Freezer Meals #17 for Back to School

This is the week I like to refer to as The Last Gasp of Summer.  

On Wednesday I happily cleaned out the pantry, throwing out expired and terrible stuff  (hello, summer sausage from Hubby's Christmas stocking) and made out my grocery list for some easy meals. 

 Breakfast cereals are ready

 ...as well as the baskets I have to organize everything from granola bars to popcorn, ramen and pasta, and potatoes and onions. I cleaned out the fridge and freezer, too.  I found things here and there to use up: a bag of frozen veg I forgot I had, the rest of the container of ketchup, etc.  Here's what I made:

 

A quick trip to HEB and $65 for 11 meals

Sweet Garlic Chicken
(go here for the recipe)

Beef Veggie and Rice Soup
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef, cooked and drained
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 bag frozen soup veggies (um, mine was from the holidays...)
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 cubes beef bouillon
1 t Italian seasoning
1 c. instant rice
Add all to gallon zip-loc. Write on the outside of the bag "add 5-6 c. water in crock pot".
Cook on low in crock 4-6 hours.

Sloppy Joes
I followed my go-to recipe, but I made sure to use up all of the dabs of ketchup and mustard I had on hand for two batches.  If you don't have a go-to recipe, brown and drain 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, add a half and onion, a half a cup BBQ sauce and ketchup, a tablespoon each of Worchestershire sauce and prepared mustard, and about a teaspoon of celery salt.  You can also add a tablespoon or so of brown sugar, and some garlic, if you want to get all fancy.  Simmer it.  Cool it, then put in a ziploc in your freezer.  Thaw, simmer, eat.

Taco Meat
I browned 3 pounds ground beef, drained it, then added a packet of HVR mix I happened to want to get rid of along with some homemade taco seasoning, and a can of Rotel and half a jar of salsa that was lurking in the fridge.  I divided this into two containers for the freezer, and will thaw, simmer, and serve in taco shells or on taco salads (my personal fav).

Ham and Cheese Party Sammies
I bought some sweet rolls for sammies.  Split them and brushed the insides with melted butter mixed with Worchestershire, brown sugar, and grainy mustard.  Then I slathered on the swiss and ham.  Reassembled the rolls, brushed with more butter, and sealed in foil.  These will bake for about 30 minutes at 300 degrees on delay bake as we make our way home from a football game.

Curry Meatballs
I added one tablespoon of curry powder and 1/2 t of smoked paprika to can of Golden Mushroom soup then poured it over prepared meatballs in a gallon zip-loc.  I will simmer these on the stove one night and serve over rice.

Lemon Garlic Chicken
3 large chicken breasts, cut in half
4 big cloves garlic, chopped
1 T dried parsley flakes
1/4 c olive oil
juice from one big lemon
Add to gallon zip-loc, cook on low from frozen, 6-8 hours.  Might serve this with garlicky pasta.

Mrs. Ringle's Brisket
I slathered mustard all over a brisket and sprinkled a packet of onion soup all over it.  This goes in a gallon zip-loc.  Cook on low 10-12 hours.  (I'm sure I will cook this one, from frozen, on a weekend when I work, as the cook time is long.)  Slice and serve with BBQ fixin's.

 

I made sure we were stocked on ziplocs, wraps, and clips.  And now we have a clean pantry and a full freezer.  Bring on the school year!

Gina

Fruited Chicken Salad

I came across a recipe I wanted to try for an easy summer meal - no oven required.  I already had most of the ingredients, so I subbed out a couple and came up with my own version.  Go here for the original recipe - this lady has all kinds of good cooking going on her blog!

Fruited Chicken Salad
3-4 cups cooked diced chicken (I used a mix of canned, with rotisserie from my freezer)
1 c. celery, chopped
1 small apple, chopped (I used Gala)
1/2 c. dried cranberries and 1/2 c. dried blueberries
1 t dried thyme
1 t dried dill
1 t. lemon pepper seasoning
1 c. olive oil mayo

This recipe used up some dibs and dabs of things I needed to use up, including some chicken from the freezer and the rest of a bag of craisins.  I could also have added pecans or slivered almonds.

