Chicken Stuffed Manicotti

(Recipe taken from Dinner is Ready by Deanna Buxton.)

1 large Chicken Breast half
1/4 Cup minced Onion
1/4 Cup minced Mushrooms
4 tsp. Butter
1/4 pound Ground Pork
3/4 Cup Cottage Cheese
1/3 Cup Heavy Cream
Salt
Pepper
1 8oz. Package Manicotti
3-4 Cups Spaghetti Sauce (I use 2 - 25oz. bottles.)

Bake chicken breast half, uncovered, for 20 minutes in 350 degree oven. Meanwhile, saute onion and mushrooms in butter until soft. Add ground pork and brown. Remove from heat. Finely chop chicken breast (in food processor) and add to ground pork. Stir in cottage cheese and heavy cream. Salt and pepper to taste. Grease baking pan. Cover bottom with a thick layer of spaghetti sauce. Stuff uncooked manicotti with chicken mixture . Arrange on sauce. Cover manicotti with thick layer of sauce. Cover with heavy foil. Label and freeze.

To serve: Thaw. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with Cheese Sauce.

Cheese Sauce

1 Cup Heavy Cream
4 TBSP. Butter
1/4 Cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 Cup Jack cheese (shredded)
1/2 Cup Mozzarella cheese

Heat until cheese melts.

Turkey Soup by KT

Turkey Stock
There isn't a whole lot to this soup unless you want to know how I made the stock
Get a whole Turkey and Roast/Bake until done
Cut off all of the meat until all you have left are bones
Put all of the bones (or as many as you can fit) into the biggest pot you have
Roughly cut up an onion, a few carrots and celery and add to pot
Add salt, pepper and poultry seasoning
Fill pot with water till everything is covered and simmer for as long as you can-I did 5 hours
Strain liquid into another container, discard bones and veggies

Turkey Soup
*If using fresh veggies
Diced carrots, celery and onion (optional)
Saute' in big pot with a drizzle of oil
Add stock and let simmer for 10-20 minutes-till veggies are as soft as you like
Add cut up Turkey 
Add noodles (whatever kind you like)
*If using frozen veggies, add at this point so they retain their color
Cook till noodles are al dente and veggies aren't frozen anymore

Ikea Swedish Meatballs by Heather
4 qt. half and half
3 qt. beef stock
1/2 c. white flour
1/2 c. water
2 T. soy sauce
salt
Pepper
4-32 oz pkg. Swedish or homestyle meatballs (do not use Italian. I made my own and will include the recipe.)
2-3 c. sour cream

You will need a LARGE stock pot to make this recipe as written. Bring beef broth to a boil. Add the half and half. In a small bowl combine flour with water. Combine well to make a creamy consistency. Add to the pot and stir. Add seasonings. Simmer until sauce thickens. Add sour cream and meatball. Simmer till heated thru and sauce has thickened somewhat. It will thicken upon standing. Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles.
For freezing ladel 24 meatballs into each of the 5 gallon-size ziplocks FIRST. Then go back and divide up the rest of the sauce into the bags. Let cool, then freeze flat.

FREEZER DIRECTIONS:
On 5 Gallon-size freezer bags write:
Swedish Meatballs.
Thaw. Reheat. Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles.

Make and Freeze Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 - 16 ounce jar mild salsa
• 1 - 15 ounce can refried beans
• 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1-2 cans prepared enchilada sauce (I use the large can - red or green)
  
• 15-20 flour tortillas, soft taco size

Method:

1. In a crock-pot, combine chicken breasts and salsa. Let cook over medium heat for about 6 hours, or 4 hours over high heat. The chicken is done when it can be shredded apart with a fork.

2. Take chicken out of crock-pot and shred the meat. Return the shredded meat to the juices accumulated in the crock-pot.

3. To the chicken add refried beans, 2 cups of cheese and enough enchilada sauce to make a little sauce. The mixture should be easily spoon able and not too thick.

4. Spray a 2-quart casserole with non-stick cooking spray. Spread enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan.

5. Coat one tortilla with enchilada sauce and spoon about 1/3 cup of chicken mixture on to the middle of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla, like a cigar to loosely hold the chicken mixture in. Repeat with remaining tortilla to fill the pan. Pour a little enchilada sauce over the top to ensure the tortillas will not dry out. Sprinkle cheese down the center of the pan.

If fresh, cook the enchiladas at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. If frozen, bake at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour covered and 30 minutes uncovered

Note: I usually get one 9x13 pan and one 8x8 pan. If I didn’t squish them in so tight I’d probably get two 9x13 pans.

Our first exchange was Monday, April 19th.
We did one meal each to start out slowly.

Michelle * Enchiladas
Steph* Chili
KT* Turkey noodle soup
Laralee* Manicotti
Heather* Swedish meatballs

It was actually fun putting so many meals together and really fun to hang out for a while at the swap!