Fresh Mushroom Soup (Pressure Cooker Recipe)

As I have started on this freezer cooking "project", I am looking at meals and grocery shopping in a whole new light.  I actually shop from ads now.  I go out of my way to look at what is on sale, from meats to pantry staples.  So as I was shooting down the produce aisle this evening to get lettuce for a salad for dinner tonight, I noticed that mushrooms were on sale for $1 for an 8 oz package.  Cheap!!!  So I whipped up a batch of this fresh cream of mushroom soup to put in the freezer.  Only takes 15 minutes from start to finish using the pressure cooker.  This has become my favorite soup ever!

Mushroom Soup

2 tbsp butter
6 cups chopped fresh mushrooms
1 1/2 cups diced onion
1 tsp garlic powder
3 cups water (or chicken broth, if not needing vegetarian)
1/4 cup half and half
6 tbsp baking mix
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper

1.  Melt the butter on medium-high heat in the pressure cooker.
2.  Add the onions and mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
3.  In a large bowl, combine water, half and half, garlic powder and baking mix.  Mix well.
4.  Add the water mixture, salt and thyme to the mushrooms.  Stir well to combine.
5.  Once all ingredients are in the pressure cooker, lock the lid.
6.  Bring the cooker to 15 psi using high heat.
7.  Once at high pressure, lower the heat to maintain pressure.
8.  Set the timer.  Cook for 3 minutes.
9.  Once the time is up, remove the pressure cooker from the heat and use a natural release.
10.  When the pressure drops, remove the lid, stir in sour cream, parsley and pepper.

I love this soup with the asiago Baking Stone bread from HyVee!!

Poverty Meal

This recipe is great by itself, served with a salad and crusty bread!! Also a good base, you can add beans, corn...I added tomato sauce to make it more like goulash.

1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
2 - 16 oz. stewed tomatoes
1 - 16 oz. can water
8 oz. elbow macaroni, uncooked
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
parmesan cheese, optional

1. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent.
2. Brown ground beef and drain.
3. Add ground beef, tomatoes, water, raw macaroni, salt and pepper to the onion and garlic mixture.
4. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until tender.
5. If desired, top with Parmesan cheese.

Poverty Meal Recipe - Food.com - 27520

Chicken Lo Mein

Better than Chinese take-out and another hit w/ the fam... 

http://recipes.rodale.com/Recipe/chicken-lo-mein.aspx

8 oz lo mein noodles or thin spaghetti
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame or olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 cup snow peas
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

1.  Prepare noodles according to package directions.
2.  Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add teh chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes, or until browned and no longer pink.  Remove to a plate and keep warm.
3.  Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, pepper, garlic, and snow peas and cook, stirring occasionally for 8 minutes, or until tender-crisp.  Stir in the chicken broth, vinegar, soy sauce, and ginger and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the chicken and noodles and heat through.

**Freezer cooking note

The next time I make this, I think I will cook and cool the chicken and combine w/ the veggies and sauce (and double the sauce), and freeze, then cook the noodles fresh and saute w/ the chicken and veggies.

Carrot and Cream Cheese Muffins

Another keeper!!!  I have always liked carrot cake, but never really craved it.  I probably like it more for the cream cheese icing than for the cake itself.  These muffins I can see myself craving.  Yes, they're that good.

Carrot Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

Preheat oven to 350.
Sift together:
1½ c. all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp.baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 c. sugar

In a separate bowl, beat:
3 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil until lightened.
Stir in:
1½ c. shredded carrots
½ c. chopped walnuts
½ c. raisins that have been soaked for 10 minutes in hot water (or warmed rum, if you’d like).

In another bowl, cream:
4 oz. softened cream cheese
1 egg yolk
½ c. sugar
½ tsp. vanilla.

Fold the dry ingredients into the egg/oil mixture. Stir until just combined. Fill mini-muffin cups about ¾ full. Plop a generous teaspoon of the cream cheese filling on top of the batter in each muffin cup.  (I used a pastry/decorator bag, but a ziplock bag with a hole cut in the corner would work, too)

Bake about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake part comes out clean.

Mmmmmm.......I love it even more because it has hidden vegetables!

http://www.thedeliciouslife.com/carrot-muffins-with-cream-cheese/

Sausage and cheese balls

I came across this recipe on Once A Month Mom's August 2011 Whole Foods menu.  The original recipe is from Betty Crocker.  Also can be made gluten free, using Bisquick Gluten Free mix.  They are FANTASTIC!!  Not all of them made it to the freezer, we were popping them right out of the oven!  Recipe says it yields 8 1/2 dozen 1 inch balls, but I ended up with about 4 dozen.  I used a Pampered Chef small scoop to form them, and they were about 1 1/2 inches round.  (Yes, I had to measure them when I wasn't getting as many out of the batch)

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/sausage-cheese-balls/6a2a7890-c685-4991-b699-743fd880486f#?st=7&term=sausage and cheese balls

Sausage-Cheese Balls

3 cups Original Bisquick® mix

1 pound bulk pork sausage

4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (16 ounces)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley or 1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
Barbecue sauce or chili sauce, if desired

1.  Heat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease bottom and sides of jelly roll pan, 15 1/2x10 1/2x2x1 inch. 
2.  Stir together all ingredients, using hands or spoon. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls. Place in pan.
3.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brown. Immediately remove from pan. Serve warm with sauce for dipping

Want to make these savory cheese balls ahead? Your options are many! You can:


*Cover and refrigerate unbaked balls up to 24 hours. Bake as directed.
*Cover and freeze unbaked balls up to 1 month. Heat oven to 350ºF. Place frozen balls on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until brown.
*Bake as directed; cover and freeze up to 1 month. Heat oven to 350ºF. Place frozen balls on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until heated through.
*Bake as directed; cover and freeze up to 1 month. Place 6 frozen balls on microwavable plate. Loosely cover with waxed paper. Microwave on High 45 seconds to 1 minute or until heated through.

It's true. You don't need to cook the sausage before using it when making this recipe

Yumminess!

Best Ever Banana Bread

This recipe is my mom's ever famous banana bread.  I'm not sure where she got the recipe.  The name is no fluke...

1 c. white sugar
1/2 c. butter
2 eggs
1 c. mashed bananas
4 tbsp. thick, sour milk (I use regular milk and add a few drops of lemon juice)
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda

Mix in order given.  Sift dry ingredients together.  Bake in greased and floured bread pan for 1 hour in 350 degree oven.  (I also made this into muffins - bake 20 min. @ 350 degrees)

The cutest baking apprentice EVER!

Best Ever Banana Bread

Enjoying a banana muffin

(still in pajamas @ noon, and yes, those are IA State Fair tattoos on their foreheads!)



Breakfast Baking Day

So, as my vacation is winding down, I am faced with the sad truth that this has been one of the laziest vacas I have ever taken.  I don't know if I am rebelling against the impending structure and scheduling of school starting on Wednesday or what.  So I figured I may as well DO something and have something to show for what remains of the time I have left.  So, breakfast baking for the freezer today.  I made banana bread and muffins, sausage and cheese balls, and carrot and cream cheese muffins.  I still have to make breakfast sandwiches.  I was aiming for things that were easy to pull from the freezer and quick for the kids before school in the morning.  I will post each recipe as a separate entry, maybe it will be easier to follow that way?...