Globber-Jeebies

2 1/2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp  baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1  cup butter (oleo)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp, vanilla
4 cups Rice Krispies
1 12-oz. pkg choc. chips (or craisins, or both)

Sift together, flour, soda and salt.  Set aside.
Beat butter and sugar until smooth.
Add eggs and vanilla.
Mix in flour mixture.
Stir in krispies and chips.
Drop by level tablespoon onto greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 about 10 minutes or till lightly browned.
Remove from sheet and cool.

From the kitchen of my Mom, 1982

Ginger Cookies

2 cups flour
3/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
2 t ground ginger
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/8 t ground cloves
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar in the raw
1 egg
1/4 cup karo dark corn syrup
1/3 to 1/2 c sugar in the raw

1. Combine dry ingredients; set aside.
2. Beat butter & sugar at medium speed until well mixed. Beat in egg & corn syrup until smooth.
3. Stir in flour mixture.
4. Chill dough 1-2 hours
5. Shape dough into 1 inch balls & roll in sugar
6. Bake at 350* for 9-11 minutes

Spanish Flank Steak

1 1/4 lbs flank steak
1 1/2 tsp spicy brown mustard
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 c canola oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp lime juice (optional)
(makes 4 servings)

Assembly:
Place flank steak into one gallon freezer bag.  In a mixing bowl, combine mustard, vinegar, sugar, oil, spices & lime juice.  Whisk until thoroughly combined.  Pour marinade over steak.  (One recipe will yield a little over 1/2 cup of marinade.)  Seal, label & freeze.

To Serve:
Thaw at least overnight in refrigerator. 

To cook on grill:  Coat grill rack with cooking spray.  Preheat grill to medium high (about 400 degrees).  Remove steak from marinade.  Discard marinade.  Grill steak 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until an instant-read thermometer reads at least 145 degrees for a medium rare steak.  Remove from heat and allow to stand for 10 minutes.  Slice steak thinly across the grain.

To broil: Boil the marinade for 10 minutes in a small saucepan prior to using.  Move oven rack 3 to 4 inches from the broiler unit.  Set the oven to broil.  Pout the marinated meat on a sturdy broiling pan with drip pan underneath.  Baste meat with boiled marinade.  Place pan in the oven.  Crack the oven door.  Broil 5 to 7 minutes.  Use a fork to flip the meat.  Baste meat with marinade.  Broil other side 5 to 7 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to stand for 10 minutes.  Slice steak thinly across the grain.

Nutritional Info:
(oil was not included in the nutritional analysis)
Per serving: 
267 calories
15 g fat (51.9% calories from fat)
28 g protein
4 g carbohydrates
1 g fiber
72 mg cholesterol
659mg sodium

Source:  Big Book of Freezer cooking, p 50

Sunflower/Chocolate drops

Note:  You can use either white or milk chocolate, or chocolate bark.  My favorite is Ghirardelli Dipping and Candy Making Bars (both milk chocolate and white).   http://ghirardelli.com/products/bars_dipping.aspx  You can find them at Sam's around Christmas. 

Melt the chocolate in the microwave, stirring frequently until melted.  Mix in sunflower seeds.  I use roasted, salted seeds.  Look on the package for ingredients.  I try to find seeds with only salt added.  Some brands add lots of other things (including MSG...yuck).  I like the ratio of 2 parts chocolate to 1 part seeds, so for each pound of chocolate I used, I stirred in 8 ounces of seeds.  But you can do whatever you like best.  My MIL likes more chocolate.  My mom likes more seeds. 

Drop by the teaspoonful onto wax paper and let harden.  Easy peasy!  They last for at least a couple of months in an airtight container.  I do not recommend freezing.

Grilled Tortilla Packets

2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. flour
1/4 tsp salt
Dash of pepper
1/2 c. milk
2 c. chicken (shredded)
1 1/4 c. cheddar cheese
1 pkg. flour tortillas

Melt butter in microwave.  Stir in flour, salt, and pepper.  Add milk.  Cook in microwave at 30 second intervals until thickened, stirring each time.  Stir in chicken and cheese.

Place a spoonful of filling into each tortilla and fold in half.  Flash freeze individually.  Store in a gallon-size freezer bag. 

To serve:  Defrost and heat on a grill pan or in George Forman grill until hot in the middle.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

This freezer meal is so simple to make; it's a regular for our Mexican Mondays.  Gather your ingredients and churn out wrap after wrap.  One recipe will make one 9x13 casserole or two 8x8 pans.

Ingredients

2 c. chicken (cooked and shredded)
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 c. sour cream
1 sm. can diced green chilies
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 pkg. large flour tortillas

(To shred chicken quickly, cook breasts until done and throw into Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer.  In no time you have shredded chicken ready for any casserole.)

Mix first 6 ingredients.  Spread some on the bottom of a 9x13 pan (or 2 8x8 pans).











Fill tortillas and roll. (Put a scoop of mixture on tortilla and pull to one side and roll.) Place seam down in dish.











Spread the remaining filling over the top.  Sprinkle with cheese.















Cover with Press and Seal wrap and then with foil. Label and freeze.














