Cooking Instructions - February 2007 Menu

When thawing freezer bags be sure to place them in a bowl or baking dish in the fridge in case of leakage. If you forget to thaw you can thaw in the microwave or increase the cooking time by about 25minutes for the foil pans. If bag contains sauce mixture rinse with a little water to get everything out.

Empanadas – Thaw in fridge overnight or increase the cooking time by approx: 10 minutes. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 13 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Serve with a tossed salad. Double the time if cooking from frozen. Serve with a salad of your choice.

Pasta with Feta Stuffed Meatballs - To prepare: place frozen casserole (covered with aluminum foil) in preheated 375°F oven. Bake for 25 minutes; remove aluminum foil. Bake 25 minutes more, or until hot and bubbly.

Chicken and Andouille Sausage Ragu - Thaw over night in fridge. Place contents of bag in a pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer cover and cook until chicken is cooked thru about 35 minutes. Serve over buttered pasta.

Chicken Osso Buco – Thaw in fridge overnight. Place contents of bag in a pot, bring to a boil,  reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 25 minutes or until chicken is fork-tender and juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and grated lemon peel.

Brie and Sausage Breakfast Casserole - Thaw in fridge overnight Oven: Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until set. Serve with fresh fruit.

Boneless pork loins with onion Marmalade - Thaw overnight. Brown chops in a large skillet. Remove chops from pan add sauce mixture bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer, cook for 5 minutes. Return pork to skillet and cook, uncovered, turning once, until cooked through and almost all liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Ancho Honey Salmon Fillets - Thaw in fridge. Place on a broiler pan and broil 4 to 6 inches from heat for 10 minutes. Salmon should flake easily with a fork.

Creamy Curried Split Pea Soup - Thaw in refrigerator over night. Cook split peas in 1+1/4 qts of water covered for 1 hour. Drain. Place in a large kettle, add remaining ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer 2 hours, or until peas are soft. Stir until peas fall apart, or press soup through a strainer.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions - Thaw in refrigerator over night. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place butter and oil into an oven proof saucepan. When oil mixture is very hot add pork medallions and brown on all sides, but do not cook through. Place saucepan into oven and roast for 15 to 20 minutes or until bacon is crisp and pork is done.

Shrimp Vera Cruz - Thaw in fridge overnight. Bake casserole in preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes until warmed thru. This dish can also be eaten cold as a salad. Serve with lime wedges.

Korean Beef on Fiery Cabbage with Rice - Thaw in fridge. Place meat and marinade in a large skillet and brown on all sides. This should only take 5 minutes and the marinade should be slightly reduced to a nice consistency. Sautee cabbage mixture about 5 minutes till heated thru. Heat rice in the microwave. I serve in a bowl with the rice on bottom, cabbage on top of rice, and meat on top of cabbage.

Breaded Stuffed Chicken Breasts – Thaw in fridge overnight. Place a very large, nonstick sauté pan over a medium heat. Be sure the pan is large enough to fit all of the chicken breasts at one time.
put about 1 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon oil in the hot pan. Place the chicken breasts in the hot pan and allow to slowly fry for about 5 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown on the bottom. Turn the chicken breasts over. Put another 1 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon oil around the chicken breasts. Gently shake the pan to ensure the butter coats the bottom. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake the chicken breasts for about 10 minutes or until they are cooked through and the cheese melts.  Using pot holders, remove the pan from the oven and allow the chicken breasts to rest for about 4 minutes.

SIDES
Thaw all sides except for Sweet Potato Fries in fridge.

Serve pastas hot or cold add some cheese and you have another meal. Thaw coleslaw in fridge.

Heat rice in micro wave to desired temperature. Rice can be heated from frozen in microwave. Rice can also be stir fried.

Sweet Potato Fries:
Preheat oven to 400. Place frozen fries on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake for approx 10 minutes turn and continue for another 10 minutes or until desired crispness is achieved.