"The little dog laughed, to see such sport..."

Freezer cooking in the tundra on January 16 was successful. The preparation seemed a lot harder this time, for some reason. Perhaps it's because we tried a new menu! We added a chicken pot pie, chicken cordon bleu (modified) and a cheesy hashbrown casserole this time.

With a new menu, you never know what might fall through the cracks. But, thankfully, nothing was forgotten on the grocery list or the chopping list. [However, we did lose a gallon bag of chili to the wandering neighbor dog. Note to self: Do NOT put food outside in the snow to cool, if neighborhood dog is on the loose.]

Check out our photos and try this new chicken recipe for a 9 x 13 pan. Make one for yourself and another in an aluminum pan for a neighbor or new mom in need. Here it is...


Chicken Cordon Bleu

4 chicken breast, boned, skinned and halved (or boneless things)
4 large slices of thicker deli ham (or turkey ham)
4 slices of Swiss cheese
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 cups low sodium stuffing mix or seasoned croutons
1 can low sodium cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup water

Melt butter and mix with breading. Set aside. Mix soup with water. Set aside. In a 9 x 13 pan layer chicken, ham, cheese. Pour soup mix over top. Sprinkle with stuffing mix. Bake @ 350 for about 1 hour (longer if using dark meat). Serve with boiled potatoes or brown rice.

And here are some photos to go with it! (I'll post a cooked one soon...it's a nice company meal.) The Swiss cheese mellows as it cooks. So, don't fear the cheese!

Happy cooking and remember to watch out for the neighborhood dogs.

Freezer Cooking in the Tundra

It's nearly 20 degrees below zero and I'm planning my next 6 weeks of freezer cooking menus. Everything is so cold, my mind is drifting to steaming crockpot delights, homemade soups and freshly baked bread with lots of melting butter. Ahhh....winter has officially arrived in the tundra and the freezer will be sporting bags of meat and potatoes.

Kay and I will be doing our team cooking again in a couple of weeks. We'll modify our fall menu to include some new crockpot creations, easy soups (sans lots of chopping and dicing) and will post some of those new recipes for your inspiration.

We'll also be exchanging with our freezer cooking group "Dinner Divas" on January 11. It's a crockpot theme (surprise!). We look forward to sharing some of those new recipes with you as well.

Stay warm at heart, even if you live in a cold weather climate and it's t-minus-negative-infinity outside.