Soft Chicken Taco, page 176
White Chili, page 166
Chicken à la King, page 157
Hot Chicken Salad, page 106
Oriental Chicken Noodle Salad, page 107
Strawberry-Spinach Salad, page 108
Gayle’s Chicken Salad, page 105
Corn-Tortilla Chicken Soup, page 94
Taco Salad, page 111
Chicken-Zucchini Casserole, page 120
Dinner in a Pumpkin, page 138
FIVE-WAY BEEF MIX
Delicious by itself. For special meals, refer to the recipes below.
5 lb. lean beef cubes or lean ground beef
4 onions, chopped, or 1 cup dried chopped onions
About 1 cup water, if using beef cubes
8 cups diced peeled potatoes
6 cups diced peeled carrots
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
1 (24-oz.) pkg. frozen peas, partially thawed
4 teaspoons seasoning salt
2 teaspoons ground sage
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
FIVE-WAY BEEF MIX makes:
Bread Basket Stew, page 130
Deep-Dish Pot Pie, page 147
Grandma’s Hamburger Soup, page 109
Swiss Hamburger Soup, page 113
Vegetable-Cheese Casserole, page 135
Spray vegetable cooking spray in skillet; add beef cubes and onions. Cook until browned. Add about 1 cup water to browned beef cubes. Cover and simmer until tender, about 1 hour, adding more water if needed. Or: Brown ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain excess grease.
Place potatoes and carrots in a 5-quart Dutch oven. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Simmer vegetables until crisp-tender, about 15 minutes. Stir cornstarch into 1/2 cup cold water. Stir into vegetable mixture until slightly thickened. Stir in remaining ingredients. Stir in browned-beef mixture. Cool.
Ladle mix into four 6-cup freezer containers with tight-fitting lids, leaving 1/2-inch space. Stir to remove air pockets. Attach lids. Label with date and contents. Store in freezer. Use within 2 months. Makes 4 packages or about 24 cups FIVE-WAY BEEF MIX.
ITALIAN COOKING SAUCE MIX
Superb, savory and simple. We use this mix as a pizza topping.
2 (14.5-oz.) cans stewed tomatoes, puréed
4 (8-oz.) cans tomato sauce
2 cups water
2 (6-oz.) cans tomato paste
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
2 tablespoons parsley flakes
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 teaspoons dried green-pepper flakes
1 teaspoon instant minced garlic
1 tablespoon sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning.
ITALIAN COOKING SAUCE MIX makes:
Stuffed Manicotti Shells, page 182
Veal Parmigiana, page 205
Chicken Cacciatore, page 151
Last-Minute Lasagna, page 207
Spaghetti Casserole, page 179
Combine all ingredients in a large pot or Dutch oven. Simmer 15 minutes. Cool. Put into six 2-cup freezer containers, leaving 1/2-inch space at top. Seal and label containers. Freeze. Use within 6 months. Makes about 6 pints ITALIAN COOKING SAUCE MIX.
ITALIAN-STYLE MEAT MIX
An Italian friend shared this recipe with us and it’s one of our favorites. Pork bones truly make a difference.
3 lb. sweet Italian sausage, cut in 2-inch lengths
2 (28-oz.) cans tomato purée
1 (28-oz.) can peeled tomatoes
1-1/2 teaspoons dried sweetbasil leaves, crushed
1-1/4 teaspoons dried parsley leaves, crushed
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
5 teaspoons grated Romano cheese
6 cups water
1-1/2 lb. pork bones
1 qt. MEATBALL MIX, page 44
ITALIAN-STYLE MEAT MIX makes:
Cathy’s Meatball Sandwiches, page 177
Eggplant Parmesan, page 178
Green Peppers Mediterranean-Style, page 123
Spaghetti Royale, page 180
Italian-Style Zucchini, page 124
Last-Minute Lasagna, page 207
In a large skillet or Dutch oven, brown Italian sausage, stirring occasionally. Simmer 20 to 25 minutes longer until meat is no longer pink. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in skillet. Stir in tomato purée, tomatoes, basil, parsley, sugar, pepper, garlic powder, Romano cheese, water and pork bones. Cover; simmer 30 minutes.
Spoon MEATBALL MIX into tomato mixture. Bring to a boil. Cover; simmer 5 to 6 hours until thickened. Remove pork bones. Cool meat mixture in skillet on a rack. Spoon into freezer containers in amounts shown in recipes listed below. Leave 1/2-inch space at top of each container. Attach lids. Label containers with date, contents and quantity. Store in freezer. Use within 6 months. Makes about 16 cups ITALIAN-STYLE MEAT MIX.
MEAT LOAF MIX
For variety, shape some of this mix into individual meat loaves or into a ring before freezing.
4 eggs, beaten
2-1/4 cups milk
6 tablespoons dried onion flakes
6 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
1 tablespoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons ground sage
4-1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1-1/2 cups bread crumbs
MEAT LOAF MIX makes:
Meat Loaf with Tangy Topper Sauce, page 185
Stuffed Green Peppers, page 186
Cut three 15” x 12” pieces of plastic wrap or heavy-duty foil. Combine eggs, milk, onion flakes, parsley flakes, salt and sage. Stir in ground beef and bread crumbs.
Divide meat-loaf mixture into three equal portions. Shape each portion into a meat loaf. Place on plastic wrap or heavy-duty foil. Wrap each meat loaf airtight. Label with date and contents. Store in freezer. Use within 3 months. Makes 3 packages MEAT LOAF MIX.
MEATBALL MIX
Now our children are creating their own mixes. Thanks, Shelly.
4 lb. lean ground beef
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 cups milk
MEATBALL MIX makes:
Swedish Meatballs, page 196 Meatball Stew, page 183 Cocktail Meatballs, page 88 Sweet & Sour Meatballs, page 184
Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Combine all ingredients. Blend well. Shape mixture into 1-1/2-inch balls. Place meatballs on ungreased baking sheet and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until browned.
Remove immediately and drain on paper towels. When cooled, put about 20 meatballs each into four 1-quart freezer containers, leaving 1/2-inch space at top. Seal and label with date and contents. Freeze. Use within 3 months. Makes about 80 MEATBALLS.
MEAT SAUCE MIX
For a chunky texture, coarsely chop the carrots and celery. To disguise the texture of the carrots and celery, chop finely in food processor
4 medium onions, sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic
2 cups finely chopped celery
2 to 3 chopped carrots, if desired
5 lb. lean ground beef
5 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 (28-oz.) bottle ketchup
6 drops hot pepper sauce
MEAT SAUCE MIX makes:
Speedy Pizza, page 87
Rancher’s Sloppy Joes, page 187
Hamburger Trio Skillet, page 188
Hamburger-Noodle Skillet, page 188
Three-Layer Casserole, page 145
Chili Con Carne, page 187
Grease large skillet with vegetable cooking spray.