 

 You could adjust these seasonings to make this salad your own - I left out the poultry seasoning that was in the original, in favor of just thyme and dill.  But to make it even easier, I could have used some of my homemade ranch mix from the fridge.  And if I'd lemony mayo on hand, I could have skipped the lemon pepper, however, we do love lemon pepper around here!

  Chop everything and add to  a large bowl; add to that the seasonings

Give it a toss to make sure the fruit or chicken isn't in a clump.  Then stir in the mayo thoroughly, cover, and chill.

I set mine out with a loaf of bread and some grapes. It made for a great summer dinner and one I will make again.  

Gina

5 thing Friday - stitching, Seniors, sauces, plates, reading

I've been doing little cross stitch projects here and there.

This was a saying contributed by a sweet lady who works in the cafeteria at the hospital. Grammar aside, its a reminder to me to be authentic, whether I think someone will approve or not.

OMG.  

Can my baby actually be a senior in high school?  I anticipate needing a box or two of Kleenex this year.  So many "lasts" to come, so many "firsts" to look forward to.

Last month I took the three frames down from my Wall of Seniors, found another frame just like them (except it was white), gave them all a fresh coat of paint so they would match, and added in Bubbie's portrait.

Seventeen forever, all four of them together.

In a frenzy, I whipped up several jars of marinara and homemade enchilada sauce recently.  Last night I simmered some of the enchilada sauce with chicken breasts and served them with rice, and zucchini.  So good and no oven required.

I found a pretty Pier One plate while out thrifting that already had a hanger attached. I had just read a post form this blogger showing different plate collage walls.  I love the idea but I don't have near enough of them to do a big enough display yet.  And I don't want to buy just any old plates to hang unless I love them.  But this one is sweet!

I added it to the wall behind my washer and dryer.  Someday I will find enough beautiful ones to make a bigger display, maybe in the dining room.  I love the wooden heart bowl, and the other two that are from my mother's travels to China and Portugal.

I finished my first book purchased on the Nook.  It was a meh book, but it was fun using the Nook to read.  So, I bought Harry Potter and The Cursed Child and am alternating that with one of my paperbacks from a growing collection that I've been adding to from the thrift stores.  As the summer continues and the days seem to get hotter, reading in my air-conditioned bedroom is becoming more and more my go-to leisure activity!

Happy Weekend!

Gina

On the road with Mabel - Angel Fire RV Resort

After leaving Palo Duro, and driving most of the day, we arrived here:

Angel Fire RV Resort.  The building you see back there is a lodge with a giant meeting room with a fireplace, and a fire pit out back.  Lest you think it not cold enough for that during the summer, it was 37 degrees on our last night there.  Brrr.  We also enjoyed their hot tub at the end of our last night there - it is huge and we had it all to ourselves.

Lots of clouds and quite a bit of rain while we were there, which kept the temps very much like spring during the day.

The back of our parking space was just a few walking minutes away down a paved road to hot showers, bathrooms, a gift shop, and a laundromat.

 That tiny spec is Mabel, behind Hubby's silver truck, in the land of the Big Rigs.

The rain made for some pretty rainbows. 

 Next stop:  Caprock Canyons State Park.

Gina

Bar Z Winery

After we parked Mabel at Palo Duro State Park, we headed about 30 minutes west to Bar Z Wines, just outside of Canyon, Texas.

The road leading up to the winery had a pasture of horses not terribly concerned about rain in their future.

The back of the winery is a gigantic garage door and they were loading cases into a truck.  So, we ambled around the building to the "front", not really sure if they were open to customers. Note: storm clouds in the distance.

But they were!  And the girlie who helped us pick a wine without charging us for tastings opened a tab for us and suggested the Sassy S.  We made ourselves at home on the back patio that had a sweeping view of the West Texas plains.  I loved these tile-accented tables and chairs and the breezes were quite nice!  Other than one other couple (who didn't sit outside) we were the only customers.

We took a couple of bottles to go and enjoyed one back at the campsite with shrimp wraps later that afternoon.

I wish this place wasn't so far away from us.  But you never know, we may take Mabel out that way again!

Gina

5 thing Friday - apetizers, scrubs, Gourdough's, seniors, cars

Summer Happy Hours at home are a thing - cheaper and less stressful than rushing to get someplace on time in the heat and traffic of Austin on a Friday.  No thanks. 

