Make Ahead Chicken Tortilla Soup

I really love making dinner when all I have to do is throw everything in a crock pot and let it cook until we're ready to eat. This make ahead chicken tortilla soup is so easy to put together, and most of the ingredients are items always in your kitchen. Since I got this recipe from Kaylene, I've been keeping a jar of salsa on hand as part of my staples so I know I always have a quick meal when I need one.

The Ingredients
2 cans stewed tomatoes

2 cans chicken broth

1 Tablespoon cumin

2 Tablespoons butter to saute one minced or chopped garlic clove (This is optional. If you don't want to saute your garlic and then add it to your soup, you can just add your garlic to the crock pot without sauteing it in butter.)

1 can medium salsa, about 16 oz. (like Pace or another brand)

4 chicken breasts

At Ten O'Clock
Put everything in the crock pot and cook on low 6-8 hours.

Before Serving
Remove chicken breasts. Shred chicken and return to crock pot. Top individual servings with tortilla chips, shredded cheese and sour cream.

Family Approval
You cannot go wrong with this dish. Even hours after we ate it for dinner, my husband commented on how much he liked it. My picture shows the chips on the side, but it's actually better if your break them up and serve them in the soup.

Cami's Cauliflower, Chicken and Chickpea Curry Stew

I'm that girl who can't decide on her outfit the night before.  Nor can I really commit to just one outfit a day.  I'm constantly changing my clothes.  It's true.  Just ask my college roommates. 

Just as I can't be committed to a clothes shedule, I have a really difficult time following my meal plan.  Or my grocery list.  I always buy things that aren't on my grocery list. Always. It's horrible. I don't think I could stick to my grocery list to save my life.

Sometimes you just don't feel like cooking/eating/cleaning up whatever you have planned.  And you never know when inspiration is going to strike.  Some of our best dinners have come from straying from the meal plan. 

Like tonight.  A random head of cauliflower became the inspiration for this deliousious Indian style meal. 

The Ingredients
1 head cauliflower, cut into forets
1 onion, diced
1 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp olive oil
5 cups chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
1 Tbsp curry powder
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cumin
1 lb chicken breasts
1 bay leaf
1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1 can stewed tomatoes, drained and chopped
Unsweetened coconut flakes for garnish (optional)

At Ten O'Clock
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place the cauliflower and onion in a roasting pan (I just used a baking sheet).  Sprinkle with the garlic and coat with the olive oil.  Roast for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

In large saucepan, bring to boil the coconut milk, broth, curry powder, cayenne pepper and cumin.  Once at a boil, add the roast cauliflower and onion.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Puree the soup in a blender until it has reached the desired consistency.  Return it to the pan. 

Meanwhile, boil the chicken in water with the bay leaf.  Cut into bite sized pieces.  Add to the pureed soup.  Add the garbanzo beans and tomatoes.  Let cool and refigerate until ready to use.  You could also keep it warm in a crockpot, or simmer it one the stove if dinner time its within an hour or so. 

Before Serving
Reheat on the stove top.  Garnish with coconut.  We ate ours over quinoa, but would be great with rice or served with bread. 

Family Approval
I was actually surprised because everyone liked it.  I loved it.  It was exactly what I wanted. 

My husband thought it was delicious and that the spices were really good, but he said he wasn't so sure about the texture of the pureed cauliflower.  He never is - he loves cauliflower, but he's the type who doesn't love "cauliflower mashed potatoes."

I, on the other hand, was actually craving mashed up cauliflower, so this soup hit the spot.  I think that if you didn't want it pureed, the cauliflower would be really good just mashed up a bit.  Or, if you want it creamier, a cup of cream would do the trick. 

My three year old liked all of it but the garbanzo beans.  And my little guy LOVED it.  He couldn't get enough. 

Make Ahead Chili Cheese Freezer Sandwiches

I love the concept of freezer sandwiches.  Stuff a roll with yumminess, wrap in foil, freeze and then pop it straight into the oven from the freezer when you want to eat one. 