To serve: Defrost completely. Cover and bake at 350° for 1 hour. Uncover and add more cheese. Bake until melted.

Grandma Willman's Ham Balls

A holiday favorite of the Willman Clan
 Ingredients for the Ham Balls:

  2 lb. ground ham (I find it hard to get ground ham at the store, so call around to find it, but places that make their own ham salad, like Honey Baked Ham/Cafe can get it if you let them know in advance, sometimes grinding your own is great too!) 
1 lb. ground pork 
2 eggs, beaten 
1 cup milk 
2/3 cup plain bread crumbs 

Ingredients for Glaze:
  1 cup brown sugar 
1 cup water 
1/2 cup vinegar (I like apple cider vinegar)

 1. Mix all the ingredients for the ham balls.
 2. Form into balls. Place in a 13 X 9 pan.
 3. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
 4. Mix together Glaze Ingredients and heat to boiling while balls are baking.
 5. Pour Glaze over balls after the 20 minutes of baking, and Continue Baking for 30 more minutes.

 For Freezing: Completely cook, cool, and package for freezing.

 To Serve: Heat and Serve. Can Microwave straight from the freezer.

*If freezing before serving, make extra glaze to include, maybe do about 1 1/2 times, because they were a little dry, after thaw.

Tuna Puffs

MAKES 3 servings

1 12-ounce can tuna, drained

1/4 t. Worcestershire sauce

2 T plus 1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 t. Dijon mustard

2 t. grated onion

2 T. chopped green or red bell pepper

3 English muffins, split

6 thin tomato slices ( I chopped and added to tuna with pepper)

1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a large bowl, combine tuna, Worcestershire sauce, 2 T of the mayonnaise, the mustard, onion, and pepper

2. Place English muffin split sides up on a baking sheet. Spread tuna mixture on muffins, top each with a tomato slice

3. Combine the remaining mayonnaise and the cheddar cheese. Spread mixture on top of each tomato slice. Broil sandwiches until topping is golden brown and puffy. Turn off broiler but keep oven door closed. Allow sandwiches to sit in the oven for 1 to 2 minutes before serving.

Wontons

2 c. ground chicken
4 tbls. oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp black pepper
2 medium onions= 1 c chopped onion
4 tbls. water

Mix all ingredients and put filling in wonton wrapper.

Flash freeze on a cookie sheet. When frozen store in a resealable freezer bag.

Boil wonton from frozen until it floats.

Suggestions for soup: use chicken broth base, add green onions, spinach, cabbage, carrots, celery, or mushrooms.

 

Fruitcake Cookies

1c. Lt brown sugar
3 well beaten eggs
1 tsp baking soda
3 c. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. butter
1/2 c. milk (can be as much as a cup)
3/4 lb. raisins
1 lb. sl pineapple, candied
2 c. or 1 lb. dates
1 lb. candied cherries
7 c pecans (optional)


Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and baking soda and other ingredients.

Use part of the flour to flour the fruit.

Drop from a spoon onto a greased pan.

Bake in 300 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Makes 114 large or 160 small cookies.

Turkey (or Chicken) Pot Pie

Ingredients:
2 cups cubed cooked turkey (or chicken)
2 medium potatoes, peeled & diced
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 ready made pie crust (recipe calls for top & bottom crust, but I will be using crust on the top only, to reduce the amount of fat/calories)

To prepare:
Boil potatoes and carrots in a large stockpot.  Reduce heat, cover & simmer begetables for 8-10 minutes.  Drian & set aside.

In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender.  Stir in flour, salt, thyme & pepper until blended.  Gradually stir in broth & milk.  Bring to a boil; cook & stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Add the chicken, peas, corn, potatoes & carrots.  Remove from heat.

Pour filling into a a 9" pie pan.  Roll out pie crust to fit over top of pie pan. Cut a few slits or decorative cutouts in pie crust to vent.  Place crust over filling, trim, seal & flute edges.  Cover with plastic wrap, then foil.  Label & freeze.

To bake from frozen: 
Cover edges of pie crust with foil to prevent burning.  Place on a baking sheet.  Bake at 425° for 30 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350° & bake for 60 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.  Let rest 15 minutes before cutting.

To bake from thawed: 
Place thawed pie on a baking sheet.  Brush crust with egg wash, if desired.  Bake at 425° for 35-40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Let rest for 15 minutes before cutting.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 piece with double crust) equals 494 calories, 29 g fat (14 g saturated fat), 75 mg cholesterol, 806 mg sodium, 43 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 16 g protein.

Originally published as Chicken Potpie in Quick Cooking September/October 2003

Chocolate Caramel Cookies

1 pkg devil's food cake mix
1 egg
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
36 Rolo candies
Chopped hazelnuts

In a bowl, combine cake mix, egg, water & oil. Mix well. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls. Press a Rolo candy into the center of each ball; reshape as needed. Dip tops in hazelnuts. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until tops are cracked. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. People will be surprised to bite into these crisp cookies & find a gooey caramel center!
Yield: 3 dozen

Note: if dough is sticky, spray hands lightly with nonstick cooking spray before rolling into balls.