Dinners in the Freezer website!

A while ago we were looking for recipes for freezing. I just came across this site tonight! Check it out! The address is: http://www.dinnersinthefreezer.com. The recipes are really simple and look good.

French Bread Rolls

I stole this from a favorite cooking blog, My Kitchen Cafe (See the link on the side bar). I just had to have it and share it!

[This part was written by the author of the post, not me...]
I have to confess I am kind of a roll snob. I love to make homemade rolls and have come across two, maybe three recipes, that are so tried-and-true I don't make any other kind. I know, I know, I should be more open-minded, but when it comes to fresh, fluffy, tender rolls, I just have to stick with what I love. These french bread rolls are my go-to rolls when I don't have eggs or butter in the house but want to make a fresh batch of rolls with relatively few ingredients (now, if you want a delicious, rich roll recipe with eggs AND butter, let me know...Lion House rolls are the only kind to make). They are exactly what their name implies - a little nugget of french bread goodness in roll-form. Really, they are scrumptious. If you want to make them crusty instead of soft, spray some water into the oven three times in the first five to six minutes of baking and brush them with an egg white/water mixture prior to baking. I'm kind of partial to the soft exterior, so I bake them unadulterated and then rub them down with butter hot out of the oven. (I made these for Christmas Eve since we had company with allergies to dairy.)

Trade Secrets: The original recipe calls for bread flour. Since I usually don't have that on hand, I've always used all-purpose flour and it works brilliantly. However, if you are a bread flour user, I bet the rolls will come out even more tender. I also cut the baking time down from the original 18 minutes to about 12 minutes. And finally, these rolls rise QUICKLY (probably due to the 1 tablespoon of yeast) so don't forget about them or you may have a big mess on your hands.

French Bread Rolls

adapted from allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt, and 2 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 12-14 equal pieces, and form into round balls. Place on lightly greased baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth (or greased saran wrap), and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Bake for 12-13 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Chimichangas al Horno (oven-fried)

I had this dish at my in-laws one Sunday. It was fabulous! The meat is browned and boiled down twice to really lock in the flavor! You can partially make these beforehand.

prep-time: about 25 minutes
cooking time: about 1 & 3/4 hours
baking time: 8-10 minutes

1 pound lean, boneless pork butt or shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 & 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups water
2 Tbs. White vinegar
3 Tbs. canned, diced green chiles
1 clove garlic
1 & 1/2 cups (6 oz.) shredded jack cheese
1 cup sour cream

1. Place meat in a 2 to 3 quart pan. Cover & cook over medium heat to draw out juices (about 10 minutes).
Uncover and cook over high heat, stirring often until liquid has evaporated & meat is well browned.
2. Add water to pan, stirring to scrape up browned bits. Bring to boil over high heat; reduce heat, cover and simmer until meat is very tender when pierced (1 to 1 & 1/4 hours). Uncover & boil over high heat until all
liquid has evaporated. Reduce heat to low. Add vinegar, chiles, garlic, oregano & cumin. Stir to scrape up
browned bits; remove from heat.
3. Shred meat with two forks. Season to taste with salt. (At this point, you may cover and refrigerate for up to 3
days; reheat before using.)
4. To assemble each chimichanga, brush both sides of tortilla with melted butter. Spoon filling down the center
of tortilla. To enclose, lap ends over filling; then fold sides down, in a 9"x13" baking pan. Bake in a 500
degree oven until golden (8-10 minutes).
5. Serve with fresh salsa, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, etc. Makes four servings.