Once the soups and casseroles are frozen completely They stack up like this! I have 10 soups in there and thats in my side by side :) I would have taken a better pic but I found a mouse in my garage. EWWWWW.
To freeze things better, I label and lay flat all my soups & casseroles
walnut chicken with pesto rice and homemade cornbread
Walnut Chicken
Don't know why my picture turned out funny. This is the apple, cream cheese pesto rice ( aka amazing)
First off I have eaten nothing but chicken for the past week. Ok chicken and veggies and some cookies. Anyway I found this delicious recipe on Rachel Ray, then tweaked it ( like I always do.) The end result was AMAZING. Its a fall food in my book, but I guess it could be anytime of the year :) Enjoy! I also showed how I was doing a mini freezer weekend. This is how I preserve my casseroles, soups, pretty much anything with substance. It freezes way better and takes up less room. Its great & I love it!
Apple Walnut Maple Chicken And Pesto Rice
Ingredients
1 cup walnut halves ( I used 1/.2 cup walnuts Diced and 1/2 cup sliced almonds, you can use whatever you want)
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups long-grain white rice
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 honeycrisp, gala or golden delicious apple – peeled, seeded, and chopped ( I used a Red delicious)
1/4 cup packed fresh dill
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 cup neufchatel cheese, sliced into little blocks
2 slices of smoked gouda cheese
1 tablespoon EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 large chicken breasts
1/4 cup apple cider
1/2 cup dark maple syrup ( I just used butter pecan syrup. It was AMAZING)
Pesto
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup olive oil (add more if too dry, its always better to have 1 little than 2 much)
1/4 cup grated Parmeson cheese OR Parmesian Reggiano ( I can't spell it)
1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 garlic clove, Sliced ( It will be diced in the food processor)
salt ( I grinded some seasalt up, it was from Dollar tree and had its own grinder)
pepper ( I used Black Peppercorns from Dollar tree, it has its own grinder on top )
1 Tablespoon Pine Nuts
In a food processor, combine all ingredients.. Pulse until its smooth. You may refrigerate the pesto for up to 10 days in a tightly closed container. I had mine refrigerated for a month. I also freeze it in ice cube trays because generally 1 ice cube = to amount needed in a recipe :)
Yields: Serves 4
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and roast until well toasted and fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes.
In a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the rice and toast for a minute or two. Add 2 cups chicken stock and bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the apple and simmer for 8 minutes.
While the rice cooks, using a food processor, pulse ¼ cup chicken stock, the parsley, dill and ¼ teaspoon salt until finely chopped. Stir into the rice during the last minute of cooking. Turn off the heat and let the rice stand, covered, for 1 to 2 minutes before fluffing with a fork. Transfer to a serving dish and stir in the cheese.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken dry and season liberally with salt and black pepper. Add to the skillet and cook, turning once, until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat in the skillet and add the vinegar. Cook, scraping up the pan drippings, then add the remaining ¼ cup chicken stock, the maple syrup and black pepper to tasted. Cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Add the chicken and walnuts and spoon with the sauce. Loosely cover the pan with foil and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve with chicken next to the rice for complete amazingness in your mouth :)
