Monday, February 25, 2008

Freezer Fun

This week I’m committed to using up stuff I have in my freezer (mostly meat but also some frozen veggies and fruit for smoothies). Someday soon (next house?) I hope to get a second freezer. Right now the one I have is jammed with stuff. So, I’m looking forward to clearing it out a little bit, and the money we’ll save on groceries!

Ummm, let’s see … this week I think we’ll have …

1) Our very favorite meat loaf, garlic mashed potatoes, and vegetables.

2) French Dip (this is likely our family’s favorite meal and it’s easy as a blink), green salad, fresh fruit.

3) Baked teriyaki chicken (truly amazing recipe!), steamed rice, broccoli

4) Breakfast for dinner: Granola Pancakes, scrambled eggs with bacon, fruit smoothies

5) Fettuccine Alfredo w/ grilled chicken, steamed carrots and green beans

I think I’ll also make some pumpkin bread (recipe below).

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Pumpkin Bread

3 cups canned pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 cups white sugar
6 eggs
4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons ground clove

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 9x5 inch loaf pans. In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves; stir into the pumpkin mixture until well blended. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The top of the loaf should spring back when lightly pressed.

2 comments:

Rose said...

This sounds vaguely familiar...did you post that French dip recipe before? I seem to recall some discussion about the beer. Anyway, do you use beer in it, and if so, what brand? That looks so tempting that I'm almost motivated to go out and buy some beer if it's an essential element!

Amy K said...

Rose, yes! the beer is absolutely essential. I'm not a beer connoisseur so I usually just buy something that looks like a good price, although I would imagine the better the beer, the better the flavor! Also, the can of French Onion Soup ... the only canned version I have found is Campbell's brand. Don't substitute the canned french onion soup, either. I know some people have used powdered mix but you just will NOT get the same flavor if you do that!! You should try it--I think you'll love it. We usually have it at least once a month all year round. It's even better as leftovers because the flavors meld and get richer.

Amy