick Stew

Chicken breasts

½ can corn, drained

½ can butter (lima)beans

½ can diced tomatoes

2 white potatoes, cubed

½ onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

½ C ketchup

½ C BBQ

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp garlic powder

2TBS brown sugar

1TBS Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp hot sauce

2TBS butter

3 C chicken broth

Add everything but broth and butter to freezer bag. When ready to use, thaw and add to Crock pot with broth.

Cook low 6 hours. Remove chicken, shred and return and add butter. Serve with cornbread.

Bean Stew

6 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth (add when putting in crock pot)
1 cup dry beans, picked over and rinsed, or ½ can cooked beans
2 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced
½  onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt
1/8teaspoon ground pepper

Combine ingredients in a gallon zip lock bag (minus the broth). Freeze. Thaw, add broth and bag to slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Serves 4-5 people. Serve over rice. 

Jambalaya

1 ½ C broth
1 bell pepper
½ C onion, chopped
½ can diced tomatoes (leave the juice)

2 ribs celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, diced
2 bay leafs
1 lb large shrimp, raw and de-veined *optional
4 oz. chicken, diced
½  pkg spicy Andouille sausage
1C cooked Rice

Add ingredients to freezer bag. Freeze flat. On day of cooking add chicken broth and cook on low for 6 hours. Serve over rice. 

Beef Stew

1 pkg Stew Meat

1TBS EVOO

½ onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper

Parsley

3 ribs celery, chopped

5 carrots, chopped

3-6 potatoes, cubed

3C beef broth

Worcestershire sauce

Soy sauce

1TBS tomato paste

2TBS butter

Rolls

In a sandwich baggie, combine the onion, garlic, tomato paste and seasonings. Add veggies and meat to freezer bag; throw in the onion mixture bag.

Freeze until ready to use. Thaw a bit then heat oil in a heavy skillet, add meat and sear on all sides. Add onion mixture contents, sauté until just golden.

Add to crock pot. Deglaze the skillet with about 1/2C broth, scraping up browned bits. Add to crock pot with veggies, Worcestershire and soy sauces.

Cook low 5-6 hours. Prepare rolls. Add butter right at the end and stir to combine. 

Stuffed Peppers

3 assorted bell peppers, tops cut off and seeds removed
1 pound of ground Italian hot sausage/ground beef
1C cooked rice
1TBS tomato paste
½ C onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried thyme

½ can chicken broth

Brown ground beef, add onion, garlic and seasonings and sauté until softened, deglaze with 1/2C broth and mix in rice.  
Set aside to cool (if you cook 4 cups of rice and add the soy and Worcestershire sauce, you could make enough for the Pumpkin dinner in one shot, fill up the peppers, then reserve the remaining for stuffing the pumpkin).
Mix all ingredients and stuff into seeded bell peppers. Place in gallon zip lock bag and freeze. On cooking day, place in slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.
(Place in fridge and bake for 45 min at 350, add shredded cheese during the last 10 minutes)

Dinner in a Pumpkin

1 small pumpkin 

1 lb. ground beef

½ chopped onion

2 Tbsp. oil

1 box Long Grain and Wild Rice (only use 1/2 of the seasoning packet when preparing)

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1-2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

2 TBS Worcestershire

1 sm. can sliced water chestnuts, diced

Prepare pumpkin by cutting open the top and removing the seeds and fibers. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large pan, sauté the onion in oil until translucent.

Add in the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Meanwhile, cook the rice according to package instructions, except only use 1/2 of the seasoning packet.

When the rice and the meat are cooked, pour mushroom soup, brown sugar, soy sauce and chopped water chestnuts into the meat. Stir to combine, and then add in the rice. 

Place pumpkin in baking dish and spoon the meat/rice mixture into the prepared pumpkin. Replace the "lid".

 Place in the preheated oven on a low enough rack to ensure the stem doesn't burn. 

Bake for 1- 1 1/2 hours, or until the pumpkin is softened enough to scoop out with the meat mixture. Serves 6-8.

When shopping, try to find the best deals, afterall... you're going to be buying A LOT of everything. I was able to get 4-1lb bags of baby cut carrots for $5, that's less than a 5lb bag of whole carrots and a lot less work! And I was able to get the Biggest Loser bags of Celery sticks (I used 2) for less than 1 bag of whole celery. I will never spend over 50 cents on bell peppers... find a local farmer if you can't find a price near that. The only thing I splurge on is my ground beef. Grass fed is best, and so worth the hefty price. I always make 2 meals out of each pound.

Shopping List -

Happy New Year!!

