Wednesday 30 April 2014

Pizza Sauce

I've been searching for a great pizza sauce, so tired of using bottled stuff from the store. I've tried many recipes, but they never seem to work out quite right. I added all the things I liked about other recipes and finally came up with this one. A bit sweet and a bit spicy - perfect for a pizza.


Pizza Sauce

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
796 ml Diced Tomatoes (28 oz)
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 & 1/2 Tbsp Honey
2 tsp Anchovy Paste
3/4 tsp Oregano 
1/2 tsp Marjoram
3/4 tsp Basil
pinch Red Pepper Flakes
Salt & Pepper to taste
4 Tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese

In a saucepan, heat oil & add onion. Cook until onion starts to become clear then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, honey, anchovy paste, oregano, marjoram, basil, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer for 30 minutes. Add parmesan cheese and cook for 5 more minutes. Let cool. Blend the sauce to get rid of the lumps of tomato & onion. Tastes even better if you let it sit for a day before using. Makes enough for about 2-3 pizzas. Also makes great dip for pizza sticks.

Try it with Best Ever Pizza Dough for a delicious home made meal. 

~Adel~



Tuesday 29 April 2014

Coconut Iced Tea

It's sunny and warm today so I decided to attempt one of my favourite drinks, a sweet lemon coconut iced tea served at my favourite vietnamese place, their "Special Iced Tea". I tried really hard to make it from tea & honey instead of the powder, but it just didn't taste right, so forgive the sugary mix, but it's a must if you want the right flavour! 


Coconut Iced Tea

6 cups Water
1/2 cup Good Host Original Iced Tea Powder (more to taste)
1/2 tsp Coconut Extract
1 lemon, sliced
Ice 

Mix water, iced tea mix and coconut extract in a juice jug. Stir until all the powder has dissolved. Add lemon slices and let sit for 10 minutes. Pour over ice in a tall glass. 

If you're making a glass just for you, make iced tea and just add a tiny splash of coconut extract & don't forget the lemon slice!

Put your feet up and enjoy!

~Adel~

Sunday 27 April 2014

Super Secret Chocolate Muffins

The super secret is...shhh, don't tell anyone...they are loaded with fruit & veggies and no one will ever know!

Lady & Bug would happily go without veggies forever if I let them, so here's a recipe I've been using to get a few good things in them when I'm feeling like the nutrients are a little lacking. It's also pretty flexible as far as what veggies or fruit to use, so start experimenting!


Super Secret Chocolate Muffins 

1/2 cup Butter
1 & 1/2 cups Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Apple Sauce
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
1 tsp Vanilla
2 cups Shredded Zucchini* 
1 cup Blueberries* (crushed or puree and thawed if frozen)
1 cup Pureed Carrots* 
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 & 1/2 cups Flour
3/4 cup Cocoa
1 tsp Espresso Powder (optional if you're baking them for kids)
1 cup Chocolate Chips (optional)


*I use zucchini, blue berries and carrots, but other options include: beets, spinach, pineapple, bananas, cauliflower, peas or pears - each will change the flavour, texture or colour, but experiment to find something that works for you. Any combination works as long as it's about 4 cups of moist fruit or veggie (shredded, pureed or mashed work best).

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine butter & sugar in a mixer. Add apple sauce, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla, mix well. Add fruit/veggies and stir until combined. In a separate bowl combine baking soda, baking powder, salt, flour, cocoa and espresso powder. Add to liquid mixture and stir well. Stir in chocolate chips by hand.

Scoop into greased muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes. Cool before serving. Makes about 24 muffins.

A great way to hide the veggies and could easily be iced for a great cupcake alternative.

~Adel~



Friday 25 April 2014

Cricket Snack Mix

It's Friday night in the Ladybug house. Daddy Ladybug goes to play hockey, Auntie Ladybug is out with friends, and Uncle Ladybug has a caregiver so it's just me and the kidlets. Tonight we're watching Frozen and eating our favourite snack, my take on the classic Chex Mix recipe!


