Happy Groundhog Day!

I've never "celebrated" this holiday before, but we made these this year and it made the day special.

Vanilla Wafers
Mini marshmallows
White and Milk Chocolate Microwavable Designer Tubes
Chocolate Pudding
Crushed Oreo wafers

Cut some wafers into 8 pie wedges for the paws.  Use broken shards for the ears.  Using the warmed up chocolate as "glue" and "paint", create your groundhogs using a mini marshmallow cut in fourths for the teeth.

Pour pudding into cups.  Mound Oreo wafers to one side, where the groundhog has "dug up".  Place the head and paws in the mound.

Meat Loaf Gyros

Sometimes I use leftover meatloaf from other recipes to make these yummy Gyros.  Great way to change up leftovers.

1 egg, lightly beaten
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pepper
1 lb ground lamb
1 lb ground beef

Tzatziki Sauce:
1 cup (8 oz) plain yogurt
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
8 whole gyro-style pitas (6 inches)
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
16 slices tomato
8 slices sweet onion, halved

In a large bowl, combine the egg, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Crumble lamb and beef over mixture; mix well.

Pat into an ungreased 9x5 loaf pan.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes, or until no pink remains and a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.  Cool completely on a wire rack.  Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

For sauce, combine the yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.  Cover and  refrigerate until serving.

Brush pita breads with 1 Tbsp oil; heat on a lightly greased griddle for 1 minute on each side.  Keep warm.  Cut meat loaf into very thin slices.  In a large skillet, fry meat loaf in remaining oil in batches until crisp.  On each pita bread, layer tomato, onion and meat loaf slices; top with some sauce.  Carefully fold pitas in half.  Serve with remaining sauce.

Salad Tips & Tricks

• Always add tomatoes just before serving (they wilt the lettuce faster)
• Add fruit to green salads
• Dry the leaves.  Toss with a few paper towels to pick up extra moisture that can wilt greens and dilute dressings
• Match greens with right dressing.  Butter lettuce and tender greens are best with light acidic dressing.  Heavier greens can handle stronger dressings
• Make it bite-size.  Cut all ingredients roughly the same size.
• Let the flavors mix.  When making a dressing, let the acid absorb the seasonings for at least 15 mins before adding the oil
• Toss with your hands; it's the most gentle and gives you the most control
• Take the time to garnish the top.  Presentation is everything
• Toss cut fruit in diluted lemon juice to keep them looking fresh
• Turn a salad into a main dish by adding seafood, meat, chicken, or beans
• Serve pasta or main dish atop a bed of lettuce, sliced avocado, or sliced melon
• Keep cold salads cold (ie anything with mayo) by freezing water in a small sealed Tupperware type bowl (cereal bowl size) and placing the frozen plastic ice cube in the bottom of the serving bowl before piling the salad on top.
• Make a salad look bigger by inverting a plate in the bottom of the serving bowl and piling the salad on top of that
• Make a tossed salad the day before and keep fresh by completely covering in water and storing in the fridge.  Drain well before serving.

Tips for Healthier Recipes

• Cut the fat in half (it usually won't affect the recipe)
• Reduce the sugar in recipes by 1/4 to 1/3 without affecting the recipe much
• Puree mashed potatoes with chicken stock and mustard instead of butter or cream
• Rub lemon or lime juice, rather than butter, into chicken or turkey before baking.  Don't remove the skin until the bird is cooked.  Makes a moister, more flavorful, and less fatty dish.
• Add chopped or pureed carrots, spinach, zucchini, etc. to meat loaf, lasagna, or pasta sauce
• Use evaporated skim milk in place of half-and-half.  (less fatty and not as perishable)
• Reduce the salt in non-yeast baking recipes
• Add drop of lemon juice to water for pasta instead of salt
• Substitute up to half of shortening in recipes with applesauce, pureed prunes, mashed bananas, or yogurt.  Also reduce the oven temp by 25 degrees and check for doneness early, since lower fat content can cause baked goods to dry out quicker
• Use whole grain products

Moist Pie Crust Mix (from Make-A-Mix Cookery)

5 lbs all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp salt
1 (3 lb) can vegetable shortening
3 cups cold water (I use milk to make the crust stronger)
extra flour for rolling

Combine flour and salt in a very, very large bowl. Mix well. With pastry blender, cut in shortening until evenly distributed. Mixture will resemble cornmeal in texture. Add cold water all at once and mix lightly until the flour absorbs all the water and texture resembles putty. If dough is too sticky, add more flour, until the dough barely clings together in the bowl.

(Here is where I modify the recipe) Divide the dough into 16-18 balls. You can wrap each ball/loaf in plastic wrap and aluminum foil at this point for freezing, or prep them a little more (as follows) before freezing. Roll each ball into a pie crust large enough to fit a pan. Place a slightly larger piece of wax paper over the crust and roll both together. Place the finished rolls into a large bread or freezer bag (or wrap in aluminum foil) and freeze for later use. Use within 12 months.