Join me HERE to see what I've been up to so far this year....

CROCK POT Apple-Honey Pork Loin with Sides!

 Sunday Dinner:

Crock Pot Apple-Honey Pork Loin

Oven Roasted Potatoes with Bacon (a healthier Dutch Oven Potato recipe)

Steamed Beans with Mustard Sauce

Let's start with the Pork Loin. I have never been a fan of a pork loin. Until now. I was completely blown away. When it's finished, it doesn't taste like pork at all. Cooking it for 7 hours makes it just fall apart, sort of like a pulled pork recipe would. And it is so delicious, even warmed up the next day! 

Ingredients:

Pork Loin, 2.5-3 lbs.
Red Delicious Apples, 3 sliced
Honey, approx 4 T
Cinnamon, 2 T

Instructions:

Lay the apple slices (from two of the apples) in the bottom of the Crock Pot. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Cut slits in the pork loin (approx 1/2″-3/4″).
Place the pork loin into the Crock Pot. Drizzle some honey into the slits. Then place apple slices into the slits.

Drizzle the top with the remainder of the honey. Place the rest of the apples on top. Then sprinkle the whole thing with cinnamon.

Cook on low for 7 hours.

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 Steamed Green Beans with mustard sauce

Ingredients:

1lb. bag of fresh green beans, washed and trimmed

For the sauce:
1 1/2tsp yellow mustard
1C mayo
3TBS dijon mustard
1/3C Fat-Free Greek Yogurt
1/4tsp salt

Instructions:

Put a pot of water to boil. Once water is boiled, add green beans to a steamer basket or large mesh strainer and place lid on top. Steam for 10 minutes.

While beans are steaming, whisk together all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and place in fridge.

Once beans have been steamed, drop into a bowl of ice water for about 30 seconds. Drain and enjoy with mustard sauce. 

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 Oven Roasted Potatoes with Bacon (aka Lightened Up Dutch Oven Potatoes)

Ingredients:

3lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
1/2lb thick sliced bacon
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1TBS olive oil
1/4C Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper
Parsley

Instructions:

Scrub potatoes and dice into large chunks. Place into a large pot filled with water until covered by at least 2 inches. Bring water to a boil and cook for 15 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, cut bacon in half, then into 1/2in pieces. Cook bacon in a skillet until golden, yet flexible. Remove onto a plate lined with paper towels and drain off all but about 1TBS of the drippings.

Check potatoes and if fork tender, drain and allow to cool. Preheat oven to 425.

In the same skillet that you used for the bacon, add 1tsp of olive oil and saute the onion and garlic, about 3-5 minutes. Add the bacon back to the skillet and combine.

Prepare a baking sheet by brushing remaining olive oil on the bottom of the pan. Place potatoes down and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in over for 30 minutes.

Reduce temp to 375, turn potatoes over and sprinkle with the bacon mixture, and Parmesan. Add more salt and pepper, if desired. Return to the oven for an additional 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with fresh parsley (dried works well also).

Stuffed Mushrooms!

 If you know me at all, you know I love mushrooms. And cream cheese. And Parmesan. And well... it should be no surprise then that I love these little creations. So much, in fact, I think I shall have some for lunch today! I had no idea how relatively easy they are to create. I'm so glad I decided to give it a go. This is my new Party go-to food, but it works great as a side dish also! Try it. You'll love it! 

Ingredients:

2- 8oz packs White Button mushrooms

1/2 medium onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3C white wine

8oz cream cheese, softened

3/4C Parmesan cheese, grated

dash each Oregano and Thyme

salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Wash mushrooms in cold water. Pop out stems, reserving both parts. Chop mushroom stems finely and set aside. 

Saute onions and garlic for about 2 minutes over medium low heat. Pour in wine to deglaze pan, allow liquid to evaporate. Add in chopped mushroom stems, stir to cook about 2 minutes more. Add salt and pepper and other seasonings. Set mixture aside to cool. 

In a bowl, combine the cream cheese and Parmesan. Add cooled mushroom stem mixture and refrigerate for about 20 minutes. 

Smear mixture into the cavity of each mushroom, creating a sizable mound over the top of each. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

Oh. My. Goodnessssss....

Salmon Packets

 It's been a while, eh? Sorry about that. I've been cooking lots of new, yummy things, I just haven't taken time to take pictures or post them. But this was too good NOT to! And so simple!

Put everything in.... 

And Dinner is served. 