Cricket Snack Mix

4 cups Shreddies
2 cup Pretzel Sticks
2 cups Cheezies
2 cups Cheese Nips
2 cups Cheese Bites
2 cups Mini Ritz
1/2 cup Butter, melted
1 & 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1 & 1/2 tsp Seasoning Salt
1 Tbsp Sugar
3/4 tsp Onion Powder
3/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Paprika

Combine Shreddies, pretzel sticks, cheezies, cheese nips, cheese bites, and mini ritz in a bowl mix until evenly distributed. In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, seasoning salt, sugar, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika. Mix very well. Pour a bit of the sauce at a time on the snack mix and stir to coat. Re-stir sauce before pouring a bit each time until it is all poured on the snack mix. 

Spread on 2 cookie sheets and bake at 250F for 30 minutes, stirring mixture after 15 minutes so that it doesn't burn on one side. Let cool and serve.

Happy Snacking!

~Adel~





Thursday 24 April 2014

Blue Bacon Shepherd's Pie

Bacon, beef & blue cheese - Surprisingly decadent and comforting at the same time. 

Blue Bacon Shepherd's Pie


2lb bag of Baby Yellow Potatoes (diced)
1 pkg Bacon
1 Onion, diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
4 cups Mushrooms, quartered (any kind ok)
1 lb Ground Beef
1 Tbsp Montreal Steak Spice 
3 Tbsp Flour
2 cups Beef Stock
2 Tbsp Worchestershire Sauce 
2 Tbsp Butter
1/4 cup Sour Cream 
1-2 tsp Blue Cheese (more if your family likes the flavour)
3-4 Tbsp Chives or Green Onions
Paprika

Boil potatoes in a large pot until tender. 

Chop package of bacon into 1/2 inch pieces. In a large skillet, fry bacon & remove grease. Set aside 1/2 cup of bacon for topping (optional). Add ground beef & brown. Remove any extra grease once browned. Add mushrooms, onions & garlic and steak spice. Cook until veggies are tender. Sprinkle with flour. 

In a separate bowl, add stock & Worcestershire and mix well. Add to meat mixture and stir slowly until thickened.

Drain potatoes. Mash with butter, sour cream & blue cheese. 

Put meat mixture into a baking dish & cover with potato mixture. Sprinkle remaining bacon, chives & paprika on top. Bake in 350 degree oven until bubbly (about 30 minutes).


Yumm, this is still one of my favourite meals of all time! I was surprised that my 3 year olds liked it, but they love bacon, so it was a pretty easy sell.

Freezes well, for more freezer friendly meals check out my freezer meals page!

~Adel~

Tuesday 22 April 2014

Make-Ahead Herb & Garlic Mashed Potatoes

At family gatherings, I often get asked to bring mashed potatoes, a staple with holiday dinners. It's hard to whip up mashed potatoes while getting two toddlers ready (not to mention trying to get ready myself), so I've been making my mashed potatoes the night before and baking them either right before I leave or where we're eating. It's so much easier! Plus this way I get to add some fun flavour to a pretty standard dish.


Make-Ahead Herb & Garlic Mashed Potatoes

8 medium Potatoes
1/4 cup Butter
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup Herb & Garlic Cream Cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
Paprika to taste or sprinkle on top

Cut the potatoes into 1" pieces and boil until a fork goes through easily (but not mushy). Strain the water and return to the pot. Add butter, sour cream & cream cheese and cover for 2 minutes while everything gets melty. Add seasonings to taste. Mash with a potato masher or use a mixer/hand blender if you like them whipped (I like mine with potato chunks and some skin as you can see in the picture!). Spread evenly in a 9 x 13 oven safe dish and bake for 20-30 minutes until golden on top.

The perfect companion to Easy Slow Cooker Roast Beef smothered in gravy - one of my ultimate favourite meals. Serves about 6 people.

Yum, second's please!

