Freezer Cooking Day 1.3

I think Friday has quickly become my favorite day of the week! This week was a bit tricky, as Nathan had the day off work. We had plans, but I didn't want to miss out on cooking, so I managed to squeeze in some fun with the family and a MAJOR cooking day! In fact, I think I over-did it a bit, and maybe should have cut out one of the meals I made. Oh well, they all turned out great and super yummy. Today on the menu I made Lasagna, Fried Chicken and Honey Barbecue Beef.
Lasagna:
1 Lb. Lean ground beef
1 Lb. Italian sausage
1 C. Chopped onion
2 Cans Spaghetti Sauce
2 Cans Italian tomatoes
2 tsp. Garlic Powder
3 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
2 Tbsp. Sugar
2 tsp. Salt
2 C. Ricotta Cheese (1 container)
6 C. Cottage Cheese (3 med containers)
2 C. Parmesan Cheese (I actually use the Kraft Italian blend of shredded cheese- cheaper and more flavor)
Sprinkle of Italian Seasoning
8 C. Mozzarella Cheese
1 box lasagna noodles

Brown beef and sausage with onions. Add tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, garlic, Italian seasoning, sugar and salt. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer about half an hour.
Mix Ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, and sprinkle of Italian seasoning in large of bowl.

I use the disposable foil square cake pans to keep the lasagna in. Start with meat sauce on the bottom. Next do 2 layers of each: noodles, cheese mixture, meat sauce, shredded mozzarella. Be sure to end with the shredded mozzarella. Cover with extra heavy foil. When ready to eat, thaw at room temperature most of the day, then bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until cheese is nice and bubbly.

Honey Barbecue Beef:
1 (3 Lb.) Beef Chuck Roast
24 Oz. Barbecue sauce
1/2 C. Honey
1/3 C. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tsp. Mustard
1/2 C. Chopped onion
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper

Trim roast of all visible fat. Cut roast in 4 pieces and place in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Drain broth. Combine barbecue sauce, honey, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, onion, salt and pepper. Pour over roast in slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low for 5-6 hours. Remove roast and allow to cool enough to handle. Shred or chop meat and place in a large bowl. Pour some of the sauce over shredded meat, enough to thoroughly coat. Stir to coat. Allow to cool completely.
For individual servings, spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Fill muffin cups with meat and sauce. Cover and place pan in freezer bag until just frozen. Pop out and place in gallon freezer bag.
When ready to serve, just thaw and heat. Serve on toasted bun. (Recommended garnishes: shredded lettuce and dill pickles).
You can also substitute boneless skinless chicken for the roast. I WILL be trying this one in the coming weeks!

Both the Lasagna and the Honey Barbecue recipes came from the 30 Meals in One Day line of recipe books. Lasagna from "Dinner is Ready," and Honey Barbecue from "Lunch is Ready."

I also made Fried Chicken, which can be found in the Pioneer Woman Cookbook. She does have a website as well, but doesn't have all the recipes available there that are in the book.

Today I made 4 lasagna, 3 meals of fried chicken, and 9 servings of the honey barbecue beef.