Food to Share

I realized today I haven’t really posted any recipes in awhile – even though I’ve been cooking a lot. It hasn’t just been crackers and baby food around here lately! I guess I haven’t given them much thought because I’m doing a lot of simple, easy-to-share recipes…most of which are also easy-to-freeze.

NOT my freezer. But when I dream about being organized, this is what my freezer yearns to look like!

My grandmother has been having some health concerns lately and, as a way to remove some of her daily chores, my mother and aunts and I are taking turns at providing meals for her. So, I’ve pulled out my I-need-to-take-something-to-my-friend-who-just-had-a-baby/friend-who-is-sick/friend-who-just-planned-a-funeral list of recipes. This is a great list to have on hand and, in my dreams where my freezer looks like that picture, I also have one or two of these meals in there ready to be delivered at any given moment.  (Take just a second to laugh with me at such aspiration.)

In my real life, I frantically throw together one of these recipes for my own starving family and put two portions aside for my grandmother (or double it to freeze or take to a friend.)

Containers from French Bull - so cute!

In my imaginary world with my organized, always-stocked freezer, I also deliver my culinary gifts in these cute, non-plastic containers.  A girl can dream, right?

So here’s the first of my Freezer-Friendly New Baby/Sick Friend recipes. Now, these recipes aren’t about fancy-schmancy techniques or elaborate presentation…they are meant to be crowd-pleasing comfort foods with simple ingredients that appeal to a broad spectrum of people.  You probably already make your own version of most of them. And a side benefit is you are likely to have all but a few of the ingredients on-hand at any given time. This is true even if your pantry doesn’t look like my imaginary dream pantry featured here:

So far, this recipe has been my grandmother’s favorite…for whatever that is worth!

Chicken Spaghetti via The Pioneer Woman

(and if you don’t know who the Pioneer Woman is…well, I’m not sure I know what to say about that.)

photo from the Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 2 cups Cooked Chicken
• 3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
• 2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
• 2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• ¼ cups Finely Diced Green Pepper
• ¼ cups Finely Diced Onion
• 1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
• 2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
• 1 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
• ⅛ teaspoons (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

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More freezer-friendly, easy-to-share recipes coming right up.  Stay tuned. I’ll be organizing my freezer.