Salmon Packets with roasted Squash

Ingredients:

2-4 Sockeye Salmon filets

1/2 onion, halved then sliced thick

handful grape tomatoes per filet

handful of red grapes per filet

2TBS capers per filet

1-2 lemons, quartered

2TBS white wine per filet

1TBS olive oil per filet (grape seed oil would be great too)

sea salt and fresh pepper

For the Squash:

2 Zucchini squash, diced into fairly large chunks

1- 8oz pkg button mushrooms (baby bells my favorite), cut in half (remove the stems)

1/2 onion, diced (fennel would be great too)

2TBS-1/4C olive oil

sea salt and fresh pepper 

1 C. prepared Quinoa

Instructions:

 Preheat oven to 400.

 Line a cookie sheet with foil, then prepare 2-4 sheets of foil for packets. Spray lined cookie sheet with Pam. 

Place salmon filets in center of each sheet of foil. Add sliced onions, tomatoes, grapes, capers and lemons. Starting with one side, fold up edge of foil, creasing the center in as if to form an envelope. Bend the top corner over to seal. Repeat on opposite side, leaving a small opening in the top to pour liquid ingredients. 

 Add white wine and oil. Seal opening shut. Continue until all filets are used up. Line up on one end of cookie sheet. 

For the squash:

On the same cookie sheet, add veggies. Pour oil over, sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix around until well coated. Spread out evenly across cookie sheet.

Bake entire sheet for 25 minutes. Once in the oven, start the Quinoa per package directions.

To serve: Divide Quinoa between plates. Fork out salmon and cover with veggies and sauce from foil packet. Side with squash mixture.

A Post! Father's Day Feast --- plus sides perfect for summer!

 I know what you're thinking... SHE'S ALIVE!! Or maybe it's more like "Who are you?!" I honestly can't give you a definite reason why I've been MIA this time. I've been cooking, coming up with new recipes... just haven't really felt in the mood to post anything, and most times by the time the food is done, I just want to EAT it, not take pics of it! But Father's Day is here and my husband picked the meal: Filet Mignon, Corn on the Cob and Dutch Oven Potatoes (Mac salad is left overs from last's nights Ribs and Fries -- we don't always eat like this, I promise!! ) I'm on a carb-overload this weekend, for sure!!

Here's my little secret about the steaks: pay attention to your meat dept.'s sales on WHOLE beef tenderloins. When it's on sale, grab one (or two if budget allows). Ask the butcher to filet it into 1.5" steaks. If he's super nice, he'll not only filet it, he'll trim the steaks of fat, and grind the small bits into ground beef for you (it's only happened to me once... but it was AWESOME!). Bring the steaks home, individually wrap each one and place all of them into a freezer storage bag in the freezer. Easy to pull one or two out for thawing the day you need. A whole tenderloin can be pricey, but you end up with about 10 steaks, plus either the pound of ground beef or a pound of stew meat, so at about $4-5/per steak that's a great deal -- especially knowing what GREAT quality they are. I mean come on... these are so juicy and tender and mmmmmm.... Plus, they're perfectly portioned, each one being about 4oz! No need to marinade these beauties!

The other two recipes I'll include in this post are wonderful additions to any summer BBQ. I love Mac Salad with fries and a steak. And Dutch Oven Potatoes go with anything! Just FYI: if you're making this meal, start the potatoes first, preheat the oven, then once you add the potatoes to the pot, you can start the steaks. Macaroni Salad is best made the day before.

Filet Mignon

Ingredients:
4- tenderloin steaks, about 1.5" thick
coarse sea salt
fresh ground pepper
1TBS olive oil

Sauce:
1C drinking wine
2TBS Worcestershire Sauce

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425.

Heat oil in oven-safe skillet. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper on all sides, and to scorching hot pan. Allow to sear for 5 minutes -- DO NOT TOUCH! Allow to sit the entire 5 minutes, set your timer.
When the timer buzzes, transfer the entire pan into the oven.
For Rare: roast 5 minutes
For Medium (seen here): roast 6 minutes
For Well: roast 8 minutes

Take pan out of oven and allow to "rest" for 5 minutes. You may cover with foil for this, or just leave it as is.

After 5 minutes, remove steaks from pan to serving dish. Turn stove on to medium and add wine and Worcestershire sauce.  Be careful as the pan may still be hot -- I know from experience! Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes scrapping up any browned bits with wooden spoon or whisk. Serve over steaks. (Great as a gravy for mashed potatoes too!)

Literally, that simple. Just remember this: 425 for 5/6/5. Easy peasy!

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Macaroni Salad -- my mom's version, with a twist of me. 