~Adel~






Saturday 19 April 2014

Bunny Snack


Bunny Snack

12 oz (about 2 cups) White Melting Chocolate
8 cup Air-Popped Popcorn
1bag (357g) Spring M&Ms or mini eggs
2 cups pretzel sticks (broken in half)

Melt chocolate in microwaveable container for 30 seconds at a time until melted. Combine popcorn, pretzel sticks and m&m's in a large bowl. Pour melted chocolate over other ingredients slowly, stopping to mix in occasionally until all the popcorn, pretzels & candy are coated.

Pour on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper to cool and harden before serving.

Great sweet & salty snack - we call it Bunny Crack in our house so beware!

Happy Easter.

~Adel~

Thursday 17 April 2014

Ladybug Soup




Ladybug Soup

1 Tbsp Olive Oil 
2 strips Bacon, finely chopped 
1 Onion, diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 Carrots, diced 
2 sticks Celery, chopped
1 Zucchini, chopped 
1 large Yam, diced
1 large Sweet Potato, diced 
1 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Basil
1 can Diced Tomatoes 
1 can Chick Peas (garbanzo), drained and rinsed 
4 cups Vegetable or Chicken Broth
2 cups Fresh Spinach (whole)
½ cup Pasta (any kind)
1/8 teaspoon salt 
1/4 tsp pepper 

In a stock pot, heat oil and cook bacon until crispy. Add Onion and cook until browned, Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds then add carrots, celery, zucchini, yam, oregano & basil. Cook for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, chick peas and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes. Add spinach, pasta, salt & pepper. Bring back to a boil and cook for 5-10 minutes until pasta is cooked. Serve with fresh basil, sour cream or green onions as desired.  

Best fresh off the stove, but will freeze nicely and reheat in a slow cooker! 

Great hearty soup for a cool rainy day.

~Adel~

For more Freezer Friendly ideas for your Big Cook Day, check out my Freezer Meals page.

Tuesday 15 April 2014

Strawberry Paska & Strawberry Glaze

It's Easter time again and that means Paska!

After a conversation with my sister-in-law last night, I was inspired to experiment with Paska and come up with something fun instead of my usual citrus version. It's so yummy, but I was up for some fun! Try this sweet bread for your Easter breakfast.

If you want to see the Paska making process from last year's Paska fun, check out my Easter Bread post!



Strawberry Paska

1 Tbsp Traditional Yeast
1/2 cup Warm Water
1 tsp Sugar
1 cup Strawberry Puree
2/3 cup Warm Milk
1/4 Melted Butter
1 egg
1/3 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
4 cups Flour

Combine yeast, warm water and 1 tsp sugar into a bowl and let sit until frothy (about 5 minutes).

Combine strawberry puree, warm milk, melted butter, egg, sugar, and salt together in a mixer. Mix well. Add in yeast mixture. Mix in flour slowly; 1 cup at a time, switching to a dough hook at about 3 cups. You may have to add more or less flour to make a soft dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl when it is mixing. Knead for about 8 minutes. 

Let rise in a warm place for 1-1 &1/2 hour until doubled. Punch down and let rise another 10 minutes. Grease pans. Make 2 loaves or buns and let rise for 1 more hour.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden on top. Cool before serving or icing.

Strawberry Glaze
1/4 cup Butter
1/2 cup Cream Cheese
1 & 3/4 cup Icing Sugar
1/4 cup Mashed Strawberries

Combine all ingredients in a mixer until all ingredients are smooth. Dip strawberry paska to glaze.

Delicious and sweet. Perfect for spring.

~Adel~





Coconut Paska

Trying something new - a coconutty twist on the traditional Paska recipe! Makes a great dessert after your Easter meal. 

If you want to see the Paska making process from last year's Paska fun, check out my Easter Bread post!


