Breakfast Sausage

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, and it makes really good sausage. I like lots of spices in my sausage, so it tastes best when I use rounded measurements. You can use just about any kind of ground meat you would like. If you use low-fat meat, add a little oil (olive, safflower, etc. - something healthy) so the sausage is not dry (maybe a tablespoon or two).

Breakfast Sausage

Categories: Breakfast, Chicken, Freezer Recipes, Ground Beef or Turkey, Healthy & Light, Low Iodine Diet, Pork & Ham, Turkey

2 teaspoons dried sage
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 pinch ground cloves
2 pounds ground pork

In a small, bowl, combine the sage, salt, ground black pepper, marjoram, brown sugar, crushed red pepper and cloves. Mix well.

Place the pork in a large bowl and add the mixed spices to it. Mix well with your hands and form into patties.

Saute the patties in a large skillet over medium high heat for 5 minutes per side, or until internal pork temperature reaches 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

FREEZER DIRECTIONS:
Freeze raw or cooked. If freezing cooked be careful not to overcook before freezing.

LOW IODINE DIET DIRECTIONS:
Use non-iodized salt and any type of LID-safe ground meat that you would like. Make sure to use REAL brown sugar, not granulated sugar with molasses added to it.

Source: allrecipes.com
Internet Address: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Breakfast-Sausage/Detail.aspx?washelp=1&rid=1104364#1104364
Ratings: 7 - Very Good

Gin's Chili

This is a really simple recipe, but it always turns out good. We got this recipe from Scott's Aunt Gin who liked to serve it with hot cornbread. Aunt Gin just recently passed away. She was like a grandma to us and we miss her. Hope you enjoy her chili!

Gin's Chili Con Carne

Categories: Ground Beef, Pasta, Grains, & Legumes, Soups, Sandwiches, & Sauces

1 pound extra lean hamburger
1 cup onion -- diced
3/4 cup green pepper -- diced
1 clove garlic -- minced
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins)
1 can Italian tomatoes (Western Family Diced Italian Seasoned)
1 can chili beans (S&W)
1 can red kidney beans (S&W or Western Family)
1 small can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large bay leaf
1 teaspoon basil -- divided
1/2 teaspoon salt -- to taste and wait until the end to add

Brown hamburger, onion, green pepper, and garlic. Add the rest of the ingredients, except only add about half of the basil, and do not add any salt.

Simmer for at least 1 hour. About half-way through or at the end add more basil and/or salt, if needed, to taste.

FREEZER DIRECTIONS: You really have several options when it comes to freezing this recipe. You could cook the whole thing and then freeze it. You could brown the hamburger, onion, green pepper and garlic and freeze that while making sure to keep the canned goods on hand in your pantry, or after cooking the meat you could throw everything into the freezer bag together. Or you could even put the raw meat, onion, pepper and garlic in a freezer bag and freeze that without cooking, just make sure to cook thoroughly before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Source: Virginia Laws

NOTES : GIN'S NOTES: (1) I only use 1/4 cup onion, about 1/8 teaspoon of bottled fresh garlic, about half a large green pepper, and regular sized cans of beans & tomatoes. (2) For a large batch I would use 2 lbs hamburger, 4 cups (1 qt) tomatoes, 1/4 tsp garlic, 1 1/2 large green pepper, 3 Tblsp Worcestershire, 2 cans beans, tomatoes & sauce; then add by half teaspoon extra chili powder to taste. Also put 2 or 3 bay leaves in (2 if they are large, 3 if they are small. (3) If you choose to use regular chili beans start with 1 Tblsp chili powder and then continue to add to taste by half teaspoon.

JEN'S NOTES: I always follow the recipe, except I add a few cans of water and let simmer for 4-5 hours. It always is pretty good, except you really have to be careful not to get too much salt in it.

Italian Meatball Subs

This is such an easy freezer recipe - I LOVE it! This is another freezer meal Scott's sister shared with us as I was recovering from surgery. If you buy pre-made frozen Italian meatballs it makes for very easy prep, but also can be very high in fat. If you wanted to make your own meatballs you would have better control over the fat content.