There are all sorts of things you could stuff one of these rolls with, but this recipe is one of my family favorites. 

These sandwiches are great to pull out of the freezer on a day you don't have time to cook, or when you need something portable. 

The Ingredients
2 package dinner rolls or small french rolls (or one bag of Costco rolls)

1 lb Monterey Jack cheese

2 (7oz) cans of diced green chilie peppers
1 small can chopped olives
Tin foil strips to wrap each sandwich in

At Ten O'Clovk

Split each roll and scoop out the insides.  I find that it's easiest to do this with your fingers.  Set aside.

In large mixing bowl, shred the Monterery Jack cheese.  Add the cans of chilie peppers and olives.  Stir to combine.

Fill the center of each roll with a heaping scoop of the cheese mixture.  Wrap each assembled roll in tin foil. 

If not using immidiately, put in the freezer. 

Before Serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  If frozen, bake 30 minutes.  If not frozen, bake 20 minutes.

Family Approval

Delish!  These are so simple, yet so good.  My kids and husband could probably eat this everyday.  I too them to an impromptu family gathering once and every single adult and child loved them.  You seriously have to try these!

Make Ahead Sothwestern Chili with Cornmeal Dumplings (Crockpot Style)

I will be the first to say, that I am not usually a dumpling kind of girl. 

Don't get me wrong, I love carbs.  But I usually like my bread crusty and substantial.  Like this beer bread.  Or the bread at Italian restaurants. 

And dumplings usually just don't get crusty. 

They stay kind of slimey. 

Which a lot of people like. 

But these dumplings are nice.  The cornmeal imparts a nice texture and flavor to the whole dish.  The chili is quite spicy, so if you like things mild, feel free to cut down the spices.

The Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
salt and pepper
2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans mexican style stewed tomatoes
1 16 oz package frozen corn
1 7oz can chopped green chili peppers
5-6 cups chicken broth
2 heaping tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayanne pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
dash salt
1 beaten egg white
2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp cooking oil
cilantro
cheddar cheese
sour cream

At Ten O'Clock
In large pan over medium high heat, brown the meat with the onion.  Season with salt and pepper.  Drain and put in crockpot. 

Add beans, tomatoes, corn, chili peppers, broth, chilli pepper, cayanne pepper, cumin and garlic powder.  Cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours. 

In small mixing bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.  Cover and set aside until ready to cook the dumplings.

In a small cup or bowl, mix together the egg white, milk and cooking oil.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook the dumplings.

Before Serving
To make the dumplings, mix add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.  If soup was cooked on the low heat setting, turn to high.  Drop the dumpling mixture from a rounded teaspoon to make 8 mounds on top of the soup.  Cover and cook for 30 more minutes.  Do not lift the cover while dumplings are cooking.  Stir in cilantro to taste before adding the dumplings.

Garnish with more cilantro (if desired), cheese and sour cream.

Family Approval
I liked these dumplings.  I actually liked them a lot better than other dumplings I had.  My husband LOVED the dumplings.  I didn't add cilantro, but the soup would have been better with it.  The chili was good and spicy. 

I was worried that the soup was going to be too thin and watery, but once the dumplings were added, it was a good consistency. 

My husband did say that the soup was "pretty corny."  As in had a strong corn flavor between the corn kernels in the soup and the cornmeal dumplings.  But he liked it. 

Make Ahead Baked Ziti

Ok, so, I don't know about you, but I can never find ziti pasta in the store. I've made this dish with macaroni, shells, penne, but never ziti. It always turns out great, so I don't think it makes much difference which pasta you use. This time I found some really cool mini pasta rings. They are kind of like the pasta in Spaghettios. I love this dish because it only takes about 10 minutes to put together and then all you have to do is put it in the oven when you're ready to bake dinner. How great is that?!

The Ingredients

40 oz. spaghetti sauce

about 3 cups dry noodles

2 cups cottage cheese (I only had 1 1/2 cups. I added an egg and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning.)