Plus, you can pick up a nice wine at the grocery store to serve with your cream cheese and fig jam, summer sausage, and mini Club crackers. Also, look at my pretty Talavera-style serving plate!  $8 at HEB.

A friend at work cleaned out her scrubs closet and passed some on to another friend.  THAT friend gave me the ones she turned down.  Then I went through THAT pile and found about 7 to keep!  Bonanza!  I'm pretty well set for scrubs now as the first friend also gave me two complete solid sets a few weeks ago.

I don't mind second-hand a bit.  The rest of the stack went to Goodwill along with a bunch of stuff in the giveaway pile in the garage.  

 Bubbie and I visited Gourdough's  on Wednesday as our last lunch out before band camp.

The food was good, but not so good I'd drive across Austin in the rain to pluck down $10 for a BLT on a donut again. 

 The creamy corn was wonderful.

 As was the Dirty Bird - lemon pepper chicken breast with pesto, fresh mozzarella, and red peppers.

For dessert we had Salty Balls - cream cheese icing and salted caramel butter sauce on donut balls with chopped peanuts.  They arrived warm in a cast iron pot.

I got the proofs back from Bubbie's senior portrait sitting, so it's time to update my Wall of Seniors in the bedroom. I found another frame to match the others and gave all four of them a fresh coat of black spray paint.  In a couple of weeks my grouping will be complete - four kids in senior pics, four kids all the way through high school.  I can hardly believe it!

I had hoped that Bubbie would have his license and car by now, but the infrastructure and wheels of progress at Camp Rustown are moving along so slowly.  Hopefully, it will get resolved soon - The Girl is driving home this weekend and she and Scout are discussing her selling the Accord to him.  That way, Bubbie will drive the Baja.  And all six of us will have wheels. 

Gina

On the road with Mabel - Palo Duro Canyon

Last month Hubby and I took Mabel (the T@B trailer) on an epic adventure through west Texas and northern New Mexico.  I have about a billion pics from the trip, but here are just a few:

We slowly made our way north from Austin.  Hours later, you could tell we were getting into west Texas because WIND FARMS.

 Now, all of these pics are through the passenger window going 75 mph, so...

 ...and also, we were on a two lane highway, so we weren't about to stop and admire the scenery!

However, on the way we did stop in Post and eat a most delicious cheeseburger and onion rings at Holly's.  I found them simply by googling places to eat near Post or Slaton - Holly's got great reviews.  I didn't think to take a pic of my cheeseburger before I scarfed it down - sorry - so please enjoy the view from our table.  Ha!

Bye, Holly's!

Some of the best places we've ever eaten at on the road have been "hole in the wall" joints in small towns. It's especially nice if you see locals hanging out there - they know what's good!  Best get back on the road.  Driving through Lubbock, we were on the outskirts, really, and didn't see much that I remember from my childhood.  UNTIL...we stopped for gas and I found these:

I remember these fondly from my childhood.  Next time we go up this way, I will stock up!  This one was destined for Scout, but Hubby and I shared a smallish one.

 The view through the outskirts of Lubbock in one photo.

Getting close to our destination: Palo Duro Canyon!

 We got to the park around  3 or 4, I think.  Storms clouds are gathering but we were enjoying the breezes.

Palo Duro is the second largest canyon system in the US.  So beautiful, and there weren't a billion other people.

I remember coming here as a child of about 4  with my parents, and three of my siblings, to camp.  It is a beautiful place.  (read about it here) You could tell so even from our black and white photos of the 60's!  Thank you, President Roosevelt.

I get a little nervous with Hubby's driving sometimes.  Never as much as when we are close to rocky canyon walls on one side and shear cliffs on the other.

The speck in the middle of the photo is where we are headed - the area where we will park Mabel for the night.

Our campsite - so pretty!  We parked Mabel, then headed out to a local winery.  A big storm blew through while we were at the winery, then slacked off, then started up again the minute we got back.

We enjoyed our Lime Shrimp Lettuce Wraps and some wine while the rain came down.  Up early tomorrow, headed for Angel Fire!

Gina