Coconut Paska

1 Tbsp Traditional Yeast
1/2 cup Warm Water
1 tsp Sugar
1/2 cup Shredded Coconut
1 Tbsp Coconut Extract
1 cup Warm Milk
1/4 Melted Butter
1 egg
1/3 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
4 cups Flour

Icing:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup Cream Cheese
1 3/4 cup Icing Sugar
1 tsp coconut extract
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Combine yeast, warm water and 1 tsp sugar into a bowl and let sit until frothy (about 5 minutes).

Combine coconut, coconut extract, warm milk, melted butter, egg, sugar, and salt together in a mixer. Mix well. Add in yeast mixture. Mix in flour slowly - 1 cup at a time, switching to a dough hook at about 3 cups. You may have to add a little more or less flour to make a soft dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl when it is mixing. Knead for about 8 minutes. 

Let rise in a warm place for 1 to 1&1/2 hours until doubled. Punch down and let rise another 10 minutes. Grease pans. Make 2 loaves or buns and let rise for 1 more hour.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden on top. Cool before icing or serving.

Icing:
Combine butter, cream cheese, icing sugar and cocount extract until smooth. Spread on top of coconut paska and top with shredded coconut. Use remaining icing to spread on individual slices as desired.

Enjoy something new!

~Adel~

Sunday 13 April 2014

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff



Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff


2 lbs Beef Stew Meat
1 cup Beef Stock
2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup (or make your own)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp Beef Broth Seasoning (like OXO)
1 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Paprika
2 cups Sour Cream

Combine all ingredients together except Sour Cream. Stir well. Cook in a slow cooker for 6-8 hours on low. Stir in sour cream before serving. Serve with the traditional egg noodles or try a different pasta or mashed potatoes for something new.

For more Freezer Friendly ideas for your Big Cook Day, check out my Freezer Meals page.

~Adel~

Saturday 12 April 2014

100+ Things to do with Kids in Abbotsford, BC




I have been looking for a good list of things to do with kids in my home town (Abbotsford, BC, Canada) and so far I haven't found one, so I decided to do some research, ask fellow parents, talk to childcare workers, consult city resources, and scour the internet for ideas.

I figured I'm not the first parent to ask the same question, so I thought I'd share my list! If you live in the area and have some suggestions of things to add I'll do an update every once in a while with new things!


Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs

I've had this recipe for years and it's still one of our favourites! Perfect for that night you can't figure out what to make and only have a few minutes to feed the hungry hoards. Great alternative to spaghetti & meatballs.


Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs

1 Recipe Herbed Meatballs or 40 pre-made frozen swedish meatballs
3 Tbsp Flour 
2 cups broth (chicken or beef depending on what kind of meatballs you have)
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup (Click to make your own)
1 Tbsp Parsley
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/2 cup Sour Cream*

Place meatballs in the bottom of a slow cooker. 

In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients (except for sour cream) and whisk until smooth. Pour over meatballs. Cook on low for 5 hours. Add sour cream and stir before serving.

Delicious easy swedish meatballs. Great freezer meal.

For more Freezer Friendly ideas for your Big Cook Day, check out my Freezer Meals page.



~Adel~

Friday 11 April 2014

Bacon Maple Dijon Chicken


Bacon Maple Dijon Chicken

8 -10 Chicken pieces
2 Bacon Strips, sliced 
1/4 cup Real Maple Syrup (or maple flavoured pancake syrup if you don't have the real stuff).
3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Dijon Mustard (it doesn't matter which kind or how hot)
1/4 cup Grainy Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Onion, sliced thinly
2 Clove Garlic, minced

Add chicken to slow cooker & sprinkle with bacon. Combine all remaining ingredients & mix well. Pour sauce over chicken and cook for 6 hours on low.

So easy and so delicious.

For more Freezer Friendly ideas for your Big Cook Day, check out my Freezer Meals page.

~Adel~


Tuesday 8 April 2014

Herbed Meatballs

I've tried many meatball recipes and I keep coming back to this one, it's great with ground beef, pork, chicken, or turkey (or a combination of any of them). A basic staple of almost all my Big Cook days. I always have a bag on hand for days when I forget to plan my meal or don't have a lot of time to cook. Add any kind of sauce and it's an easy meal that makes everyone in my house happy.