1 pound cheese: mozzarella, cheddar, monterey jack--whatever you have. I used all three :)

At Ten O'Clock

Pour a little spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. First, put in all your dry noodles, then cottage cheese, then half the grated cheese. Pour sauce over the top and then top with remaining cheese. Cover with foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.

Before Serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake, covered, for one hour. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Family Approval
My husband loved it, and so did my kids. I loved it because it was so easy to prepare. It doesn't get much better than that: a delicious meal with only minutes of preparation.

Make Ahead Frittata (aka the best frittata in existance)

This egg dish is beautiful, delicious and full of vegetables.  My mom started making it years ago, and it is one of our family's favorite recipes. 

The Ingredients
1 bell pepper, seeded and diced (I like to use red, because it looks pretty, but green works too)
1 package mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, diced
1 large zucchini, shredded (use your cheese grater)
2 Tbsp butter or oil
2 cups cubed bread
1 8 oz package of cream cheese, cubed
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6 eggs
1/4 quarter cup cream or milk
salt and pepper

At Ten O'Clock
Heat the butter or oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.  Saute the pepper, mushrooms, onion and zucchini until all vegetables are tender.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. 

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and cream.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

In a large bowl, place the bread cubes, cream cheese cubes and shredded cheese.  Add the cooked veggies.  Pour in the egg mixture and stir until combined.  Pour into a pie plate.  The plate will be almost overflowing.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Before Serving
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Bake, uncovered for one hour.  Let sit ten minutes before serving.

Family Approval

This is seriously so, so, so good.  It is one of those rare dishes that appeal equally to men and women.  And kids.  Everyone in my family loves it.

Make Ahead Carrot Tart

Since I am showing love to the tarts, I really need to break down and get a tart pan.  One of these days. 

But I would so rather spend that ten dollars on a new shirt.  or earrings.  or shoes that are on clearance for 75% percent off at Dillards. 

And I find my pie pan is being very accommodating to the tart dough.  It really doesn't seem to mind.  It actually worked great for this beautiful tart.  And my three year old was extremely excited to be getting "pie" for dinner. 

The Ingredients
the tart dough:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
10 Tbsp cold butter flavored Crisco
4 Tbsp ice water
the filling:
2 Tbsp butter
5 green onions, sliced
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
3-4 cups carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 large whole eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk
1 1/3 cup half and half
pinch of nutmeg
2 cups Jarlsberg cheese

At Ten O'Clock
In a blender, mix together the flour, salt and Crisco until the mixture resembles corn meal.  Slowly add the ice water and mix until just combined.  (I think that the tradional method, by hand with knives or pastry blender, or the food processor method works better) Roll out into a 14 inch circle.  Transfer to a tart pan (or pie plate).  Refrigerate or freeze until firm (freezer time is about 15 minutes).  Cover with foil and put a layer of pie weights, or beans, on top.  Bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for twenty minutes. 

To make the filling, heat the butter in a large pan.  Add the green onions and saute until tender.  Remove from heat and add the salt, pepper and cumin.  Set aside.

Bring a saucepan of water to boil.  Add the carrots and sugar.  Parboil until the carrots are halfway cooked and bright orange, about 2 minutes.  Drain.

In a bowl, mix together the whole eggs, egg yolk, cream and nutmeg.

Sprinkle half of the cheese at the bottom of the partially blind baked tart shell.  Arrange one layer of carrots on top.  Sprinkle with 1/4 of the green onion mixture.  Repeat carrot and green onion layers.  Pour the cream mixture over the carrots.  The pan will be filled almost to the brim.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.

Before Serving
Preheat the oven to 375.  Bake, uncovered, on the upper rack for 30-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is set.  Let rest ten minutes before serving.

Family Approval
My one year old big puffy heart loved this tart!  He ate four servings of it.  That's right.  Four.  The rest of us liked it as well.  My husband and I thought it needed more spices.  Next time I will add a little more cumin, maybe some garlic and some more salt and pepper.  Overall, it was yummy and it looked gorgeous.