Freezer Meals: Round 2

You may remember the first time I participated in a Freezer Meal exchange. It wasn't a disappointment. So when Emily suggested we do one again, I was the first one on the bandwagon.

Because I'm a crazy over-achiever (and because initially it looked like it might be just Emily and me exchanging), I went over the top and did 3 recipes for the exchange. Rules were the same as last time: bring 6 meals that each serve 4-6 people.

I brought 2 Texas Skillet meals, 2 Creamy Ham & Noodle Casseroles, and 2 Cheesy Chicken & Rice with Veggies (recipes below).

The other 2 girls brought Lasagna (always delicious!) and Baked Ziti (with hamburger and spinach!) - if I happen to get these recipes, I'll add these to the list.

It's been such a relief to have something completely ready-to-go in the freezer and just need to take it out to thaw in the AM and pop in the oven after work. As you all know, I LOVE to cook, but I certainly love a good homemade, effortless meal!

Are you a freezer-meal guru? Share your secrets!

Creamy Ham & Noodle Casserole
10 cups uncooked shell pasta
6 celery ribs, thinly sliced
3 smallish peppers, chopped (I used red, green, and yellow.)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter, cubed
3 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
3 cups milk (I used powdered milk b/c it's more cost-effective and you can't taste the difference in a casserole)
1 tsp salt

2 tsp pepper

4 cups cubed fully cooked ham
2 cans (8 ounces each) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 cup crushed saltines

Cook pasta, set aside. Saute celery, peppers and onion in butter, add soup, milk, salt, pepper. Combine soup mixture with ham and mushrooms. Mix with pasta. Top with cracker crumbs. Cook, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20-25mins. Or freeze.

This recipe is HUGE. I got 4 8x8 pans out of it. 

Adapted from this Taste of Home recipe.

Cheesy Chicken & Rice with Veggies

Sauté 1 chopped onion in 1 tbsp. butter

Add to sautéed onion:

1 can cheddar cheese soup

1 can Cr. of Mushroom soup

1 1/2 can chicken broth (I measured 1 1/2 can by using the soup can)

1 cup cut up velvetta cheese

Cook until smooth.

Cook 3 cups minute rice. 

Steam 1 bunch broccoli (I used a bag of [thawed] frozen stirfry veggies and it worked just as well). 

Cut up 2 cups cooked chicken.

Stir broccoli, rice, and chicken into sauce and season with pepper (I used 2-3tsp of pepper).

Pour into greased 9x13 pan. (This also makes a TON. I put it into 3 8x8 pans and froze 2 of them.) Bake for 35-45 minutes at 375 degrees, covered with foil to keep it moist.

Mini KC-Area Winery/Brewery Tour

Since my boss decided to give us the day after the 4th off (woohoo!), Jordan and I decided to spend it doing our own little winery/brewery tour. Here's our route:

A - we spent the night at aunt Kathy's and uncle Pat's on base in Fort Leavenworth.
Thanks for the delicious food, letting us spend the night, and for entertaining my husband with Empire Builder, Dominion,  and Power Plant. We had a wonderful mini-vacation with you guys!

B - High Noon Saloon and Brewery
Jordan enjoyed a 6-sample flight here for $7.50:

• Oregon Trail Raspberry Wheat (for me, which I actually thought was okay...given that I don't like beer)
• Stampede Stout
• Black Gold Lager
• Lewis & Clark Light Gold
• Rough Rider Pale Ale
• Deorganizer IPA

He said he's gotten snooty about beer, and wasn't all that impressed with any of these. He thought the flavor was off in all of them. 

C - Riverwood Winery (and a surprise scotch tasting!)
When we drove up to this winery, I said to Jordan, "It looks like a schoolhouse!" and, sure enough, their website tells us, "Riverwood Winery's Tasting Room and Giftshop is based in a 1950's era renovated school building located along the east bank of the Missouri River." I did the Try 3 for Free, and Jordan did the full $5 tasting. 

They had nice options for red, white and port-style wines, and we enjoyed them all. I also noticed that they had options for olive plates, bread and cheese plates and a few other varieties ($15 each), in case you wanted to purchase a bottle of wine and enjoy a plate of munchies with it in their outdoor or indoor seating area. A nice touch. 

As we were sampling our wines, I noticed the chalkboard behind Jordan listed SCOTCH TASTING. With a hubby who loves scotch, I knew he'd enjoy it. Sure enough, when I suggested it his eyes lit up like it was Christmas. Here he is with his $9 Scotch Tasting: 

1. Triple Distilled Auchentoshan Three Wood - he thought this was really excellent. 
2. Aberlour 16 Year - Having tried the Aberlour 10 Year before, he can vouch that this one is even better.
3. Bruichladdich Rocks - I tried a little sample of this and dubbed it "Earth on Fire". 