Italian Meatball Subs

Servings: 6
Categories: Crock Pot, Freezer Recipe, Ground Beef & Turkey, Quick & Easy, Soups, Sandwiches, & Sauces, Vegetables

24 medium Italian meatballs -- cooked and frozen
15 ounces tomato sauce
15 ounces stewed Italian tomatoes
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese -- grated
1 envelope spaghetti sauce seasoning
6 each hoagie rolls
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese -- shredded

FREEZER DIRECTIONS:
PREPARATION: Place meatballs, tomato sauce, Italian tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, and seasoning in a labelled gallon freezer bag. You can freeze the rolls and cheese with the meatballs or buy them at serving time. If desired, place hoagie rolls and cheese in separate labelled freezer bags, and bag together with the meatballs. (Jen: I usually freeze the cheese and rolls with the meatballs, but usually don't bag the rolls with the rest because I don't want them to get smashed.)

TO SERVE: Thaw. Heat meatballs and sauce until cooked through. Serve on hoagie rolls topped with cheese. (Jen: I usually just pop the frozen meatballs and sauce into my little 2-quart slow cooker and cook on high for a few of hours.)

Source: Jodi
Ratings: 7 - Very Good 6
Serving Ideas : Serve with veggies and a green salad.

NOTES : The original recipe calls for only 5 hoagie rolls and 20 meatballs - 6 sandwiches just works better for me. The original recipe also calls for you to make homemade Italian meatballs.
JEN'S NOTES: If you don't have a spaghetti sauce seasoning mix on hand, it's not hard to find a recipe online. There are enough for 4 meatballs per sandwich. Scott has figured out that he likes to load up his sandwich with meatballs, so I have been adding extra meatballs just for him. Scott and I can't eat 6 sandwiches at once, so I usually cut the recipe in half. One sub is usually pretty filling, especially on a whole wheat hoagie roll.

Pasta with Meat Sauce Bake

I made up this recipe myself. It's really easy and Scott always likes it!

Pasta with Meat Sauce Bake

Recipe By: Jennifer Gabbert
Serving Size: 6
Categories: Casseroles, Food Storage Recipe, Freezer Recipes, Gound Beef or Turkey, Pasta, Grains, & Legumes, Quick & Easy

6 ounces rotini pasta (I love Ronzoni Smart Taste) -- uncooked
18 ounces spaghetti sauce -- to taste
2/3 pound lean ground beef -- cooked and drained
1 1/2 cups warm water (1 1/2 to 2 cups)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese -- to taste
3 ounces mozzarella cheese -- shredded

Preheat oven to 375 degreesF. In a bowl, mix sauce, hamburger, water, and parmesan cheese. Spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray. Place pasta in the bottom of the pan and pour sauce mixture over the pasta. Mix a little to make sure to coat the pasta, adding more water if pasta is not covered well with sauce. Top with cheese.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degreesF for 50-60 minutes or until pasta is cooked and tender. Cool for 5 minutes, covered.

FREEZER DIRECTIONS:
ADVANCED PREP: Cook ground beef. Grate cheese.
PREPARATION: Place uncooked pasta in a labelled quart freezer bag. Place sauce, cooked ground beef, and parmesan cheese in a labelled gallon freezer bag; you can also add the water at this point or wait until you cook the casserole. Place the mozzarella cheese in a pint labelled freezer bag. Bag these all together and freeze flat.
TO SERVE: Thaw. Add water to sauce mixture and mix well if you didn't add water when you froze it. Follow the above cooking instructions starting with preheating the oven to 375 degreesF.

Serving Ideas : Serve with a green salad and french bread.

NOTES : Cooking time may vary. Every time you look under the aluminum foil to check to see if it's done, you let all the steam out that cooks the pasta, so don't check it until it is almost done.
Jen's Notes: I usually use All Purpose Ground Meat Mix from the Make-A-Mix cookbook by Eliason, Harward, and Westover.
3/19/08 Made this recipe up and Scott really liked it. Tasted kind of lasagna-ie, but was way easier.