Ingredients: 

1 pkg cherry/grape tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, peeled (unless using English), and diced
a bunch of Radish, sliced
a bunch of green onions, mainly greens sliced
about 2 C macaroni, cooked and cooled
1C mayo
1C milk
2TBS Worcestershire sauce
1TBS mustard
salt and pepper

Instructions:

Prepare macaroni and allow to cool in colander.

Prep all veggies into a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add macaroni.

In a small jar (great if your Mayo is almost gone, just use it's jar!), add mayo, pour in milk, Worcestershire, and Mustard, close tightly, and shake for a good minute or two. Pour into large bowl. Combine well. Cover and store in the fridge until ready to enjoy.

Great to add baby shrimp!

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Dutch Oven Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 Russet potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/4"
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1/2lb bacon
2 garlic cloves, minced
dash of celery salt, red pepper flakes, thyme
salt and pepper
season salt

Instructions:

Cook bacon until crispy in large skillet. Drain all but about 2TBS of bacon grease. Add onion and cook about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add minced garlic, cook another minute.

Add potatoes and all seasonings, gently stir. Add about 1C of water and once it boils, turn the head down to low, cover and allow to simmer about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Careful as to not break apart the potatoes -- trust me, you don't want mush!

Uncover and allow to cook another 2 minutes. Enjoy with ketchup! 

Jambalaya - redone; plus Cornbread Muffins!

 So my last post, (sorry it's been so long!), has really been bothering me. I thought I had made Jambalaya... but once I went on an online search about it, I realized Jambalaya is more of a rice pilaf than a soup. So I've been itching to try it again. Today provided perfect conditions for doing so: rain, rain and more rain (with a few thunderstorms and tornado watches thrown in the mix, ugh). 

But first, I must rave about our side dish, Sweet Cornbread Muffins.  

Recipe inspiration comes from The Galley Gourmet! Love her recipes and her site! 

My hubby usually doesn't eat a bread side dish, but tonight, I had to tell him to slow down and to save some for tomorrow! Even our 3 year old-picky son loved them! 

I thought I had "corn meal" but when I pulled it out I realized it was "corn masa." I'm not sure if they're different... but just in case, I decided to add 2TBS ground flax to the mix of dry to give it the texture I thought it was missing. Maybe I was mistaken, but it was good regardless! Everything else I followed, and mine aren't as pretty (really, I'm not a baker. I'm just happy they turned out at all!), but they were perfect for us! 

Go check her out!! 

So what did I do differently from last time? 

Well, I kept to one can of chicken broth, and halved the onion, oregano and parsley. I cooked it on the stove this time for fear of losing power. I basically brought it to a boil, then let it simmer for about 2 hours, then added the rice directly to the pot (already cooked rice that was a leftover, that is) to allow the juices to be soaked up by the rice.  I accidentally allowed it to boil too long (losing a lot of juice), so I added about a cup of water. 

And... I didn't have a green bell pepper. I know I committed a Southern sin, but in my defense, I thought I had one in the fridge. I was mistaken. Oh well. It was good regardless. It's a bit spicy, but sided with the cornbread (and cottage cheese), it helped. 

The recipes: 

Jambalaya

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, cut in pieces

1 pkg Andouille sausage, sliced

1 can diced tomatoes, with juice

1/2 onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1C celery, chopped

1 can chicken broth

1tsp Oregano

1tsp Parsley

2tsp Cajun

1tsp. Cayenne

1/2tsp. Thyme 

2 handfuls frozen peeled/deveined shrimp *optional

2C Rice, prepared. 

Instructions:

Add everything to a large stock pot or crock pot. If using stock pot, bring to a boil, then lower heat to low and allow to simmer about 30min - 1 hour. If using crock pot, add everything cook on LOW 7-8hours, or HIGH 3-4 hours. If adding shrimp, do so with about 10 minutes remaining. Add rice, mix well and turn of heat. Allow to cool a few minutes. 

Sweet Cornbread Muffins

Ingredients:

1C flour

1C cornmeal (or 1C corn masa + 2TBS ground flax)

1/4C sugar

2tsp baking powder

1/2tsp baking soda

3/4tsp kosher salt

1C milk

1TBS white vinegar

1 lg egg, room temp. 

1/4C butter, melted

Instructions:

1. Combine milk and vinegar and allow to sit for 30 minutes. 

2. Preheat oven to 425. Place liners in muffin tin and spray with a bit of Pam. (Follow The Galley's recipe for a cake pan). 

3. In a large bowl, combing flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, combine milk mixture, egg, and butter. 

4. Pour wet ingredients over dry and mix just until combined. 

5. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. 

6. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.