If you're into Scotch, this is a great option. For $9, the pours were very generous! 

D - Weston Brewing Company / Pirtle Winery
We've been to both Weston Brewing Company and Pirtle Winery before, but if you're doing this same wine tour, these are both right on the way. Jordan loves Weston brews and Pirtle has some delicious, unique Mead (honey) wines that other wineries in this area don't have.

We did stop at Weston Brewing to pick up four 6-packs for $20 though (a great deal!). Jordan also got to sample their new IPA: Jack the RIPA. He said it was fantastic and is hoping they'll decide to bottle that soon.

E - Jowler Creek Winery
I'm almost ashamed to admit that we almost didn't stop here! They do fantastic marketing, which lead me to believe that they must be bigger than they actually are. We were expecting expensive wine tasting (due to the $15 groupon I'd seen) and high prices. We were VERY wrong. This is a husband- and wife-owned winery and it sits right next to their home. They both "retired" from the ag communications industry in KC last year, which explains why their marketing is so great!

We got to try all their wines for free, and with the exception of the two drier red wines (which Jordan loved), I really liked them all! (which doesn't happen very often) We basically did an "eeny, meeny, miny, moe"to choose which one we wanted to buy and ended up with Butterfly Blush. Jordan also decided to splurge and get their port-style wine, aptly named "Nort".

I was impressed with their label - a fun, sketched animal adorns each bottle and is also sometimes reflected in the name. Like their delicious Muskrato de Missouri, which is reminiscent of my favorite Moscato d'Asti.

F - Ladoga Ridge Winery
The final stop on our tour was at Ladoga Ridge Winery. This is a little larger operation and they have a very nice, welcoming tasting room with warm bread ($2) and plates of cheese and meat ($6) to purchase to enjoy out on their patio that overlooks their grape vines or at one of the seating areas inside. They also have $5 glasses of wine slushies available. We had a sample of that and it was so, so good.

We each did the Try 5 for Free, which meant (with sharing) we were able to try all of their wines. Being from South Dakota, we've sampled our share of Strawberry Rhubarb wine, and weren't expecting to be wowed by Ladoga's. We stand corrected! Their Strawberry Rhubarb was strong and fiesty, a nice change from the softer, lighter Strawberry Rhubarb wine we've experienced in the Dakotas! 

G - Finally home after a 6-hour tour!
Our take-home wine!

Ladoga's Blackberry Wine, a sweet, fruit table wine - $11.95

Jowler's Nort, described on their website as, "This one-of-a-kind dessert style blend of Norton grapes will keep you warm and toasty as you curl up by the fire in your cave on a cool fall night or mid-winter day. Scents of blackberries, plums, and chocolate will fill your nose. It begs to be sipped with chocolate desserts, nuts, or cheese with a little bite." - $15 (guessing, we seemed to have lost that receipt)

Jowler's Butterfly Blush, described on their website as, "This premium rosé is bursting with bold, fruit flavor and finishes with a flutter of sweetness. Sit back, relax and enjoy it today with baby Swiss cheese, barbequed or roasted chicken, or a lighter dessert like angel food cake." - $13

What's your favorite local winery/brewery? We really enjoy visiting wineries/breweries and would love to have suggestions! (We're not just looking for MO wines...we also love traveling!)

$50 Patio Makeover: Before & After

I'd be planning to repot a few of my plants for...a very long time. Before we even moved to KC. That's like...planning to for over a year.

So, when mom announced she was coming for a girls' weekend, and hubby was planning to be out of town, I knew that getting my plants repotted was on my list for us. For anyone that doesn't know, my mom has a ridiculous green thumb. And she loves anything to do with gardening/plants/making things grow.

What started as me just wanting to replant the couple plants I had, turned into something bigger - and much more fun.

Here are some before and after pics:

Our bare, sad patio. 

Me with our "haul" - this looks like we got an obnoxious amount. I also piled mom's plants in there that she bought and took back to SF with her. 

Left side of patio. A NEW hanging plant, a NEW fern, the middle level is all plants I had before (an african violet Jordan gave me for a birthday, a christmas cactus that someone gave me, some kind of green leafy plant that grows and grows and grows that I got in a secret santa exchange in college, and chives from mom's garden). On the ground we have an amaryllis that I gave to Jordan for Christmas (that I got for free), a pot from mom with NEW flowers, another type of plant that aunt Karen gave me, and another one of those green leafy plants (this was the original one - the other one started from this one).

Right side of patio. An ALL-NEW over-the-ledge planter box! And a NEW hanging plant.

Close-up for the planter box :) I kinda cut off the purple leafy thing. It's pretty huge. 

What sort of affordable makeovers have you done?