This recipe makes about 40 meatballs. I usually make 4x this recipe for my big cook days. I recently discovered a much easier way to make uniform meatballs...here's my process (just clean the counters REALLY well before and after.







Herbed Meatballs 

1 lbs Ground Meat (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, lamb or any combination)
1/2 cup Oatmeal
2 Eggs
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp Parsley
1/2 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Onion Soup Mix
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp each Salt & Pepper

Combine ground meat, oatmeal, onion, egg, soy sauce and seasonings and mix well. Make into balls about the size of a quarter.

Fry or bake until centers are no longer pink.

Just add sauce to complete your meal - some great options:
Spicy Apricot Meatballs or Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs

Freezer Instructions: Partially cook meatballs by frying until all sides are brown or baking in the oven on a baking sheet for 15 minutes. Freeze on baking sheet, then transfer to a plastic bag or container for easy use later.

~Adel~


Monday 7 April 2014

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken


Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

6 Chicken Breasts (cut into 3 oz pieces or cubes)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
3 Tbsp Honey
5 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Ginger, finely grated or minced
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Onion, minced
2 Tbsp Cornstarch + 1/4 cup water
1 tin Pineapple chunks & juice (optional)

Place Chicken Breasts in slow cooker.
In a separate bowl, combine soy sauce, water, honey, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, onion and pineapple juice (optional - reserve pineapple chunks for later). Pour over chicken and cook on low for 6 hours.
30 minutes before serving, add cornstarch and 1/4 cup water. Stir well and cook for remaining 30 minutes, add pineapple chunks (optional) before serving.

This recipe freezes well and is perfect for a Big Cook day.

For more Freezer Friendly ideas for your Big Cook Day, check out my Freezer Meals page.

~Adel~

Sunday 6 April 2014

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

We had a quick lunch at the mall the other day and I had some honey garlic chicken at the Chinese place. It was so tasty, I thought how can I make that a meal at home? Unfortunately, that means taking out the deep fried batter part, but a sticky honey and garlic sauce that's home-made is just as great!


Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

8-10 Chicken Thighs
1 cup Ketchup
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Honey
8 cloves Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Cornstarch
1/4 cup Water

Place chicken in the bottom of a crock pot. For a crispy skin, turn the chicken thighs skin-side down in a hot skillet until browned. Combine ketchup, soy sauce, honey and garlic in a bowl and pour over chicken.
Cook in a slow cooker for 6 hours on low. 

About 1/2 hour before serving, skim the oil off the top (from the ketchup and the chicken). Combine cornstarch and water and mix well into sauce. Replace lid and let cook for 1/2 hour. Sauce will get a bit thicker as it cools, so let it sit without heat for 5-10 minutes and stir well before serving.

These were really yummy and the kids devoured it.

For more Freezer Friendly ideas for your Big Cook Day, check out my Freezer Meals page.

~Adel~

Saturday 5 April 2014

Creamy Swiss Chicken

It's nice to have an easy meal that tastes great. Here's one of my family favorites that is so comforting and tasty with the cheesy creamy sauce, perfect moist chicken, and crunchy bits on the top. 


Creamy Swiss Chicken

6 Chicken Breasts
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup (click for the home-made version)
1/2 cup White Wine
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 medium Onion, diced
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
3 cups grated Swiss Cheese
1 package Chicken Stuffing Mix
1/4 cup Butter or Margarine, melted

Cut chicken breasts into 2 pieces or about 3 oz size. Place chicken in a single layer at the bottom of an oven-safe dish.
Combine mushroom soup, wine, garlic powder, onion, and Italian seasoning in a bowl and mix well. Pour over chicken. Top with cheese.
Combine stuffing mix and butter. Sprinkle over cheese.
Bake, covered, in a 350 F oven for 35-45 minutes, then uncover and bake for 5-10 minutes longer until top is brown and crusty.

