Poppy Seed Chicken and Rice Casserole

Submitted by: Amy Taylor

3-4 cooked chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/3 cup uncooked minute rice
1 cup water
1 roll Ritz crackers
1 cup grated cheese
1/4 cup water or melted butter

Line 9x13 dish with uncooked rice and pour 1 cup water over it. Stir rice and water.
Combine chicken, soups, sour cream, poppy seeds, and onion in a bowl.
Pour soup mixture over rice and top with cheese.
Crush crackers and moisten with water or butter and put on top of casserole.
Bake at 325 for 35 minutes

If freezing, do not bake. Cover with saran wrap and tin foil. When ready to bake,
thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours then bake at 325 for 35 minutes.

Taco Soup

Submitted by: Amy Taylor

Serves 12-18 (I made this before I had Mya, and we ate it for dinner that night and I split the rest into two freezer bags for later. It makes a lot!!!!)

2 lbs fresh lean ground beef
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 (4 ounce) can green chilies
1 taco seasoning packet
1 ranch dip packet
2 (11 ounce) cans corn, undrained
4 (14 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, undrained
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, undrained
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
grated monterey jack cheese and/or cheddar cheese

1. Brown meat with onions in 8 quart stockpot then drain any grease
2. When cooked all the way through, add remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes.
3. Eat now if you are not freezing. Serve with grated cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, etc.
4. If freezing, let cool completely and pour into freezer bags. Mark bags with date and directions to Reheat to Serve.
5. Let bag partially thaw, enough to get it out of the bag and then heat over low until warmed through.

Creamy chicken and pasta

Submitted by: Misty Anderson

3 cups pasta, any shape
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 12-oz can evaporated milk
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
2/3 cups French fried onions
3 cups cooked chopped chicken

Cook pasta in salted water for half the time recommened on pkg. Combine soup, milk and cheeses. Stir in onions, chicken and pasta. Place in gallon freezer. Label and freeze.

To serve: Thaw. Place in greased baking dish. Bake covered for 45 min at 350 degrees. Uncover and top with more French fried onions. Return to oven for additional 5 min.

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

Submitted by: Misty Anderson

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup chopped onion
1 4-oz can chopped green chilies
2 cups sour cream
12 corn toritillas
4 cups cooked chopped chicken
1 cup shredded monterrey jack cheese
1 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Combine soups, onion, green chilies and sour cream. Cut tortillas in fourths. Ingreased foil baking pan make the following layers, using half for both layers: tortillas, chicken, cheese, suace. Repeat layers. Cover with foil. Label and freeze.

To serve: Thaw. Bake covered for 60 min at 350 degrees. Uncover. Top with more shredded cheese. Return to oven long enough to melt cheese. Serve with shredded lettuce, sour cream, diced tomatoes, sliced olives, and salsa.

Makes 1 9x13 or 2 9x9 pans.

Wild Rice Soup

Submitted by: Misty Anderson

Make 2 pkgs. Uncle Ben's Wild Rice (original) according to box directions.

In pan:
Saute 1 diced onion in 5 Tbsp butter until translucent.
Add 6 Tbsp. flour, 8 Cups chicken broth (about 4 cans), and 1 pint heavy whipping cream.
Add rice and simmer.

Tres Leches Cake

Submitted by: Taryn Richardson

This is the cake we had the March Relief Society dinner. Taryn discovered the recipe on Pioneer Woman's Blog. Click here for the recipe. She has a great tutorial.

Boeuf Bourguignon a la Julia Child

Submitted by : Jacquelynn Sokol

Serves 6- It’s not as scary as the movie makes it look.

· One 6-ounce piece of chunk bacon (just buy prepackaged salt pork- yes it is gross)

· 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

· 3 pounds lean stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes (the butcher will do this for you if you ask)

· 1 carrot, sliced (I used 2-3 carrots, but I love carrots)

· 1 onion, sliced

· Salt and pepper

· 2 tablespoons flour

· 3 cups red wine, young and full-bodied (like Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone or Burgundy) (I used Burgundy and it was great)

· 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups brown beef stock

· 1 tablespoon tomato paste

· 2 cloves mashed garlic

· 1/2 teaspoon thyme

· A crumbled bay leaf

· 18 to 24 white onions, small ( you can use frozen onion pearls)

· 3 1/2 tablespoons butter

· Herb bouquet (4 parsley sprigs, one-half bay leaf, one-quarter teaspoon thyme, tied in cheesecloth) – I didn’t use the herb bouquet- I just pulled out the parsley when I was done cooking it.

· 1 pound mushrooms, fresh and quartered

· Cooking Directions

Remove bacon rind and cut into lardons (sticks 1/4-inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and lardons for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sauté lardons in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a flameproof casserole over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon.

Dry beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Heat fat in casserole until almost smoking. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and sauté until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the lardons.

In the same fat, brown the carrots (could do potatoes here). Pour out the excess fat.

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes.

Toss the meat again and return to oven for 4 minutes (this browns the flour and coves the meat with a light crust).

Remove casserole and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Stir in wine and 2 to 3 cups stock, just enough so that the meat is barely covered.

Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs and bacon rind. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove.

Cover casserole and set in lower third of oven. Regulate heat so that liquid simmers very slowly for 3 to 4 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with one and one-half tablespoons of the oil until bubbling in a skillet.

Add onions and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling them so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect them to brown uniformly.

Add 1/2 cup of the stock, salt and pepper to taste and the herb bouquet (or just the herbs).

Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but hold their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Remove herb bouquet and set onions aside.

Wipe out skillet and heat remaining oil and butter over high heat. As soon as you see butter has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add mushrooms.

Toss and shake pan for 4 to 5 minutes. As soon as they have begun to brown lightly, remove from heat.

When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan.

Wash out the casserole and return the beef and lardons to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms on top.

Skim fat off sauce in saucepan. Simmer sauce for a minute or 2, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.

If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons stock. Taste carefully for seasoning.

Pour sauce over meat and vegetables. Cover and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times.

Serve in casserole, or arrange stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles or rice, and decorated with parsley. (I served it over Egg Noodles and Potatoes- Next time I will throw in the potatoes with the stew to soak up the flavoring.)