Meatloaf/meatballs
For every “meals worth” you want you need:
1 lb hamburger
1 pkg onion soup mix (about 3 TBS of the bulk kind)
1 egg
1 tsp or so of Worchestershire sauce
a squirt or two of ketchup
about 1/2 c of oatmeal or crushed saltine crackers
Moosh this all together and shape as desired. For meatloaf I make it into a really large doughnut shape. I freeze it in a gallon ziplock bag. Because I cook it from the frozen state, the hole in the middle helps it to cook evenly. It takes one hour to cook if it is thawed and about 1 hour and 10 minutes if it is frozen. I put it in a large pie pan or a square pan, this allows all the grease to drain away as it is cooking - I simply lift it up out of the pan when it is done and slice and serve.
If I am making meatballs, I shape all the balls and bake. Then I freeze all the cooked meatballs. I freeze them in ziplock bags. When I want to serve them they just need to be heated up. Here are some suggestions for how to use your meatballs:
with brown gravy over rice or mashed potatoes (super quick dinner)
as stew with a packet of stew seasonings and some potatoes and carrots
with BBQ sauce in rolls
with spaghetti and sauce
with sweet and sour sauce over rice
anyway that you already use meatballs
Obviously, this recipe is for one meal. Double or triple as you see fit. I usually make about 6 lbs worth at a time.
And lastly, just for Whitney, here is the recipe for King Ranch Chicken. I'm not sure why it's called that, but whatever.
King Ranch Chicken
Saute in vegetable oil a pan:
1 onion, chopped (or less if your family isn't onion friendly)
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped (or you can use two reds or two greens)
Turn off the heat and add to pan:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 c. cooked, chopped chicken
1 can Rotel tomatoes (tomatoes with chili peppers - you can also use just canned tomatoes)
1-2 tsp cumin
grated cheese to taste (we like a lot but it does up the calorie count)
mix well and freeze in Ziplock bags. Also freeze a bag of about 12-15 corn tortillas.
To serve: defrost filling and tortillas. Spray a pyrex baking pan and layer in about a third of the filling. Top with a layer of tortillas. Repeat until you have used up the filling and tortillas. Top with more cheese if desired and bake at 350 degrees until it is bubbly and hot in the center (about 15 - 20 minutes). Serve and enjoy.
I will try to post a few more recipes in the next few days.