If you have disposable aluminum pie plates, I like to actually line the pie pans with the dough and crimp the edges, ready for baking; and then place each pan in a gallon sized freezer bag and stack the bagged pans in each other for freezing. The pan freezing method is the most convenient way when you're ready to actually cook a pie with them. However, I would also freeze some rolled for those recipes that don't use a pie pan. (i.e. hot dog roll ups)

You then always have frozen pie crusts available for pies (see the pumpkin pie recipe that follows), quiches (Abigail submitted a great recipe that follows) or anything else you care to use it for. Try cutting a crust into triangle wedges (pizza style), brush with brown mustard, and roll a hot dog up croissant style in the crust for a tasty, easy, meal/snack (Bake until flaky and browned).

Meatballs

Submitted by Amanda Bloomfield


These are a good freezer meal because you can make a big batch of them, cook them, and then freeze them plain. Then they can be make into different meals by changing the sauce. You can use them with spaghetti, sweet & sour sauce, BBQ sauce, etc.

1 pound ground hamburger (can mix hamburger & turkey)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
whatever other seasonings you like

Mix all ingredients together. Form into 1 inch balls. Place under broiler in the oven 15-20 minutes or until all done. You can make a much bigger batch if you want to do several meals at once.

If freezing - let cool completely. Place in a single layer on a cookie sheet in the freezer overnight. Then, place them in a zip lock bag in portions needed for dinners. This way, they won't stick together in the freezer. When ready to use, put them in whatever heated sauce you are using and stir utnil heated.

Cheese-Stuffed Jumbo Shells

Submitted by Nicole Sizemore

12 oz. Jumbo Shells (you can use manicotti pasta instead. It doesn't really matter.)
1-16 oz. ricotta cheese
1-16 oz. cottage cheese (or just use all cottage cheese if you don't like ricotta and vise verse)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 Parmesan cheese, grated ( I grate my own)
spinach, how ever much you want.
2 eggs or 6 egg whites
2 TBSP parsley
3/4 tsp oregano
salt and pepper
6-8 cups favorite marinara sauce

1.Bring water to a boil and add pasta. Cook about 10 min. Avoid over cooking. Cool pasta in a single layer on wax paper to keep pasta for sticking together.

2.While pasta is cooling mix together ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, eggs or egg whites,spinach, and the dry seasonings. Fill each pasta with 2-3 TBSP of cheese mix.

3.Spread a thin layer of marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9x9 or 13x9 inch pan.(it just maters how much you will eat) Place the shells open side down in a single layer in the pan; cover with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 for about 35 min. or until hot and bubbly. Fills about 36 shells.

To freeze you can put it all together then freeze it as is but then when you cook it it will have to cook longer, about a hour, and there will be more moisture in the dish. So you can take the tin foil off for the last 20-30 min. Or you can freeze the filled pasta individually on a cookie sheet with wax paper on it so the pasta wont stick to the pan. Then once when they are frozen put them in a freezer bag and put them back in the freezer. You can also freeze the sauce and cheese. When you want to eat the meal let the manicotti and sauce thaw. Then put it together from number 3 and enjoy.

Try both ways or different ways because you will have a lot of manicotti to experiment with.

Sunday Pot Roast/Mexican Meat Mix

Pot Roast
1. Sear the roast on all sides in a skillet before placing in the crock pot to seal in the juices and to create some very tasty crispy ends.
2. Place in a crock pot on low for as long as possible(6 - 10 hours). The slower you cook it, the more tender it will be.
3. Do not salt or add water at first. Later if it is still dry in the pot (not likely) you can add about a 1/2 -1 inch of water to the crock pot. More likely you may have to drain some of the juices out of the pot so that the meat is not boiling (that will make it tough). You don't want more than 1 inch of liquid in the pot. Salt in the beginning will also make the meat tough. Sometimes I'll throw a packet of Lipton onion soup over the top for flavoring (however, better to wait to add this till later); but often as not, it tastes great with nothing else on it.
4. If desired, add chopped onions, potatoes, and vegetables, and maybe a little salt, for the last hour or two of cooking, depending on how soft you like them.
5. Cook as large a roast as your crock pot will handle and here's a wonderful recipe to do with the leftovers (from Make-A-Mix Cookbook).

Mexican Meat Mix
5 lbs beef roast or combination of beef and pork roasts (cooked low temp and slow)
3 Tbsp butter
3 onions
1 (4oz) can chopped green chilies
2 (7oz) cans green chili salsa (I've used regular salsa and it's still great!)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
4 Tbsp flour
4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
Juices from beef roasts

Drain cooked meat, reserving juices. Cool meat, then remove bones. Shred meat, and set aside.

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions and green chilies. Saute 1 minute. Add salsa, garlic powder, flour, salt, and cumin. Cook 1 minute over medium-low heat. Stir in reserved meat juices and shredded meat. Cook 5 minutes until thick. Cool.

Put about 3 cups mix each into 1-quart freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch space at top. Seal and label containers. Freeze. Use within 6 months. Makes about 9 cups of Mexican Meat Mix.

This mix is perfect to use in just about anything Mexican: burritos, enchiladas, tacos, tostados, taco salad, etc. The flavor is fantastic, and I've even used tough meat before (that I cooked too fast on too high a temp) and it still was great. Wonderful on those nights you don't want to cook; just reheat and add some tortillas and toppings.