Yummy comfort food!


This recipe freezes well and is great for a Big Cook.

For more Big Cook or freezer friendly meal ideas check out my Freezer Meals page.

~Adel~






Friday 4 April 2014

Slow Cooker Amtat Mongolian Beef



Slow Cooker Amtat Mongolian Beef

2 lbs Stew Meat
2 tsp Olive Oil
2 medium Onion, sliced thinly
4 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh Ginger, grated
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Hoisin Sauce
3/4 cup Water
1/2 cup Brown Sugar

Place stew meat in slow cooker. In a bowl, combine oil, onion, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, hoisin, water and brown sugar together and pour over meat. Cook on low for 6 hours. 

Tender, delicious beef in a sweet & tasty sauce. 

Amtat is Mongolian for tasty and this meal is a family favorite, I've had to made my original recipe bigger to feed the obsession. This easy slow cooker freezer meal is sure to please!

For more Freezer Friendly ideas for your Big Cook Day, check out my Freezer Meals page.

~Adel~



Thursday 3 April 2014

Freezer Meals: Big Cook Spring 2014 (Pantry Edition)


Spring is here, the trees are starting to bloom - it's my favorite time of year! 

Unfortunately the freezer is empty again and money is tight this month, so I wasn't able to make some of my usual freezer meals for my big cook - instead, I decided to do a Big Cook Day from the things I had in my pantry. 


Thanks to my bursting pantry and the freezer full of grass fed beef we bought in the fall, the only thing I still had to buy for this Big Cook Day was chicken (great sales on chicken breasts & thighs at my local store and it was 10% off on Tuesday!!!) and I couldn't resist a couple bags of shredded Swiss cheese from the 50% off bin to make one of my fav's. I only had my usual grocery budget to make this happen so we won't be buying much else this week...some milk & eggs and veggies from the market to round out our meals - but I'm gonna be so thankful for all this work when I don't have to do anything to prepare meals for the next few months. 

Pantry Big Cooks area great way to use up some of the stash that seems to accumulate in the pantry and freezer!


Once again, I wasn't free to just cook to my heart's content, so I had to split up the day into two parts; chicken in the morning and beef in the afternoon/evening. After dropping the kids off at Preschool, I had to do a quick shop to pick up chicken because it was 10% off Tuesday and I can't resist that wonderful savings on chicken that was already almost 1/2 price!

Before starting I got prepared. If you haven't read it yet, check out my post on Preparing for a Big Cook Day


I started with a huge batch of a staple that I would need in several recipes, Home Made Cream of Mushroom Soup (Condensed) (x3), so I could make some classic pantry meals without the canned mushroom soup - 2 recipes for the meals I was making and one for the freezer.


Once that was done, it was on to Creamy Swiss Chicken (x2).

Then on to the easy dump & pour recipes (so easy, I could do this all day!):

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken (x3), Greek Chicken (x3), Bacon Maple Dijon Chicken (x2), and Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken (x3).



A little break to go pick up the kids from Preschool and it was on to lunch. Ladybug Soup (x2) was on the menu and I made a double batch with one for the freezer.


Ms. Ladybug was with us for the afternoon & early evening, so I was a little busy and distracted, but still managed to quickly whip up a family favorite, Slow Cooker Amtat Mongolian Beef (x4), for dinner (with 3 extras for the freezer) and Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff (x3) while it was cooking.


After Ms. Ladybug went home and Uncle Ladybug & the kids were in bed, I managed to make Herbed Meatballs. Half for Spicy Apricot Meatballs (x2), saving the other half for Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs (x2).

Meals from this Big Cook Day:
* Recipes will be coming in the next few weeks as I get time to post them.

Yup, that's 12 different meals - 29 meals in total. Whew, busy day, an empty pantry, and a very full freezer!

Yay for a pantry big cook day.

For more Freezer Friendly ideas for your Big Cook Day, check out my Freezer Meals page.

~Adel~