My Once A Month Cooking (OAMC): Casseroles

CHILI CHEESE BAKE
1 1 lb, 11 oz can mild whole green chiles
4 cups (16 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups (8 oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
5 large eggs
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/3 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
Dash Tabasco
Paprika

Treat a 13x9x2 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Rinse the chiles, split them open lengthwise using kitchen shears, and remove the seeds. (Wash hands after handling and don't rub your eyes!) Dry and drain the chiles on paper towels. In the prepared baking dish, layer half the peppers, half the Monterey Jack cheese, and 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese. Repeat the layers. Place 1 cup of cheddar cheese in a 1 quart freezer bag.

Blend the eggs, flour, milk, salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce. Pour this mixture over top of the layers. Cover the dish with heavy-duty aluminum foil, label and freeze, with 1 cup cheddar cheese in the 1 quart freezer bag attached.

TO SERVE: Thaw. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Sprinkle the casserole with the cheddar cheese and paprika. Bake about 1 hour, or until firm. Cut in small squares and serve.

Serves 12.

I do freeze this is smaller containers for us since there is just my husband and I. If there will be others for the meal I can thaw more than one container.

PENNY SUPPER

6 hot dogs sliced into "pennies"
4 cups cooked potatoes, diced
3 T onion, chopped
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp mustard
1 can cream of mushroom soup
salt and pepper to taste

combine the hot dogs, potatoes, onion, and butter. Place in a baking dish.

Mix together the remaining ingredients and gently fold into the hot dog mixture. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Big Batch Cheeseburger Bake
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1 1/4 cups chopped onions (about 2 large)
1 10 3/4 oz can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1 1/4 cups frozen vegetables (we don't like frozen veggies, so I just add frozen corn)
1/2 cup milk
2 1/3 cup bisquick mix
2/3 cup water
1 1/3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (about 5 oz)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Generously spray bottom and sides of 15x10x1 inch pan with cooking spray. In 12 inch skillet, cook beef and onions over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in soup, vegetables and milk.
In large bowl, stir Bisquick mix and water until moistened. Spread evenly in pan. Spread beef mixture over batter. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake uncovered 35 minutes.

Suggestions. You can cook the batch as suggested and freeze and then to serve thaw and heat in preheated oven until heated through.

OR

you can freeze BEFORE baking. To serve...thaw and then bake as directed.

Introduction

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by deciding what to prepare for a meal? I know I have. Many times. Especially our evening meal when our three children were growing up. Then one day I stumbled across a program called "Once A Month Cooking" (OAMC) and thought I'd give it a try. It was a lifesaver and I loved it. I did it for years, from the time my youngest was in preschool until he was in the 8th grade. I don't remember why I quit, just that I did. When I was doing the OAMC back then I prepared a lot of full, complete meals and froze them, entree, side, and dessert. The only thing I had to actually prepare for the meal was the vegetable or the potatoes. For those of you not familiar with the OAMC program, I will try to explain it to you here. This blog is to try to help you see what it takes, how to do itm give you ideas and how much fun you can actually have. OAMC is the ultimate do-ahead dinner preparation technique. The secret of the OAMC technique is that you cook all your dinner main dishes for a month (or two weeks or even a week) in one day, freeze them, and enjoy eating tasty food, every night without the hassle of lengthy meal preparation. In this blog, I will try to provide the menu we use, shopping lists and recipes. You do not have to have organizational skills, nor do you have to be a good cook to successfully accomplish OAMC. What you need to expect and plan to is: Take a longer-than usual shopping trip, preferably the day or night before your cooking day. Spend the bulk of your month's food budget on this shopping trip (saving money over the course of the month) Cook with a partner or two or three, like I do, for maximum fun and efficiency. Cook half a day for a two week cycle, a full day for a month cycle. Love the freedom and possibilities this will bring to mealtimes. Enjoy family building times around the table and like us, the time we cook together. Take the stress out of having company for dinner I suggest for the first few time you do the OAMC to try to do the two week cycle. Then when you get the feel of the "system" advance on the full month if that is what you want and have room for the food. Also in this blog I will frequently give you suggestions of what to serve with a certain recipe. Please feel free to email me with any suggestions and question syou might have. Even leave a comment here on the blog.